Scavengers

Quest Academy

BOOK 2

Brian J. Nordon

Copyright © 2023 by The Legion Publishers Ltd.

Editing by Michelle Dunbar

Editing by Faith Williams

Cover by Rashed Alakroka

Typography by May Dawney Designs

Formatting and additional editing by Christine Cajiao

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author/publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction; all characters, places, abilities, and choices are my own unhinged creations. Yes, even those ones that you’re thinking about right now. Mine!

Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 – Concept

Chapter 2 – Mythcrafter Essence

Chapter 3 – Scarcity

Chapter 4 – Synergy

Chapter 5 – Tracker

Chapter 6 – Curriculum

Chapter 7 – Decisions

Chapter 8 – Exploration

Chapter 9 – Permanent

Chapter 10 – Manipulation

Chapter 11 – Doubts

Chapter 12 – Agony

Chapter 13 – Gauntlet

Chapter 14 – Falling

Chapter 15 – Agitate

Chapter 16 – Extortion

Chapter 17 – Recruitment

Chapter 18 – Inspiration

Chapter 19 – Refinement

Chapter 20 – Amends

Chapter 21 – Prototype

Chapter 22 – Resentment

Chapter 23 – Materials

Chapter 25 - Core Issue

Chapter 24 – Detection

Chapter 26 – Sealed

Chapter 27 – Unhinged

Chapter 28 – Sapped

Chapter 29 – Revolver

Chapter 30 – Analysis

Chapter 31 – Uncertainty

Chapter 32 – Dungeon

Chapter 33 – Preparation

Chapter 34 - First Shot

Chapter 35 – Resolve

Chapter 36 – Adapt

Chapter 37 – Respect

Chapter 38 – HBR

Chapter 39 – Spirit

Chapter 40 – Remorse

Chapter 41 – Revenge

Chapter 42 – Revise

Chapter 43 – Revelation

Chapter 44 – Confession

Chapter 45 – Masterclass

Chapter 46 – Assembly

Chapter 47 – Chaos

Chapter 48 – Selection

Chapter 49 – Proficiency

Chapter 50 – Method

Chapter 51 – Illusions

Chapter 52 – OptimiZe

Chapter 53 - Dream Team

Chapter 54 – Roche

Chapter 55 – Rested

Chapter 56 – Functionality

Chapter 57 – Construct

Chapter 58 – Pioneer

Chapter 59 - New Threads

Chapter 60 – Alias

Chapter 61 – Prestige

Chapter 62 – Request

Chapter 63 – Gallant

Chapter 64 – Equipment

Chapter 65 – Truth

Chapter 66 – Enclosure

Chapter 67 – Adaptability

Chapter 68 – Accountability

Chapter 69 – Training

Chapter 70 – Ambush

Chapter 71 – Synergy

Chapter 72 – Recap

Chapter 73 – Infusion

Chapter 74 – Stacks

Chapter 75 - Double-Edged

Chapter 76 – Defeat

Chapter 77 – Motivation

Chapter 78 – Tactics

Chapter 79 – Teamwork

Chapter 80 – Trust

Chapter 81 – Commission

Chapter 82 – Return

Chapter 83 – Reset

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Acknowledgements

I first need to thank you. Without you reading this, none of this would be possible. I have been absolutely floored by the reception of Quest Academy: Silvers, and had no idea that so many people would resonate with the story. It’s my utmost hope that you’ll enjoy Quest Academy: Scavengers just as much, if not more.

Big shoutout to The Legion Publishers who lit multiple fires under my ass to get this over the line. They’re the best team I could possibly ask for. Family and friends that picked up the story out of curiosity, I appreciate you too!

I’m currently stuck into the start of Quest Academy: Saviors and can’t wait to share it with you. Hopefully you’ll be patient with me and continue on this journey to see where Sal goes from here.

-Brian

30/11/2023

Chapter 1 – Concept

“Well now, if it isn’t the man of the hour? Looking deceptively fresh for someone who should be horribly hungover!” Upgrade teased as she caught sight of Sal in the workshop.

At her words, Martin and Gosia perked up, smiles on their faces.

Sal couldn’t tell who started it, but a small smattering of applause welcomed him to his workstation. It was embarrassing, but there was no mockery in their expressions.

Upgrade, who would normally be the first to poke fun at his expense, gave him a warm smile as she made her way to his table.

“I wasn’t able to watch the fights live, because they wanted to hold me in the infirmary for a bit. Heard you were incredible, though! Quest promised to send me the footage after your scores were tallied, so I’ll be watching it later.” She grinned as she propped herself up on one of the work stools near his desk. “I told you it was going to be a shit-show and you’d be just fine.”

Sal barely heard what she had said after mentioning the infirmary. His eyes widened. “Did you get hurt? I saw the footage of the raid, and you were incredible! I had no idea Forge could be that terrifying, but the way you two worked together to clear the dungeon floor was amazing.”

Upgrade’s smile grew wider. She waved her hand away as though it wasn’t important. “Just picked up a few scratches here and there, nothing to worry about. It’s been so long since I was out in the field that they wanted to make sure I was okay. Have to say, though, it’s nice to know that I haven’t lost my touch!”

Sal nodded in agreement as he exhaled slowly. “You were like an Offense class out there, just killing them left and right. Weren’t you scared at all? I can’t see myself ever fighting on the front lines like that.”

Upgrade’s smile faltered as her right eyebrow cocked up. “Like an Offense class? Don’t throw me in with those barbarians, thank you very much. Sure, I was scared…but I had my team with me, so that did a lot to calm the nerves. Supports can be fantastic on the field; it doesn’t mean that we have to like it. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re not fit for that type of thing. You won’t know until you’ve fought your first demon.”

Sal shuddered involuntarily, which got a light laugh from Upgrade.

She leaned closer and waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention. “You know, for someone who essentially crushed the other teams in his cohort…you’re still second-guessing everything, aren’t you?”

There was no mockery in her tone, but Sal couldn’t help but feel that there was a twinge of disappointment in its place.

Without giving him time to respond, Upgrade got to her feet and stood in front of his workbench with both of her hands placed on its surface.

“Let me reframe it for you. If you were capable of handling a situation that would protect someone you cared about, would you do it?”

Without any hesitation, Sal nodded. “Of course. Anyone would.”

Upgrade grinned as she held his stare for a few moments. “Exactly. I merely handled a situation…” Upgrade raised her right hand and pointed directly at Sal. “To protect the people I care about.”

Sal’s face turned red at the realization, but Upgrade put him out of his misery with a grin.

“As much as I love tormenting you, are you here to be sentimental on your day off, or are you here to do some crafting? This is one of the rare days where we’re free from countless first-years asking a million questions, so please don’t ruin it for me.”

With an awkward cough, Sal gestured toward the blueprint room. “I’m here to do some designing. What are you working on?”

Upgrade glanced over at the blueprint room with a grimace. “Someone’s using it at the minute. There’s plenty of space for you to work beside them, but I’d rather you didn’t meet them for a while. How do you feel about going through the class project proposals with me? We can check the feasibility of their suggestions, and I’ll count it as credit toward your grade?”

With a slight shake of his head, Sal withdrew the small tracker that Quest had given him the previous night. It was simplistic in design, with light scratches across the smokey-black visor and some natural wear and tear on the silver earpiece.

“I don’t know how long I’ll have this for, so I want to get working on making my own version of it as soon as possible. Could I get some of the equipment from the blueprint room and do my work out here?”

Upgrade glanced at the tracker and frowned. “Why would you need to use a tracker? You already have the Appraisal ability, which makes it redundant.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the tracker more carefully.

“Wait… Quest gave it to you? It probably has his System ability tied to it. What are you hoping to make from it?”

Sal shrugged as he looked at the compact tracker in his hands. “I met Professor Beck last night, and he got me to replicate his Analysis ability. It was way too much for me, and I could only understand fragments of it with this tracker. I want to design a solution that will use System and Analysis at the same time, so I don’t need to keep the power active. It’ll be helpful for when I start the Analysis class, or at least I hope it will.”

Upgrade bit her lip as she turned back to the blueprint room. “Okay, you can go in there, but don’t engage in conversation with him. He’s preparing for his next assignment and is in a particularly foul mood today.”

Sal looked at her warily and chose his words carefully. “You’re making him sound super ominous. Does he have a name?”

Tapping her finger on the desk surface, Upgrade gave Sal a sideways glance. “He has many names. Special Forces, working in the Hunter Bureau and a visiting lecturer for the academy. He just returned from the excursion with the second-years and it was apparently a disaster. I imagine him seeing a carefree, bright-eyed student working on something other than killing demons…it’s unlikely to fill him with confidence in our next generation of Heroes.”

Sal’s eagerness to enter the blueprint room evaporated by the second. The tension he felt from Upgrade filled him with a sense of dread, but he needed to get a blueprint written up for the tracker so he could improve on it in time for his first class in Analysis.

Sensing his apprehension, Upgrade sighed and started to move in the direction of the room. “Come on, I’ll go with you. Leave the talking to me.”

Sal got to his feet and followed Upgrade, sparing a moment to wave and smile at both Martin and Gosia, who popped their heads up from their desks to say hello.

When they were a few feet away from the door, the sounds of cursing became audible through the apparently soundproof walls, suggesting that their mystery occupant was likely shouting. That deduction was confirmed the moment the sliding door opened, with a stream of curses blasting out dramatically.

“If you’re here to tell me to quiet down, you could help me instead,” a haggard voice called from one side of the room.

Sal was surprised to see a man who couldn’t have been much older than Upgrade rifling through countless sheets of blueprints. His hair was sandy brown, and his face was covered in stubble. His blue eyes were made all the more striking by the dark bags underneath them.

If Sal had to guess, he’d have said the man hadn’t slept in the last year.

Upgrade stepped in front of Sal and blocked his view of the man. “What do you need help with?” With her free hand, she gestured for Sal to move to one of the nearby tables.

As Sal moved toward a free bench, he glanced back in time to see a flash of red light appear around the haggard man’s arm.

“You could help me understand why your department is producing concepts far beyond their capabilities, and completely overlooking the basics! One of the most glaring flaws of the excursion was how ill-equipped every student was, and I’m starting to get a better grasp of why that is.

“Are you encouraging the crafters to make magnum opuses? Why is there an exoskeleton suit blueprint and a grappling hook, but nothing for basic defenses? Is this truly the standard you’ve curated for your third-years?”

His voice became more frustrated with each and every topic, but Sal’s eyes were locked on the man’s still-glowing arm.

Upgrade’s eyes fell to the blueprints on his desk, and her smile tightened. “Those aren’t third-year designs. You can find those on that shelf over there. There are more practical examples with realistic build quality.”

She moved to the blueprints in question, but the man raised his hand to stop her. He had locked eyes with Sal on the other side of the room, and it seemed to annoy him further.

“No classes today, kid. Make yourself scarce.”

It was an order more than a request, and Sal felt incredibly out of place in the very room he had come to love. He packed up the equipment that he needed, but it wasn’t fast enough, apparently.

The man got to his feet and marched across to Sal, where he grabbed his arm. “I don’t have all day, so come on.”

The runes on Sal’s shirt flared to life and activated their protective functions. What should have been enough to throw the man across the room did nothing more than knock him back a step.

Before Sal could apologize, a pulse of red energy swept through the man’s grip and shot around Sal’s torso. Sal tried to remove his grip, but it was deceptively strong.

“Relax, kid. I’m just having a look.” His voice wasn’t as rough as before, and he looked to be deep in concentration as he studied the shirt, his eyes tracking the pulsing red light as it moved.

Upgrade appeared by Sal’s side and pulled the man’s grip off him. “With all due respect, Captain. You’re going too far.”

Frowning slightly, the man took a step back and pulled the pulse of red light back into his arm. “Why is a first-year wearing an Epic-grade shirt?” In a flash of red light, his entire torso was covered in a glowing replica of Sal’s shirt.

Sal activated his eyes and locked onto the shirt to see what had happened. It didn’t seem like it was possible.

Name
Argento Shirt (Concept)

Origin
Essence Construct

Age
Temporary Summon

Grade
Epic (Middle)

Dimensions
Chest 42 inches | Neck 17.5 inches 

Materials
Refined Concept Essence

Attributes

Defiant: Shirt negates piercing and blunt damage. Chance to reflect damage.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items.

Chameleon: Shirt morphs to match the ability essence of the wearer.

Abilities
Defiant | Synergy | Chameleon

Power Source
External Essence

Evolution
No

Quality
Perfect

Condition

100%

Sal’s eyes widened. He had somehow created a temporary replica of the shirt, and it had all the same abilities as his own. It had been a few seconds of him investigating it, and he made a perfect copy.

Sal desperately wished that he had the Analysis ability trained up, because he wanted to know everything about this man and his power.

Upgrade stepped between them. “Captain, this is Salvatore Argento. He’s one of our first-years.” Upgrade turned to Sal, a forced smile on her face. “Sal, this is Captain Chatfield. He’s going to be one of your lecturers in the future.”

Sal offered his hand, but Chatfield stared at him as though he had two heads.

“Salvatore Argento. You’re the team captain who won in the Silver cohort, right?”

Sal’s hand paused in mid-air as he stared back at the lecturer in surprise.

Upgrade looked up at the ceiling and sighed in exasperation. “The blueprints you were going through were made by him. He’s still learning the basics, so you’ll have to forgive his naiveté with build design.”

Chatfield didn’t seem to care as he moved around to examine Sal from a different angle. “So, you were a Support class and not a Controller?” When Chatfield’s eyes met Upgrade’s, he snapped his fingers and the ethereal shirt disappeared from his torso.

He grasped Sal’s extended hand and muttered darkly, “You should enjoy your day off, Mr. Argento. It’s going to get a lot more hectic from here on out.”

Chapter 2 – Mythcrafter Essence

“I should apologize for him and tell you that he’s not normally such an asshole…but as time goes on, I’m starting to think that he probably is,” Upgrade said as the blueprint room door closed behind them.

Chatfield had practically snatched the third-year blueprints from her hands and retreated to his workstation, pulling at the tubes and muttering to himself.

Sal was happy to be free of the awkward tension and shuddered involuntarily once they had made it a few paces away from the room. With a glance at Upgrade, he shook his head in confusion.

“I know that some of the faculty are a bit eccentric, but isn’t he a bit much? What does he teach?”

Upgrade looked around the workshop before she gestured at Room 17, where they had worked on the Legendary sniper rifle.

“Let’s talk in there, and you can set yourself up to do some design work. I just need to get my things.”

Sal wasn’t sure whether she was ignoring his question or wanted some privacy to tell him more about the mysterious lecturer. He didn’t question her further and made his way to the room, pausing momentarily to turn on the lights.

When they finally illuminated the room, Sal was relieved to see that it was exactly as they had left it the previous week. He wasn’t sure they’d be able to retain a monopoly on it when the second-years started to fill out the workshop, but for now it felt like it was his.

Sal placed the blank sheets of paper down on the table and arranged the etching equipment alongside it.

“Don’t even think about taking the couch…I’m calling dibs.” Upgrade smiled as she walked through the door, dumped her stuff on the table, and then dove onto the couch all in one motion. With a sigh, she gestured toward the door with a pained expression. “Close that, will you? Can’t let the others see me slacking off.”

Sal smiled as he activated the sliding door, closing it to the outside workshop and giving them some privacy.

Upgrade stretched her legs out on the couch before she turned her head to look at Sal. “Chatfield is the best Controller I’ve ever seen on a battlefield. He’s gotten pretty much every accolade you could imagine when it comes to combat and holds the most records for tower clearances out of any faculty member.”

Upgrade’s voice was devoid of emotions as she spoke. “When he was an active Hero, he was in the top one hundred and had his pick of teams. If you had Chatfield as your Controller, you’d win. It was a certainty that everyone accepted. He would use whatever means necessary to win the day and bring everyone back alive. So, you’d think that having him here would be a massive boon for the academy, but it’s anything but.”

Sal laughed. There was no way the haggard man in the other room was that impressive. Sure, he had seen unlikely people with extraordinary powers, but Chatfield looked burned out and exhausted.

His ability looked interesting, but from a combat perspective, Sal couldn’t understand how useful it would be for a wider team.

Upgrade shook her head. “I sense a non-believer! Can’t blame you. He’s like a husk of his former self right now, but I guarantee you that he’s just as capable. He’s only gotten back from assignment yesterday, and he’s already preparing for a portal dive with a strike team. Usually, he’d come into the workshop to see if we’ve got new designs that he can use his Concept ability on. Gives him a wider arsenal to play with. Judging by his stress levels at the minute, I’d say he’s in for a tough dive.”

Sal placed the tracker on the desk in front of him and activated his Mythcrafter ability. He wanted to give it a proper appraisal before finding ways to upgrade or reconstruct it. Without glancing over to Upgrade, he asked his initial question again, hoping for an answer. “So, what does he teach? Is it a Controller Masterclass or something?”

Upgrade laughed and shook her head as she half-heartedly pulled the blanket over her body to make herself more comfortable. “Teach is a strong word. He effectively subjects people to situations where learning is a bonus. That excursion he came back from was an intensive tower clearance. He didn’t just assign teams to clear out floors—he ran them through the entire tower, and it grows in difficulty with each ascending level.

“Students who had fought demons in controlled environments were essentially thrown into the deep end with that excursion. Quest fought against it, but he was overruled by the United Guilds Association. They want Heroes, and Chatfield’s methods, while horrible, have the best results.”

Sal’s concentration shattered. “A tower clearance? They’re just second-years! Were there any casualties?” He couldn’t wrap his head around what he was hearing. It sounded positively insane to send rookies into a tower, even if to clear a floor or two.

But to take on an entire tower? With boss fights scattered throughout it? There was no way that they’d be fit for something like that.

Upgrade gave an exasperated sigh as she looked back at Sal. “Didn’t you listen to me? Chatfield brings everyone back alive. He’s the golden boy of the United Guilds Association, and he’s the best in the business.

“That deathly appearance of his should be all the evidence you need of how painful clearing that tower with the students was. My guess is that he equipped them with gear using his Concept ability. It would explain why he’s cursing so much and trying to find good protective equipment in those blueprints.”

“Can his Concept ability create items from blueprints?” Sal asked in disbelief, but Upgrade shook her head again.

“No, that would be insanely overpowered. He commissions anything he likes the look of, and then he recreates it with his ability. That’s why the unrealistic build qualities are such a frustration for him. He needs blueprints that can actually be made into equipment with the resources we have available. He’d probably shit himself if he saw that sniper rifle you made. That’d be a fun sight.”

Her chuckle was devious, and Sal couldn’t help but join her. In the momentary silence between them, Sal focused on the tracker and pulled up its details with his Appraisal ability.

He wanted to know what he was working with. The visor was a smokey-black color and seemed to be inserted directly into the silver casing that clipped over the right ear of the user.

Sal’s eyes picked apart all the details in a few minutes, and he was strangely disappointed by the lack of information. When he compared it to the details he got using the Analysis ability, there were so many more secrets that his eyes weren’t telling him.

The shattered crown he appraised for Divinity had insights about the materials, and the potential evolutions of the piece. Sal’s frustration at the lack of information only fueled his desire to craft something spectacular.

Name
Quest Tracker

Origin
Crafted

Age
5 years old

Grade
Unique

Dimensions
Visor: 2 inches tall, 2 inches wide | Ear Enclosure: 4 inches tall, 2 inches wide.

Materials
Refined System Essence | Obsidian Glass | Infused Silver 

Attributes

Appraisal: Allows user to inspect items up to Unique Grade.

System: Allows user to interpret abstract information from essence signatures.

Network: Allows user access to a network of information databases that improve System.

Abilities
Appraisal | System | Network

Power Source

Enhanced Core

Evolution
No

Quality
Good

Condition
79%

Value
Est. $140,000.00 – $160,000.00

“Judging from your lack of response, I’m guessing you’ve already started on that tracker project?” Upgrade asked from her blanket cocoon on the other side of the room.

Sal raised his hand with a thumbs-up gesture, as he activated the blueprint part of his Mythcrafter ability. He had to fight with it to show him the current blueprint rather than the upgraded versions.

He needed to give the tracker back to Quest in the same condition that he got it, so he wasn’t going to risk damaging it or screwing it up. For that reason, he was going to build one from scratch and see whether he could replicate the System essence from Quest with the current tracker or ask the headmaster to gift him some of the ability.

Sal paused. Why did he need to ask the headmaster when he could replicate the ability himself? It was strange that he hadn’t thought about it until now.

It seemed so simple, and Sal immediately imagined there had to be a catch. He glanced up at Upgrade. “You know the way I can replicate abilities?”

Upgrade made a noise for him to continue.

“Well, what if I replicate an ability and use that essence in my crafting? I need to have refined System essence to create another Quest tracker. Would that work?”

Upgrade sat up with a stricken look on her face. “Wouldn’t it just be refined Skill Master essence? I mean, that’s your actual ability… But then again, you create abilities by using their weave. So, would that not make it a new ability altogether? I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of it, but I think Lombardi should have a smarter answer for you. You know what I’d suggest already—you should try it and see what happens.”

Upgrade threw the blanket to one side and got to her feet before joining Sal at the table. She looked at the tracker with a thoughtful expression. “If you’re able to replicate essence signatures and imbue them into your works…then the versatility of what you can create will be incredible. My first vote would be for you to take Alex’s essence so we can make a coffee machine and make him redundant.”

Even though she was joking, Sal suddenly realized what she meant. He had been thinking in terms of equipment, where she had gone down a commodity route. Sal didn’t want to dwell on how much Q-Cred he had poured into his coffee habit, but the thought of how much he’d save or even earn by creating a coffee machine was incredible.

“Didn’t you use that girl’s ability for the arm guards? The Barrier ones you used in the competition?” Upgrade asked. “How did you know the result would have those effects? Most of the time, it’s like roulette when getting traits for equipment, but you got it the first time for each of them.”

Sal shook his head. “The Mythcrafter ability did all the hard work. I just thought about what I wanted, and it told me what materials to use. When I didn’t have the right materials, my essence filled in the blanks. That’s what happened with Hannah’s Barrier gauntlets, which were made with crap materials.”

Upgrade gave Sal a confused look and shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way, Sal. You can recall blueprints, right? Bring up one of an item you made without the right materials, or the person’s essence. Tell me what you see.”

Sal went through the different designs in his head until he settled on the shield guards.

Name
Shield Guard

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Uncommon (Upper)

Dimensions
Length 8 inches | Circumference 9 inches (Adjustable)

Materials
Refined Mythcrafter Essence | Infused Iron

Attributes

Barrier: Creates a protective shield in front of the wearer.

Impact: Negates incoming attacks with chance to reflect damage. 

Abilities

Barrier | Impact

Power Source
Basic Core | External Essence

Evolution
No

Quality
Excellent

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $3,000.00 – $4,500.00

Sal read through it line by line until Upgrade stopped him with a raised hand.

“You said Refined Mythcrafter essence, yet the trait has nothing to do with Crafting, Appraisal, Restoration, or Upgrade. I think it might be using your own essence as a substitute for whatever essence type you need for the finished product. That’s the only way it could result in you getting the Barrier trait, which is something you designed it for. You already said that you didn’t take it from that Hannah girl for this project, so maybe it’s storing the traits you’ve already interacted with?”

Upgrade paced around the table as she continued to talk. “Infused iron doesn’t have enough properties to give you anything more than the Impact trait, so it has to be down to the essence. Obviously, there are a few factors at play since a lot of the components were made by other crafters here in the workshop, but it doesn’t explain how your equipment is getting the exact traits you’re hoping for.”

Sal nodded, but he couldn’t help but feel a little out of his depth. He had thought it was normal for crafters to fill in the gaps with their essence.

Upgrade paused as she rounded the table for the second time. “Here’s a test. Why don’t you design something with a trait you’ve never encountered before? Did you study Chatfield’s weave? Try to make something with his Concept ability.” Glancing around the room, her eyes landed on the tracker.

“Perfect. The blueprint you’re making for the tracker. Instead of making it with Analysis and System, which you’ve already seen, try to make it with Concept, which you know nothing about.”

Sal activated his Mythcrafter ability and saw multiple variants of the existing design, but that didn’t matter. He willed the design to focus on the Concept ability that he had seen, but there was no basis for it to work on. No matter how many times he tried to force the construct to create the Concept ability, it failed to produce anything.

Upgrade smiled at the frown that appeared on Sal’s face. She had finally found their answer and a limitation to his ability.

“Now think of something you haven’t crafted before but have a knowledge of. Try to create the tracker with Divinity’s ability.”

Sal’s eyes widened as he followed Upgrade’s instructions, to find that the Mythcrafter ability responded instantly and showed him an Oracle tracker that would be able to look into the future.

“I can see how to make it!” Sal breathed out excitedly, but Upgrade snapped her fingers at him, destroying his concentration and bringing him back to reality. When he blinked and looked at her for context, she gestured at the tracker.

“Even though there are endless possibilities for your ability, I’m not letting you cut any corners. We’re going to break this down with the basics and you’re going to learn how to craft the right way. Understood?”

Sal smiled as he gave her a nod and got to work.

Chapter 3 – Scarcity

“Tell me, Sal. Do you understand why it takes most Crafters months on end to create a piece of equipment?” Upgrade asked as Sal continued to sketch out the details of the tracker blueprint.

He glanced at her and saw that she was seated on the table, looking at his blueprint. He thought about the question for a moment and shrugged. “They’re really meticulous in crafting every component of the piece?”

Upgrade shook her head with a slight frown. “No, that’s not it. Most of the crafters don’t have crafting-related abilities. They’re learning through practice and effort, which is a slower but still rewarding path. If I asked you to stitch two pieces of leather together or to smelt an ingot, you’d likely have no idea where to begin. That’s not a criticism of you or your ability; it’s just an observation that you should be mindful of.

“My ability was hated by my peers when I studied here. Upgrade as an ability takes the painstaking work of others and upgrades it with essence to turn it into something even better. The craftsmanship gets lost somewhere along that journey, and I don’t want you to be blind to the effort that goes into this profession.”

It was clear that Upgrade was choosing her words carefully, but she was invested in this topic and Sal got the impression that she had wanted to talk to him about this for a while now.

Upgrade pointed at Sal’s chest with a smile. “Your ability is the blend of Appraisal, Restoration, and Upgrade. You’re able to see every detail that you set your eyes on, which would take countless years of studying to learn without the skill. Restoration allows you to use your essence when bringing an object back to the best version of itself. Upgrade, in a similar way, allows you to channel your essence into improving an existing object. All those skills were professions, long before they were essence-based abilities. The teachings that we give here are the fundamentals of those professions, and that’s why it takes our Crafters a long time to produce pieces of equipment.”

Sal looked at Upgrade, not sure what he was supposed to say in this situation. Did she want him to apologize for having an ability that allowed him to skip a huge part of the grind?

Upgrade shook her head as though she had read his mind. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but rather, I want you to understand the incredible gift that you have. An actual Crafting skill, which allows you to use essence to make mechanisms work, blend materials together, remove impurities, enhance performance…those factors alone make you incredibly valuable to society. The fact that you can potentially create up to the Mythic grade is a whole new beast that we’re going to explore in the months and years to come.”

Upgrade sighed as she pointed over at the tracker. “Now, we find out that you can replicate essence and incorporate it into your designs? You’re no longer bound to the logic that we thought was irrefutable. Materials were the limitation of our designs, but you’re able to bypass those limits with essence. I’m genuinely happy for you and excited to see how far you’ll go, but I don’t want you to look down on your peers.”

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Sal asked in confusion. “I’ll somehow outgrow this place and resent everyone who can’t do what I can?” He chuckled at that with a shake of his head.

“I’m not wired that way, Upgrade. If anything, I’d rather make items that solve problems instead of creating things that set me apart from everyone else. That sniper rifle was a fun thing to build, but I couldn’t have made it without the help of experienced crafters. Right now, I’m putting my ability in the back seat and trying to create this blueprint the old-fashioned way. Just as you taught me. I’m here to learn, so don’t worry.”

Sal was genuinely confused with Upgrade’s sudden shift in tone. He didn’t want to leave the thought in the back of his head to fester. “Did I do something that upset you? I didn’t mean to.”

Upgrade’s trademark grin appeared, and she waved her hand as if to dismiss the topic. “Sorry, I’m just repeating what I was told when I first started. I was a bit more hot-headed than you, and I definitely wanted to leave my mark. I don’t think I properly understood the meaning until I was sitting on the other side of the desk. You’re going to be thrown into the Advanced course for Crafting, which means that you’ll be attending some classes with second- and third-year students. They have a very different mindset than you, and they’ll have a different skill set too. You’ll want to break the system when you see what it’s like, but for a lot of those students, that system is all they have.”

Sal put down his etching tool and looked at Upgrade, waiting for her to continue.

With a laugh, she hopped off the desk. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make that sound so ominous. The senior crafters tend to take little to no risks, which makes a lot of their projects safe bets. They’ll be averse to trying new things, so you’re likely to meet a lot of resentment from them if you try to disrupt the status quo. Ingenuity and imagination are secondary to feasibility and protocol. This workshop is going to transform tomorrow when they return, and you’re probably not going to like it. My attempts at a serious conversation just now were a primer for that experience. So, please don’t hate them for being boring and methodical crafters. They’re trying their best, the only way they know how. Got it?”

Sal nodded and picked up the etching tool. “Got it. But I think you’re overreacting. I’m not really the type to step on the toes of others, so I doubt I’ll get into much trouble with the other students coming back to the workshop.”

Upgrade smiled as she picked up her stuff from the table. “We’ll see!” With that, she left Sal in the room to work on his design.

As much as he wanted to throw himself back into the sketching of the blueprint, he couldn’t help but think about what Upgrade had mentioned.

Were the other students really that bad? Was he going to end up resenting them in the long run? With a shake of his head, Sal tried to focus on the task at hand. He’d deal with whatever issues came up from the second-years when they actually happened, rather than worrying about it now. Activating his eyes, Sal looked at the Quest tracker and restarted his drawing.

Despite the fact that it used few materials, it was a complex construct, with fine runes engraved over the silver surface. His normal vision wasn’t able to pick up the details on the smokey-black visor, but the Mythcrafter ability could see the embedded runes clearly. Each of them pulsated with an incredibly efficient weave of essence.

Sal stood there for close to an hour, marking down everything that the blueprint in his head had to offer. He double-checked all the details before finally putting down the etcher and taking a step back with a steadying breath.

He started to think about what he wanted from his own tracker. The Analysis ability was a no-brainer, but he didn’t need the Appraisal skill in there. System seemed to be useful, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be breaking rules by having access to the academy’s network of information. He had to admit that the idea of having Divinity’s power tied to it was tempting, but Sal knew that constantly seeing into the future would be chaotic. He’d be second-guessing everything, and he wasn’t prepared to live like that.

Sal made a few notes at the side of the blueprint, putting down ideas of which abilities would work best with it. He went through the list of everyone he knew, and if there was a particular skill that would be useful to add to the tracker.

After a few minutes of debating what to do, Sal shook his head and smiled to himself. He was unconsciously doing the one thing Upgrade constantly warned him against: being too ambitious with his designs. He only really needed the tracker to work on Analysis, so it didn’t need a stack of additional abilities.

If he could focus on that one attribute and pump everything else into the grade of the item, maybe he’d get something close to the one that was on the table? That was his thought, anyway, so he got to work and activated the Mythcrafter ability again.

Sal almost sighed in relief as he stopped holding back the Upgrade side of the ability. It had been gnawing at his subconscious the entire time he had been drawing the blueprint, and letting it free was incredibly liberating.

Just to make things easier on himself, Sal moved the tracker to the other side of the table so it wouldn’t interfere with his eyes. When he looked down at his drawn blueprint, Sal let his power find the defects in the design and let it roam free. He picked up the etcher and made a list of corrections to the original design, removing redundancies and reinforcing areas that would accommodate the Analysis ability.

Mythcrafter pinpointed each of the conflicts between the attributes, and Sal only had to allocate space to the dominant attribute he wanted. It was a slow process, but it was also quite fun. He was prompted with all sorts of materials that he had never worked with, but they had somehow been catalogued in his brain from previous appraisals.

Each time a new material was checked against the blueprint, a series of outcomes were generated. They didn’t account for build quality or human error, but rather stated the facts of what was possible.

Sal was reminded of the ability indicating to him that the Legendary sniper rifle could successfully hold an evolutionary trait, and it had turned out to be right. He had no reason to doubt the ability now, so he noted each of the best combinations that Mythcrafter showed him.

“Hellfire titanium and lord crystals. What are the chances they sell that on the Credit floor?” Sal muttered.

He incorporated the Analysis essence into the hypothetical design, and it adapted ridiculously well to the lord crystal. Apparently, it would give him a massive boost to his essence control as well as a minor amplification to Psionic-based skills like Analysis.

The hellfire titanium, on the other hand, bumped the final product up a few grades just by being there. It had to be a premium material to have pushed its way up the grades like that.

Sal decided that there was no harm in seeing whether he could acquire any from the Credit floor. Without looking away from the design, he pulled out his tablet and navigated to Vanessa’s name. He tried to open his messages, but from the ringing sound, he guessed he was calling her instead.

“Hey, not like you to call. What do you need?”

Vanessa’s voice came through clearly and Sal was inwardly relieved that she went straight to business. He checked his notes before speaking.

“Hey, Vanessa. Just in the middle of a design for a personal project. I need some hellfire titanium and lord crystals. Does the Credit floor stock any materials like that?”

“I can answer the lord crystal question immediately. That’s a no. It’s appeared on a few appraisals, but the benefits of it as a component far outweigh its value as a raw material, so we don’t tend to break it down. You could try to bid on a few different items that contain the lord crystal, but they go for pretty high prices, even for you. I’ll ask around and see if there are any good listings, but you might want to ask the other team captains from the tournament. There was a crown that had the lord crystal. Only other thing I can think of is asking Jez. He has backroom deals happening all the time and might be able to pick some up for you.”

Sal grimaced as he crossed out the name on his list. “And what about the hellfire titanium?” He figured that he’d try to get obsidian glass to match the current tracker, as it would likely be more common.

From what he knew, it wasn’t a portal material. Hellfire titanium, on the other hand, came from a portal. He wasn’t going to hold his breath for its availability but found himself doing exactly that.

“We actually have quite a few ingots of that in reserve. It’s not cheap, though. You’d be looking at around two hundred and fifty Q-Cred per ingot. However, if we were buying it for Myth…that could be something we could throw to the Reavers Guild. I’ve been keeping them in the dark and sweating for a while now, and they’re eager to close the guild partnership deal with us. Winning your tournament added to your value with them, so let me know when you want to make a decision and we can go through it together.”

Sal grinned. He was worried that he was going to have to negotiate with Vanessa for a better rate on the ingots, but she had already taken care of everything.

“Don’t suppose the Reavers have access to a lord crystal that they’d be willing to part with?” Sal didn’t really have anything to lose from asking, and it seemed that Vanessa shared the same opinion.

“Let me check in with them. I’ll tell them that we’re close to the deal, but that Myth is distracted with a new project and blocked with those two materials. I’ll see what they come back with, and then we can finalize the agreement with them. Just a word of warning—I’ve spoken to Villa a few times over the past few weeks. She’s at her breaking point, so after this, we’ll need to give them a decision. Otherwise, she’s likely to murder me in my sleep. We don’t want that to happen, do we?”

Sal laughed as he hovered his finger over the disconnect button on the tablet. “No, Vanessa. We certainly don’t want that. Thanks for your help. I’ll talk to you later.”

When Vanessa’s voice left the call, Sal tapped the button and pocketed his tablet. The downside to their tactic was that he’d have to put his design on hold until they came back with a verdict. Sal looked at the design again and smiled. He was genuinely excited to start working on it properly.

Chapter 4 – Synergy

“Could you maybe write a little quieter?” Barry groaned as he cupped his face with his palms.

The canteen was practically devoid of students, and Sal had found Barry seated in a corner, feeling sorry for himself. Judging by the assortment of empty containers around him, he had tried to buy some miracle cure for his hangover.

“Discover any cool effects?” Sal laughed as he gestured at the litter on the desk.

Barry didn’t even look up as he shook his head. A pained sigh quickly followed. “The coffee doesn’t do anything for hangovers. I could barely eat the food stuff, and all it did was make me feel stronger or faster. Useless! Why can’t someone invent a hangover cure? Have you tried Healing? Maybe put that on the list.” Barry crossed his arms and cradled his head on them like a makeshift pillow.

Sal thought about it before writing down Healing as a potential attribute for the tracker. He had already incorporated a similar trait into that exoskeleton design, and he now understood that it was because of the interaction with Healer Bitch.

“How would a tracker benefit from a Healing trait? I’d probably just be able to see that you’re really hungover?” Sal asked aloud, eliciting another painful moan from Barry.

It sounded somewhere between despairing and frustration. With the slightest wave of one of his hands, Barry mumbled his thoughts. “Restoration knows how to fix things…why can’t you combine it with Healing? You’ve made new skills before—why can’t you just create something?”

Shock crossed Sal’s face. Surely, it couldn’t be that simple. He had internally made a weave during the Skill Registration, but there was no way that he’d be able to do that again without an insane amount of internal essence.

“I’d have no idea where to even start with that, to be honest. I’d need like a list of compatible skills that have good synergy…”

Sal froze before quickly reaching into his pocket to retrieve his tablet. He flicked past his notifications and navigated to the messages he received from Quest. It took him a few moments to get the list that Quest had sent him a few weeks ago.

Barry propped his chin onto his wrists as he looked at Sal in confusion. “Did you just go really quiet, or did I lose my sense of hearing?”

Rather than answering, Sal continued to scan through the list. A wide smile formed as he found a whole new range of possibilities.

Barry watched him for a while before he coughed dramatically. “Your team captain needs some sympathy. That’s a direct order.”

Sal laughed and gave Barry a passing glance before his eyes snapped back to the list. “You’re not team captain yet. You can throw your authority around when we get to the inter-cohort competition, okay?”

With a sigh, Barry pushed his hands against the table and sat back in his chair. “I’m going to try some water this time. It’d be pretty pathetic if I squandered all my Q-Cred on nursing a hangover. Do you want anything?”

Sal shook his head as Barry wearily got to his feet. As he was about to move, Sal glanced up at him. “Sorry, yeah. Actually, can you get me a coffee? I’ll pay you back later.”

Nodding, Barry shuffled off in the direction of the vendors, making pained noises as he went.

Sal smiled and navigated to the Analysis ability on the list and looked for what Synergies were listed there. To his surprise, there was a breakdown that showed all its documented aspects and variations. Was it because it was a module that was taught at the academy, or had Beck decided to create a comprehensive breakdown of the skill?

His gaze moved down the list and he started to wonder how powerful the Analysis ability truly was.

Analysis Categories:

Vital Scanning

Technique Reading

Threat Identification

Weakness Detection

Power Level Measuring

Enhanced Perception

Enhanced Probability

Enhanced Deduction

Body Language Analysis

Status Reading

Analysis Synergies:

Interface Creation

Interface Manipulation

System

Indexing

Networking

Analysis Complements:

Appraisal

Investigation

Perception

Sal had to look up some of the terms to see what they actually did. Many of them looked like they covered the same thing, and he wanted to be sure that they were actually different. Vital Scanning sounded self-explanatory, in that it would allow him to see the vitals of whoever he was looking at. It would be useful for a Healer, but maybe he’d be able to see the remaining health of an enemy if he incorporated it into the tracker?

Technique Reading was one he had to look up, and he was surprised to see that it broke down the movements of opponents. If they were using martial arts, he’d be able to predict their trajectory and understand the style of fighting they were using. He saw there was a list of Synergies available that matched his Replication category, but Sal didn’t want research skills he didn’t need right now.

Beck had asked him about Threat Identification the other evening. Sal hadn’t been able to assess the threat level, but apparently it was a whole skill in itself.

Weakness Detection was exactly what it sounded like and would be useful in learning how to take down opponents more efficiently. It would also help him identify the blind spots of his team and help cover them.

Sal was so engrossed reading that he didn’t notice Barry coming back and placing a coffee in front of him. He was hastily writing out notes of which abilities would be must-haves for the tracker, and which ones he could probably do without.

Rather than interrupting Sal, Barry leaned across the table and stared at the list with his chin propped up lazily on the palm of his right hand. A few more moments of silent scratching noises passed before Barry made his opinion known.

“It looks like you’ve come up with quite the shopping list. It doesn’t seem very likely that you’re going to be able to mash all of them into the tracker, does it?”

With a frown, Sal’s eyes turned purple as he activated the Mythcrafter ability and flicked through the different blueprints that he had memorized.

“The Legendary sniper rifle had seven abilities, with most of the Rare and Epics having around three to four. I don’t think I’ll be able to make something that uses all of them.”

With a blink, Sal’s eyes returned to their silver color as he gave Barry a grimace. “Even if I could combine a load of them into a single skill, I think the grade of ability would end up pushing the material and craftsmanship requirements up dramatically. I’m still getting my bearings with crafting, and while there have been a few incredible outcomes, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the team at the workshop. This is a personal project that I want to do myself.”

Barry nodded as he took a drink from his glass of water. He looked off to one side for a moment and then back at Sal. “Do you need it to be incredible right now?”

Sal gave him a quizzical look as he leaned back and sipped his coffee. “Well, obviously I’d want it to be the best it can be. I don’t want to waste the materials I get for it.”

Barry waved his hand as though Sal missed the point. “You’re able to upgrade and repurpose things, right? Why don’t you make something basic…like really basic…and improve it over time as you get stronger and more capable in your skills? It’s not like you’re in a race or anything. You just need something that can help you use the Analysis ability, right?”

Sal paused and bit his lip before answering. He gave Barry a level stare before his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Okay, yeah… I know I don’t need it to be incredible right now, but I kinda want to make something amazing. That sounds arrogant, doesn’t it?”

Barry grinned as he raised his glass to Sal’s cup. “He finally admits to being as flawed as the rest of us! Cheers to being a conceited piece of shit!”

Sal laughed as he tapped his cup against Barry’s glass. “I wouldn’t say conceited, just…ambitious? Like, I’ve never had an ability that allowed me to create things, and now I’ve gotten all this potential and capability. I don’t want to sit on my hands and let it go to waste. It’s exciting being able to see all this incredible equipment that I could probably make!” Sal pointed at his notes with an enthused grin.

Barry nodded as he reclined in his chair with a sigh. “You’re not really wasting your talents, though. You’ve already made a weapon that can turn into a Mythical grade at some point in the future. If I was you, I’d be dialing it all back and selling common shit that could evolve into Mythic grade. All you’d have to do is sell people on the possibility of it evolving, and then the onus is on them to make it happen. Not you.”

Sal stared at Barry in surprise. “That’s it. You’re a genius, Barry!” He added new notes while Barry stretched out with a yawn.

“Glad you’ve finally noticed. So, just so we’re on the same page, what specifically makes me a genius in this instance?”

Sal gestured at his notes and barely glanced up to meet Barry’s inquisitive gaze. “Evolution. I could create the blueprint of the perfect tracker that has all the abilities I want it to have. Then I just need to devolve the design of it through each of the grades until it’s at a level I can comfortably create. The materials would still need to be incredible to support the final evolution, but the crafting requirements should be much more straightforward.”

Barry placed his glass on the table with a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to burst your bubble, but there’s a flaw in this plan. How will your tracker gather the essence required to evolve? It’s not like it can kill demons and siphon them dry. You don’t want another instance of the shirt sapping all your internal essence.”

Sal winced and gave Barry a deadpan look. “Who told you?”

Barry grinned and tried his best to look innocent. “That’s not important. What will you do about the evolution?”

Sal continued to stare at him before finally relenting. “I don’t know yet, but there has to be a way for it to work. Mythcrafter will likely find the solution, but maybe it could gather atmospheric essence? The sniper rifle used the most outlandish tethering ability that sounds ridiculous. Just locking onto the target with bullets was enough to siphon off essence. Maybe the tracker could lock onto opponents and drain their essence?”

Barry snorted and shook his head with a laugh that turned into a cough of pain. “Yeah, your Vital Scanning would be pretty hilarious if that was how it leveled up. Imagine checking to see if someone is okay and you accidentally kill them by siphoning off their last remaining essence?”

Before Sal could say anything, Barry pointed at one of the abilities on the list. “What does Indexing do?”

Sal grimaced at the thought of accidentally siphoning essence from people. He moved through the list and navigated to the Indexing ability.

“Subcategory of Knowledge Manipulation? Encodes and preserves any and all sources of information. Allows the user to recall information of anything they’ve seen in perfect detail.” Sal looked up at Barry. “Do you think that’s Recall’s ability? I met him at the Doom Society, and he did something like that with Divinity’s power.”

Barry offered a shrug as he gestured at Sal. “You sure you don’t already have it? You’re able to look up blueprints with Mythcrafter despite them not being in front of you. Sounds like a memory ability is incorporated into it somehow.”

Sal shook his head. “That’s different, I think. I’ve always been able to do that with Appraisal, and it’s listed as a complementary skill of Analysis. Maybe that’s the crossover? Indexing sounds useful though, because it wouldn’t be limited to items. I’ll have to check and see if that’s Recall’s ability.” Sal formulated a plan in his head as he looked at the list of skills.

“Thanks for this, Barry. I don’t think I would have been able to figure this out without you. You sure you don’t want me to make some equipment for you?”

Barry gave him a slight shake of his head. “No offense, but I want to master my abilities without relying on equipment. Maybe that’ll change in the future, but for now, I need to learn as much as possible with my own abilities.”

Sal smiled and couldn’t help but respect his decision. “When you change your mind, just let me know. This tracker idea could end up being the perfect tool for a Controller class!”

Barry nodded in agreement, but his smile was still playful. “See, that’s where I think you’re missing the trick. You’re making a tracker that gives you all this information, but you’re still going to stay in the Support class? The sword you made is fantastic in Anthony’s hands, but what will you use to increase your combat proficiency? No offense, but I don’t think you’re the upfront and personal type of combatant. Why aren’t you making a gun or something for yourself? Throw on an evolutionary trait, and make something that’ll grow with you over time?”

Sal shook his head with a laugh, and got back to writing notes, but Barry persisted.

“The inter-cohort fights aren’t going to be easy, Sal. We’re going to be up against much tougher opponents, and everything from this point forward is going to be much harder on us. You’ll need something that can keep you in contention for the Savior class. Otherwise, I’m going to end up taking your spot!”

Sal looked up at Barry with a grin. “Didn’t you just make the case of how inhumane it would be to have a tracker that saps essence from targets? But a gun is suddenly the solution to my problems? I’ve barely seen any of them, let alone fired one…so I wouldn’t know the first thing about making one. The sniper rifle was different, because it was a restoration and upgrade. I don’t know how I feel about using one as a weapon, either.”

Barry crossed his arms and gave Sal a meaningful look, and as a way to placate him, Sal made a show of writing at the top of his notes to look into making a gun with an evolutionary trait.

“Happy?” Sal gestured to the words.

Barry nodded with a grin. “Overjoyed.”

Chapter 5 – Tracker

“Could you give this to the headmaster from me, please?” Sal asked Quest’s assistant, Joanne. He placed the tracker on her desk, and she looked at it thoughtfully before recognition crossed her features.

“Ah, yes! He mentioned that he had given it to you the other evening. As far as I’m aware, he wasn’t expecting it back for a while, but I’m sure he’ll be pleased. He’s in a meeting at the moment, but it’ll be wrapping up soon, if you’d like to wait and give it to him yourself?” She gestured over at the seats in the waiting area, and Sal deliberated on what he should do.

He was eager to get answers about some of the skills on the list that Quest had given to him. If anyone could point him in the right direction, it was the headmaster.

On the other hand, he had planned to spend the rest of the day doing some meditation to get ahead in the Skill class. He had let that fall to the side due to the stress of the tournament and all the training that went into it. He couldn’t always rely on Whisper and Lucia to boost his progression.

Sal blinked and noticed that Joanne was looking at him expectantly. With a smile, Sal moved toward the waiting area. “Thank you. I’ll wait for him. Just trying to figure out what other things I need to get resolved today.”

“So proactive! It’s refreshing to see such work ethic in a first-year, but please don’t overwork yourself! I see so many talented young kids burning out because of the expectations on their shoulders. Studying here is a marathon and not a sprint, okay?” Joanne pointed at Sal with a mock expression of suspicion, but Sal raised his hands defensively.

“I don’t even like running! No need to worry about me, I promise.”

Joanne shot him a warm smile before turning back to her interface.

Just as Sal was about to reach into his pocket for his tablet, the sound of raised voices came through the door, and both he and Joanne looked at it in concern. When he gave her a curious glance, Joanne got to her feet and walked over to where he sat and gave the door a sideways glance.

In an almost conspiratorial whisper, she filled him in. “Some military hotshot came in about an hour ago and has been tearing into Quest about how we do things here.” She crossed her arms and shook her head before turning to Sal with an incredulous look. “If it was left to the likes of him, we’d be a military academy by now…and we know exactly how that would go!”

Sal nodded, even though he didn’t understand what point she was trying to make. If Joanne wanted to vent about her frustrations, Sal wasn’t going to stop her. It was as Jez had said: information was power.

Just to ensure she knew she was in safe company, Sal voiced his own opinion. “Was it Chatfield? Met him for a minute or two in the workshop, and he was rude as hell.”

“The very same! Didn’t even spare me a glance, just sauntered in there. The door wasn’t even closed when he started berating Quest for how the second-years did in their excursion with him. I hate types like him, who just barge in and shit over the hard work everyone else is doing. We’re already a month into the term, and he’s talking about changing the curriculum! Can you imagine? Sweeping everything we’ve established to one side and replacing it because he says so!”

Joanne’s voice gained strength with each word, and she was practically fuming by the end.

Sal doubled down to find out more. “He’s just a professor, though? He won’t be able to make any changes outside of his own class, right?”

Joanne gritted her teeth as she leaned on one foot, her arms still crossed. “I wish! Chatfield holds a stupid amount of sway with the United Guilds Association and the bureau, so if he campaigns for change, he’ll get his way. Quest is probably doing damage control, which is infuriating. Nobody knows how hard that man works to keep the students safe!”

Just then, as though a light went off in Joanne’s head, she seemed to realize she was venting to a new student in the academy. The look of surprise on her face was followed by an awkward pause. An embarrassed blush crossed her face, and she waved her hand at Sal.

“Don’t worry yourself. Everything is going to be fine. Chatfield and Quest want the best for the academy, so whatever the outcome, it’ll be sure to be in our best interests.”

Her words held no sincerity, and Sal didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, so he didn’t press the issue.

“I understand. Quest is a great headmaster, and I trust his judgment.” He left the implication that he didn’t trust Chatfield, and Joanne’s smile was reward enough as she returned to her desk.

Sal was left even more confused as he waited. Was Chatfield truly pushing for a change to the curriculum? What would it even look like?

A few minutes passed as Sal flicked through his tablet, going over his notes and looking through the list of abilities to see whether anything else caught his eye.

Just as he was going through the details of the Interface Creation ability, the door swung open to reveal a very agitated-looking Quest and an enraged Chatfield. Apparently their conversation was still winding down, as Chatfield walked through the doors mid-sentence.

“Can’t just hope for the best! This is our only way forward, Quest!” Chatfield’s eyes caught sight of Sal, and his eyebrows raised. “Twice in one day? Are you following me, Mr. Argento?”

There was an edge to his tone that Sal couldn’t identify, but thankfully Quest came to his rescue, with a strained voice.

“He’s here to see me. You’ve said your piece, Captain. That’ll be all for today.”

Sal glanced at Chatfield, who was still studying him curiously.

Ignoring Quest, he finally spoke to Sal. “Word of advice, kid. Switch to the Controller class, if you actually want to be of use out on the field. A Controller who can equip their team is a godsend in this day and age.”

Chatfield turned to Quest as he continued. “You might not realize it from how carefree the learning environment is, but we’re at war, Mr. Argento.”

Quest didn’t engage with the comment and instead gestured to the interior of his office. “This way, Salvatore.”

Sal got to his feet and met Chatfield’s gaze. “My parents are both proud Support classes, and the Argento Auction provides a valuable service to the war efforts.”

He had been caught off guard earlier in the workshop by Chatfield, but he could think clearly now. Sal wasn’t going to let him treat the Supports as a useless class.

“I’ll remain in the Support class and show everyone like you just how vital we can be.”

Maybe it was because Chatfield had been so rude to Quest and Upgrade, but Sal had no intention of saving face in front of him. He was happy to align with the people who put their trust in him.

Chatfield’s face broke into a grin as he shook his head at Quest. “At least you’ve learned how to indoctrinate them.” With that said, Chatfield left the office without so much as a passing glance at Joanne.

Quest watched him leave with a passive expression before forcing a smile in Sal’s direction. “Sorry about that. What brings you here today?” Quest moved back into the office as he spoke.

Sal picked up the tracker from Joanne’s desk and gave her a grateful smile before following Quest into the office. He raised it and held it for the headmaster to see, only for Quest’s expression to turn into a frown.

“I didn’t need that back so quickly. I was hoping you’d learn how to use it in your upcoming Analysis class. You sure you want to return it?”

Quest reclined in his chair with a sigh and turned to face Sal’s direction. He gestured for Sal to sit and thanked Joanne as she closed the door behind them. Sal placed the tracker on the desk before taking the offered seat.

“I’ve already analyzed it and drew up a blueprint for it. I’m going to craft my own tracker, using yours as a template.”

Quest’s eyebrows shot up. “Already? You’ve barely had it a day. Are you going to make any changes, or recreate it as it is?” He pulled his seat closer to the desk and rested his arms on the surface as he looked at Sal intently.

Sal smiled as he walked through the ideas that he had. “I’m not certain about any of this yet, but Upgrade and I have a theory that I’m able to imbue crafted items with my Mythcrafter essence. Any ability or internal weave that I’ve seen with my Skill Master ability is apparently usable in crafting.”

Quest’s face broke into a wide grin, which surprised Sal. He tapped at his interface and started to read a list that Sal couldn’t see.

“Looks like Beck’s theory was correct! He hypothesized that your Mythcrafter ability is much more powerful than we originally suspected. When he analyzed your ability at the meeting in the Sky Lounge, he said that it was truly extraordinary in terms of Synergy. Your Skill Master ability already synergized with your Appraisal ability that you took from Petro. Which resulted in you using your eyes to see skill threads!”

Quest typed excitedly as he spoke, and Sal couldn’t help but be swept up in the headmaster’s enthusiasm. He didn’t want to interrupt him, so he sat and listened.

Quest pointed at something on his screen and turned it around so Sal could see it.

“We’ve been looking at Synergy very closely for the last few years, with the introduction of Skill Implanting and Imprinting. We wanted to maximize the inherent abilities with the implanted ones, and calculated which ones would work best together. We started with the categories, which seemed to make the most sense, but there were a few that worked together outside of that. In your case, Replication combined with Invention and Psionic? It’s new territory for us, but it’s incredibly exciting.”

Quest glanced at Sal and saw the confusion on his face. “Ah, sorry! Got a little caught up there. Where did I lose you?”

Sal laughed guiltily as he spread his hands. “I don’t have a Psionic ability, so I was trying to think of where that error popped up. Mythcrafter is Invention as far as I’m aware, and Skill Master is Replication.”

Quest clicked his fingers and shook his head. “Not quite! Your Skill Master ability breaks down the barriers between the categories, as you’re able to change your essence output. We’ve already seen you replicate the Analysis and Divination abilities, which both fall under the Psionic category. But what makes me sure that you’re able to bridge into the others seamlessly is your ability to change or unknot the skills of others. That should fall under Body Manipulation, but you did it without touching Divinity…which sounds like Psionic influence, wouldn’t you agree?”

Sal nodded hesitantly as he followed Quest’s logic. It made sense, but it didn’t seem to be that big of a deal. His ability to replicate other abilities across the categories had already been established, so he couldn’t understand why Quest was so excited by it.

As if sensing his confusion, Quest smiled reassuringly. “You already know it’s an incredible ability. What’s truly interesting is how versatile it is across the categories. What do you think made the Mythcrafter ability?”

The sudden question made Sal pause for a moment. He knew that Quest already knew the answer, but he decided to humor him.

“It was the combination of Appraisal, Restoration, and Upgrade.”

Quest shook his head, which surprised Sal. The headmaster grinned as he pointed at Sal’s chest. “There was already an existing ability that you used to craft the weave. It was combined into the creation of Mythcrafter.”

Sal’s eyes widened at the sudden realization. “Skill Master?”

Quest laughed at his reaction. “Incredible, isn’t it? It would explain why you’re able to assign recognized skills in your crafting. There should be a number of interesting applications that we’ll have to discover as you continue on your crafting journey. Lombardi and Beck will be better suited to figuring all this out, but I’m delighted that the hypothesis is seemingly correct!”

Quest looked back to the tracker on the table. “Ah, yes! Sorry, the reason you came here was this. I just derailed our conversation a bit. Is there anything you need from me to make your new tracker? Perhaps you want to add the System ability to it?”

“Actually, I wasn’t sure I would be allowed to use your ability. From the limited information I was able to see with it, I could see personal details of students…” Sal began awkwardly, but Quest waved his hand like it was nothing.

“Nothing that you could view in the System ability would compromise other students. Simply knowing their aliases and ranks is stuff you could find out by asking them. So, what else were you thinking of adding? Have you thought about what grade it’ll be?”

Sal smiled at how quickly Quest brushed past his concerns. Taking out his notes, Sal slid them across the desk.

“You can ignore the top part about the gun…that was an idea from Barry to increase my combat capability.”

Quest smiled as he went through the list, nodding as he read through each line. His eyes suddenly widened. “Evolutionary trait? That would work very well with Indexing. Great foresight!”

Sal wasn’t sure what he meant and asked him to explain.

Quest glanced up with a raised eyebrow. “Indexing with these other abilities, at least to my limited understanding, would allow you to create a rigorous database of information. Data has an essence signature, just like everything else. Adding more data to your tracker would be considered essence accumulation. Just looking at a demon would give you insight into its vitals, power level, threat analysis, abilities…hell, you’d have a full behavior report from it. It’s a remarkable concept!”

Sal found himself sharing in the headmaster’s excitement. It sounded as if he’d found a solution to the essence gathering for the tracker.

Quest continued to read through the list with a wry smile on his face. “Not sure how to break it to you, Salvatore. If you want to collect all these skills…”

Sal’s excitement evaporated at Quest’s next words.

“You’re going to have to go on the next outing with the Paradox Guild.”

Chapter 6 – Curriculum

“I feel like I need to explain the benefit of outings to you.” Quest looked at Sal’s growing sense of unease. “They’re an opportunity for you to learn from established guilds out on the field, doing work that needs to be done. Outings with the guilds allow you to interact with the community and see the challenges they face on a daily basis. Paradox specializes in reclamation, which means you’d have a great insight into their strategies and why they push for certain territories. As a student, it’s an incredible opportunity for you to network with the best Heroes the city has to offer. Their training and advice could be invaluable for you.”

Sal nodded politely, but there was little the headmaster could say that was going to change his mind. He had no desire to go onto the field and put himself in harm’s way.

Just the thought of Sinclair as a prowler, up close and personal, was enough to send an involuntary shudder down his spine.

Quest didn’t miss the reaction and paused in his explanation as he looked at Sal thoughtfully. “Is it fear of the demons?” When Sal didn’t answer immediately, Quest nodded in understanding.

“Resilience isn’t taught in a day. There’s a whole module for that, and Professor Head will be putting you into situations that will build it up. Fighting against your classmates was probably terrifying when you first stepped into the prism, but how was it at the final round of the tournament?”

Sal could only laugh at how different the situations were. “I can get used to taking a punch or two, but demons are something else entirely… Seeing Professor Sinclair turn into a prowler was enough for me to start crafting defensive equipment in a panic.”

Quest’s smile was reassuring as he shook his head. “You’ve grown up in a gated community, and then whisked off to an academy that’s far removed from the threats on the other side of the barriers. It’s completely normal to feel the way you do. I can’t name a single Hero who isn’t terrified of demons. The difference is that they’re channeling their will to protect others. It’s not just a sense of duty; it’s a calling that makes them Heroes. Did any of them have that resolve on their first day, weeks, or months? Maybe in some rare cases, but for the vast majority of people like me and you, they’ve worked on it to get to where they are now. You were prepared to go on a strike team to ensure the safety of the students, which would have put you on the periphery of danger. Outings aren’t designed to throw you into the deep end. They’re an opportunity to acclimatize to the world we live in.”

Sal felt defensive at the label the headmaster had put on him. Sure, he had grown up in a gated community…but that didn’t define him. He took a breath and tried to sort through his emotions. He knew he was needlessly looking for a reason to be hurt or offended, but there was nothing to latch onto other than his own cowardice and self-preservation.

It was true that he was prepared to step up and be on the strike team, but that was different. That was a last resort, where this was something entirely optional. Sal didn’t feel like he was running away from reality by asking to stay off the field.

There was so much value that he could bring to the table with his abilities, and being out in the middle of demons didn’t feel like the best way to utilize them. All those thoughts and more swam through Sal’s head as his jaw tightened. As much as he wanted to vent and throw all sorts of accusations and excuses at Quest, he knew that they were just that. Excuses.

Maybe it was the growing tension, but Sal wanted to desperately change the topic away from the outings.

“I met Captain Chatfield earlier in the workshop and he said that things were going to get hectic from this point onward. Is that what the two of you were speaking about before I arrived, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Quest’s smile didn’t leave his lips as he ignored Sal’s question. “I can’t make you go on the outings, but I would very much recommend that you give them a try. You’re exempt from paying any fees, so you don’t have anything to lose from going on them. Maybe you should take Villa up on her offer to take you on an outing with the Reavers? You’d likely feel safest with Heroes you know.”

Sal wondered what the limit was to Quest’s knowledge of everything happening at the academy. Villa had offered to take him and others on an outing, but he had kept pushing it out with claims that he was too busy.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not that type of Hero,” Sal finally admitted, both to himself and Quest. He hated how shaky his voice sounded and wished he could have taken it back.

“Salvatore, you’ve only been here a month. What sort of academy do you think we would be if we expected you to be ready for the battlefield this soon? You asked about Captain Chatfield, so I’ll tell you what he’s proposing, and you’ll probably be able to guess my stance on the matter.

“Our second-years recently completed their excursion with him, and it didn’t meet his standards. His report is pretty damning, and a lot of it is good feedback. Our first-years are focused on student-versus-student combat, to acclimatize them to using their abilities in real-combat scenarios. We gradually build on this confidence through the tournament and inter-cohort battles. When we believe they’re ready, we introduce student-versus-demon combat in a controlled environment.

“It all culminates in an end-of-year assessment where we get the students to challenge a demonic tower. That’s the excursion that Captain Chatfield is responsible for. Due to his time constraints, we needed to delay the excursion until the start of the new academic year.”

Quest tapped a tablet beside him, which flickered to life. He gave it a sideways glance and started to read a few choice comments.

“Abysmal battle-readiness. No cohesive formations or tactics for dealing with demons. Little to no knowledge of basic field and survival training. Severely lacking in mental fortitude and resilience. Horrible standard of equipment… Yeah, the list goes on and on like that.” Quest sighed as he looked back at Sal.

“It’s a damning report that shows a lot of gaps in our current curriculum. Chatfield’s proposal is radical, and I’m hoping to meet him halfway on it. Otherwise, Quest Academy would become a glorified military barracks.”

Sal’s mouth dried at the thought of having to fight demons in a tower. “What does the halfway look like?” He didn’t know whether he was overstepping, but he wanted to know.

Quest laughed, but didn’t seem annoyed by the directness of the question. “Since I know you could divine the future and find out yourself, I’ll tell you what we’re thinking so you have the context behind the decisions. We’ve been getting a lot of pressure from the Hunter Bureau and the United Guilds Association to get the students more battle-ready upon their graduation. It’s an evolving landscape and we’re constantly learning new things, so our curriculum is ever changing.

“We didn’t have a Field module until two years ago. Resilience was added last year. Combat was previously an optional module, which has been switched to mandatory. Chatfield wants to combine Survival, Field, and Combat into one module that takes place off-site. Practical lessons out on the battlefield. He wants to push the change through immediately, and apply it to the current roster of first-years, before…”

Quest tapped the tablet again to read the quote. “Before we corrupt the next generation of Heroes and turn them into glorified sandbags.”

“He wants to combine all those classes? Is Crafting going to be untouched?” Sal asked, more out of panic than anything else.

The proposal would greatly affect him and the other first-years, and he didn’t want it to happen at all.

Quest shook his head with a laugh. “Chatfield’s view is that we’re too accommodating with our Crafting class. His solution is to put a hold on all personal projects and to eliminate creative freedom for first- and second-years, and take on military contracts that would offer steady revenue to the crafters and streamline the production of military-grade equipment. You can probably guess my stance on all this, which is one of the reasons my conversation with him was so heated. He’s the type of guy who only sees the big picture, with the students being tools in a greater plan.

“That said, he’s also one of the best Heroes we have, so his recommendations carry weight to them. We’ll be discussing it at the next faculty meeting as well as the next Doom Society meeting. We’re not going to rush into any big decisions, and we’ll need to see what the higher-ups think about all this. I’d ask that you keep this to yourself so we don’t create unrest among the students.” Quest gave Sal a weary smile.

Sal sat there in shock. Could Chatfield really have that much sway? It seemed ridiculous to think that Quest could be strong-armed by a single Hero into changing the entire academic trajectory of the students. How much did Chatfield expect of them after a year in the academy? Sal thought about it for a few moments before speaking again. He wasn’t sure how to process everything.

“You’re telling me that the Crafting class might get a complete overhaul and I won’t get to work on personal projects? Would that mean that I won’t be eligible to work on appraisals or commissions for the guilds? Even as Myth?” Sal dreaded the answer, but much to his relief, Quest laughed.

“I didn’t mean to sound so dramatic. Everything you’ve heard so far are proposals, and we’re negotiating the best course of action. Chatfield’s vision paints a bleak picture of our current state of affairs…but it doesn’t incorporate the incredible achievements of our current students. He’s looking at the results through a lens of warfare, and it didn’t meet his standards. Your work as Myth is going to create a massive ripple among the guilds when word gets out about the Legendary sniper rifle and its capability to evolve into a Mythic-grade weapon. If we did things Chatfield’s way, there’d be no way to foster talent like Myth. That’s why we need to strike a balance that makes us more combat ready to appease the Chatfields of this world, and have the creative freedom to encourage the Myths of this world. Don’t fret too much about what I’ve said, and forgive me for thinking aloud so much.”

Sal relaxed, taking solace in the reassurance that he’d still be able to craft…even if it was at the expense of the other modules becoming much worse.

Quest raised a finger, and Sal glanced up at the movement.

“So, your original question was what halfway looked like. Sinclair has made no secret of how much he hates teaching the current curriculum for Survival, so I would imagine that he’d be very enthused about a combination class out on the battlefield. Lars would likely go for it too, and Rust would go along with whatever is asked of him.

“Halfway is giving Chatfield the combination class, but making sure he doesn’t overstep in any of our other classes. We’re just going to be moving our schedule forward, and likely incorporating a demonic tower attack by the end of the first semester. I’m telling you all this so you can make the smartest decision for yourself. You can either be reactive to the changes that are coming, or you can be proactive and ready.”

Quest stood up from his desk and moved over to a glass cabinet on one side of the room. He moved a couple of things out of the way before withdrawing an ornate wooden box. Putting it under his arm, Quest closed the glass cabinet and locked it before returning to the desk and placing the box in front of Sal.

“You joked earlier about it, but I think Barry’s advice has merit.” Quest opened the box to reveal an ancient-looking pistol. “It was a gift from an old friend, and I’d like you to create a blueprint of it.”

Quest sat down and looked at Sal expectantly. “Change is coming, Salvatore. If you’re scared of demons, then craft something that will kill them before they can get close. If you’re worried about being blindsided by a curriculum change, then go on some outings and learn everything you can from our Heroes in advance. If you don’t have enough information, build a tracker that can fill in the gaps. You’re here to learn how to be a Hero. Use your gifts to your advantage and show the Chatfields of this world just how terrifying a Support class can really be.”

Sal looked at Quest in disbelief as the headmaster reclined in his chair with a smile. He made it all sound so incredibly easy.

Would a gun really help him conquer his fear of demons? Judging by Quest’s expression, he seemed to think it would. Activating his Mythcrafter ability, Sal targeted his gaze to the pistol and started an Appraisal.

“So, I go on a few outings, make a gun and a tracker, and you think I’ll be ready for anything?” Sal asked as he picked apart every detail of the weapon.

Quest locked his fingers between his palms and rested them behind his head as he leaned back. “I can’t make any promises, but it would be a hell of a start.”

Chapter 7 – Decisions

Sal was grateful that Quest let him work in silence. The gun didn’t appear exceptional in any way or form, which was why Sal tried his hardest to find any secrets it was hiding.

The first thing that became obvious was that it was completely devoid of essence. There were no abilities or attributes, and it looked to be a stock model that had been made long before his time. If Sal had to hazard a guess, it likely predated the first known arrival of demons.

With a glance at Quest, who sat in his chair with a knowing smile, Sal sighed and got back to inspecting it. Materials were standard of that generation and the build quality looked to be quite high, but not enough to give the weapon any bonuses. It was an underwhelming gun, outside of its title.

Name
Honorary Savior’s Python .357 Magnum

Origin
Crafted

Age
65 years (Relic)

Grade
Common (Low)

Dimensions

6 inches barrel | 11.5 inches length | 5.5 inches height | 2.1 lbs. weight

Materials
Stainless Steel | Laminated Walnut

Attributes
No Essence Detected

Abilities
No Essence Detected

Power Source
Combustion

Evolution
No

Quality
Good

Condition
82%

Value
Est. $1,200.00 – $2,000.00

Sal figured that it would have a much higher value as a relic, and maybe its symbolism had some kind of bonus value…but he couldn’t make a fair estimate. His eyes flickered back to their default silver color, and he placed the gun back in its display case.

“It’s a flashy-looking piece of equipment, and has a nice weight to it.” Sal tried to find nice things to say about it, but Quest laughed at his hesitation.

“You don’t need to lie. In today’s day and age, it’s an old-school piece of junk. Do you need me to dismantle it for you to get a better blueprint?” The headmaster reached over to the display case with a curious look pointed at Sal.

With a shake of his head, Sal closed the case and tapped the side of his head. “Mythcrafter already took it apart in my head, so there’s no need. The title is a bit interesting, though. Can I ask what an Honorary Savior is?”

Quest paused and looked at Sal in surprise. “You’re able to see the name of the weapon? How is that possible?”

With a good-natured laugh, Sal twisted the display box around to show a plate engraving on the side that had been facing him. “Normally, the name pops up when I read the essence signature. Crafters can sign their work with essence, or attribute it to someone else. Appraisal sometimes fills in the blanks and throws names at me, but my regular eyes were able to read this one just fine.”

He tapped the engraving playfully, and Quest shook his head with a laugh. Getting to his feet, the headmaster picked up the box and returned it to the cabinet at the side of his office.

“I know it’s not the most glamorous of weapons, but it could be a good starting point for you and might help you come up with a design of something…more modern. It was given to me as a memento by the Hunter Bureau, recognizing my efforts in the war against demons. I’d have been flattered if it was more than just a ceremonial piece, but I keep it because it looks good.”

Quest gave Sal a slight shrug as he returned to his desk. “I’ve got a much better gift than that, though, so give me a moment.”

Quest tapped at his console to bring up a screen. His eyes flitted over the details before he made a few gestures and taps on the console.

A vibration came from Sal’s tablet, and from the expectant glance from Quest, he knew that it was a message from the headmaster. While he pulled out the tablet, Quest gestured at the screen.

“I told you before that we want to foster your abilities as much as we can, and I think this tracker concept is an excellent first step in harnessing your capabilities. I’ve sent you a list of Heroes who have the abilities you need for the tracker, and you’ll find that there are some students who have lower-grade variants of them. The best ones will be found out in the field, so I’d strongly recommend that you consider the upcoming outings.”

Sal navigated to his messages and found a comprehensive list of the abilities that matched his own notes. There weren’t any unaccounted for, and it suddenly became that much more achievable in his mind. The idea of going on outings still filled him with a sense of dread and foreboding, but Quest was right in that he needed to overcome those limitations if it meant preparing well for the future.

If Chatfield got his way, there was going to be a completely different curriculum on the horizon that would pit him against demons sooner rather than later. He needed to be ready for when that happened, or he’d end up failing out of the academy.

All those thoughts ran through his head as he looked at the list, and Quest’s reassuring tone sounded out once more.

“I’m not telling you that you need to create a tracker or even that you need to create a gun to protect yourself. Those would just be tools to help you in the years to come. What you need right now is the conviction to see this through, and to really apply yourself in your studies. You have great talents, but they’re going to be tested relentlessly. If you wish to protect others and become a Hero…you need to know what we’re fighting. Outings will show you that in great depth, but they’ll also show you how strong we’ve become over the years.” Quest’s voice was soft as he smiled at Sal.

“When you saw that footage of the strike teams attacking the dungeon? That was our show of force in protecting those dearest to us. Outings are structured strategically to teach you how we avoid those war-like conflicts. Paradox is an excellent guild to shadow out on the field, but maybe watching the Delvers Guild or Source Guild would be a better introduction? You have options available to you, Salvatore. Don’t let fear or uncertainty squander your chances to learn, develop, and grow.”

Sal nodded as he tucked his tablet back into his pocket. With a wry smile, he shrugged at Quest. “Just need to get out of my own head and comfort zone, by the sounds of it. I’ve made friends here and I’m really enjoying the stuff I’m learning. I don’t want to let my fears dictate my future, so I’ll sign up for one of them and see how it goes. I’ve got time before Analysis class begins, and even if I don’t get the materials I need, or the powers I want to put in it…I’ll be able to learn what Professor Beck has to teach. Thanks for loaning it to me, and for the advice.”

With that, Sal got to his feet, but Quest raised a hand to hold him a little longer.

“Are you having issues with sourcing materials?”

Sal shook his palm left and right. “Kinda, but I’ve asked Vanessa to look into requesting stuff from the Reavers Guild. Hellfire titanium and lord crystals are the best components for the tracker, and the latter seems like a bit of a tricky one to find.”

Quest’s brow furrowed as he thought about it for a moment. With a click of his fingers, his face broke into a smile. “We might have a potential solution to getting you out onto the field. Have you heard of scavenger runs?”

Sal’s blank expression gave Quest his answer before Sal could shake his head. Quest laughed as he leaned down to tap at his console again.

“I don’t know when the next scheduled one is, but the workshop will likely have all the details. Scavenger runs are a type of outing that are much more low-cost and aimed specifically at Support classes. They take place exclusively within safe zones that have recently been reclaimed, so you wouldn’t need to worry about demons. Well…I say that. You’d be harvesting cores from the recently defeated demons and sorting through any loot in the area. Best part is that you’re able to search the area for materials that can be used in crafting. It’s how a lot of the Supports fund their projects, and the classes that can restore or refine the materials sell them back to the Credit floor or workshop.”

Sal’s eyes widened, but Quest was still going.

“I think it would be an excellent starting point for you to address your apprehension of facing demons. Seeing their corpses and learning how to harvest them successfully will help you acclimatize to their presence. What do you say, does it sound interesting? You might find some rare materials out there for your work, and even make some Q-Cred while you do it! The fee for a scavenger run is a cut of the spoils you gather, but it’s more than worth it.”

The whole concept sounded interesting and a way for him to stockpile more materials. He had been using the materials that had been given to him as a signing bonus, and using his own essence to fill in the gaps.

With the tracker and the Analysis skill, having different materials would yield new attributes and capabilities. He saw the breakdown of the crown he analyzed at the Sky Lounge, and the possibilities of creating new options on weapons was constantly niggling at the back of his mind.

Sal’s desire to make better equipment started to outweigh his fear of going out on the field, and his heart rate elevated at the prospect. It wasn’t necessarily fear this time, but rather excitement.

“Thank you, Quest. I think I’d like to do one of those scavenger runs. Are they open to first-years?”

Quest nodded with a smile. “Yes, they only have a certain number of slots available, and they tend to prioritize the third-years, then second, and lastly, first. There are different grades available, but you’d be sure to find a space on one of the entry-level runs. Just like everything at the academy, there’s a ranking system and you’d need to build up your proficiency as a scavenger before you’d unlock access to better runs. It’s a meritocracy, at the end of the day. If you want, I could put your name down on the waiting list? If it’s going to help lessen your fear of outings, I’d be happy to fast-track your first one. Everything beyond that will be up to you, though.”

With a resolute nod, Sal happily availed himself of Quest’s offer and asked to be put on the waiting list.

“Thank you so much, for the advice and for everything. I can’t help but feel that I’ve monopolized your time over the last month. Do you talk to all the students like this and offer to help them?”

Quest blinked before a rueful smile tugged at his lips. He swept a hand through his fading blond hair and shrugged.

“Not many people ask for help, but I try my best to guide the ones who need it. If it makes you feel better, you’re nowhere close to some of the students in terms of how much support and guidance they need. A few years ago, I had daily meetings with a student because they were terrified of losing control of their power. They were convinced they were going to accidentally harm others, and it took everything we had to put them at ease. Fast-forward to now, and they’re a ranked officer in a Tier 2 guild. I’ll say it again: if there are students in need, we’ll do our utmost to ensure their success. You’re no different, and I hope you won’t hesitate to come see me if there’s anything you need. This is what we’re here for.”

Quest clapped his hands. “So, in summary. You’re going to start in the scavenger runs to get a feel for being out in the field and build up your stockpile of materials. You’re going to work toward outings so you can build up a portfolio of abilities for your Mythcrafter skill. You’re going to craft an evolutionary tracker and potentially an evolutionary gun. Did I miss anything?”

Sal shook his head with a smile, and Quest laughed as he gestured toward the door.

“Well then, until next time, Mr. Argento. Always a pleasure, and I look forward to seeing your progress!”

Chapter 8 – Exploration

As Sal left Quest’s office, he wondered how he was going to spend the rest of the day. Divinity had messaged to say that she’d be working on her essence control in the Skill classroom. She told him that if he wanted to join her, that he could, but not to interrupt her.

Sal wondered whether the pressure of being the top ranked out of the first-years had made her more driven to succeed. Either way, he respected her choice in wanting to break through a barrier she was having issues with. He thought about going to join her and working on his own essence refinement, but it would be drastically reduced results without Lucia and Whisper helping him.

It wasn’t that he was scared of hard work; it just didn’t feel like the smartest use of his time when it was so much more efficient with their help. Even though he had joked about paying them in Q-Cred for boosting his aptitude for essence control, he was considering paying them to help him blast through the required gates for passing the class.

Chatfield had soured his experience in the workshop, and he didn’t want to risk bumping into him again so soon. Even if there was no risk of encountering the surly lecturer, Sal didn’t really have anything to do at the workshop other than drawing up designs for a new gun.

Despite Barry and Quest’s insistence, Sal didn’t feel any desire to make a weapon like that. The tracker, on the other hand, occupied a lot of space in Sal’s mind, and he wanted to start getting all the skills from the list, but he didn’t really know where to begin.

Should he message the students who had the skills he needed, then just look at them for a few seconds and leave? Should he pay them for inspecting their ability? Maybe get them to explain how it worked, to see whether that would help him add it to the Mythcrafter ability?

He discounted those thoughts as his mind wandered to the revelation about the Mythcrafter ability having Skill Master as a part of its creation. There was so much that he didn’t know about it, and even though it was starting to make sense, Sal felt like he barely knew anything about his own abilities.

A memory of Lombardi identifying Vanessa’s skill instantly popped into Sal’s head, and he was curious whether the Skill professor would be able to teach him much about Skill Master and Mythcrafter. Because it was a day off, Lombardi was likely busy, so Sal shelved that idea for later in the week.

As he walked through the campus, he became painfully aware that he hadn’t really explored much of the area. There were five skyscrapers dedicated to Quest Academy, and outside of the workshop, classrooms, training area, and canteen…Sal had no idea what took up the majority of space.

A thousand rooms for first-years dominated a lot of the floors, but there had to be more on offer than accommodation. With nothing better to do, Sal set his mind on exploring the campus without going in any particular direction.

His first area to discover was a tower he had never interacted with. It had windows that stretched across multiple floors, which made Sal suspect that they were designed to hold something big. Sal laughed unconsciously. He was apparently one of the top Appraisers in the city, and his best method of describing something for the first time was to highlight it as, “hold something big.”

Unlike the other towers that just had a few landing pads on the upper floors, there were closed-off gardens and what looked like biomes attached to the sides of the tower. Sal set off toward the entrance to the tower that was connected by a walkway to the amphitheater.

The doors were already slid open, but nobody was in the lobby. A smile crept onto Sal’s face as it felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there, combined with a small sense of adventure that was welling from within. Glancing around, he saw a map of the tower with a list of the different floors. It had the instant effect of popping his excitement balloon.

All sense of mystery disappeared as he learned the purpose of all the biomes.

Floors 71-80 - Wildlife Department: Animal Rehabilitation & Recreation Zones

Floors 81-85 - Wildlife Department: Animal Husbandry & Care

Floors 86-90 - Wildlife Department: Animal Taming & Essence Bonding

Floors 91-105 - Wildlife Department: Gauntlet Training Room

Sal had to do a double take when he saw how much space was dedicated to animals. Almost thirty-five entire floors, with private gardens and enclosures, just for animals. From the descriptions, it looked as if it had everything they could possibly want, but Sal didn’t really understand why there was such a focus on them.

Were there that many students who had animal companions? His eyes flicked down to the Gauntlet Training Room, and he wondered whether it was a paired obstacle course for students and animals. The next list of floors was for lower down, and many of them looked to be administrative in nature.

Sal went to the opposite side of the list and was pleasantly surprised to see that it held floors exclusively for luxury apartments. He was reminded of the ridiculous price of five thousand Q-Cred per month for the premium apartment on the Credit Store. Hot tubs, private workshops, and multiple bedrooms only scratched the surface of what they offered, and Sal genuinely wondered whether any of the students were in a position to afford something like that.

With his efforts in the tournament, and his windfall in getting all the appraisals for the Reavers Guild done, Sal was sitting on nearly six thousand Q-Cred, but it wouldn’t last long if he was serious about setting up his own guild in the future. Just the cost of doing a single Masterclass was enough to make Sal wince.

“You need some help, buddy?”

A voice called out from behind Sal. When he turned around, he saw a familiar-looking face, but Sal was pretty certain he’d never met this man before. His dark skin contrasted with the white lab coat he wore, and the friendly smile was mixed with confusion.

Sal gestured to the sign. “Sorry, I was just looking around. Realized I’d never stepped foot in this building before.” Curiosity got the better of him. “By the way, have we met before? You look familiar.”

The man laughed and shook his head. “No, we haven’t…but, let me guess? You’ve gotten injured pretty badly at some point?”

Sal blinked, not sure how he had come to that conclusion. Sure, he had been knocked out a few times from exhaustion, but nothing actually bad.

With a shake of his head, Sal smiled. “Afraid not, so it must be something else. Forget I said anything.”

The man frowned before clicking his fingers. “Doom Society, perhaps?”

Sal finally realized the resemblance. He looked like Doctor Bob, who had run the initial check on him before he had done the visions for the Doom Society. The man in front of him, though, was much younger and…friendlier.

As if seeing his cue to add context, the man gave a mock bow to Sal. “Doctor Bobby. Bob is my father. Strong resemblance in looks, not so much in personality. He looks after people, while I tend to focus more on animals.” He gestured to the building around him with a smile. “So that tells you who I am. Who might you be?”

Sal apologized as he realized he hadn’t introduced himself. With a step forward, he extended his hand with a smile. “Salvatore Argento. I’m a first-year here at the academy.”

Bobby’s face lit up. “You’re the super-crafter! I heard about you from some of the faculty members. They said that you’ve been making all sorts of war machines for the guilds!”

That descriptor stopped Sal in his tracks, and he couldn’t help but frown.

“War machines? No…I helped the guys in the workshop with an upgrade project. I’m hoping to make cool technology that will help people in the future. I will take Super-Crafter as a nickname, though…just hope it doesn’t translate into my future Hero alias.” Sal laughed as he spoke, and Bobby’s grin grew wider as he raised his hands defensively.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to sound like I was accusing you! Weapons for sure have their place in the war efforts, but I’d love to see someone talented making equipment for healing. You should come by sometime when we’re open. I could show you what we’re working with and introduce you to some of our live-in residents. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

His smile was infectious, and Sal found himself agreeing earnestly. He had no real interest in animals, but Bobby’s enthusiasm rubbed off on him.

Sal gestured back at the sign with the list of floors. “Don’t suppose you’d give me the rundown of the cool stuff I’ve been missing out on? Feels like I’ve been going to classes, eating, sleeping, and spending all other available hours in the workshop.”

Bobby nodded and pointed down at the floor. “Research and Development are on the basement levels. Some cool people in those departments, but most are eccentric. They’d not be the type to give you a tour, but they’re the ones who keep us ahead when it comes to technological advances. I’ve tried my absolute best to understand when they’re talking to me, but it sails straight over my head. I got as far as biometric-essence programming before my brain disengaged completely. Maybe you’ll have more luck!”

Bobby frowned as he looked off into the distance for a second, as though deep in thought.

“Mostly it’s the Wildlife Department and the Research & Development people. You have some private residents, which is your typical VIPs staying over from other guilds, visiting lecturers, government officials, loaded students. Stuff like that. Oh, and then there’s the Sky Deck! You’ve seen the Sky Lounge in the main tower?”

When Sal nodded, Bobby continued excitedly. “This one is way better. It’s an open-air biome with private gardens and loungers. Great place to unwind when it’s open to us. I’d highly recommend checking it out sometime…especially when we get to take up the animals to stretch their wings.”

Bobby was about to continue when a beeping noise sounded out from a device on his belt. With an apologetic smile, Bobby pointed behind him. “Need to get back to the lab or my colleagues are going to kill me, but it was nice to meet you, Salvatore.”

Sal nodded. “My friends call me Sal.”

Bobby paused as he turned. “Well, everyone calls me Bobby. But if I’m in trouble, Roberto works better.” With a laugh, he waved at Sal before jogging off to the nearby elevator.

Sal only noticed a tray of fresh coffees that sat on the ground beside the elevator when Bobby picked it up. He had the good grace to look guilty as he gave Sal a sheepish shrug, before disappearing behind the doors.

Sal decided that he’d come back one day to check out the Wildlife Department. The Sky Deck sounded great, but Sal was thinking about the kinds of equipment they’d be using there.

No matter what he came up with in his head, he had no idea what sort of technology made sense for an animal care department. Sal took out his tablet and checked the time. He wasn’t hungry and he wasn’t in the mood to go back to the dorm just to sit around bored.

With a resigned sigh, Sal decided that the best thing to do would be to join Divinity in the Skill classroom and work on his essence refinement. It seemed odd to be studying on his day off, but he didn’t have anything better to do, and if it made him a little bit stronger, it would be worth it. At least, that’s what he told himself.

Just as he made his way to the walkway, his tablet vibrated with a message from Vanessa. She asked to meet with him on the Credit floor whenever he had a chance. Relief swept through Sal like a wave. He had absolutely been lying to himself about wanting to study. With a grin and a spring in his step, he changed course and made his way to the Credit floor.

Chapter 9 – Permanent

Before Sal could even get a word in, Vanessa whisked him off to one of the private rooms. He fell into step behind her and looked around at the others on the Credit floor. Many of the floor staff smiled at him, and he even spotted an elated-looking Greg, waving from behind the main counter.

It was a welcome change that had only cost him a few Q-Cred in tips, but it was absolutely worth it. His father had told him that making people feel special was the key to earning their loyalty. Sal wouldn’t go so far as to say that Greg was loyal to him, but it was a marked improvement in demeanor from the first few times he had entered the Credit floor.

Ahead of him, Vanessa turned sharply to the right and opened a door to one of the private areas. She didn’t so much as knock, and Sal wondered how she knew it was empty. When she turned to hold the door open for him, Sal didn’t see any warmth in her expression, which was a little concerning. Before he could ask what was going on, she closed the door behind him and let out a long sigh of exasperation.

Sal sat on the edge of one of the plush leather chairs and looked at Vanessa apprehensively. “Are you okay?”

When she finally returned his gaze, she looked conflicted for the briefest of seconds before the expression was gone. Replaced by her confident mask that she wore so well.

“Sal, I’m sorry for rushing you over here at such short notice. But we’ve run into an issue with the Reavers Guild.”

Vanessa apologized earnestly, but Sal didn’t think it warranted the expression of concern from earlier. If they were going to be working together, Sal didn’t want any secrets between them.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Vanessa smiled as she took a seat on the side of the armchair across from Sal. “There was interest from a few other guilds that I didn’t tell you about. Their offers weren’t as competitive as the Reavers, and one of them is…a guild I’d prefer you didn’t work with. I was leveraging their offers against each other to increase your value, but I didn’t anticipate one of them trying to cut me out and go straight to the source.”

Vanessa’s voice was tight with annoyance. She glanced back up at Sal’s eyes and gave him a wry smile. “Be careful around that Sakura girl. She’ll be watching you and reporting back to Shade in the Delvers Guild. It would be incredibly problematic if she was to find out that you’re Myth, so make sure she doesn’t find out! Don’t fall for any of her moves, either. That girl is a trained assassin and will know how to push your buttons.”

Sal winced slightly, and Vanessa’s right eyebrow shot up.

“Sakura knows that I’m not just an Appraiser. I was at a series of Doom Society meetings with her where I used Divinity’s power, and she was with the strike team that took down the recent dungeon. I watched her kill a commander variant.”

Vanessa stared at Sal numbly for a moment before she switched tactics. “Okay, new plan. You’re going to befriend that Sakura girl! Get her to keep your secret and not report it back to the Delvers Guild. Shade is a piece of work and would stop at nothing to monopolize your capabilities. You don’t want to be on his radar.”

Sal stared at Vanessa in disbelief. “You just told me that she was a terrifying and skilled assassin. Now, you’re telling me that I need to be her friend? There’s no way she’s going to buy that!”

Vanessa shook her head as she raised a single finger. “Not necessarily. She’s hesitating for some reason. If what you said is true…why hasn’t she told Shade? She could be protecting you, or she could be holding onto that piece of information as leverage. Either way, she’s holding all the cards at the moment, and we’re not even at the table. Make something for her, win her over. Be your charming self!”

Vanessa rotated her hand rapidly in the air as she went through the options available to him.

Sal couldn’t tell whether she had a huge amount of faith in him, or whether she genuinely expected him to be a natural at winning people over. He nodded at Vanessa slowly and laughed.

“Okay, I understand. I need to befriend the beautiful Savior from the third-years, who is a trained assassin and can erase my essence with a single touch. Sounds easy.”

Vanessa sighed as she slid off the armrest and into the chair. Using her arms as a prop, she rested her chin on the palm of her hands and looked at Sal carefully.

“I know it’s asking a lot of you, but it’s for the greater good. I’ve been trying to be neutral about all this, but Shade is a piece of shit. He’d find a way to lock you into a horrible contract and would work you to the bone. Delvers have burned through literally every reputable auction house over the last few years. Your father would likely have stuff to say about him too, and I doubt it would be good.”

She was right. Sal had heard his father cursing Shade’s name every so often when a last-minute appraisal came through. Petro always had to chase payment from them, and their terms were ridiculous.

Hell, on Sal’s first day at Quest Academy, Petro had brought a piece of work from Shade with him. That glove that he had appraised was for the Delvers Guild, and apparently Shade avoided paying the full appraisal fee.

Sal looked at Vanessa and saw the uncertainty on her face, and it confused him. “Do you have a personal issue with the Delvers? If we’re going to be working together, I need you to be honest with me. I won’t work with the Delvers if you don’t want me to. All I’d ask is that you trust me enough to give me the reason.”

A coldness took over Vanessa’s face as she looked off slightly to one side. Her voice was devoid of its usual warmth as she gave a quick rundown of events.

“I graduated from the academy in the Controller class, was scouted by the Delvers Guild. Joined up with them and was offered a fast track to officer. It was a great contract that covered all my bases, and I was happy. Until a high-ranking officer started making…advances, that I didn’t reciprocate.”

Vanessa looked at Sal with a tired smile, as though she were repeating a story she had already told a thousand times.

“I ignored the advances, made gentle but firm boundaries, and told them I wasn’t interested. I was pushed into the Support group and dropped from the training rosters. Days of maintaining inventory turned into weeks and then months. I was being punished for not taking that officer up on his offer.”

Vanessa laughed as she shook her head in disbelief.

“I know what you’re thinking. Maybe I did something else wrong, or maybe there was more to it. Nope. He outright told me that my training would go back to normal and my future would be guaranteed…if I came around to his way of thinking. Anyway, that was the Delvers Guild. I know that not everyone in there is a bad person, and it was just the actions of a single officer. But, when I reported his behavior, only one of us was believed and backed by the guild. I broke contract with them, and the Delvers came after me for a stupid amount of money that they claimed to have ‘invested’ in me. They sold the debt to the Credit floor, and for the last few years, everyone believes that I couldn’t cut it with the guilds.”

Vanessa was speaking matter-of-factly by the end, and she laughed at the shock on Sal’s face. “Don’t be concerned. This is in the past and it’s my own situation to resolve. You asked me to be honest with you, and I was. I’ll ask in return that you keep this information to yourself, okay?”

Sal didn’t trust himself to answer and nodded. He couldn’t believe Vanessa had endured something as horrible as that. To think that she was a Controller class and had already graduated from the academy?

Upgrade had mentioned before that she was wasting her potential on the Credit floor, but it suddenly made sense. He needed to know how he could help her, but the moment he opened his mouth, Vanessa raised a hand to stop him.

“I know you’re going to have questions, so let me answer all of them now and we can move on. First, I won’t tell you the name of the officer. Second, I won’t tell you how much money I owe on the broken contract. Third, my ability is Body Manipulation.”

Sal laughed as she literally picked the three questions he had and answered them with ease. As she returned the smile, Sal’s faded. She had been ousted from her career as a Hero because some creep wouldn’t leave her alone. Sal blinked as a sharp realization came to him.

“Wait, you’re interested in joining my guild… Does that mean you’ve already paid back your breakage cost?”

Vanessa smiled as she nodded. “Almost a year ago. I’ve been stockpiling resources and developing relationships with the other guilds. Now, is that all your questions? Because we’ve got more pressing matters to discuss.”

Sal thought about it before one last one came to him. “Body Manipulation is super rare! There’s a girl in my class who’s able to change my body to be more attuned with essence refinement. Is that something you could help me with?”

Vanessa paused as she looked at Sal suspiciously. “You’re telling me that a girl in your class used her power on you?”

Sal nodded as he gestured at his chest. “She made it so that I can sense my essence better, in Skill class.”

Vanessa shook her head and looked at Sal in surprise. “Well, aren’t you a little heartbreaker? Body Manipulation is a very sensitive power, Sal. There’s a lot of trust and commitment in giving your body over to someone who can change it. Is this the Hannah girl who was messaging you and sending pictures?”

Sal paused for a second. He hadn’t expected Vanessa to remember Hannah’s name. With a slight shake of his head, he tried to explain.

“No, her name is Lucia Hernandez. She goes by Nova and finished really high in the tournament. You should have seen her as a giant—it was incredible!”

Vanessa laughed as she tilted her head to one side. “Oh? Incredible, was it? Would you say the same if I was a giant?”

Sal heard the challenge in her tone, but the way she was looking straight at him, he had no idea whether she was actually serious. Heat rose to his cheeks as he started to imagine Vanessa towering over him in that tight uniform. As soon as the image popped into his head, Sal recognized that he was in dangerous territory and changed the subject.

“So! Villa is looking for an answer…do you have the details?” Sal’s voice was fast and panicked as he looked anywhere else in the room.

Vanessa’s laugh was musical and full of life.

Sal was grateful to hear it after she had been so agitated and down earlier. When he turned to see her, their eyes met, and the breath left his body. Her irises were silver, just like his own.

“Well Sal, since you know my secret power…I think it’s only fair that I tease you from time to time. Sound good?” She held out her hand for Sal to shake, and he took it instinctively.

With a broad grin, Vanessa added, “Oh, and it’s pretty cute that your friend is helping you with your essence refinement. Let me show you the difference between a first-year and an academy graduate.”

Her smile widened as Sal realized what was going on. He looked down at his hand in shock, but it was too late. Vanessa’s essence shot through his arm and body at lightning speed, and Sal could barely breathe.

Vanessa’s voice was soothing as she guided her personal essence through him. “So many little inefficiencies. You really have to start working out, Sal.”

He could hear the amusement in her voice as she inspected his essence. “Oh, so she just widened your senses temporarily? That’s a smart method if she came up with it by herself…but I’ve always found this to be a much easier solution.”

Sal finally found his breath as he looked at Vanessa in surprise. “What…kind of solution?”

Vanessa’s grin was predatory as she leaned in close, her whisper sounding more like a threat than anything else.

“Brute force.”

Chapter 10 – Manipulation

“Relax. There’s no need to panic. I just need to see what we’re working with here.”

Vanessa’s voice was soft as her essence bolted through Sal’s body. It was nothing like the gentle stream that came through from Lucia in the Skill class. Sal couldn’t help but freak out at the sudden sensation. He was still reeling from the revelation that she was a Controller type with a Body Manipulation ability, and it crossed his mind that maybe her stunning appearance was something she created herself with her power.

As he tried to get control of his breathing, Sal attempted to ignore the rush of essence, but it was too overpowering. Was this what the Crafters felt when he unknotted their skills? Divinity hadn’t made any sort of reaction, so he doubted it was the case.

Vanessa’s eyes hadn’t yet reverted to their natural green, and instead kept his silver color. He never realized how piercing they could look and wondered whether others saw him the same way.

Just as Sal was going to ask what she was doing, his essence reacted to Vanessa’s. It was a lurching feeling that he didn’t enjoy, almost like he was a puppet being manipulated by an unseen force. The visualization he had created that pulled a string of essence around the gates was absolutely nothing compared to what he was feeling right now.

The hairs on his arms raised on end as a cold shiver swept across his body. Sal couldn’t quite describe the sensation, but it was like all the energy from around his body converged on a single point in his chest. He started to sweat as his temperature rose sharply. Whatever Vanessa was doing was having a drastic effect on him physically, and he didn’t feel comfortable in the slightest.

With a slight frown, Vanessa let a small sigh escape from her lips. “We’re not working with much, Sal. Your core looks like it was reset recently, so it’s slowly rebuilding itself. It’s a wonder you can use your abilities with this level of internal essence.”

Her expression grew thoughtful as her brow furrowed.

A moment or two later, his essence formed into a concentrated ball in his chest. His limbs went numb and his head throbbed. It was like everything he had was thrumming powerfully in his chest at the expense of the rest of his body.

A smirk crossed Vanessa’s face as she glanced at Sal. “It’s not much, but it should be a decent start.”

Sal panicked, thinking that she was going to leave him feeling like this. He wouldn’t be able to take two steps before collapsing at this rate, and he felt like he had regressed. He wanted to put it into words, but he could barely control his mouth. Everything felt wrong to him, and it was genuinely terrifying.

“Get ready.” Vanessa’s irises turned crimson.

Sal didn’t know what she was talking about and couldn’t find the strength or capability to ask her.

Vanessa glanced at Sal and laughed. “Sorry, it’s going to feel worse before it feels better. It’s your body doing the work, and it’s going to punish you for it.”

The moment the words left her mouth, the concentrated essence shifted in Sal’s chest. It was enough to make him gasp in a mixture of pain and…relief? He tried to ignore the bombardment of warning signals his senses were sending him.

Pain washed through every single one of his joints, but he tried to focus on what was happening in his chest. With a sheer force of will, Sal closed his eyes and attempted to sense his essence to see what was happening. He picked the worst time to check as the concentrated essence shifted again, sending another wave of agony through him.

It felt closer to torture than anything else, and Sal genuinely wondered what he had done to Vanessa to warrant this level of punishment.

“Three…two…one…” Vanessa counted down happily as the essence shifted again to a new location.

Sal was met with a moment of reprieve as a pleasant pulse of essence washed through him. The pain that followed, just like before, was suddenly a little clearer to him. The concentrated essence pulled the relief away and became slightly more refined.

Sal’s eyes shot open as he looked at Vanessa in shock. Realization had finally hit him, and her knowing smile confirmed it.

“We’ve passed three gates in under a minute. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, so you better buckle up. I can see how much your body can take, so focus on not dying and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Sal’s blood ran cold at the mention of dying, but the smile on Vanessa’s face was confident. He wanted to trust in her and believe her, but the pain shooting through his body made him hate her more than anyone he’d ever encountered.

When the next pulse of relief came through, Sal regained some of the sensations in his body for a moment. The dampness on his cheeks told him that he had been crying at some point during the process, but the feeling ripped away a second later as the concentrated essence found a new gate to target. He wanted to count how many they’d gone through, and created excuses to Vanessa so they’d stop at a certain number.

When the next lurch of pain rattled through his body, Sal fell to his knees with a strained gasp. Vanessa took a step closer, still holding his hand and watching him with those red eyes. He was sure that it was a sign that they needed to stop, but it seemed Vanessa had no intention of stopping.

Sal’s vision was blurry, and he could barely make out the details of the room. It felt like his mind was navigating through an impenetrable fog, stumbling constantly as it failed to recognize shapes in the room.

The only thing anchoring him to the moment was Vanessa’s grip on his hand and the vague blur of her heels that he kept his eyes on. Some small part of his brain told him that he’d fall unconscious if he closed his eyes.

“Three…two…one…” Vanessa’s voice was muffled and seemed deeper in pitch.

Sal tried to hear what she was saying, but the fog was too much. A dull ache in his neck prevented him from raising his head. His limbs were like lead, weighing him down and keeping him from moving.

The only sensation that told him that he was still alive was the burning pain that pulsated from his chest. Sal couldn’t do anything more than focus on his breathing, making each inhalation deliberate and counting the seconds before exhaling. He did this for close to a minute as he pushed away the fear that the little burst of relief wasn’t going to arrive.

Ever since he’d been knocked unconscious by the shirt he made, he’d been scared of losing control of his body. Even though it would be so simple to give in to the exhaustion and pain, he persevered and held on.

Vanessa said she knew how much his body could take and he wanted to trust her. As the tears flowed freely down his cheeks, Sal fought against the fears in his mind that this was a trap. That he’d somehow been betrayed.

A burst of clarity rushed through Sal’s head as his vision cleared. He blinked a few times and saw Vanessa crouched in front of him with a grin.

“I’m redistributing the essence so you can hear me. We’ve made good progress, but I want to warn you that the next part will be even more painful. I can stop now, or…we can get this over with and have you at the top of your Skill class. It’s up to you.”

Sal wanted more than anything to stop right there, but Vanessa’s smirk was challenging him. He had never endured pain like this, and every fiber of his being told him to tap out and call it quits for the day.

Logic told him that he could do this gradually and that he wasn’t expected to be extraordinary overnight. His body was practically begging him to stop, but that damned smirk caused havoc in his mind. He didn’t want to lose face in front of her. She knew that his body was weak and she’d seen him crumpled at her feet, but she wasn’t asking about his body…she was asking about his resilience.

Sal knew that she respected his abilities as a Mythcrafter and as an Appraiser, but he wanted her to respect him as a person. With a wince and an inward curse, Sal nodded and answered in an audible rasp. “Keep going. I can take it.”

Vanessa’s bright smile was enough to tighten his chest, and Sal was happy that he had found the strength to make the choice. He was going to add the caveat that she should be gentle, but barely a moment passed before all clarity left his head as the essence was siphoned off from every available part of his body.

Sal gritted his teeth as the process continued. The new level of excruciating pain made him regret his choice instantly, but he kept his resolve. He thought of Divinity, who was currently training her essence control, and how much time and effort she had put in to be the best she could be.

Sal didn’t want to coast through the academy, just relying on his abilities. He knew that his mental fortitude was lacking, especially with how he was avoiding outings and confronting demons.

Maybe it was the guilt of his cowardice that resolved him to endure the hellish procedure with Vanessa. Maybe he wanted to impress her.

All he knew for certain was that this was something he needed to do, to finally earn something himself, through hard work and pain. There was no trump card or ability to make this easy…no piece of equipment to rely on. His capability to handle the grueling ordeal would lead the way to true progression.

The concentrated essence was no longer moving gradually from gate to gate. It was surging through points in his body and breaking through them. Just like how he had tried on his first day of Skill class, which resulted in failure.

With Vanessa’s guidance and using everything available in his body, she blitzed through each point like a train piercing through barriers at full speed. Just controlling his breath had turned into a challenge, and Sal persevered as well as he could.

The momentary blips of relief had long evaporated as Vanessa stormed his body with ruthless efficiency. Her grip on his wrist was initially reassuring, but now it was like an immovable clamp that had likely shattered bone.

Looking forward, Sal tried to see Vanessa’s face, but all he could make out were the two red irises that practically bored into his soul. He finally understood why Villa’s terrifying aura didn’t have any effect on Vanessa. She was far too powerful to be fucked with.

When a sudden laugh washed through the haze, Sal realized that he had spoken that last part out loud. A warm hand cupped his chin and cheek, and it took him far too long to realize that it was Vanessa’s. He still couldn’t make out her expression as he fought to maintain some semblance of control, but he guessed she was smiling at him, if the laugh was anything to go from.

A few hums of words came through, but they were sounds that he couldn’t interpret. The hand slipped from his face to grasp his neck and shoulder, steadying him as he swayed. It felt nice and reassuring, and Sal thought it was probably a sign that they were finishing up.

That was when the worst pain he could have ever possibly imagined struck him. The hand that gripped his shoulder was also navigating his essence, and the added direction was beyond torturous.

A guttural growl left his body as Sal suffered through the onslaught. He couldn’t feel the essence moving anymore; it was an infinite sensation of burning up from within. At least, that’s what he thought…until the essence shifted upward and filled his skull with burning-hot needles, poking him through the eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.

Nothing was worth this. Nothing could ever be worth something like this. Sal couldn’t breathe, think, see, or hear. It was an unstoppable light that was going to make his head explode. It was like his eyes and nose were leaking blood as he felt Vanessa’s essence forcing him to breathe.

Both of her hands cupped his face, and Sal didn’t know when his wrist had been freed. He didn’t know anything other than pain. He wondered whether he’d ever feel anything else.

If Sal had retained any ability to speak, he would have told Vanessa to stop. He would have begged her. Done anything to make it end. There was no telling how much time had passed, and Sal felt as though he had been banished to exist in a purgatory that only delivered pain.

Barry’s illusion of emptiness had previously been Sal’s standard of absolute fear. Now, he knew so much better. Vanessa’s ability was the most terrifying thing in existence, and he had stupidly signed up for it. No amount of progression was worth this sacrifice of sanity. Just then, at the point where Sal had cursed Vanessa for the thousandth time with the limited fragments of his mind, it stopped.

Sal blinked in shock as he looked at Vanessa. She was still blurry, and he had to wipe the tears away with his hands. He didn’t see any blood on his fingers and was delighted that his fears weren’t confirmed. When his eyes met Vanessa’s, she still had those terrifying crimson irises locked onto him, but also a triumphant grin.

“So, do you still hate me?”

Chapter 11 – Doubts

Vanessa held the glass to Sal’s lips as he took a few sips of the water. When he leaned his head back to speak, Vanessa shook her head and pressed the glass against his face again.

“Nope, you’re severely dehydrated after that, so you don’t get to ask questions until I’m satisfied.”

Her tone was firm and didn’t give Sal much choice in the matter. His limbs were still protesting against even the slightest movement, so he had to persevere through the humiliating ordeal of being fed water at a snail’s pace.

The half-empty jug was more than enough in his eyes, but Vanessa kept refilling it and helping him drink. Judging by her grin, she was enjoying his plight a little too much. Sal finished the glass and gave her a level stare, but she maintained eye contact with him as she refilled it slowly.

“This is punishment for the sniper rifle, isn’t it?” His voice was strained and weak, but at least he could speak now.

Rather than answering, Vanessa filled another glass and placed it beside the first. She cocked an eyebrow as if to ask whether he had any further questions. Sal resigned himself to his fate and did as he was told, drinking each time the glass was presented to him.

Vanessa smiled at the compliance and finally broke the awkward silence. “While you’re drinking, I’ll explain a bit more about what happened, okay?”

Sal gave her a small nod, which she seemed satisfied with.

“Since you’re a crafter, I’ll explain it in terms you should be familiar with. There are others like you, who can incorporate all the functions of Mythcrafter, but at a lower level. Rarecrafter, Unicrafter, Epicrafter, and so on. Body Manipulation isn’t an ability by itself—it’s a category, like Invention. My ability belongs to the Body Manipulation category, but you’ve discovered firsthand that mine is vastly different than that Lucia girl’s.”

Sal nodded in understanding as he accepted more water. His body was still aching, and despite his initial protests, he was grateful that Vanessa was helping him drink. He looked over at her, and she continued.

“Mythcrafter is a blend of Appraisal, Upgrade, and Restoration. My own ability is called Configuration, which is an amalgamation of Restructure, Composition, and Refinement. What makes Body Manipulation so rare as a category is that we’re able to use skills on the human body. I can alter myself and others at a high level. Typically, the skills would limit the user to only being able to manipulate their own bodies, or the bodies of others. My guess is that your friend has a weaker version of Configuration, or something similar. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. The important thing to know is that I can change my body and the body of others, all the way down to their essence. That’s what I did with you today.”

Vanessa pushed more water toward Sal, and he reluctantly obliged, hating the soothing noises she made as she encouraged him to drink.

“Your friend made you more receptive to essence so you could find the gates and work on activating them. It’s an exhausting process that takes a lot of time and meditation, so we skipped all that.”

Vanessa leaned across the arm of the chair she was draped on and tapped Sal’s chest.

“Only your essence can break through the gates, so I pulled every single piece of it from your body and created a bullet, for lack of a better term. We shot it through each gate and added more power to the bullet. I supercharged your new gates to produce more essence, so it created a snowball effect. That’s why the pain got more intense with each one, and the momentary reprieves were from my essence repairing things before we shot toward the next one.”

Vanessa placed the now-empty glass on the nearby table and picked up the decanter to refill it. With a glance at Sal, she finally relented. “You can ask one question, then we’re back to drowning you.”

Sal didn’t waste his opportunity and asked the one question that he couldn’t answer himself. “How far did you get? I can’t feel… anything at the moment.”

Vanessa looked at him for a moment and smiled. “Essence gates are a fickle thing. I could have pushed through the whole set of them, but your available essence would have been wound so tight that even a flicker of your Appraisal ability would cause it to snap and undo everything. I wanted to get you up into the fifties, but your body was only fit to get to the early forties. Your essence pool is ridiculously limited, which I guess is a result of creating the Mythcrafter ability.”

She had given him permission for one question, but he couldn’t resist asking another.

“Why are you working on the Credit floor when you could be making an insane amount of Q-Cred amping people up to their maximum potential?”

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed as she pushed the water to his lips. “I was doing it as a side business, but Quest put a stop to it pretty quickly as it was removing the trials and tribulations of learning patience and control. Apparently, students should earn their progress rather than be gifted it.” Vanessa mimicked Quest’s voice in an over-the-top preachy tone.

“That said, it earned me enough to graduate, and to do a ridiculous number of Masterclasses. I also got to work with the R&D department in making the Skill Implanting system. My ability is one part of the puzzle for those Skill Registration machines. Got a hefty amount of Q-Cred for that too, and a nice little royalty package. Jez was so proud of me for negotiating that in.”

Vanessa’s grin faded. She shook her head wistfully as she pressed the glass back to Sal, who was making pitiful efforts to use his hands.

“Take it easy, Sal. You went through one hell of a trial today and your body is going to take a lot of time to repair and acclimatize to your new cores. No crafting for a while or using your eyes to Appraise things. I don’t care if a portal opens in your bedroom and drops an arsenal of weapons at your feet. No using your abilities until your body has time to adjust. Understood?”

Vanessa might have phrased it like a question, but it was very much an order.

Sal gave a reluctant nod, which wasn’t enough for Vanessa. She held her stare until he finally broke.

“Yes, I understand. No using my abilities for a while. When will I know when I can use them?”

Vanessa smiled as she tapped his chest. “It might take a few days, but sooner if you buy some of the vendor drinks. While the body can be healed with external essence, it needs to produce its own to build a solid foundation. If you try using your cores immediately, they’ll shatter and break the circuit. Then you’ll have wild imbalances and false-starts when trying to use your abilities. Skill Implanting does exactly that. It pretty much resets your progress to the starting line so you can build your cores back up with the new ability blueprint.”

Vanessa paused as she looked at Sal thoughtfully. “Just to put it into perspective, though, your internal gates are still at the lowest tier. Bringing you up to the forties is great, but it only puts you a couple of months ahead of your peers. Strengthening your cores over time will take a lot more practice and effort, so don’t get complacent. You need to work them hard in the future to ensure they’re capable of producing enough essence to maintain your abilities.”

Sal let his head sink back to rest on the back of the armchair. He desperately wanted to close his eyes and fall asleep, but he was going to have to get back to the dorm before that could be a possibility. It wouldn’t do much for his reputation if he fell asleep in a private meeting room on the Credit floor. Knowing them, they’d probably charge him for an overnight stay. With a grimace, he looked over at the beaming face of Vanessa. He couldn’t be completely sure, but she looked to be enjoying his misery.

“When will I be able to move without agony?”

Vanessa shrugged as she gestured at his body vaguely with a wave of her hand. “First thing I told you was that you need to work out more. Your body lacks basic mobility and core strength, which is why your recovery rate is so slow. Sure, we could use essence to redistribute your muscle, but you’ve got very little to work with. My advice would be to get a training regimen as soon as possible that gives you a more rounded physique.” Vanessa pulled a tablet out of her pocket and tapped at it.

“I can send you over a list of exercises that you should be doing daily. If you thought Support classes could afford to be lazy, someone lied to you. Versatility is the key difference between Supports who make it through the academy and those who don’t.”

Sal groaned inwardly at the prospect of having to do a workout daily, but Vanessa was going out of her way to send him a regimen, so he didn’t grumble audibly.

Apparently, his face didn’t get the memo, and Vanessa noticed. “We already know you work hard and that you can withstand pain—why don’t you combine the two and be done with it? You’ll thank me down the line when you don’t throw your back out from picking up a wrench.”

Vanessa suddenly sat up straight as she turned to Sal with a wide grin. His sense of foreboding shot through the roof as she clapped excitedly.

“That’s it! Befriend the Assassin girl. You can ask her for help with training, like learning a martial art or something. You could make her a piece of equipment in exchange, and everything will work out perfectly. She won’t leak her findings about you, and you’ll be besties with an Assassin. Everyone wins!”

Sal could only gape in horror at Vanessa, who went back to her tablet, tapping away at it and ignoring his feeble attempts at getting out of the armchair.

Anna Sakura had seemed nice in the interactions that he had with her, but learning that she was scouting him for the Delvers Guild was a bit unnerving. After seeing her fight in the dungeon raid, he’d prefer her as an ally rather than a threat. He didn’t feel comfortable lying to her or getting close to her under false pretenses.

He wondered whether he could strike a deal with her and tell her the truth, that he didn’t want to be revealed yet. Worst-case scenario, he could make her something to keep his identity secret.

The fact that he was Myth was bound to get out sooner rather than later. Even Doctor Bobby had known who he was, and all the faculty at the academy had been briefed prior to the raid. It was a matter of time before they told people and it would be public knowledge. Sal sat there for a few minutes, deliberating over the best way to proceed when a vibration in his pocket caught his attention.

Vanessa turned her tablet around to show him the schedule she had written up for him. “You’re going to need to balance your diet, too, and eat meals regularly. Biggest hurdle for you outside of the actual workouts is likely going to be getting enough sleep. You’re a dehydrated and sleep-deprived mess on most days, and that’ll have to change if you want to improve yourself.”

Sal looked up at the ceiling and sighed when a thought suddenly popped into his head. With a turn toward Vanessa, he frowned. “Didn’t you bring me here to talk about the Reavers Guild? What’s the situation there?”

Vanessa stared at Sal for a moment before a musical laugh escaped her.

“Is the thought of exercise that horrible that you’d prefer to talk about Villa?” Without waiting for Sal’s answer, Vanessa continued with a smile. “So, we’ve run into a bit of an issue with the Reavers. Their guildmaster has clamped down on all investments, which blocks our Trainee Guild proposal for the time being. Villa is furious with him, and I caught a chunk of that anger when she implied that we intentionally delayed signing. I think she’s scared that we’re going to shop around now that their hands are tied.”

Sal’s shoulders slumped as he let out a relieved sigh. “Is it wrong that I’m a little relieved? Things were moving so fast, I was half thinking that we would make a mistake by signing immediately with them.”

He tried to sit up properly in the seat, but every muscle in his body rejected the attempt with flares of pain. Wincing, Sal remained where he was seated with a grimace.

Vanessa shook her head as she looked off to the other side of the room, her eyes not focused on anything in particular. “It’s not wrong, but this is a lucrative deal. It’s great that we’ve got such a vested interest from the Reavers who know your value, but there’s nothing wrong with us playing the field to see what other offers fall into our lap.”

With a turn of her head, Vanessa broke into a sly grin. “We can use Villa’s fear against her and see if we can get you those materials you’re looking for…but, we’ll also need you to craft something for public auction. It’s the only way to showcase your capability to the other guilds. Villa isn’t likely to show off that sniper rifle, and guilds will want to see more than just an appraisal document verified by a first-year.”

Sal snorted and regretted the action immediately as his chest burned in renewed pain. When Vanessa looked at him in confusion, he shook his head with a smile.

“I got my Appraisal license when I was twelve. I’m backed by the Argento Auction and registered with the United Guilds Association. There shouldn’t be any issue with my documentation. If there was, they’d have hundreds of cases that they’d need to invalidate, and I highly doubt they’d want to go through all that paperwork.”

Vanessa stared at Sal blankly, and he couldn’t help but feel a small well of pride at seeing her lost for words. Rather than dwell on it, he pushed on before she decided to drown him with more water.

“Why is the guildmaster of the Reavers blocking investments? Are they not performing well?”

This time, it was Vanessa’s turn to snort as she shook her head. “They’re doing better than ever. If rumors are to be believed, they’re shoring up resources to purchase another guild that will bring them up to Tier 1. If that’s the case, it means that investing in a grassroots guild at the academy would be out of the question until the deal is done.” With a wave of her hand, Vanessa sighed as she turned to Sal.

“I should have figured this would happen, though. Their guildmaster, Fierce… He’s a massive piece of shit and obsessed with getting to the top spot, even if it means cutting corners. That’s why the Reavers are relentlessly thrown into every dangerous encounter.”

Sal’s brow furrowed. “So their guildmaster is insane and you want to tie us to them? Are they really the best option for us? And is investing in us that much of a cost?” Sal was trying to understand, but a lot of it was over his head. They had casually given him a Rare-grade sword, and he had personally appraised their loot from a single dungeon. The revenue from that one job should have been enough to fund about a hundred starter guilds.

Vanessa laughed as she looked at Sal with a raised eyebrow.

“For all their faults, the Reavers are one of the rising stars in the United Guilds Association. It makes sense to board the fastest-moving train, as it will get us to our destination faster. Terrible analogy, but you get my meaning! Villa is gunning for the top spot, and despite her also being relatively insane, she’s a necessary evil. With her at the helm, they’d get to the top spot in the next five years. With Fierce, I think they’ll end up overstretching and falling apart. Either way, we’d have resources to build our foundations and the best backing you could ask for. Nobody picks fights with the Reavers, so a lot of doors would open for us…that other guilds don’t even know exist.”

Just as Sal was about to respond, Vanessa raised a hand to pause him. “As for the investment part, that’s a whole different situation. It can cost millions to get a guild off the ground and through the tiers, so it’s not a decision to be made lightly on their part. Historically speaking, it takes around four years for a new guild to become profitable…and that’s usually post-graduation. You’re barely in the door of the academy, so it’ll require a lot more investment and time to get you up to standard.”

Sal’s eyes widened. Obviously, there were a lot of costs in making it work, but he hadn’t ever considered just how much it would be. It was a sobering thought and enough to make him doubt his capability in being a proficient guildmaster.

As though sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, Vanessa tapped Sal’s chest again, grinning. “Other guilds didn’t have a Mythcrafter. We lock you in a workshop until you’re thirty and we’ll be the richest guild in the city.” She paused and tilted her head to one side as though deep in thought. “Okay, scratch that…maybe until you’re forty.”

When she turned back to Sal, she had a reassuring smile on her face. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but don’t worry. I’ll be here every step of the way. And if it takes you until you graduate to decide on the guild route, I’ll wait until then.”

Sal didn’t really know what to say to that. He knew Vanessa was biding her time on the Credit floor until she had a better option, but for her to willingly put her own plans on hold to wait for him… Sal couldn’t get his head around it. Mythcrafter was an incredible ability and the first of its kind, but he did feel like she was putting a little too much faith in him.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to wait for me to come to a decision. Obviously, I’d love your help and guidance…but it’s such a big decision to make, for both of us.”

Vanessa laughed as she got to her feet. She walked over to the armchair across from Sal and took a seat. Crossing her legs, she grinned at him.

“You’re a Mythcrafter, Sal. It’s an ability that will turn the Crafting world on its head, and you’ll be inundated with requests from the United Guilds Association, the bureau, and everyone who has a way to contact you. Right now, you’re a first-year learning the basics, but in the future, you’re going to be an absolute powerhouse of capability. Everyone is going to want you. I’ll wait years if it means we’ll get to work together because I know for a fact that I won’t get a chance like this again.”

Sal groaned as he leaned his head back. “That’s not making this any easier!”

Vanessa shrugged, still smiling at him. “Relax! With Fierce pulling the plug on the Reavers deal, you at least have some breathing space. Nobody is demanding a commitment from you yet, so you’ve got time to enjoy yourself at the academy. Just keep it in mind and think about what you want in the future. The sooner we have a decision from you, the faster we can get things moving.”

Chapter 12 – Agony

Sal grimaced as his head finally landed on the pillow. The walk to the dorms had been excruciatingly slow as he fought the dizziness brewing in his head as well as enduring the onslaught of pain coursing through his body.

Whatever relief he thought he was going to get from lying on the bed was quickly dashed by the realization that his pain didn’t get the memo. Unlike the searing burn he experienced from Vanessa’s forced control of his essence, the current sensation was closer to internal bruising that throbbed erratically.

With an agonized groan, Sal turned on his side and rooted through his bedside locker. It took him a few moments to find the small black case that he had all but forgotten about since arriving at the academy. He fumbled when trying to open the case with one hand, but his perseverance won out and he slumped onto his back, holding the black sunglasses aloft.

They had been his lifeline for years when his ability threatened to overwhelm his senses. Sal didn’t hesitate in putting them on, hoping that they would hinder his eyes from activating unconsciously. His vision darkened, and Sal breathed a sigh of relief as he finally stopped concentrating on holding his abilities at bay.

As he stared at the ceiling, he wondered when he stopped getting the migraines from viewing the abilities of others. Had the Skill Registration been the catalyst in giving him full control of his ability? Healer Bitch had said that his eyes were damaged when she did her initial bout of healing on him. The same thing happened when Doctor Bob inspected his eyes at the Doom Society.

Sal grit his teeth through a burst of pain that flared up in his chest. He wished sleep would take him, but the sensations had no intention of letting up. So, he continued to lie in silence, forced to think about how his body lacked the versatility it needed.

Would his eyes naturally improve as he got stronger? Was the issue from using his powers tied to his lack of control and capability? Sal thought back to the last few weeks. They had worked tirelessly day and night to train and improve as a team for the cohort tournament, but apparently that effort was nothing in front of Vanessa’s discerning ability. He was still lacking, and it stung to hear her say it so easily. Throwing a few kicks and punches wasn’t going to overturn an entire childhood of administrative work, and Sal knew that.

As he stared up at the ceiling, he inwardly prayed that sleep would take him. If any of the training sessions were anything to go by, he was going to feel much worse in the morning. But Sal pushed that thought aside; that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, he wanted a small reprieve from the agony, and if slipping into unconsciousness was it, he’d gladly take it.

Closing his eyes, Sal concentrated on his senses and investigated his internal core to see whether he could feel any difference after Vanessa’s procedure. The thread of light that he was used to weaving for abilities was as thin as a spider’s web, and it was incredibly disconcerting to see it looking so fragile and weak.

It looked like applying even the smallest amount of pressure on it would cause it to snap. It was tightly strung between invisible points all over his body, which Sal guessed were his gates. He couldn’t believe how intricate the entire thing was, and he almost wanted to break out of his trance for fear of unconsciously doing some damage. Sal overruled that thought as he inspected the gates he could visualize, which appeared as tiny rings.

Rather than having an endless coil of thread wrapped around each of them, it looked like a single strand connected everything. He now understood why Vanessa had forbidden him from using his abilities as even breathing on the threads would likely cause them to break.

No matter how much he inspected it, he couldn’t for the life of him understand how this would work going forward. Yet if he did strengthen his thread, there was no way he’d be able to use even a fraction of the power he had before.

Sal took a steadying breath and stopped concentrating on the weave of his internal threads. He looked back at the ceiling grimly and wondered whether Vanessa had made a mistake. That was his last thought as he slipped into unconsciousness, his body finally giving him a momentary reprieve.

Sal shot up from the bed with an agonized roar. His heart thundered as he struggled to put the sunglasses back on his face with a wince. His sheets were soaked with sweat, and the moon glared at him through the window.

Both of his arms shook erratically, causing the sunglasses to fall from his weak grip. An involuntary shudder ran down his spine, causing a groan of renewed pain. The muscles in both legs had cramped, and the pain it brought was unimaginable as he furiously tried to navigate his trembling arms to massage it away.

Each touch caused increased agony, but he had no choice if he wanted to get through this. Gritting his teeth, Sal tried to push through the frustration. But as he feebly attempted to massage the cramps, his mind turned to anger. Not with Vanessa, but with himself. He was weak, and this was his body’s way of letting him know just how pathetic he was.

All she had done was redirect the essence in his body, and this was the result? Did that mean that his physique was completely dependent on essence to function normally? His anger grew with each thought, and although the pain started to fade from his legs, the burning in Sal’s mind continued to grow.

Soon after, he sat on the sweat-soaked sheets, breathing heavily and staring daggers at his legs. Any self-pity that tried to invade his mind was seared away by waves of anger. With a swift motion, Sal placed the sunglasses back on his face and reached for his tablet on the nightstand. He ignored the ache in his rib cage as he stretched out to retrieve the tablet.

In barely a few seconds, he opened the list of exercises from Vanessa. Sal took a slow and steady breath as he got to his feet with his tablet raised at the side. It was stupid. He was injured and he needed to rest up and avoid using his abilities, but nothing was going to stop him right now.

Sal placed the tablet on the edge of the bed and kicked his shoes underneath the bed frame to create space for himself to train. As if anticipating his movements, Sal’s body flared in another burst of pain, but he endured it with a barely audible growl. He checked the first exercises and saw a list of stretches with video clips attached. Both of his legs protested against the movement, but Sal ignored them as he stepped into a lunge.

Tears welled up as he fought through the pain. He promised himself that he was going to do a full set, regardless of how much it tortured him. Thoughts of Vanessa and Quest popped into his head, which strengthened his resolve. He belonged at the academy, and he was going to prove it to everyone.

“Hangover?” Divinity asked as she caught sight of Sal in the canteen. She placed her salad down and sat across from him with a confused expression. “Or are you trying out a new look?”

Rather than answering immediately, Sal took another drink of the vendor coffee and enjoyed the momentary reprieve it gave him from the torture that was mostly self-inflicted. His stubbornness had pushed him through doing an entire rotation of the workout, despite his body wanting nothing to do with it. He adjusted his sunglasses and gave her a slight smile.

“Not allowed to use my abilities for a while, so these are an extra layer of precaution.”

Divinity’s fork halted in its descent as she looked at Sal sharply. “What do you mean, you’re not allowed? Did something happen? Is it something to do with the knots you’ve untied with the others?”

Sal shook his head and regretted the action immediately. “It’s nothing to do with that, don’t worry. I did too much training, and my body and cores need some time to recover.”

Divinity’s face brightened, relief crossing her features. “Oh, so you actually trained in the Skill classroom? I didn’t see you there. I was pretty deep into it! How far did you get?”

Sal smiled as he focused his energy on picking up the coffee without suffering from any involuntary shakes.

Divinity caught the motion and raised an eyebrow. “Fuck, how hard did you go at it to end in this sorry state?”

The coffee cup didn’t seem to want to elevate any farther in Sal’s grip, so he had to lean down to take a drink. When the momentary relief washed through him, Sal used it to continue drinking as he returned to an upright position.

Divinity shook her head in disbelief, her salad completely forgotten. “Sal, what happened?”

It took him a few minutes to fill her in on the Chatfield situation, which barely got any reaction. Apparently, she had already divined parts of that future, so all it did was confirm her suspicions. Sal wanted to know more, but she insisted that he explain his current state.

When he went through the interaction with Vanessa, Divinity was furious. Sal tried to defend Vanessa’s actions, but Divinity raised a hand and looked at Sal as if he were crazy.

“I’ll get to the cores thing later. You’re saying that the Delvers were the ones who sold her debt off to the Credit floor? Because she rejected some creep?”

When Sal nodded, Divinity crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. A dark look crossed her face, and she remained quiet as she stared at the table in front of her.

“And Jez knew? He left her to rot on the Credit floor?”

Sal blinked at the off-the-wall question. “What do you mean?”

Divinity stared at him before her features softened and she shook her head. “Jez helps students in the Administration class broker their Hero contracts. It’s one of the primary advantages in getting ahead in his class, at least according to the information we got on the opening day. You missed it from the Skill Registration…situation.”

Sal placed his coffee cup down on the table, his hands clenching into fists as he finally understood Divinity’s implication. He suddenly remembered how Vanessa’s smile disappeared when she spoke about Jez. With a shake of his head, he dispelled the thoughts from his mind.

“No. I don’t think he left her to rot. If anything, I’d say Vanessa never told him. I don’t think she’s the type to complain, nor do I think he’s the type to sweep things under the rug. I’d say that he has no idea what happened.”

Divinity looked at Sal carefully, as though searching for something on his face before she finally let up and returned to her salad. After taking a small bite of lettuce, she aimed her fork at Sal.

“Now we can talk about the idiotic core thing. What the hell were you thinking?”

Sal sighed and looked down. His hands still held a slight tremor from the exertion of last night. “If you remove my abilities, I’m a weak Support class. I lack versatility and capability, so I think Vanessa just wanted to help me catch up a bit to my peers. Since we’re going to be starting a Trainee Guild, it’s in her best interests to make me as powerful as possible. I think the excruciating pain now will be worth it if I’m going to be stronger tomorrow.”

Divinity looked at Sal as if he had two heads, before she finally laughed. “You really are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you? I’m guessing you didn’t look at today’s schedule?”

Sal’s heart dropped as Divinity gave him a mischievous smirk. He didn’t want to know and preferred to be left in the dark until the final moment, but Divinity looked eager to see his reaction.

“We’ve got a full day of Combat and Survival classes…”

Chapter 13 – Gauntlet

“He wins first place in the cohort tournament and suddenly he’s a celebrity. Mr. Argento, would you like to return to reality and remove your glasses?”

Rust’s voice pierced through the crowd and was accompanied by a host of laughter from the rest of the Silver cohort.

Sal could feel practically every set of eyes turn around to look at him, and if it were any other circumstance, he would have wanted the ground to swallow him up out of embarrassment. However, after the ordeal of getting his gates opened and the training regimen from the previous night, Sal was in no mood for any of it. He gestured at his sunglasses before raising his voice.

“I need to keep them on to stop my power from activating. If I don’t wear them, my core might shatter. Do you still want me to take them off?”

Rust’s face paled, probably at the thought of the Mythcrafter ability being put at risk. Rather than goading Sal further, he raised a hand and shook his head. “It’s fine. Just try not to let it impede your work today. If at any point it gets too much, step out to the side. We’re here to learn, not get injured. Is that clear to everyone?”

The students shouted back their affirmation, and Rust turned to introduce an individual Sal had yet to properly meet.

“For those of you who aren’t in the Field class, let me introduce one of my colleagues, Lars Machmüller. His old moniker was Tempo, and he was one of the key pillars of the Bastards Guild. He’s going to explain how our Combat and Field classes will be integrating for the next component of your studies. Everyone, please give him your undivided attention! Over to you, Lars.”

Rust stepped off to the left of the shorter lecturer.

Sal’s eyes flickered over to the other side of the massive training room, wondering when the professors were going to acknowledge the giant partition blocking more than half of the room.

As a result of the limited space, all the Silver cohort stood practically shoulder to shoulder as they waited for the big reveal. When Sal’s attention returned to the front, he saw the familiar face of Lars smiling widely. It felt strange for Sal to see him clean, as the last time he saw the lecturer, he had been covered in demon blood at the center of the recent dungeon raid.

“Ahh, thank you. A wonderful introduction!” Lars smiled over at Rust as he opened his arms wide and took in the sight of the assembled students.

“Look at all of you! All so on edge… Are you wondering why Rust brought me here? Maybe some of you already know what’s about to happen.” Lars’s eyes snapped to Divinity with a grin and to Sal’s surprise, she returned it.

“Well, I’m not one for theatrics like Jez or Sinclair…so let me get to the point. You’ve learned some basic formations with Rust, and how to navigate a fight against other students. That’s not going to be helpful out in the Red Zones, but it’s a good foundation. Getting over your fear of battle will be one of the greatest tests you face at the academy and starting you off with fighting each other is a proven method for getting rid of those early day jitters!”

Lars laughed as his eyes darted around each of the faces, his smile feeling both menacing and sincere. “Today, you’re going to learn how to move. Not just any movement, though. You’re going to learn to move with purpose, when everything around you is going to shit. We’re going to jack up your adrenaline, and run you through the gauntlet! Traversal is key during any combat encounter. You can’t wait for the enemy to come to you, nor can you expect it to land in the optimal position for your attack! You need to be able to read a battlefield and position yourself in the best possible location. With Rust’s help…”

Lars turned dramatically and gestured at the giant partition. “We’re going to put your formations to the test!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the partition folded back on itself repeatedly, drawing one end to the other as it slid open and unveiled what was behind. Gasps of shock were accompanied by groans of dismay as an obstacle course revealed itself to the students. The only person who truly looked elated was Lars, who wasted no time in approaching the newly exposed arena.

“This is the gauntlet. Familiarize yourself with it, because you’re going to be seeing a lot of it over the next few months. I’ll be briefing the other cohorts during their classes with us over the coming days, but this will be one of the key components of the inter-cohort competition. The teams that placed top in their cohorts will be fighting each other in a simulated battlefield! You’re going to have to leap over craters, slide under wreckage, take cover behind structures…all while fighting your opponents!” Lars spoke excitedly as he gestured at each of the areas in the simulated structure.

Sal could barely believe his eyes. It looked like a small segment of the city had been transported into the training room. Fires were ablaze, illuminating the wreckage of what might have once been a peaceful street. A chunk of the ground was missing beside one of the buildings with a gaping hole in the wall.

Glass covered the ground, along with remnants of a previous struggle. A few gasps from the crowd caused Sal to scan the rest of the course, only to see what looked like a dead hulker pinned to a building by a crumpled car.

“The team really went for realism on this one, so they’ve loaned us a hulker corpse for the demo. We would have gone for a prowler, but they decompose faster and smell horrible. Hulkers are more like a collection of rocks, so we should be good with this one for a few months.”

Lars spoke casually, as if he were explaining something incredibly obvious. Either he was oblivious to the horror among the students, or he didn’t care.

Sal could only watch numbly as Lars pointed out each obstacle.

“We’re going to change this course every couple of weeks, so you don’t get too used to the environment. Rather than learning the optimal route, you need to learn how to adapt to the environment. This is a basic one that takes place on ground level, but later we’ll be focused on scenarios that will concentrate on aerial traversal. Jumping, leaping, scaling, climbing…you name it, we’re going to cover it. Then, when you’re finally up to speed…we’ll throw in combat. Any questions?” Lars turned around and looked at the students with excitement written all over his face.

Victoria’s hand shot into the air almost immediately, and Lars pointed for her to speak.

“This is very clearly a Field exercise, which many of us didn’t sign up for. Is our participation in this mandatory? A lot of people here haven’t gotten into the inter-cohort competition.” She looked around the students to see whether she was alone in her thoughts, and judging from their expressions and nods of agreement, she wasn’t.

Lars laughed and shook his head. “Any real questions?” He looked around the room, but Victoria wasn’t done.

“Excuse me? It’s a valid question. We’re here to learn combat, not how to run around.” Her expression was a picture of annoyance.

Lars turned his attention back to her and the smile slowly faded from his lips as he stared at her calmly. “If you had learned to run around, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten thrown on your arse in the final rounds of the tournament.”

A collective intake of breath occurred instantaneously as Lars dropped that bombshell.

Victoria stared at him in horror.

“That’s right. I’ve watched every single one of your fights, and with a few certain exceptions, the majority of you are dead on your feet.”

Lars faced the students and pointed at the course behind him. “I don’t know what world you’re living in that you think you can navigate dungeons, towers, or portals without having to move your body. This here is as basic as you can get, and it’s designed to teach you the fundamentals so you have a chance of surviving out there. If you think this is beneath you, or that you’re special because of your abilities…you’ve got another thing coming.

“Teleportation without knowing the terrain is suicide. Speedsters will shatter their limbs on wreckage. Turning into a giant without understanding the structural integrity of your surroundings could cause countless casualties.”

Lars pointed at Evan, Bolt, and Nova as he spoke. When he turned to the others, many avoided making eye contact as he listed their potential blind spots.

“Explosions?” Lars pointed at Jenni Stravos at the back of the crowd. “When you don’t know if there are any open fuel sources in the area? Lots of these Reclaimed Zones still use fuels rather than cores, and randomly setting off an explosion could end up leveling an entire block. Your essence-based attacks, and all you Energy Manipulators, you could easily bring down a building on your team. All those things are likely horrifying to hear right now, but to Heroes, it’s common sense.”

Lars pointed again at the obstacle course. “Because they weren’t above learning the basics. Now, I’ll ask again. Are there any real questions?”

Sal raised his hand.

Lars looked at him and smiled before pointing a finger for him to continue.

“Will you be teaching us how to get fitter?”

Whatever tension Lars had built up with his borderline tirade was instantly replaced with levity as the students chuckled among themselves. Lars didn’t seem to find any humor in the question as he nodded seriously.

“I can teach that for sure, but it’s not for the fainthearted. If you want to find your own limits, I can give you a training program. That goes for anyone who’s serious about improving their physical capabilities.” Lars looked around the room as he spoke.

“You’ll be bombarded with training at this academy that’s designed to increase your essence-based abilities, but very little is taught about how to condition your body. You’ll learn that in the Field training with me. Obstacle courses like this are absolutely nothing to those who do the Field course. This crossover class is for the basics and will be geared specifically toward combat scenarios.”

Lars waited for a few more moments, but when no other hands reached upward, he clapped once. “Now, I’m not a cruel man. We’re not going to launch you into this without any sort of preparation, as that would only lead to disaster. We’re going to separate you into smaller groups and go through each of the segments of the course slowly. I’ll explain each component as we go along, so make sure to listen carefully. We don’t want anyone accidentally getting hurt.”

Turning back to Rust, Lars gestured for him to step forward. “Rust, how should we make the groups?”

Rust cleared his throat and gestured to the area of the room behind him. “We’ll use the team captains from the tournament for ease. Can the original top ten stay with Lars here, and the other ten can come over here with me?”

Even though he phrased it like a question, everyone moved at his words. Lars nodded appreciatively as he counted the people in front of him. He turned to call after Rust.

“Let’s do it in groups of ten. Five groups each, so two captains per group.”

When Lars turned back around to look at the students, a wide smile crept onto his face. “Ah, what a wonderful coincidence.” He placed a hand on both Divinity and Sal’s shoulders as he called out to the students milling in behind them.

“Let’s keep the order from the tournament. First and second are grouped here. Third and fourth, fifth and sixth and so on. Line up!”

Barry bumped into the back of Sal with a mumbled apology. Jack and Blathnaid soon followed, with Anthony struggling through the crowd to get to the front. Divinity’s team was beside her in an instant, probably at her urging at the start of the class. When Sal looked at her, Divinity shot him a wink. He had no idea whether it was a good omen or not.

Chapter 14 – Falling

“Come on, Mr. Argento. It’s not that far of a gap!”

Lars shouted out from the other side of the crater, where Divinity and her team stood happily. Barry’s grin couldn’t have been wider as Anthony cleared the jump in a single attempt, leaving only Sal on the other side. The whole class had been an absolute nightmare, and Sal was ready to wake up from it.

As he took a wary glance at the distance, Sal’s muscles were protesting already. His body was in no way ready for this, and he was going to regret it. Gritting his teeth, Sal took a few steps backward and tried to psych himself up. The comments from the other teams behind him didn’t help, and Sal refused to turn around, lest he’d see their pitying looks.

With a sharp intake of breath, Sal rushed forward and planted his right foot down on the tiny patch of even terrain before launching his body over the small crater. It wasn’t an impressive jump by any means, but it still rewarded him with a horrible shooting pain that went through every joint in his body.

His slight reprieve was the moment of airtime before he landed, when his body threatened to buckle under his own weight. As if sensing that he was injured or in a combat scenario, his trousers activated upon landing, causing more cracks to appear on the ground around him. More than a few eyebrows raised at the dramatic landing, with Barry’s laughter adding to his embarrassment.

Lars gestured for the other students to move back from the edge of the crater as he looked at Sal thoughtfully.

“Care to explain what’s going on, Mr. Argento? From all the fights I watched, you have a lot more to offer than what I’m seeing.” He paced around Sal with a flicker of annoyance that eventually transformed into curiosity.

“He asks about general fitness and refuses to step out to the side.” Lars spoke almost to himself as he smiled at Sal. “You’re not going to get penalized for admitting this is too much for you. Supports need to work on themselves more than anyone else, but incremental gains are the way forward. You can’t undo a whole lifetime of being sedentary in a single evening, so please ensure that you take care of yourself, okay?”

Sal nodded and made his way toward the group. They spent the rest of the morning going through the gauntlet at a snail’s pace, with many of the other students struggling to overcome the basics.

The jeering from his team died down when they saw how much pain he was in, and their tone switched to worry and encouragement. Namely, Barry did the encouraging while Blathnaid fussed endlessly that he was being a stubborn ass.

Divinity’s smile never faltered, so Sal knew that he would at least survive the day. She was likely enjoying the fact that his short-sightedness had thrown him into the deep end. Sal’s only cause for annoyance was with himself. The only small reprieve was the growing essence in his chest.

During rest periods, Sal inspected his core and saw that the threads were growing in strength with every passing hour. His hunger was reaching new heights too, and he wondered whether the increased appetite was a result of Vanessa’s handiwork.

When they got into the afternoon, Sal looked back through the simulated battlefield and felt a small sense of accomplishment. He had crawled under wreckage, leaped over countless craters, identified weaknesses in surrounding structures, and even managed to climb to the top of one of the ruined buildings.

The final step was a makeshift zip line that connected to the supposed safe zone at the end of the course. Sal looked at it warily. There was no way he was going to manage it. Even if he had the upper-arm strength to hold his bodyweight, he’d have been nervous about it. In his current state, it looked like a death wish more than anything else.

Sal turned to Divinity, and she shook her head. That confirmed it. It wasn’t going to happen, and it was time to step to one side.

“Sorry, Professor. I think this is my limit.” Sal turned toward Lars with a grimace.

Rather than agreeing with him, the field instructor shook his head with a smile. “I’m afraid I can’t approve of that, Mr. Argento. You’ve managed the rest of the course, so I can’t abide by you tapping out when you’re so close to the finish line. Recover your strength as much as you can, and we’ll allow you to go after the other teams have finished.”

Sal could only gape at Lars in shock, but rather than continuing the discussion, Lars clapped and issued out the instructions for how to use the zip line.

“Nobody is allowed to use their powers here. You could be at your breaking point out in the field, and our dearest Support teams have set up this extraction point for you. Some of you could be injured or on the brink of death, and this is quite literally your lifeline to get out of danger. It’s important for you to know your weaknesses, and this small exercise is usually a wonderful wake-up call.”

He hiked his thumb over his shoulder at the space between the buildings. “There is padding down there to break your fall, because many of you are going to. See this as a leap of faith, and a chance to show me that you believe in your physical strength.”

Knowing there were safety precautions made the challenge a little bit easier, but Sal was under no illusion that he was in for a world of pain when he hit those mats.

When everyone was briefed, Divinity and her team made their way across the zip line, with only Divinity managing to get to the other side. Her team of Supports fell within moments of their feet leaving the ground.

Sal felt better about everything as he watched both Jack and Blathnaid fall to the mats with a laugh. Anthony was next to hit the padding with a grunt. Maybe it was to spite Sal, but Barry made it the entire way across to Divinity on the other building, shooting Sal a grin while he was mid-journey.

The next teams followed suit, while Sal stood off to one side with Lars. They watched as more and more students plummeted to the mats, with relieved chatter from the ground making its way up to the top of the building.

“Looks like you’re suffering from dregs. Did you make something recently?”

Lars spoke so quietly that nobody else would hear, and Sal wasn’t even sure that he was the one being spoken to. After a moment of silence, Lars turned to Sal with a raised eyebrow.

Shaking his head, Sal tapped his chest. “Too much meditation, followed by a stupid workout routine.”

That statement was enough to pique Lars’s interest. He put a hand out expectantly. “Do you have it saved on your tablet? Show me.”

Sal wasn’t sure what to do, but the longer Lars was distracted, the more time Sal would have before he’d need to take on the zip line with the others. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled up the routine that Vanessa had made for him and presented it to Lars.

“And you did all this last night?”

Lars frowned as his eyes darted between the list and Sal, who wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just nodded earnestly. Before he could make any excuses for himself, or berate himself for the recklessness of his actions, Lars’s face broke into a smile.

“This is my routine. Is someone selling it at the Credit Store?” He didn’t sound annoyed as he handed the tablet back to Sal. “It’s throwing you in the deep end, but it is an excellent primer. If you keep it up, this gauntlet will be child’s play by the end of it.”

Sal nodded as he pocketed the tablet, happy that Lars hadn’t been annoyed by him referring to it as a stupid workout routine.

“Thank you, sir.”

They continued to watch as students started to lightly touch the bar of the zip line before throwing themselves down onto the mats. Lars barked a few instructions at them to actually try the challenge rather than giving up, but it led to a few halfhearted attempts at best. A few dozen students still needed to take their turn, so Sal still had time to psych himself up for it.

Lars smiled when he saw Sal’s expression. “It’s commendable that you want to improve yourself, but I meant what I said. You’ll only break yourself if you try to radically improve in a short space of time.”

Sal smiled politely as he inspected his internal core again, but Lars wasn’t done with his advice.

“I’m happy to see you trying this so diligently, when someone with your gifts would be content to hide away in a workshop until graduation.” Lars gestured at the zip line.

“Supports are vital to our success. Just having the equipment that can extract our Heroes from tough situations is great, but having Supports who understand our key challenges…that’s the special thing. You’re going to be bombarded with commission requests for weapons and defensive equipment, but I think the most value you’d bring to the field are devices that reduce casualties.”

With that said, Lars stepped away from Sal and started to coach each individual as they moved toward the zip line. Under his stern gaze, there were no more lackluster attempts at the exercise.

Sal mulled over Lars’s words as he watched the remainder of the teams take their turns. There were a few envious glances shot his way, usually by those being ushered into position in front of the zip line. With a glance at the other building, Sal could see that less than ten percent of the cohort had successfully made the journey across. Many of the captains had managed it, but there were a few others in their midst who Sal didn’t recognize.

When the moment of truth finally arrived, Lars grinned at Sal. “Don’t worry if you need to jump to the mats. I wanted you to see that you’re not a failure for being unable to complete it. Everyone has to have a starting point, and this is yours.”

Lars stepped to one side and gestured for Sal to get into position. The line was secured to a brick wall off to Sal’s left and shot down to a lower floor on the adjacent building, going off at an angle. The bar itself seemed to be pulled magnetically to the higher point of the cable, which didn’t have very far to travel from the previous failed attempt.

Sal looked down at the ground and could see a few people rolling off an inflated mat. There was laughter and cheering on the ground, but also shouts of encouragement coming from the floor in the opposite building. Nova’s voice carried louder than the others as she shouted for him to make it, and it genuinely calmed his nerves as he took hold of the bar.

With a final glance back to Lars, Sal braced his arms and readied himself.

Just at that moment, Barry’s voice cut through the crowd. “Lock your elbows straight and focus everything on your grip!”

Sal guessed that he was giving him faulty advice to send him straight to the ground, but when Sal stepped off the building, he took the words to heart and let his arms lock into position, with everything he had left being focused on maintaining his grip.

Maybe it was because none of his exercises had involved his hands, but Sal didn’t feel any real discomfort from them as he hung in the air. Tension shot to his shoulders, and Sal clenched his eyes shut, expecting his arms to eventually give out.

Every muscle screamed at him, and Sal desperately wanted to ensure that he stayed aloft for at least a second or two. The air whipped against his face, and he felt a weightlessness that he had never before encountered. The tearing in his right shoulder finally gave out, and Sal couldn’t stop himself from letting go. The disproportional weight caused the right side of the bar to shoot up into the air, leaving him dangling from the left side.

The jarring shake spun him in half a rotation before he lost his grip. Divinity had already indicated that it was going to be a failure, so he didn’t know why he was trying so hard.

Sal’s eyes shot open as his sunglasses fell from his face. He watched them, almost in slow motion, as they hit the mats while he remained suspended in the air. With a twist of his neck that caused intense pain, Sal looked around to see a set of hands gripping his leg.

Nova grinned at him as she hung out of the opening. Her grip was like iron. Above her, Divinity and Barry shouted for her to pull him up. Both of them anchored Nova as she made her daredevil-like attempt to catch him before he fell. As Sal was unceremoniously lifted onto their floor, he heard Lars’s laughter from the opposite building above.

Chapter 15 – Agitate

Sal couldn’t believe how busy the canteen was when they finally arrived after their class had ended. The normal staggered approach had somehow been shelved in favor of dumping as many students as humanly possible into the space.

What was once the remnants of a few cohorts getting their meals was a whole new beast with the arrival of the second-years. Black uniforms signaled their status as second-years, with all of them having a colored shoulder and upper chest design to showcase their class.

Sal saw a sea of reds, and assumed from their swagger that they were likely Offense class. Many of them sat together with elevated voices, and he wondered whether the whole cohort concept was abolished after they moved into the second year. When he scanned over the rest of the crowd, he saw another collection of second-years with blue shoulders seated together, who looked much quieter.

If he was to try to discern them from the others, it was that they looked similar to Dominic’s build, which would make them the Defense class. Sal’s gaze flitted over the rest of the colors. There were only a couple of greens in the entire crowd.

Their rarity was common knowledge, and Sal knew that they were definitely the Healer class. Which left the yellows and purples. Sal wished it had been a tougher challenge, but the Supports were so obvious in how they shied away from the others that he instinctively marked them as purple in his head. Vibrant yellow shoulders and upper chest markings signaled the Controllers, who all looked as aloof as Victoria.

“Fuck me, isn’t this a little intense?” Barry asked as he walked past Sal to take in the view of the bustling canteen.

A line extended all the way to where they stood, almost exclusively filled with first-years in their gray uniforms. Barry took one look at the line and then back at the crowd of students seated around the canteen. He looked thoughtful before he turned back to Sal with a grimace.

“There’s some fuckery going on here.”

Before Sal could ask what he meant, a student in a black uniform with red shoulders got up from his seat and walked past the entire group to the front of the line. He called back to his friends to ask if they wanted anything and a few shouts came back with requests.

Sal and Barry watched in disbelief as the students in gray backed away from him instinctively. More than a few of them dropped their gaze to avoid making eye contact with him. With a laugh, the second-year made his selection and started to move back to his table. Sal had thought that at least one person would object, but they all looked terrified.

Just as Sal was about to speak, Barry took a step forward and intercepted the second-year. If the looks of the first-years were anything to go by, Barry had just made a huge mistake.

“What the hell are you doing? Can’t you see there’s a line?” Barry sidestepped tact and went straight for the jugular.

Sal took a step forward, unsure what to do in this situation. He didn’t want to see Barry get hurt, but at the same time, he didn’t want to throw himself into a fight needlessly. Especially considering that he would be of zero use in his current state.

The second-year’s face broke into a wide grin as he looked Barry up and down. Rather than answering the question, he turned back to his friends with a laugh.

“Looks like they didn’t get the message! Should I be a bit more thorough this time?” He raised his voice with each word, ensuring everyone around him could hear.

Sal didn’t like where this was going. Many of the other students looked conflicted, but they didn’t do anything to interject. The Supports kept their eyes on their trays, while the Controllers looked on with bored expressions.

None of the people in gray looked particularly familiar, and Sal guessed they were likely to stay out of any brewing conflict. Only he and Barry had rushed to the canteen after the class, so it would be a while before more of the Silver cohort arrived.

As he turned to assess the situation, Barry took another step toward the second-year and cocked his head to one side. “Sal, is this one of the guys who failed Chatfield’s class? The reason we’re getting our curriculum changed?”

The smile on the second-year’s face vanished. A flash of anger crossed his face as he whipped his hand up into the air.

Sal felt a sudden pressure building in front of him, as though the weight of the sky was pushing down on them from above. It was clearly some kind of gravitational ability, but it didn’t faze Barry in the slightest. He stood there calmly, as though waiting for the finale.

With a stricken expression, the second-year dropped the tray and raised his other hand as he stared at Barry menacingly. The change was dramatic, and Sal almost had to take a knee to endure the sudden onslaught. He couldn’t imagine how Barry was able to withstand it, being so close to the second-year. Looks of visible discomfort washed over the first-years as the power enveloped them.

All except Barry, who didn’t make a single move.

“Wow. Your power is fucking useless.” Barry laughed as he imitated the raised hands in front of him and wiggled his fingers. “Are you even trying? This is the best you can do?”

Sal staggered back until his back touched the wall. He could feel minor vibrations coming off it too. He looked at the second-year in absolute disbelief. Was he trying to bring the roof down on top of them?

Glasses on the surrounding tables shattered as the tables buckled under the sudden downward force. Pained groans from his friends didn’t reach the second-year’s ears as he focused everything he had on crushing Barry.

Most of the first-years were in a seated position, bracing themselves against the pressure. Some of the other students, who had been happy to watch, now looked uncomfortable. Defense, Offense, Controllers, and even some of the Healers were on their feet and moving toward the culprit, their expressions ranging from annoyance to visible anger.

The only person who looked calm and composed was Barry, who still stood defiantly against him.

A crackling noise thundered out in quick succession as the surrounding tables then crumpled under the weight, slamming into the legs of those seated at them. Not even the agonized roars of the students were enough to break him from his singular motive of destroying Barry, and his power amplified as Barry’s grin grew wider.

All the approaching students who wanted to put an end to it were helpless under the gravitational pressure of his ability, and their bodies crumpled uselessly to the ground the moment they got within reaching distance of the duo. Veins appeared at the temples of the second-year as he gritted his teeth. He was clearly going all out, but it was having zero effect.

The power suddenly evaporated, like it had all been a figment of Sal’s imagination, and he inhaled a huge breath of air as everything calmed down. With a glance left and right, he could see that everyone else was no longer bound by the crippling pressure. Relief washed over their faces as they warily got to their feet and dusted down their clothes. Many were covered in wooden splinters from the tables, but some unlucky students had shards of glass embedded into their arms and chests.

The Healers looked pissed off as they made their way to their fallen peers, each of them sending a scathing look at the second-year who had started it all.

When Sal turned to look for Barry, he was nowhere to be seen. In his place was the calm figure of Sakura, who had a single hand placed around the neck of the second-year student. She looked around at the devastation that had been caused before speaking in a slow and calculated tone.

“You’re coming with me to the headmaster’s office.”

When Sakura’s eyes landed on Sal, she paused for half a second. “Was he the only instigator? Any accomplices?”

It was a tone that just wanted the facts. She did not seem like she was in any mood for chitchat, so Sal shook his head.

“None that I could see. Everything here was done by him, but you may want to ask the other first-years. They looked spooked when I arrived.”

Sakura nodded and pointed at one of the terrified first-years in the line. “You. You’re coming with us too. You can give your statement to Quest, and he’ll decide the next steps.”

If the first-year had been terrified before, Sakura’s words transformed them into a blubbering mess of excuses. All it took was a single stare from Sakura to shut the first-year down, and they followed the Assassin out of the canteen with their head hung low.

Sakura paused as she reached the doorway and looked at Sal again. “Are you hurt?”

Sal shook his head with a smile. “Not from this, but I’ll be fine. Thank you for arriving when you did!”

Sakura’s lips tightened as she shoved the second-year forward through the door so he could walk himself to the office.

“Yeah, not fast enough apparently.” With a sigh, her face finally cracked into a slight smile. “Gotta admit, your friend is an absolute piece of work.”

Sal frowned, and she pointed to the other side of the canteen where Barry was seated, a wide grin on his face. In front of him were two trays of food. Sal gaped at him in shock, which caused Sakura to laugh musically as she finally left the canteen.

Sal hurried over to where Barry was seated. A fresh steak was waiting for him on a tray, which Barry slid across the table in his direction. Judging by the food on Barry’s plate, he had already gotten through half of his meal. He didn’t even have the grace to look guilty and instead gave Sal a shrug.

“Did he figure out he was having a pissing match with an illusion? I couldn’t tell from over here.”

Sal did a double take and couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He tried to piece it all together but was having a lot of difficulty. “But…there was no time. When did you even…”

Barry laughed. “Like, the minute he cut the line. Threw up an illusion and went straight to the front of the line to get our orders while fake Barry drew everyone’s attention. Genuinely thought he’d throw a punch or something and realize he was an idiot… But trashing half the canteen and making everyone hate him? That was an unexpected bonus.”

Sal stared at the exit where the second-year had been dragged off by Sakura and then looked back at Barry. “He might get expelled for this. Are you okay with that?”

Barry shrugged and pointed his fork in the direction of the second-years across the room. “What kind of Heroes sit on their ass when someone is being bullied?” He stabbed a cube of potato with his fork as he looked at Sal meaningfully. “I couldn’t give two shits if he gets expelled. He made his bed—it’s time for him to sleep in it.”

As Sal sat at the table and started to eat, they watched the comically late staff arrive in their white uniforms, milling around and asking students about what happened. They mostly sat in silence as they watched the cleanup crew who came in to repair the tables and gather the shattered glass.

Sal guessed that it was too inconvenient to restore something as cheap as glass, so they likely were just going to replace them. The silence grew between them before Sal mentioned what was on his mind.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t jump in to help. I felt like I’d have been dead weight.”

Barry sighed in exasperation and gave Sal a wry smile. “Sal, I was literally getting food. I don’t care that you didn’t back up my illusion. People like us need to think with our brains, not with our fists. Don’t worry about silly shit like that, and focus on making cool stuff for yourself and the team. Speaking of which, how is the tracker coming along? Think you’d be able to put in something that’ll make you see my illusions? It would be much easier for you to keep up with me.”

Sal laughed as he continued his meal. When he looked back to the other side of the canteen, it had been restored to perfect condition. The only thing that threatened his mood were the wary glances he received from a collection of second-years who looked anything but friendly.

Chapter 16 – Extortion

After he finished eating, Sal noticed the majority of the Silver and Gold cohorts making their way into the canteen. He wondered why his cohort had taken so long, as there couldn’t have been that many of them waiting after class to talk to Lars. Sal had wanted to get out of there as soon as possible after his gravity-defying stunt. He and Barry had ducked out the moment it was viable, ensuring a space in one of the often too-crowded elevators.

From the entrance of the canteen, Divinity made eye contact with him and raised something in her hand. Sal squinted across the room and saw that she was holding up his sunglasses, and he laughed. After giving her a thumbs-up and gesturing for her to join them, Sal turned back to Barry, who looked at him skeptically.

“You know, your miming skills really haven’t improved. There’s a whole class dedicated to sign language that they use out in the battlefield. Remember we saw it on the footage of the raid?”

Sal snorted. “Yeah, and do you think they have sign language for sunglasses? Not sure how I’d be able to signal that without looking even stupider.”

Barry paused before he took out his tablet and nodded. “Let’s find out then.” He scrolled through a range of information before he used his other hand to type in a message on the surface of the screen. When he stopped, he looked back up at Sal and laughed. “You’re absolutely right, it looks ridiculous.”

Just to demonstrate his point, he made circles with his thumb and finger on each hand and reversed them before holding them over his face. “These are just glasses. You have to make a weird little wave with your hand first, apparently. To represent the sun.”

The ridiculousness of the situation had Sal in stitches, which was complemented by whimpers of pain as his chest reacted.

Barry pulled his hands away from his face and looked at Sal with a strange expression. “Are you going to tell me what you did to get into this sorry state? And don’t tell me that you went overboard with meditation. Lars might accept that, but I’ve been pushing myself for years and I’ve never once reached a point as miserable as this.”

Sal took a steadying breath as he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. The pain he was going through now was nothing compared to what it had been like during the night and early morning. It was more in line with the aftermath of their training for the cohort tournament. With a heavy sigh, Sal tapped his chest and smiled at Barry.

“Body Manipulator pulled every scrap of essence from my joints and used it to smash through my essence gates. My core is currently in the early forties, but I’m paying for it with copious amounts of pain. And, before you ask, it’s not Nova, and I can’t tell you who it is.” Sal finished with a shrug and a weary smile.

Barry stared at him like he was absolutely out of his mind. “How much did you spend on a service like that? I know you’re rolling in it, but there must be smarter uses for your Q-Cred! Nova probably would have done it for free, if her jumping out of a building to save you is anything to go by!”

Sal put up a hand to stop Barry from continuing. “Come on, don’t make me laugh. It already hurts too much!”

Just when Barry was about to continue, Divinity and the remainder of the teams joined them at the table. She looked at the vacant space around them with a raised eyebrow. “Are you some kind of pariahs today? Why is everyone staring and keeping their distance?”

Knowing that he’d somehow twist the narrative, Sal pointed at Barry with a grin. “His fault. Not mine!”

Barry shook his head with his eyes locked on Sal, with pretend disappointment written all over his face. When he finally looked back at Divinity, who had placed a hand on her hip, his smile returned. “There was a second-year bullying the first-years. I encouraged him to show his true colors, and now he’s in the headmaster’s office. Nothing too dramatic.”

Sal wanted to stoke the fire a little more as payback. “Tables exploded, glasses shattered, people were crippled with pain and cut up pretty badly. All very preventable.”

He moved his legs out of the way before Barry could kick him under the table. Divinity shook her head as she sat beside them. Jack and Blathnaid bickered about something while they stood to one side, and Anthony sat alongside Barry.

Divinity lifted her fork and aimed it directly at Barry. “Did you actually hurt someone?”

Barry gave Sal a blank stare before slowly turning his head to Divinity. “No, I put up an illusion of myself that faced a guy with a very short fuse. He brought it on himself and was pretty reckless about it all. Technically, it was just my illusion…not me. So, technically…I’m innocent in all of this. Not my fault if he was arguing with a bit of antagonistic essence.”

Divinity looked as if she suppressed the urge to smile, but it eventually made its way to her face. “Seriously, Barry…can’t let you out of our sight for five minutes. You two missed Rust’s breakdown of the next classes. I tried to tell you, but you were out the door the moment Lars stopped talking.”

Almost like an afterthought, Divinity slid Sal’s sunglasses across the table, which he gratefully accepted.

Sal frowned at Barry before turning back to Divinity. “What’s the breakdown? It’s not today, is it? I don’t think I could throw a punch if my life depended on it.”

Divinity dug into her salad with her fork and looked at Sal with a sigh. “You do know that we have a schedule, right? It’s on your tablet. You don’t need a personal divination to tell you every class that’s coming up!”

She began to eat, and Sal looked back at Barry, who returned to his tablet to scroll for a few moments. Sal waited patiently until Barry glanced up at him with a smirk.

“I’m not actually looking up our schedule. I already know what’s next.”

Sal groaned as he dug into his own pocket, sighing as loudly as he could. Before he could so much as withdraw the tablet, Anthony leaned across with an awkward smile.

“It’s lunch now, followed by a free period. It’s going to be taken up by Analysis starting next week. Tomorrow morning is Skill with Lombardi.”

Sal grinned as he leaned across the table to Anthony. “Thank you, Anthony. It’s nice to know I can rely on someone! What did Rust say about our next class?”

Anthony’s smile faltered as he slid backward onto his chair. “I didn’t actually listen to that part…sorry.”

Sal sat for a moment, looking at Divinity and waiting for her to reveal what he had missed, but she made no move to divulge the information. With a laugh, Sal tried a different tactic.

“So, Divinity…how is that crown restoration coming along?”

Just like he had flicked a switch, Divinity’s demeanor changed. Her voice took on a fake enthusiasm that didn’t suit her in the slightest.

“Ahh! Sal, you missed it. Rust was telling us how we’d be incorporating a new set of formations for the gauntlet run. Funny coincidence, they’re the ones we’ve already trained in for the tournament. So, I guess it’s nothing to worry about!”

She kept the act up for a few more seconds before getting tired of it and reverting to her normal voice with a chuckle.

Sal found himself on the opposite end of her pointed fork.

“Extort me again and I’ll give you the worst advice going forward! Got it?”

Despite it sounding threatening, the smile on her face was anything but. Sal agreed readily with her and raised his hands defensively for added effect.

Pushing his tray away, Sal rested his elbows on the table and cupped his chin. He wondered whether it would improve his recovery if he went straight to bed for the rest of the day. It was still early afternoon, and it would absolutely wreck his sham of a sleeping schedule, but the thought of waking up and feeling better was tempting.

A slight twinge of pain raced down his leg, and Sal groaned inwardly at the memory of the cramps from last night. It was like the answer had been sent to him by his own body, and he resigned himself to distracting himself with something else for the remainder of the day, until he had to finally get some sleep.

Barry glanced up from his tablet and looked around at everyone. “What is everyone going to do? Are we picking up training again soon for the inter-cohort fights?”

Just those words sent an involuntary shudder down Sal’s spine, but Divinity simply laughed with a shake of her head.

“The inter-cohort future is pretty hazy at the minute, so I’ve got no idea if it’s even going to happen. It’ll depend on if Chatfield gets his way or not, I guess. We should focus on self-improvement while we wait for a clearer path to open up.”

Sal frowned as he turned to Divinity. “Are your visions acting up by any chance?”

If looks could kill, Divinity’s stare would have turned Sal to stone. He realized how that had sounded, so he quickly clarified with a laugh.

“No, sorry. I didn’t mean they were faulty. It’s just that you shook your head at me when we were doing the zip line, and I was sure that you meant that I was going to fall.”

Divinity’s brow furrowed as her lips curled into a grin. “You asked if you could step out to one side. I shook my head to say that you weren’t going to be allowed to skip the lesson.”

Sal stared at her in numb silence while Barry exploded into laughter. Even Anthony seemed to have a bit of a chuckle.

“So, you didn’t think I was going to fall?”

Divinity joined in with the laughter as she shook her head. Then, as though catching herself, she stopped and raised her hand in a mock panic. “Wait, sorry…did you misinterpret that headshake as a calamity?”

Sal sank back into his seat with a smile as he looked around at his friends. “You know, I really hate all of you.”

Barry nodded as he slapped the table in quick succession with both hands. “Doesn’t answer my question. I’m guessing that Divinity is going to slink off to the Skill lab to practice her control. Sal will hide away in the workshop and work himself to death. Blathnaid and Jack will…actually, I’ve no idea what they do. Which leaves…Anthony? What are your plans?”

Barry turned in his seat to look at him. Anthony seemed to sense the dangerous territory he was in, so he mumbled something about having plans. Divinity looked like she wanted to protest, but by her hesitation, Sal guessed that Barry’s assumption was correct.

With a shake of his head, Sal lied through his teeth. “I actually was going to get an early night. Not heading to the workshop today.”

Barry snorted and smiled. “Sure, Sal. If you head back to the dorms, you’re going to stare at your ceiling for a few minutes before starting work on that tracker. At least be honest with yourself.”

Much to Sal’s surprise, Anthony, his eyes wide, cut Barry off.

“You’re able to make trackers? How much would you charge for one?”

Even Divinity was a bit thrown off by Anthony’s sudden surge of excitement.

Sal perked up as he looked at Anthony curiously. “What would you want with a tracker? You’ve got an interest in Appraisal?”

Disappointment crossed Anthony’s face. “Ah, it’s an Appraisal tracker. Was hoping for one that would help me with the Crafting class.” He laughed as he shook his head. “Obviously it’s an Appraisal tracker—you’re an Appraiser!”

Sal wasn’t about to let the thought go, as he was curious. “Anthony, Myth is helping me with it. I could ask him about what you’re looking for. What is it that you need?”

Barry gave Sal a deadpan look before rolling his eyes and turning to Anthony. “Hey, Anthony. How good are you at keeping secrets?”

Anthony didn’t so much as hesitate. “Terrible.”

Barry nodded. “That’s good enough for me!”

Before Sal could interject or stop him, Barry twisted his arm to ignite the glowing green runes of his ability. A distortion of light surrounded both Barry and Anthony and flickered for a few seconds before it disappeared to reveal a very shocked Anthony.

Barry smiled and deactivated his power. “See? I can be subtle. Besides, all the faculty know because of Quest, and it’s only a matter of time before it goes mainstream. You should at least be able to tell your friends, right?”

Sal hesitated before relenting and shooting Anthony an apologetic smile. “Sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

Rather than looking upset, Anthony practically beamed. “I have so many ideas but no way to create them. The listening device was just the start. There are so many ideas, like…have you considered making process improvement equipment, like automation? I’ve some blueprints written up that I’d love to show you.”

Sal smiled and raised a hand. “We can get to all those ideas in the future, but what is your immediate need, specifically?”

Chapter 17 – Recruitment

Sal stared at the new version of Anthony sitting in front of him. Gone was the shy and awkward guy who seemed to be at the academy against his will. His eyes were bright as he spoke rapidly, trying to explain everything all at once, and Sal had to raise a hand to get him to slow down.

“Wait, Anthony…what do you mean, frequencies?”

The word had popped up, and Sal couldn’t understand the context for it.

Anthony blinked, as though realizing that his audience wasn’t following along with him. With a guilty smile, he tried again, but slower this time. “Okay, so…trackers typically interpret essence signatures, right?” Anthony started slowly and waited for Sal to agree with him.

Divinity and Barry listened to the exchange, one eating and the other scrolling endlessly on his tablet.

Anthony raised a finger and pointed upward. “Before essence was mainstream, we used vintage technology. Frequencies for communication, airwaves that transported messages in real time. I want a tracker that’s able to capture that information, a listening device for those old frequencies!”

His smile was almost infectious, and Sal felt bad for having so many questions for him. It didn’t really make sense to Sal, so he tried to find out why Anthony was so invested in it as a project.

“What sort of use would something like that have?”

Anthony gestured broadly into the air with both arms, causing Barry to flinch out of reflex when a hand nearly collided with his head.

“I’ve got a basic radio back in my room. It’s pretty old, and my attempts to make it run off cores like a battery have almost completely failed… But there are moments when it works, and there are people talking! There are others out there, using vintage tech as a form of communication. Aren’t you curious what they’re talking about?” Anthony didn’t wait for Sal to respond as he jumped from that topic to the next in half a breath.

“Think about it! Since the war started, it’s impossible for a rollout of our technological advancement with essence and cores to the areas outside of the reclaimed zones. The people using these old channels could be survivors out in the Red Zones, using it to communicate against demon attacks! If we could hear them, or communicate with them, we could let them know where we are.”

Barry sighed and looked at Anthony with an exasperated expression. “Do you really think that they haven’t done that? There is a whole Research and Development facility here on campus. They’ve likely explored every opportunity to reach the outside world, so a busted radio isn’t going to change anything. It’s a fun idea, but I think it’s a dead end. You don’t need Sal for a project like that.”

Rather than looking crestfallen, Anthony pivoted around to face Barry. “Not true! They likely don’t want any students listening to the sound waves coming from old tech. Sal could make a tracker that would bypass their blockers!”

At that point, Divinity’s ears perked up, and she clearly shared Barry’s skepticism as she smiled at Anthony.

“Blockers? You kinda sound crazy when you say it like that. There are Heroes who specialize in communications and outreach. We’ve got departments for that in the academy as well as the bureau and military. There’s no way there’s some grand conspiracy at play here.”

Sal looked between Barry and Divinity and found himself on their side of the argument. He thought Anthony would fold after hearing it from all sides.

Anthony smiled and shook his head, as though they didn’t understand. “The reason they’re blocking the channels is because it’s used primarily by the Bastion. Their manifesto is sent out relentlessly. You could turn on a vintage television and it’ll be filled with programming from the Bastion. Everything you’ve seen growing up was from a curated list of programming. The raw footage is much more politicized, and judgmental of our current system. I can guarantee that we’re the sheltered people, not the people out on those Darwin Cruise Liners. We can’t know for sure until we have both sides of the story, and the only way to do that would be to create a communications tracker.”

His emphatic pitch had almost turned to pleading, and Sal felt uncomfortable suddenly.

Sal hadn’t heard of Bastion before coming to the academy, but in the last month, the name had continuously popped up. Much to the surprise of everyone, Barry was the one to add a more serious tone to the conversation. He looked around the table and noticed the still lingering stares of the second-years.

With a flick of his wrist, the green runes activated again and bathed their small group in a distorted bubble. Sal looked through the hazy walls of their dome and could barely see a thing. All the background noise from the canteen melted away in an instant, giving them absolute privacy.

Barry sighed as he sat up properly in his chair and looked at all of them carefully. “Has anyone been approached directly by Bastion?”

Divinity snorted, as if she were about to make a joke, but paused at the serious look on Barry’s face, with her mouth slightly open before tentatively shaking her head and glancing over to Sal.

He repeated her shake of the head, but his eyes were locked onto Barry. “Were you approached? I thought they were all lording it up in the sky?”

Barry exhaled slowly and tapped his hands against the table again.

“Yesterday. Controllers from second year approached me and asked if I’d be interested in joining their club. It was suspicious as fuck, but the benefits looked like an absolute no-brainer. If I was successful in their trials, then I’d be fast-tracked and funded by certain external guilds. No real information given, no real names, just suggestions of what my future could look like.” Barry tilted his head to one side. “By all appearances, it looked like a regular club and the tasks were pretty simple, probably designed to build up trust.”

Sal frowned. “So, what makes you think that they were Bastion? If they didn’t give you any details and didn’t ask anything of you, how can you be certain?”

Rather than answering, Barry raised his left arm and made it vanish from sight. His face broke into a smile as he brought it back into view with a slight flourish.

“They didn’t tell me they were from Bastion, but I used my ability to follow them undetected. Couldn’t be seen or heard, so it was quite simple.” He shrugged as he placed two fingers downward onto the table and walked his fingertips as if to demonstrate what the word follow meant.

“Literally took them a few minutes to start discussing the candidates on their list. Apparently, they’re aiming for the people with useful abilities who are close enough to the top. From the names they mentioned, they’re not touching anyone between Rank #1 and Rank #80. I think they’re trying to get people early in the semester with promises of getting them into the Savior class.”

Divinity’s eyes widened. “What are the names? I know the roster of Saviors already, so just tell me who they were approaching.”

Barry frowned for a moment as he tried to recall them. With a click of his fingers, his eyebrows shot up and he pointed at Divinity. “Dazzler. He’s a Body Manipulator from one of the other cohorts, fell mid-table because he practically had to solo-run the tournament with his team. My guess is that he didn’t have someone crushing on him with a restorative drink at the ready.” Barry gave Sal a knowing look before his brow furrowed again.

“I think they approached Victoria from our cohort, but it’s hard to know…they were just talking about the girl who could sway minds. That could easily be Erika, but she doesn’t fit the ranking theory.”

Anthony reminded everyone he was there by coughing gently. When everyone looked at him for his input, he appeared a little panicked. Clearly, he just needed to cough.

“Eh, looks like they’re only targeting Controllers?”

Divinity nodded as her eyes turned a milky white.

Sal exhaled slowly as he looked between Barry and Divinity. “Okay, let’s say it’s true. What is so bad about Bastion? I know Sinclair hates them, but all they’ve done is propaganda as far as I know. Do they really have much influence on ground level?”

Anthony’s eyes brightened and he opened his mouth to respond, but Barry cut in ahead of him.

“They’ve got more influence than any individual faction in the city. I’d bet that at least half of the Doom Council are Bastion sympathizers. They’re ruthless and self-obsessed. Just look at the reclamation guilds and you have your answers. What zones are prioritized for the barrier expansions? Which territories do we push the hardest? Estates…private estates owned by members of the Bastion. They’re pulling strings from the sky with whatever leverage they’ve got.”

Divinity shook her head, and Sal saw her blue eyes were back. She bit her lip as she looked over at Barry.

“Okay, Darren Lenihan…gets the Hero name Dazzler. He’s in the Saviors by the end of the semester. Who else? Can you think of anyone? It might just be a coincidence! Body Manipulators are rare because of their aptitude and versatility; he might have made it with his own merits. Victoria…well, maybe if she understood her power to influence both men and women, she’d be much more capable of taking a Savior spot. They might just be coincidental.”

Sal was concerned with how frantic Divinity’s voice was becoming. Was he the only one who didn’t understand the severity of Bastion? When he looked over at Anthony, the bearded man was twiddling his thumbs as he watched the exchange anxiously. Sal knew that he didn’t have much to offer the conversation, so he tried a different approach.

“Anthony, what exactly is it that you need me to build? Something to listen in to frequencies?” It sounded stupid saying it out loud, but Anthony smiled as he nodded emphatically.

“Yes! That’s the first step.”

Barry continued to share names, and each one seemed to drain the remaining color from Divinity. Her eyes were white again as she tried to find something to do with Bastion, but if her sighs of exasperation were anything to go by, she wasn’t finding anything useful.

Sal wanted to find some way to help them, but he felt useless in their current back-and-forth. It took him a second to realize that Anthony was still talking to him, and he felt guilty for zoning out.

“Which would be amazing! But it’s totally fine if it’s only Common grade! It just needs to work, and I can use my ability to amp it up.” Anthony spoke rapidly as he moved his hands to illustrate his points.

When he glanced up, he caught Sal’s eye and smiled. “Sorry, it’s just really exciting! It’ll be phase one of the command centers, and then everything else should pretty much click into place. Just need to pass the basic courses of Crafting and Analysis to get into the essence programming specialisation. Once I’ve got that, I’ll be able to make way more of an impact.”

Sal felt like he had a thousand questions, but zero answers. He kept a polite smile, as he became self-conscious about just how little he knew about the wider world. The last part of Anthony’s sentence registered with him after a few moments.

“Would a tracker with a crafting ability help you more? Like, being able to see blueprints and stuff?”

Sal was throwing out ideas as he didn’t want to have to take on time-consuming projects that would only ever have a use for a single person. A crafting tracker that had a downgraded version of his Mythcrafter ability would likely be a commercial success and highly valuable. He hadn’t considered making it before as he already had the ability, but for other students, it would be an absolute godsend. Judging from Anthony’s stupefied expression, Sal was right.

Divinity finally surfaced from her visions and placed her face in her hands. “Ugh, it’s useless. I can’t find a single thing to do with them. If what you’re saying is true, Barry, then it’s the best kept secret in the entire academy.” She straightened up and looked at Barry. “Wait! The best kept secret before was your power. You literally spent the entire time in the academy without revealing it once.”

Barry gave Divinity a curious look. “I’m not sure I like where this train of thought is heading.”

Divinity waved her hand away. “No, nothing like that. Obviously, we trust you, but you’re really good at lying!”

Barry stared at her as a smile crept onto his face. “Go on… I was going to do it anyway, but I want to hear you say it.”

Divinity sighed as a pained expression gripped her. “You need to accept their offer and join Bastion.”

Chapter 18 – Inspiration

Despite the teasing from earlier, Sal found himself on his way to the dorms after lunch. He wanted to check out the workshop and get a start on ideating the new tracker concept for Anthony, but with the ongoing aches and pains coursing through his body, he eventually had to admit defeat.

Thankfully, the elevators weren’t crammed with students having the same intentions, so he made it to the fifty-first floor with ease. As Sal leaned against the paneling of the elevator, he pushed away the discomfort and steadied his breathing. He was frustrated that his body was so weak in comparison to his peers. Even if he hadn’t gone through that essence ordeal with Vanessa, he’d still be in pain after the gauntlet with Lars.

He thought through all the events from his first month and realized that he had spent most of his time in the academy recovering from self-inflicted exhaustion and pain.

When the doors of the elevator opened to reveal his floor, he pushed back against the wall for some momentum. Such a simple movement earned him a shooting pain in both shoulders and an involuntary wince.

Gritting his teeth, Sal made his way down the corridor toward his room, wondering whether his body was subconsciously giving up on him as he got closer to his bed. The little thought he had in his head about maybe going through the exercise routine again was discarded the moment he caught sight of it.

Sal moved out of the way of his sliding door as it closed behind him and shuffled forward with a sigh of relief. He practically threw his tablet onto the bedside locker along with his sunglasses and didn’t even bother to change out of his uniform before slumping onto the firm mattress.

It took him a few moments of painful shifting around to get comfortable, but it was absolutely worth it. It was mid-afternoon and he was about to wreck his sleeping pattern if he closed his eyes now, but the alternative was to just stare at his ceiling in pain for hours.

Out of curiosity, he closed his eyes and focused on his internal essence, to see how it was progressing. The threads of light, which had once been as thin as spider webs, were now much more vibrant and sturdier. He was relieved to see there was some slack between the points, with the heavier threads drooping slightly between the gates.

Sal never really had any issue with essence control, so he was able to navigate around the different gates and see the differences from before. If he had to estimate by his own standards, he was currently feeling close to his old maximum. He wondered what sort of significance it would have on his abilities, if any.

Would it mean that he’d avoid exhaustion for longer, or would it allow him to reach a new tier of capability? Those questions played on his mind for a few moments. Maybe he’d ask Lombardi in the Skill class tomorrow.

Despite closing his eyes and relaxing his breathing, Sal couldn’t fall asleep. The once sharp pains had gradually reduced to dull aches, which he welcomed gratefully. Because he wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry, and he clearly wasn’t getting any sleep, Sal decided to brainstorm a little. He had already checked his essence and it seemed stable. It wouldn’t matter if he used his skills responsibly, would it? He deliberated before deciding that it should be fine. He could stop if he felt any sort of negative reaction from his core.

With his resolve in place, Sal activated his Mythcrafter ability and held his breath for a half second. There was absolutely no difference in capability, and it felt exactly the same as when he used it before in the workshop. He was a little disappointed because he didn’t know what he had expected to happen. The ceiling light blueprints appeared in front of his eyes for the ceiling light, but Sal dismissed that and pulled up one of the other ones he had stored in his head.

The visualization of the tracker came into focus, in the exact same configuration as he had left it. It was still signaling the need for lord crystal and hellfire titanium. With just a few thoughts, Sal changed the blueprint to the tracker that Quest had given him. He imagined it in its most basic forms and was surprised to see that the concept broke apart, jarring him out of the imaginary blueprint once its viability disappeared. He didn’t realize that would happen, and although he was surprised, he marked it down as a learning experience.

Normally, Upgrade would have him sketching out each blueprint as a point of reference, so this method of using Mythcrafter was new to him, which made it somewhat exciting. With a smile, he brought up Quest’s tracker again and started over.

He realized almost immediately why he had failed in the previous attempt. The runes that made the tracker functional had been erased in his previous iteration, so he was careful not to mess around with them too much on this run. It was harder to navigate the possibilities when random thoughts were able to influence the overall design. Just the thought of using a different material would cause the vision to warp and change to reflect the new reality, which resulted in Sal cursing and having to revert a few times.

Even if his essence control was well above average, his mental discipline was still lacking. When he needed to try again for the fourth time, Sal took things incredibly slow. He regressed Quest’s tracker to a Common grade and added in the Mythcrafter essence, which hilariously broke the image immediately. It was like the ability had rebuked him for having a stupid idea.

Trying a different approach, Sal brought up the tracker he was making for himself and added only the Mythcrafter ability to it. His hopes of it being an easy match were dashed as the blueprint failed to materialize. Even with the lord crystal and hellfire titanium, it looked impossible to add the Mythcrafter ability to it.

Sal groaned inwardly as he realized where he had screwed up. The materials he wanted were ideal for the Analysis tracker, so obviously they weren’t going to be a fit for something Crafting oriented. He pulled up the blueprint again and pushed his intentions onto it—a tracker that could hold the Mythcrafter ability. To his pleasant surprise, that method worked, and he was bombarded with a list of requirements that looked practically impossible to meet, including a list of components that had to be made with dozens of materials he hadn’t even heard of.

Barry’s suggestion of regressing the tracker to a lower grade, and adding an evolutionary path, didn’t seem like it was going to work either. The lowest grade of item that could potentially transform into the version he needed was Unique grade. Sal didn’t understand the logic behind it, because from what he was being shown, the starting point for it was Unique and the end point was Legendary. It didn’t have the capability of evolving into Mythic? What was it that made the sniper rifle so special in that case?

He lay on his bed and continued to stare at the blueprints hovering above his face. All the iterations and tweaks he made to it ended up breaking the tracker through a loss of viability. It was a constant battle of toeing the line and finding something that worked. Without the expertise of someone like Upgrade, Sal was forced to rely on his own intuition to come up with solutions, but he was hitting a wall.

He even tried regressing his own Mythcrafter ability to something like Rarecraft, but the design wouldn’t accept it. It was the exact same sensation he had felt when he tried to put Chatfield’s ability onto a blueprint at Upgrade’s urging. That told him a little more about Mythcrafter as a skill. He couldn’t utilize variations of his ability in his designs, even weaker versions of an ability that was his own.

Sal lay there for another hour, just going through different options until he finally had to admit defeat. The closest he could get was a Rare tracker that used the Upgrade ability, but the materials required looked expensive. He kept the blueprint in mind so he could sketch it out later in the workshop and maybe put it up for sale on the Credit Store.

Sal paused at that thought and a smile tugged at his lips. He hadn’t posted a single thing to the Credit Store yet, and his mind was already filled with dozens of blueprints. Barry’s suggestion of selling evolutionary equipment was great because it put the onus on the owner to accumulate enough essence to force the evolution.

Sal wanted to take that one step further, and sell the instructions for crafting that equipment, with flawless blueprints. All the equipment they had made for the tournament had already proved to be successful, and by the sounds of Chatfield’s report, there was a severe lack of equipment in the second-year roster. Sal thought about what Upgrade had said to him about the second- and third-year crafters. They all apparently picked the safest options when it came to crafting, unprepared to take risks.

Sal’s smile turned into a grin as he started to come up with a plan. He’d list everything as Myth, and create an entire range of feasible designs for crafters at every level. He’d price them low at the early levels, prove that his designs were the best, and then ramp up the cost with the higher grades.

Maybe he’d throw in some aspirational designs that would get people talking? Sal bit his lip as he mapped out the different possibilities in his head. Full suits of equipment that only he would be able to make. Maybe he could auction off commission slots after he gained some reputation as a Crafter?

The possibilities were endless, and Sal was excited at the prospect of having more Q-Cred rolling in. He didn’t want to be complacent, especially when Jez would be ramping up the difficulty in the Administration class.

All the fatigue that had gripped his body went ignored as Sal forced himself off the bed and to his feet. He pushed through the door to the next room, where his board was mounted onto the wall. He listed out the different classes within the academy: Offense, Defense, Controller, Healer, and Support. He needed to grab all their attention with the best equipment.

When he had last checked the Credit Store, an auction had been ongoing for a single Rare-grade breastplate. The last price he had seen it at was over three hundred Q-Cred, which was quite expensive for the listed benefits. He wrote down “breastplate” beside the Defense category and added “tracker” beside the Controller and Support categories. Sal spent a few minutes adding the existing blueprints he had created to the different sections, trying to get a better idea of which ones were the best fit for each group.

Sal grinned as he wrote rapidly on the board. So many ideas came to him now that they just flowed onto its surface. What had started in his head as a potential idea had evolved into an entire business plan. He utilized the Synergy trait from his own clothing, and added a set bonus for each of the graded pieces of equipment.

The basics of an Uncommon set were listed for each category of class, all boasting at least one ability with the addition of the Synergy trait. The set bonus would increase the overall capability and allow for either an additional skill, or effect. Sal guessed that people would end up buying the entire set to get the bonus effects. Because everything was just in blueprint form and didn’t require any actual Crafting, Sal was able to make a whole series of proposals on the board. All it would take was a bit of time in the blueprint room at the workshop.

As his brainstorming session continued, he added upgrade blueprints to each of the sets, so a Crafter could bring the Uncommon-grade set up to the Rare-grade set, and then up to the Unique-grade set. He even experimented with some naming conventions for each set to make them sound more premium. All he had to do was craft the blueprints and then the onus would be on the Crafter who bought them to bring the items to life.

He stood there for another couple of hours, forgetting about the pain in his body as he happily mapped out his Credit Store page.

With four stand-alone sets, and three transition sets—all made of five pieces of equipment—Sal was going to have thirty-five individual listings on the Credit Store. He wanted to map out the later stages, like Epic and Legendary, but those could wait for the future. It was incredibly unlikely that anyone could craft them, even with the perfect blueprints, but there was undoubtedly someone out there with more Q-Cred than sense. Sal was more than happy to take their Q-Cred.

It was obviously going to take a fair chunk of time to design and make sure that they all had the right synergies, but Sal wasn’t worried. Blueprints with the Mythcrafter ability were ridiculously easy for him, especially when he was just drawing what his eyes were telling him and removing any mistakes it highlighted. He had spent years working alongside his father in the Argento Auction; countless times, he’d seen buyers come in, looking for another piece of a certain set. Some of the most irrational auction spending had been a direct result of people bidding on set bonus items, and Sal was going to use that to his advantage.

Chapter 19 – Refinement

Sal was grateful that few people were in the workshop. It was the middle of the night, but he was wide awake and raring to go. He had gone to bed after wrapping up his plans for the Credit Store. After about nine hours of cramp-free sleep, he was up and motivated to get started on his new passion project.

The pain in his body had reduced to a dull ache and Sal, despite knowing better, did a full set of the workout routine Vanessa had given him. It had been difficult, but nowhere near as excruciating as the first attempt. He was surprised to find that he couldn’t complete many of the movements this time around, but he didn’t force it or dwell on it too much. When it was over, he had a quick shower before setting off for the workshop, arriving there just a little after four in the morning.

Sal made his way over to the blueprint room and buzzed himself in with his Q-Card. The lights came on and revealed a few messy workbenches, littered with half-drawn blueprints that seemed pretty uninspired from what Sal could make out. The fact that his eyes didn’t try to interpret the schematics told Sal everything he needed to know about their quality. That said, it was someone else’s work, so he stacked the drafts and placed them on a nearby table before signing into one of the workbenches with his own profile.

When it prompted him for a project name, Sal didn’t hesitate.

Project: “Rookie”

He had thought of using animal names but decided to use progressive ranks that denoted a shift in both quality and capability. For that, he elected to use loose military terms, like Rookie and Agent, for the first sets. He’d be able to come up with more specific builds in the future, like an Assassin or Vanguard type.

Sal started work on the boots, using the leaper boots from the tournament as a template. They were already Uncommon, so all he had to do was add in the Synergy trait, which he pulled from appraising his own clothing. Stylistically, they weren’t much to look at, and Sal made a mental note to ask Blathnaid if she could help him make the equipment look better.

They would have much better marketability if they looked good, but their effect would be the biggest selling point. He sketched out the changes and saved the file into the Agent project, which represented all the Uncommon equipment. Rookie was going to be the basics, all at a Common grade. It was likely going to be the best-seller for him initially, as it would have a set bonus, would be made of readily available materials, and even come with an ability. The main selling point would be its protective capabilities and durability. Uncommon grade, which he was calling Agent, was going to have more impact as it would incorporate the pulse gauntlets and shield guards.

Sal ran into his first obstacle when he tried to list the components for the successful creation of the blueprint. It kept adding Mythcrafter essence as one of the key ingredients, but that wouldn’t be possible for normal Crafters, so he needed an alternative.

Thankfully, the Mythcrafter ability came through with substitute materials that could create the same effects, but Sal hadn’t heard of many of them. He wrote them down, saved the blueprint, and moved onto the next batch. Each draft took him roughly twenty minutes to create, but it was more than worth it. In the space of two hours, he had both the Rookie and Agent sets completed, with a transition set of blueprints to guide Crafters in upgrading the Rookie set into the Agent set.

The trickiest part of it was coming up with a head guard that didn’t look terrible. The chest piece looked like crap on the Rookie design, but the Agent one allowed for an additional skill, so Sal added Transform as the ability. At least that way, it would mold around the user, making it more comfortable for those with different body shapes.

Rather than jumping straight into the next set, Sal uploaded the blueprints to the Credit Store. It was listed under the licensed category so he would earn a fee on every piece of equipment that used his blueprint as a template. He was excited to see how they did, but wanted to manage his own expectations. Firstly, nobody was awake and he didn’t even know how popular these sorts of schematics would be among the other students. His seller rating was nonexistent, so it would more than likely need to be validated by a member of staff.

Sal pushed those thoughts to one side as he submitted the designs for review. The blueprint workbench synced with his tablet without issue, and the steps for submission were straightforward. After he selected the grades and categories that his submission fell under, the store prompted him with a pricing suggestion. It took a little bit more time for him to find the option to submit them as part of a wider set, but when he did find it, the price jumped up dramatically.

Sal stared at the number for a few moments, wondering whether it was a glitch in their system.

Rookie Set

50 Q-Cred

Transition Schematic
40 Q-Cred

Agent Set
75 Q-Cred

Sal had to fight the urge to constantly refresh the tablet screen in the hopes of seeing that his entries were approved. He had more work to do, and it was going to be a few more hours before classes started and students descended upon the workshop. Creating a Rare-grade set was a little more challenging, as a number of the designs Sal came up with ended up falling into the Uncommon category.

Anything too ambitious seemed to overshoot the Rare grade and fall into Unique territory. Sometimes, it was something as small as a single ability being added to the Uncommon set that forced it over the threshold.

Another key restriction for him was limiting the scope of the Rare items to being the next development of the Uncommon items. He had to use the Agent set as his basis for the Specialist set. Then the Specialist would be the basis for the Captain set, which would be the basis for the Commander set.

In an ideal world, he could draw out the blueprint of the Commander set, which would be at the Epic grade, and then reverse engineer it for the lower grades, but there was a problem. He already had the set of basic equipment that he was using as his foundations, so he needed to design upward toward the higher tiers, giving the basic equipment incremental gains until they were deemed a higher grade.

Another reason it wouldn’t have worked was because the equipment he was crafting wasn’t going to have an evolutionary trait. Each blueprint needed to be constructed, which was where the true value lay. Sal didn’t want to put up evolutionary weapons or equipment as blueprints, as it would show other Crafters how to become future competition for him. He’d save the evolutionary traits for equipment he actually made and put up for sale.

Sal sketched out the latest iteration, testing it in his mind before confirming it with ink. He decided on understated abilities that had amplification capabilities, like Overcharge and Barrier. If it worked the way he thought it would, the arm guard that he used for the tournament would project a bubble around the user if the item was overcharged. Same went for the pulse gauntlet, which had turned into a mechanical sleeve.

Adding in the Transform ability worked really well too, and it kept all the components within the range for Rare grade. The headgear was the biggest issue, and Sal had to amend the previous iterations to create a hooded cowl instead of a padded helmet. No matter what he added or tried, the weak helmet from the Rookie and Agent sets couldn’t be effectively improved with the materials that created it. It was possible if he flooded it with essence and forced it to improve like he had done with Hannah’s Barrier gauntlets, but it wouldn’t be an appropriate solution for the Crafters who bought his instructions.

Because his designs were still in review, Sal swapped out the padded helmets with the new cowl design for the previous iterations and hit submit again. He was rewarded with a screen that said his amendments were under review, so he put it out of his head and got back to work.

Sal had no idea whether anyone was even going to bother buying the designs, but he was having fun making them and exploring the Synergies between the different pieces. When he pulled up the entire Agent set, just to appreciate all the work he had done, his Mythcrafter ability finally seemed to understand his intention.

His mouth hung open as a whole new series of corrections flooded into his brain. Each of the components worked as a set, and worked individually. He made sure that all the runes were cohesive and paired all the equipment together, but the Mythcrafter ability saw a half dozen ways to make it more efficient. Sal didn’t question any of it, as he knew the details weren’t wrong. He had no idea what sort of impact the corrections would have, but he was excited to see the results.

Obviously, it was going to be a better blueprint, but if it improved the craftsmanship and gave additional capability to the items, he was happy to spend the extra time in getting all those details correct. What was more surprising than anything was that the ability started to suggest different materials to be used in the build.

When Sal let the changes take form, the entire set of equipment changed in appearance. Mythcrafter was literally giving him previews of how the set would look when fully transformed. Sal’s grin widened; he might not need Blathnaid’s help in the style department anymore.

Sal surfaced from his work and stretched his arms over his head, leaning back and rotating his hips to relieve some of the tension. He yawned out of reflex and smiled as he looked back at his progress. Rookie, Agent, and Specialist were all drawn up to perfection. They were synchronized as sets with the guidance of Mythcrafter, and Sal had even improved their transformations to make them look that much cooler as sets.

He was piling work up on himself, because he’d need to craft one of each set to really show off their capabilities, and that was going to cost him quite a bit of Q-Cred in materials alone. Added to that, if he was going to create the tracker for himself, and then the one for Anthony, coupled with the gun concept that Barry and Quest were pushing…he was likely in for a few late nights over the coming weeks.

Sal decided it was a good time as any to take a break, so he locked his workbench and went out to check whether Alex had set up shop yet with his alchemical delights. Despite it still being early morning, the workshop buzzed with activity. Judging from the sea of black uniforms with purple shoulders, it was mostly second-year Support classes, but there were a few gray uniforms in sight.

The atmosphere seemed somewhat lighthearted as students chatted to one another between the rows of desks. Upgrade and Forge were nowhere to be seen, but the familiar scowling face of Alex was visible through the crowd. Sal lined up behind the gathered people, waiting for his turn, but was surprised when Alex called for him to come to the front.

The friendly atmosphere was instantly threatened by the glares Sal received from everyone around him. Some of them looked confused at his custom outfit, and Sal even heard a few of them asking whether he was a third-year or someone visiting from a guild.

Alex gave Sal a weary expression as he handed over a coffee. “Putting it on Upgrade’s tab. She was gloating that she downed yours before class the other day. Some things are sacred, like a man’s relationship with his coffee.”

He finished with a wink and gestured for the next in line to approach. His words confirmed to everyone around him that Sal was a student who was close to Upgrade and Alex, and that revelation seemed to split the crowd down the middle. Some smiled in his direction, while others held looks of disdain.

Sal didn’t care in the slightest as he moved through them, making his way back to the blueprint room. He thought he had made it back to the comfort of his own space, when a familiar figure swiveled around on one of the bench stools, gesturing at the blueprint pages on Sal’s desk.

“What have you got there?” Chatfield asked with a wry grin

Chapter 20 – Amends

Sal was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Chatfield. It took him a few seconds to realize that he had just been asked a question. Sal’s eyes followed Chatfield’s gesture to the completed sketches, which looked to be untouched. Turning back to the lecturer, Sal forced a smile and lifted his coffee up as though it were obvious.

“Just getting in a bit of design work before the workshop is overrun by second-years. What has you here so early, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Chatfield’s lip twitched, the beginnings of a smile, but not quite there. “Nothing really. I just keep tabs on new equipment that comes onto the marketplace. I’ve been putting together a report on how lackluster our equipment standards have become over the years. Imagine my surprise when I get bombarded with alerts for items that match my search criteria. All created by a single individual, who has clearly been stockpiling them for some time.”

Chatfield got up from his stool and walked around the table with a curious expression on his face. “I can’t for the life of me understand why someone would choose to flood the store with items that disprove my report, days before I submit it. All under the moniker of a fake name…” Chatfield’s eyes narrowed as he raised a hand and pressed his finger against Sal’s chest. “Myth.”

Sal calmly sipped his coffee as he waited for an actual question. He appreciated how it looked from Chatfield’s perspective, but that wasn’t really a concern of his. Sal wasn’t in the Controller class, so it wasn’t likely that he’d be put into Chatfield’s care. He didn’t like how Chatfield spoke to people, nor did he appreciate the lecturer’s stance on Support classes. For that reason, Sal had no issue in talking back to him without any sort of fear.

Chatfield’s smile finally blossomed, and it was genuine. He removed his hand and walked over to the overturned sheets that Sal had been working on. “May I have a look, Myth?”

Sal gave him a curt nod as he gestured at the blueprints. “By all means. Most of the faculty already know I’m Myth, so it was only a matter of time before you were briefed on it, I guess. I’ve been working on armor sets that can be crafted in-house, and improved into advanced versions. I think that one you’re holding is the Agent set?” Sal tilted his head to one side as he tried to look at the drawings in Chatfield’s hand.

When it was revealed to be the Agent set, Sal nodded as he took a step closer. “I know you had your reservations about my grappling hook design and the exoskeleton suit, but I’ve only been here a month and I’m still finding my feet. Having an ability that allows me to craft up to the Mythic grade is great, but I’m still learning the fundamentals.”

Sal watched Chatfield’s reaction carefully. He wanted to drive home the fact that he wasn’t a pushover, and defended his previous designs with the context of how they were created.

Chatfield didn’t react, and instead focused his attention on the blueprints in front of him. He turned each one of them over and studied it for a few minutes before moving onto the next in the batch.

Sal started to wonder whether Chatfield had heard anything he’d said, but the lecturer surprised him when he looked up from the Specialist set.

“You’re saying that you were able to mock up all these sets in a few hours? Common, Uncommon, and Rare grades?”

Sal nodded as he tapped the lid of his coffee. “Wanted to start on the Epic-grade set, but needed a pick-me-up. Want to buy the blueprints? I haven’t set the price, but I won’t be going easy on you.”

Sal smiled as he took another sip of his coffee. It was a nice moment, seeing someone clearly appreciating his work. Considering it was Chatfield, Sal assumed he was going to revert to his surly self and comment that the designs were subpar at best.

Chatfield exhaled slowly as he pulled out another blueprint and looked at it in confusion. Sal was going to explain that it was one of the transition schematics, for upgrading the sets, but it looked like Chatfield had already come to that realization. His hands moved quickly as he assembled the different armor groups, with the transition schematics between them. With them all laid out in front of him, he took a step back and crossed his arms.

“Extraordinary work, Mr. Argento. You have an absolute gift.” He looked over at Sal with a genuine smile as he unfurled one of his hands and waved it over the pages. “And to be here in the middle of the night, working on it.” He shook his head as though in disbelief. “You really can’t teach work ethic at this place, so I’m happy to see that you arrived with an abundance of it.”

To say that Sal was floored would be an understatement.

Chatfield, on the other hand, was happy to share his thoughts as he looked approvingly at the blueprints.

“As for your earlier statements. Yes, I’d like to buy a copy of all the sets, with their transition schematics too. I’ll get my team crafting them. That Specialist one looks to be particularly interesting, with excellent versatility between Offense, Defense, and mobility. You clearly thought about the composition. And to add in a Synergistic effect? Great choice.”

Chatfield didn’t seem to have noticed Sal’s shocked expression and continued. “So, Myth is the alias you’ve chosen for the Mythcrafter ability? I had heard some rumors and mutterings, but I’m relieved to see that the ability is in capable hands. Any other in your situation would be throwing themselves into the deep end and crafting for the one percent who can afford their services. But you’re a Support, and you understand the challenges your peers are going through.”

Chatfield laughed as he shook his head. “I finally understand why you were so passionate in Quest’s office about the role of Supports. I owe you an apology for trying to push you down the Controller path. Your talents are clearly aligned to helping others.”

Sal decided to keep certain facts to himself, like how this whole exercise was designed to make Q-Cred, or the fact that he was happy to offer his services to the highest bidder. For some strange reason, Chatfield seemed to think that he was an altruistic guy, and Sal was happy to leave him with that impression.

“I don’t have experience on a real battlefield, so I tried to create a collection of well-rounded abilities for any kind of eventuality. Do you have any suggestions on how I could improve the sets, and maybe make them more suitable for those fighting out in the field?”

Sal was pretty pleased with that performance. He already knew how frustrated Chatfield was about the lack of good equipment, and how most students weren’t battle-ready going into second year.

Chatfield smiled as he gestured to a workbench on the other side of the room. “That grappling hook that you made? Was that a concept for one of these sets?”

Sal had to think fast. He didn’t want to admit that it was a joke concept that he whipped up to antagonize Upgrade. He tried to think of what possible use a grappling hook would have and took a long drink of his coffee to stall for time. He could suggest that he was making it for Watcher, who might need it to get a better vantage point with his sniper rifle, but that was oddly specific and he didn’t want to talk about that in case Chatfield asked him to make another Legendary weapon with an evolutionary trait. He thought of all the practical solutions for a grappling hook against all the experiences he had so far.

Sal thought of the zip line challenge from the previous day, but the grappling hook’s design predated that event.

When the cup left his face, Sal sighed and put on his best conflicted expression. “In the lead-up to the tournament, there was an incident involving a commander variant that used Psionic abilities. I watched the strike teams navigate around the dungeon raid because of the huge crater in the ground, filled with demons. I thought that the grappling hook would be a great mobility tool for Heroes who needed to cross something like that. After the exercise with Lars yesterday, and the gauntlet, I thought it might also work well as a utility tool for escaping difficult encounters.”

Sal genuinely wished that he had picked the example with Watcher, because as he gave his excuse, he realized how stupid it sounded.

Chatfield looked thoughtful as he glanced through the designs again. “What is your intention for the Epic-grade set? If you’re intending on making another transition schematic, you’re really limiting the potential of the set by anchoring it to the previous sets. Additionally, if your target market is the academy…you’re looking at only a few dozen students who could make something beyond Rare and Epic. At an absolute push, I’d say a handful could aim for a Legendary grade but it would take more time than it’s worth. My advice would be to cap the sets with transitions at Rare, keep it achievable for the Crafters.”

Sal was surprised at the insight about the other Crafters in the academy. He didn’t know there were some who could aim for Legendary grade, but it was good to hear. Not that he relished competition or anything, but the fact that there could be some interesting people to learn from in the future. Chatfield’s suggestion of capping the sets at Rare was a bit of a surprise, though. Sal decided to be completely honest with him.

“I was intending on doing the sets all the way up to Legendary, so if people had the instructions and materials, they could upgrade their existing set to the next grade of quality. What would you suggest as an alternative?”

Chatfield sighed as he gestured at the materials on the nearest blueprint. “When you get to this level of production, the cost of materials skyrockets. Because you’re improving an existing build, it will have more demands and will likely be a one-size-fits-all set. The people who can afford these costs will likely be at a whole different level of specialization, and while your blueprints might be the best option they have available, it won’t amplify their chosen specialty.

“If I had your ability, I’d likely create an Epic-grade set for each of the main classes. Look at the top Masterclasses on offer and build the equipment that would suit them the best. Your grappling hook, for example, could be an excellent addition to an Assassin build, but only if it’s built with stealth in mind. In the same vein, it could be great with a Healer for that enhanced mobility around the battlefield. Offense and Defense won’t have any use for a grappling hook, so it’s never a one-size-fits-all at the later stages.”

Sal nodded. “I’ve been invited to a Tactics Masterclass with Alastair, but I can’t think of how that might be reflected in a piece of equipment.” Just as he was saying it, Sal suddenly realized the obvious item that he had been pushing to one side of his brain. “Except for the tracker project I’m working on. I don’t know how it would function as part of a set, but there’s a lot of stuff in it that could work for Tactics.”

Chatfield’s eyebrow shot up and with a smile, he sat on a nearby stool. He gestured for Sal to take a seat, too. When he spoke, there was none of the usual abrasiveness. “Why don’t you tell me about these projects you’re working on. Maybe I’ll be able to shed some insights on them, and give you a few suggestions on how they could work better out in the field?”

Sal couldn’t tell what worried him more: the fact that Chatfield was being friendly, or the fact that he was starting to warm up to Chatfield.

Chapter 21 – Prototype

By the time Sal had finished his coffee, he had told Chatfield all about his projects. The gun and the tracker seemed to catch his interest the most, and the fledgling idea for a coffee machine managed to get a laugh from him. Sal even went so far as to talk about the drone he wanted to make with Upgrade.

Chatfield listened intently, nodding and making a few comments as Sal explained everything. When Sal mentioned the evolutionary trait, Chatfield interrupted him with a surprised expression.

“Wait, you’re able to construct equipment and weapons with an evolutionary capability?”

Something about how he said it made Sal pause. He thought it had been obvious when he explained how each of the concepts would grow over time.

Sal nodded as he turned in his chair to bring up the schematic for the Legendary sniper rifle.

“Yes, one of the Reavers had a knife with the trait, and I was able to use the same rune on this design. The sniper rifle was Rare grade with a few Epic components, and we managed to get it up to Legendary with the trait. It’ll be the first known crafted weapon to reach the Mythic grade, apparently.”

Sal didn’t want to sound like he was bragging, but he couldn’t erase the pride out of his voice. Just to ensure that he wasn’t getting ahead of himself, he added the caveat, “I wouldn’t have been able to complete it without the help of the Crafters in the workshop. Upgrade, Martin, and Gosia were instrumental in getting it over the line.”

Chatfield was off his chair immediately and circled the bench to get a better look at the blueprint. He glanced at Sal with a quick smile before tracing his hand over the details on the screen.

“This is an absolute game changer. You could create sets of armor with evolutionary traits! Does the evolution have a definite path, or could it be tied to the development of the user?”

Chatfield’s question struck a chord in Sal. He had only looked at reverse engineering the evolutionary trait from a high grade down to a low grade, which ensured a set path of evolution for the item. If he just created a Common-grade piece of equipment with an evolutionary trait, would he be able to attune it to the person’s essence?

Sal had more questions than answers. “I’ve only ever created the evolutionary trait on the sniper rifle. I haven’t attempted it on anything else yet, except for the concepts in my head. With the tracker, I’ve been putting all the ideal abilities into the ultimate version of it, and then reverse engineering it to a lower grade that I can make comfortably with my current skills. I hadn’t really thought about making a low-grade item with the trait, and just leaving the evolution to chance. Feels a little reckless, don’t you think?”

Chatfield laughed as he shook his head. “No, it’s exciting! There’s the potential for equipping students with a single set of armor that could see them through their entire professional career! Think of how cost-effective that would be! How would these items accumulate essence? The only ones I’ve seen so far have been mostly unusable because they siphon off unreasonable amounts of essence from the user. How did you get around that?”

Sal couldn’t help but share in Chatfield’s sudden excitement. He was like a completely different person, and Sal was very much a new fan.

“I can’t really talk like an expert with this as I’ve only done it once, and the Mythcrafter ability did all the heavy lifting when it came to figuring out the details. With the sniper rifle, it gathered essence through kills. Tethering was the ability it used, which is like Siphon, as far as I can tell. The tracker, on the other hand, will probably use essence signatures. Interpreting information is apparently a form of essence storage…according to Quest, at least. I don’t know what it would look like for pieces of armor, though. I’d have to experiment with a few designs to see what the Mythcrafter ability comes up with.”

Chatfield nodded as he glanced back down at the blueprint. “So, when you said that the gun concept would develop over time, you weren’t talking about transition schematics? You were going to create a Tether ability like the sniper rifle, and give it an evolutionary trait?”

He placed both hands on the bench and leaned forward, shaking his head slightly with a wry smile on his face. “This is beyond my expectations. I came in here this morning expecting some grand conspiracy from Quest, hoping that I’d be deterred from making changes to how the academy operates…but this? To find out that you’re potentially capable of outfitting the entire student body with evolutionary equipment? That warrants a completely new report for the Hunter Bureau and the United Guilds Association.”

When Chatfield glanced up, he had a thoughtful expression. “What resources do you need to get prototypes ready?”

Sal was caught off guard and wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. Actually, he wasn’t really sure what question he was being asked.

“Sorry, prototypes? Do you mean the gun and the tracker, or are you talking about the schematics I drew up for the different sets?”

It was only a matter of time before he was bombarded with commission requests from the faculty who knew his identity, and Sal wasn’t even sure how to navigate pricing his services. Chatfield seemed excited by his capabilities, and although it was flattering, Sal wasn’t going to be operating like a charity. No matter what Chatfield said, Sal would be taking his time to consider his options.

Chatfield shook his head as he pushed himself away from the table and stretched his back with a relieved sigh. “A Common or Uncommon-grade armor set, with evolutionary traits. That’s the prototype I’m looking for. A blueprint as detailed as those other ones would be perfect. If the prototype works, then I’ll get it signed off from the association and we’ll ramp up production to get everyone equipped with them. Ideally, we’d be looking for the most common materials possible to ensure mass production, but I’m not sure if your ability has any control over that. Does it?”

A gnawing sensation clawed in the pit of his stomach. Quest had indicated that Chatfield wanted to create a production line in the academy and limit the Crafters to making military-grade equipment. If he created a blueprint for them to work on, would he end up removing his own autonomy in the long run? Maybe it was because of the friendly atmosphere and Chatfield’s good mood, but Sal felt comfortable enough to voice his concerns aloud.

“I had heard that you wanted the Crafters to stop working on personal projects, and to focus on making standardized equipment. If I make this prototype and it works, would that change how Crafting works here at the academy? I don’t want to end up turning the place into a factory, if that makes sense?”

Chatfield sighed as he leaned his back against the wall. “To speak very bluntly, yes. It would change things at the academy. Those with capabilities like you would be free to work independently, but for the lower skilled crafters chasing a magnum opus…this change would provide a more structured and streamlined method for their success. Supports have the hardest time at the academy, with many attempting to get ahead in the Crafting, Analysis, and Administration classes. Not many of them are confident in their own capabilities, so they avoid classes like Survival, Field, and Combat.

“With how Crafting is taught, those students are facing an uphill battle. This isn’t the best environment to learn through trial and error, as we assess students based on their results rather than their attempts. If we implement a standardized blueprint and taught Crafters from day one how to produce it, they would have increased value to the academy as they improved their skills.”

Chatfield smiled as he gestured at the door of the blueprint room. “Everyone out there right now is scrambling to get ahead, putting themselves under serious pressure to deliver something that will keep them in the academy. Having a structured product list of what we need manufactured would remove those doubts and provide a streamlined progression path for them.”

Sal’s reservations about the plan dissipated. It made sense to provide structure for the students who were struggling, and it sounded like it wouldn’t impact his ability to craft what he wanted. There was a lot to think about, but Sal wasn’t against the idea as much as he thought he would be.

The idea of students like Joshua Mitchell and Anthony, who didn’t have that much capability, being given a clear progression path in the class…Sal found himself agreeing with Chatfield. It seemed like a smart course of action.

Chatfield clicked his fingers, drawing Sal’s attention back to him.

“That’s only one side of the coin. Let’s say that we can make this happen and the prototypes work as planned? We’d be able to equip all our students with adaptive sets of armor that will see them through to the end of their studies. We could make it more affordable to them by renting out the armor, and offering them a buy-out option at graduation. That would allow us to stockpile more sets, pay our Crafters, and essentially improve performance of all our field-based students. It could significantly reduce casualties out in the field and give us a stronger foundation as we pass the torch to the next generation fighting in the demon war. I probably sound like an idealist when I say this, but your designs could end up having a dramatic effect on the course of history, Mr. Argento. So, I’ll ask again, what resources do you need from me to get this project off the ground?”

Sal laughed at the prospect of changing history with a single set of armor prototypes. It sounded fantastical, no matter what way he looked at it, but Chatfield’s conviction was infectious. Rather than poke holes in his logic, Sal thought about what he might need, but there was too much speculation without having tried to come up with the designs. It was getting close to the point where he’d need to make his way to Skill class.

“I’ve got class coming up, so I’ll need to come back to this later. I’ve got no idea what materials I’ll need for the prototypes until I start using the Mythcrafter ability—”

Sal suddenly realized there was an opportunity for him to kill two birds with one stone. He figured there was no harm in asking, especially with how invested Chatfield was in this new project.

“I have been having some trouble sourcing a material called lord crystal. It’s for the screen of the Analysis tracker, and I don’t know that I’ll be able to determine the best materials without it. I was barely able to use Quest’s tracker with the Analysis ability, but it was enough to let me see the breakdown of materials and what abilities would manifest from using them. I could try to map out the prototype without the tracker, but I’ve got a feeling we’d have the best result if I had it.”

As Sal finished, he looked at Chatfield to gauge his reaction, but he couldn’t read any emotions from the lecturer’s face.

After a few moments of thought, Chatfield nodded with a smile. “Okay. Send me over the list of materials you need for your tracker, and I’ll get them sorted. Lord crystal shouldn’t be an issue, but if there are more premium materials that could make it better, let me know. If you need to take time off classes to get it done, I can arrange that too. This project is something we should absolutely see through, and I’m excited to work with you on it.” With that, Chatfield extended his hand.

Sal grasped it and barely found the words to thank him. He was able to get a material even better than lord crystal if he needed it? That alone was enough for him to grin like an idiot.

Chapter 22 – Resentment

“And you’re saying that all these came through overnight?” Sal asked skeptically as his gaze darted through each of the commission requests displayed on the digital notice board.

He turned to Upgrade, who merely shrugged, like it was normal. Sal sighed as he brought his attention back to the display, no longer surprised to see an additional note appearing in the seconds he had turned away. There had to be close to a hundred different requests populating the board, all with varying requirements. He wanted to reach out and interact with one of them, but Upgrade chided him with a laugh.

“Ah-ah. We both know you’ll not leave here for a month if you start opening them now. Don’t you have a meeting to prepare for?”

Sal’s hand dropped to his side as he frowned. “I know I should be excited, but I’m nervous. Do they expect me to handle all these? Some of them have multiple tabs from the same requester.”

He tilted his head slightly as he stared at the board in defeat. The commissions had finally arrived from everyone who knew he was Myth, and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

Upgrade nudged Sal’s side with her elbow to get his attention before purposefully stepping in front of him to block his view.

“Go to your meeting with Chatfield, and I’ll have a look through these while you’re away. We can find a few realistic choices for you to make on the side, but your focus should absolutely be on your new tracker project. Quest has given full sign-off on this Chatfield proposal, and the United Guilds Association will be watching your progress with interest. This is an incredible opportunity to show them your skills.”

Her smile was genuine, and Sal wished he could share her enthusiasm. The last couple of weeks had involved a lot of agonizing over Chatfield’s plan to make suits of evolutionary armor, and the ramifications it would have for the workshop of Crafters in the academy.

Before Sal could open his mouth to reply, Upgrade raised her finger to stop him. “Like I told you, I’m supportive of this plan. Saving lives is more important than creative pursuits, and it’s the reason we’re all here. So, whatever it is you’re worrying about, stop it. You need to be focused.”

Both of Upgrade’s hands clapped against Sal’s shoulders, causing him to wince slightly. She raised an eyebrow, and Sal laughed as he wormed his way out of her grasp.

“I’ve been keeping up that training regimen and my body is still feeling fragile. But thank you, I think I needed to hear that…again. I can’t help feeling like I’m resigning all the Crafters to working in a production line just so I can get cool materials for my tracker. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help it.”

Upgrade shrugged. “Easy for me to tell you what to do and not to do, but ultimately, it’ll be your own conscience you need to deal with. Just know that everyone out there has a higher chance of staying at the academy with this plan. I’ve had to say goodbye to countless talented students because they couldn’t cut it in their other classes. This is an opportunity for them to become invaluable to the academy. Do you think the United Guilds Association will be pushing to cut them loose? No, they’ll throw more resources at the academy to ensure the production of the armor sets. Quest will be happy to have more students coming through the ranks, and everyone wins.”

Upgrade laughed as she gave Sal a pointed look. “Seriously, it’s a no-brainer. If they want to work on creative stuff, they just need to do it after they’ve hit their quotas. Having direction and giving them something to work toward is a good thing! I’ll find a way to make their Crafting process much more detailed so they’ll pick up other practical skills. But if the blueprints are like the ones you showed me, they’re going to be learning a lot of high-level processes.”

Sal nodded slowly as a smile crept onto his face. “You’re really not letting me feel sorry for myself, are you?”

Upgrade shook her head and pointed over his shoulder to the exit of the room.

Sal laughed as he turned to leave, giving one last glance at the board. Upgrade sidestepped to block his view of the commission requests, her smile growing wider. Sal picked up his tablet from the table and pocketed it without looking at the screen. He knew that it was still going to be blowing up with notifications from the Credit Store.

What had started as an incredible rush of excitement when the orders came in for his blueprints turned into a knot of stress in the pit of his stomach. He had provided the perfect designs, but not the production process, which had resulted in a bombardment of requests to clarify the optimal method. Sal had resigned himself to the fact that the Credit Store might not be his pathway to riches. Still, there had been quite a few sales so far, and if he had the time to break down the production method, he’d probably earn a lot more… But it was just too much for him to deal with right now.

“Pass along my best wishes to the captain,” Upgrade called after Sal as he reached the door.

“Before or after I empty his material reserves?” Sal shot back as he exited, not hearing whatever she had to say.

Sal glanced around the workshop and saw the immediate animosity reflected right back at him. It had been a gradual thing over the last couple of weeks, where Crafters got increasingly irate at how much preferential treatment Upgrade gave him—from having a workbench beside Upgrade, to Room 17, which was reserved for him to carry out his crafting as Myth. It hadn’t earned him many friends from his Crafting peers.

Making matters worse was how the senior Crafters spoke to him casually, while they treated the second-years almost like nuisances. Sal had thought there would be at least a few people who had taken the effort to build relationships with the Crafters in the workshop, but it looked like his own experience was the anomaly. Martin and Gosia had told him that some of the third-years were friendly, but that the second-years were still fresh from the grueling ordeal of making it past first-year.

Apparently, it was normal for them to be absorbed by self-interest until they matured into their roles and hit the wall of their own progress.

Sal looked from face to face and hoped that they hit their walls soon. It was a horrible thing to consider, but if it made them friendlier, he’d count down the days. When they first started swarming the workshop, Sal had made an attempt to break down their hostility by offering to help with their projects. He was happy to offer a few free appraisals to win them over, but it earned him a reputation of being the patronizing first-year.

A few snide remarks about his Epic-grade outfit didn’t help the rumor mill, and in just a few days, Sal had become a pariah among the Crafters. Even Joshua Mitchell had stopped talking to him when he walked into the workshop. Only Anderson Royce treated him the same out of the first-year Crafting class. Well, of the people he had met and spent time with. Blathnaid, Jack, and Anthony were their usual friendly selves, but didn’t spend as much time in the workshop as others.

Sal sighed and moved toward Room 17, before he was apprehended by one of the many second-years in attendance. The purple shoulders and chest design against the otherwise black uniform was the key identifier. His blond hair was cut tight at the sides, with the top tied back in a knot. Sal gave him a steady look, not sure what was happening, but at least giving him an opportunity to speak.

The second-year turned to look at the other students before moving so his back was to them. When he looked back at Sal, he sighed as though he didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news.

“Look, man, I don’t know what your deal is…but we’ve got projects that have pretty harsh deadlines. We can’t ask Upgrade for guidance when she’s locked away in a room with you.” He gestured to the blueprint room. “Whenever you step foot in there, we’re all kicked out for…reasons, that apparently we’re not allowed to know about.”

He jutted his thumb to the left of Sal’s current destination. “And then you’ve monopolized one of the few Crafting rooms with a multi-tool. When you have all the tools you could possibly need at your bench! I’m not being an asshole here, but could you maybe use your own bench and blueprint during classes? You’ve been here less than two months, so there’s no need for you to take so many resources.”

Another student walked over to the blond, but with a turn of his head and a raised hand, the blond indicated for the other student to stay where he was. Turning back to Sal, he forced a smile onto his face. “I don’t like talking behind backs, so I wanted to say it as we all see it.”

Sal gave the student a nod. “I appreciate you coming to me directly. I can understand your frustrations, and I’m sorry I didn’t consider the position you’re all in.” The blond student started to smile, but Sal raised a hand and gestured to the room he had just exited. “Upgrade makes her own choices, and nothing I say is going to change her behavior. You’re more than welcome to tell her that I’ve been getting preferential treatment and that she should do her job better with the second-years.” With another gesture to his destination, Sal maintained his fixed smile.

“Captain Chatfield wants to have a meeting with me about the armor sets I designed in the blueprint room. If you’d like to tell him that you need the room instead, I’m sure he’ll understand. I was given that room to carry out appraisals for the Reavers Guild, and they don’t want their loot being disclosed to the general public, which is why it needs to be done in private. You can put through a request to Villa, if you’d like to change her mind? Or maybe you could pay the room rental fees for me on the Credit floor?”

Sal tried to keep the edge from his voice as he spoke. All his frustrations poured out and even though the student likely thought he was being diplomatic, his thought process was idiotic. Sal was more than happy to correct those misunderstandings.

“I’m here to learn, like you. If they give me the opportunities to lift myself higher, then I’m going to take them. Just like any of you would. Now…if you don’t mind, I’m late for my meeting.”

Sal sidestepped the blond student, who just gaped at him in disbelief. With a shake of his head, Sal made his way to Room 17 while ignoring the glares from the surrounding students. When he tapped his keycard to the door panel on the frame, he glanced back to see the blond student still rooted on the spot, staring into space as though lost in thought.

A sigh escaped Sal as he entered the room. He couldn’t understand why he was so concerned about the fates of the workshop students, especially when they were treating him like an outcast who was stealing from them. Obviously, it was going to feel like everything was unfair to them, but not a single one of them sought to ask about his circumstances. All of them had made assumptions, rebuked his attempts to help, and then assigned blame.

With a shake of his head, he tried to push those thoughts to one side as he looked around the room. The sight of three ornate chests resting on the table managed to obliterate any remaining thoughts of the students.

Behind them, Chatfield stood with a wry smile. “You took your time.”

Sal nodded and started to apologize, but Chatfield waved his hand like it was nothing.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ve got other things to talk about. My team sourced the materials you requested. However, they thought you might have made a few errors in judgment.” Chatfield tapped one of the chests with his right hand.

“This is everything you requested, with a little extra to ensure you have margin for error. My team doesn’t make mistakes, so I had this prepared separately.” He gestured to the second chest. “It’s the materials they would have used for your project instead. I gave them the information you shared with me, and from their analysis, they think the materials in here will serve you better. Perhaps your eyes will say otherwise, but we’ll find out when we get to that.”

Sal looked at the third chest, and then up at Chatfield, who grinned widely. “What’s in the third chest?”

Chapter 23 – Materials

“What’s in the third chest? Well, that’s an interesting one.” Chatfield placed his left hand on the top of the chest and looked at Sal meaningfully.

“You should think of it as prototype materials. It’ll be much more useful for when you have your tracker completely built. I got my team to get small shards of every possible material we have access to in our stores. From our previous conversation about your tracker helping identify materials, and your Mythcrafter ability only being able to use things that you’ve interacted with before…we came up with the idea to expose you to all the materials we had on hand and some materials that we could source in the future. My hope is that it will expand your capabilities and allow us to come up with good Synergies and combinations for the armor sets.” Chatfield opened the third chest and pulled the lid back.

Sal instinctively moved closer to have a better look as Chatfield pulled out each individual tray. There were at least thirty tiny shards of varying colors, secured by a piece of fabric against a plush white cushion. Some of the materials looked to contain elements like fire, water, and lightning, and glowed or sparked erratically as they moved.

Chatfield gestured at the placement of each of the materials. “Be careful not to mess up the order. Some of them react to each other, so they need to be kept at a distance for safety. Otherwise, they could cause an explosion, burn through the table, or something else ridiculous.”

After a few more moments of Sal looking at each of the pieces, Chatfield picked the trays back up and started to reload the crate.

“Anyway, this will only act as a distraction for now. None of this will be useful until you have your tracker completed, so we should focus on that. Have you run into any other issues since we last spoke?”

Sal tore his eyes from the last tray and glanced up at Chatfield with a smile. “No issues, so to speak. Unless you count the ongoing torture that Lars is putting us through with the gauntlet?”

Chatfield didn’t look amused by the comment, so Sal moved swiftly on. He was learning that Chatfield had certain moods, and that there was a nice guy lurking somewhere underneath all the professionalism and sense of duty.

“I went through the different sets for the armor, and it looks like my designs need a production method for the Crafters to replicate them properly.”

Sal expected Chatfield to be somewhat disappointed but was surprised when he responded with a smile.

Chatfield opened the second crate and lifted out a breastplate. Without saying a thing, he slid it across the table to where Sal stood. It was immediately recognizable as one of the pieces from the designs he had put on the Credit Store, and his Appraisal ability confirmed the quality instantly.

Name

Rookie Breastplate (Set 1/4)

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Common (Upper)

Dimensions
Chest 42 inches | Neck 17.5 inches 

Materials
Infused Iron | Reinforced Bovine Leather

Attributes

Defiant: Shirt negates piercing and blunt damage.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items. 

Abilities
Defiant | Synergy

Power Source
External Essence

Evolution
No

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

“You had this made? Even without the production method?” Sal asked in confusion, which elicited a chuckle from Chatfield.

“Yes. My team doesn’t need production methods. Any self-respecting Crafter should know how to create a product from an immaculate blueprint. I’m guessing you’ve gotten complaints from first-year students? It makes sense for them not to know their arse from their elbow, at least for now. Most Crafters who use essence can skip the hard parts, but the ones who are learning everything from scratch have to learn every single thing the hard way. For our plan to work, we’ll need to give them a production method, but that’s where Forge comes in. He can reverse engineer literally anything, so we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Sal nodded slowly as he turned the breastplate over in his hands. “Why do you have this with you? I thought this crate was materials your team thought I might need instead of the ones I requested?”

Rather than answering, Chatfield withdrew the remaining parts of the armor set and placed them on the table. When all the pieces were out, he reached toward the bottom of the crate and picked out a leather-bound folio. He placed it to one side and then reached back in to withdraw a stack of metal wafers, which gave off an ethereal white glow. It looked like they were emitting a tiny coat of mist that hung above the surface, swaying ever so slightly as they were placed on the table.

What followed was another stack of what looked like red glass, all cut in different sizes, from long and wide at the bottom, to the smallest shard at the top. Sal was so absorbed in the blood-red material that he was startled when Chatfield closed the crate and lifted it off the table to place it on the floor. When he straightened back up, he slid the folio closer to him and flipped it open.

“Doctor Ameye was kind enough to poke a few holes through our concept. He’s the United Guilds Association’s top-ranked Crafting expert, and has a similar ability to you. His maxed out at Legendary grade, but the things he’s accomplished have been nothing short of extraordinary.

“Apparently, the evolutionary trait that you tied to the sniper rifle is only compatible with weapons. It won’t have the same effect on armor sets, unless you add a method for essence absorption. Doctor Ameye suggested that we incorporate some of these runes but insisted that it would be highly improbable that they’d work with lower-tier materials. If that’s the case, then it will just increase our initial costs. The United Guilds Association and Hunter Bureau are behind this project completely, so we’ll make it work no matter what.”

Chatfield slid a few of the pages across the table and Sal saw that they were all runes. His eyes weren’t picking up anything from it, so he placed the piece of paper over the breastplate in front of him, trying to recreate the moment where the sniper rifle blueprint overlapped with the blueprint for Blink’s dagger. The result was instantaneous as his Mythcrafter ability flared to life. The lines from the rune replicated themselves across the piece of armor, and failed rapidly again and again until they found a position that fit. Sal encouraged the ability to move into the concept stage, to see what it would be like, and his eyes flickered as the information shifted immediately.

“Looks like this rune allows for damage absorption? It’s not actually an evolutionary rune, though?” Sal asked curiously as he glanced up in confusion at Chatfield, who sifted through the different pages.

“Ah, my mistake. They all look the same. Here, try this one?”

He slid across another page, and Sal picked it up before looking back down at the folio.

Chatfield shook his head as he packaged them all up and slid the entire folio across. “I don’t know why I’m trying to make sense of them—you can take the lot. Doctor Ameye drew them up specifically for you and wished you the best of luck with it. He’s an incredible person to have in your corner, so I hope you’ll put his rune designs to good use.”

Sal faltered at those words, with his Mythcrafter ability deactivating as he looked up at Chatfield in shock. “You’re saying that he created these runes? I thought all runes were copied from portal artifacts.”

Chatfield nodded as he gestured at the folio. “Yes, all of them were crafted by him. He’s a realm apart from the other Crafters in the United Guilds Association, but is fiercely reclusive. Insists on working solo, but gifts us with his designs every now and again. Our train network wouldn’t exist without him, and our barrier technology was vastly improved because of his contributions. Most of his time is spent on hunting down rare materials for his workshop, so we see him infrequently. He was thrilled to find out about you, though. I told him about your tracker issue, and he laughed.”

Chatfield smiled as he gestured at the blood-red glass on the table. “Apparently lord crystal is good, but scarlet screen is unparalleled.” He gestured at the misty shards of metal. “And scarlet screen has a number of Synergy bonuses with moonsilver, especially when they’re being used for information gathering. They’re ridiculously expensive, but Doctor Ameye said they were a gift. He’s included a few runes for the tracker, too.”

“He could have just made it for me.” Sal laughed as he shuffled through the pages for the runes. It didn’t take him long to see a rough blueprint that was accompanied by a barely legible scrawl. Sal tilted his head to the side and read through it, wondering whether it was anything to do with the production of the tracker.

Moonsilver is perfect for essence management. It naturally absorbs environmental essence, which is what makes it such a rare material. With such little space to work with, you need to prioritize the surface area of the tracker, and not needing a self-sustaining rune is a godsend. It provides a minor calming effect, which is excellent for concentration, meditation, and resisting fear-based attacks. As an evolutionary component, it would easily pave the way to Legendary grade.

Sal looked to the next paragraph on the other side of the page, curious to know whether it had anything to do with the scarlet screen.

Scarlet screen is typically used in equipment designed for information gathering, because it’s simply the best material for what it does. It can pierce through any barrier and pull information. A child with scarlet screen equipment could see the full statistical breakdown of a commander variant through twenty layers of essence barriers. It detects information and ignores whatever guards it. It has a terrifyingly fast calculation time, if synced with a powerful enough core. My advice would be to use at least a Rare grade of core if you’re going to create something at the Uncommon level, but if you can manage to make something with scarlet screen and moonsilver that turns out to be anything less than Rare, you’re a more skilled Crafter than me.

“What do you think he means by this part?” Sal asked Chatfield as he read the last part of the paragraph aloud.

Chatfield clicked his fingers as though he had just remembered something. “Ah, yes. Doctor Ameye mentioned that your idea to make a low-grade item and have it evolve to something greater was excellent. It’s a method he uses quite regularly, but he said the limitation is the components. Some of them just can’t be made into low grades. I think he’s insinuating that the combination of scarlet screen and moonsilver will naturally end up as a Rare-grade item. Getting it lower would mean that it has further evolutionary capabilities, right?”

Sal nodded as he lowered the page and looked at the materials again. “I’m happy to use these and the designs he’s given me, but I don’t think it’s going to turn out great. If my craftsmanship is bad with this, then it just won’t work. Is that what he meant about it being a Rare grade?”

When Sal looked up, he saw that Chatfield had his head tilted to one side as he tried to read one of the sheets of paper. Chatfield didn’t answer, so Sal looked back down to the page and studied the mock-up of the blueprint. It was different than the tracker blueprint that Sal had created from Quest’s device.

When his Mythcrafter ability looked at the drawing, it was just the perfect amount of information to flood his brain with a new design. The materials on the table lit up in his vision and he could see an orange glow emanating from them, highlighting them as Legendary grade. It was a lot to consider, and Sal was a little frustrated with his ability for being unable to identify the traits. So much of the design was blocked from him because he didn’t have a high enough understanding of the materials. He needed the Analysis ability to properly inspect them.

Sal turned to where the first chest rested on the table. An idea popped into his head. “Did you bring the materials I requested so I could make a prototype tracker? I’d be able to use it for Analysis, then make a better one with these new materials…but it seems like such a waste.” He grimaced as he touched the scarlet screen and looked back at Chatfield.

This time, Chatfield acknowledged the question and shrugged. “You requested materials, and I got them for you. The moonsilver and scarlet screen are from Doctor Ameye, so you can do what you wish with those. Might be worthwhile to make your prototype as intended, and apply your learnings to crafting the tracker that the doctor designed. He’s unparalleled in his field, so I highly doubt he’s steering you in the wrong direction.”

With a brief nod, Sal opened up the first crate.

Chatfield dragged a stool closer to the table and took a seat. He watched Sal intently as he placed a stack of lord crystal on the surface of the table, followed by several refined ingots of hellfire titanium. When Sal glanced up at Chatfield, the lecturer just gestured for him to continue.

“You’ve got everything you need, right? Don’t mind me. I just want to see a Mythcrafter in action.”

Chapter 25 - Core Issue

When the monocle connected to Sal’s skin, he felt a sudden shift beyond anything he’d ever experienced. It was like a blanket of reassuring clarity suddenly enveloped him, letting him see things without a hint of anxiety.

All his fears of not being able to make the tracker that Doctor Ameye specified melted away and left him with a solid faith in his own capability. The sensation was completely different from the Crafting specifications that threw themselves at his eyes when he activated the Mythcrafter ability. He was able to calmly take in information all around him without any of the accompanying doubts.

Sal looked down at the grid of pages that Doctor Ameye had sent over; the monocle flashed red as it pulled the relevant information from each source, collating it. All the hints and tips were suddenly a singular construct and Sal knew exactly what was expected of him. Separately, the pages were ambiguous, but together, they gave a clear vision, and Sal wanted to execute it immediately.

Chatfield’s voice sounded out, and Sal realized he had missed half of his sentence. The monocle managed to deduce the meaning beyond the words, and Sal knew that Chatfield was excited about the Mythcrafter ability. Little clues became obvious as Chatfield’s body language gave away his eagerness to see Sal start the tracker. How his eyes moved between the materials and the blueprints. How the corner of his mouth twitched upward more regularly than before. How his tone had pitched ever so slightly.

Sal could deduce all the little tells that told him a completely different story from the words that were being spoken. The monocle was truly an incredible piece of equipment and there was no way Sal was going to part with it after seeing its effects. With that knowledge in mind, Sal attempted to manage Chatfield’s expectations.

“I’m going to use the monocle to assist with the construction of the tracker. Now that I know how the materials work, I’m going to use a blend of my designs and Doctor Ameye’s. If there are materials left, I’ll create another monocle with the same process, and I’ll keep one and sell you the other.”

Sal spoke in a matter-of-fact tone and felt as though the Calm ability had nullified some of his speech pattern. What would normally have been an apologetic proposal came out as a statement of fact. Chatfield’s nod was an indicator that the terms were fine for him, but Sal noticed a small release of tension in his shoulder blades. He was clearly relieved, and further proof was the slightly more animated movement when he took his seat on the stool. It was like a series of micro-tells informing Sal of everything.

When Sal turned his attention back to the design, he brought up his own mental image of Quest’s tracker, and then layered it against Doctor Ameye’s proposals. Deduction picked out the relevant information without bombarding Sal with a trial-and-error approach. It was like a synergy had been reached with the two abilities, and they were talking to each other about the best route forward.

Sal closed his left eye so he could concentrate his attention through the monocle. It didn’t improve anything, so he opened his eye again and watched as the skills picked apart the design. Much to Sal’s surprise, Deduction highlighted the fact that the weapon-oriented evolutionary trait didn’t synchronize with the tracker. Mythcrafter had found a solution based on Sal’s intent, but it wasn’t ideal. It would likely have created a set of offensive abilities on the tracker that would allow for essence absorption.

Sal waited patiently as the calculations ran in front of him. A series of virtual blueprints attempted a build and then changed to find a more optimal solution. Adding moonsilver and scarlet screen had drastically improved the capabilities of his original design, but Doctor Ameye’s advice looked to be a stark reality. It wasn’t going to be anything lower than a Rare-grade item if he used those materials and added the evolutionary trait.

A lower-tier starting point would give the tracker a much better evolutionary path, as it would acquire more skills with each stage of growth. Sal didn’t want to make concessions with such rare materials, so he focused his attention on finding a solution. Every time the Mythcrafter ability snapped the design to the Rare grade starting point, Sal would drag it back to Common, and each time it would fail. When that didn’t work, Sal gradually pulled it back by stages, from Upper Rare grade, to Mid, and then finally to Low.

When the design showed it was stable, Sal attempted to pull it back a single stage to Upper Uncommon grade and held his breath. For some reason, his normal sense of tension and anxiety was nowhere to be found. There was no anticipation in Sal’s body, and he unconsciously realized that the Calm effect was subduing those emotions. A few seconds later, with multiple iterations calculating in front of him, Sal felt a sliver of hope as the blueprint almost completed before failing with a slight flash.

Rather than being disheartened, Sal recreated the simulation in his head and paid attention to the area that flashed. It was the core.

“Okay, then let’s try this,” Sal whispered as he pushed the calculation for the tracker to one side and focused on the essence core component.

The grades weren’t necessarily the problem; it was the fact that it was being added as a raw component. None of Doctor Ameye’s notes had made any reference to the cores, so Sal was left to determine a course of action himself. He looked at the blueprint and noted that the cores were equipped with self-replenishing runes, which took up a chunk of available surface area.

Sal straightened suddenly and sighed. He was an idiot. With a slight shake of his head, he turned each of the pages and let Deduction compile the information available. He had already read the paragraph from Doctor Ameye about the surface area, and something as simple as not looking at the other side of a sheet had almost derailed him.

“Let’s try that again,” Sal muttered as he reformed the calculations without the core operating as a battery.

As far as he could tell, it would restrict his usage of the tracker as it needed to recharge over time, but that was a concession he was willing to make if it gave him a few hours at a time, or allowed him to sync it with an external core. Not having it integrated made the lowering of grades much easier, and Sal found himself hitting a wall when he tried to move from the Upper Uncommon grade to Upper Common grade. The difference this time was that there were no hints or clues about how to make it lower than that.

No flashes appeared, and nothing obvious struck Sal. He even changed around a few of the runes to see whether they’d lower the specs, but it didn’t work. After an age of trial and error, the lowest he managed to get to was Low Uncommon grade. Sal didn’t know whether the movement from Low, to Mid, to Upper would constitute an evolution, and he didn’t want to end up setting the bar too low. The last thing he wanted was to needlessly increase the distance between the starting and finishing line.

“Would it help to talk through your process?” Chatfield asked as he placed a cup of coffee in front of Sal, who looked at it in surprise.

Clearly the Perception ability was taking a rest while he was at work. With a quick glance to Chatfield, Sal smiled and gestured at the air in front of him.

“Just going through a series of projections, and incorporating Doctor Ameye’s advice. His evolutionary rune works for the design; the materials are great, but it’s a question of whether I want to have an integrated core to power it. If I go without, it’ll have a better evolutionary path, but likely slower. Also, without an integrated core, it’s likely to have harsher restrictions as it progresses. My original flawed design used the assumption that it would gather essence from combat, which isn’t very likely.”

Sal tilted his head as he spoke. He should be relieved that he was able to make a tracker with the best materials and that it would even have an evolutionary path. The thing stopping him from making it as it was presented to him, and accepting the Rare grade, was that Doctor Ameye gave him this task as a test. If he was to make it without the core, then he would essentially be making an unreliable product and it would likely be a waste of the materials he’d been gifted.

Chatfield laughed as he propped his head up with his palm, leaning on the table with an elbow. “You need to think long-term. If this is going to be your tracker for the foreseeable future, you’ll need to future-proof it. Having something unreliable that needs to be recharged in a moment of crisis isn’t going to work. I saw that your equipment has a Synergy effect when you transformed your arms. Why don’t you Synergize the tracker with your armor? That removes the problem of adding a core, as it’ll use your gear as the power source.”

Sal shook his head and dismissed the suggestion with a wave. “That doesn’t account for essence generation. I’d end up speeding up the chances of me getting dregs again.” Sal ignored the inquisitive look that crossed Chatfield’s face. “If I was going to have a separate source of essence gathering, it would likely need to be a new set. The smartest choice would probably be a crown of some description, if I was basing it on proximity. Maybe a pendant, like Upgrade used to wear around her neck?”

He was thinking out loud as he stared into the space in front of him, wishing that Mythcrafter would just solve the problem for him.

“Well, how about thinking about it from a different angle? You need a huge surge of essence to get it evolving? Make a weapon.” Chatfield said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sal didn’t know whether it was because of the calming effect of the monocle or not, but he wasn’t opposed to the idea. It felt like a logical conclusion. While he thought about the potential ways it might work, Chatfield continued with his reasoning.

“You could forgo the integrated core on the tracker and have it Synergized with the weapon, which would mean that it’ll never run out of juice during a fight. Kill enough demons and it’ll force the evolution. Problem solved.”

Sal nodded and couldn’t find any issue with it. Quest, Barry, and now Chatfield all encouraged him to make a weapon. The only person against it was himself, and it was because of an ingrained fear of being on the front lines fighting demons. Sal had never completed a set before, but he had appraised his outfit and understood its Synergy. He hoped that would be enough to make it work.

An idle thought in the back of his head was to pair the tracker with the Rare-grade sword, but he dismissed that idea for two reasons. First was that the sword absorbed all excess essence from the user. It wouldn’t leave anything spare for the tracker. Second was the fact that it was more powerful in Anthony’s hands, and taking it from him would reduce their versatility in the inter-cohort battles to come.

With a grimace, Sal willed the gun blueprint from Quest’s office to appear beside the tracker. He needed them to be synergistic, and Mythcrafter understood immediately.

Where the tracker calculations had been slow and gradual, the hypothetical schematics for the gun went through the same steps at a lightning pace. Multiple variations appeared and self-corrected, disappearing from view in a blink. It went through dozens of possibilities before stabilizing. He slowly went through all the details to see whether it met his criteria.

Evolutionary trait, check. Synergy with the tracker concept, check. Purely powered by essence, check. That last part was something Sal realized he wanted specifically. Reloading in a fight seemed like a huge hassle, so he wanted to have it powered from internal cores.

Because the gun was a revolver, the normal method for firing was combustion. Sal wanted to replace it with essence, even if it meant the evolution requirements would be harsher.

Sal took a sip of his coffee and was surprised that it was cold. He looked up at Chatfield, almost accusingly, but all he got was a laugh.

“I’m not sure about your sense of time, but you’ve been in here for at least five hours. That coffee has been sitting there for over an hour.” Chatfield stretched as he flipped his tablet back over and glanced through the notifications on the screen.

“I had originally put aside a few hours to see you in action, but after seeing the monocle, I want to see this through. Even if it comes out at a lower grade like you’re aiming for, I think it’ll be something exceptional. Then, we’ll be able to get your feedback on the materials before we start making some prototypes. At this pace, it looks like we might have an all-nighter on our hands.”

There was no harshness in his voice, and Sal could see that he was excited at the prospect of seeing more Crafting.

Sal followed his example and withdrew his own tablet from his pocket. There were a few messages from Divinity, Hannah, and Upgrade. The first two were asking him whether he had any weekend plans, but Upgrade was asking what he was up to and if she could come in and see what was going on.

As Sal scrolled through the messages, he saw Upgrade’s patience dwindling with each subsequent message until the most recent one that threatened to break into the room and take up residence on the couch. Sal sent a quick message that she was free to join them, but that he was going to be concentrating on Crafting.

With that done, he pocketed his tablet and focused on the task at hand. The blueprint for the gun didn’t matter right now. He needed to make the tracker as his priority, and then he could use the same materials to create the gun to ensure they had good cohesion and the Synergy trait.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Sal said, and looked at Chatfield’s passive expression before clarifying. “I mean it this time.”

Chapter 24 – Detection

Sal popped open the cylinder that housed his tracker blueprint, his gaze landing on the range of materials that had been sent over to him. Cores of varying levels, hellfire titanium and lord crystal shimmered in front of him, all brimming with potential as though they were just waiting to be used. His Mythcrafter ability recognized each of them easily, unlike the range of materials that had been in the third chest.

As Sal unfurled the blueprint and spread it against the surface of the worktable, he reached over to Doctor Ameye’s notes and plucked the one with the armor rune from the pile.

He wondered whether he should just use Doctor Ameye’s designs from the outset, or whether he should trust in his own. From everything Chatfield had said of the legendary Crafter, there was a lot he could learn from him. Sal was a lot of things, but arrogant wasn’t one of them. He reached over and took the entire folio of runes and information, sifting through them and placing each of them in a grid formation.

When they were all facing him, he looked down at his own blueprint with a newfound perspective. Mythcrafter wasn’t activating off the pages alone, so he needed to work for the full design that Doctor Ameye was presenting to him. A wry smile crossed his face as he wondered whether that was the doctor’s true intention.

“Do you think he’s testing me with all of this?” Sal looked across the table to where Chatfield was seated, reading through information on his tablet.

Without looking up, Chatfield nodded. His voice followed in a murmur, as whatever he was reading was clearly holding most of his attention.

“Yes. It’s a test. You’ve restored an existing core back to Epic grade, and an existing sniper rifle up to Legendary. There’s also the Rare-grade sword that you’ve worked on. But when it comes to crafting from scratch, we only have your equipment from the tournament for reference. Doctor Ameye suggested that we give you some pieces of a puzzle and see what you come up with. The cores in there should give you more than enough essence to brute force your own designs, so this’ll come down to you and how you perform.”

Chatfield turned his tablet over so the screen faced the table. He looked at Sal and met his gaze. “I’ll be using my Concept ability to replicate your finished product, and I’ll be presenting it to the United Guilds Association and Hunter Bureau for assessment. There are enough materials here for a few attempts, so just take your time and do your best.”

Sal whistled as he exhaled, looking back down at the materials on the table. The tray of cores all looked to be completely full of essence. He was immediately reminded of the process where he had made Hannah’s gauntlets. That was the last time he had crafted using brute force instead of technique.

A smile formed on Sal’s face as he realized how far he had come from that night in the dorms. He wasn’t going to launch himself into Crafting without a bit of preparation, though.

Without so much as another word, Sal brought over a fresh blueprint page and placed it over his existing one that was designed off Quest’s tracker. There was no way for him to incorporate the scarlet screen or moonsilver into the design as he didn’t understand the properties of the materials. It was just like how he applied traits to equipment: he needed to understand the power before he could use it in his designs.

Sal wished that he had appraised something in the past that used the two new materials, so he’d be able to factor them in with his ability rather than working with them blind. He made the rough outline of a new tracker that blended Doctor Ameye’s designs and his own when an idea suddenly struck him.

Sal took a step back from the design and quickly moved around the table to the opposite side of Chatfield. He picked up the smallest piece of scarlet screen and placed it to one side. Chatfield looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but Sal didn’t pay any attention as he activated his gloves. He threw a surge of power through his body, overloading the gloves on his hands until they turned into their mechanical form.

Almost like a reflex, Sal yanked back on his essence and leashed its output. He wouldn’t need it for long, but Sal shot his essence to one of the cores on the table to tether himself and get some breathing room. His mind knew exactly what he was hoping to do, and the memory of Crafting the gauntlets had given him an idea.

The scope that he had made with Martin for the sniper rifle had been appraised before, so the rune on the lens was still somewhere in his mind. Sal wanted to use the least amount of materials, so he took a single plate of moonsilver and cut a slender strip from its length. His newly clawed index finger thankfully responded to his intentions as it started to glow, cutting through the moonsilver in a perfect line. Sal’s left hand whirred as it worked on refining the shard of scarlet screen into a more manageable condition.

The sensation was like kneading a malleable marble, and the combination of his essence and the mechanical arm made short work of it. Sal took the small, coin-sized disk and held it up to the light. It was a little rough, but it could be refined with essence toward the end. He sent a mental pulse to his right arm and it quickly morphed into the engraver attachment, which got to work instantly, etching out the rune he had made for the scope on the sniper rifle. Each line was tiny but perfectly executed. Sal triple-checked it from every angle, making tiny adjustments for his own satisfaction.

The strip of moonsilver had originally been the length of his palm, but Sal had rolled it with his essence to make it almost twice that long. While it was still glowing and cooling down from the sudden change in form, Sal pressed it into the edge of the circular lens of the scarlet screen. He would have time to smooth it out later, but he needed to adhere them to each other for his plan to work. It didn’t take the entire length of prepared moonsilver to cover the circumference of the coin, so Sal broke off the excess and put it to one side. His mechanical arms got to work as he pushed his essence into refining the blend of materials. There wasn’t enough space to add an Analysis rune because the surface area wasn’t large enough. He wasn’t even sure any of this was going to work, but he was curious to see the idea through.

When the coin was refined successfully, Sal moved back to the excess strip of moonsilver he had rolled. He visualized a small but intricate chain that would attach to his creation. It was a ridiculous design, but it made sense in his head. The chain was surprisingly the most difficult part of the whole thing as he had to create dozens of tiny links and join them up. Their tiny size would have made it an absolute nightmare if he did it without his mechanical gloves, but thankfully, they made quick work of it.

Sal had no idea how much time had passed, but he didn’t care. A wide smile had taken root on his face when his Mythcrafter ability picked up the design and offered improvements. It was just like Hannah’s gauntlets, where he needed to show the proof of concept and then let his ability take over for the remainder.

Sal tried to temper his expectations as he worked, but there was a growing excitement in his chest. When it was complete, he’d be able to Appraise it and see the value of the two materials and their Synergies. Surely if the Mythcrafter ability was giving him pointers on improving the product, that meant it had been a success? With great effort, he pushed those thoughts aside as he followed the instructions Mythcrafter gave him. It created a ridged design pattern on the moonsilver and offered a different rune variation for the center of the scarlet screen.

Additionally, it created a loop at the top of the construct for his chain to attach to, and then a small anchor for the base of the chain. The small improvements were carefully executed, and Sal could feel that it improved the design overall. Knowing that Upgrade would kill him if he didn’t, Sal wrote “Myth” at the base of the anchor with the engraver. Time would tell whether he’d come to regret signing it, especially if it turned out to be shit.

With all the refinements done, Sal flooded the construct with his essence, filling in the minor gaps that had cropped up throughout the process.

Sal took a step back and deactivated his gloves, staring intently at the construct as it glowed radiantly from its place on the table. As far as Sal was concerned, there was a fifty-fifty chance that it would turn into something worthwhile, but there was no guarantee.

Combing a hand through his hair, Sal sighed and bit his lip as he waited. He couldn’t remember how long it had taken the rifle to complete its process, and the Rare-grade sword had vibrated as it was being completed. A sliver of doubt crept into Sal’s mind as he leaned closer to the device, trying to determine whether it was moving at all.

Sal suddenly felt a presence beside him and turned to see Chatfield staring at him in shock. Sal blinked in surprise, completely forgetting that he was in the room. Just as he was about to apologize for jumping into Crafting without explaining his thought process, the glowing stopped. Both of them turned to look at it and activated their abilities. Sal’s nervousness washed away as a smile crossed his lips.

Name

Myth’s Moonsilver Monocle

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Unique (Low)

Dimensions
40mm Monocle Diameter | 16 inches Chain

Materials
Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft Essence

Attributes

Calm: Wearer enters a calm flow-state when activated.

Insight: Wearer can analyze patterns and predict outcomes.

Deduction: Wearer can rapidly process real-time information.

Perception: Wearer is hyper-aware of their environment and can assess threats.

Abilities
Calm | Insight | Deduction | Perception

Power Source
External Essence

Evolution
No

Quality

Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $95,000.00 – $140,000.00

When the Appraisal finished, Sal exhaled slowly and couldn’t help but be amazed at how well it had worked out. For something he had thrown together, it had truly become incredible. The key differences from when he had worked on Hannah’s gauntlets were the access to a reserve of essence, his new gloves and equipment, and the premium materials.

A part of him knew deep down that there was a higher chance of success, and it really hammered home how incredible the Mythcrafter ability was. In the back of his head, he knew that Upgrade would kill him for not following proper process and blueprinting the design before starting, but he didn’t care. He had created an entirely new piece of equipment from a random thought that had popped into his head. It was a tiny amount of materials and it had resulted in something well beyond his expectations.

When he turned to Chatfield, Sal was surprised to see that he was wearing a replica of the monocle. Chatfield’s obvious disbelief gave Sal a surge of pride that made his smile grow wider. He couldn’t resist his next words.

Sal gave a melodramatic sigh as he gestured across the table to where the blueprint sat untouched. “Sorry, I’ll get back to the tracker now. I just wanted to make something quick to see how the materials worked together.”

Chatfield pointed at the monocle on his right eye and laughed. “Bullshit. The Insight ability on this is telling me you’re lying. Apparently, you’re just as surprised as I am.”

Sal couldn’t help but join him in laughing. “It was worth a shot. I saw that it had Insight, but the descriptor isn’t that useful. It’s a lie detector?”

Sal reached for the monocle on the table and noticed that the lens had maintained its blood-red hue. The moonsilver around it was still emitting a small mist-like effect that made it sparkle ever so slightly.

No matter what way Sal looked at it, it was a premium piece of equipment. The appraisal value was also a little terrifying, considering that he had made it as a test. He couldn’t help but wonder whether he should abandon the tracker concept and just mass-produce the monocle design to sell them all off. Sal stared at the materials and tried to calculate how many of the monocles he’d be able to make if he spent the full weekend producing them.

“Whatever train of thought you’re on, I’d suggest you stop,” Chatfield chided as he gestured again at the monocle as though it were explanation enough. He was smiling throughout.

“It’s not just a lie detector. I’ve seen various pieces of kit designed for Heroes, and this is very much in line with what we’d source for Controllers. It would be useful in the battlefield, but its true strength would be in negotiation. Insight allows you to read the behaviors of people, their body language, their speech pattern, and even predict their next move. Perception essentially allows you to read the room and sense any threats that might be lurking. When you add Deduction, you’re processing all the information from the other abilities at an insanely fast speed, all while maintaining composure. Which you’ve got with the Calm ability. It’s perfect for high-stakes negotiation! Since you said that you just made it as an experiment, sell it to me.”

Chatfield’s face was deadly serious, and Sal was a little conflicted about how he wanted to proceed. He wanted to maintain a good relationship with Chatfield, but he didn’t want to part with the monocle. If it was as good as he said, it would be invaluable to Sal as a Crafter who was constantly thrown into negotiations. On the other hand, it had taken a short amount of time to make and with minimal materials. Maybe it wasn’t the worst idea for him to sell it to Chatfield.

After a few moments of deliberation, Sal moved back toward the blueprint on the table and aired his thoughts. “How much do you think it’s worth?” Sal grinned as he lifted the monocle and placed it over his right eye.

Chapter 26 – Sealed

With just the virtual blueprint as his guide, Sal snapped his mechanical arms into place with the now-instinctive leashing of essence. Upgrade had been right about it needing practice, and how it would become second nature to him. He tethered his essence to a fresh core as he placed the materials he’d need nearby. It was almost a third of the scarlet screen, but that didn’t matter now. Sal just needed to follow the instructions in the blueprint and he’d be fine.

Making an intentionally low-grade tracker with the materials was going to be a challenge, and using just his essence for every part was going to be harder. A small part of him wished that he had Martin and Gosia to help him with the smaller pieces, but he wouldn’t have a team helping him forever. He needed to learn how to do all this himself. He started with the earpiece part. It was going to be constructed with moonsilver and required almost a full stack of the material.

Over a dozen wafers of the material were propped within reach as he started to bend the material between his clawed fingers. He just needed to get the rough shape of it before he added more layers. Two pieces would be secured around the scarlet screen, and he’d fuse them together with essence.

Sal was grateful for the monocle and its Calm effect. None of the uncertainties that usually popped up were present, and he was filled with a wholesome sense of calm. With a smile, he continued to form the moonsilver into the shape he wanted.

Whenever it got too thin, he’d add more of the shimmering metal. It was almost hypnotic to watch as his mechanical hand melted the material down with essence and guided it to fill in the gaps. Mythcraft was acting like an invisible barrier around the proposed shape, allowing the molten moonsilver to fill the essence-like mold completely. His mind told him the ideal temperatures, and his hands adjusted it instinctively. Sal’s left hand repeated the process with the backplate of the tracker, halving the time that it would take if it did them separately.

The essence consumption was much higher than usual, and on par with the amount required to forge the Legendary sniper rifle. Sal could only guess that it was because of the higher-quality materials needing more essence to be broken down and refined. Just to be on the safe side, Sal tethered to an additional core. He didn’t want any volatility to occur that might upset the process. When he was sure that the moonsilver was formed correctly and met all the blueprint requirements, he left them cooling and picked up the scarlet screen.

According to the blueprint, he needed to layer them on top of each other to increase the efficacy. Sal didn’t hesitate as his hands moved almost automatically on the first layer. He pieced together the shards of various sizes until they were in the shape of a large square. Next, he used his essence to fuse the shards together, creating a much larger sheet of scarlet screen that he could work with. It would reduce the overall fragmentation than if he just congealed them all into a ball and tried to smooth it out.

When the sheet was complete, Sal cut out the proposed visor with some room for error around the edges. He then used that as a template and cut four more identical pieces from the sheet. With a steady breath, Sal double-checked the blueprint instructions before changing his mechanical attachment to the engraver. He needed to add runes to each of the five thin sheets of visor, and all of them were going to be different.

The engraver needle glowed with Mythcrafter essence as Sal got to work tracing the necessary runes. It was a delicate task as the sheets were almost as thin as the needle itself; going too hard on the engraving would potentially snap them. It was the most nerve-racking part of the process, but Sal was completely at ease as he seamlessly moved from engraving to engraving. When they were completed, he didn’t hesitate in stacking them together.

Sal compressed the five sheets until they became a singular layer of scarlet screen, using his essence to blend them into one unblemished piece. Next, he curved the piece while it was infused with his essence, achieving the angle he was looking for. It would insert between the earpiece components and wrap around the front of his face to cover his right eye.

Sal carefully shaved away the excess from the visor, using an attachment he didn’t even know the name of. It was on his hand and the Mythcrafter ability knew that it was the best tool for the job, so Sal didn’t question it. He ensured that it would fit his face by holding it up in front of him and made sure it didn’t cut into his nose. It was probably the first moment of personal customization in the whole process, and he smiled when it was shaved down to be a perfect fit. Another reason he was happy was down to the clear runes he could see overlapping throughout the five engraved layers.

Checking back on the moonsilver, Sal could see that they had successfully cooled. There were no imperfections on the surface, but Sal inspected them closely before continuing. The next part of the process involved polishing the moonsilver to ensure that there was no dirt that would interfere with his engravings. It took very little rubbing with his mechanical hand to reveal the lustrous misty glimmer of the moonsilver, and Sal leaned down to get back to work. He placed the virtual blueprint over the cast pieces of moonsilver, and it gave him a bright line to follow with his engraver. Sal followed each of the lines to perfection, going over them twice to ensure they were done properly.

It was his second ever evolutionary rune, but unlike the sniper rifle, this one seemed to take the first time he applied it. That could change when he poured his essence into the finished product, but that was something he’d worry about in a few minutes.

With a glance at the blueprint, Sal smiled again as it became time to put the pieces together. The blood-red visor nestled into the carved groove on the moonsilver. Rather than clunking on the remainder of the earpiece, it was designed to slide into place.

Sal was rewarded with a satisfying click when the pieces combined, securing the visor between them. It still wasn’t done, though, as he’d need to blend the pieces together with his Mythcrafter essence. Right before he was about to put the finishing touches on it and inspect it, Sal became aware of the limited essence in the core he had just tethered to.

With a raised eyebrow, he moved his connection to the next one and was relieved that the reserve was almost completely full. A flash of Appraisal told him that they were Rare-grade cores, which answered a lot of his silent questions. He was used to operating with an Epic-grade core for Crafting, which explained the lower output. Sal placed more moonsilver and scarlet screen beside the tracker, just in case it needed additional materials for the final form.

Just looking at the design, Sal was skeptical. It looked incredibly premium and he couldn’t believe that it would come out at the Uncommon grade. He had no choice but to put those thoughts aside as he threw his essence into it. His mechanical fingers massaged the essence into the various cracks that had separated the components. The shaved edges of the visor became polished as Sal’s essence glided over it. It was an agonizingly slow process, but Sal didn’t feel any urgency as he continued carefully.

From his infusion of essence, he could tell that the evolutionary rune was working perfectly. The potentially problematic runes in the visor were also operational and working smoothly. If they had been flawed, it would have required him to start the whole thing again.

Eventually, Sal had to admit that there were no more improvements that he could make. With a relieved smile, he stepped back and let go of his essence. His mechanical suit reverted to his Epic-grade uniform with fingerless gloves, and he finally noticed that Upgrade was in the room.

“Ah, you’ve arrived for the best part!” Sal announced with a grin, but Upgrade just looked at him quizzically. Sal wasn’t sure what he missed, but Chatfield came to the rescue with a chuckle.

“She’s been here for the last two hours, Sal.”

Sal blinked as he looked back at the still glowing and very much vibrating tracker on the table. “Sorry, I was just kinda lost in the process. Did I miss anything?”

Chatfield shrugged as he leaned back on his stool and gestured over at Upgrade. “Nothing really. We were having a chat about the proposed changes to production for the first-years. Then a back-and-forth about how…what was the word you used? Unhinged? Yeah, that was it. How unhinged my proposal is for the first-year curriculum.” Chatfield looked at Upgrade as though asking if she’d like to refute his comment.

She rolled her eyes and moved closer to the table, staring at the glowing tracker. When she glanced over at Sal, she had a tight smile on her face. “What happened to us using proper procedures for Crafting? No blueprints or any sign of the printers being used.”

Sal gestured at his right hand with his left. “Did you see how great my control was of the mechanical arms, though? I think that’s great progress!”

Before Upgrade could utter a response, the tracker stopped glowing and revealed its result. It took everyone by surprise, and Sal had to do a double take to verify that it was the same thing that he had created. What had previously been an impressive-looking tracker with a shimmering earpiece and blood-red visor was now just…a dull gray device with a smokey-red lens curled around the front. Sal didn’t hesitate as he looked at it with his Appraisal ability.

Name
[Sealed] Visor [Unsynced]

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Uncommon (Low)

Dimensions
Visor 2.5”, 4” | Earpiece 4”, 3.5”

Materials
Infused Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft Essence

Attributes

[Sealed] [2/16 Unlocked]

Analysis: Ability to interpret visual data and information.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items. 

Abilities
Analysis | Synergy | [Sealed] | [Sealed] | [Sealed] | [Sealed]…

Power Source
[Unsynced]

Evolution
Yes - 0%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $32,000.00 – $48,000.00

He had somehow managed to get it to the Uncommon grade, but there was so much information that his Appraisal wasn’t able to pick up. The fact that it had an evolutionary trait was the biggest relief. Sal stared at the design and was underwhelmed with how it looked.

A small part of him regretted the decision to have it synchronized with a weapon. If he had ignored all that, and the fact that it was a test from someone he had never met, he’d have at least a Rare-grade or Unique-grade tracker with an internal core. Sal couldn’t help but wince at the estimated value of the piece, as it took nearly ten times the amount of materials as the monocle, and came in at an estimated third of the price. Sure, it might be worth more if it evolved, but as it was right now…it felt like a waste of resources.

When Sal turned to look at Upgrade and Chatfield, they were staring at the tracker in awe. Chatfield was holding a Concept version of it, that he created with his own power. He turned it over in his hands, his eyes wide.

Sal guessed that he was just as shocked at how it had come out, but the monocle told Sal a different story. Judging from Chatfield’s expression and body language, he was delighted. That came as a surprise to Sal, who had this one chalked down as something of a failure.

“Sixteen!” Upgrade repeated, and Chatfield nodded with a laugh as he continued to turn it over in his hands.

Sal wondered whether he had an innate ability to understand the concepts he replicated.

Upgrade whirled around to Sal, smiling widely. “Sixteen! Sal, this is insane.”

Sal looked between the tracker and Upgrade, not sure he was following. The abilities were sealed, though, so it would take an age to unlock them, and he didn’t even know what order they would come through in. Additionally, without the power source to synchronize with it, Sal had no idea how long it would take to gain the required essence.

Upgrade just stared at him before reaching out and plucking the monocle from his face. “Hope you don’t mind, but I don’t think we need you under the Calm influence for this. Do you understand what sixteen ability slots mean?”

Sal blinked a few times and shook his head, both to signal that he didn’t know, and to get his senses back.

Upgrade grinned as she shared a knowing look with Chatfield. “If you count each level within the grades as an ability unlock…your sixteenth ability will be when the tracker evolves to the Mythic grade. We’ve never seen a Legendary grade with more than ten abilities! This is incredible, Sal.”

Sal looked at the tracker in a whole new light as his senses finally returned. A wide smile crossed his face as Chatfield’s voice pierced through the room.

“Should we order food, or are you going to make that gun on an empty stomach?”

Chapter 27 – Unhinged

Despite Upgrade’s protests, Chatfield eventually won out with his reasoning. With lowered chopsticks, he gestured over at the tracker that rested on the table.

“He has the Analysis ability in this new tracker, but it can’t operate properly without a tethered power source. It’s going to be useless to him until he pairs it with the gun. The whole purpose of today has been to get Sal his tracker so that he can use Analyze on the materials I brought over. We don’t have a large enough quantity of them for him to learn their uses through Crafting, so we need that Analysis ability for this to work.”

Upgrade didn’t look too enthusiastic about pushing Sal to continue Crafting. She continued to eat her sushi with a frown. Their conversation had been a back-and-forth about the potential of the tracker in the future, and Sal had started to slowly appreciate that it was a hell of an investment in the long-term.

Chatfield glanced at Upgrade to see whether she had any thoughts, but when he was met with silence, he continued with a meaningful look at Sal.

“Just seeing that you’re able to bring quality materials to such a low grade is excellent. We could end up equipping the Savior classes with high-quality low-grade sets that would enhance their capabilities in the future. It’ll really depend on how long it takes to absorb the required essence to move to the next stage, but if it’s a set amount…”

Chatfield looked away for a moment as though executing an internal calculation.

“If it was a set amount of essence per evolution threshold, then it wouldn’t even be a case of attuning over time. I was looking at this wrong, thinking that it would evolve in line with the wearer… But what if we equipped our frontline teams with those sets? They could smash through the thresholds and force the evolutions at a rapid pace.”

A sharp clicking noise drew both Chatfield and Sal’s attention to Upgrade, who tapped the tips of the chopsticks together again. Using them almost like an extension of her own hand, she pointed at the tracker on the table. “Before you rush to conclusions, we need to see what we’re dealing with. It might be capped at a set rate of essence over time, to ensure that the evolutions are gradual and consistent. Personally, I think your idea would cause them to break. A single hit from a leecher would probably halve the condition value of that tracker, so getting established Heroes to equip them out on the field could end up destroying them.”

Chatfield tapped the table in front of him as a smile appeared on his face. He was clearly enjoying their back-and-forth.

“But what if they only needed to push to the first evolution? It might not be on a determined path. Sal said it himself, that he had no idea what order the abilities would unlock. What if the pieces adapted to their environment and gained abilities that would be suited for the battlefield? If that were the case, it would be the best course of action to have them exposed to the front lines as soon as possible rather than doing nothing during classes for three years.”

Sal raised his hand to catch Chatfield’s attention. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I already inscribed the runes that I wanted the visor to unlock. They’re embedded in layers of scarlet screen and should activate when it reaches a certain grade of evolution. I don’t think the tracker will evolve into a completely different item based on the amount of essence it gets. I think it’s on a set path, but I just don’t know what it looks like right now.”

An awkward silence fell across the room, with the only sounds coming from Upgrade’s chopsticks as she continued piling sushi onto her plate.

Sal had been so absorbed with the Crafting that he hadn’t really paid attention to his own appetite, and despite his hunger, the sushi was definitely not hitting the spot. Vanessa had told him to expand his diet to feel the full effects of the training regimen, but there were limits to how willing he was to change his tastes.

When he looked up at Chatfield, Sal wondered whether he had built up enough of a rapport with the man to get an insight into his plans.

“So, what were the unhinged plans for the first-years? I’d like to say I’m curious, but I’m somewhat invested.” Sal laughed awkwardly, trying to get a read on Chatfield’s reaction.

He wished that he still wore the monocle to know what the man was thinking, but it turned out he didn’t need it. Chatfield was more than happy to explain his thought process.

“Unhinged was Upgrade’s term, not mine.”

Chatfield’s tone wasn’t harsh and there was the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

“To be very blunt, the progress rate of students isn’t at a high enough level. Having you fight each other in tournament-style battles has merit, but the war isn’t against humans. I want to alter the trajectory of your development and expose the first-years to demon combat as soon as possible. The excursion that I ran for the second-years was, for all intents and purposes, a complete shit-show. They have so much to learn, and they only have two years left to course correct. I want to bring the first-year cohorts on the same excursion in the next month or so. We’re going to either challenge the base floor of a tower or we’ll take turns in clearing low-level dungeons.”

Chatfield locked his gaze with Sal’s as he spoke. “It’s the only way to prepare students for the realities beyond. Coddling you within these walls for the next year doesn’t help anyone and will actually stunt your growth. The details are still being finalized, but it’s likely going to be announced during a Quest assembly in the coming weeks.”

Sal stared at him in shock, and Upgrade laughed.

She gestured at Sal with her chopsticks and looked at Chatfield. “Okay, now imagine that reaction multiplied by a thousand students. Many of whom are more vocal than Sal. The original curriculum was designed to ease the students into that environment, rather than just throwing them into the deep end. If you’re not careful, we’re going to have a horde of students dropping out before they learn their own strengths.”

Upgrade raised her hand to stop Chatfield from interrupting her. “No, I mean it. There are so many students who take time to come into their powers, and if you give them this shock right out of the gate, they’ll give up before they have a chance to flourish. Even if you tell me that they’re not cut out for it if they drop out now, I’d just like to point out that I wouldn’t have lasted as a first-year with your curriculum. When I got to second year, I started to understand my powers and how valuable they could be to society. I wouldn’t be a lecturer here if your plan was in place during my time at the academy.”

Chatfield sighed as he leaned his head against his palm. He gave Upgrade a sidelong glance before shaking his head.

“I understand completely. Not everyone learns at the same pace, and the new proposal won’t fit everyone’s capabilities. That’s why we’ll need buy-in from all the faculty to ensure the talented individuals who need fostering are given those supports. Since you were one of the students who needed more time, hopefully you can recognize the other ‘Upgrades’ within the first-year cohort.

“Our proposed changes to the curriculum are necessary, and we unfortunately need to cater to the majority to get the best results. I’ll be happy to listen to any recommendations you come up with to place a spotlight on the Support departments that might convince more students to stay.”

Chatfield sat up and gestured toward the door that led out to the workshop. “My idea for the production of armor sets with Sal here was to give the Supports a lifeline when it came to the demonic combat assessments. If a Support is able to craft the way we need them to, and they’re hitting quotas, they’ll be safe from expulsion. Even if they’re not hitting the mark in the Combat and Survival-oriented classes.”

Upgrade’s eyebrow cocked, and she scoffed at Chatfield in disbelief. “You’re saying that you planned a lifeline for the Support classes in advance of your curriculum proposal?”

Even without the monocle, Sal could hear the barbed tone. He started to wonder whether Upgrade was actually supportive of Chatfield’s plan or whether she was just telling him that so he wouldn’t worry.

Chatfield turned in his stool and aimed a wry grin at Upgrade. “Why is that so hard to believe? I don’t want us to lose talent, nor am I here to punish anyone. We’re not preparing the students enough for the war. All I’m doing is putting steps in place to help us reach our goals. All of us, including the Supports. Offense, Defense, and Controllers can thrive in the combat assessments, and Healers will be fast-tracked as an absolute necessity.

“It’s only logical that I’d try to find a solution for the Supports who would willingly camp in this workshop until they graduated. They need to know how to defend themselves. Some of them might even flourish out on the field. We could always do with more versatile people.”

Upgrade seemingly lost her appetite as she placed her chopsticks down on the plate, before pushing it away from her. Her face displayed a mixture of emotions, but judging from the tightness in her jaw, frustration was the main one.

Sal couldn’t foresee them agreeing any time soon, so he tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“I was thinking of using the Epic-grade core as the primary component of the gun. Fashioning it into a revolving cylinder, with hollowed-out chambers,” he said, voicing an idea that was playing around in his head.

It was the perfect distraction.

Upgrade turned her attention to him with a curious expression. “Wait, why would you waste an Epic-grade core on that? There are more effective ways to infuse essence into bullets, like what you did with the barrel of the sniper rifle.”

Upgrade was visibly confused, and Sal tried to explain the haphazard thought that had popped into his head. After he had seen the tiny material fragments he was going to inspect, he wondered whether they could be fashioned into bullets for the revolver. He wasn’t sure how it was going to work and he didn’t want to actually fire the materials, but rather use their individual effects.

“What if we created cartridges or housing units for each of the fragments in that chest? I could make it that the Epic-grade core would act as a catalyst for whatever properties we slotted into the chamber. Like…what if we put moonsilver in as a cartridge? Maybe it would fire an essence bullet with a calming effect. I don’t want to make the materials into actual projectiles, but like small cores that change the effects of each shot. Ideally, I’d be able to make the revolver and then the cartridges could be separate things I create as I discover new materials. It would add a lot to the versatility of the gun, and I’d be able to change the loadout for whatever situation I’m going into.”

Upgrade blinked before she gestured vaguely at the open air in front of him. “What are you waiting for? Check it out. See if that’s possible.”

She was immediately on her feet and walking over to the stacks of blueprint pages. Without any pomp or ceremony, she pulled one of them from the pile and slid it in front of Sal. “I know you don’t need to do this, but I won’t be able to understand everything that’s going on in your head. Sketch it out and talk me through it.”

Chatfield watched carefully from the other side of the table. “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but you currently have an unsynced tracker. Whatever design you go for needs to be synergistic with the tracker—otherwise, it’s just a waste of resources. Your concept sounds interesting, but it’s very ambitious. I’d rather you worked with the materials you have and the blueprint that’s available to you already from Quest. There’s no need to overcomplicate this, as it’s just the next step in understanding the materials you’ll need to assess for the armor sets.”

Chatfield’s voice was calm, but it was clear that he was concerned by the sudden change in project scope. Before Sal could apologize for the derailing, Upgrade stepped forward and gave Chatfield a level stare.

“I don’t mean to overstep, Captain. As the Crafting lecturer and Sal’s mentor, I’m fully behind him flexing his creative muscles like this. If you’d rather get some rest, we can call you when it’s done.”

Chatfield sighed resignedly and crossed his arms, but made no attempt to leave or dissuade Upgrade. Instead, he waved for Sal to proceed.

Sal gave Upgrade a small smile, and she rewarded him with an etcher.

“Don’t miss anything. I want as much context as possible, so draw everything your beautiful mind comes up with. Got it?”

Sal’s smile turned into a grin as he activated his Mythcrafter ability and got to work with the design. His intentions were wild, but the ability understood them as they fashioned the Epic-grade core into the rotating cylinder of the revolver. Just as Sal reached for the monocle, Upgrade grasped his wrist and gave him a playful smile.

“Augmenting your abilities is fine, but you don’t need that piece of glass to make this. You’ve got the skills yourself.”

Sal smiled sheepishly as he withdrew his hand and looked back into the space in front of him, where the images of the revolver were moving around slowly.

Upgrade leaned slightly closer to him and spoke in a quieter tone. “Besides, you’re a pretty shit conversationalist when you’re wearing that thing.”

Chapter 28 – Sapped

The rhythmic sounds of Upgrade’s snoring were oddly soothing, and Sal couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at the irony of her previous statement. He was the bad conversationalist? She was the one who had fallen asleep a couple of hours later.

Sal glanced up to see Chatfield slumped over on the stool, using his crossed arms as a pillow. He wasn’t nearly as audible, but was definitely asleep. Both had insisted they were fine and just closing their eyes for a bit, but that was an hour ago. Sal had even gone to the trouble of draping a blanket over Upgrade and clearing away the sushi plates.

After a while, the smell of the raw fish was distracting him, so he took the plates out of the room and disposed of it properly. He genuinely thought it was late in the evening, and wasn’t prepared for the fact that it was the middle of the night. With a quick calculation, he realized he’d been Crafting for over fifteen hours, but didn’t feel any real fatigue. Maybe it was the fact that he’d been tethering constantly to the different cores and preserving his own internal essence, or maybe it was the results of his training exercises. Either way, Sal wasn’t about to question it.

When he re-entered the room, he inspected the disassembled parts of his new revolver. He used the hellfire titanium that had been provided for his tracker as the Mythcrafter ability strongly suggested it for the gun, and Sal was more than happy to oblige.

Surprisingly, the lord crystal was suggested for most of the firing mechanism; Sal had thought the material was specifically oriented toward Psionic-based abilities. Maybe it was because the materials were in front of him, but Sal went through the motions and used all the suggestions his ability gave him. The barrel had been an interesting one too, which was made almost entirely of rolled moonsilver. He had to engrave a series of grooves into the sheet of metal that would be on the inside of the barrel.

According to the blueprint, it was to create a spiral effect and increase the range of any fired shots. Instead of blending the edges of moonsilver together with essence, Sal was prompted to use a thin, straight strip of scarlet screen along the top of the revolver for both sides of the moonsilver to adhere to. The front and rear sights were made of scarlet screen also, and managed to line up perfectly. Sal didn’t want to think of how much of a nightmare it would have been to create it without the mechanical claws and his abundance of essence. It gave him a real appreciation for the Crafters who didn’t have his ability, who fashioned these items with trial, error, and skill.

Sal picked up the grip and sighed quietly. He had wanted to hold back a chunk of the lord crystal for Divinity’s crown, but it was being prompted as a main component for the grip of the gun. Thankfully, the hellfire titanium was required for the frame, trigger, cylinder, and trigger guard. Sal had no qualms using the more common material, as it didn’t feel like a huge loss. As he turned the grip in his hands, Sal wondered when he started classifying the hellfire titanium as a basic material. A couple of ingots were enough to bankrupt the vast majority of ranked first-years at the academy.

Sal placed the grip back down on the table and picked up the cylinder that had once been his Epic core. The self-replenishing rune had been masterfully reapplied between the grooves of the cylinder. The ejection rod was made with moonsilver and applied a gentle casing around the core. Each of the chambers in the cylinder had been bored out with a combination of a tiny drill attachment and Sal’s essence. He widened and polished them before he had to insert tiny needles to draw engravings the size of his smallest fingernail in each chamber. The firing mechanism had over twenty parts, including bolts, springs, sliding pins, screws, and studs. Sal went through each of them as though he were on autopilot and made a mental note to thank Martin for his help with the sniper rifle mechanism when he next saw him.

Because it wasn’t intended to be a combustion-type weapon, most of the mechanical parts shouldn’t be necessary, but the blueprint was making a gun that had the versatility to operate with either the essence cartridges or regular ammunition.

Sal winced ever so slightly as his index fingers emitted tiny essence-based lasers of light. The erratic flashes expertly sliced through the large chunk of lord crystal and were fascinating to watch, but they included a lot of sparks. It was the first time he had seen his mechanical arms use attachments like that, and it was a massive drain on his essence compared to the other attachments. Sal didn’t dwell on it as he fashioned the grip for the revolver. It was a milky white that almost looked like it was made of pearl. A few holes were drilled for the screws to be put in place, and Sal was almost ready to assemble it.

Where most of his other inventions had been straightforward, this one was by far the most difficult and nuanced. Normally he just threw essence into it and hoped for the best, but the revolver had so many moving parts that needed to work harmoniously. One of the funniest moments was the effort that it took to load the spring he had created out of moonsilver. It had never been compressed before, and despite his mechanical claws being incredibly proficient, the spring wiggled every way other than how it was intended.

After picking up the spring from the ground for the fifth time, Sal finally got it secured around the center pin. The puzzle continued for another hour, with Sal having to glance at the blueprint almost three times for every action he took.

When it was finally assembled, Sal pulled back the hammer and heard a satisfying click. He aimed at the ground and applied a little pressure to the trigger, but nothing happened. After more pressure, Sal sighed. Something was blocking it or he had screwed up somewhere. He tried to manually release the hammer, but it froze in place too. Sal fiddled with the revolver for a few minutes, but in his frustration, he ended up scoring one of the screws with the wrong attachment on his hand.

At that very moment, Upgrade snored particularly loudly and rather than finding it soothing or endearing, Sal was annoyed. His tiredness was finally catching up with him, and he found himself getting angry at the fact that they had ordered sushi earlier instead of something he enjoyed. All the little things that normally wouldn’t faze him started to bubble up to the surface, and he knew that there was very little he could do to get back into the zone. He was about to call it a night and give up when he spotted the monocle resting on the table.

Sal glanced up at the clock and saw that it was already morning. Thankfully, it was the weekend and he was only eating into his Sunday. There wouldn’t be classes for another day, so he had plenty of time left to get the gun finished. All the excuses Sal wanted to tell himself felt both justifiable and petty at the same time.

With a resigned groan, he plucked the monocle off the table and placed it onto his right eye. It took a little bit of raising his eyebrow and letting it settle for it to become comfortable, but it was absolutely worth it. The calming effect that came with it almost made Sal want to laugh at how silly he was being.

He smiled as he slowly pried out the scored screw and restored it back to its proper shape. All the components inside the gun were operating as they should, but they were quite stiff.

Sal turned away from the table and rummaged through the different storage areas around the room, looking for the solution that made him want to laugh out loud. He had no doubt that Martin had known to lubricate the components in the firing mechanism before they assembled it. It didn’t take long for him to find a small canister of oil that had a nozzle for spraying and an attachment for more delicate administration. Sal applied a thin layer to all the parts that would be moving or potentially coming into contact with ammunition.

As he went through it, the hammer clicked back into place and the trigger became less stiff. Sal used a scrap of cloth to wipe the metal down until he was finally satisfied. His eyes told him that it was ready for Appraisal, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise before he poured his essence into it completely. Although it might have been operational or functional at the moment, he hadn’t refined it with his essence to check all the runes were working as intended.

With the monocle in place, Sal checked the levels of the three cores he had tethered to and calculated that there would be plenty left over from the refining process. Well, as long as it wasn’t more demanding than the sniper rifle. With a casual glance up to see whether Upgrade or Chatfield were awake, Sal noted that they were still fast asleep.

Smiling softly, Sal let the effects of the Calm ability wash over him once more and the smile faded from his lips. His mechanical arms readied themselves as he turned the revolver over in his fingers. Essence pooled in his chest, mingling with the essence from the tethered cores. He waited until his Mythcrafter essence had successfully diluted the foreign essence before he proceeded with funneling it into his target. Sal narrowed his eyes as he looked for any defects on the surface of the gun. His essence flowed through the weapon like water, filling any cracks that it came across.

Each of the runes that he had carved into the metal shone vibrantly as they temporarily activated under his influence. Sal was most interested in the intricate weave he had wrapped around the outside of the barrel and across the frame and grip. It was the evolutionary rune and it looked completely fine. The blueprint had advised making the version with a long barrel to ensure that there was enough surface area for the evolution rune to activate.

When he was satisfied with it, Sal moved on to the cylinder and the individual chambers. That’s where he ran into his first problem; the chambers hadn’t taken the etchings as well as he had hoped, which was inevitable considering he couldn’t exactly see what he was carving when he did it. Thankfully, his essence was able to course correct the damage and apply a fresh rune on the remnants of the previous attempt. It took a large chunk of external essence to smooth over the failed attempt and even more to manually dig through the fashioned core, but he managed it eventually.

Sweat dripped down Sal’s face as he concentrated on the task. With the sniper rifle, it had been much easier because he removed the modularity by fusing it all together. This weapon wasn’t going to have the Cleanse ability any time soon, so Sal had to ensure that each piece worked as it should. He felt sorry for the other Crafters who had attempted to fix the sniper rifle. It must have been an absolute nightmare trying to make everything work in sync.

Sal spent close to an hour going through each and every component, strengthening the pins and reinforcing bolts. It seemed like every individual piece of the revolver was hungry for his essence, and he had no idea why it was so demanding. Sal had been under the impression that the high-quality materials would lessen the demand on his essence, but it seemed that theory was wrong. He fell into a rhythm of checking and refining each piece he came across.

Every subsequent check revealed another component that needed attention, until he finally reached a point where there were no obvious improvements to make. Sal had done a full sweep eight times already, and the ninth had been the one to come back with the all clear.

With a glance at the blueprint, Sal saw that he was finally done. Not to be complacent, Sal took a steadying breath and forced himself to run the tenth check. Where the water-like essence had previously deviated to fill the cracks in his designs, this time it flowed seamlessly over the weapon without a single drop moving toward the revolver. Sal was about to use his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, but stopped at the last moment when he saw the mechanical claw up close.

Sal tried to push his essence into the weapon, but there was nowhere left for it to go. He didn’t let the revolver rest though, as he still had one final step to complete. His mechanical hand picked up the tracker and placed it beside the still-glowing revolver. Sal pulled a strand of essence from the completed Synergy rune on the revolver and traced it across to the same rune on the tracker. He was relieved to see the essence stick to it and activate the engraving on the tracker.

The problem was that the tracker was completely devoid of essence, and Sal had to grasp at the remaining external cores in the chest. If he didn’t have the monocle equipped, he probably wouldn’t have noticed until it knocked him unconscious, but the siphoning had ramped up by a huge amount. The tracker was using the connection to the revolver to pull essence into itself, but because the revolver was still connected to Sal’s internal core, it pulled the excess requirements from its host.

Sal barely managed to tether to the remaining cores before he bottomed out his own reserves. The strands connecting the revolver and tracker that had been as thin as hairs were now thicker than a shoelace. Sal watched as the essence shot across the construct in bursts, pumping essence into the tracker until both pieces of equipment glowed contentedly.

Sal cut off his essence connection with the tethered cores and deactivated his mechanical arms. He pulled the monocle from his eye and almost collapsed as a wave of fatigue overwhelmed him. His knees were the first to go as he scrambled to hold onto the edge of the table.

With wide eyes, he tried to figure out what had happened but the darkness he was all too familiar with threatened to knock him out. Sal gripped the edge of the table and forced his body to comply with sheer willpower. There would be no appraisals until he got some rest, but he at least wanted to see what they looked like.

Chapter 29 – Revolver

Sal breathed heavily and grimaced as he tried to keep hold of the table. His body felt like it was shutting down regardless of what he tried, and it was a terrifying sensation. The last thing he wanted was to collapse on the floor and to have Upgrade and Chatfield worrying about his health. He didn’t want to gain a reputation for not knowing his limits and pushing himself too far.

With gritted teeth, Sal forced his essence to connect to the cores in the hopes that it would help him recover, but the connection did little to ease his suffering. A few moments of tortured breathing continued before Sal adjusted his knees so that he could sink to the floor without landing on his face. When he finally managed to get into a kneeling position, he let go of the table and sank backward to sit on his heels. Raising his chin, he looked up at the ceiling and ran through the last few moments to determine what had happened.

After a few minutes, his breathing returned to normal and the previously encroaching darkness receded. Sal grasped the edge of the table and slowly got back to his feet with a relieved sigh. His eyes caught sight of the monocle and he wondered whether it had disguised his fatigued state. The only other thing he could think of was the sudden lurch of essence pulled from his body during the pairing of the revolver with the tracker. Sal closed his eyes and focused on his internal core, curious to see whether there were any clues there about what was happening.

After a few moments of quiet meditation, he saw his threads in place and they looked to be quite healthy. Each thread connected to their respective gates harmoniously, and Sal was left even more confused than before.

When he opened his eyes, he concluded that he was just exhausted. It wasn’t an essence-related issue this time, and all he likely needed was rest. It took great effort for him to avoid making eye contact with the revolver and tracker, but he knew it was for the best. If he inspected them now, it would lead to an Appraisal and he’d start using the tracker on that crate of materials.

Sal saw that there was enough space beside Upgrade on the couch for him to sit down and lean his head back. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it would be enough for what he needed. When he started toward the couch, he realized how sluggish his movements were.

A random thought popped into his head about making a device that would heal fatigue or accelerate his rest periods. He wondered what sort of abilities he’d need to manage something like that, and what kind of materials it would require. As Sal sank back into the couch, his thoughts were completely forgotten as he slipped into a deep sleep.

When Sal awoke, he felt something was wrong. He had gone to sleep in an upright seated position, but awoke horizontal. There was a slight pressure on his upper chest and what felt like a pillow cradling his neck. From the subtle movements of his arms, he could tell that he was covered in a blanket. Sal opened his eyes and was not prepared to see Upgrade’s face inches from his own. Her right hand was on his chest, and his head was resting on her thigh. It jolted him awake, but she just laughed and removed her palm from his chest.

“Morning, sunshine. Did I scare you? You seemed comfortable enough a few minutes ago.” Her tone was teasing, and she gave him a mock frown before patting his chest reassuringly. “Imagine my surprise when you cuddled up right next to me.”

Sal’s face burned with embarrassment and he sat up abruptly. He mumbled an apology to Upgrade, but she leaned her head closer to him again with a grin.

“Sorry, what was that?”

Sal threw off the blanket and got to his feet, ignoring Upgrade’s laughter as he blearily looked at the table. Chatfield must have moved the visor and revolver at some point as they had changed location from where he left them. Sal was grateful that Chatfield was nowhere to be seen, as it would have been doubly embarrassing to have him witness him using Upgrade like a pillow.

Upgrade yawned, stretching her arms over her head before she got to her feet. “You sleep okay? Looked like you were having some pretty rough nightmares for the last while.”

There was no hint of teasing in her tone, and Sal shook his head. Even if he did have a nightmare, it was rare that he’d remember them. His dreams were nowhere near as vivid as what others described in their own.

Upgrade’s frown came into view as she stepped around to the other side of the table, facing Sal. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and gestured at the couch.

“You were thrashing around a bit. I tried waking you up, which is why you were draped over me like that. When you calmed down, you looked peaceful, so I just let you sleep.”

She paused for a moment as though she were lost in thought. When her eyes refocused on Sal, she smiled. “I hope you know you can talk to me if there are things weighing down on you. I don’t want you burning out anytime soon, so if there’s any way I can help keep that head of yours in good shape, let me know.”

Sal returned her smile as he glanced over at the couch. “Don’t worry, you’d be on my list of people to tell if I was struggling with something. I don’t know what that was, though, so I’m not going to dwell on it.” Sal’s attention came back to the table and his smile grew into a wide grin. “Besides, we’ve got something much more fun to look at. Did you check it out?”

Upgrade shook her head as she placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward to get a better look at the revolver. “I didn’t get a chance yet, but it looks damn impressive. Did you do an Appraisal on it yet, or were you waiting for us to wake up? Chatfield should be back in a bit; he had a meeting he needed to get to. The Hunter Bureau isn’t the type of organization you keep waiting.”

Before Sal got started with the appraisal, he told Upgrade about the sensation of extreme fatigue he experienced earlier. He was curious whether she had any insight into what had happened. Sal went through everything, making sure not to leave out any details. When he finished, he was glad to see that Upgrade looked somewhat bewildered. It meant that he hadn’t screwed up by missing something obvious.

Upgrade looked at the revolver and then back at the visor. “Ah! I think I know what happened.” She tilted her head to one side as she gestured at the visor. “You put in the Synergy trait at the very end and let it activate?”

She was looking expectantly at Sal, who merely nodded in response.

Upgrade smiled as she tapped the visor meaningfully. “Synergies can only exist on an equal basis. If one of the pieces is a Rare grade and the other piece is Uncommon, it won’t work as they aren’t capable of Synergizing. Rather than failing outright, I think your ability understood the issue and fixed it.” Upgrade slid the visor across the table to Sal.

“That is no longer an Uncommon-grade item. My best guess is that it forcibly upgraded so both pieces of equipment were on equal standing. Since your internal core is fine, it likely used you as the conduit for essence transfer between those cores and the visor. You were essentially the vessel for the essence, and I’d say your monocle calmed your senses to the point that you didn’t even notice it happening.”

Sal stared at the visor in disbelief. He hadn’t looked at it properly since he had crafted the revolver, but now that he was more awake, he could clearly see that it had changed in appearance. There was one way to know for sure, and Sal activated his ability with a smile.

“Let’s find out if you’re right.”

Name
Scarlet Moon Visor [Set 1/2]

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Rare (Low)

Dimensions
Visor 2.5”, 4” | Earpiece 4”, 3.5”

Materials
Infused Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft Essence

Attributes

[Sealed] [5/16 Unlocked]

Analysis: Ability to interpret visual data and information.

Insight: Wearer can analyze patterns and predict outcomes.

Deduction: Wearer can rapidly process real-time information.

Lock: Guaranteed to track sighted targets.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items. 

Abilities
Analysis | Insight | Deduction | Lock | Synergy | [Sealed]…

Power Source
External Essence [Scarlet Moon Revolver]

Evolution
Yes - 3%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $85,000.00 – $105,000.00

As Sal stared at the results, he finally realized just how overpowered this set was going to become. With his jaw wide, he glanced at Upgrade, who waited expectantly. Sal could barely find the words as he examined the monocle.

“That monocle is a Low Unique grade, and it has four abilities unlocked. This visor is a whole grade lower, at the lowest form of Rare grade, and it has five abilities unlocked.”

Sal’s mind whirled at the revelation. He took a step back from the table and turned to Upgrade in shock.

“The shirt you made has four, and it’s an Epic grade, two whole tiers above this. The Siphon blade that Blink uses in the Reavers Guild, it has four abilities and is at the same level as this… How is this even possible?” Upgrade clapped excitedly as she moved around the table to stand beside Sal.

She picked up the visor and turned it over in her hands. “I tried telling you about this yesterday! It looks like it’s picking up a new ability with every grade level. If that sixteen number is accurate, then it means you’ll eventually get it to Mythic grade, or Legendary if my math is wrong. Either way, that’s an insane achievement! Are the abilities good?”

Sal had to refocus to read the information on the visor, which was a little more challenging as Upgrade was constantly turning it around.

“Analysis, which is the one we knew was there and the reason for the visor in the first place. It has Insight, Lock, and Deduction…two of which are on the monocle. That Lock trait is probably the same as the one we put on the sniper rifle, but it’s much more potent. I would need to check, but it looks like it’s a more powerful variant.”

Upgrade grinned. “Which leaves Synergy as the last one, which binds the visor to your revolver. Okay, that’s enough stalling. It’s time to Appraise the gun. I need to know!” She placed the visor down and waited expectantly for Sal to continue.

Sal was more than happy to oblige, as he was curious himself. He picked up the revolver and was struck by how impressive it looked. A singular red streak connected the sights at the top of the barrel, clearly the influence of the scarlet screen that joined the pieces of moonsilver. The body of the gun was a vibrant silver that shimmered under the light. It was as if the mist effect from earlier was somehow trapped beneath the surface. Sal started the Appraisal and hoped that it would be as impressive as the visor. He was not disappointed

Name
Scarlet Moon Revolver [Set 2/2]

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Rare (Low)

Dimensions
6 inches barrel | 11.5 inches length | 5.5 inches height | 2.1 lbs. weight

Materials
Infused Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft Essence | Hellfire Titanium

Attributes

[Sealed] [5/16 Unlocked]

Tether: Shots tether the gun to its prey, siphoning target essence with every shot.

Leech: Synergized equipment will benefit from absorbed essence.

Burst: Greatly enhances shot potency by utilizing stored essence.

Reaction: Essence-based bullets will have increased effect.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items. 

Abilities
Tether | Leech | Burst | Reaction | Synergy | [Sealed]…

Power Source

External Essence

Evolution
Yes - 3%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $120,000.00 – $165,000.00

When Sal finished reading out the results, he was surprised to see that Upgrade looked disappointed. When he frowned, she put up her hands and smiled reassuringly.

“Sorry, I think I was expecting something a little more dramatic after the visor. That sniper rifle had Hunt, Headshot, and Grounded, which are all fantastic. You still have one that amplifies shot damage, which is great, but I was kinda hoping that it would have something really useful.” Upgrade tried to change the topic and gestured at the revolver.

“It’s really great, though. Five skills and the evolutionary potential to get to the pinnacle of grades is fantastic. Hard to believe that the estimated value is so low, though.”

Sal chuckled. “It’s a set item, and they’re valued individually. You shouldn’t pay much attention to the value part, as it’s incredibly subjective and only an estimate. With the number of abilities, it would absolutely make a fortune at an auction house.”

His smile faded ever so slightly as he looked at it again. It was better than he had expected, and he wasn’t at all disappointed in the results. Burst added shot potency, which would be good, and maybe it would stack with the Reaction ability, too. Tether, Leech, and Synergy were necessary for the revolver to function and grant essence to the visor. Sal laughed as he shook his head, finding the whole situation ridiculous.

“Even if it’s not a heavy hitter now, we’ve got another eleven abilities to unlock that might make it more fearsome.”

Upgrade grinned and gave him a nod. “You’re right. Who knows how powerful it will become in time? Now…I don’t think that Chatfield will mind us skipping ahead, but do you want to start analyzing the materials in that crate?”

Sal didn’t need any more prompting as he lifted the visor and placed it on his right ear, smiling broadly as a series of runes started to activate in preparation. Before he could say a word, Upgrade’s stats started appearing.

Chapter 30 – Analysis

When Sal had first used the Analysis ability, it had been an overwhelming experience. Quest’s tracker had provided some logic to the chaos and gave him a few additional pieces of information in a sea of numbers. Sal couldn’t be sure whether it was down to the Deduction ability, or if it was just Analysis at play, but the newly crafted visor was capable of controlling the data in a seamless manner.

Countless conclusions appeared as the visor calibrated to the information on screen. Graphs and numbers were overlayed on the screen, pointing out Upgrade’s features and making calculations at lightning speed. None of the hardship was placed on Sal, because the visor did all the heavy lifting by itself. All he had to do was watch in a stunned silence as each field populated at random. A smile tugged at his lips as the newly acquired information sorted itself into various sections, similar to the Appraisal skill. Most impressive of all was that it had taken a few seconds for more than half of the report to complete.

Sal didn’t want to blink in case he missed something, and a few moments later, his patience was rewarded with a full breakdown of Upgrade’s stats. There was a lot of terminology that he didn’t understand, but could probably guess. He scanned through the information a few times until it stopped adding new fields. It was absolutely overkill, and Sal loved it. He finally blinked before starting to read through the stat screen.

Name
G. Ziemele

Alias
Upgrade

Class
Support

Profession

Current: Crafting Lecturer, Quest Academy

Previous: Guild Officer II, The Workshop

Previous: Trainee Hero, Independent

Previous: Student, Quest Academy

Rank (Hero)

Guild Association: The Invention | Tier 5 | 1,743

Hunter Bureau: Current Rank | 10,490

Quest Academy: Final Rank | 90

Accreditations

Challenge Crests: 5

Specialist Classes:

Masterclass Crafting | 1st Class

Advanced Engraving | Pass

Advanced Technocraft | 1st Class

Advanced Synthesis Techniques | Pass

Advanced Restoration & Repair | 1stClass

Advanced Ethical Crafting | 1st Class

Advanced Coaching & Leadership | Pass

Certifications:

Appraiser | Foundation Grade - LN: 841

Engraver | Foundation Grade - LN: 924

Upgrader | Master Grade - LN: 67

Repairer | Intermediate Grade - LN: 4,239

Craft Design | Master Grade - LN: 72

Ability

Skill Name: Upgrade | Rating: VII

Skill Category: Invention

Skill Mastery: 87%

Skill Efficiency: 36%

Progress to Next Rating: 11%

Evolutionary Capability: Yes

Potential Cap: IX

Natural Synergy: Restoration | Epicraft

Essence

Essence Type: Invention / Augmentation

Essence Gates: 90

Essence Absorption Rate: 18%

Essence Control: 100%

Essence Refinement: 89%

Essence Calibration: 92%

Physical

Strength Rating: III

Mobility Rating: VI

Speed Rating: V

Fitness Rating: VIII

Current Status Effects:

Injuries: None

Illnesses: Minor Fatigue, Minor Dehydration

Reputation

Ameye Locomotion: Revered

Bastion Families: Known

Doom Council: Known

Doom Society: Regarded

Guild Association: Regarded

Hunter Bureau: Acknowledged

Quest Academy: Highly Regarded

Threat Level

Analyzed Equipment: III - Current, VII - Activated

Analyzed Martial Arts: N/A

Analyzed Movements: VI

Analyzed Techniques: N/A

Analyzed Body Composition: VI

Wealth
Q-Credit: 29,248

Sal had literally no idea how to start unpacking all the information. There was way too much for him to go through, and he had to take a break halfway through the list. It was an absolute nightmare, and he could only imagine the pain of trying to read it aloud to Upgrade.

When his eye traced over the reputation section, it must have taken it as a sign that he wanted to list more of the known relationships that Upgrade had fostered over the years. A list of more thirty different organizations appeared a few seconds later, and Sal had to tear his vision away from the constantly expanding section in the hopes that it would stop assaulting him with data. He instead went to the areas that interested him the most, namely her skills.

Sal couldn’t be sure, but he thought that his Skill Master ability was giving him a lot more context than he’d have received normally. It broke down each of the different stats for Upgrade’s ability and contained more than a few surprises. The fact that there were grades to each level of skill was news to him, and the ability to evolve them into stronger variants was also new. The Synergy data looked useful for picking skills to later implant, and Sal was excited to try inspecting himself with the visor. A slight shiver of anticipation crawled up his spine, which he promptly ignored.

Sal looked to the bottom of the screen and was surprised to see that it scrolled up for him automatically, containing a host of unseen information that added to Upgrade’s profile. A few things relating to her threat level surprised him. It wasn’t that he was surprised Upgrade was capable; it was more the fact that the visor had understood Upgrade’s equipment and her ability to upgrade it for short periods of time.

Sal stood there for a few more seconds, completely blown away by the onslaught of information that was now at his fingertips. He couldn’t believe how much was on display in such a short space of time.

“You going to just stare at me all day?” Upgrade laughed as she slapped her hands against the surface of the table in a vaguely familiar rhythm.

It snapped Sal’s attention back to her, and he realized he had completely zoned out. With a guilty laugh, he gestured at the visor.

“This thing just gave me a full biography of you. It looks like it’s read the essence from your Q-Card and then cross-referenced it with the System ability that Quest set up. Like, Network and System aren’t even on the list of abilities and it seems to be using them? I can’t make sense of it but it’s incredible.” Sal was trying to get his head around it, but he was coming up blank.

“Okay, first of all…I’m going to want to know everything it told you about me. I’ll be the one to tell you if they’re all lies or not, but I can’t help but be a little curious. Not sure how I feel about having all my information gathered and calculated like that.”

Upgrade crossed her arms, and Sal laughed when her threat level increased slightly on his visor. It really was an incredible piece of equipment.

Upgrade gave Sal a steady look as she gestured vaguely at the revolver on the table. “Did your gun have an ability listed for ‘Shoot’? No, because that’s the function of a gun. Your tracker’s function is information retrieval, and since it was based off Quest’s design, you likely have functionality that incorporates the Network and System capabilities without actually needing the skills. Imagine if you crafted a radio. If you made it correctly, it would naturally intercept available frequencies. You don’t need an ability like Transmit to be able to send and receive messages, as it’s already in the design of the item. Does that make sense?”

Sal nodded, the smile not leaving his face at all. “That makes perfect sense. I’m surprised you only got a pass in your Advanced course for coaching and leadership. Your examples are great.”

Upgrade’s eyes widened, and Sal received a flash of warning from his visor that her threat level had suddenly spiked. He barely managed to evade the swipe from her hands as she tried to take the visor from his face. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and shock, but after a few moments of staring him down from the other side of the table, she finally calmed down.

“Okay then, what else can you see? You seem to have my academic records, but what else?”

Sal took another step back with his hands raised defensively as he grinned at her. “I’ll tell you, if you promise not to try that again.”

Upgrade tilted her head. “No deal. Now spill. I want to know everything.”

Sal hooked his right foot underneath the bar of the stool and slowly dragged it to where he stood out of range. He made a show of moving it farther away from Upgrade as he took a seat. With a gesture for her to sit down, he realized that he might have been pushing his luck. Upgrade stood with her arms crossed and didn’t look amused. Sighing to himself, Sal explained what he could see.

“You’re no fun. Okay, it gives a comprehensive breakdown of your classes and certifications, with all the license numbers. Your skill is listed with a number of really cool stats, like how far off you are from getting to the next grade of proficiency. It has a list of your efficiencies like essence absorption, mastery, refinement, and calibration. Then, after that—”

“Wait.” Upgrade held up her hand, and Sal was relieved to see that she had finally taken a seat opposite him. She didn’t look as annoyed as before, but rather confused.

“Proficiency grades? Isn’t it a fixed skill? The only change I’ve felt in the last few years was when you untied that knot in my thread. I’ve never felt an improvement in the ability before then.”

Sal shrugged and pointed at himself. “I was thinking that it might be because of the Skill Master ability? Maybe it allows me to interpret skills differently. It doesn’t look like it’s lying, though—I can see that your power could be a lot more potent if I was to undo the other knots. Maybe the visor is just giving me a visual interpretation of what I can sense with my ability?”

Upgrade frowned as she shook her head. “I don’t mean to sound discouraging here, Sal. But I think there’s a problem with that visor. Lombardi is one of our top people when it comes to skills, and I don’t think he’s ever mentioned the possibility of skills evolving after they’ve manifested. Maybe I’m wrong, and your visor is right… But if it’s actually real, then it’s a little terrifying. Don’t suppose it tells you how to build the proficiency?”

Rather than answering immediately, Sal tried out something he was curious about. He had been using the visor without activating his own ability. It was such an alien feeling to have information appear in front of his eyes without having to draw any essence.

Instead of activating the Mythcrafter ability, Sal used the Skill Master one specifically to examine Upgrade’s internal weaves, wondering whether there was anything different since he last checked. As though interpreting his intentions, the visor activated along with his eyes, and Sal was once again rendered speechless by the versatility of the tracker.

Where he previously had seen threads of light, the visor added hard data to explain what he was seeing. It was the replacement of instinct with fact. Each of the knots appeared on the visor like a constellation of stars, with tiny lines drawing out from them. Each line had a percentage of improvement to Upgrade’s ability, and Sal could finally quantify how much he could safely unknot without it harming her.

All of Quest’s concerns were valid. There were some knots that would have thrown Upgrade into a serious imbalance if they had been undone, where she wouldn’t have been able to fuel her own ability because her expended essence would overtake her generated essence. From Sal’s limited understanding, he guessed that Upgrade would be in a permanent state of suffering the dregs if he undid them all.

“It works with my Skill Master ability,” Sal finally admitted as he worked through his thoughts. His eyes locked onto the threads in her body as he continued. “I can’t say for certain, but it’s showing me the knots that can be undone in your ability safely. It’s actually calculating the increase in your stats depending on which knot I look at. I don’t think it would naturally increase your proficiency, though… I think it would raise the cap of your potential.”

Sal mulled over the numbers for a few more moments, switching his focus to smaller knots that he would have instinctively targeted. It was like a minefield, where the wrong choice would result in Upgrade’s essence generation falling into negative numbers. After maybe five separate inspections, Sal was left with the thought that he was insanely lucky to have avoided certain disaster when he undid that first knot.

Upgrade’s palms stopped pattering against the table as she stared at Sal in confusion. “Every fiber of my being is hoping that you’re right, and that it’s all this easy and possible. The rational part of my brain is constantly reminding me that you’ve barely been enrolled for two months and you’re bound to screw up eventually. You can craft evolutionary items, implant traits into equipment, unknot the abilities of others…and now, you’re able to discern every little thing about people you look at? It sounds crazy when you say it out loud, doesn’t it?” Upgrade shook her head as she looked down at her palms.

“I never thought I would be the type of person who would be jealous of other people. Hell, my ability managed to alienate half of Quest Academy when I was enrolled here. I want to help train you up to be the best Crafter you can possibly be, but it looks like we’re nearing the end of that road already. Everything you’re talking about here is way outside of my skill set. Your Mythcrafter ability managed to produce three incredible pieces of equipment in just a single weekend. A single Rare grade would take my top second-years at least a month to complete.”

Sal felt a sudden pang of guilt at Upgrade’s crestfallen expression. He thought she’d be overjoyed to find out that her power could become stronger, but it was as if he had crushed her dreams. He didn’t know what to do, but Upgrade shook her head and forced a smile.

“Sorry, Sal—you can ignore that. I’m just a little shaken by all this. What you’ve created is incredible, and far beyond any of the expectations I could have placed on your shoulders. Just a few weeks ago, I saw a piece of equipment that is guaranteed to become a Mythic-grade weapon. That absolutely blew my mind, and it was a joint effort with all of us working together to make it happen.”

Upgrade gestured at the revolver and monocle that sat on the table. “Now I’m thinking that we probably held you back. Two of your pieces here have the potential to get to Mythic grade, and all it took was some materials and a sleepless night.”

Sal sat quietly as he listened to Upgrade. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but it still was a shitty situation. It was horrible to think that he had somehow crushed Upgrade’s spirit in the process of making the revolver and visor. An awkward silence enveloped the room and Sal could see that Upgrade was about to backtrack on her comments.

He raised his hand. “Can I talk for a minute?”

Upgrade faltered, and he could see in her eyes that she was ashamed of herself. He didn’t need the monocle to read the emotions clearly visible on her face.

“I’m absolutely terrified of demons.” Sal smiled. He could see that Upgrade wanted to interject, but he raised his hand even higher to indicate that it was still his turn to talk.

“I’ve grown up hating my ability. It caused me headaches whenever I looked at myself in the mirror and whenever I looked at powerful people. Sometimes, it would activate by itself and I’d get a massive fuck-off migraine. That was not a fun time growing up, but it got worse because I couldn’t tell people what my ability was. Any time I tried to replicate an ability, I would hurt myself because my body couldn’t handle it…or I’d be successful and hated by other kids who thought I was stealing their power.” Sal laughed as he looked at Upgrade.

“Honestly, I’m not trying to throw a pity party or wanting you to feel sorry for me. I just want you to understand the person I was when I first walked through the doors of Quest Academy. Yes, it’s barely been two months, but in that time, I’ve managed to create an ability that’s my own. It’s not something that I ‘stole’ from someone. It’s something completely new that I created myself. Yes, I borrowed your ability for a bit and yes, I did absolutely trash that machine, but you know what I mean.”

Upgrade smiled slightly but didn’t interrupt.

Sal placed a hand on his chest as he looked at her earnestly. “Like I said, Upgrade, I’m terrified of demons. I’ve never aspired to be a Hero, yet I’m surrounded by the incredible people with the determination and drive to protect others. I feel guilty that I’m constantly hiding away in a workshop, tinkering with inventions and blueprints when I could be out there in the field, learning how to take down demons. Every two minutes, I’m reminded by the lecturers that we’re at war and that we’re losing. All that does is heighten my sense of dread that I’m not going to be of any use out there.

“This gun? It was an idea by Barry and Quest, so I could hide in the back of my team and take out demons from afar. I don’t even know that I’d have the courage to pull the trigger, if I’m being honest. This visor? I’m supposed to have countless traits that I borrowed from Heroes during outings that I could imbue into it. How many did I go on? Zero. I made every excuse possible to avoid leaving the campus because I’m a coward. You’re sitting over there, telling me that you’re jealous? I saw you rush into a dungeon, killing demons left, right, and center. You were fucking incredible, and you’re a Support! Just like me.”

Sal’s throat tightened as he fought to push his emotions down. He let out an aggravated sigh as he shook his head. “I can’t for the life of me understand why you’d be jealous. If anything, I’m the one who’s jealous of you. I have so much that I still need to learn, and I want you to keep training me. Without your encouragement, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.

“Also, we’re nowhere near the end of the road. I don’t even know what Ethical Crafting or Technocraft are, let alone Synthesis Techniques? There are countless things you know that will make me a better Crafter, and if I’m able to make something incredible, it’ll be because of your help and guidance. Actually, without you, I’d have probably died with that stupid shirt that sucked all my essence dry.”

Upgrade snorted before she looked at the ceiling and let out an agonized groan. “My life would have been so much less complicated if you had just let me fall on my sword as a failed mentor. But fine, have it your way. Just remember that you asked for this.”

Sal smiled as he got to his feet, happy that Upgrade no longer looked upset. Her next words, however, froze him in place.

“We’re going to go to a dungeon together, and I’m going to show you how to kill your first demon.”

Chapter 31 – Uncertainty

Sal couldn’t keep the panic from his voice as he tried to dissuade Upgrade, but she ignored him as she placed the trays of materials in front of him. She didn’t even tease him about it, just embraced a cold and uncaring shell that his words had no chance of penetrating. Sal hoped it was an elaborate joke but when she did finally speak to him, she gestured at the materials on the table and then at the visor on his head.

“You should get these done for Chatfield first, then we’ll head off to one of the starter dungeons.”

“We’re going today!?” Sal shook his head. “Look, I know I said that I’m terrified of demons, and I’m guessing that you want me to face my fears. But, Chatfield said the curriculum is going to better prepare us for the future fights. There’s even a Resilience class that’s starting in a couple of months. I think my best chance would be to learn from those lecturers at the same pace as my peers and maybe then, in the future, we could do a dungeon together. How about that?”

Upgrade shook her head and tapped the tray. “Nope. You’re coming with me today, and you’re going to kill your first demon. If it’s unsatisfactory, we’re going to kill another one. We’ll keep killing them until you get over your ingrained fear of them. Now, stop wasting time and analyze the materials.”

It was a tone that Sal hadn’t heard before, and he wasn’t sure how to proceed. Every part of his brain told him that he needed to get out of this situation by whatever means necessary.

“Upgrade, please. I’m not ready, emotionally or physically. We’ve had only a few hours of sleep, and you need your wits about you when facing demons. It would be reckless for us to enter a dungeon right now. I know you want to help me, and I really do appreciate that…but I don’t think this is the best method. We’re both Supports, and this sort of stuff would require a more well-rounded team.” Sal rambled on as he raised a finger, a sudden idea popping into his head.

“What if we encounter an anomaly in the dungeon? You saw yourself how those commander variants came out of nowhere. What if we run into one of those?”

Upgrade cocked her head to one side as she stared at Sal. The tension in the air was suffocating, and Sal was not a fan of the new persona she was rocking. When she finally spoke, it was in a quiet and measured tone.

“I’m not going to threaten you with consequences, because that would be unfair. If you truly want me as your mentor, and you want to continue working together, then you’ll do this with me today. That’s all there is to it.”

There were no smiles or reassurances, just a cold indifference that chilled Sal to the bone. None of his excuses had found any purchase, and Upgrade was resolute. In a last-ditch effort to procrastinate, Sal turned to look at the gun.

“Ah, I haven’t crafted the bullet cartridges for it yet. I won’t be able to use the revolver effectively without them, so I’ll have to craft them first.” He needed to stall for time until Chatfield returned.

Sal couldn’t believe that he was hoping for Chatfield to talk sense into Upgrade. It was like he was living in some weird inverse reality where his friend had somehow turned into the villain.

“Show me the blueprint for the cartridges. I’ll make them with you now.”

Upgrade moved to the other side of the table and rifled through the blueprints. When she got to the one she was looking for, she pulled it out to one side and ferociously activated her mechanical arms. If Sal had been unnerved before, the angry appearance of her armored suit was enough to scare him. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why she was acting this way.

Upgrade’s eyes locked onto him as she held her arms at the ready. “Have you finished inspecting that first tray?”

Sal bit his lip as he stared down at the tray of materials. His visor started to catalog all the different ones at breakneck speed. He wished that he hadn’t boasted about how fast it was at analyzing things, as he was quickly running out of any excuse to delay Upgrade. When the thirty materials in the first tray were complete, he begrudgingly slid it across the table to where Upgrade waited.

“Are you angry?”

Upgrade glanced between the tray and Sal. “Did you pick out the ones that would be best suited to being adapted into bullets? Mark the ones you want with this pen, and I’ll get to work on them.”

She slid the tray back to him with the marker resting between the rows. He couldn’t help but notice that she completely sidestepped his question. Sal went over the list of materials and when he visualized a bullet with the Mythcrafter ability, the visor sprang into action and showed the best options from the materials provided. He marked each of them as though he was on autopilot. When he got to the second to last material of the first tray, Upgrade answered him.

“I’m quite angry, yes. Not at you, but at how we’ve essentially proved Chatfield right. Our curriculum is clearly flawed, when the Rank #3 of the entire first-year intake is this terrified of demons. You’re on track to be a Savior, which is the pinnacle of what it means to be a Hero. I’m angry at myself at how you’ve been suffering with this feeling of inadequacy. We’re here to teach you how to be Heroes, and if me bringing you to a dungeon gets you over your mental barriers, then I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen. I’ll show you how strong you are. You’re going to see just how powerful your crafted items are, and you’re going to appreciate the work you’re doing so much more.”

Upgrade hesitated before she looked directly at Sal. “Tomorrow, you’ll either thank me, or never talk to me again. But either way, you’ll have conquered your fears.”

Sal nodded solemnly. It looked like there was no way out of this scenario without destroying his relationship with Upgrade. She was clearly adamant about this happening, and it looked like he was going to be fighting a demon before the day was done.

As he slid the tray of marked materials across the table to Upgrade, he couldn’t suppress the tremor in his hands that threatened to knock the shards free from their foam perch. As he turned back to the second tray, he caught sight of the monocle on the table. The calming effect would dissolve his woes and he’d be absolutely fine for the rest of the day.

Just as he was about to reach for it, Upgrade’s voice cut through the room.

“Don’t even think about it.”

It was a tone that brooked no argument, and Sal’s hand froze in mid-air. He desperately wanted to protest. She was just being cruel at this point, but Upgrade was having none of it.

She shook her head and gestured at the tray in front of him. “The action of killing a demon isn’t enough, Sal. You need to battle your emotions and take control of them. Right now, you’re letting them control you, and that’s no way to live. This war isn’t going to end any time soon, and you can’t mask your true emotions for the rest of your life. To truly conquer your fears, you need to face them.”

Sal withdrew his hand from the monocle and got back to studying the materials in the tray. He flitted through the stats and descriptions, ignoring pretty much all the information and letting his abilities do all the work. He repeated the process of marking the ones that Mythcrafter suggested and passed them over to Upgrade.

Sal wanted to frame the situation as a positive thing, or as an act of compassion from Upgrade. He even tried to think of it as a wonderful gesture of her trying to help him, but each time, his own mind crashed through to sabotage those thoughts and remind him that he was going to die.

A dungeon. She was going to take him to a dungeon so he could fight against the horrifying creatures that were spawned from the worst kind of nightmares. Leechers clawing his eyes out by dropping from the ceiling. Prowlers striking from the shadows in packs. Voiders appearing from behind him, ready to cut him in two. Hell, there’d probably be a few hulkers there for good measure, ready to mash him into paste just for existing. No matter what variant of demon it was, he was going to suffer.

The rhythmic sounds of Upgrade’s mechanical arms used to be soothing to him, but now it felt like the deafening march of his death sentence. Sal froze as he looked down at the completed tray in front of him. He had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he had completed the task subconsciously.

Upgrade gestured for him to slide it over, and Sal’s stomach lurched as reality started to set in that this was real and it was actually going to happen. When he looked at Upgrade, he could see the concern in her eyes, but her lips were a thin line. She wasn’t enjoying this either, but she was unwaveringly resolute. It was something Sal might have found admirable in any other scenario.

“Whoa, who died?” Chatfield sauntered into the room, throwing his coat lazily in the direction of the couch. It missed, but that didn’t seem to bother him.

Upgrade turned to answer him, but Sal leapt at the opportunity to change his fate. He put all his hopes in the star of the Hunter Bureau talking some sense into Upgrade.

“Upgrade wants to take me to a dungeon to fight demons.” Sal wanted to say more, but the terrifying look from Upgrade stopped him in his tracks.

Chatfield raised a brow and then turned to Upgrade with a frown. “What dungeon were you thinking of? It’s a Sunday, so most of them will be booked out.”

Sal’s stomach dropped at his nonchalant tone. Chatfield sounded like he was ordering breakfast. There was no surprise, outrage, or even a hint of disapproval. He just stood there in confusion, wondering which dungeon she had in mind for her batshit insane proposal.

Upgrade finished another of the bullets and looked over at Chatfield with a shrug. “Was thinking of doing one of the scavenger runs, or maybe one of the mines. It doesn’t matter, as long as there are demons for him to kill. He’s being held back by his fear and it’s going to get worse with time. It’s the one kindness I can give him, to get it over with now rather than having him build it up in his head until the end of the semester.”

Chatfield frowned as he turned to Sal. “Crippling fear of demons?”

Sal was amazed at how he managed to say it without a hint of judgment in his voice. It sounded like he was describing an unfortunate circumstance, as if Sal had just revealed that he had a fever. When Sal managed to give him a nod, Chatfield tsked twice before turning back to Upgrade.

“Okay, I’m in. I was getting bored being cooped up in meetings and this workshop. You don’t mind if I come along, do you? Might be able to wangle us a few passes into North Evergreen Subway. It should be a good testing ground for the revolver, too—long tunnels and sufficient lighting.”

Upgrade looked at Sal as though it was his decision, and it took everything in Sal’s power not to throw his hands up into the air and shout “What the fuck is going on here?” He suppressed the urge and gave Chatfield a nod that he was okay with him coming along.

If anything, it would add to Sal’s survivability.

Well, that would have been the logical conclusion. Sal’s brain was still sabotaging any hope he had of making it out of the dungeon alive. The current thought swimming around his mind was that he was undoubtedly going to be the first blemish on Chatfield’s immaculate record. The first student death under his watch.

The clinking of bullets rattling against one another brought Sal back to reality and he saw Upgrade stacking them onto small plates of hellfire titanium. Sal sighed as he approached the bullets to finish them with his ability. The moment he deactivated Mythcrafter, it would be time to go.

Chatfield’s beaming face was so disconcerting, but nothing compared to the passive expression that Upgrade wore. Sal groaned inwardly as he looked down at the bullets sourly. He never wanted to fail a build so badly in his life.

Chapter 32 – Dungeon

Sal squinted when the sunlight hit him in the face. It had been quite some time since he had been outside of the workshop, and his internal body clock had no concept what time it was. Beside him on the platform was Chatfield and Upgrade, who spoke quietly to each other as they waited. They were at the landing bay of the Credit floor, just a few floors up from the workshop. Things were busy for a Sunday, with more than a dozen vehicles docked around the elevated platform.

It was like a semi-circular disk had been slid out of the side of the skyscraper, with railings around the sides and a protective barrier above them. Each of the flying constructs that wanted to dock had to position themselves over the barriers before descending into their assigned space. Sal would normally have loved the opportunity to study each of the cars and trucks, but there was no distracting him from the internal battle waging in his heart.

“Looks like this is us.”

Chatfield gestured at one of the descending cars that angled toward the reserved spaces on the right-hand side of the platform. The vehicles there all looked like personal-use crafts, and many of them were luxurious in appearance. The car that was landing for them was no exception, colored in sunshine yellow and engraved with what looked like protective runes across the doors. It didn’t make so much as a sound as it gently pressed against the ground.

Sal followed behind Chatfield and Upgrade, who approached the car. He wondered whether he could claim to be carsick and get them to abandon this idea but didn’t need to see Upgrade’s face to know that wasn’t an option. She was still being uncharacteristically quiet, displaying none of her usual mirth. Chatfield, on the other hand, was chattier than ever. He constantly threw little snippets of advice mixed in with facts about the place they were going to.

If Sal had any control over his emotions, he would have been listening to the lecturer intently. But as it was, he could barely manage to keep putting one foot in front of the other as they made their way to the car. A uniformed man with a relaxed smile stepped out of the vehicle and circled the car to open the passenger doors. Both doors opened outward to reveal a small table in the center of the interior, with plush seats on either side of it.

Upgrade stepped in first and sat on the left, with Chatfield sitting opposite her on the right. Sal suddenly had to pick which lecturer he was going to be facing for their flight and just a glance at their expressions was enough for him to make a snap decision. He sat beside Upgrade and looked across the table at Chatfield, who gave the driver instructions on their destination.

When the double doors closed, it started to feel real. He was leaving the academy to go to a dungeon, and it was a sickening thought.

“Salvatore, I have to admit, I’m impressed that you’re going through with this.” Chatfield smiled as he leaned back in his chair. He gestured across at Upgrade.

“I don’t know what’s happened that led to this, but I can sense the tension between the two of you. You need to put aside the useless thoughts and analyze the situation. I’ve known countless people like you, who have lived sheltered lives away from the reality of demons. Any parent would want that for their children, and I can’t fault yours for keeping you safe all these years. You’re an adult now, and it’s time to step out of your comfort zone. Upgrade and I will be right beside you, helping you every step of the way.”

Chatfield looked at Upgrade, who gave a curt nod of agreement. Chatfield paused for a moment before he laughed at her stoney reaction. “Come on, you can show him a sliver of humanity. He’s practically shitting himself.”

Sal turned his head and saw a slight break in Upgrade’s cold exterior.

Rather than turning to meet his gaze, she continued to look at Chatfield and gave a slight shake of her head. “We’re taking him into his first dungeon. I don’t want to give him a false sense of security that will make him complacent in the future. I need him on edge so his instincts are sharp. If it means being a bitch for a day, I’m more than happy to take on that role. I’d appreciate it if you weren’t so flippant with him either. This is a serious excursion for him and the first step toward him conquering his innate fear of demons.”

Her voice was steady, and Sal finally understood why she was being so cold toward him. The knowledge that he hadn’t done something wrong was heartwarming, and even managed to alleviate some of the gnawing doubts in his stomach. It was still lurching with dread, but a little less than before.

Chatfield sighed as he cupped his hands behind his head and stretched back in the chair. “Who would have ever guessed that I’d be good cop? Can’t say I disagree with you, though. I guess you get desensitized to it all after a while.” His gaze turned toward Sal, and his tone changed in pitch to something a little more somber. “Just do as we say and everything will work out great. You might even get some materials out of this.”

Chatfield glanced at Upgrade and laughed when he saw her glaring at him. Taking his hands away from his head, he presented her with his palms. “I’m not trying to distract him or make him complacent! It’s a fact. He’s a Crafter at the end of the day, and he’ll need materials to continue making quality equipment. Dungeons are naturally going to be a part of his future, so it’s no harm to keep him informed.”

“Or I could earn enough Q-Cred to buy all the materials I need,” Sal muttered with crossed arms.

He knew he was being petty, but he didn’t care. The whole thing seemed unfair to him, and even though they were both going out of their way to help him, he still felt like it was a punishment for being honest with them.

Chatfield laughed and shook his head. “Oh boy, you’ll have a hard time bankrolling the materials you’re going to need going forward. Doc Ameye, the Legendcrafter I mentioned yesterday…remember him?”

Sal nodded cautiously, wondering where Chatfield was going with this.

“Doc Ameye has spent the equivalent of over five million Q-Cred on his train. It’s a moving fortress that can kill literally anything it encounters, and the cost of constructing it all would have been astronomical if he had tried to purchase the materials outright. His ability is an inferior version of your Mythcrafter ability, so we can only assume that you’re going to run up even higher expenses.” Chatfield’s laugh suddenly turned humorless.

“Well, that is, unless you just whore out your ability to the highest bidder. That’ll speed up your earnings at the cost of your ethics.”

Upgrade shook her head as she looked out the window at the sprawling city below. “Sal isn’t going to end up like Doc Ameye. He wants to help people more than he wants to get rich. Most of Sal’s designs so far have been to cover his own weaknesses and to help his team. I can’t see him going down the route of Ameye Locomotives.”

Chatfield blinked in surprise before the smile crept back onto his face. “High praise. I guess time will tell.” He gave Sal a subtle wink before turning to look out the window, too.

Sal didn’t know how to interpret Upgrade’s words but it sounded like she had faith in him, which was a small solace. He turned to his right to look out the window and was amazed to see how fast their car moved through the air. Despite the twists and turns of its flight pattern, there was no jostling sensation in the interior.

Ruined buildings rose into the sky all around them, some of which had been reclaimed by the elements, with trees growing out of long-shattered glass. Some of the structures were coated completely in a vibrant green moss, indicating the length of time since they had last been inhabited. It didn’t look like they were in a Red Zone, but rather an unoccupied Reclaimed Zone. The streets had been cleared roughly, with wreckage pushed to the sides.

Sal didn’t have an opportunity to study any of the locations in great detail as their car moved swiftly between the wrecked skyscrapers. He did catch movement a few times, and was relieved to see what looked like small settlements of people who had repopulated segments of the city.

“Why aren’t there more people around these parts?” Sal asked as he tried to get a closer look at the settlements.

Chatfield sighed and gave a slight shrug. “Fear, for the most part. The dungeons in this area have been cut off from their source of power, which has essentially neutered them and made them a good training ground for Trainee Heroes. We’ve calculated their regeneration and spawn rates, so we’re never at risk of them growing too strong and breaking through the surrounding barrier. It’s a hard sell to people, though, who don’t want to be anywhere near an active dungeon. The United Guilds Association has dropped the land prices dramatically in the area, but nobody is biting. Some rookie guilds purchased land here, but they lack the resources and manpower to restore the buildings. Even if they could do that, there isn’t a healthy economy in this region. You’d need to travel around just to get necessities. The only thing that will change this terrain is if a big player was to make it their central hub.”

Chatfield spoke as if it were common knowledge. When he turned around to Sal, he gave him a wistful smile. “Lots of people are terrified of demons, Sal. Living next door to one isn’t that appealing. But living next door to a powerful guild is a different story. Everyone would flock to the location, and it would transform the entire area.”

Sal nodded in understanding but was curious as to how many refugees they would be able to hold if they were properly restored. It was more of an idle thought, as he didn’t even know how big the Darwin Cruise Liners were or how many people they held. His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden change of scenery.

His sense of dread bubbled up as the car descended toward the ground. The tiny specks that had been barely visible from above grew into people milling around the area. It was a stark contrast to everything else he had seen up until this point, with the area looking most like the canteen during peak hours. People were gathered into groups, wearing an assortment of cloth and metal armors. Pop-up vendors stood to one side, shouting out the names of their products in the hopes of enticing a nearby Hero.

It was chaos, and Sal had no intention of being a part of it. That decision wasn’t in his hands, though, as the doors opened on his left, to allow Upgrade and Chatfield to exit the vehicle. Sal sat in the plush interior for a few moments more as he tried to steel his resolve for the hundredth time.

Chatfield’s face appeared as he leaned down to look into the car. “If you want to vomit, there’s a section over there that’s perfect. Really heightens the senses.”

Sal ignored him as he shuffled across the seats to exit the car.

Chatfield gestured toward the small case on the table. “Don’t want to go into the dungeon without your gun and visor, do you?”

Sal sighed as he grabbed the case by its handle and stepped out of the car. Their driver closed the doors after him and indicated to Chatfield where he would be parked. Sal’s grip tightened on the handle as he made eye contact with the huge sign overhead.

“Evergreen Subway Dungeon.”

Upgrade appeared beside him and spoke softly, so that only he would hear. “You’ve got this, Sal. It’ll be over before you know it.”

Chapter 33 – Preparation

“Well, look what the prowler dragged in. Captain Chatfield, how the hell are you?”

A middle-aged man wearing a flat cap and circular glasses stepped up to meet them at the entrance to the dungeon. He wore an eclectic mix of clothing and a wide smile, offering his hand to Chatfield the moment they came in range.

Chatfield clasped his hand and pulled the man into a half embrace. “Cooper, you mad bastard. What short straw did you pick to end up in this dump?” He laughed genuinely as he stood back from Cooper and looked at him in confusion. “I was going to try to sweet-talk whoever was stationed here to get a few passes for the day, but I can see we’re going to have to find somewhere else…”

Cooper snorted and withdrew a few black cards from his breast pocket. “Do you want to skip the registration too? Guessing this one is off the books?”

Chatfield grinned as he turned to look at Sal appraisingly, giving the question a bit of thought.

“Actually, register this guy. Wouldn’t be any harm to get him some reputation with the bureau. You can leave us off the record, though. I don’t want them asking questions about why I’m dungeon diving on my weekend off.”

With a flourish, the black cards in Cooper’s hand vanished and were replaced by a singular white card.

“Salvatore Argento? Anything to Petro?”

Cooper’s question was instantaneous, and Sal was surprised that he didn’t notice the Analysis ability activating on himself. With the proximity to the dungeon and the looming dread of facing demons at any moment, Sal was in a dumbfounded state and couldn’t so much as mutter out the answer.

Cooper understood immediately and his smile faded ever so slightly. “Ah, I think I get it. Don’t face that many demons in an auction house, do you?” His laugh would have been infectious under any other circumstances, but Sal was practically numb to everything around him. “Well, let’s get you registered. Give me a second, and I’ll have this back to you in no time.”

Cooper turned back to his makeshift stand at the edge of the entrance and tapped on a console. He placed the white card into a rectangular recess that fit it perfectly. True to his word, the process took a few moments before the card popped up from the machine, with Cooper catching it in mid-air before it had a chance to land.

“Okay, a few ground rules that I’m sure Chatfield has already told you. You’re a first-year, which isn’t strictly forbidden, but highly advised against. We typically require Supports to be accompanied by at least an Offense and Defense class, but we’ll make the exception in this case. Just because you have a pass for this dungeon, don’t attempt it without a team of capable individuals. We have Trainee Heroes who will happily guide you through the dungeon as it helps them earn credentials for guild officer exams.”

Cooper was suddenly all business and his focus was entirely on Sal. “Don’t overextend yourself in there. It is not the place to take foolish risks. We had a reset last week, so there should only be leechers in there. They cling to the ceiling and won’t attack until you’re in range. If you’re in doubt or start to panic, cover your face with your arms, and your equipment will take care of the rest. We typically advise students to wear defensive equipment at Uncommon grade, but you’re kitted out in Epic grade so I doubt you’ll have any issues. Don’t be complacent and listen to the captain. He’s run more dungeons than you’ve had hot meals. Understood?”

Sal nodded solemnly, and Cooper raised an eyebrow.

With a turn to Chatfield, he gestured at Sal with his thumb. “Is this a punishment or something? He doesn’t seem to be all there.”

Before Chatfield could respond, Upgrade stepped forward and placed a hand on Sal’s shoulder.

“He’s never even seen a demon before. He’ll be fine when we get in there and he gets a feel for it.”

Cooper nodded with a knowing smile. He presented the card to Sal, who pocketed it without giving it more than a passing glance.

Chatfield cleared his throat and took a step forward. “Really appreciate your help, man. Drinks are on me next time we’re out.”

Cooper chuckled as he gestured to the entrance of the dungeon. “Pick up some good shit while you’re in there and we’ll call it even. The rookies haven’t a clue how to mine materials and the yields are actually painful. Something tells me that having two Crafters on your team will get me some good results.”

Chatfield laughed and glanced over at Upgrade. “I’m not so sure about that today—you might be better off taking the drinks from me. Think this one is going to be an in-and-out job.”

“Suit yourselves. Do you want to take a pack with you just to be on the safe side? No charge, obviously.” Cooper gestured toward a collection of backpacks stored beside his stand. “Could be worth a few extra reputation points, depending on the cut. You’d be helping me out, too.”

His wide smile broke Chatfield’s resolve as the captain lifted two of the packs and slung them over his shoulder.

“No promises, but we’ll try to pick up a few ores while we’re in there. Good enough?”

Cooper laughed as he took a step back toward his stand. “More than enough. I’ll push out the next couple of bookings, so feel free to take your time in there.”

With that said, Chatfield and Upgrade led the way, with Sal walking behind them. Sal turned to see Cooper leaning against the edge of the table, watching them depart. When they made eye contact, the eccentric man just gave him a wink before turning back to his console.

The entrance to the subway was surrounded by a pale-blue barrier, not unlike the one generated by Hannah’s gauntlets. At the top of the steps that led down into the darkness, there was a structured arch that allowed people to enter and exit the area safely.

At their approach, the barrier within the arch shimmered and dissipated, allowing them passage into the dungeon. Sal was barely a step through it when the barrier snapped back into place behind his back, cutting him off from the rest of the world and leaving him trapped in a pocket of space with the dungeon. His heartbeat thundered as he looked around him in a panic. It was the exact same feeling as when he had stepped into the enclosed cage with Dominic.

Taking a few punches was different than fighting demons, and Sal wanted nothing to do with it. His breathing became labored and his vision started to blur. A hand clasped around his own. He turned to see Upgrade looking at him with concern on her face.

“Trust me, Sal. You’re going to be fine.”

Upgrade led Sal down the steps, still holding his hand, and he became self-conscious of just how clammy his skin was becoming. It was the silliest thought to cross his mind, and he expected Chatfield to judge him harshly for being so terrified of something he faced daily.

What sort of Hero trembled outside of a beginner dungeon? That’s probably what they were thinking. Sal jumped to every conclusion and tried to push the thoughts to one side. He wished desperately that he could numb the dread in his heart. Upgrade wouldn’t let him take the monocle with him, and it was the only thing that would have kept him sane in this scenario. Sal wondered what the point was of making equipment if he wasn’t allowed to use it.

“Okay, we’re here. Equip your visor and revolver, but leave the case here at the entrance. It should be safe enough, but we can get another one if it gets destroyed.” Chatfield stretched his body in a series of movements.

Sal didn’t know how to react to seeing him actively preparing for a fight. Wasn’t it supposed to be an easy dungeon? Why would he need to start stretching? The panic started to rise again in Sal’s chest.

Upgrade released her grip on his hand and touched his shoulder. “If you want to feel safer, you can activate your armor like you did in the tournament. Leechers won’t be able to break through it, even if there were a dozen of them focusing on you for an hour. You’ll understand once you track them with your visor.”

Upgrade stepped away from Sal and activated her own suit of armor with a smile. “Anything that gets too close to you that you’re not ready for…” She raised her right arm, which had transformed into a hand cannon. “I’ll take care of it.”

Chatfield laughed from ahead of them, which broke the tension considerably. His amusement was enough to make Sal think that he was overreacting, which was oddly calming. Chatfield clicked his fingers, and his appearance changed into a replica of Upgrade’s armor. It was fitted for Chatfield’s body and wasn’t nearly as flattering, but still looked quite impressive.

Where Upgrade’s armor looked like a symbiotic material had been painted onto her skin, Chatfield’s was more like a collection of plate metal that bent with his movements. There was a slight purplish hue that wasn’t reflected in Upgrade’s suit, which Sal guessed was a side effect of his Concept ability.

When Chatfield turned around to face them, he stretched his left arm across his collar bone and used his right arm to pull it closer to his right shoulder. A slight wince of pain crossed his face before he shook his arm loose and repeated the action on the other side.

“Get the visor on and we can get started. Don’t get trigger-happy with the gun, either. Keep it aimed at the ground and have your trigger finger resting against the side of the gun. We don’t want you getting spooked and accidentally causing havoc.”

Sal crouched to one knee and flipped open the case. He hated every moment of this but resolved himself that the sooner he got on with it, the sooner it would be over.

No matter how many times he told himself that they were going to protect him and that he’d be fine, he was struck with the mental image of Sinclair tearing into the body of students as a prowler. The voider that tried to flank the cameraman during the dungeon raid a few weeks ago was also firmly etched into his brain. Sal had only seen the leechers in the vision that Barry had created, and even then, it had killed him easily.

When the visor clipped onto the side of his face, Sal wished more than anything that it had a calming function like the monocle. His hand shook as he tried uselessly to pick up the bullet cartridges, but they kept slipping between his fingers.

Only an hour ago, he had been standing at the workbench, creating them. Now, he was going to be firing them at real-life demons. He chuckled humorlessly as he firmly grasped the cartridges in his left hand, leaving the empty case on the ground. His visor quickly scanned the cartridge, as though it was bored and looking for something to do.

It was a nifty mechanism that allowed him to reload all six chambers of the revolver at the same time. The base of the cartridge was made with an external core that infused each bullet with a set amount of essence, allowing the revolver to fire a specific round of infused essence with each shot. They were valuable materials, so he wanted to use them like batteries rather than projectiles.

“You ready?”

Chatfield’s question came again, breaking Sal out of his momentary reverie. Sal reluctantly turned around to face him and was rendered speechless by the visor fulfilling its purpose. Dots populated the entire stretch of subway tunnel in front of him. Distances and threat assessments were calculated, as well as a whole different set of color-coded nodes that indicated resources in the area.

Sal gaped in shock as his eye focused on each red node. Every time he focused on a particular one, he was given a full breakdown of the targeted leecher, its location, and how to best exploit its weakness. With a quick glance to ensure that he held the revolver directly, Sal’s right eye widened as the link between the visor and revolver was established.

Upgrade stepped into view beside him with a gentle smile on her face.

“I think he’s ready.”

Chapter 34 - First Shot

All the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that had clawed its way into Sal’s mind dissipated as he analyzed the information being presented to him. The visor picked up every little thing in his proximity, and it eliminated the chances of anything sneaking up on him. He was keenly aware of all the materials that surrounded him, but he forced his eye to discount those and focused on the enemies that lay in wait.

Thankfully, the visor was able to read his intentions and the materials disappeared from view. His left eye, which didn’t have the benefit of the visor, could only see the dilapidated station stop and another twenty feet into the darkness of the tunnel. There were countless signs of battle around the stop and more than a few of the columns connecting the ceiling to the platform were completely destroyed, their steel cable innards being clearly visible through the mess of rubble.

Display posters on the wall were shredded beyond repair, hinting at the state of the world well before Sal’s time. It was surreal to see relics of the past in such a horrific state. His right eye told a completely different story, and it had nothing to do with his current location. They needed to walk for a few minutes before they’d meet a single demon, and just knowing that was enough to keep Sal’s heartbeat at a reasonable level of panic.

“Looks like the main concentration of demons are farther down the tunnel. There are loads of materials in the area, but I’m ignoring them for now,” Sal explained as he pointed to the subway tunnel tracks that led off into the distance.

Out of curiosity, he turned to look in the opposite direction but was met with a collapsed wall that had cut off the rest of the railway. There was just a single path for them to follow, and it went straight ahead. His visor couldn’t pick up any demonic activity beyond the blockade, which put him at ease that there wasn’t going to be an ambush behind them.

One thing that he did notice about the path leading forward was demons were in pockets of areas to the left and right of the tracks. He didn’t know the layout of the subway, but he guessed they had somehow burrowed their way into the walls.

Chatfield laughed as he took the lead and hopped off the platform to the tracks below. “Glad to hear that your Crafter brain isn’t overriding your common sense. I don’t know what I would have done if you ran off to scavenge for materials. That visor telling you anything interesting about the demons in the area?”

Chatfield could have easily made a replica of his visor with the Concept ability, so the fact that he hadn’t and was asking questions meant that he was being tested. Sal wasn’t in the mood for tests, but he was very much in the mood to stay on the platform for as long as possible. If humoring Chatfield delayed his hunting spree, then Sal was game for it.

“So far, it’s just giving me locations and a few generalist pieces of information about how to approach them. I don’t think we’re close enough for a full breakdown.”

Sal realized his mistake the instant he spoke, and his facial expression definitely betrayed the moment of horror. His clue was when Upgrade finally broke out of her stony persona and laughed. He turned on her, and she quickly angled her head away from him, a smile still lingering on her lips.

Chatfield grinned at Sal from the tracks below. “Excellent idea, Sal. Let’s get closer to them to see how your visor performs with a real combat scenario.”

Sal wanted the platform to swallow him up so he could just get out of this crazy scenario. He hopped down to the uneven surface of the metal tracks underneath his left boot.

With a slight stumble to the right, he regained his composure and looked down at his feet. Even though he had dismissed the material analysis from his visor, it broke down the details of what he was looking at. What should have been regular steel had at some point been converted into an essence-infused variant that he recognized as void metal.

Upgrade seemed to sense his confusion as she stepped off the platform to land beside him, albeit a lot more gracefully. “Dungeon ecosystems are able to transform commonly manufactured materials into essence-enriched ones. I hope you didn’t think that those ingots fell out of a demon’s arse.”

Sal looked at Upgrade quietly and could see that she was trying to lighten the mood. It was a stark contrast to her behavior over the last few hours, and Sal couldn’t for the life of him figure it out.

Was she feeling sorry for dragging him into this encounter, or was she finally relaxing now that he was guaranteed to carry out the task of killing a demon? Either way, he was happy to have the regular Upgrade back, so he smiled before following Chatfield, who was now a few paces ahead of them.

Sal took slow and steady steps to ensure that he didn’t trip over himself. There was some lighting from the glowing segments of the tunnel, and even after just a few steps, he could finally appreciate how much of the ecosystem was changing the environment. Mystical-looking fauna hung from the ceiling, giving off a dull hue of bioluminescence. As soon as the visor caught sight of it, Sal stopped abruptly. It was targeting the fauna, but not as a potential material.

“What is it, Sal?” Upgrade looked up at the glowing fauna.

Sal read through the information that was presented to him, and he couldn’t make sense of it. “It recognizes that moss stuff as an enemy, but there is no threat analysis or breakdown of why.”

Upgrade frowned before whistling ahead for Chatfield to stop.

Sal flinched at how far it echoed down the tunnel, but the two lecturers didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. Sal really hoped that it hadn’t alerted anything in the area.

Chatfield came back to them with a curious expression before reading their movements and following their gaze up to the fauna on the ceiling. He looked back at their faces with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s just moss. It’ll take more than our lifetimes for it to evolve into anything remotely threatening.” He shook his head with a grin. “Let’s get a move on, and Salvatore…please don’t feel threatened by everything around you. It’ll slow us down. A good rule of thumb is that if it’s trying to claw your face off, it’s an enemy. Sound good?”

Chatfield’s pep talk did very little to reassure Sal, and the blood rushed from his face as he went deathly pale. Upgrade gave Chatfield a withering look, but he shrugged and turned around to face the darkness ahead.

“We should be nearing one of their nests. How far out is it, Salvatore?”

Sal sighed as he focused his visor down the tunnel. From his recollection, they should have been a few minutes away from the first collection of leechers. A series of six dots moved rapidly toward their direction, due to appear in less than a minute. Sal took an involuntary step backward as his eyes widened in shock. Upgrade’s whistling had definitely attracted their attention.

When Sal didn’t so much as utter a word, Chatfield glanced back and grinned at his reaction.

“We’ll work on your communication etiquette later. Usually, it’s polite to warn everyone when a nest is approaching. Don’t worry, you’ve got this.” Chatfield practically laughed as he clapped Sal’s shoulder on his way past.

Sal had to do a double take. Chatfield and Upgrade stood behind him, with the former giving him a thumbs-up gesture and the latter looking conflicted.

Chatfield nodded toward the tunnel ahead and pointed at Sal’s revolver. “It’s not going to be much use pointed at the ground like that. Show us what you’ve got, Mr. Argento.”

Lightheadedness consumed Sal as he visibly trembled on the spot. He couldn’t summon a single word. Did they expect him to fight off multiple leechers without having ever seen one in real life? Weren’t they going to coach him and provide backup?

Sal cursed himself for letting it get to this point. Of course he wanted to face his fears and get stronger, but this was too far. He had never even fired a weapon before, so what chance did he have against a half dozen moving targets?

His visor flashed, bringing him out of his stupor. They were closing in and would be visible at any moment.

Sal raised his revolver and tried to look down the sights, but the uncontrollable trembling in his right hand made it impossible to keep it steady. He took a step forward and clasped his right wrist with his left hand, praying that his body would listen to him for just a few moments. It slowed the swaying ever so slightly, and Sal was able to line up the visor with the sights of the revolver.

If it weren’t for the darkness surrounding them, Sal wouldn’t have noticed the streak of red light that illuminated along the top of the revolver. The scarlet screen material was reacting with the visor and changed the information he received. With a few quick breaths, Sal closed his left eye and relied completely on the visor with his right. A half second later, the first leecher came into view, and it felt like time slowed for a moment.

Name
Leecher

Domain
Evergreen Subway Dungeon

Type
Darkness / Fauna

Description
The leecher is a menacing floating demon that preys on its targets by enveloping them in plant-like tentacles and draining their vitality and essence with its razor-sharp teeth.

Stats

Strength: 2

Dexterity: 4

Intelligence: 1

Constitution: 2

Threat Level
I

Behavior

Leechers need to attack from close range to activate their abilities. They will latch onto targets with their tentacles, and seek to weaken their prey by sapping essence. Leechers can only drain essence if they make contact with skin. They cannot activate their abilities through protective clothing.

Leechers have a deadly bite attack that can be fatal if not treated immediately, but their low health makes them easy to dislodge and dispatch. Leechers also have no sense of self-preservation, which makes retreat an unlikely method for them.

Abilities

Essence Drain: Consumes target essence

Razor Teeth: Deadly bite attack

Tentacle Bind: Contains prey by sapping essence

Regeneration: Uses stolen essence to heal itself

Weaknesses

Darkness Variant: Sunlight Vulnerability

Fauna Variant: Fire Vulnerability

Evolution
No

Reputation
Hunter Bureau: +1 to Rank | Current Score: 0

Kill Count
0 Kills

Variants
0 Discovered

Target Data
0% to Next Level

Essence Gain

0% - Not Calculated

All the information that Sal could have hoped for appeared before his right eye. He disregarded the walls of text and instead looked at their weaknesses for anything he’d be able to use. Despite the fact that he had just put in a cartridge, he didn’t know which bullets were in which chamber.

As if sensing his distress, or more likely tracking his pleading stare at the revolver’s cylinder, his visor listed out each of the equipped bullets and their respective chamber. Sal gritted his teeth when he saw that none of them were compatible against the listed weaknesses, so he had to instead rely on the power of the revolver. Maybe it was because of his nerves, or maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through his body, but Sal threw caution aside as he lined his sights up at the approaching target and pulled the trigger. The reassuring snap of the hammer was drowned out by the explosive crackle of otherworldly energy.

A streak of blue lightning pierced the darkness of the tunnel, illuminating every single detail about the space and causing the approaching leechers to flinch back. Sal watched in almost bemused horror as an explosion of light erupted at the end of the subway, or at least wherever the shot had impacted. Not a single leecher had been hit, and Sal hastily moved to the next chamber, thankful that the light of the first shot had granted him a little more time.

Sal released the breath he had been holding as he tried to aim at the nearest leecher. It was clearly visible now, and its green body was like a bulbous head of demonic lettuce. If that lettuce had thorny stems trailing beneath it. If Sal wasn’t so stressed, he would have laughed at how comical it looked in comparison to the prowlers he’d seen. Even Barry’s illusionary variants were more terrifying than this. The ridiculousness of it calmed Sal ever so slightly. His aim was more calculated, and the sway of his revolver reduced.

“Let’s go,” Sal whispered as he pulled the trigger again.

There was no flashy light with this shot, and Sal knew that it had a high probability of activating a wind-element attack. But from Sal’s perspective, other than the slight recoil that made his arm vibrate, there was no discernible effect from the shot. A whooping noise sounded out behind him, and Sal was about to turn around when his visor reduced the amount of leechers by one.

Sal opened his left eye out of instinct and watched a dead leecher drop from its perch on the ceiling, slapping against the rails below.

He had done it. His first ever demon kill. It wasn’t the one he aimed at, nor was it one he saw die…but that didn’t matter. It was his first kill!

Whatever hopes he had of Upgrade and Chatfield cleaning up the rest of the leechers and calling it a day died when Chatfield pointed out that there were still another five to go. Sal grimaced as he resumed his awkward stance and closed his left eye. There were four more shots to go before he’d get the lightning attack again. It had stalled them before, so his hope would be to get more time back by cycling through the other shots quickly.

Rather than just wasting the shots, he tried his best to aim in the general direction of the leechers. He wanted to blast them away before they got anywhere near him. When Sal pulled the trigger again, his visor indicated that he had just used a bullet with the magnetism effect. What Sal had assumed would be useless turned out to be anything but.

The entire group of leechers were caught in the field of magnetism and pulled together into a clump of panicked vines. Sal didn’t need a better invitation than that as he suddenly had a much larger target area to hit.

Without a sliver of hesitation, Sal aimed down the sights and pulled the trigger again. An involuntary laugh escaped his lips as a bolt of green essence slammed into the mass of leechers, causing them to rot and decay at a rapid pace. Their twitching bodies fell as one to the ground with an unimpressive thud, a few paces away from where he stood.

“Well, that’s certainly one way of doing it.” Chatfield laughed from behind him.

Chapter 35 – Resolve

“Okay, let’s go through it one more time.”

Chatfield’s voice sounded out from behind Sal. After the first leecher encounter, he had slipped into instructor mode and started guiding Sal on the best way to operate his revolver. Apparently, his form and technique were somewhere between piss-poor and nonexistent.

“Feet are shoulder width apart, good. Arms extended comfortably?” Chatfield studied Sal’s posture and shook his head ever so slightly.

“You need to bring the sights closer to your dominant eye, which is your right one. It would be pretty unfortunate if you ended up making a visor for the wrong side of your head. Okay, now keep a firm and consistent grip on the gun as you look down the sights. That notch at the back of the revolver should line up with the one at the front.”

“Ah,” Sal muttered, which caused Chatfield to pause with a raised eyebrow.

Sal gave him a sheepish glance before turning his attention back to the gun. He didn’t want to admit to Chatfield that he had been aiming with the front of the revolver. It explained why he hadn’t been hitting anything properly.

Chatfield stood directly behind Sal and looked at his form. “I want you to visualize that there is a target in front of you that you’re going to shoot at. Rather than snapping your finger on the trigger, you need to gradually pull it back while maintaining your aim. Steady breathing is key to this, and hold your breath only in the moment of taking the shot.”

Chatfield pointed into the distance in front of Sal. “When you take the shot, keep your aim fixed and watch to see where the bullet hits. That’ll inform you how much you need to adjust your aim. If you’re shooting to the left of the leecher, that means you need to aim that much to the right to correct it. Understood?”

Sal nodded as he continued to stare down the sights. Apparently, he had even been holding the revolver wrong, with his thumb held near the hammer at the back of the gun.

Chatfield paced around him, making slight suggestions to his form by pulling at his arms and shoulders. “That looks a lot better, so all you need now is practice. Tell me, what are your next six shots?”

Sal didn’t hesitate as he listed them off from memory. “Shock, Shear, Magnet, Decay, Freeze, and Shatter.” He wasn’t going to run into another scenario without knowing what he had loaded into the chambers.

Chatfield smiled and gave him a nod of approval. “You’ll be able to strategize how to best use the different effects, and depending on your hit rate, you could stack up some pretty nice combination attacks. Freeze and Shatter, for instance, could take out an entire group, but Shatter alone will just stun them in place. Going forward, you should reorder the bullets to maximize your effectiveness based on the encounter. Knowing what demons you’ll be facing is crucial for an effective strategy.”

Sal nodded again as Chatfield brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly. It seemed to go on for an age, and Sal rolled his shoulders to alleviate the tension he was feeling. In less time than before, another swarm of leechers darted toward him. They weren’t visible yet, but Sal’s visor had picked them up farther down the subway tracks.

The most difficult thing for Sal at the moment was keeping his breathing steady. Sure, he had managed to kill a few of them already but that sense of elation had taken a backseat to the fear of making a mistake. Fighting them at close range was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Incoming,” Chatfield stated with a smile as he took a few steps back to give Sal plenty of room. “Remember, you’ll have a higher chance of hitting the target if you keep your cool and don’t panic. We want to improve your proficiency, so practice the basics rather than relying on the effects of the bullets.”

Sal heard Upgrade say under her breath, “You’ve got this, Sal.”

He really didn’t feel like he did, but it wasn’t the time to argue. His right eye had locked onto the approaching targets, and Sal suppressed an involuntary shudder as his heart raced. His legs were in the right position, but their shaking wasn’t doing much for his aim. Even though he had just done this a short while ago, the exact same fear permeated throughout his body.

Sal wondered whether he was going to feel this sensation every time he faced a demon. Just as the thought of facing a prowler entered his mind, the first leecher came into view. For the dozenth time that day, Sal wished he had his monocle for the sense of calm it gave him.

He lined up the sights as he had been instructed and went through the motions Chatfield had drilled into him. The floating head of cabbage swayed from left to right as it moved toward him, and Sal watched its movements carefully through the visor. He couldn’t explain how he knew, but the pattern of its movement was going to put it in the optimal position for shooting in just a moment.

Rather than pulling on the trigger, Sal gradually moved it back as the window of opportunity appeared. Holding his breath in the final moment, Sal fired and did his best to keep the revolver in the exact same position.

A streak of blue lightning pierced through the darkness, illuminating the cave walls all the way down the tunnel until it extinguished itself on an unseen wall in the distance. He had almost hit the target, but his shot had skewed to the right. Remembering Chatfield’s words, Sal adjusted his aim slightly to the left to correct the change and readied himself for the next window of opportunity.

The visor signaled that it was very much an open window. All the leechers had been temporarily paralyzed by the passing lightning, just as before. The leecher leading the charge had also suffered some minor damage, with one of its vines evaporating in the first attack. Sal didn’t understand how they stayed in the air, but the loss of that tentacle had caused the leecher to turn endlessly on the spot instead of advancing forward.

Neither Chatfield nor Upgrade made any comments on the attack, and Sal was grateful as he prepared himself for the next shot. He repeated everything as instructed and adjusted his aim to the left of the spinning leecher. When the trigger compressed fully, Sal was rewarded with an incredible sight of the leecher exploding in mid-air. Chunks of the demon splattered in every direction, and Sal couldn’t help but feel a surge of elation and pride considering he had actually intended to hit it.

“Great work, Sal!” Upgrade’s voice called out from behind him, which made his smile grow wider.

He couldn’t tell whether he was jittery from the adrenaline or whether he was actually enjoying himself. The next shot would be Magnet, which had clumped all of them together the last time. Sal’s right eye searched beyond the leechers to see a half dozen swarms in various locations throughout the tunnel. If they all held at least five leechers, he was going to be facing around thirty of them in total. Before he could finish that thought, the visor counted all the leechers in range and placed a counter at the top right of his vision.

“Forty-two.” Sal breathed as he pushed all sense of accomplishment out of his system.

He couldn’t believe that he had been thinking of saving the Magnet shot for a larger group. Was it arrogance or complacency? He didn’t have time to dwell on it as the paralysis wore off the group of leechers in front of him. Three were latched to the ceiling, while one floated just off the ground. The one on the ground traced its tentacles along the corpse of its fallen comrade, and Sal felt a pang of guilt, wondering whether there had been some kind of bond between the demons. That thought evaporated when the floating leecher revealed a huge set of razor-sharp teeth and started to consume the chunked demon.

As much as Sal wanted to fire at the cannibalistic demon, he needed to think strategically. With a slow exhale, he raised his aim slightly and corrected it to the right of the leecher cluster. It felt wrong to aim in the center of a group, but that’s what had worked the last time. When he pulled the trigger, Sal was drawn forward by the force of the shot, but his legs kept him rooted. There was nothing dramatic about the shot, but Sal watched carefully down the sights as the leechers attached to the ceiling were drawn together into a single clump.

“Careful, Sal.” Chatfield’s voice sounded out from behind him, spiking Sal’s anxiety.

When he looked back to the cannibal leecher, the demon was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was about to turn his head to search for it, he consulted the visor, which told him to look to his right-hand side. In the short space of time that Sal had looked away, the leecher had almost managed to flank him by crawling along the wall. Its vines silently pulled at the rocks to increase its speed greatly.

All the shots so far had been at a relatively long distance, but this one was close. Too close! Sal estimated that it would lunge in just a couple of seconds, so he needed to act fast. Turning his whole body, Sal didn’t have time to align his posture and go through all the mental checks that Chatfield had taught him. Adrenaline took over; Sal aimed directly at the approaching target and pulled the trigger.

There was no finesse to it, but there didn’t need to be. The Decay shot didn’t need accuracy; it just needed something in the vicinity to kill, and the leecher very much fit that criteria. Sal stared in shock as the leecher burst away from the wall, extending its vines in the hopes of latching onto Sal. A collection of horrifying teeth appeared in a circular pattern from its base. Sal only caught a glimpse of its attacking form, because the Decay shot hit the offending creature right in the mouth and burned a hole straight through it, and even through a chunk of the tunnel wall behind it.

With a quick sidestep, Sal watched it twitch helplessly on the ground as its limbs and body melted away. The awful stench of rotting demon was something Sal would pay to never experience again. He checked again to see that it was no longer a threat before turning his attention back to the leechers on the ceiling.

His visor registered two things. The number of live leechers had been reduced by one, and the leechers affected by the Magnet shot were nowhere to be seen. Sal turned his head left and right in the hopes that the visor would pick something up, but it came up blank. Trepidation and uncertainty seeped into every nerve of his body, and he hated it. The visor counted the ones in the distance through the tunnel and came up with a lower number, which meant the ones he had fired at were somewhere he couldn’t see.

“Fuck.” Sal breathed as he took a step back and looked at his surroundings.

A chuckle from behind reminded Sal that Upgrade and Chatfield were watching his every move. Chatfield’s voice did little to soothe his heart.

“Fuck indeed, Mr. Argento.”

Sal threw his internal essence into his gloves and forced his entire set of clothing to transform into the protective suit of armor. He lifted his left arm to shield his face as he looked up at the ceiling. His visor caught sight of three leechers approaching rapidly, all baring their teeth as two of them dived down toward his face.

Sal panicked as the first leecher clasped onto his arm. Its teeth gnawed viciously at the armor as its vines wrapped around the elbow and shoulder joint. Sal pushed his arm away from his face to get farther away from the attached leecher, which gave the second leecher the opening it needed.

Sal whipped up his right arm, still gripping the revolver, and used it to bludgeon the approaching demon. It was a pretty basic attack, but the force of his armor coupled with the grade of his gun caused the leecher to crumple on impact. Sal didn’t have any time to celebrate as he slammed the butt of the revolver down on the head of the leecher adhered to his left arm. It exploded from the strike, showering Sal’s face with residue that made him want to gag. He started heaving as the third leecher descended from above, aiming at his chest.

An explosive blast thundered throughout the tunnel as the leecher was savagely repelled by Sal’s chest. White lights glowed from the jet-black armor, highlighting the protective runes that had just been activated. The third leecher had pretty much evaporated upon impact, with some residue on the wall being the only indicator that it had ever existed. Sal deactivated his armor and pulled chunks of dead leecher from his face. He barely got through the first handful before he vomited violently onto the dungeon floor.

“Okay, so I have notes.”

Chatfield’s voice sounded out from beside him. Upgrade remained quiet as she knelt beside Sal, rubbing his back. Sal heaved again involuntarily, and tears gathered in his eyes.

He just wanted the day to be over.

Chapter 36 – Adapt

“Great progress, Sal,” Chatfield praised him as they stepped through the latest massacre of leechers.

Sal ignored him as he replaced three of the bullets in his revolver. The last few hours had been absolute hell, and Sal was determined to get this over with. Any thoughts he had of going home before the dungeon was completely cleared was a pipe dream at this point.

Chatfield had made it very clear that Sal was here to overcome his fear of the demons, and judging from the conflicted expression on Upgrade’s face, she hadn’t anticipated Chatfield being this ruthless. On more than one occasion, she had suggested that they call it a day and wrap it up. Chatfield had disagreed each time and suggested another method for Sal to train himself in the dungeon environment.

Ever since the encounter with the ones that had attacked from overhead, Sal had been vigilant and ruthless in his shots. The hesitation was gone, and his fear had been replaced with a surreal sense of calm. He knew that he could kill them with his armor alone, and any time he hit them with a shot, they were as good as dead.

“Just don’t push yourself.” Upgrade’s voice was filled with concern, but Sal shrugged it off.

He needed to get this over and done with, and feeling sorry for himself wasn’t going to get him out of the situation. He had been pushing himself since the moment he had stepped into the dungeon. Hell, he’d been pushing himself since he had walked into the academy.

Yes, he was feeling sorry for himself, but that wasn’t the point. Sal’s jaw tightened as he checked his revolver again and moved forward. He was getting much more attuned to both the visor and the revolver. They had felt like separate pieces of equipment, but after using them for a while, he started to appreciate their synergies. The aiming corrections that he had been doing manually had been adapted by the visor so his aim was now much more accurate.

Chatfield came into view beside him, smiling. “You’ve managed to kill roughly twenty of them so far, which is excellent progress. Your form is improving, but your adaptability needs work. You’re not a heavy artillery that needs to be rooted on the spot. You can move around the battlefield to dispatch your enemies, so don’t feel like you need to stand in the one position and take them out from there. You’ll end up becoming a stationary target for your opponents.”

As if to demonstrate, Chatfield leaped forward into a roll, springing up and launching a blade from his right sleeve into the wall. “Moving targets are much harder to hit, but you need to be very aware of your surroundings. You’ll develop a natural sense for it over time.”

Sal nodded numbly as Chatfield retrieved his blade from the wall. “If I do the roll, can this day end?” he asked in the most emotionless voice he could muster.

Chatfield looked at him, then laughed. “Salvatore, all this is for your benefit. You’re making it sound like we’re getting you to do this against your will. Think back over the events of the day so far…look at how much you’ve learned!” Chatfield looked at Upgrade for support, but didn’t get any.

She was staring at Sal with a concerned expression.

Sal glanced between them for a moment before giving Chatfield his full attention. “The only thing I’ve learned is that the revolver is not a good weapon for this dungeon. I should make an automatic rifle that has demon-seeking bullets. It’d be so much easier to just stand at the entrance, scream as loud as I can to get their attention, and then mow them all down.”

Upgrade’s laugh was the perfect accompaniment to Chatfield’s stupefied expression. Sal felt the beginnings of a smile tugging at the side of his lips. He was still annoyed, and incredibly fatigued, but more than anything…he wasn’t as terrified as he had been before.

“I will admit, though, that I’m feeling myself getting a little bit better. The jumpiness isn’t going away and the panic still consumes me when they get too close.”

Chatfield laughed; he looked at Upgrade and shook his head. “Your Crafting prodigy is disappointed that he hasn’t mastered dungeoning in a single day. Do you want to break it to him, or should I?”

Upgrade stepped up to Sal and shook her head. “Those feelings don’t go away for most of us. It’s about controlling what you can in the moment. You’re doing really well for your first time, Sal. You should be proud of your progress.”

Sal sighed as he gave her a sideways glance. “So, all it took was twenty dead leechers to stop you giving me the cold shoulder?” He tried to put a lightness into his tone, but the words sounded accusatory at best.

Upgrade didn’t flinch in the slightest and nodded. “You’re right. This excursion is exactly what you needed, rather than what you wanted. As a lecturer, it’s my responsibility to get you ready for the future, and this mental block about demons was only going to fester over time. So, today you got tough Upgrade. Tomorrow, you’ll have nice Upgrade, who will talk you out of that stupid automatic rifle idea. Sound good?”

Sal laughed and was relieved to see a smile mirrored on Upgrade’s face as she gestured to the tunnel in the distance.

“There are still a few left for you to destroy. On future dungeon runs, you’ll learn how to dispatch them without destroying their core. Harvesting their materials is next to impossible when they’ve been reduced to gunk on a wall.”

Upgrade laughed as she dragged her foot against one of the subway rails, removing some of a leecher body from her heel. She gestured at the remains with a grin. “I’m not sure even you could restore that to something useable.”

Chatfield coughed to get their attention. “So, should I assume I’ve been freed from being good cop? It was painful trying to be chipper and positive this whole time. We’ve got work to do and if we finish up relatively soon, we can mine a few bits and pieces for Cooper and be back at a reasonable hour.” He paused and looked around the area. “Actually, Upgrade, do you want to take him mining while I clear the rest?”

Sal perked up, his fatigue vanishing from his shoulders as he looked excitedly at Upgrade.

She laughed and shook her head. “Nope, we don’t leave jobs half-done. He’s going to have his first dungeon clear, and it’ll be through his own hard work. How are we expecting him to take on prowlers in the future if he’s this happy to run out of a leecher encounter?”

Sal had no idea how Upgrade managed to both disappoint and terrify him in the same breath. Did she actually expect him to get to the point where he’d be hunting prowlers by himself?

Chatfield frowned as he looked into the darkness. “Well, if that’s the case, we’re going to have to pick up the pace. Salvatore, we’re going to reduce the time between stops. What I’ve helped you with so far should be enough to see you through to the end of the dungeon. We’ll be in the area, so call for help if you need us.”

Sal froze as he pieced together what Chatfield was suggesting. A glance at Upgrade didn’t help, as she looked to be in agreement with Chatfield. Sal’s mind was in overdrive, looking for a piece of the puzzle that he had somehow missed.

“You’re not coming with me?”

Chatfield nodded. “We’ll be here. You’re equipped to the brim with the best equipment a fully qualified Hero could ask for, and you haven’t needed us to intervene at any point. The last two encounters you flinched a lot less, which tells us you’re getting into a rhythm. Stick to your basics, be mindful of your surroundings, and you’ll get through it in no time.”

Sal was completely lost for words. It felt like a betrayal of the highest order, that they took him to a dungeon and were now abandoning him to the leechers. He didn’t know whether he should be proud that they felt he was capable enough to take it on alone, or whether he should be angry that he was needlessly being put into danger.

Either way, it looked like he had little choice in the matter. If he left the dungeon, he’d be admitting that they were wrong about him. Both of them, who believed in his capabilities. Sal sighed as he turned away and walked into the darkness. The most painful realization was that if he stood his ground and made excuses, then it would be admitting to himself that he wasn’t able to do it.

All his progress in the dungeon so far had been on his own, so all he had to do was finish it well.

Sal couldn’t resist at least one biting comment before he left. “Just know that if I die, Chatfield, you don’t get armor sets and your perfect record of no casualties is ruined.”

Sal smiled to himself until Chatfield’s voice echoed past him down the tunnel.

“Nobody knows I’m here, Sal. We didn’t register at the door. Doc Ameye can probably whip up the armor I need, anyways. Good luck!”

Before Sal could utter a response, a shrill whistle that was impossibly loud shot down the tunnel from every direction. Sal gritted his teeth as his grip tightened on the revolver. Almost as a reflex, he activated his armor and kept it around him for reassurance. He kept his visor locked on all the visuals around him, forcing himself to ignore the fauna that was constantly being marked as a threat. In the top corner, the counter displayed how many leechers remained in the dungeon.

Threat Detection (Active) | Leechers
Remaining | 16

Sal walked cautiously forward, as a cluster of leechers made their way to him. He’d have to hunt the others down after this one because he didn’t actually know how to whistle. Any sort of shouting from him would make Chatfield and Upgrade think he was in distress. Sal stopped after a moment and looked down at the revolver.

With a shake of his head, he told himself he was an idiot before resuming his walk. A gunshot was louder than anything he’d be capable of mustering with his own voice. A small part of his brain was telling him to run straight at them and get it over with, but the larger part of the brain that was filled to the brim with logic talked him out of it.

As the cluster came into view in the distance, Sal got into position and raised the gun as he had been instructed. His new bullets were picked specifically for making this an easier encounter, but the reality of their effects had yet to be seen.

With a shallow breath, Sal pulled on the trigger and watched as a burst of light shot forward at high speed. The effect was called Solar Scatter, and Sal guessed that it would create fragments of light that would hopefully weaken the leechers against follow-up attacks. It had been in one of his unused cartridges, and he hoped that it would work. If it didn’t, the next bullet would be a fire-based effect. An instant burst of light erupted ahead of him, with the shot scattering in multiple directions.

Radiant light burst from each of the fragments, creating a miniature explosion of brightness. Sal was grateful for his visor’s protection from the sudden glare of light, and that his left eye was closed. When he opened it to see the effects of the light, he was stunned to see all the leechers lying dead on the ground.

Threat Detection (Active) | Leechers
Remaining | 12

Sal stared at their remains before lifting his revolver and rotating the chamber until he was back to the Solar Scatter shot. All experimentation went out the window in favor of an ability that was guaranteed to massacre the fuckers.

A wry smile crossed his lips as he saw they were completely intact, without a single piece of damage to their bodies. Apparently, he had just found his perfect harvesting technique. Sal continued on at a slightly faster pace, watching out for any leechers that might try to sneak attack. The remaining cluster were clumped together farther ahead. With a quick check of his revolver, Sal paused his approach with a frown.

Ammunition Material

Shot Effect
Status

Lux Crystal
Solar Scatter
Recharging - 28%

Magma Claw
Spiral Flare
Charged

Voider Eye
Magnet Knot
Charged

Gloomhusk Fang
Soul Killer
Charged

Vorpal Membrane
Gravity Slam
Charged

Bolt Metal
Shock Lance
Charged

Sal grimaced at the recharge time. It wasn’t ideal, but the effects were definitely worth the wait. He had chosen each of the abilities because they looked like they worked in an area of effect, except for Spiral Flare and Shock Lance. The first had been because of the leecher’s weakness to fire, and the second was the lightning bolt attack he had used to paralyze the leechers earlier. Magnet Knot was the bullet that clumped them all together, but he had no idea what Soul Killer or Gravity Slam did. They sounded impressive, but Sal would have to test them another time. He was going to wait until the Solar Scatter was active before engaging in more combat.

At least, that was his intention before he heard a cacophonous shriek come from ahead of him. Throughout his entire experience in the dungeon, it was the first time he had heard any of them make a noise like that. A knot of tension appeared in Sal’s stomach, and he laughed at how stupid the whole thing was. Of course they let him go ahead on his own. With nothing to lose, Sal turned his head back in the direction he came.

“Pretty sure there’s a boss monster ahead!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

The only answer was the guttural roar from ahead of him. Except this time, it was much closer.

Chapter 37 – Respect

A grinding noise accompanied the roar, sounding like jagged plates being dragged across each other. The dull illumination of the bioluminescence showed a silhouette of a large structure obscuring the tunnel ahead.

If Sal was to guess, based on the fact that he was in a subway station, it was likely a train carriage. Sparks flew from the rails beneath the silhouette as it inched ever closer to his location, and Sal closed his left eye and looked at it through the visor. It didn’t really illuminate anything, but the tracker knew what Sal was looking for.

Name
Leecher Variant III (Boss)

Domain
Evergreen Subway Dungeon

Type
Darkness / Fauna / Metal

Description

The Leecher Variant is an evolved form of the menacing floating demon. It will plant itself into an essence-rich environment and prey on its targets by using embedded roots in the surrounding domain.

The Leecher Variant can retain its original abilities and access more based on its chosen nest.

Stats

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 3

Intelligence: 5

Constitution: 8

Threat Level
III

Behavior

Leecher Variant: Boss (Metal)

Gathered Information: 5%

Abilities

Essence Drain: Consumes target essence

Tentacle Bind: Contains prey by sapping essence

Regeneration: Uses stolen essence to heal itself

Cannibalism: Consumes brethren to enhance abilities

[Unknown]

Weaknesses

Darkness Variant: Sunlight Vulnerability

Fauna Variant: Fire Vulnerability

Metal Variant: Electricity Vulnerability

Evolution
8% to Leecher IV

Reputation

Hunter Bureau: +5 to Rank | Current Score: 24

Kill Count
24 Kills

Variants
1 Discovered

Target Data
6% to Next Level

Essence Gain
1%

Sal threw all strategy and planning out the window as he aimed down the sights of the gun and fired. He didn’t give a shit if the revolver needed to reload; there was no way in fucking hell he was going to stand and wait for the Solar Scatter ability to recharge when that thing was lurching closer to him. The first shot didn’t even register and clicked through to the next chamber, but Sal didn’t care as he repeated the action.

All the instructions Chatfield had given him were discarded as raw fear consumed him. When Solar Flare activated, Sal had to take a step back from the recoil, which was saying something because he was in the full suit of black armor. His surroundings seemed to ignite as a rotating shard of solid fire whirled in a straight line toward the correctly assumed train carriage. In the illumination, Sal caught sight of a monstrosity embedded into the back of the train. Tracks had been uprooted and were weaving around the train, similar to the small vine tentacles of the previous leechers. The face, if you could even call it that, was like a rotting cabbage with leaves wrapped around the metal exterior of the carriage. Sal couldn’t really identify much of its features as the shard smashed into the train and exploded violently in a shower of flames.

Sal fell backward onto his ass to avoid the thrashing beams of metal that slammed into the surrounding walls and the area in front of him. Shrieks of pain and anger were nothing compared to the noise it made. That deep and guttural roar from before had been replaced with an ear-piercing wail of agony. The cacophony of metal slamming against rock, coupled with its screams, filled Sal with a fear that shook him to his core. It took everything in his power to lift his shaking hands with the revolver and aim it at the leecher variant.

Sal tried his best to pull the trigger, but it wasn’t happening. He looked desperately at the monster in front of him and wanted more than anything to pull the trigger. His visor flashed and a sudden sense of clarity washed over him.

Fear effect has been removed.

Sal didn’t hesitate as he pulled the trigger, sending the Magnet Knot shot into the tangled limbs of former subway tracks. He didn’t know what to expect, or whether it would be powerful enough to do anything. With the leechers, it had only managed to pull them together, but this was asking a hell of a lot more. Sal watched it with held breath as the rails shuddered involuntarily, constricting in on themselves and knotting into a ball of metal.

The only sign that it was against the intentions of the demon was the aggravated swaying of the stems fused to the underside of the carriage. Sal didn’t wait for another invitation and fired the next shot. Soul Killer was something he knew absolutely nothing about. When it fired, Sal had to double-check that it actually did something, as all he saw was a minor flutter of the cabbage leaves.

A moment later, those very leaves wilted and fell away from the train carriage. The stems of metal clanged to the ground and the grotesque monster that had fused to the train fell with a thud. Soul Killer had ripped it from its nest. There were no tentacles now, nor were there any teeth on display. Just a twitching mass of fauna that looked to be in its dying throes.

Sal got to his feet and resumed the stance that Chatfield had taught him. He wasn’t about to take any chances as he aimed at the twitching demon and pulled the trigger in a controlled manner. The target area was much smaller now, and Sal wanted it to be a direct hit.

The bolt of lightning lanced forward at a ridiculous speed, as though delighted to be released from the chamber. It skewered through the encroaching darkness, pushing it away with its pulsating blue light before slamming into the leecher variant. It was the first direct hit Sal had achieved with the shot, and it was breathtaking to say the least.

Literally, it took the breath away from Sal as the demon exploded and absorbed all the oxygen around it. Smoke filled the tunnel, and Sal dropped to his knees to catch his breath as involuntary tears formed at the edges of his eyes. He forced himself to squint at the target and was delighted when the visor confirmed that it was finally dead.

Sal could have lay on the ground for another hour or so, but he forced himself to sit up on the back of his heels. The armor was uncomfortable, so after checking with the visor that there was nothing alive in sight, he deactivated the black armor and sat there in wonder.

Maybe it was the crackling of the electricity remnants, or the fires that had erupted within the carriage…but Sal didn’t register the sound of applause coming from behind him. He should have known that they would be nearby; they weren’t barbaric. Of course, his fear let him cling to the illusion that he had been abandoned in his time of need.

“Gotta say, that was one hell of a spectacle,” Chatfield said with a wide grin as he sat beside Sal. “The blend of abilities really was a killer combination. Excellent strategy, by not giving it time to counter. Getting down low to avoid the swinging projectiles was exactly what I meant by mobility on the battlefield.” Chatfield pointed at the various areas of the battle as he broke down the different phases.

“A metal variant isn’t particularly agile, so staying out of its reach with a long-range attack was well considered. It goes without saying that the bars would have likely done some serious damage if they had hit your head, but you fired off multiple shots before it got a chance. I thought you’d wait for that light-element attack, but you managed to solo the variant without it. I’m impressed.”

“Stop teasing him.” Upgrade sat on the other side of Sal as she patted him on the shoulder.

“You did great, Sal. We were behind you the entire time, but you had everything under control. Even if your version of events don’t match up with Chatfield’s, your intuition was good, and you prevailed. I hope this experience will show you that demons are killable. With good equipment and a solid strategy, an encounter can be done in roughly twenty minutes. We’ve been in here for close to three hours, but for your first time…and taking on everything yourself without knowing what lurks around the corners? It was an excellent job. I’m genuinely impressed.”

Chatfield placed a hand over his heart and gave Upgrade a mock-look of reproachfulness. “Either way, it’s done now. Have you decided if you’re ever going to talk to us again? Because if you’re going to stick around, we can get to the fun part.” As if to emphasize his point, Chatfield gestured at the deceased demon. “Your loot awaits, Hero.”

Sal shook his head as he got to his feet. He paused before turning to Upgrade. “Thank you.”

His head was a jumbled mess of emotions as he tried to find the words. He wanted to thank them for taking time out of their schedules to help him get over his fears. But he was also conflicted with how horrific their methods were. He didn’t appreciate how they had withheld the information about the leecher variant at the end of the dungeon, but he did appreciate them having his back. Even if he didn’t know it at the time.

The words of the student in the workshop bubbled up to the surface of his mind, and Sal realized that he really was getting special treatment…private rooms, guild tokens, mentorship from not just Upgrade, but Chatfield too. All those thoughts and emotions led Sal to the conclusion that he was being helped too much by everyone around him. His entire time in the dungeon had felt like a punishment, but they had been helping him in the only way they knew how. If it had been left up to Sal, he would have made excuses for the next three years to never go on an outing or to surround himself with powerful people who could help him get through the difficult battles to come. When Sal looked at Upgrade, he guessed that she could see right through him.

Upgrade smiled at him as she also got to her feet. “You’re welcome, Salvatore. You’re in Quest Academy to learn how to be a Hero, and what you did just now qualifies you to stand proudly among your peers. Bringing you here wasn’t just to get you over your fears of the demons—it’s to help you understand why Crafting is so important on the battlefield. You didn’t use your abilities once, and you managed to clear a dungeon with just your equipment. Understanding how combat works will better inform your future designs and inventions.”

Upgrade’s smile turned into a laugh as she nodded meaningfully toward the demon corpse. “You better hurry or he’ll pocket it all himself.”

Sal turned around to see Chatfield holding up a tiny green stone as well as an elongated shard of metal. The visor picked up on them immediately and fed the information back to Sal in seconds.

Leecher Core (Uncommon Grade)

Crafting component that can be used as an external core. Leecher aspect allows the core to siphon off atmospheric essence naturally to recharge itself. Low capacity for essence. High chance of unlocking one of the following traits through crafting: [Synergy] [Siphon]

Void Metal (Uncommon Grade)

Crafting component that can be used for constructing durable, essence-enriched equipment. Medium capacity for essence. High chance of unlocking one of the following traits through crafting: [Barrier] [Harden] [Solidify] [Reflect] [Channel] [Cloister] [Shell] [Grounded]

“Is it just me or are those incredibly basic compared to the fight I just had?” Sal looked at the pop-ups in disappointment.

When he glanced at Chatfield, the man was frowning slightly. It didn’t take him long to understand why.

Chatfield moved over to Sal and offered the components to him. “I hope this will help you appreciate the risks that guilds are taking in high-level dungeons, portals, and towers. The materials that you use in that workshop are on a whole different level of difficulty compared to what you’ve just run through.

“That leecher component is essentially a self-sustaining core, which would be an absolute godsend to any Crafter starting out in the workshop. The loot from this dungeon, if you picked up each piece, would likely net you around forty to sixty Q-Cred. If you refined the void metal into quality ingots, you’d be getting a lot more, but it’s a difficult process that requires someone with expertise like Forge or Upgrade. The stuff you saw on the tracks at the entrance isn’t infused enough to be classified as real void metal, so the only real bounty is from the boss variant.” Chatfield sighed as he swept his right hand through his hair.

“Quality materials come from higher difficulty encounters. Each piece of moonsilver and scarlet screen that you used in the workshop was acquired by Heroes who put their lives on the line. Don’t forget that.”

A cough from Upgrade made Chatfield’s expression soften. A smile crossed his face as he shot her a thankful look. Turning back to Sal, he laughed.

“Sorry about that, Salvatore. I didn’t want you looking down on your own achievements. You earned these and you should be proud.”

Sal took the components from Chatfield and nodded. “Thank you for all your help. I wouldn’t have gotten through this without you.”

Chatfield smiled as he patted Sal on the shoulder. “No, you probably wouldn’t have, but I’ll leave the gloating for another time.” He stepped past Sal and moved across to Upgrade, who whispered something to him.

Sal thought about Chatfield’s words regarding the materials and higher difficulty dungeons. He had just seen them as materials with costs, like anything else. At no point had he dwelled on the sacrifice that went into acquiring them. His father’s ire at Shade and the Delvers Guild suddenly made a lot more sense. They didn’t care how many lives were lost in the pursuit of the rarest pieces of equipment, and Sal never wanted to be like that. He couldn’t help but feel as if he had disappointed Chatfield with his reaction just now, so he made a silent vow to respect any materials that crossed his workbench going forward.

Chapter 38 – HBR

“Did you have a good haul?” Cooper asked with a wide grin as he eyed the backpacks in Chatfield’s hands. Before Chatfield could reply, Cooper had a clear slate set on the stand and was busy withdrawing a series of inspection tools. “Come on, don’t be shy. Show me what you managed to get!”

Chatfield smiled as he placed the first backpack beside the stand, but held the second backpack out of reach.

Cooper’s expression didn’t falter in the slightest as he chuckled. “You drive a hard bargain, but it’s better than nothing. How did the kid do? He’s looking like he’s all in one piece.”

Sal tried his best to smile, but he couldn’t muster the energy to lift a single muscle in his face.

Chatfield came to his rescue with a few choice words. “Cleared it by himself. Not bad, right?”

Cooper’s eyes lit up as he adjusted his spectacles. A smile appeared on his lips, and Sal could have sworn that the man was looking straight through him. Cooper eventually laughed as he tapped the side of his glasses.

“Goodness! You must have put him through hell. His stats took a bit of a leap. Oh, you nabbed some void metal? Excellent.” Cooper’s attention was back on the loot as he sorted through the various shards that Chatfield had acquired in the dungeon.

Sal, on the other hand, stared at Cooper in surprise. He had the Analysis ability with his visor and understood that it gave a range of information points, but stats increasing after a single dungeon raid? It seemed unlikely.

“Excuse me, Mr. Cooper?” Sal started awkwardly as he approached him.

Cooper glanced up without answering.

“You said my stats took a bit of a leap? What did you mean by that? My Hunter Bureau rank?”

Cooper grinned and shook his head slowly, as though waiting for Sal to piece the puzzle together himself. Sal didn’t have the mental capability right now to jump through hoops but tried his best to figure it out.

“I know that Analysis gives threat ratings for people and demons. Did my threat level increase for you?”

Cooper clapped, dropping the tools and the void metal. He looked at Chatfield with excitement. “He has the Analysis ability? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have given him way more information at the start!”

Chatfield shrugged and gestured at Sal to explain. Rather than getting into it, Sal produced his visor and placed it on the table.

“I made this, along with this.” Sal placed the revolver beside the visor and took a step back.

Maybe it was the exhaustion of crafting continuously for days, coupled with the events of the dungeon, but Sal didn’t care whether Cooper knew he was a Mythcrafter. Upgrade and Chatfield didn’t react negatively to his actions, so Sal excused himself from feeling guilty needlessly. He wanted answers about the stats thing, and showing Cooper the equipment that allowed him to use the Analysis ability would save a lot of time and explanations.

Cooper picked up the visor and looked directly at Sal. “May I?”

Sal nodded that it was okay but gestured at the revolver beside him. “The gun powers the visor. They’re synced to me, so I’m not sure if it’ll activate for you.” Sal realized that he actually didn’t know whether it would work.

He saw that Chatfield was able to create a Concept visor that mimicked the design and he was able to wear it without issue, so maybe Cooper would be able to use the visor. Sal didn’t really know. Without any pomp or ceremony, Cooper discarded his glasses and equipped the visor. To Sal’s surprise and Cooper’s delight, the red visor flashed as it activated.

“Extraordinary.” Cooper breathed as he looked around him. “It’s brand new with very little information. Would you like me to give it some stuff to process?”

The question caught everyone by surprise, and Sal was a bit uncertain what he meant by it. Chatfield, on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening and answered on Sal’s behalf.

“Yes, please. Cooper, that would be incredible.”

Sal gave Chatfield a questioning glance, but he just gave a thumbs-up gesture in response.

Upgrade looked amused, and Sal felt like the only one out of the loop.

Cooper reached into his chest pocket and withdrew a series of cards that looked similar to the one Sal had received earlier. He rummaged around in his other pockets before taking out a small core. If Sal wasn’t so exhausted, he would have tried appraising it.

“So, let’s see…your archives are very material based. I can see that you’re definitely a Crafter! With expensive tastes, too…you don’t come across those materials every day.” Cooper was speaking almost to himself as he looked off in different directions.

“I guess this will be a good start then. Let’s show you where to get those materials.”

Sal took a step back as the visor flashed aggressively.

Cooper chuckled as he shook his head. “Simply extraordinary. I have to confess, I threw a chunk of data at it to see if it would break under pressure but it’s lapping it up and is hungry for more. Demon archives, behavioral analysis, location scanning, threat analysis, predictive algorithms…it’s a hungry little bastard, I’ll give you that.”

Sal watched in fascination as Cooper’s hands shuffled through the different cards, each one adding something new to the visor. Cooper chuckled as though he were lost in his own thoughts. “I’ve been getting ahead of myself. There’s no directory in here for Heroes? Just how new is this visor?”

Chatfield cleared his throat, and Sal saw that he was being stared at. Sal didn’t understand why Chatfield stopped answering for him. Stepping closer to Cooper, Sal tried to explain.

“I made them both yesterday. I needed a visor that would help me use the Analysis skill so I could determine the best materials for Crafting. I used it for the first time in the dungeon and read the stats of the leechers inside. It picked up materials too, but that’s about all I’ve done with it.” Sal shrugged at Chatfield to indicate that he wasn’t sure how much information he was supposed to share.

Cooper smiled. “Weapons attuned to you, that you made yourself. Both containing Mythcrafter essence as a key component?”

Sal’s blood suddenly went cold, and he looked at Chatfield in a panic. Neither he nor Upgrade showed any sign of concern.

Cooper chuckled at Sal’s reaction. “Doc Ameye finally has a competitor. I’m excited to see what you’ll do in the future. Just promise you won’t become a self-absorbed asshole like him!”

Before Sal could utter a response or try to explain that his identity was a secret, Cooper began talking again.

“I’ve added in the Hunter Bureau database, as well as the United Guilds Association. You should be able to identify affiliations of any Hero you interact with. The government directory is also publicly available, so I threw that in for good measure. Any criminals or people with a record will show up too.” Cooper took off the visor and placed it down on the desk with a grin.

“Your question about stats, though. Everyone has their own preferences on how they do it. Some put in stars to show potential and proficiencies, while others use gradings. Your system seems to default to Roman numerals. Personally, I prefer numbers with decimals to really track the incremental gains. This visor is a wonderful piece of kit, and you should be damn proud that you made it.” Cooper put his glasses back on and smiled at Sal.

“When it evolves, it will likely utilize the information I’ve granted it. You’ll see more details of what I’m talking about then, but to sate your curiosity now, I’ll tell you what stats changed.”

Sal stared at Cooper in anticipation. Had he really grown in the dungeon raid? There were no real differences that he could feel.

Cooper’s smile faded ever so slightly as he spoke. “Your Spirit decreased by 1.146. Dexterity increased by 0.214. Resilience increased by 2.642.”

Sal wasn’t sure what the numbers meant, but he understood the context. “You’re saying that you’re able to see my stats as numerical values, and they’ve changed by that much?”

Sal didn’t want to believe that was possible, or that things like his Spirit was quantifiable.

Cooper shrugged as he pointed at his glasses. “They haven’t lied to me yet. I will say this, though, because you’re just out of your first encounter. Don’t let your Spirit fall any further. Do things that you enjoy, spend time with friends, and keep yourself happy.”

Sal wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but Cooper continued.

“Dexterity increases are bound to be gradual as you earn muscle memory from your movements. It will take time, but it’s an incredible growth for you in such a short period. Continue to work on your shooting and it will flourish over time, allowing you to get even more out of the revolver. Resilience is vital in our line of work, and you’ll need it to overcome the challenges you’ll face in the future. Keep your mind sharp and your heart steady, and you’ll go far.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cooper,” Sal said sincerely.

He had managed to get a trove of information for his visor and insight into his own personal development. The comment about his Spirit was slightly worrying and Sal didn’t even know what it was. He resolved to find out more about it later.

Cooper’s trademark grin reappeared as he unpacked the rest of the loot from the dungeon. He gave Chatfield a sly look, or more specifically, the second backpack. “What price would you put on the goodwill I just showed your young protégé?”

Chatfield laughed as he handed over the second backpack. “You’ve more than earned it. Sal has a couple of pieces he’s keeping from the boss demon, but everything else is yours.”

Cooper winced and pointed a finger at Chatfield. “What have I told you about calling them ‘bosses’?”

Chatfield sighed as his shoulders sagged. “Fine. Captains. Sal is keeping the loot from the captain.”

Cooper still looked unimpressed, and Chatfield glanced at Upgrade for help. She offered none, which resulted in Cooper rounding on Sal.

“You’ve got it all pre-loaded into your visor, but I don’t mind explaining for the others in your group who seem to have forgotten. We assign ranks to demons to signify their danger level. It’s become a common trend among Heroes to refer to a slightly stronger variant as a ‘boss’ creature rather than their actual rank. You can probably tell why this is a terrible idea. By this logic, a commander variant would be the same as a captain variant. What you faced in the dungeon was closer to a corporal than a captain. At least, that’s if it’s the one that regenerates on the train each instance.”

Cooper muttered the last part, but Sal found himself curious about the phenomenon.

“How is it possible to farm the dungeon when I’ve already killed the demons inside? Like, if someone else goes in, won’t they just find the corpses?” Sal asked earnestly.

Cooper laughed. “Oh, I’m surprised you didn’t know. Weren’t you curious that the entire dungeon was simply a short corridor with a blocked tunnel and a wrecked carriage? We’ve sectioned off dozens of areas in the subway. Each of them is on a cooldown rotation that gives the demons time to regenerate. Rather than have a large dungeon with all the tunnels connected and sprawled outward, we keep it low-level by segregating them and controlling their terraforming. It yields lower quality materials, but it provides an invaluable hunting ground for Trainee Hunters such as yourself.”

“You mean Hero?” Sal laughed at the slip, but Cooper shook his head.

“You’ve got a HBR now. Your Hunter Bureau rank. The card confirms it, so you’ll gain accolades and accreditations from them in no time. They’re a useful association to be a part of, and all they ask is that you continue to fight demons. Where the guilds are excellent associations to be a part of a team, the Hunter Bureau is geared more toward individuals with great power. The top members of the Hunter Bureau could rival the might of an entire top guild.”

Sal felt his mouth dry. It couldn’t be true. A single Hunter could rival the capability of an entire top-ranked guild?

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up getting a welcome gift from them, especially after you cleared a dungeon by yourself on your debut.” Cooper laughed as he continued to inspect the materials at a rapid pace. His chuckles grew in intensity before he glanced back up with a mischievous grin. “Or maybe you’ll be invited to the gala?”

“Cooper,” Chatfield warned, but it did little to stop the man from delighting in his teasing.

He gave Chatfield an innocent smile before looking straight at Sal. “The Hunter Bureau hosts an award ceremony for their top members. Doc Ameye will be there, and he always brings his train. You might want to run a few more of these dungeons and get your stats up, because meeting Doc will change everything you think you know about Crafting.”

Chapter 39 – Spirit

Sal panted as he sat upright on his bed. Sweat covered his body as he clawed at his neck in confusion. It had seemed so real. Leecher tentacles had been wrapped around his neck, choking him to death while the razor-sharp teeth ripped through his skin.

No matter how many times Sal had laid down on the bed to try to get some sleep, the same nightmare appeared in his mind. This one had been worse than the ones before. In the first nightmare, he at least had his gun, but this time it was just him walking by himself in his standard gray uniform. All he could do was use his Appraisal ability, and the darkness was filled with screeching and foreboding shuffling. His legs then suddenly became rooted, unable to move from his spot as they advanced toward him, floating at a much faster speed than they had in reality.

Sal tried to steady his breathing as he sat on the bed, looking down at his shaking hands. He was exhausted but didn’t want to risk going through that ordeal again. With wobbly legs, Sal made his way to the bathroom, using the wall for support. When the lights came on, Sal was met with his haggard reflection in the mirror. It was not a pretty sight.

Dark rings underneath his eyes showcased just how tired he was, and it looked like his stubble had transformed into an unruly shadow of patches. Groaning to himself, Sal gripped the edges of the sink and looked over to the shower. He had already restored his sheets after the first nightmare and had a shower in the hopes that it would refresh him enough to get some peaceful rest.

In all his years, he had never suffered from nightmares. He didn’t have any methods to get around them, and it was frustrating him to no end. Cooper had told him earlier in the day that his Spirit stat had decreased and that he needed to focus on building up his happiness.

Spend time with friends? Sal thought of his tablet resting on his bedside locker. There were countless missed messages from when he was in the zone with crafting, and he wasn’t looking forward to responding to all of them. Sal knew in his heart that he needed to get over that bridge, but it wasn’t going to make him happy in the short term. All it was going to do was fill him with anxiety that he’d not been around for them socially for the last couple of weeks.

Chatfield and Upgrade had taken up most of his time, and the friends had fallen by the wayside in the process. Divinity would likely have some choice words for him for being flakey with her, but she’d understand once he explained the dungeon situation and the Crafting stuff. Barry likely wouldn’t care all that much, and Hannah…well, that was a completely different situation.

Sal thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t sure what had happened over the last few weeks, but Hannah had been increasingly evasive with him. The number of messages they exchanged remained roughly the same, and she knew how busy he was, but her tone had gradually started to change. She was asking him a lot more questions about who he was with rather than asking how he was doing.

Sal shook his head and pushed the thoughts away. It was the middle of the night and there was no point in dwelling on something he couldn’t fix right now. He resolved that he would message each of them in the morning and apologize for not being around lately.

After splashing his face with water, Sal looked at his reflection again before switching off the light and entering the bedroom area of the dorm. He decided that he’d try to find that happiness in his crafting.

He didn’t have high hopes of getting rest and didn’t want to take the risk of experiencing nightmares again, so he made his way into the little office area that contained his board and tools.

Sal turned on the light and glanced around at the chaos. Countless tubes that contained schematics leaned against his workbench. He had half-finished blueprints scattered over the workspace area, and the tools he had received from the workshop staff sat neatly on the top right corner of the surface. On the board behind him, over a dozen commission requests were pinned in various places.

Sal glanced at his uniform draped over a chair in the main bedroom. He didn’t need it for tonight, as he wouldn’t be physically creating anything. The visor, on the other hand, would help him draft up blueprints and get him primed to craft when he got back into the workshop. Sal’s gaze eventually dropped to the monocle that rested on the workbench beside him. He remembered how it completely blocked off his emotions and made him see things clearly. Sal wondered whether he’d be able to sleep with the monocle equipped.

Would the Calm ability allow him to get some rest, or would it just numb all the signals his body was sending him? That memory of collapsing after he took the monocle off was still fresh in his head, but he decided to risk it. Sal picked it up and put it over his eye, leaving the visor resting on the table beside the revolver.

Whatever hope he had of getting some sleep was discarded as his mind suddenly became incredibly alert. Sal looked at the schematics and noticed how haphazardly they were strewn about.

Two hours later, Sal’s entire dorm was immaculate. The commission requests had been organized based on the level of difficulty and the associated payment. On his planner on the wall, Sal had created a workflow to show how much time he would need to complete each project.

When he took a break from the workbench, he cleaned his room, restoring the sheets on the bed as well as his uniform. He tidied everything away and even managed to get rid of the last remnants of sludge from the mattress. Although the bed looked incredibly inviting, Sal decided that he had time to complete a couple of the shorter commission requests. He was only going to be doing the blueprints and some of them had already been started. The first was for a utility belt that incorporated subspace. Sal read through the brief he had been given and was grateful for the additional context.

“Healer class, looking for equipment that will allow storage of foraged goods. Needs to be able to maintain organic goods. Maybe in the design of a satchel. Needs to be low profile so it doesn’t get in the way of movement.”

Sal sketched out a rough idea, pulling out a few blank pages from his stockpile. He traced a sling that went over the shoulder, but it didn’t feel right. He wanted it to have easy access. Suddenly, he paused.

Sal looked at the brief again, going over the request. He unconsciously knew that it was going to be a utility belt, but it didn’t say that on the request. Had the Deduction ability parsed the information and given him the answer? Sal thought about it for a moment before dismissing it. He didn’t want to get sidetracked.

Because Sal used Analysis on the materials Chatfield had brought, his Mythcrafter ability had catalogued their crafting properties. He had so many new combinations that were able to bring out the desired effect, and the Deduction ability stopped him from dwelling on the incorrect routes. A key example had been him looking at the void crystal for the Spatial ability, but his monocle steered him toward the voider heart material that had Apparition as its primary ability. The fact that it was being used for a utility belt meant that the added chance of the Recall ability would make it more versatile.

Sal knew that both of those abilities existed on Villa’s ethos blade that he had appraised when he first entered the academy. His monocle reminded him of it in a flash before pushing him to move onto the actual design work. When Mythcrafter flared to life, he had the materials and the rough design laid out in front of him. It started to offer the corrections and Sal found himself smiling as he wasn’t constrained by the grades or the materials available.

All he needed was to come up with an estimate and send it back to the commissioner. Low-stakes design was surprisingly fun, and Sal fell into the groove of mapping out the different requirements. He didn’t fall into the trap of iterating endlessly, and instead became ruthless in his efficiency. When he finished drawing up a design, he turned it over and placed it on the left-hand side of the table.

When the sun finally rose, Sal flicked through the overturned pages and counted seven of them. He smiled because he’d be able to sell them as blueprints on the store if the commissioner decided against proceeding with the purchase. He removed the monocle and the happy feeling evaporated. A sudden lurching sensation gripped him from every angle as the anxiety he had been keeping at bay threatened to suffocate him.

Beyond the anxiety, there was an overwhelming sense of emptiness that Sal couldn’t even start to process. When he brought a hand to his eyes to rub at them, he felt a dampness on his cheeks. Had he been crying? Sal practically dropped the monocle onto the table and stared at it. It was an incredible device, but there were too many drawbacks for his personal use.

Sal frantically tried to figure out what had happened. That was the second instance where an unknown sensation happened after he took off the monocle. He collapsed the first time, and he was crying and feeling useless after taking it off the second time?

Sal sat at the desk for a few more moments, staring at the monocle. He needed to sell it or get rid of it. The Calm effect was perfect for getting him into the zone for crafting, but it was forcibly subduing his other emotions. It would suit someone with better emotional stability, and that realization made Sal hate himself just that little bit more.

Nightmares, anxiety, and guilt: those three factors were keeping him constantly on edge, and he had no idea why. Sal wearily got to his feet and almost stumbled over the chair. At some point, his legs had fallen asleep and he could only curse himself for not paying attention to the sensations in his own body. As he stood awkwardly, waiting for the blood to revitalize his aching legs, Sal looked at the board. All the plans were neatly arranged and came with milestones. It was almost like waking up from a fever dream, as a lot of the information was a blur. He didn’t recall making all the graphs, which was another point into the anxiety tally.

One of the graphs at the bottom was organized like a list. Sal frowned, reading it for the first time.

Apologize to Divinity and Hannah

Prepare for inter-cohort competition with Barry

Create evolutionary schematics for Chatfield

Reduce time spent in workshop

Apply for scavenger runs

Apply for guild outings

Sal stared at the list in a mixture of shock and confusion. It was his handwriting, and it hadn’t existed on the board a few hours ago. Had his subliminal mind forced the monocle into action? The heading above the list had two words.

“Increase Spirit.”

Sal read them aloud as he stared at the entries on the list. It was something he had been trying to figure out, but the monocle seemed to have done the heavy lifting for him. Sal couldn’t tell whether the list would work or not, but if he managed to complete the first three, it would remove a lot of the guilt.

The bottom three were confusing, because he was certain that crafting made him happy. Scavenger runs and guild outings didn’t seem fun at all, but there was a reason they were present. A part of Sal’s guilt stemmed from Chatfield’s words about his use of materials, and how privileged he had been so far in getting everything handed to him. He wanted to prove himself with materials he sourced through hard work.

Which left the guild outings. Sal stared at that entry for a while. He knew the answer in his heart, but he didn’t want to admit it. At some point in that dungeon raid, Sal felt a surge of relief at facing his fears head-on. Yes, it was terrifying…but he did it. That same anxiety gripping at him would eventually chip away if he continually faced his fears and built up his Resilience stat. Cooper said it himself: Resilience was vital in their line of work—and Sal wanted more of it.

Chapter 40 – Remorse

Sal sighed as he sat in his little office area of the dorm room. He had managed to get through the night without sleep and started to wonder if this was how he was going to live in the dorms for the next three years. The list he had created subconsciously rested on the board, and Sal had spent quite some time staring at it as he tried to figure out the best course of action.

It was hard to believe that he had used this board to write down the names of the different calamities a few weeks ago, and now it was littered with requests for his services. In the top right-hand corner, there was an organizational planner that he started a few weeks ago, that detailed his remaining time at Quest Academy. It was listed out per six-month semester, and he realized how quickly they were moving through the term. There was just over four months before the Savior class would be picked.

Since the cohort tournament at the end of the first month, he had spent literally two weeks just going through classes while he waited for Chatfield to arrive with the materials. Then, the hellish weekend where he made evolutionary weapons and had to solo-run a leecher dungeon by himself. Now, it was the first day of the following week, and he had barely spoken a word to Hannah or Divinity.

Sal rubbed at his eyes and shook his head. The main culprit in this fiasco was himself, and to a lesser extent, the monocle. Wearing it while crafting had been great, as it allowed him to get through boring builds, but at the expense of his emotions and humanity. He had ignored messages and kept focused on his work, which had been great until that evening.

Looking at the board and blaming himself wasn’t going to help with the reply he needed to send. Sal glanced down at the messages on his tablet with a sigh. It was time to cross the first line off the list to restore his Spirit.

Divinity: Hey, teams are getting together to discuss strategy for the inter-cohort tournament. We’re meeting in the canteen at 8 pm.

Divinity: Where are you? We’re sitting in the usual corner.

Divinity: Doom Society meeting is tonight, don’t forget.

Divinity: Sal, I looked into your future and saw something troubling. We really need to talk.

Divinity: Looks like you survived the leecher attack I foresaw, and you’re back in the workshop.

Divinity: We need to talk.

Sal was not excited for that talk. He hadn’t realized how long he’d been avoiding his messages, and judging from the wall of them from pretty much all his friends, he had fucked up. He knew he was in hot water with Hannah, but it was the Divinity messages that really felt like a stab in the chest. He had managed to miss that meeting in the canteen, as well as the Doom Society meeting. Sal didn’t even register that he had gotten a message from her about the leecher attack, and he felt horrible just thinking about what she went through without context.

Picking up his tablet, he started to type a response when there was a knock at his door. Sal walked with the tablet in his hand, determined not to leave Divinity hanging for any longer. If it was Hannah, she’d have to wait until he sent the message. Sal had gotten through the first three words of his apology before he decided to delete them and suggest a time for them to talk. He deleted that message too by the time he got to the door. With a sigh, he opened the door to find Divinity on the other side with crossed arms.

Sal’s mouth opened as he gestured to his tablet. “I was literally just replying to—”

“I know, and you were going to take forever,” Divinity answered curtly as she walked into the room without waiting for an invitation.

She paused in confusion at the immaculate state of his dorm. It looked more like a showroom than a place for a student to live. Before Sal could say anything, Divinity turned and sat on the edge of his dresser and started to speak.

“So, let’s save ourselves some time here. I was so worried about you because of that damn leecher thing that I looked through countless futures to see if you’d survive. We’ve had this conversation over a dozen times already in my head and I’m not in the mood to have it again. I’ll tell you what you need to know, and then we can move on. Okay?” She phrased it like a question, but it really wasn’t one.

Sal nodded as he awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed.

Divinity looked up at the ceiling and gathered herself before continuing. “In every single one of these damn conversations, you look like a puppy that’s been kicked, so could you look somewhere else while I talk?”

Divinity’s voice was strained and Sal knew he was on incredibly thin ice, so he turned around and faced the wall, with Divinity behind him. Normally, he would have thought all this to be incredibly stupid but he hated seeing her like this and didn’t want to do anything that would damage their friendship further.

“Thank you. I’ll start with the questions you ask at the end. I don’t hate you. We’re still friends. I’ll forgive you in time and the main reason I’m upset is that I was sure you were going to die and I felt helpless to stop it.” Divinity’s voice changed, but Sal couldn’t tell what emotion it was without seeing her.

“I thought it was because I kept encouraging you to be a Hero when you were happy just crafting and being in the Support class. The guilt I went through was my own fault, and I understand that you can’t be blamed for me looking into your future. Stop it!”

Divinity’s voice cracked as Sal started to turn around.

“You’ve apologized about this over a hundred times, and I feel guilty for how I’m reacting but I hate it. We’re supposed to be a team, and I feel like you’re doomed to follow the path of the hermit Crafter. In one future, you get on some techno-train and leave before completing your second semester. Another one, you set up a guild but won’t let any of us join you. In another one, you end up trying to solo dungeons and towers and die before we graduate! The worst one is when you enter a portal and never come back. Sal…I’ve watched countless futures of you leaving or dying, and I’m trying my best to ignore them and believe in what you told me. That you want to be here.”

Divinity’s sniff at the end told Sal that she was crying, and he felt like a monster. None of those futures seemed remotely likely, but he couldn’t tell her that if she’d seen them in some variant of the future.

“Am I allowed to talk yet?” Sal asked quietly, but there was no response. He kept his back turned and placed his palms on his knees.

“I know you’ve heard it a hundred times, but I’m really sorry. For not messaging you back when I was caught up with other things. I didn’t think about your ability, and if I hadn’t been so shit at replying over the last few days, you wouldn’t have felt the need to check in on me with your power. I don’t have any excuses to give you. I was shit and I need to be better. I’m not great at friendships or used to them, really, so this is a lot of learning for me, and I promise to get better.”

“You do have excuses,” Divinity corrected him with a laugh as she sniffled again.

“You were bullied into that dungeon run because you tried to make Upgrade feel better about her inferiority complex. You were feeling suffocated by the mounting expectations of you that you hid away in the workshop to craft all day. You have lots of excuses, Sal. You’re just choosing not to say them because this is one of your nice and compassionate versions.”

Sal sighed as he finally turned around to look at Divinity. “It’s my only version, Divinity. I don’t know how to break it to you, but all those others aren’t me. I’m not trying to—”

Divinity cut him off and continued his intended sentence word for word. “Invalidate your visions as I know the incredible power you have, but I’m Salvatore Argento. The person sitting in front of you right now, not the person you’ve seen in visions. Yes, Sal, this conversation happens whenever I break down and cry. You don’t want to burden me with your feelings, so you bottle them up. Which I also hate.”

Sal blinked in surprise before getting to his feet and moving to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and looked into the mirror before drying off with a hand towel. When he returned to the bedroom, he glanced at Divinity with a frown.

“Name all the things I didn’t do in any of the visions.”

Divinity stared at him as if he had two heads. “Okay, this is a first. There are infinite possibilities of things you didn’t do.”

“Humor me,” Sal insisted as he gestured for her to continue.

Divinity sighed and waved a hand. “You never hit me. You got defensive a few times and said you needed space—”

Sal shook his head and raised his hand. “Nope, not looking for more reasons to feel guilty. Tell me things I didn’t do.”

Divinity floundered for a bit as she thought about it. “You didn’t come up with any solutions. You didn’t give me anything more than promises that it would be better going forward, like last time.”

Sal smiled. He was finally uprooting her actual concerns. Instead of interrupting, he let her continue, explaining all the things he didn’t do in the future.

“You never proactively set up meetings or arranged for us to hang out. You never make decisions and leave me to come up with all the solutions. You never tell me to take a break from using my power. You never compliment me for doing a great job; you just feel like it’s something I know.”

Divinity looked off to one side as she went through her internal list. What had started as a few random thoughts had turned into a barrage of shortcomings. After a few moments, Divinity caught herself, and her eyes widened.

Sal put up his hand to stop her from apologizing. “I’ve also never given you anything, so wait here a second.”

He left her on the dresser, her face turning slightly red in embarrassment. Going into the office space, Sal picked up what he was looking for and realized he was about to potentially solve two problems in one go. When he returned, he held out his hand without revealing what was inside.

Divinity looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Did you shrink my crown?”

Sal laughed as he turned his hand over to reveal the moonsilver monocle. “I made this a few days ago, and I’d like to give it to you. Since you’ve not had a future where I’ve given you a present without prompting or circumstance, here’s a gift from me to you.”

Divinity picked it up and held it up in front of her. “What does it do?”

Sal went through the abilities, explaining about Perception, Deduction, and the Calm effect, which caused her to glare at him.

“You’re giving me something that will make me calm down? Are you suggesting that I’m too emotional?”

Sal expertly navigated the minefield by explaining how great it was at helping him get into the zone and switching off distracting thoughts.

“I was thinking that with the Skill class, this might help you focus all your attention on improving essence control. You don’t have to use it for that, but it’ll help you discern when people are lying and loads of other useful behaviors. With you being in the Controller class, it’ll be great for deducing strategies and maybe even sorting out the useful information from visions.”

Sal waited patiently to see whether he had managed to put the pin back into the grenade, and her eventual wide smile improved his chances of survival, dramatically. She placed it on her eye and looked at Sal thoughtfully.

“You’re nervous and worried. I probably would have been able to tell that, though. You look terrified. Tell me lies and facts so I can test it out.” Divinity twisted on the dresser to give Sal her full attention.

Sal laughed as he thought about it. “I wasn’t scared when I did the dungeon with Chatfield and Upgrade.”

Divinity’s grin grew wider as she pointed at the monocle. “Okay, this is really cool. You’re a liar. Next one.”

“I have no desire to walk into a portal and never return.” Sal laughed, but Divinity didn’t smile at that one.

“You’re not lying, but your lies and facts suck. We’re changing it up. Question time. Who is your best friend?” Divinity slowly crossed her arms and waited for his answer.

Sal didn’t need to think about it at all. “My father. Then you, then Upgrade. Pretty pathetic when you consider I didn’t know two of the top three two months ago.”

“Not pathetic at all,” Divinity answered without a shred of mockery in her tone. “Okay, next. Why was Hannah not on that list? Shouldn’t your girlfriend be in your top three?”

Sal could almost hear the pin leaving the grenade once again.

Chapter 41 – Revenge

Sal knew she’d see through any attempts to lie, so he resigned himself to telling the truth.

“She’s not really my girlfriend, though. We have more of a friends-with-benefits kind of thing. We don’t actually talk that much.”

Sal let the sentence die out, but Divinity didn’t look appeased. With a heavy sigh, and the conviction that he wanted to make things right with Divinity, he kept going.

“We haven’t known each other very long, and I haven’t really gotten to know her. The last few weeks, I’ve not been very good at messaging, so we’ve drifted apart somewhat.”

Divinity tilted her head to one side. “But we haven’t known each other very long, and you suck at messaging me, too. Yet I’m top three. What makes me different from Hannah?”

Her wide smile told Sal that she was definitely enjoying herself. If he had to embarrass himself to get things back on track, he’d happily take that deal.

“I made those gauntlets for Hannah, and they helped amplify her powers. It was something she was really insecure about, and I think her gratefulness got us started down that path.”

Sal looked away as he thought about how to phrase his next words. The clicking of Divinity’s fingers told him that he didn’t have much time, and he had to resign himself to throwing a jumble of half-thoughts at her. With a laugh, he did just that.

“You were the first person to see me for more than my powers, which made me feel special. I don’t feel special with Hannah. I know you wouldn’t drag me onto a stage full of people to dance, and you would have kicked those guys in the face if they spoke like that to you. You’re great, and Hannah’s great, but that’s how you’re different.”

Divinity sighed as she tapped the monocle with one finger. “This is incredible, Sal. Thank you for giving it to me, and thank you for being so honest with me. You have an incredible way of subverting my visions and changing things up. I was sure it was going to take me a few weeks of silent seething to get over all this, but I can tell you now that we’re good. I will say, though, that if you’re not serious about Hannah, you should probably have that talk with her. She’s convinced you have the hots for me. She cornered me in the canteen and asked me outright if we were a thing.”

Divinity reached up to take the monocle off when Sal answered.

“Probably Victoria whispering lies and rumors in her ears. Nothing to worry about. She should know I only see you as a friend.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Divinity’s fingers faltered on the monocle before she abruptly took it off. She hopped down from the dresser and slipped it into her side pocket, her movements looking almost panicked.

Sal laughed as he gestured to the monocle. “It’s a shock, isn’t it? When the Calm effect deactivates, it feels like you suddenly have all your emotions back in one piece. I actually collapsed after using it for so long. It blocked my fatigue from me, so be careful with it.”

Divinity didn’t look Sal in the eye as she nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it certainly is a shock to the system. Anyways, I’ll catch up with you later. How about—”

Sal stopped her with a raised hand. “Canteen at eight? You can tell me all about the tactics for the tournament and the recap from the Doom Society. Sound good?”

Divinity’s shoulders straightened as she regained her composure. A small smile appeared on her lips. “Good baby steps, Sal. Showing your initiative already. I’ll see you then.”

With that said, Divinity walked to his door and opened it, only to be met with Hannah, who was holding her hand up to her ear. The sliding door caught her off guard, and Hannah stood ill at ease as she put her hands behind her back.

“Ah, this looks awkward. I was knocking and heard voices but wasn’t sure you could hear me.”

Hannah laughed as she made a knocking motion with her hand. Her smile was aimed at Sal, but when Hannah looked at Divinity, it was clear that there was animosity brewing. Sal had no idea what to do as he looked between the two of them. Just a few weeks ago, they had been smiling and laughing in each other’s company, but Hannah clearly suspected there was something more going on.

Divinity made it easy on Hannah as she sidestepped the girl and walked straight out into the corridor. “He’s all yours.” She smiled sweetly. “I’m already done with him.”

Hannah’s expression darkened as Sal groaned inwardly.

“She’s already done grilling me for not messaging her for a week. I owe you an apology, too.”

Hannah remained in the corridor as she watched the departing Divinity. She didn’t even look at Sal as she spoke. “So, if you’re doling out the apologies for being shit, why wasn’t I first on your list?”

There was a harshness in her tone that made Sal bite back his next words. Instead, he reverted to damage control. “She was impatient and looked into the future to see when I’d be free. Silly, isn’t it?”

Hannah looked at Sal with a raised eyebrow as though he were an idiot. “So, you’re telling me that she planned her exit for the moment I’d be outside the door? She wanted me to see her leave your place. How does that look, Sal? You tell me.”

Sal took a step back and raised his hands defensively. “Hannah, I told you that me and Divinity are just friends. Me and you are supposed to be casual, so what’s changed? I’m sorry for not messaging you over the last while, but I can promise there’s nothing going on with Divinity. We have classes together and worked together for the cohort fights. We’re friends. That’s all there is to it.”

With a shake of her head, Hannah stepped into his room and closed the door behind her. “I don’t want people listening and making me out to be the crazy one. You’ve changed since you got ranked into the top three. Don’t deny it. I know you said all that shit about ranks just being numbers, but suddenly my messages stop going through and I see you constantly hanging around the top ranked. How does that look, Sal?”

Sal stared at her in shock. “Are you hearing yourself right now? You’re one of the only people who knows about my Mythcrafter ability. I’ve been working with the lecturers on special projects because of that power. It’s taken me away from everything over the last few weeks. I haven’t had time to think, let alone message people. Here, look!”

Sal pushed his tablet at her and showed her all the unread messages he had received and not responded to. He was sure it would turn her around and make her see sense.

Hannah’s face was unreadable as she scrolled through Divinity’s messages first. It was true that Sal hadn’t responded to any of them. She glanced up at his earnest expression and sighed when a name on the tablet caught her attention. Clicking into the messages, Hannah glanced up with a frown.

“Who’s Vanessa?”

Sal laughed. “She’s one of the employees on the Credit floor, works on auction stuff and helps me source materials. She’s really attractive, but you’ve got nothing to worry about. We work together on projects from time to time.”

Sal added the caveat of how attractive she was in case Hannah went snooping and assumed the worst. He was sure he had all bases covered, and it was honestly exhausting having to do so much mental gymnastics over a misunderstanding.

Hannah nodded as a humorless laugh escaped her lips. “Okay then, so why is this really attractive auction bitch asking how you’re feeling after her session? Apparently, she was worried she went a bit too hard on your body because you haven’t gone back to her for more. She wants to know if you’re able to walk and sent a little winky face. Sal, I actually liked you…but if there’s one thing I hate, it’s liars. People have been talking about me trying to fuck my way to the top. Rumors are spreading, and you’re not around to say anything to the contrary. How does it look?”

Sal couldn’t take it anymore. He snatched his tablet back from Hannah. “How does it look? You’ve said that three times now, Hannah. Is that what you care about? Appearances? What people think? Did you ask me why I haven’t been around the last few weeks? No. I went to a dungeon and had to clear it out myself, despite being scared shitless the entire time. Everyone is pulling me in different directions because of my powers, and their expectations are almost impossible to bear. But you don’t know any of that, and part of it is because I have been too busy to tell you. The other part of it is because you never ask. We meet, we fuck, we say our goodbyes, and we repeat.”

Sal gritted his teeth as he fought to calm the torrent of emotions swelling in his chest. “I’m sorry that there are rumors floating around about us, but you are in control of your own narrative. Tell them that you dumped my ass because you assumed I was fucking someone else. Tell them you called it quits because I didn’t respond for a few days. Tell them whatever you like, Hannah. I’ll smile and nod and apologize, or whatever it is you want me to do. Because this rumor shit is so fucking inconsequential when you consider the fact that we’re here to become Heroes.”

Hannah’s hand cracked across Sal’s face in a vicious slap. Her voice was deathly quiet, like a whisper. “Don’t you dare tell me what we’re here for. I know more than you could ever fucking imagine. I’m sorry I’m not best friend material or even in your top fucking three. Yeah, that’s right, I heard you two laughing and talking about me. I don’t make you feel special? It’s because you’re not special, Sal. You cheated and created a power that isn’t rightfully yours. You said it yourself—you used other people’s powers and made something for yourself. Maybe cheating is just a part of you, so you can go to bed at night and tell yourself that you’re the good guy. You’ll always stand behind Heroes, Sal. Never among them.”

Tears lined her face as she took a step back from him and moved toward the door.

Sal could only stare after her in shock, not believing what had just happened. He stood there for an age until his tablet vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw a message from Divinity light up across his screen. It vibrated again and again as more messages appeared from her. He wanted to throw the tablet across the room but opened it to see what she had to say. Sal didn’t want to think that Divinity wanted all that to happen.

Divinity: Get to the stairwell now!

Sal didn’t hesitate as he bolted from the room and sprinted down the corridor. He went in the same direction that Divinity had taken and hoped more than anything that she was okay. When he barged through the door, he saw a chaotic scene unfolding before his eyes. Divinity stood at the base of the stairs, with Hannah huddled in the corner, clutching at her head. There was blood on Divinity’s knuckles as she looked up at Sal.

“Use your powers to take away his!”

Sal followed her line of sight to a student who was covered in blood. His black uniform with yellow shoulders identified him as a second-year Controller. When the second-year made eye contact with Sal, there was nothing but loathing in his gaze. Sal opened his mouth to speak, but Divinity overruled him.

“Just fucking trust me, and do it before he gets in my head, too!”

Sal activated his eyes as he moved down the stairs. The weave of the second-year’s power looked intricate and almost completely devoid of knots. It was also clear that it was active.

Sal saw that it connected to his throat, which Divinity had certainly damaged at some point. At her urging, Sal reached into the student’s weave and knotted the main line that attached to his core. Without knowing whether it was truly enough, Sal added a few more blockages that he was confident he could undo later.

When he deactivated his Skill Master ability, he took a step back to see the second-year gaping at him with wide eyes. Nothing but a croak came out of his mouth. Sal looked at Divinity for context, but she was holding her knees as she panted for breath. He didn’t say a word as he waited for her to recover, and the first words he heard were from Hannah, who spouted a continuous stream of apologies.

Divinity groaned as she stood upright and rolled her shoulders. “Thank you, Sal.”

Divinity gave the second-year a swift kick to the chest, causing him to double over in renewed agony. “Happy. Fucking. Monday.”

Chapter 42 – Revise

“This is not okay! I need to stress this to you, very clearly.” Quest paced behind his desk as he looked at Sal with wide eyes. “A broken leg, we can fix. A version of events, we can find the truth. We have mind readers who come in for that very thing! But to remove a power from another student—that is absolutely not okay.”

Divinity tried to interject, but Quest quieted her with a sharp look.

“We’ll get to you in a moment, Miss Khan. I’m deeply troubled at your lack of judgment in this instance, and I can only hope you’ll take the time to truly ponder the choices you’ve made. But Salvatore, I need you to understand that this can never happen again. Controller classes are incredibly hard to foster, and behavior like this can be ironed out. By your account, he acted out of malice? We have punishments and penalties in place for a reason. You cannot act as judge, jury, and executioner just because your ability allows it. The entire academy would descend into chaos without order, and this action is a direct contradiction of everything we stand for.”

Sal bowed his head as he listened to the reprimand.

Divinity, on the other hand, looked furious and ready to retort as soon as Quest gave her an opening. She found it a moment later as Quest tapped at his console to bring up the file of the injured student.

“Headmaster, what is your stance on unlawful acts of mind control? Your prized student literally poisoned the mind of our friend, and coerced her into attacking Sal before instructing her to throw herself down the stairs. Would you ask us to call for help in the stairwell, when we, too, were vulnerable to the effects of his powers? What was the best course of action for us to take in that instance?”

Sal glanced up at Quest, only to see him glaring at the console.

Divinity waved a hand and laughed humorlessly. “Sorry, Headmaster. But I’ve got no reason to believe that the student hasn’t already influenced you into being lenient on him. Since he clearly has no regard to the wellbeing of his peers, why would he balk at swaying the head of the academy?”

Quest slammed his hand down on the table, causing Divinity to jump. “That’s enough, Miss Khan. I understand how angry you are that this has taken place, and I want all students to feel safe within these walls. There are two outstanding issues that are impeding that sense of harmony: Salvatore’s disregard for causing irreparable damage to another student on a fundamental level, and a rogue mind Controller who is sowing discontent around the campus.”

Sal really didn’t want to get between Divinity and Quest, but felt he had to at this point.

“I can undo the knots, sir. I’ll gladly do it. It was just the danger of the moment. If he told us not to remember it, then this wouldn’t have been brought to your attention. I just wanted to protect Divinity and Hannah. I didn’t do it out of malice or spite.”

Quest pinched his brow as he leaned back in his chair. “But therein lies the issue, Salvatore. You didn’t do it out of malice or spite. What would happen if you felt those emotions? Would you have the restraint, or would you let your sense of justice and reasoning influence your actions? This isn’t a question about your character—it’s about your capability.”

“Bullshit,” Divinity blurted at the headmaster’s words, shocking both Sal and Quest. She rounded on the headmaster and got to her feet.

“You’re saying that because he can do something, he might someday, perhaps, if he’s feeling it…start taking away people’s powers? Why don’t you get Erika in here and ask if she’s going to someday enslave humanity with her mind control? Ask Barry if he’s going to lock us all in his illusional world of purgatory? You’re not comfortable with Sal’s power, and that’s fine. But just say it rather than making him out to be a potential villain. We’ve already handed you one, and you seem damned determined to be lenient on him.”

Quest froze as he stared at his desk. After a few moments of silence, all that could be heard was Divinity’s erratic breathing. Quest pushed a button on his console and waited for Joanne to enter the room. When his secretary appeared, she looked somewhat confused by the summoning. Quest beckoned her to come over to the desk.

“Joanne, have a look at this student. Does he look familiar to you at all?”

Joanne walked around the desk and looked at the face that appeared on the terminal before blushing. “Of course. You’ve scheduled meetings with him every two weeks. I personally love his visits. He’s always so charming.”

The color drained from Quest’s face as his fists clenched both sides of his chair. “Joanne, I need you to get Neuro here as soon as possible.”

Joanne took one look at Quest and turned and ran back to her desk.

Quest forced a smile as he looked at Sal and Divinity. “One of the wonderful things about the System ability is that it has a log tracker. I’m able to see all the changes I’ve made to the system, long after they’ve been made.” His head twitched slightly as though he were preventing his true emotions from bubbling over.

“All the way back to the moment I first activated it.” His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard before he let out a curse.

Sal gave Divinity a questioning look, but all she could offer in response was a shrug. She could obviously have looked into the future, but she seemed content to let events play out naturally. Sal wanted to know, but he was conscious of it being one of the things she disliked. He wasn’t going to ask her to use her powers just to sate his curiosities.

“Let’s bring this up to a wider scale.”

Quest sighed as he got to his feet and activated his ability. Thousands of status windows appeared in mid-air, flowing out in stacks and folders. It looked like absolute chaos, but Sal eventually realized that the shuffling between folders was actually Quest looking through the information at ridiculous speeds. Security footage, that showed the inside of the office, was placed to one side. Deleted files were stacked above it, along with records of Quest’s schedule. For good measure, he also added in a list of faculty complaints about students. Sal saw a number of unfamiliar names on the list, and if Quest realized that Sal was looking, he paid it no heed. The fact that he was doing this in front of them, with so much sensitive information, showed just how aggravated he was.

Looking at the headmaster, Sal saw his eyes were a shimmering blue. It was an odd moment, but Sal felt a strange sense of kinship with the headmaster in that they were both Support class and had ocular-controlled abilities. Divinity was unashamedly reading through the names that appeared on the folders, her head having to move around to track their movements across the office.

Quest grit his teeth as he winked with his left eye, causing nearly ninety percent of the visible folders to disappear…in a literal blink of an eye. The remaining folders were shuffled through, and Quest seemed to find what he was looking for. A folder with a stroke through it appeared front and center, and Quest rifled through the recordings at inhuman speeds. Sal wondered whether he was actually able to parse information that fast, and if so, he had a whole new level of respect for the headmaster.

“Here’s the little shit. Wester Templeton,” Quest muttered as a single entry filled the screen in a frozen state.

It showed the same student from the stairwell standing beside a seated Quest, speaking into his ear. Another folder entry came up beside it, from a different date, with the exact same scenario. Some had the student seated on the desk and others had him pointing at the console while standing over Quest’s chair.

“It would seem that you were correct, Miss Khan. I am not above being swayed. This is, by far, one of the lowest points I’ve seen a student stoop to, and there will be consequences.”

Quest closed his eyes, causing the screens to vanish. He tapped a button on the console again but didn’t wait for a response. “Joanne, is he here yet?”

Neuro stared at the footage on the console that Quest brought up, disgust evident on his face. Both Sal and Divinity were of the opinion that they shouldn’t be there, but Quest insisted that they stay when they tried to excuse themselves. Curiosity was one thing, but seeing the headmaster and his right-hand man looking enraged was not a pleasant sight.

The atmosphere was incredibly cold, and all talk of Sal restoring the student’s ability was abandoned as Quest regained his mental faculties. Neuro had a few observations that he shared with them about the nature of the power, as Influence was his specialist category.

Apparently, it wasn’t absolute control, but rather setting a foundation of fabrications. Small lies that could be accepted by the target, and built on over time, to become something much worse in scope. When the little lie was destroyed, it brought down the whole structure. In this case, Quest had been influenced to believe that the student in question was intrinsically good.

Quest’s nature of fostering talent and offering help to those who were struggling made him susceptible to those lies. The next was likely that everyone was more likely to persecute the individual because of the nature of his ability. All those lies created the perfect foundation for Quest to believe that Wester was innocent and to be trusted.

Neuro praised Divinity for standing her ground. Her argument had been the catalyst for Quest to break through the influence. There was nothing weak about the Controller ability, and the student in question was the persecutor rather than the victim.

Neuro shook his head as he stood to his impressive full height. “Where is he? I’ll pull everything out of him and get to the bottom of this. We’ve got no idea how much chaos he’s caused with you turning a blind eye.”

Quest didn’t look away from the console as he answered. “He’s in confinement in medical bay fourteen. Miss Khan rightfully did a number on him in the stairwell, and he needed treatment. Had I been thinking clearly, he’d have gotten a basic patch-up job at best.” Quest gave Divinity a slight smile, but it disappeared almost instantly as he turned to Sal.

“After we get what we need from him, there is the case of his power. What he has done is heinous and grounds for expulsion, but we’ll need you to undo the restrictions you’ve placed on his ability. It’s not our call and it will be up to the Hunter Bureau to decide his fate.” There was a level of trepidation in Quest’s voice, but Sal nodded in agreement.

“I’ll do that. No problem.”

A sigh of relief came from Quest, and Neuro chuckled darkly.

“You’re playing by the book, but you can’t hide your real feelings from me, Quest.”

The headmaster smiled and shot Divinity a guilty look. “I’d be reserving a seat for Mr. Templeton in the Crescents. He’ll be able to try his hand at swaying hardened criminals as much as he wants. They’ll teach him better manners than we’ve managed.” Quest muttered that last part under his breath.

Neuro pointed at an area on the console and Quest nodded, before taking out a tablet and loading the files onto it.

Just as he was about to leave for the medical bay, Neuro’s head snapped toward Divinity with a look of shock. “What was that?” he barked in a tone that was not to be fucked with.

In all the encounters Sal had with Neuro, he had never been this terrifying.

Divinity’s face paled as she sat up straight in her seat. “I saw one of the folders you had in the System ability, about Bastion. I was thinking if we should tell you about what we’ve found out about them recruiting Controllers at Quest Academy. I don’t have enough information yet to talk about it properly, but they’re currently vetting Barry Francis as a potential member.”

Quest took off his glasses and flung them onto the table before cupping his face in his hands. “If it was me who let those vipers in, I’ll resign immediately.”

Neuro shook his head and clenched his fists as he looked at Divinity. “We’ll discuss this later.” He shot Quest an annoyed glance. “I’m bringing Erika with me in case this fucker knows how to block my reading. She’s discreet and effective.”

Quest nodded through his hands. When Neuro left the room, Quest raised his face from his hands and laughed humorlessly. “Someday, the three of us are going to meet under pleasant circumstances. I’m sure of it.”

Sal and Divinity exchanged nervous looks as Quest spun around in his chair to face the window.

“Fucking Bastion.”

Chapter 43 – Revelation

Sal felt useless as he sat in his chair, listening intently to Quest and Divinity as they discussed her theories. Quest had regained his composure and moved into damage control mode, in a clear effort to learn as much as possible about the Bastion infiltration. His expression was haggard, and every sentence seemed to drain a little more of his vitality.

Divinity was almost the exact opposite, as she got more context. She had her legs crossed underneath her in the seat as she recounted a series of events Sal had missed over the last few weeks.

“Anthony, who was on Sal’s team for the tournament, wanted to learn how to make a radio device. He heard rumors that the Bastion was using old technology to communicate with refugees across the city and on the Darwin Cruise Liners. We didn’t explore that lead much, because Barry admitted to being approached by a group of Controllers who promised to get him into the Saviors class. He said they were being backed by the Bastion.”

Quest raised a hand in question. He looked incredibly troubled by what he was hearing. “How could he be so sure that they were from the Bastion? It’s normal for the students to form factions within their specialisms. A group of Controllers vying to get ahead isn’t anything out of the ordinary.” Quest paused in his own sentence and added a caveat. “I know that we have at least one devious Controller, but I don’t want to label all of them without any sort of evidence.”

Divinity nodded. “Barry was skeptical, so he used his ability to follow them unnoticed. Apparently they didn’t think he was worth scouting, but their orders came from above. One of the Controllers said that he was a high priority to enlist, but that they didn’t know why. Barry said that they spoke about his personality potentially being a problem, but that his current ranking made him an easy enough person to elevate to the Saviors.”

Quest shook his head as he leaned back in his chair. “Barry Francis is hovering around the top one hundred in the rankings, but I don’t understand why they seem to think he’d have an easy time getting into the top thirty. Is there a method they’re using to game the system? I wonder if they’re intending on using me to elevate his rank.” That last part he spoke quietly, almost to himself.

Quest lifted his glasses away and rubbed at his eyes. “Is that everything you know, or do you have more that links it up with the Bastion?”

Divinity hesitated for a moment, as though weighing the pros and cons of divulging more information.

Quest gave her a weary smile. “If you or Barry used questionable methods to obtain information on a Bastion coup, I’m likelier to reward you than reprimand you. I say that not as an instruction to put yourselves in danger, as the task should fall on the shoulders of the faculty rather than yours.”

Divinity’s shoulders relaxed as a small smile appeared on her face. “Barry followed them for a week. He used his ability to look like another student—Darren Lenihan, who we’ve confirmed with my visions as a Savior in the future. He pretended to have cold feet about their help, and they reassured him that they were being backed by a reputable benefactor, but only after testing him. They made ‘Darren’ prove himself by using his ability, which Barry managed to imitate with his illusions. They’re incredibly careful in their approach, and insisted that ‘Darren’ meet them at a safe location to speak properly.”

Divinity took a breath before continuing, her cheeks growing slightly red in embarrassment.

“I ran through every outcome with him, providing him all the information that they’d ask in advance. He passed all their tests and when they were sure it wasn’t a trap, they divulged to him that it was in fact the Bastion that wanted to help him reach his goals. All they wanted in return were capable Heroes who would welcome their return in the future.”

Quest’s face paled. “Their return in the future? You’re certain that they said that?”

Divinity nodded. “Yes, the reason they’re going after Controllers is because of their leadership roles on the battlefield. Elevating them to the Savior class would greatly increase the chances of those Controllers becoming future guildmasters. Darren was promised resources like Q-Cred, and a fast track through all the outings. He has mentors from the higher years helping him get the best results in class. Lastly, which was most concerning, they’ve already got Saviors in the second- and third-year classes. They boasted about that as proof of their capability. Even my visions weren’t able to determine which ones were helped by the Bastion.”

It took a few moments for Quest to react. He stared off into the distance as though he were shell-shocked. Sal shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he looked over at Divinity. She glanced across at him and tried her best to give him a reassuring smile, but it was clear that she was nervous too.

Sal couldn’t believe how much he had missed in such a short time. He wasn’t sure how he could have helped in their investigation, but he would have liked to have been a part of it. One thing was for certain: there was no way he would have done what Barry did. Pretending to be another student and essentially acting as a spy within the Bastion’s ranks? It was a terrifying thought, and he was certain he’d have been caught immediately.

“Barry Francis. Do you think he would enlist with them?” Quest asked.

The question was aimed at Divinity, but Quest turned to include Sal with a pointed look. Sal wasn’t sure how he should respond and looked over at Divinity, who laughed at the ridiculousness of it.

“Barry hid his powers the entire time he was in the academy, because he never felt the need to showcase it. He likely would have been able to make it to the Savior class if he applied himself, but in my visions, he was content to watch everything unfold from the sidelines. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about him in the last few months, it’s that he doesn’t like being told what to do.”

Sal laughed, and Divinity shot him a grin before continuing.

“See? Sal knows it too. Barry wouldn’t join them, but he’d absolutely be up for destroying them.”

Quest smiled at Divinity’s verdict, but clearly didn’t share her conviction. Sal wondered whether he thought Barry would be swayed like the other Controllers.

“I don’t see Barry being any sort of ally to the Bastion. He stepped up when we needed his help for the dungeon raid, and I think that’s a clear sign of his integrity and character.”

Quest nodded, and Sal felt conflicted about how little he knew about the mysterious group of people. Sure, there had been conversations and a few snippets from lecturers about them, but Sal didn’t know why they were so reviled. He guessed that today was as good a time as any to find out, and didn’t care that he was highlighting his lack of understanding.

“Why do we hate the Bastion so much?” he asked and was surprised by the astonishment on Divinity’s face.

Sal wasn’t sure, but he guessed that she had lost a sliver of respect for him in that moment.

Quest raised an eyebrow before turning in his seat to face him. “When the portals first opened, we scrambled to protect our people and defend our homes. Well, our parents did, and their parents. It was a horrifying time with so much uncertainty, because no matter what was done, the demons kept coming in force. Those portals were weaker than what we’re accustomed to now, and would only release leechers and the occasional prowler. It took five years for the first hulker to get through the portal, and we weren’t ready. In those five years, all the resources we had on hand to fight back were squandered and used by the political and social elite.”

Quest laughed humorlessly as he leaned back in his chair. “The government knew how we’d react, so they left it as a surprise. The Bastion Project was supposed to be a protective haven to defend ourselves, similar to the barriers we use today but on a much larger scale. We were fed updates on how our ecological and agricultural systems were operational and would allow us to feed hundreds of thousands of people with ease. Barriers that could repel and defend against whatever the portals threw at us. It motivated the front lines and kept their spirits up, until the Bastion Project launched.

“What it actually turned out to be was an escape route, for the ultra-wealthy and influential. All the research they had done, the results of the best minds from around the world…all went up into the air. What was marketed as a shield generator that would protect us from orbit turned out to be a space colony that would see them outlive us all.”

Sal’s jaw slackened as he listened in disbelief.

Divinity added a few choice details of her own, the spite in her voice clear enough for both to hear. “They had the gall to flood our networks with propaganda, explaining that they did it for us. They were going to find a way to break the portals, as they had the best minds working around the clock in their space colony. It wasn’t enough for them to abandon us; they still wanted to control us as they watched on from above. Their messaging only changed at the advent of humans gaining abilities. I imagine that they realized how powerful we were becoming without them, and that they were very unlikely to be welcomed back as heroes.”

Quest smiled at Divinity. “Very apt, Miss Khan. Despite them abandoning us, we managed to scrape through and survive. I grew up during the worst years of war, where we faced demons on a whole new level. Abilities were still in their infancy and anyone without a battle-ready capability was pushed to the back. It went on for far too long, and we exhausted ourselves on the front lines, trying to protect our home. Barrier technology is what eventually saved us, or at least gave us the time to react. New generations who have lived comfortable lives don’t understand what we went through because of the Bastion. Some have gone so far as to suggest we welcome them back.”

Sal frowned, feeling like he was one of the new generations Quest was talking about.

The headmaster laughed and gestured at Sal. “Don’t go feeling guilty over something you didn’t know about. I’m a jaded man who grew up during the war. You’ve grown up in Silver Sanctuary, right?” Sal nodded, and Quest waved his hand behind him to the window scape.

“We have close to a hundred safe zones that operate as sanctuaries, all within a short distance of the academy and guild towers. That was a dream thirty years ago, and now it’s a reality. I’ll never resent a child who has grown up without the trauma of war, as that’s our goal. Preserving the future, one zone at a time.”

Sal felt incredibly conflicted. It was true that he had grown up in a safe environment, and he wished that everyone had that same upbringing. The reality was different, though, and Sal had started to understand just how much of a bubble he had been living in.

His first dungeon run had been an eye-opener as to what the Heroes faced on a daily basis and what was expected of students aspiring to take up that mantle. Sal couldn’t change the past, but he could resolve to not be like the Bastion. Their self-interests had essentially doomed humanity, and yet they were alive because of the sacrifices and efforts of their families during the war.

Sal’s parents hated talking about the war, so he never delved too much into their childhoods. He couldn’t help but feel he was missing so much context about how others had struggled over the last few decades. What had been stories now suddenly felt so much more real.

“Can the barrier technology be improved?” Sal asked.

Quest looked at him before a wide smile crossed his face. “That’s a conversation for your next semester, Salvatore. Otherwise, all the roadblocks I’ve put into place to stop the Doom Council from enlisting you will have gone to waste. There are countless projects your ability could help us with in the future, but we need you to think like a Hero first. Trust in the process for now, and learn as much as you can while you’re enrolled here. Then we can talk about how you can help the city.”

Divinity looked out the window, into the sky above before asking a question hesitantly. “What’s stopping them from just arriving unannounced? Landing and creating a power struggle?”

Quest laughed as he stretched his arms wide. “We built Quest Academy on their launchpad. They created a fortified safe zone to protect the Bastion Project, so we used it to create our own beacon of hope. If they want to return, they’ll have to do it elsewhere. A structure the size of a small town isn’t going to have many options.” Quest turned around to look out the window, following Divinity’s gaze. “They’ve tried to send a few people down over the years.”

Quest was about to continue when the door to the office opened, revealing Neuro and Erika. Neither of whom looked pleased.

Chapter 44 – Confession

Neuro closed the door after him and gave Erika a pointed look. Without so much as a word, she stood off to one side of the room and clasped her hands behind her back. Divinity and Sal shared a look of confusion as they remained seated in the chairs in front of Quest. Neuro withdrew the tablet that Quest had given him and strode purposefully toward the headmaster.

“He didn’t have any trained resistances that I could detect, but there are other findings. Would you like to be debriefed privately, or have them hear it?”

Neuro didn’t look at Sal and Divinity as he spoke. The coldness of his tone was unfamiliar, and Sal wondered whether this was him in crisis mode. It was different from when the dungeon raid was happening, so Sal found himself theorizing what circumstances were different. Was it because he was an Influence type, or because this threat was the Bastion instead of demons?

Neuro turned his head in Sal’s direction and gave him a tight smile. “I can see that Quest has enlightened you to the Bastion fuckery in my absence. Let any anger and indignation strengthen your resolve.”

Quest gestured that it was fine for them to remain in the room and extended his hand to receive the tablet from Neuro, giving him an almost defeated look.

“No matter what we discuss, Divinity will need to be briefed so she can look into the future for us. Salvatore will need to step in if we need to look farther ahead. They might as well be here for this.”

Sal couldn’t determine whether he was gaining Quest’s trust, or whether the headmaster felt so utterly defeated by the circumstances that he didn’t care whether they heard or not.

Neuro turned to look at him with a chuckle. “Option one, Mr. Argento. I assure you.”

Sal’s eyes widened and before he could open his mouth, Neuro apologized. “I won’t be holding back on using my power while there are traitors in our midst. Rest assured that I won’t be prying, but listening to anything that may be a threat to the students or the academy. I hope you understand.”

Sal nodded. It made sense, but it didn’t feel nice knowing that someone was listening to his every thought. Divinity looked equally as conflicted, but didn’t say a word about it.

Quest remained quiet as he looked through the contents of the tablet. “So, a smear campaign? That’s what they’ve been up to? I expected something much more nefarious, if I’m honest.”

Neuro shook his head as he stepped around the table to stand at Quest’s shoulder. “His name is Wester Templeton. He’s a Bastion brat, from one of the connected families. There wasn’t room for every loyalist on the ship, so we’ve got plenty left on the surface. No coercion was necessary as he’s been indoctrinated from birth by his family, seeing the Bastion as the true saviors of humanity.” Neuro could barely conceal his distaste as he spoke.

“The nature of his ability is to make small lies sound reasonable. Building on those fears to eventually create larger lies. He has absolutely no remorse for any of his actions, which was a slight surprise.” Neuro pointed at the tablet screen. “You can see him laughing at us.”

Quest flinched away from the screen, which drew a grim smile from Neuro.

“Erika could have shown more restraint, but I can’t blame her. She gave him the stick rather than the carrot, for lack of a better term. Young Mr. Templeton has been operating for the Bastion since he entered the academy. There have been quite a number of events orchestrated by him and his group, which he was more than happy to share with us after a few mental exercises.”

Sal turned around in his chair to see Erika staring straight forward, not even looking at them. There was a small smile on her face, but that was the only indication that she was listening to them.

Sal felt a sudden surge of guilt for how he was sitting down while she was standing. Just as he was about to stand and offer his seat, Erika gave him an imperceptible shake of her head. Sal froze as he stared at her.

Wasn’t her ability supposed to be Mind Control? Was she actually able to read minds? As if in answer, Erika’s stoic expression broke to reveal a slight smirk. In a heartbeat, it was gone, and Sal was left wondering whether he imagined it at all. If Erika was able to read minds like her father, then she was much more formidable than Sal had expected.

Divinity raised an eyebrow at Sal, but he shook his head to indicate that it was nothing to worry about. Sal was definitely worried about it. She could puppeteer people with her control ability, but being able to read thoughts made her much more terrifying as a strategist.

Neuro glanced over at Erika with a disapproving look. “Stop it.”

Erika gave Neuro a defiant look. Her eyes then locked onto Divinity. Sal couldn’t read any emotions on Erika’s face, which was disconcerting, and he wished he had the monocle to figure out what was going on behind the facade.

With a shake of his head, Neuro returned his attention to the tablet, which Quest was still studying.

“Rather than targeting the wider student population, Wester focused his efforts on two groups. Healers and Controllers.”

Quest closed his eyes and cursed under his breath.

Neuro nodded as he glanced toward Sal and Divinity, offering a brief explanation. “The leaders on the battlefield and the ones who can save lives. If they have the two most influential functions in any team in their pocket, then there’s no telling how broad their reach would become in the future.”

Quest placed the tablet down on his desk and looked off into space before speaking. “What lies has he been spreading? You said they had to be small and believable at first.”

Neuro straightened and swept a hand through his fading blond hair. “That Quest Academy’s registration machines are capping powers. Stunting the developmental growth of every student so the United Guilds Association can control which Heroes gain the most power. Since it’s a process that every student goes through, and the lie targets the student’s feeling of inadequacy, it has some sticking power. Wester bragged that Healers and Controllers were typically the most insecure about their power levels in comparison to the Offense and Defense classes.”

Sal’s brow furrowed. “No mention of Support classes? I’d have thought they’d be the most insecure.”

Neuro gave Sal an almost pitying look as he shook his head. “The Bastion is made up of elitist bastards. They likely won’t even have the Support classes on their radar. They want to create a network of influential people who are secretly Bastion sympathizers, and aligning with Supports isn’t likely to get them toward their goal. Healers and Controllers are much more vital on the battlefield and likelier to be recruited into the top guilds.”

Divinity frowned. “You said he bragged about it? Is he an idiot? I would have thought that a Controller would have had more sense than that.”

Erika’s crisp voice carried through the office. “He was bragging to his peers. As far as Wester Templeton is concerned, he’s just had his performance review with his Bastion handler. He was very attentive and didn’t leave out a single detail, which my father can attest to.”

Her tone was devoid of emotion and simply a statement of fact. Divinity clearly had another question, but Sal laughed at the ingenuity of it.

Neuro didn’t give Divinity an opportunity to speak as he continued explaining the events of the interrogation, or rather, the interview.

“So, if we break down the facts. Wester wasn’t acting independently. He told us that he didn’t interfere with targets that had been assigned to others. He started with only five people, and managed to coerce three of them. That number grew while he was in his first year, and he got more assignments from his handlers. He’s currently responsible for coercing nearly a hundred students, spending the majority of his time in the academy reinforcing the lies he’s planted.

“Wester told us that the core group of Controllers who are loyal to Bastion, residing in the academy, number nearly twenty. The others are all at varied stages of indoctrination, with him expecting to graduate with a number closer to fifty under his influence. If we’re to believe him and the numbers are accurate, then it’s safe to assume that the other agents Wester isn’t to interfere with are doing similar missions. If they’re having the same level of success, then we could be looking at the entirety of the Controller and Healer classes being compromised by the end of next year.”

Sal’s jaw dropped, and Divinity was no better as she gaped at Neuro.

Quest shook his head and chuckled humorlessly. “It all happened under my nose. We can’t afford to lose those classes. The first-years are clearly being targeted now, and they’re being selective. Erika and Divinity haven’t been approached, but Barry has.” Quest fell silent as he ruminated over the information.

Neuro smiled as he gripped the edge of Quest’s chair. “And that is where our opportunity comes in. Wester practically gushed about how promising Barry Francis was as a talent. The Bastion are very keen about securing him into their ranks, because of his ability. Having someone who can control illusions would be a huge benefit for their campaign, and they’re planning to fast-track him with all the resources at their disposal.”

Neuro chuckled. “Or rather, the academy’s resources. Q-Cred has been compromised for the last year, with Wester getting you to fill the Bastion fund on his regular visits. He’s been meticulous in covering his tracks, and has been interviewing you for information on struggling students with excellent abilities. That’s factored into their recruitment process, which put Salvatore Argento onto their radar.”

Sal pointed at himself in disbelief.

Neuro nodded with a frown. “Yes, we’ve confirmed that it was reported to the Bastion a month ago. Mere days after your Skill Registration. Since Wester had been the one in Quest’s ear, he was tasked with quite a lot of responsibility and information. I need to apologize, Sal. Erika was the one who pulled the information out of Wester, and she heard about the Mythcrafter and Skill Master abilities. I assure you that she is discreet and won’t divulge the information to anyone around campus.”

Sal waved his hand as though it were nothing. “I feel like everyone knows at this point, so there’s no issue. I trust your judgment.” Just to be sure, Sal turned in his seat and looked at the statuesque form of Erika. “I trust you too, Erika.”

The slightest lift of her eyebrow was the only indication that she heard him, but it was enough for Sal. He gestured to Neuro to keep explaining his findings.

Divinity looked conflicted, and before Neuro resumed speaking, he glanced at Divinity and smiled.

“That’s a good question. The opportunity that I referenced is Barry Francis. If we can convince him to go into the viper’s den, we should be able to find this corruption at its roots. For everything Wester was able to tell us, there was much that he didn’t know. Most of the reports were made to his family, and they relayed it to the Bastion. If we were to try to take on the Templeton family, we’d be in for a clusterfuck of a time. They’re heavily influential in the city and not people we can take lightly.”

Divinity scoffed. “You’re not going to let this go because a family is influential, are you?”

Quest shook his head as he propped his elbows up on the desk. “No, we’re not going to drop this. It’s a slap in the face to everything we’ve set out to achieve in the academy. To think that they would be so bold as to use me as a puppet for their plans…”

He went quiet for a few moments as though collecting his thoughts. Neuro nodded as he took a step back, waiting for the headmaster to continue. Quest gave the students a somber look as he linked his fingers and rested his chin on top of them.

“We have two avenues available to us right now. We can report this to the United Guilds Association and accept the slap on the wrist for our methods of extracting the information from Wester Templeton. It would throw the academy into chaos and parents would likely pull their children from our care. It would lessen our authority as an institution and inadvertently give the Bastion more publicity. That’s the first avenue.”

Sal waited patiently for Quest to continue. His fingers gripped the armrests of his chair tightly.

Quest glanced down at the tablet on his desk. “The second avenue is a counteroffensive. We play the game with them and root out their influence. Planting Controller students among their ranks and destroy them from within. We wipe Wester’s memory of the last day and keep tabs on their actions going forward, not alerting them to our knowledge of their scheme. Protecting our students is the primary goal. If this subterfuge fails, we can always fall back on the first method and report it to the United Guilds Association and Hunter Bureau. I’d rather we settled this in-house. Thoughts, Neil?”

Neuro shook his head with a smile. “Rather than asking me, why don’t you ask the person who’s looking for the best course of action already?”

Sal followed Neuro’s gaze to Divinity’s milky-white eyes.

Chapter 45 – Masterclass

Quest didn’t waste any time as Harlan stepped off the elevator.

“Excellent, we’re all here. I’d like to thank you all for convening on such short notice. This wasn’t one that could wait.” He looked around at the small group of Doom Society members with a forced smile. “We’ve had some troubling developments at the academy, and I wanted to brief all of you before we decide on next steps.”

Harlan had barely taken two steps into the Sky Lounge before Quest gestured for people to take their seats. He looked around in confusion, seeing a handful of the regular members. When his eyes landed on Sal and Divinity, they brightened considerably. Neuro sat in one of the high-backed armchairs and waved for Harlan to sit on the couch opposite him.

“We’ve taken precautions and invited a select group this time. I hope you’ll understand,” Neuro said as Harlan took his seat.

Alastair sat on one end of the couch, with his right arm propped on its rest, holding a glass of whiskey. “Okay, Harlan’s here. Can you tell us what all of this is about?” From his gruff tone, he wasn’t too pleased at the emergency summoning, but based on his expression, there was a hint of anxiety there too.

Sal looked around and saw confusion and apprehension. Maybe they were just feeding off Quest’s nervous vibes. Scry sat in one corner with Liam and Dawn, while Harlan, Alastair, and Neuro took over the plush seats. From the student body, Sakura was present from the third-years, while Sal, Barry, and Divinity stood off to the side with her. Erika stood by herself along one of the walls, watching everyone carefully.

Quest sighed as he gestured toward Neuro, but the telepath shook his head and gave the headmaster a pointed look. Quest grimaced and clapped to get everyone’s attention.

“The Bastion have infiltrated the academy.”

With just six words, the entire room fell into chaos. Alastair choked on his whiskey and sat up abruptly with a cough. Harlan had just started to sit on the couch when he bolted back up to his feet. Liam and Dawn gaped at Quest, while Scry looked over at Divinity for context. Neuro, on the other hand, remained in his seat and swirled the whiskey in his glass, as though lost in thought.

“And worst of all, I was compromised,” Quest added as he paced toward the bar area. He didn’t even need to look as he reached over the counter to pick up a glass tumbler.

Sal wondered how often he did that to have it as a reflex.

“Neuro and Erika have interviewed one of their spies, and we’ve learned that the Bastion has been staging a smear campaign against us. They’ve been indoctrinating our Controller and Healer classes, with potentially up to a hundred students being swayed by the end of next year.”

Alastair stormed to his feet, his face red with anger. “Those are my students you’re talking about, Quest. I won’t stand here and have them accused so blatantly of espionage!”

Before Quest could say a word in response, Neuro clicked his fingers. “Erika, show him.”

Sal couldn’t tell what was happening, but Alastair was rooted on the spot as the glass fell from his hand. It thudded onto the floor and rolled aside, staining the detailed rug with whiskey. Alastair groaned as he reached for his eyes, but it seemed like he was clawing at the space in front of them. Sal switched his attention to Erika and saw that she was using her power.

Out of curiosity, Sal inspected her weave and was surprised to see how complex it was. It was an entire labyrinth of weaving circuitry with beads of light coursing through them. Sal was about to deactivate his ability when he noticed that her weaves were separate. There were two separate weaves operating at the same time. Did Erika have two abilities? He hadn’t seen anything like it before, and wanted to investigate further when Alastair’s growl brought him back to reality.

“Don’t fucking put shit in my head without asking.”

Alastair’s fists were clenched, and Sal felt incredibly uncomfortable in his presence. He had laughed and joked with this man in the past, and now he was seeing a completely different side to him. Alastair blinked a few times before letting out a deep breath. He stood there for a moment before bending down to pick up the glass.

“Wester Templeton,” he muttered almost to himself as he sat down on the edge of the couch. His hands rotated the empty glass before he looked up at Neuro.

“I was here when Barry Francis put illusions in visions, so I know the mind can be tricked. The question is why would you go to such lengths to convince me that the Controllers are corrupt, and why would you bring everyone here if this was just an intervention for me?” Alastair placed the glass down on the table. “Which leads me to believe that you’re not here to sway me, but to find out more about the Controllers in my class? How am I to know if I’m digging their graves by speaking to you?”

Alastair continued to sit in silence after that statement. Harlan was about to speak when Neuro raised a hand to quiet him. Alastair shook his head as he looked at the glass, muttering under his breath.

“The real question is why I’m defending him despite the evidence of his testimony. Which makes me believe that he’s already swayed me. But what lie is the foundation?”

Sal blinked in surprise. Alastair, without any sort of prompting or guidance, had figured out what was happening. Sal turned to Divinity, who smiled in Alastair’s direction.

The Tactics lecturer muttered for a few more moments before he laughed to himself. With a wry smile, he reclined back into his seat.

“I’ve had to question a dozen layers of lies. That little bastard really went all out.” With a glance at Neuro, Alastair tapped the side of his head. “Can you dig into any repressed memories I have of conversations with him? You can use the reference point of my office and I’ll guide you.”

Quest stepped forward with a filled glass and placed it in front of Alastair.

“While they’re going through that, I’ll speak candidly with the rest of you.” Quest gripped the back of Neuro’s chair and grimaced.

“Miss Khan and Mr. Argento here were the ones who apprehended Mr. Templeton. Without them, we would be none the wiser to what has been going on under our noses. Wester Templeton is from a Bastion sympathizer family and was indoctrinated before he arrived at the academy. He’s been feeding his family information on students, including Mr. Argento’s abilities as Skill Master and Mythcrafter. They’ve approached Mr. Francis as a recruitment target and listed him as a high-priority candidate. We know they have already managed to sway dozens of students in the Controller and Healer classes, by using misinformation about our practices. Some of the lies are about us suppressing skill development and locking students out of their full potential when we register them.”

Harlan whistled as he looked at Quest. “Smart move. Every student needs to be registered, so it’s a shared experience. Seeing the development of others with higher potential will ultimately result in an inferiority complex. If someone were to tell you that it was rigged from the start, then it’s suddenly a compelling reason to rebel. I’m going to guess the Bastion have told students they have a way to amplify their abilities?”

Sal looked over at Harlan in surprise. It was exactly what Divinity had predicted in her visions. Barry and Divinity had run a series of simulations of him getting recruited by the Bastion Controllers, and although the information was limited, they were able to determine the selling points the Controllers used for joining the Bastion.

Unfortunately, in nearly all those simulations, Barry was eventually found out to be a double agent, but there was no way to find out how they knew. Each scenario ended with Barry’s death, framed as an accident. Sal wondered whether Divinity’s first visions of Barry, where he never revealed his powers, kept him off the Bastion’s radar.

Now that they knew he could control illusions, most of Divinity’s visions had resulted in Barry dying to a demon during a dungeon raid or on the floor of a tower. Most troubling of all was how nonchalant Barry had been with those outcomes. He simply told them that dungeons and towers were far into the future, so there was plenty of time to alter the course of fate.

Quest cleared his throat and looked in Harlan’s direction. “Correct. Their misinformation is designed to infuriate the disenfranchised and to make their recruitment that much easier. When I was compromised, they siphoned off Q-Cred that they’ve been using to purchase loyalty in those who don’t care about ability-related power. Many of the students we know to be in the Bastion’s sway are living it up in luxury dorms and spreading their influence and wealth to others. It would be easy for a student to look at that luxury lifestyle and assume the second-year Controllers are competent and worthy of following. We’ve determined that we cannot alert them to our knowledge of their plans, and will instead monitor and keep an eye on them.

“Miss Khan has been kind enough to lend her ability, allowing us to see multiple outcomes into the future. The worst-case scenario ends in fatalities of students who were not fully indoctrinated. From what the visions have shown us, the Controllers will dispose of anyone they suspect as the leak. Each death is ruled to be a victim of circumstance rather than murder, with students being lured into dungeons and not returning.”

With a sympathetic look in Barry’s direction, Quest continued. “Mr. Francis has offered to be a spy in their group to find out more about them and their operations. He’s run through a series of simulations with Divinity, and the results have not been good. I am against this proposal and would like to extend the issue to the rest of you. Do you have any suggestions on how we can best tackle this infestation of Bastion scum?”

Barry stepped forward with a smile. “You’re not really selling my proposal. I was suggesting that I get some training in Espionage and Subterfuge. Maybe a free Masterclass crash course that will equip me to take on the Controllers? I’m happy to throw myself into their midst if it helps us avoid catastrophe and gets me access to specialist training. Divinity’s visions of me dying are hard to contextualize, because there’s a high chance that she’s seeing an illusion I’ve created to fool them. I believe in my abilities, but I’m not egotistical enough to think I’m the best. That’s why I’m asking for additional training before going through with it.”

Sal couldn’t help but laugh at Barry’s reasoning, and he wasn’t alone.

Harlan clapped his hand on his knee with a chuckle. “An opportunist! I love it, but it doesn’t sit well with me that we’d have a student solving our problems. With all respect to Mr. Francis here, I’d elect that we find another solution to this problem that doesn’t endanger anyone and maximizes our ability to gain information. We could place Neuro in the back of the classroom, maybe with some cloaking equipment? He’d be able to discern who our problematic Controllers are with ease.”

Neuro blinked and turned to Harlan with a bemused expression. “You’d have me sit in on their classes and read their minds? I know we’re talking about fatalities and the potential destruction of Quest Academy, but if I’m honest, I’d prefer not to roam around in the minds of teenagers. It’s just fighting, sex, and demons. Nonstop.”

Erika shot her father a withering look from her place at the wall, but he didn’t notice as he shook his head at Harlan’s suggestion.

Neuro pointed at Alastair with a smile. “We likely don’t need to resort to such measures, as I think our Tactics lecturer has found a much easier way to get us some intel.”

As if roused by those words, Alastair clapped his face with both hands, creating a sound that made everyone flinch. The Tactics lecturer shook his head before picking up the glass of whiskey and downing it in one go. He got to his feet and tugged at the bottom of his vest before turning to Quest.

“I know where they convene for all their meetings, and listening in will be no issue.”

Everyone in the room gaped at Alastair, with the exception of Neuro and Erika, who smiled.

Alastair chuckled darkly. “The audacity of those little shits! What I thought was my tight-knit group of carefully selected kids with talent turned out to be a ruse. They’re all in my Masterclass. Discussing their plans right in front of me.”

Barry cleared his throat and drew the gaze of everyone in the room. He grinned as he pointed at himself. “So why don’t you invite me into your Masterclass?”

Chapter 46 – Assembly

The floating amphitheater that connected to each of the academy towers was host to all the first-year cohorts. Excited chatter swam around the stands as each of the students speculated on why they had been summoned. There had been no announcements since the closing of the tournament and the new rankings, so some guessed that it had something to do with the inter-cohort competition.

Another popular theory was that the second-year who had caused all the commotion in the canteen was going to be expelled. The students from the canteen on that day were happy to jump onto the rumor and it spread around the assembly instantly.

None of them were correct.

Chatfield standing at the center of the stage was confirmation enough to Sal that this was the fated announcement where they’d be informed of the new curriculum.

Barry eyed Chatfield warily from his seat beside Sal. “So, this is the guy who’s going to be making all the changes at the academy? And he’s a Controller?”

Sal nodded as he looked around the seats, wishing that he could have worn his tracker to the assembly. It didn’t work without the revolver, which was turning out to be a massive limitation for him. He’d be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t worried about the Bastion recruits at the academy. Just knowing that there were potentially some among the first-years who were being swayed was enough to tie a knot in his stomach.

“You doing okay?” Barry’s voice dropped to almost a whisper.

Sal turned back to look at him in surprise, not realizing how obvious his discontent was. With a forced smile, Sal shook his head a little. “Just thinking about the Controllers thing. I can’t believe they’re trying to turn us against each other.”

Barry nudged Sal with his elbow. “Worrying about what could happen is Divinity’s role, not ours. You’ll end up working yourself into a tizzy. When they come up with a plan of action, we’ll execute it. Simple.”

Sal felt like it was anything but simple, but he gave Barry a slight nod.

With an aggravated sigh, Barry turned in his seat to look at Sal. “Do you want to become a Controller?”

The question was unexpected, but Sal didn’t even hesitate as he shook his head. “No, I’m a Support. I can add a lot of value with Crafting, and I think the role fits me well.”

Barry nodded in agreement and stared at Sal intently. “Then stop thinking like a Controller. You don’t need to come up with the strategy to get us out of this situation. You’ve done enough to help highlight the issue, and you protected Divinity and Hannah from that Wester bastard. If you’re feeling useless, or like you’ve not done enough, then channel it into your Crafting. Make something that will help, or just be there for Divinity when she needs you. She’s been frantic the last couple of weeks, and if she’s worrying about you going into hermit mode, she’ll lose her edge.”

Sal froze. “Divinity’s been frantic?”

Barry sighed as he turned away from Sal and sat back into the chair. “Yes, Sal. She’s been frantic. All her visions lately have been about you, to find out how she can stop you from falling down some stupid path of embracing Myth and discarding Sal. Apparently, there’s a high risk of you locking yourself away in the workshop and dropping out of classes. I don’t know you as well as she does, but I think it would be a waste if you didn’t see this through. Especially since you’ve promoted me to team captain and I haven’t even had a chance to boss you around on the battlefield. So, if you’re going to quit classes, at least wait until after the inter-cohort.”

Barry smiled, but the lighthearted elements didn’t do much to cover the harshness of Divinity’s fears.

Sal shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, man. I’ve spoken to her about this before and I’m not going to drop out or fall to the wayside. Yes, the Crafting projects are fun and they’re also really important, but I’m not skipping classes. I know I missed a few meetings, but there’s been so much going on lately. Chatfield has me working on a special project for the workshop, and it could be a huge deal in the future.” Sal turned to see Barry crossing his arms, so he pivoted.

“I’m not making excuses. It’s just been a lot in a short space of time. I’ve apologized to Divinity, and I owe you one too. After this assembly, I’ll sit down with you and we can go through the inter-cohort stuff. Whatever needs to be crafted, or whatever training we need, just let me know and I’ll make it a priority.”

Barry chuckled as he gave Sal a sideways glance. “You don’t owe me an apology, but I will take you up on the crafting offer. All we need is a solid strategy, and I’ve got most of it covered.”

Quest’s amplified voice cut him off. The chattering in the crowd died as the headmaster called for their attention. Barry twirled his finger in the air and looked down at the podium, signaling to Sal that they’d continue their chat afterward.

We’ve gathered you all here for a few important announcements. Please pay special attention as this will affect each and every one of you.

The atmosphere went from idle curiosity to somber in seconds. Rumors of the expulsion were discarded as the students tensely waited for more context.

Sal looked down to the stage to see Chatfield at the ready, waiting for his opportunity to address the students. Quest’s tone was devoid of emotion as he spoke.

As our enemies grow in strength, we need to constantly adapt to the needs of the guilds. They know better than anyone what is required out on the field, and it’s become clear to us that our pacing is off. When you graduate from Quest Academy, you should be on par with mid-rank officers or higher. This statement has been true in the past, but now, we’re no longer on track to deliver that. This has not been down to your efforts, but rather a failing of Quest Academy as an educational institution. Our second-years recently completed an excursion with Captain Chatfield here, and the results were far below expectations.

I want to emphasize that you’re not being punished for the failures of others. Rather, this is an opportunity for us to recalibrate our efforts and change the trajectory of your development. Our approach to date has been to empower our students to learn how to use their abilities and how to work together in teams. Competitions such as the cohort battles were designed to familiarize you with combat and using your abilities in high-stress environments. From this foundation, we’d then introduce you to combat against low-grade demons in a controlled environment. Our intent was to gradually build on your confidence while teaching you the basic skills for every Hero. From this day forward, that approach is changing.

I’d like to introduce Captain Chatfield, a high-ranking Controller from the Hunter Bureau.

Only a few people clapped, high-ranking students who clearly didn’t feel any challenge from the current curriculum. To say they were a vast minority would have been an understatement.

Sal could see the resigned faces of the Support classes no matter which direction he looked. A change in tempo was likely going to spell disaster for them, and Sal couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. If they knew how to craft, then there was a silver lining for them, but it wasn’t going to console the majority of students.

Quest stepped off to one side and gestured for Chatfield to take the podium.

Chatfield didn’t waste any time as he gripped the stand with both hands. Leaning forward, he slowly looked around at the assembled students, watching for their reactions. It was an awkward silence, but it had the desired effect. The students who had been downcast eventually looked up to see why he wasn’t speaking.

How many of you have seen a real demon? I’m not talking about Sinclair hopping around the training area. A real demon. Hands up, come on. Okay, now keep the hands up and look around the amphitheater. I want you to understand just how privileged you are. This isn’t me attacking your character or upbringing, but to see that less than a quarter of you have seen a demon before? That’s a problem. Being a Hero requires you to be out on the battlefield, fighting demons. Quest Academy is designed to train you on how to kill them, but only one in four of you has even seen one.

When I was your age, I had already completed military training. There were no exemptions or homeschooling mandates. If you had a power, you were trained to harness it. I killed my first demon when I was twelve years old, before I could even control my ability. I spent six years training with other kids, raiding dungeons and climbing towers. We didn’t have an academy like this to learn the theory behind everything. We used instinct and knowledge passed down from veterans. We prevailed, but with casualties. And that’s the key word. Casualties.

Quest Academy was created to reduce our casualties and train Heroes to be the best possible versions of themselves. The second-year group that I led on that excursion? Pitiful. I’d even go so far as to say that I’d rather have my comrades from when I first started at the military academy—twelve-year-olds. Why are those kids from my past better than Trainee Heroes?

Because they didn’t rely on their powers. They didn’t care about rank numbers or surnames. They didn’t give a shit about roles or classes. A failing grade for them meant death.

“Not the rousing speech I was expecting…” Barry muttered.

Sal didn’t answer. He stared at Chatfield and wondered how barbaric his upbringing was to get to this point.

Quest stood off to one side, his hands behind his back. His face was aimed toward the stage, as though he didn’t want to see the reactions on the students’ faces.

I’m not standing on this stage to make you feel bad about things outside of your control. Some of you have been training diligently for years, but the exception is not the rule. We need to create a system that will allow you all to thrive and reach your potential. After a drawn-out consultation period, I’ve gained the approval of the Hunter Bureau and United Guilds Association to change your curriculum in the ways I see fit. I’ve worked with Quest and members of the faculty at Quest Academy to design a robust regimen that will forcibly put you on track. Thankfully, you’ve only been here a couple of months, so the damage won’t be nearly as severe as for the later years. They’re going to have a much harsher time than you, if it’s any consolation.

Sal frowned as he thought about Sakura. He couldn’t for the life of him imagine how she could be improved in terms of combat proficiency. Barry, on the other hand, chuckled to himself.

Barry grinned. “Just thinking about all those assholes from the canteen. I can’t imagine they’re in for a good time.”

Sal couldn’t resist a smile of his own. With a slight shake of the head, Sal tried to focus back on Chatfield, muttering back to Barry, “You really are the worst.”

So, what is changing specifically? Combat, Field, and Survival classes will be rolled into one. There will no longer be an elective element, and they will become a core module for everyone. Combat training so far has been basic formations and student-versus-student battles. We will be advancing this class to incorporate weapon selection and individual training to give those of you without combat-related abilities an opportunity to shine. It will greatly enhance your combat proficiency if you start training early.

Demonic Behavior and Analysis classes will be packaged too, freeing up spaces for more necessary ones. Resilience will be added as a mandatory module, which will help you greatly in the trials to come. Facing portals, towers, and dungeons will be emotionally draining, and your resolve will be tested frequently. Resilience will give you methods to find your limits and exceed them. It will sharpen your senses and make you combat ready. All other electives will be available for enrollment, but will have a decreased value in your final grades if they do not further your capabilities.

Half the amphitheater shouted their discontent. Every Support class felt the final nail in the coffin, as their route to graduation was suddenly halted. Questions for clarification and demands for reconsideration were thrown at him from every angle. A few choice curses were shouted too, but Chatfield ignored everything and continued his speech.

Crafting will be given an increased value for final grades if students elect to enroll in a special program. One of the greatest flaws in our current system is that we cannot equip our students with reliable gear for combat. We’re going to provide materials and blueprints for equipment, as well as targets. Those who exceed those targets will be granted higher grades. I want you to all understand that your time at Quest Academy isn’t about ticking boxes or doing the bare minimum. You need to add value and excel to be worthy of the Hero title.

The inter-cohort battles will be pushed toward the end of the first semester as it only benefits the higher-ranking students who performed well in the tournament. My plan, along with the faculty, is to increase the capability of every student listening right now. To that end, we will be bringing forward the final test for first-years. Each of you are going to challenge the floor of a tower. It will start in five weeks’ time. You will create your own five-person team, with the simple caveat that no two people from the same cohort can be on the same team, and no three people can have the same role. Recruitment will be up to yourselves.

Sal couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew there was going to be a change to the curriculum, but this…was insane. They were going to take on the floor of a tower, in just over a month? Not only that, but they had to create teams with people they didn’t even know? When Sal looked at Barry, he was shocked to see him laughing. Had the pressure finally gotten to his head? Sal was about to ask if he was okay, but Barry just turned around in his seat and wiped a tear from his eye.

“Guess those towers and dungeons aren’t that far into my future.”

Chapter 47 – Chaos

Quiet! Come on, shut up. We’ve got a lot to get through, and panicking isn’t very befitting of a Trainee Hero, is it? You’re here to become Heroes. If you’re disillusioned about why you’re here, then you needed to hear this now rather than later. Quest Academy is designed to train Heroes, and we’re on an ever-evolving landscape where demons are getting stronger, faster, and smarter. Were any of you aware that there was a dungeon raid last month, with a commander variant that was hell-bent on destroying the academy?

Chatfield stared at the students with an unflinching gaze. It was clear to Sal that he was frustrated with the reactions of the crowd and had slid into his “fuck around and find out” attitude. Sal felt uneasy with the topic being brought up in front of everyone, mostly because he had no idea where Chatfield was going with it. He hoped it wasn’t to paint the current faculty in a poor light. Sal also hoped that Chatfield wouldn’t make any remarks about the Mythcrafter or Skill Master abilities.

Who protected you? Heroes…but not the ones you’d expect. They were aspiring Heroes, like you. If you look among yourselves, you’ll see some of the people who were pivotal in that fight. Students who stepped up in a time of need and showed their true colors. Would you be able to do the same?

The uncomfortable feeling in the crowd was palpable, and Sal’s anxiety spiked at the direction this was taking. He didn’t want to be singled out with the others in front of the other cohorts. Divinity looked around from her seat and shot Sal a smile, which he had trouble returning. Another set of eyes in the crowd looked at him, but there was no smile on Erika Clifton’s face. Chatfield’s words had cemented the reason Divinity took the top place in the rankings rather than Erika. Her expression seemed to confirm that she finally understood why.

If your answer is yes, then you’ll step up and flourish with this training. If the answer is no, then you need this training more than ever. Fighting one another in tournaments isn’t going to mean anything when a prowler jumps at your throat from the shadows. Field training won’t help you outrun that prowler, and Survival won’t help you get to an evacuation zone. We need to combine these fundamental skills that belong in the same category. From today onward, your Combat, Field, and Survival classes will be renamed as the single module, War Zone. You will be graded on your efficiency in those three components, but it will all be under the same module. You need to be able to fight, run, and survive. Having one or two of those won’t be sufficient in a time of crisis, as you’ll need all three if you want to protect those you care about.

Chatfield was taking no prisoners with his approach to the speech. Students who were unlucky enough to make eye contact with him ended up squirming uncomfortably in their seats or averting their gaze. A few of the students looked energized and inspired, but the vast majority had started to count down the days until their expulsion.

Sal had a lot more in common with the latter group, as he’d felt the exact same way up until he had been pushed into that dungeon with Upgrade and Chatfield. It had chipped away at his fears, but a single instance wasn’t enough to overturn a lifetime of fearing them. That and the fact that he had only hit leechers of varying strengths. None of that was comparable to a prowler.

Sal saw that Divinity was paying close attention to Chatfield. It was probably one of her first times seeing him, rather than just hearing about him. It was true that he wasn’t much to look at in person, but there was a terrifying competence to the man. Even though Sal hadn’t seen him in action, Upgrade had spoken highly of his accomplishments. To have earned her respect in such a way, it was a no-brainer that he was strong.

You’ve already started to run the gauntlet with Lars? That will continue, but rather than having week-old husks of a hulker, you’re going to have simulated enemies attacking you. You’ll navigate the battlefield in teams and learn how to work together to avoid being dispatched by the enemy. We’re going to take you to freshly reclaimed territory, and you’ll put your skills to the test there. No more training rooms, because you don’t train your perception in the comforts of the academy. The Hunter Bureau will be dispatching Heroes to guide you through the exercise, and you’ll learn a lot more when you have an instructor per team.

Weapons selection will start today. In your recent tournament, only thirty-two of you had equipped weapons. Just over three percent of you went into those encounters with a weapon. Your survivability increases drastically if you’re well-equipped, so it’s paramount that you learn how to operate one. I don’t want to hear one word from people who think they don’t need one, as I can assure you, you do. There are demons out there that can nullify your abilities, and then there’s the much more common occurrence of the dregs, where you collapse from essence exhaustion. Having a weapon will enhance your versatility and reduce your reliance on essence-based abilities. Remember, previous generations fought without essence, and so can you.

Barry looked at Sal with a dazed expression. “You’re working with this guy? I do not envy you that. Do you ever get a word in, or does he just monologue at you?”

Sal laughed and shook his head. “I think he’s this way because he cares. I thought he was an asshole when I first met him, but I started to understand that he just wants us all to survive. It won’t be comfortable, but he knows what he’s doing.” Sal thought for a moment before adding a slight caveat. “I think.”

Sal heard a muffled shout from the front of the crowd. He couldn’t hear exactly what was said, but Chatfield paused in his speech to zone in on the person. He listened for a few moments before shaking his head. Another voice from a different area called out, and Chatfield gave them a bewildered look.

This isn’t a question-and-answer. I’m telling you what’s going to happen. This isn’t a debate where you can change things to benefit you. I don’t care who your family is, or what you think is the optimal way to live your life. If you want to be a Hero and you’re enrolled at Quest Academy, this is how things are going to be from here on out. I’m not here to pander to your whims or tell you that you’re doing a great job. I’ve watched every single battle from your tournament, and out of the thousand of you that participated, there are less than ten people I’d personally train. Quest seems to think that he can find thirty of you to become Saviors, but right now, I think those ranks would end up scraping the barrel of mediocrity.

Is that me condemning you to failure from the start? No. You’re not trained properly, which is what we’re going to fix. Each and every one of you has the potential to stand on the same level as the top Heroes this city has to offer. I’m not talking about flashy abilities or those with destructive power. I walked into a dungeon a few days ago with a Crafter who had never even seen a demon. With a few pieces of equipment and some encouragement, they cleared the dungeon by themselves. That person is a first-year with incredibly low combat capability. They weren’t in my top ten from the tournament, yet they stepped up and challenged themselves. Did they doubt they could do it? Absolutely. Did they manage it? Absolutely.

Sal wanted the ground to swallow him up and waited for the inevitable jibe from Barry. But when it didn’t come, he looked to his friend in confusion.

Barry just stared at Sal in shock. “You took on a full dungeon by yourself?”

Sal nodded and gestured for Barry to keep it down.

Barry frowned as he tilted his head slightly. “Why are you afraid of people knowing it’s you? You achieved it—why aren’t you screaming it from the rooftops?”

Sal laughed and shook his head. He didn’t want to boast or brag about something that was so incredibly terrifying, and he wasn’t scared to admit that. “I’m pretty sure I nearly shat myself in that dungeon. It was a lot of luck and good equipment, that’s all.”

Barry wasn’t letting it go. “So, you’ve created equipment that can get Crafters through a dungeon? Isn’t that a pretty huge deal?”

Sal couldn’t find the words to refute Barry and kept quiet.

Chatfield had stopped talking about him and had moved onto the team selections.

Recruitment is going to be interesting for all of you. There won’t be any unfair rules this time about the top ranked picking last, or the bottom ranks picking first. We want team compositions that you’ve created yourselves. You’ll be assessed based on the expectations of your ranks and teams. If you select people who have a high rank, then we will understandably expect more from them. That is also true for the inverse. I will say that this is not an opportunity to create a strategy around rankings, as the composition of your team and their capability will enhance a much more important stat: survivability.

You’re going to enter a tower with this team, and you’ll fight alongside them. You need cohesion and complementary skills. Those of you who elect yourselves as team captains will need to incentivize your prospective teammates. Why should they join you? That’s the question you’ll need to answer. It may feel like an unfair condition, but the best teams are those that are created organically and consensually. You’ll find it hard resenting a team that you created yourself versus one that was created for you. As I mentioned, the Hunter Bureau will be overseeing the tower raid and there will be designated Heroes in place to watch over your progress. They will be grading your performance and timing you throughout.

So, that is the end of this assembly. What are your next steps? Weapon selection is first. You have two days to try out the weapons in our armory. Training rooms will have targets for you to practice on. During the two days that you’re selecting your weapons, I’ll be working with the Hunter Bureau to get the Reclaimed Zone ready for your first excursion. You have three days after weapon selection to create your teams, which brings us to the weekend.

Enjoy that time dearly, because this time next week, you’ll be starting your first excursion. It will start with five days for you to acclimatize yourself to the landscape, and will take place out in the Reclaimed Zone. Lecturers and Heroes will be there with us, and you’ll be doing classes out in the field. We need to get you up to speed as soon as possible. This excursion will benefit you greatly before you challenge the tower.

Barry sighed as he gave Sal a sideways glance. “I think it’s time we learned about people in the other cohorts. Don’t suppose I can nab your girlfriend as a Defense class?”

Sal shrugged with a faint smile on his face. “I’m not even sure she’s still my girlfriend. It was a pretty explosive argument the last time we spoke properly.”

Barry snorted. “She was brainwashed. You should have a chat with her, and clear things up. Put in a good word for me if she doesn’t want to be on your team. Okay?” His face broke into a wide grin, and Sal couldn’t help but laugh at the stupidity of it all.

“Who can you give me in exchange? Not really a fair trade if I get nothing back.”

Barry pretended to think about it for a moment before he clicked his fingers. “I can put in a good word with Erika at the next Doom Society meeting?”

Sal stared at Barry as though he had two heads. “You’re actually insane.”

Chapter 48 – Selection

Moving through the crowd of students in the amphitheater had turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for Sal. He tried his best to slip past people, but there were clumps of students chatting to one another in little cliques. The Silver cohort was no exception, and Sal spied Joshua Mitchell having a heated debate with Anderson Royce. Jack stood off to one side, letting it happen, while Blathnaid tried to stop them from arguing.

When Sal got closer, he was able to hear a few of their words and got the context immediately. Joshua was trying to petition Quest to revert the changes with a majority vote from the student body. Apparently, his logic was that there were more than enough Support class people to lend their power to the vote. Sal wanted no part of it, and indicated to Blathnaid and Jack that there was nothing to be gained from listening. Blathnaid shook her head with a smile and threw herself into the pack, separating Joshua from Anderson, who was now gripping his collar.

“Don’t suppose you know who the Crafter is who solo’d the dungeon?” Jack asked coyly from behind.

Sal turned and gave him a wink, and Jack’s face transformed into a wide grin.

“I fucking knew it! Let me guess… keep it to myself?”

When Sal gave him a nod, Jack made a mocking salute before rejoining Blathnaid in the fray.

Sal didn’t get too far ahead, try as he might, because every few steps he took put him behind another group in deep discussion. Just when he was about to start shoving people out of his way, he heard a whistle to his left. Looking over, he saw Barry waving at him. He was climbing the seats to get to the top, and not bothering with the staircase. Sal smiled as he slid into one of the aisles and followed Barry up to the top, toward freedom.

“So, what weapon are you going to pick?” Barry huffed as he stepped over another of the rows.

Sal floundered on one of the seats that snagged his foot and nearly toppled backward, but managed to right himself. When he glanced up at Barry, he saw that his friend was too preoccupied with catching his breath to notice the stumble.

“I took your advice and made a gun. It’s a revolver and has a few cool features.” Sal paused before stepping up to the next one, not because it was too much exertion, but because he was sure there was a more efficient method to it.

“Stop overthinking it and just jump them. Also, where’s my commission for the gun idea? You wouldn’t have it without me…pretty sure that has to count for something.” Barry panted as he cleared another four rows.

Sal gritted his teeth as he took Barry’s advice and started to clear the rows one after another. Going up at an incline wasn’t ideal, but he felt the competitive need to get next to Barry.

When Barry looked down and noticed how far Sal had caught up, he grinned and turned on his heel to go faster. “Fuck that, you’re not beating me.”

Sal continued to race up the steps, loudly enough that a few of the students looked at him with bemused expressions.

Barry did a double take as he glanced back. “What the fuck happened to you? When did you get so fit? Is this some skill you stole?”

He threw comment after comment as he neared the top, but Sal ignored him, controlled his breathing, and managed to overtake him with just three rows to go. Barry made a despairing sound and Sal glanced back with a grin, only to see nothing but empty seats. He looked around and couldn’t see any sign of Barry, until he looked forward and saw him standing at the top.

“Sorry for goading you, Sal. You were taking too long. Don’t suppose you developed anything that can spot illusions, then?”

Barry’s face melted into a grin, and Sal stared at him in a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

“But…why would you go to the trouble to make an illusion? For something so stupid? I’m out of breath for no reason.” Sal’s shoulders slumped as he finally got over the last row of seats, only to be rewarded with a clap on the back from Barry.

“Honestly, it broke my heart seeing you struggling in the line, so I thought I’d inspire you with my powers. But hey, now you’re free! Tell me more about this gun, though. It sounds interesting.”

Sal sighed in defeat. Barry was helping in his own chaotic way.

As they made their way toward the armory, Sal gestured at his eyes. “Also made a pretty cool visor. It’s synched to the revolver and was amazing in the dungeon. We’ll need to test it out to see if it can see through your illusions.”

Barry nodded. “Sounds fun. What sort of weapon do you think I should go for? I was thinking a gun too, but it’s not really my style. Not a big fan of swords either.”

With a simple twist of his hand, green runes flared to life before a sword appeared in Barry’s hand. With a few waves back and forth, Barry made a dissatisfied noise before discarding it.

Sal marveled at the control he had over his ability. When he glanced up to see Barry looking at him expectantly, Sal shrugged.

“You mentioned wanting to learn about Espionage and Subterfuge—why don’t you go full Assassin and pick a dagger or something?”

Barry twisted his hand again and a dagger appeared in his grip. He played around with it before shaking his head again. “I don’t think I want to get up close and personal. I’d rather have the versatility to go from range to close quarters.” As though he just had an epiphany, Barry’s back straightened and a smile crept onto his face. The dagger in his hand transformed into a knife.

“What about this?” He threw the knife illusion into the crowd, causing more than a few panicked screams.

The sudden shouts of panic snapped Barry out of his reverie and he canceled the illusion.

Sal tried not to laugh as the students looked around in a panic.

Barry threw up an illusionary barrier around them and grit his teeth. “Okay, that was a fuck-up. But the knife seems like a good choice. I can throw it and use it at close quarters. What do you think?”

They walked around the crowd searching for the knife culprit, and Barry waited until he was certain nobody was looking at them before dropping the barrier.

Sal laughed. “I don’t think my opinion really matters. It’s about what you want.”

Barry gave Sal a deadpan stare before answering. “You’re talking like you’re not going to be the one making my knife.”

Sal cleared his throat before imitating Barry’s voice. “I’m Barry and I’m a master illusionist. I don’t need any crafted equipment because I’m fantastic without them.” Sal smiled. “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how you said it.”

Barry rolled his eyes as he moved toward the armory. “I definitely didn’t say it like that. I’m getting a weapon because it’s mandatory. If I have to have one, I’d rather it was something good. You make good stuff, so it’s a logical conclusion. You already offered to make something for me in the past, so why should it be an issue for you now? Unless, you don’t value our friendship?” Barry placed a hand on his chest and made a mock expression of being hurt.

Sal chuckled as he followed Barry.

The building itself was one of the five main towers of Quest Academy, but it was underneath the workshop by about twenty floors. Sal gave the line for the elevators one look before gesturing for Barry to follow him. Barry looked confused until Sal led him to one of the loading bays where equipment was transported up and down the tower.

“Are we allowed to use this?” Barry whispered, suddenly unsure of himself.

Sal smiled as he touched his Q-Card against the terminal, summoning the elevator.

Out of curiosity, Barry tapped his own card against the terminal and was met with an angry red light, indicating that he wasn’t permitted to use the service. He stared at the terminal before looking at Sal accusingly. “This is some Mythcrafter bullshit, isn’t it?”

Sal grinned as a huge panel lifted in front of them, revealing the wide platform. There was nobody there, which suited Sal perfectly.

“Are you just going to stand around or are you coming with me?” Sal asked as he eyed the other students warily, some of whom had observed that he had summoned a platform out of nowhere.

Barry followed Sal’s glance and noticed the confused students waiting for the elevator. Rather than leaving with grace, Barry gave them the finger before jumping into the elevator and shouting, “Go, go, go!”

Sal laughed as he tapped the internal terminal and put in their destination of the armory.

The panel closed just as a collection of feet appeared on the other side, clearly trying to hitch a ride with them.

“What type of knife do you want me to craft?” Sal asked as they descended the tower.

Barry lifted his hand and created a new illusion, then frowned. “I’ve got an idea in my head, but I don’t know how to best describe it. It’s kinda like this.”

Barry threw the illusionary knife, which slowed in mid-air and then changed trajectory before embedding itself into the wall. A moment later, it snapped out of place and returned to Barry’s palm. “Is there a skill like that?”

Sal’s brow furrowed, and he asked Barry to do it again. He watched the display carefully and tried to recall whether there was anything in his skill set that would be able to replicate it. The closest he could think of was Villa’s ability of pulling a knife out of thin air. He recalled that she had thrown the ethos blade in her fight against the commander variant.

The tricky part was knowing whether it was a part of her wider power, or whether it was the whole thing. Controlling the trajectory of blades would be an interesting ability, but Villa seemed stronger than just that. Sal sighed as he shook his head.

“There’s nothing that I know of yet that could make a knife like that. My best guess would be to replicate Villa’s power, but failing that, we could look for voider heart as a material. It allows for the abilities Apparition and Recall, so you can pull it out of subspace and bring it back to your hand if it’s within your line of sight.” Sal thought about it for another moment before he shook his head.

“I can’t figure out how to make it follow a trajectory outside of straight. Unless you wanted it to correct your aim and zone in on targets?”

Barry stared at Sal. “I just showed you an illusion and you’ve already mapped out what material is necessary to satisfy two of the main abilities? How the fuck do you even know what a voider heart is?”

Sal shrugged as he gestured at his head. “Years of Appraisal, and now the Mythcrafter ability, too. It stores all the information on materials and what they do in my head. Chatfield showed me a chest with loads of rare material components, and now I can add them to my designs to check how they’d work if I built them. Voider heart was a component of Villa’s ethos blade. It had the Apparition and Recall ability, but that could also be down to the gloomhusk fang that was used. I think that was just to cut through defense, though.”

Barry exhaled with a whistle. “If there’s one thing for certain, I’m not taking whatever shit they offer us here. You’re the man who’s going to make my knife, and I don’t mind paying for it, either. It sounds pretty damn cool.”

Sal snorted at that as the door opened to reveal the armory. More than a few of the early arrivals looked over at their entrance in shock. Sal wasn’t surprised Divinity was at the front of the line.

With a turn to Barry, Sal smiled. “I’ll make you the knife, but maybe just in time for the inter-cohorts. I don’t want you having too much of a competitive advantage while we’re on opposing teams.”

Barry laughed as he stepped out of the elevator. “And you call me the worst? Hypocrite.”

Chapter 49 – Proficiency

“What do you think?” Divinity extended the bow in her hand to Sal.

He didn’t even need to check it to know that it was Uncommon at best. Her smile told Sal that she likely already had the conversation with him in her head. Rather than going through all the motions with her, Sal conceded.

“What would you like me to craft, and would you rather it be before or after the crown of thorns?”

Maybe it was because of the exhausted tone in his voice, but Divinity’s smile disappeared, and she frowned.

“Are you okay? I was joking about the bow. I expected you to Appraise it and get an ego boost from how much better your stuff is.”

Divinity’s voice was filled with concern, and Sal felt like an asshole for presuming the worst.

Since their conversation in his room, they had been on different wavelengths, and he didn’t know how to find the right words with her anymore.

Sal shook his head and forced a smile. “Barry was asking me to make him something on the way down, and I had my head in crafting mode. Sorry.”

The concern didn’t leave Divinity’s face, but rather grew in intensity.

Sal plucked the bow from her hands, happy to have something to distract him from the awkward conversation. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with, then.”

Name
Trainee Yew Bow

Origin
Crafted

Age
12 years

Grade
Uncommon (Low)

Dimensions
60”

Materials
Hardened Yew | Composite Fibers | Black Gloss Stain

Attributes
Boost - Adds momentum to fired arrows, increasing impact and range.

Abilities
Boost

Power Source
External Essence

Evolution
No

Quality

Average

Condition
63%

Value
Est. $250.00 – $400.00

Sal turned the bow in his hands and looked at its details. The string wasn’t attached, but he didn’t need it to complete the appraisal.

“Looks like a good starter weapon. Decent durability and has a Boost ability that increases the range and impact of your shots. It’s a little old and the valuation isn’t great, but it looks pretty dependable.”

Most of the things that caught his eye were evidence of wear and tear, but there was a shallow engraving near the grip of the bow that gave it the Boost ability. The workmanship wasn’t anything spectacular, but there was an elegance to it that Sal appreciated the more he looked at it. It made him realize that he had become increasingly elitist when it came to equipment, focusing so heavily on abilities and grades that he didn’t appreciate the functionality of the item itself.

Sal wondered how many of these trainee bows he’d be able to make in the time it took him to craft a single Epic-grade piece of equipment. He wondered how the Mythcrafter ability would fare if he used the exact same blueprint for this very bow. As if summoned by the thought, a blueprint for the bow appeared in front of his eyes, which didn’t escape Divinity’s notice.

“Whoa there, Purple Eyes! You’re not crafting me another bow. This one suits my needs. I don’t need you to put yourself into an early grave because everything around you can be improved, okay?” Her expression was gentle, but her tone was fierce.

Sal canceled the blueprint and looked at her sheepishly. “Sorry about that. I got curious about how it was made and my ability flared up.”

He scratched at the back of his head as he handed the bow back to her. She didn’t look completely convinced. “I’ve been thinking about what Chatfield said about the Crafters, who are constantly chasing after their magnum opus rather than attainable targets.”

Divinity raised an eyebrow, and Sal took that as encouragement to continue.

“How many of those bows would I be able to make if I used the same blueprint as the original design? Would I be able to mass-produce them because of my ability, or create a set of higher-grade bows with the same resources? I’ve been constantly thinking of the ability for making the highest-grade items, when maybe I should be looking at making low-grade items really well? Wouldn’t that help more people?”

Divinity’s expression softened, and she gave Sal a gentle smile. “Could you do me a giant favor, Sal?”

Sal nodded, unsure where she was going with this.

Divinity sighed as she placed her index finger on the center of his chest. “Take care of yourself before you start worrying about everyone else. The solutions you’re suggesting are altruistic and commendable, but they’re going to lead you further into burnout. You can tell me that you have everything under control, and that you’re enjoying your time with Upgrade and Chatfield, but I can tell that you’re not sleeping. I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but you need to get rid of it and take care of yourself.”

Sal sighed as he started to tell her not to worry, when he suddenly stopped. Her concern wasn’t something he could brush off, and he felt bad for how she was seeing him lately.

He glanced around to see that all the other students were milling around the armory display cases, with some of them trying weapons out in the training area. Biting his lip, Sal glanced back at Divinity, who hadn’t moved an inch. Her stare was still boring into the back of his skull.

“I’m sorry, Divinity. I’ve been telling myself that I’m cut out to be a Hero and that my place is here at the academy. I got help from Vanessa to break through half of my essence gates, which absolutely broke my body and showcased just how weak I’ve been all my life. I started training in the mornings with a workout routine and it’s been… slow progress, to say the least.”

Divinity’s eyebrow twitched and Sal could tell that she was forcibly controlling her expression to mask her incredulity at his words. Sal smiled as he tapped the side of his head.

“No matter how much work I put into my body to get myself in better shape, I can’t lie to my brain. Upgrade and Chatfield brought me to that dungeon to face my fears, but now I’m replaying it every single night. Nightmares where I wake up screaming, feeling the leecher vines around my neck. I’ve probably sank about a hundred Q-Cred into the coffee vendors over the last week, and it’s not helping in the slightest. The situation with Hannah… I can’t bring myself to have a conversation with her after the argument we had. I feel like I’m just running away from my problems, and I don’t know what to do.”

Sal took a deep breath as he looked toward the ceiling. It was difficult to describe how he was feeling without sounding melodramatic. When he couldn’t find a neutral way of putting it, Sal laughed and indulged in the dramatic.

“I feel like I’m a ticking time bomb that will go off at any point, and I don’t know if that’s going to be a mental breakdown or something worse. The only thing I know I’m good at, that is in my control…is crafting, and I’ve been throwing myself into it at the expense of everything else. That monocle I gave you managed to keep the dread at bay, but it was prolonging things rather than solving them. I don’t have the mental fortitude to operate it properly, so it’s in much better hands with you.”

Divinity pondered for a moment before her face brightened.

“What about taking something for it? You could get a prescription from the infirmary. It’s way more common than you think. I’m pretty sure that half of the students here are on some kind of pill to keep themselves right. You’re not going to be on your game if you’re constantly tired. And now that we’re going into an excursion that will have us camping outside… you really want to get the nightmares under control before that.”

Divinity’s eyes widened when she realized what she said, but Sal laughed it off with a wave.

“It’ll be fine. I just need to work on increasing my Spirit, which means doing fun things and not stressing over every little thing.”

Sal tried to make light of it, but Divinity wasn’t convinced. She looked at him expectantly, and he knew what she was getting at.

“Ah, Spirit. There was a guy at the dungeon who did an Analysis ability on me. He said that he saw some of my stats change after the run, and they were Dexterity, Spirit, and Resilience. Apparently, Spirit is replenished by relaxing and having fun, spending time with friends. Mine apparently dropped, and from what he said, it was at a point that I shouldn’t let it fall lower.”

Divinity’s expression softened, and she gave Sal a gentle nudge with her hand. “Then we’ll hang out until you’re topped up. We can put together a great team so that you won’t be under pressure during the excursion training.”

She paused before continuing, as though debating on saying her next words. After a moment, she let out an exasperated sigh and just blurted it out. “Meditation is good for dealing with nightmares. You can work on your essence gates and process your thoughts in a healthy way. I do it all the time when I see shit in visions that haunt me.”

Sal wasn’t convinced, but Divinity was serious. He didn’t have anything to lose, so he nodded. “I’ll give it a try, but don’t get your hopes up. I overthink everything. Always have. I doubt I’ll be able to get into a meditative state if the Skill class is anything to go by.”

Just as Divinity was about to respond, Barry approached them with a knife in his hand.

“Okay, what do you think of this one? It looks pretty decent.”

As he lifted up the blade, Sal took no chances and slapped Barry on the arm.

He glanced down at Sal’s hand in surprise. “What was that for?”

Sal shook his head. “Just needed to see if you were real or an illusion.” Sal took the blade from him and turned it over in his hands.

Divinity made eye contact with Barry and added a little more context. “Sal has been having nightmares. Can’t sleep.”

Barry grinned and was about to make a joke when he registered Divinity’s expression. He looked at Sal before snatching the knife from his hands. “Ignore that one. You’re going to make me a proper knife, and I’ll solve the nightmare problem. Deal?”

His smile wasn’t the usual mocking one, and instead looked genuine.

Sal chuckled and reached for the knife again. “I’m going to take a break from crafting until I can get my head in order. But don’t worry, Barry. It’s not that big of a deal, just a few sleepless nights. I’ll be fine.”

Sal caught Divinity giving a minor shake of her head, and Barry caught the meaning immediately.

“Okay, no buts. We’ll sort this out. Divinity has her bow, you’re making me a knife, and you already have a gun crafted for yourself. We’ve got the next two days for weapon selection before it turns into team selection. We’ll get you rejuvenated in no time.”

Sal laughed and tried to protest, but Divinity raised a hand to silence him.

“You said yourself that you need to spend time with friends. Humor us, and see if we can help. Worst-case scenario, we’ll have just wasted a few hours. Not the end of the world.”

Barry nodded in agreement as he gestured toward the loading bay elevator they arrived in. Hundreds of students were still clamoring to get into the armory, and the early arrivals were trying to make their way back out. A few attendants in white uniforms attempted to answer questions, but it was pandemonium.

Sal wanted to get their focus away from him. It was nice that they wanted to help him and he was happy to hang out with them, but he didn’t want them fixated on something so trivial as his sleeping pattern. In the greater scheme of things, it was inconsequential and undeserving of their time and effort.

“Look, I really do appreciate what you’re trying to do. But honestly, I just need to take things easier and work through this stuff in my head. There’s no quick fix for getting a good night sleep.”

Barry grinned as he waited for Sal to summon the loading bay elevator. “That’s what you think.”

Chapter 50 – Method

Sal pushed his empty plate forward with a satisfied sigh. He hadn’t had a canteen steak in days, and it was incredibly welcome. Divinity opted for her traditional salad, while Barry seemed to take a little bit of everything that was on offer. The place was pretty much devoid of people as most of the first-years were still in the armory.

Second-years were still in classes, so there were just a few people dotted around the canteen. The conversation had been light up until this point, with Barry and Divinity giving their thoughts about the upcoming excursion. Both were excited by the opportunity, with Divinity’s only drawback being the camping out in the Reclaimed Zone.

Barry, on the other hand, was looking forward to getting away from the academy for a while. He felt cooped up and wanted to see what a freshly Reclaimed Zone looked like. That said, Chatfield hadn’t indicated how long the excursion would last, which had caused a few speculations to be thrown around. Divinity’s grim expression suggested they would be camping for quite some time.

Sal shared that he was a little apprehensive about it, as he hadn’t gone camping before. It would be a good opportunity for him to add more information to his visor, but his mind drew a blank when he tried to imagine how classes would be conducted out in the open.

“Like, how are they going to teach the Crafting module when we’re out there? Or Administration? I can’t imagine Jez sitting on a rock and telling people that they need to try selling them for Q-Cred.”

Barry chuckled at that and shrugged. “My guess is that Demonic Behavior and Analysis—or whatever they decide to call the mix of them—those classes will be easy to teach out in the wild. It’s pretty much information gathering, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”

Divinity looked pensive for a moment before she voiced what was on her mind. “Do you think they’re putting us on the excursion so that all of us are away from the academy? Like, to keep the first-year Controllers away from the second-years?”

Sal shook his head. “I think this plan was in motion long before we figured out the Bastion thing. It’s a good outcome, though, as it will make it much harder for them to enlist new recruits.”

Barry agreed with Sal and gestured at Divinity. “Alastair is going to root them out, so we don’t need to worry about going undercover anytime soon. Which is both disappointing and a relief. I was hoping to twist their arms into giving me access to the specialist classes.”

“Why do you want to go down that route? Is it because of your ability?” Sal asked with a genuine curiosity.

He couldn’t for the life of him imagine why someone would want to be that close to danger. Disguising themselves and pretending to be someone else entirely sounded like a whole new level of stress.

Barry shrugged as though it wasn’t anything serious. “Honestly, it just sounds fun. I’ve been using illusions since I was a kid, and I always saw it like a game. Fooling people and playing pranks was always really fun, but now there’s a chance that my power could be used to save people. If it means putting myself closer to danger, then that’s just a part of the package.”

Sal pressed him further. “But the knife as your weapon…are you sure that it’s the one you want to go with? A gun would probably suit you for range just as well. If you go down the knife route, you’ll likely end up moving closer to the Assassination specialization.”

Divinity frowned at that as she turned to Barry. “You wanted to do Espionage and Subterfuge too, along with Tactics from Alastair. Is the Assassination route really what you’re aiming for?”

Barry smiled as he spread his hands wide. “Who knows? They just sound fun for now. I’m certain that I want to be in the Controller role, and if I transition my focus to Assassination stuff, then I’ll end up being thrown into Offense instead. My plan is to learn enough about all the different specializations so I can make the best strategies on the field. So, don’t go worrying that I have some dark, broody past where I want to become a trained killer. That’s cliché as fuck.”

When Sal was about to comment, Barry tapped the table and gave Divinity a meaningful look.

“I think Sal here is trying to deflect from the topic at hand. We can’t have our esteemed Mythcrafter falling into a state of uselessness in month three, so what are we going to do about it?”

Divinity smiled as she rounded on Sal, who was uncomfortable at being the sudden topic of conversation.

“I suggested that he try meditation to sort his thoughts and work through them. It would also help him increase his number of essence gates.”

Barry grinned and clicked his fingers. “That’s actually the same idea I had, but likely with a very different method. Having him alone with his thoughts is one thing, but having him visualize his problems and tackling them head-on…that’s a type of image training that will see him succeed much faster.”

Divinity’s smile faded as she stared at Barry in confusion. “Image training? Like visualizing demons and fighting them? That’s not what I was suggesting at all. I was saying that he should sort through his own thoughts and process them in a healthy manner. Let him understand why he thinks the way he does, so he can overcome the lies his brain is feeding him.”

Sal raised a hand to speak, but they both ignored him.

Barry was still smiling at Divinity as he shook his head. “That’s like textbook meditation to get in touch with your feelings. Sal has too many of those to start with. We need a method that will get him to face his excuses head-on, and actually fight them. Which is where my ability comes in.” Barry made his case as though it were the only natural solution.

“We get him to replicate my ability, and I teach him how to navigate it in his head. He’ll be able to make visual representations of the things he’s worrying about and fight them in his head, boosting up his proficiency in the process.”

Divinity just gaped at Barry like he was suggesting that Sal stab himself in the stomach to solve his problems.

Barry ignored Divinity’s reaction and gestured at her. “You can look into the future to find the best method for me to teach him, which is how we get him to avoid purgatory.”

Sal could not have imagined a more drastic solution to a tiny problem. “This is insane, Barry. It’s completely overkill for me to learn how to use your power just to get rid of a few nightmares.”

Barry shook his head, the grin never leaving his face. “That’s where you’re wrong. This isn’t just to do with fighting nightmares. It’s training. Why do you think I have access to all my essence gates? Why am I so adept at picking up training and formations? I do this image training every night while I’m resting, and time works differently when you’re in a sleep-like state. When you learn how to activate it internally during sleep, you’ll have what feels like days’ worth of training in a single night.”

Barry clicked his fingers as he also remembered the reason for the whole plan in the first place. “You’ll also never have another nightmare again, as you’ll forever be in the driver’s seat of your sleep-state.”

Sal couldn’t help but stare at Barry in shock. “That’s ridiculously overpowered! You’re able to train your powers at night while you’re sleeping?”

Sal looked across to Divinity, who was having the same realization. She stared for a moment longer before snapping out of her thoughts and shaking her head.

“Barry, that’s something that you’ve learned how to do over years of hard work and mental training. There’s no way we could replicate that level of control for Sal in just a few sessions of back-and-forth chatter.”

Barry shrugged and looked back at Sal. “Decision is yours. I can teach you how to do it, but it’ll be up to you if you want to go through with it. It’s surprisingly fun, though. When you learn how to control your dreams, it’s the ultimate power fantasy. I’ve killed dozens of commander variants in my head during those training sessions. I can tell you now for certain that if one appeared in front of me, I wouldn’t be scared and shitting myself. That’s the power of the dream-training.”

When Sal and Divinity fell into silence, Barry goaded them further. “Tell you what, you can say no and that’s fine. But wait until you see how quickly I pick up the knife proficiency. I’ve been recreating the tournament fights in my head, mimicking the strategies and patterns. It’s how I’m able to make such lifelike illusions with just a flick of my wrist. Every night, I’m constructing them and adding them to my mental portfolio for use during the day.”

Divinity couldn’t get her head around it. “But how are you rested when you wake up, if you’re actively working all through the night?”

Barry smiled and tapped the side of his head. “It’s like a time dilation in here. Like I said to Sal, hours feel like days of training. I can have naps whenever I’ve got free time, which helps keep me alert and active throughout the day. I also partition a set number of hours for actual rest when I’m sleeping. Most people wake up when they’re restless; I end up falling into my dream state, which is my domain. I can wake myself up or explore the dream itself. Either way, my body gets a full night’s sleep.”

Divinity cursed under her breath, which made Barry’s smile grow wide.

She turned to Sal and shook her head. “I still think it’s a bad idea. I don’t think you’ll be able to learn how to control it in such a short time. We should focus on an attainable goal, and start with incremental gains from meditation.”

Barry didn’t say anything as he turned his smile toward Sal. “It’s almost like I can see the cogs turning in your head. What are you imagining right now? All the crafting projects you’d be able to construct in your head at night? I wonder if you’d be able to activate Mythcrafter while you’re sleeping. Who knows?”

Divinity shot Barry a withering look. “Stop goading him.”

Sal couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. There was no way it was possible for him to learn such a thing, even though Barry seemed convinced. Image training? To help him overcome a few nightmares? It certainly felt more proactive than the meditation suggestion from Divinity.

Cooper had suggested that he spent time with friends to increase his Spirit level, and either of their options would satisfy that instruction. If he was honest with himself, he was already enjoying hanging out with them. The bickering and back-and-forth was something he had missed in the last few weeks. Just as he was about to make his decision, he heard Divinity trying to shush Barry.

“I’m just saying, it’s an option!” Barry defended as he slid his chair out of reach of Divinity, who held her fork like a weapon.

She shook her head with a stoic expression. “He’s not crafting a fucking headband with your ability. Crafting is what put him in this state in the first place, and your solution is to get him to craft more?”

Barry threw his hands up in exasperation. “He’s a Crafter, Divinity. He’s not going to just give up on it because he’s not sleeping well and the pressure is getting to him. He’s going to keep doing it because he’s good at it and he loves it. Hell, anytime he speaks about it, his eyes light up.” Barry turned to Sal and pointed at him.

“I don’t mean changing color, by the way. You get so damned excited when talking about shit you’re making.” He didn’t give Sal an opportunity to respond as he rounded on Divinity again.

“Hear me out. If he makes a headband or a sleeping cap or something, that has the Illusion ability, then he won’t need to replicate it and the training will be much easier. You could use it, too, and do the same training I’m trying to offer him.”

Divinity froze at those words as the implications suddenly dawned on her.

Barry chose that moment to pounce. “Yeah, looks like it’s a very different value proposition when you can use it too.”

Divinity blushed at that and shook her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Sal’s powers make him capable of so much, and he takes everything onto his shoulders. I know just how horrible it is when people only want you around to use your powers. I want to help him as Salvatore, not as Myth. I’m trying to be a good friend.”

Barry smiled at that and clapped. “Excellent, so we’re both on the same page. Sal, the decision is yours. You can do the training with me, learn how to tackle the shit going on in your head, or you can make a nightmare killer piece of equipment with my ability.”

Divinity scowled at Barry before turning to Sal. “Or, you can just do the tried-and-true method of processing your thoughts and meditating through them.”

Sal felt cornered all of a sudden. He looked at the two of them and sighed. “I’m guessing that whichever I choose, the other person is going to be pissed?”

Both Barry and Divinity glanced at each other and then answered at the exact same time.

“Yes.”

Chapter 51 – Illusions

Sal sat cross-legged on the large recliner in the Sky Lounge. It was the premium study area that he had seen on his way to the Skill Registration when they first started. The views were incredible, with towering glass panes that revealed the cityscape as far as Sal could see. Huge energy barriers reached into the sky to create a grid-like wall in the distance.

They’d be coming close to one of those barriers in the days to come as the Reclaimed Zones had been recently liberated from the demons. It wasn’t difficult to determine which areas had been freshly reclaimed, because the buildings that might have once been skyscrapers were now husks of their former glory. In time, they’d be developed into something habitable by the restoration guilds, but as they were now, they stood as a testament to the ravages of the demon war.

Barry sat opposite him in the same cross-legged position and went through the instructions again.

“When you activate the power, it’s going to draw on your mind. Half-thoughts and concepts will try to materialize and it will feel overwhelming at first. Keep your eyes closed and put your hand out in front of you. I want you to imagine a ball resting in your palm. Visualize the details of it, but don’t tell us what it looks like. You won’t need to channel too much power to manage it, so just give it a trickle of essence.”

Before Sal closed his eyes to follow Barry’s instructions, he saw Divinity on another recliner across from them with her arms folded. The disapproving look she wore made her stance on Sal’s decision very clear. He wanted to try Barry’s method for image training, especially if it could eventually allow him to do sleep training.

Sal wasn’t naïve, though; it would take a lot of time and effort to get even close to that sort of thing. Divinity hadn’t offered to coach or guide him with knowledge of the future, so he guessed that he’d have to learn through trial and error.

Sal closed his eyes and activated Barry’s weave. It had been a pain to replicate as it was ridiculously complex in structure, but he managed it after a few attempts. When Sal pushed his essence through the weave, it activated and sent a lurching sensation of vertigo through his entire body. Before Sal could topple to one side in a daze, Barry’s hands found his shoulders and kept him upright.

“Too much essence. Put in about five percent of what you’ve just activated.”

Barry’s tone was reassuring, and Sal was genuinely surprised at how encouraging he was as a teacher.

Pulling back the essence, Sal followed the instructions and let a tiny fraction of his essence enter the weave. The lurching sensation evaporated, and Sal felt like he was back in control of his own body. With a nod to Barry that he was fine, he focused on the next part of the test and imagined a ball resting in his palm. Sal decided on a purple ball with white circles on its surface. It was easy to visualize, and Sal wondered what the next instruction was going to be.

“Excellent work, Sal. You’re doing great. Keep your eyes closed for now, and carefully move onto the next step. You went with a purple ball with white circles, but only across the surface area you can see. I want you to imagine the ball elevating over your palm and rotating in front of you.”

Barry sounded happy with the progress, which spurred Sal on. He did as he was told and was surprised at how difficult it was to visualize the sequence of circles on the ball. Sal’s solution was to rotate it slowly and add a new circle manually with his mind. The elevation and rotation weren’t an issue; the pattern on the shape was what gave him grief.

“In time, you’ll be able to make texture maps that you can apply to your illusions. They’re like skins that you can recycle for different things. Right now, though, you’re creating one from scratch and it’s going to feel painstakingly slow because you’re wrapping it on a curved surface. Try keeping the ball moving, but instead of white circles, make white lines that are equal width apart. Lines will be easier to connect.” Barry guided Sal excitedly. His voice betrayed how much he was enjoying the lesson.

Sal couldn’t tell whether Barry was eager to talk about his ability with someone, or whether he just had a knack for teaching people. Either way, he was a surprisingly decent mentor and offered advice at a manageable pace. Sal wondered whether he would be this patient with someone learning how to use the Appraisal skill. He hoped he would as he thought back to the Crafting class where he helped the students with their patterns. It had been a fun experience to teach others, and he wondered whether Barry felt the same way about this.

“Don’t get distracted… the ball will distort if you let your mind wander too much. Eventually, you’ll do this subconsciously, but at the start you need to dedicate a lot of concentration to keeping them active.”

When Sal nodded in understanding, Barry continued.

“So, you’ve made a ball. How confident do you feel about making this ball instantly if I asked you to make one on your left hand?”

To answer his question, Sal raised his left hand and imagined a duplicate of the ball in his right hand. A laugh from Barry indicated that he had been successful. It barely pulled any of his essence to create the two of them, and he wondered just how efficient the ability was in its essence consumption.

“Excellent. Now, keep those two thoughts in mind as we go to the harder part of the test. Keep imagining the balls in your hands as you open your eyes.” Barry’s voice held a slight tremor of trepidation as he spoke.

Sal pushed all other thoughts out of his head as he focused only on the balls in his hands. He visualized the room and the space they were in and slowly opened his eyes. Instead of looking at Divinity or Barry, Sal focused on the balls in his hands and their image. He was greeted with a single rotating ball over his right hand and its twin resting in the palm of his left hand. He was sure they would disappear if he looked away from them, so he continued to visualize them as much as possible.

“Incredible progress. Okay, here’s your next test. Keep visualizing them, but raise your hands.” Barry was clearly excited, but Sal didn’t have the mental capacity to acknowledge it or feel proud of himself.

It was taking all his concentration just to keep the illusion active. Following Barry’s instruction, Sal elevated both of his palms and expected them to phase straight through the illusion. To his great surprise, the balls moved with his hands. The levitating one was now much higher in the air, and Sal raised his hand up before lowering it down, watching the ball follow his movements.

Barry shook his head, a wide smile on his face. “Okay, you’re a fast learner. I’ll give you that. You instinctively mapped your illusions to your hands, so rather than them appearing in the space you specified, they’re anchored to your movements. Remember how I threw the knife into the crowd earlier? I want you to throw one of the balls, but imagine that it is no longer tethered to your hand. It’ll require you to visualize its trajectory.”

Divinity perked up from her seat. “You threw a knife into a crowd!”

Barry waved his hand at her like it was nothing and focused on Sal. “There are two likely outcomes here. Just to prepare you for the failure. When you sever the connection, the ball will remain static and you won’t be able to move it around with your hand anymore. Second, you might lose control completely and the illusions will disappear. Both of these are normal and come down to a lack of control. I don’t expect you to be able to do it on your first try, so don’t get discouraged, okay?”

Barry was unrecognizably supportive, almost to the point that Sal was suspicious of his motives.

Sal concentrated on the invisible essence that connected the illusion to his hands. It took him a few attempts to visualize it, but it was much easier on his right palm with the elevated ball. The thought of being able to throw the ball was combining three actions all at the same time.

Rather than overthinking it, Sal thought it would be best to fail fast by just trying it out. He could always try again later.

Sal focused on bringing his left hand back and made a throwing action with his hand. It was more of a toss, and he severed the connection from his hand to the ball and imagined the trajectory going across the room.

Divinity gasped as the ball left Sal’s hand and flew through the air.

Barry grinned as a small trash can appeared on the floor, catching the ball perfectly. “Bull’s-eye!”

Sal could only stare in shock, not sure how he had managed to do it on his first attempt. He frowned at Barry. “Are these my illusions or yours?”

Barry put up his hands defensively and gave Sal a genuine smile. “I promise on my powers, that was all you. I just put in the trash can for a bit of flair at the end.” Barry paused for a moment to look over at Divinity. “He’s picking this up way faster than I had expected. I’m thinking we should speed things up.”

Divinity didn’t give him much of a reaction, but the remnants of her surprise showed in her expression. That alone warmed Sal’s heart as he played around with the illusion in his right hand.

Sal paused as a thought came to him. He looked down at his right arm and saw nothing there.

Barry followed his gaze in confusion before a broad smile broke out on his face. “Oh, you mean this?” Barry twisted his arm and a series of green runes appeared from his wrist to his elbow, all rotating in an unknown sequence.

“It’s an illusion, too. There’s no visible indicator of when I use my ability, so I created one. Thought it might be a good trump card for the future. Casting illusions without any sign that it’s coming from me.”

Divinity let out an exasperated sigh. “Is there anyone you actually trust? You sound more and more shady every time we talk to you.”

She looked over to Sal for support, but he understood where Barry was coming from. It gave him a competitive advantage if people didn’t know when he activated his powers.

Barry shrugged and gestured at the ball floating in front of Sal. “I’m literally showing you both how I control my power, and you’re going to learn all the limitations that come with it. Isn’t that a huge sign of trust?”

Divinity faltered, which made Barry’s smile even wider.

Sal, on the other hand, experimented with changing the anchor between his palms. Rather than having the ball rooted to one or the other, he tried to imagine a space that acted as the anchor, like a large magnet that could pull the ball back if it got too far. He wasn’t sure what it would do, but he was curious about it. The intent was there, but it required more essence that Sal happily fed through the weave.

Barry was about to continue when the illusionary ball shot out of Sal’s hand and started to bounce around an invisible space. Sal panicked and tried to tie the anchor back to himself, but he forgot to specify his hand. The ball latched onto his essence and orbited around him. He couldn’t see the ball when it moved behind him, but he knew it was there as he still had a firm visualization of it. When he glanced over at Barry with a sheepish grin, he was met with an astonished expression.

“You’re able to control it without looking at it? Already?” Barry got to his feet and watched the ball moving behind Sal’s back.

Sal nodded slowly and attempted to explain what he tried to do.

Barry sighed as he looked over at Divinity. “Is this how it felt when he used your power?”

Divinity laughed and shot Sal an apologetic look. “Something like that. He’s a fast learner.”

Barry sat down heavily and crossed his arms, staring at Sal without saying anything. Eventually a smile reappeared as he shook his head.

“Okay then. Today’s lesson was for you to be able to throw the ball, and I was half expecting you not to get as far as visualizing it with your eyes open. I can see that we need to refine your pacing, so I’ll increase my expectations.”

Sal felt a sense of dread at how Barry was speaking.

“I hope you’re prepared.” Barry’s words had never sounded more threatening.

Chapter 52 – OptimiZe

Three days had passed since Sal had started to learn how to control illusions with Barry. He was lucky that the nightmares didn’t come for the last two nights, but he did get a fierce leg cramp the previous night. His daily workout routine was getting a little easier, and he didn’t feel the aches and pains nearly as much.

When it came to his progress with Barry, he was learning a lot more than he had anticipated. His control of the illusions had grown considerably, but it was still nowhere near the point that he could activate it with instinct alone. The other thing that made it difficult was that he needed to refresh his hold on the weave each time he met with Barry as it was too complex to memorize. That understanding made Sal curious whether he should create something and put the ability into it. Divinity made him swear that he wouldn’t step foot into the workshop until he had resolved his nightmare issue.

With that thought in mind, Sal had created a different kind of blueprint for the first time. He drew out the weave of the skill as he saw it in Barry, attaching it to all his open gates. Although the drawing of the weave came naturally to him, the physiology of how it existed within a person was much harder to map out.

Currently, he was taking a break in the canteen and having some food. His eyes traced across the lines he had drawn earlier. Sal didn’t know whether he’d need to study biology to get a better grasp of the human body, or whether it was even necessary at this point. Skill Master didn’t seem to work like Mythcrafter, as it didn’t offer any suggestions to him as he drew out the weave. It was a little disappointing, but Sal didn’t mind; he just needed to memorize the weave and that would be enough.

After he finished eating, Sal pushed his plate to one side and looked around the canteen. It was the first day of the excursion recruitment, and tables were filled with people chatting with one another, trying to team up for the next few weeks. It was a terrifying prospect to think that the people recruited now would be standing side by side in a tower in just over a month.

Divinity had been—unsurprisingly—approached by nearly everyone in the top ranks, but she insisted that she’d be creating a team rather than joining one. Barry was of the same opinion, and Sal respected that. They were both Controllers, so it made sense for them to take on the leadership role in assembling their teams.

Sal’s performance in the Silver cohort during the tournament had made him a popular choice too, with many lower-tier teams reaching out to him to fill the final spots on their team. Because he was a Support, many of the teams wanted to add him in as a candidate who was capable of pulling his weight.

There were also a few others who had actively avoided him. Because Chatfield explained that the rankings of the teams would set expectations, many teams didn’t want to have a high-profile Support who would increase the expectations for little reward. Divinity had suggested that they sit down later that evening to map out the best options for him, but mentioned that a few interested parties would make themselves known during the afternoon. She was cryptic about it and wouldn’t answer any of his questions, so Sal resigned himself to finding out the old-fashioned way.

On the table beside his sketches lay the small metal case that housed his visor and revolver. Students had been given permission to carry weapons around with them to familiarize themselves with having them equipped. Using them against one another was strictly forbidden, and a ridiculous number of white-uniformed attendants were dispatched to ensure no fights broke out.

Sal studied the sketch before finally placing the pen down on the table. He wasn’t going to get any further without some help, and even though he knew it was going to get him a few odd looks, it was worth the risk. Sal reached across the table and picked up the small metal case that housed both his revolver and his visor. Upgrade had improved it for him, so it could house all his cartridges too.

Placing his thumb down on the lock mechanism, he heard a gratifying click before the case opened. Sal didn’t bother looking around to see what sort of reactions he was going to receive. He was already accustomed to getting odd looks for having a completely different uniform from everyone else. You didn’t need to be an Appraiser to appreciate the difference between Epic Grade clothing and the gray garb they were assigned. What difference would it make if he had a glowing red visor and a revolver?

Lifting it up to his face, Sal turned his head to secure the earpiece of the visor. He hadn’t actually worn it since the day in the dungeon because of everything that had happened, but he couldn’t afford to waste more time. With everything coming up, he wanted to have as much information as possible. Sal smiled as the visor flashed upon activating. He looked at the sketch to see whether Analysis had anything to say about it, and to his surprise, it started processing.

Sal tried to nudge it with his intent by imagining the weave of Barry’s ability, and it seemed to do the trick. A humanoid overlay appeared in front of Sal’s vision, which showed how the weave didn’t line up. Sal discarded the page and started again, mapping out the different internal essence gates with his pen. Unlike other skills that he had inspected, Barry’s weave didn’t have a tethering point for activation. Sal, Divinity, and Quest all had abilities that attached to the eyes, while others had them attached to hands and legs. Barry’s seemed to be almost exclusively in the brain. The location was similar to Erika’s ability that Sal had only recently inspected.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Sal busied himself with his work, marking out all the different essence gates. It was only when he was tracing the lines between the gates that he realized that he wasn’t replicating Barry’s body. Only half of the gates were activated, revealing the internal structure to be his own. That wasn’t ideal, as Sal had wanted to study Barry’s ability as it worked on him, but he guessed he wouldn’t be able to do that until he analyzed Barry with the visor.

An hour passed by without Sal noticing. His sketch had become much more detailed than the previous iteration and was essentially a template for him to apply the ability weave.

When it came time to drawing in the weave, Sal hesitated and wondered whether he should take the blueprint and save it to one of the light benches, so he could use the template again and again. Barely half a second later, Sal shook his head and started to draw out the weave. He could always make another one.

Sal smiled as the visor planted the weave over the body, allowing him to trace it out with ease. It took nearly another hour of careful tracing until the weave was fully planted into the template. There was no physiological information displayed and the drawings existed in the constructed silhouette of Sal’s body, latching only to the different essence gates. It was rough, but Sal was happy with it.

Before his pen could make contact with the table, Sal’s visor flashed and started to process the final image. A screen appeared, and Sal wondered whether it had just used Analyze on the target.

Design Type
Ability Implant Blueprint

Skill Name
Illusion | Rating: X

Skill Categories
Psionic, Energy Manipulation

Skill Mastery
0%

Skill Efficiency
100%

Mental Compatibility
61%

Physiological Compatibility
81%

Evolutionary
Yes

Potential Cap
XV

Natural Synergy

Materialize | Creation | Sleep | Indexing | Deduction

Sal’s sat up straight as he stared at the readings. He had drawn it to better familiarize himself with the weave and used the technique that Upgrade had shown him with the blueprints. Yet he had somehow managed to create a template for an ability implant? Those were the most sought-after benefits that Quest Academy had to offer, with every student vying for a place in the Savior class to access them.

Sal glanced through the numbers to try to make sense of them. His best guess was that the visor channeled his Skill Master ability to better trace out the details. Maybe he couldn’t access it without the visor?

Sal’s eyes kept going back to the categories section. He had only ever seen people with one category for their skill, yet Barry had a combination of two for Illusion. His perfect rating was incredibly impressive, but the fact that it had another five levels it could climb to was even more of a shock. Skill Efficiency of one hundred percent was likely because Sal replicated the perfect version of the ability, but it didn’t explain the compatibility sections.

Compatibility is the combination of Physiological and Mental suitability. It is calculated by assessing the current capability of the implant target.

Low Physiological scores indicate that the target would be at risk of personal injury from activating or using the ability.

Low Mental scores indicate that the target would be unable to handle the processing requirements for using the ability.

These scores can be improved with both mental and physical training, but only to an extent.

It is advised to not proceed with implanting an ability when scores are below 75% in either category. 

Sal was delighted that the visor answered his question, but after reading the text, his smile faded. It looked like the trove of information that Cooper had put into the visor was useful. It was still unnerving that the tracker was essentially reading his mind, but the results were perfect.

“Is it telling me that I’m too stupid to use the ability?” Sal muttered as he looked back at the sketch in annoyance.

It was incredible to have a breakdown of the damage that could be done to him based on the abilities he replicated, but there wasn’t enough context. Was it because Barry’s ability was at such a high level and he had acclimatized to it over the years? Would it be more manageable if Sal pushed the rating down to a lower level of the ability? All he needed to do was add a few knots to the weave and it would reduce the quality of the ability.

With a sigh, Sal activated his Skill Master ability and looked at the weave to see whether there was anything he could do with just the template. The visor flashed rapidly. Sal closed his eyes out of reflex. When he opened them again, the flashing had stopped, and he was met with a single line of text.

Optimizing Blueprint with Skill Master Ability.

Sal froze as the visor rearranged the drawing by adding a few additional layers with minor tweaks. With trembling fingers, Sal picked up the pen and followed the instructions he was given. He re-mapped the entirety of the weave with a new design that optimized the use of the essence gates Sal had available to him.

Sal ignored the stiffness in his fingers as he continued to map out what the visor was showing him. He desperately wanted to know what the outcome was going to be. In his haste, he made a few mistakes, but the visor wouldn’t proceed with the design until he corrected them. It was almost like a stern teacher hovering over his shoulder, which was annoying, but came with results.

Less than twenty minutes later, Sal held his breath as he waited for the visor to process the finished product. It normally didn’t need any time to load, but this instance must have been causing it some issues. Sal drummed his fingers along the surface of the table as he picked up his pen and then placed it back down again. It was exciting, but his anxiety was amping up.

Blueprint Optimization Complete

Sal exhaled violently as the screen appeared before his eyes. It was not what he had been expecting in the slightest.

Design Type
Ability Implant Blueprint

Skill Name
Illusion | Rating: VI

Skill Categories
Psionic, Energy Manipulation

Skill Mastery
0%

Skill Efficiency
100%

Mental Compatibility

100%

Physiological Compatibility
100%

Evolutionary
Yes

Potential Cap
XV

Natural Synergy
Materialize | Interface Creation | Concept | Deduction

Sal took in the most important details. His compatibility scores had maxed out, so that the ability was completely safe to use in his current state. It had degraded the ability by four ranks to balance things out, but that grade was still really high. Another factor that Sal took great interest in was that the natural synergies changed.

Was it because his natural abilities were in Replication and Invention? Mythcrafter and Skill Master had different categories, so did that change what abilities would best suit him? Interface Creation seemed relatively easy to understand, because it would allow him to make his status screens visible when it paired with Illusion. Deduction he had already used with the monocle, and it would likely make him ridiculously fast with processing illusions.

When he saw Concept, he was reminded of Chatfield, who was able to create weapons and equipment that he saw. It was a step away from Illusion, but a step closer to Mythcrafter. Sal guessed that Materialize had something to do with making the illusions real for a period of time. He went through the different segments again, looking at it proudly. He just needed to keep the blueprint safe so he could try replicating the lower-tier ability in the future.

Illusion (R:6) Blueprint has been saved.

Sal stared at the text in disbelief, finally understanding just how powerful his visor truly was. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the person who sat down. When she spoke, Sal snapped out of his daze.

“We need to talk.” Healer Bitch stared at Sal with a conflicted expression.

Chapter 53 - Dream Team

Sal didn’t recognize her at first, probably because she wasn’t standing over him trying to hold his essence ransom in exchange for payment. The memories of her trying to squeeze him and Divinity for Q-Cred in exchange for her healing services washed over him and Sal crossed his arms as he looked at her. His visor, on the other hand, thought that it would be a great time to use Analyze.

Name
Rochelle de Verdon

Alias
None

Class
Healer

Profession
First-Year Student, Quest Academy (Purple Cohort)

Rank

Guild Association: None

Hunter Bureau: Current Rank | 0

Quest Academy: Current Rank | 118th

Accreditations

Challenge Crests: 0

Certifications:

First Aid | Foundation Grade - LN: 12,888

Revival | Foundation Grade - LN: 314

Ability

Skill Name: Transference | Rating: III

Skill Category: Energy Manipulation

Skill Mastery: 92%

Skill Efficiency: 88%

Progress to Next Rating: 71%

Evolutionary Capability: Yes

Potential Cap: XV

Natural Synergy: Regenerate | Amplify

Essence

Essence Type: Light

Essence Gates: 70

Essence Absorption Rate: 4%

Essence Control: 89%

Essence Refinement: 97%

Essence Calibration: 12%

Physical

Strength Rating: I

Mobility Rating: II

Speed Rating: III

Fitness Rating: III

Current Status Effects:

Injuries: None

Illnesses: None

Reputation

Bastion Families: Regarded

Doom Society: Unknown

Guild Association: Unknown

Hunter Bureau: Unknown

Quest Academy: Known

Threat Level

Analyzed Equipment: 0

Analyzed Martial Arts: N/A

Analyzed Movements: N/A

Analyzed Techniques: N/A

Analyzed Body Composition: II

Wealth
Q-Credit: 18

Sal didn’t say anything as he looked through the list of details that appeared before his eye. He could tell just with a glance that she wasn’t doing well at the academy. Her physical prowess was worse than when Sal started, and her lack of essence absorption explained why she leeched off others instead of using her own. Worst of all was her account balance. She had only managed to accumulate eighteen Q-Cred in the last two months. Sal spent more than that on a single Purple Punch during Skill Registration.

Sal blinked away the information and looked across at her. “What can I do for Rochelle de Verdon?”

The effect was instantaneous. Her shoulders bunched up, and she pushed herself away from the table as though to create space between them. Her green eyes were panicked as she stared at Sal as though he were a demon.

“How do you know my name?” Her voice had an edge to it, but it was barely audible over the tones of panic consuming her. She looked as if she wanted nothing else but to stand up and leave the table, but there was something keeping her there.

Sal waved his hand like it didn’t matter. “Would you prefer if I called you Healer Bitch? It doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well, but it paints a pretty accurate picture.”

Sal watched her expression darken. He didn’t feel the need to step on eggshells when she was the one who had wronged him. He had a lot to get through and stuff to prepare, so he was happy to have this conversation, or whatever it was, cut short.

“Why are you here? Are you looking for Q-Cred again? I don’t see your goons with you.”

Rochelle grit her teeth. “I came to apologize for what happened before.” She shook her head and relaxed her shoulders, before moving her chair closer to the table. From the look on her face, she didn’t want to apologize one bit.

“I’m not going to make excuses for what I did. I was worried about making it through the semester and thought it was unfair that people like you who placed well in a race got Q-Cred. I let those feelings get in the way of rational thought, and made a mistake.”

Sal smiled. “You don’t want to make excuses, but then immediately make an excuse. I know you have a measly eighteen Q-Cred to your name right now, so I know you’re not lying about being poor. But what made you think that extorting people was the right choice? You’re a Healer. Everyone is going to want to recruit you. You could have just weathered the storm and eventually the Q-Cred would roll in as guilds try to enlist you.”

Rochelle shook her head. “This is a waste of time. I don’t want to have to go through all this.” She started to stand, but the moment she left the chair, she forcibly sat back down in it. Anger crossed her features for a split second before she regained her composure.

“Sorry, let me try that again.”

Sal focused his visor on her again. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. When the red screen flashed, Sal could see Rochelle’s weave clearly. He made a mental note to save it, which the visor did in a heartbeat.

Transference (R:3) Raw Structure has been saved.

Sal raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t a blueprint this time, but rather a structure? Was it because he didn’t map it out in his own body? It didn’t matter right now; he’d think about it later. His visor looked beyond the weave and at the essence around Rochelle herself.

It was clear that the stats weren’t lying; she had the worst battery out of anyone he’d looked at so far. If Sal was to hazard a guess, he’d have said that she went through a core break herself. Her internal gates were almost nonexistent. She had seventy of them compared to Barry’s ninety, but she was barely using two of them. Was she even going to her Skill class?

Just as Sal was about to ask her a question, he noticed a foreign essence surrounding Rochelle’s head. Focusing on it, he could see that it was tethered to a student sitting a few tables away. Sal turned to look at them and was surprised to see Erika Clifton looking at Rochelle intently. Sal froze at the implication that immediately crossed his mind.

“Rochelle, are you being mind-controlled by Erika to apologize to me?”

Rochelle’s eyes widened in shock.

Sal couldn’t blame her: he knew her account balance, her legal name, and had pieced together that she was being forced to do something. From her perspective, it must have looked like he had some kind of foresight ability.

Without answering, Rochelle tapped the table once, which Sal took as an indicator that he was correct.

“Why would Erika want you to apologize to me? She must want something from me.”

Another tap on the table.

Sal glanced at the finger in surprise and then looked back at Rochelle. “Guessing she’s stopping you from talking about it?”

Another tap.

Sal shook his head and called over to Erika. “This will be so much easier if you just come over and join us. Can you let her go, please? It’s painful seeing her trying to be nice.”

Erika looked startled by the discovery.

Sal turned back to Rochelle with a sigh. “I don’t know if that was a real apology or not, but I’ll forgive you for now. Looking at your ability and how you process essence, I can only imagine what sort of corner you felt like you were pushed into.”

The moment Erika’s influence evaporated from Rochelle, the Healer slapped her hand down on the table and gave Sal a murderous look. “It wasn’t a real fucking apology. You turned me into a damned pariah in my cohort. Those guys went and told everyone that I’m a fucking vampire, that I leech away essence to kill people. Not a single person wanted me on their team, and now, even when the opportunity to form up with different cohorts comes about, guess what? Everyone knows that I fucked over two out of the top three in the entire year. Nobody wants anything to do with me!”

Sal didn’t know what to say to that.

Erika made her way over to the table and sat in the seat next to Rochelle. She placed her elbow on the table and cupped the side of her face, watching Rochelle go on her tirade with a bored expression.

Rochelle glanced to her right and saw Erika looking at her lazily, and it seemed to unlock a whole new level of anger. “Erika offered me a place on her team. I know the rumors about how she controls her team with her powers but I didn’t care, if it meant I’d get through this semester. But she had a condition.” Rochelle’s anger seemed to boil over as she locked eyes with Sal. “I had to apologize to you and make nice.”

Sal looked at Erika with a raised eyebrow, but she merely shrugged.

Rochelle clenched both of her fists on the table as she looked between them. Tears of frustration formed at the edges of her eyes, and she shuddered in anger. “I don’t care what I have to say to make this right. Just help me get through this semester and then we can go back to hating each other.”

Erika sighed as she sat up properly. “This is why words are useless.” She pointed at Sal. “He’s already forgiven you after seeing how desperate your stats are.” Erika moved her hand and pointed at Rochelle. “She feels guilty about what she did and is desperately trying to come across as strong and capable. She’s currently neither of those things.”

Sal gave Erika a sharp look. “So you can read minds as well as control them.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he activated Analysis.

Name
Erika Clifton

Alias
Reserved Title: Queen

Class
Controller

Profession

First-Year Student, Quest Academy (Gold Cohort)

Rank

Guild Association: None

Hunter Bureau: Current Rank | 8,754th

Quest Academy: Current Rank | 2nd

Accreditations

Challenge Crests: 2

1st Ranker (Win Quest Academy Race)

Gate Destroyer (First to Achieve 60 Gates)

Certifications: 0

Ability

Skill Name: Mind Master | Rating: XI

Skill Category: Psionic

Skill Mastery: 100%

Skill Efficiency: 79%

Progress to Next Rating: 8%

Evolutionary Capability: Yes

Potential Cap: XX

Natural Synergy: Swarm | Dominate | Subjugate

Essence

Essence Type: Psionic

Essence Gates: 120

Essence Absorption Rate: 42%

Essence Control: 100%

Essence Refinement: 97%

Essence Calibration: 96%

Physical

Strength Rating: III

Mobility Rating: IV

Speed Rating: VI

Fitness Rating: VI

Current Status Effects:

Injuries: None

Illnesses: None

Reputation

Bastion Families: Well Known

Doom Society: Regarded

Guild Association: Well Known

Hunter Bureau: Well Known

Quest Academy: Well Known

Threat Level

Analyzed Equipment: 0

Analyzed Martial Arts: N/A

Analyzed Movements: N/A

Analyzed Techniques: N/A

Analyzed Body Composition: V

Wealth
Q-Credit: 2,110

Sal couldn’t tear his eyes away from how many gates Erika had access to. Lombardi had said that there were sixty gates when they joined, but Rochelle had seventy, Barry had ninety, and Erika had over a hundred and twenty?

No matter what way he tried to understand it, he couldn’t get his head around it. He wanted to ask her, but she was staring intently at him as though deliberating about telling him about her abilities. Mind Master didn’t make much sense to him, but the naming convention was like his Skill Master ability. He was able to do incredible things relating to skills, so did that mean that Erika was able to do the same with minds?

Erika’s lips curled upward as though she were amused. “That tracker is preventing me from hearing what’s going on in that head of yours. Where did you get it?”

Sal couldn’t be sure whether she was fucking with him. She wasn’t above using her abilities to deceive others, especially if Sal considered what lengths she went through to get Rochelle to apologize. There was no way that was from the goodness of her own heart. Sal decided to not trust what she was saying, and to operate under the suspicion that she would be able to control his mind or thoughts at a moment’s notice.

“I made it,” Sal answered curtly as he looked between the two girls. “I don’t mean any offense, Erika, but I highly doubt that you took time out of your day to help Rochelle. Her apologizing to me isn’t going to change anything, so why don’t you just tell me what you want?”

Erika gave Rochelle a withering look before giving Sal her full attention. “Apparently my methods for the tournament weren’t as flawless as I anticipated. There’s too much focus on teamwork and cooperation for me to come out on top. Since you can’t team up with people from your own cohort, it looks like the dream team of you and Divinity is being split up. She’s also a Controller, and there’s no need to double up on roles, which leaves you.”

The silence that took over the table was palpable. Sal couldn’t believe his ears or whether he was following her train of thought.

“You’re suggesting that I join your team? With Healer Bitch?”

Erika nodded and gestured at Rochelle. “I’ve already secured our Offense class. Healer Bitch—great name, by the way—takes Healer spot. You’re in Support, which leaves us with a Defense to find.”

Sal exhaled as he finally put the pieces together. “Of course. And you want me to enlist Hannah?”

It made sense. Hannah was going up the leaderboard since she got her gauntlets. Her Barrier protection would give them a lot of versatility, if it included healing from Rochelle. With Erika as the Controller, and a half decent Offense, they’d have a hell of a team. Sal just didn’t know how he was going to have a conversation with Hannah after everything that happened with the Bastion stuff. Her words had stung, and Sal wasn’t ready to have that conversation with her.

Erika looked at Sal with a raised eyebrow. “Who’s Hannah?”

Chapter 54 – Roche

“Wait… assuming that I go for this,” Sal began, trying to get his thoughts in order. “What makes you think that we’d work as a team? Is this just another case of you mind-controlling everyone toward victory? I don’t intend on being a pawn in someone else’s game.”

He looked for any signs of Erika’s true intentions, but even with the Deduction ability in his visor to give him clues, he came up with nothing. She sat there as though bored by the whole set of events. Rochelle kept her head bowed as she stared at her hands. Sal felt sorry for her; she was somewhat trapped as a victim of circumstance and her only chance was a team with Erika. It was completely her own fault, but Sal’s empathy didn’t discriminate.

Instead of answering, Erika stood up to her impressive height and leaned across the table to pull at the metal box that contained his revolver. She turned it so that it was visible to Rochelle.

“You have long-range capabilities, and an impressive suit of Epic-grade armor. Your tracker can help you break down information on targets, which gives you the same versatility as many Controllers, Offense, and Supports. You make complete sense as a recruit and can add value to multiple functions.”

Without turning, she jutted her thumb in the direction of Rochelle. “While I’m starting to like Healer Bitch as a name, the Vampire moniker was the one that caught my attention. Rochelle, despite her protests, can siphon off essence from opponents to heal our team. If she’s able to target demons with her ability, it’ll allow us to have her operate as both Offense and Healer.”

Sal frowned. “You seem to be putting a lot of focus on Offense capabilities. Is your recruit for that position not able to cut it?”

Erika’s face broke into a smile as she nodded. “Correct. Brophy, or Broken Brophy as he’s fondly referred to, is top of his class in literally every subject that doesn’t require the use of an ability. He’s essentially a walking bag of essence without a single way to output it. He’ll be useful from a martial perspective, but we can’t count on him for anything flashy or destructive. My thoughts are to have him on the team as a battery pack for our hungry little vampire.”

“Stop calling me that!” Rochelle snapped as she whirled around at Erika with a terrifying glare.

Erika didn’t even bat an eyelid. “Head down on the table.”

Rochelle couldn’t fight whatever it was that compelled her to do as she was told, and Sal watched in grim fascination as Rochelle’s face planted against the surface of the table. Only her shoulders struggling for control gave any indication that it was against her will.

Erika looked at her handiwork and smiled. “Good girl. Now, hush, the adults are speaking.”

Rochelle’s mutterings ceased immediately and to anyone glancing over, it appeared that Rochelle had just decided on an uncomfortable nap.

“Aren’t you being a bit excessive?”

Sal had no loyalty to Rochelle, but it was hard to watch her being used like a puppet.

Erika shrugged and waved her hand like it was nothing. “Her opinions don’t matter right now. She needs a way to get her rank up, and I need a Healer. I can find others, but she has limited options. If she wants to leave, I won’t stop her. What do you think, Rochelle…do you want to stay?” Erika leaned down until her face was inches from Rochelle’s. “Or do you want to run away?”

Rochelle’s voice came out in an almost mumbled whisper. “I’ll… stay.”

The struggling in her shoulders turned into more of a tremble, and Sal couldn’t stand to watch it anymore. Erika was coming across more like a villain than a hero. No matter what her powers were, there was no reason to use them on a classmate like this.

“Erika, could you please let Rochelle go and stop interfering with her? I’ll consider the team thing if you just stop using your powers, okay?”

Erika’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Sal, her face still incredibly close to Rochelle’s. “You’re softer than I thought, and my expectations were already very low. But suit yourself.”

With nothing but a smile, Erika moved away from Rochelle, and the Healer gasped as she almost flung herself off the seat. Whatever incendiary words she had been practicing in her head were cut off as she bit her lip. Clearly, she thought better of insulting Erika or putting a toe out of line.

Sal was a little overwhelmed with everything. Erika was by far one of the most powerful students at the entire academy. She was volatile and borderline unhinged, but she was capable and had a practically flawless record.

Underneath the terrifying persona was a tactician who hated failure. Sal didn’t like how she treated Rochelle, nor did he appreciate how she spoke about that Brophy guy. No matter what way he framed the situation in his head, there was no way they’d have any semblance of team chemistry. That weak structure was why she was seeking him out. Versatility in a Support would be a massive boon for these exercises. Sal thought about what he wanted to do for a little longer, but eventually came to a decision.

“I don’t think this is a fit for me.”

He didn’t know that many people in the other cohorts, and throwing away this opportunity would likely come back to bite him in the ass. Yet, he didn’t like Erika. She was used to getting her way and being in control, so he removed himself from the equation.

Erika’s expression didn’t falter in the slightest. She raised an eyebrow as she stared at him. “What would make it a fit?”

Sal exhaled loudly as he gestured at Rochelle. “I don’t feel safe knowing that the person responsible for keeping us alive likely hates the both of us. She has reason to hate you, because of how you treat her like a toy. She blames me for everything that happened to her, so I can’t rely on getting healing from her when I need it.”

Erika nodded, and Sal continued.

“You’re the primary problem, though. I don’t trust you. Your powers are one thing, but your personality is another. I can’t tell if it’s you putting on an act to keep people away, or if you treat everyone like they’re tools to be used.”

Erika smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly one. “You don’t trust me? I know a lot of things about you, Sal. All those meetings we’ve been a part of, the things I’ve seen and heard. Even Rochelle saw you do something that wasn’t very Appraiser-like. I keep your secrets, yet I’m not trustworthy?” Erika shook her head slowly from side to side.

“No, Salvatore. I think I’m very trustworthy. My power allows me to plant memories into your mind. I could make you think we’ve been friends since childhood. I could empower you to become the greatest Hero the world has ever seen.” Erika turned to Rochelle. “Or, I could make you courageous enough to confront the fears you’ve been facing.”

Her blue eyes locked onto Sal. “I use my abilities when the circumstance calls for it. Now, let’s try that again. What needs to happen for you to join my team?”

Sal sighed as he folded his arms. “First thing. Our team. If I join this, it’s not yours. It’s a collection of people with their own aspirations. A team needs to work together, build trust in one another and support them. There is no hierarchy in a team, just roles that need to be carried out efficiently and effectively. Our team of Supports won in the Silver cohort because we trained hard together.”

Erika gestured at the revolver in the case. “You also had the connections to get yourself kitted out in great equipment. If you join our team, would we be able to use these connections to get equipment?”

As Erika spoke, Rochelle looked around to distract herself from the conversation. Her eyes eventually landed on the blueprint that Sal had been mapping out.

“Can I look at that?” Rochelle pointed at the blueprint.

Sal didn’t hesitate and slid it across to her.

He already had it saved in the visor, so the sketch itself didn’t really matter to him anymore. She wouldn’t be able to determine much from it without context, so he was happy to let her see it. A small part of his brain worried that she might be petty and destroy it in front of him.

Erika frowned at the interruption but didn’t say anything as she looked back at Sal calmly. “Your value isn’t necessarily in the equipment you bring to the table, but it helps. I want you for your abilities and experience. What will it cost to bring you to my side?”

Sal laughed at that. “Bring me to your side? How do I know you’re not doing this to piss off Divinity?”

Erika’s smile returned as she tapped her long nails against the surface of the table. “I don’t have any animosity toward Divinity Khan. She has a competitive advantage from being able to see into the future and course correct. But when it comes down to capability, she will undoubtedly see a future in which I take the top rank in the academy.”

After a moment of silence, Erika got to her feet, surprising both Sal and Rochelle. “I have a Defense class to recruit and can’t spend all day sitting here having a back-and-forth. You may not like my personality or my methods, but you can’t reject my results. Think about my proposal and let me know by tomorrow.”

With that, Erika strode off through the canteen. A whole section of people in chairs moved their seats forward to clear a path for her, all in immediate succession. Sal sighed as he turned to Rochelle, who stared back at him.

Before he could say a word, Rochelle filled the space, but not before checking that Erika was well out of range.

“Ugh, I told her that you would never be on a team with me.” Rochelle took a relieved breath as she leaned in closer to the table. “It was like she didn’t care what I did to you, because she said she’d make it work. Apparently, that method was to mind control me into drooling on a table! No matter what I said to her, she stonewalled me and told me that I needed to follow the plan and do everything she said.”

Sal burst out laughing and nodded. “If it’s any consolation, I’d have you on my team before her.”

A radiant smile transformed Rochelle’s face as she placed the blueprint down on the table. “I’m genuinely sorry about before.” She looked away and took a deep breath, as though psyching herself up.

“Any chance we can start over?” Rochelle pointed at the blueprint. “I can detail my ability for you, if it makes us even?”

Her green eyes were wide, and she looked incredibly hopeful. Sal didn’t need her to do anything as his visor and ability would have been able to make short work of it. But looking at her trying to extend the olive branch, Sal slid over a fresh piece of paper and rolled the pen over to her. “Sounds like a deal to me.”

Sal’s humoring smile evaporated as Rochelle’s hand moved rapidly over the fresh piece of paper. Whatever he had thought he managed with his own sketching, this was like watching a master at work. Rather than drawing the weave, Rochelle focused on the threads and how they moved essence. She detailed a series of calculations that could only have been made up with the speed she produced them.

Sal wasn’t going to put any faith into what she was presenting, but he had to admit that she was ridiculously talented at drawing. A chunk of time passed before Sal was allowed to see what was going on.

Rochelle had taken one glance at Sal’s stare and used her arm to shield her work. A cheeky grin crossed her features, and Sal couldn’t help but laugh at the childishness of it all. Eventually, the sound of the scratching pen died and Rochelle moved away from the drawing. It was packed with a series of details and numbers that made zero sense to him. He didn’t hold much hope, but he activated his visor to check it with Analysis.

Transference (R:3) Raw Structure is being updated.

Transference (R:3) Raw Structure has been updated to:

Transference (R:8) Essence Structure and Calibration Method

Essence Calibration and Essence Refinement have been improved

Rochelle’s smile grew even wider when she saw the stupefied expression on Sal’s face. “Pretty cool method, isn’t it? My essence absorption rate is atrocious, so I worked on developing an efficient method to refine what I could get. It’s much easier when you can heal any fuck-ups during experimentation!”

Sal couldn’t find the words to respond. Her drawing had been processed by his visor, and it had improved how he processed essence? There were too many questions running through his mind, but the biggest one was how an external device had somehow changed his internal state. His essence was linked to the visor, but for it to help him in such a way…he couldn’t get his head around it. Did this mean that he’d be able to improve himself just by using the visor to read things? Would he be able to use it to learn martial arts? Sal’s head swam with concepts that felt so alien to him.

Rochelle slid the newly constructed blueprint toward him, the smile not leaving her face. “If we’re starting over fresh, I’m Rochelle, but my friends back home called me Roche.”

She offered her hand across the table, and her smile faltered while Sal was busy reading through the information on his visor. When he saw the hand outstretched, he smiled and took it.

“Salvatore Argento, but everyone calls me Sal.” He laughed at the silliness of it all and was about to ask a question about her design when she raised her hand to ask him something.

She looked conflicted, and Sal wondered whether she was going to ask for some Q-Cred. He didn’t know whether it was just a cynical streak from growing up in an auction house, but he was rarely proved wrong about people. If she asked for money, he’d probably give it to her, but never see her as a friend.

“Can I heal you?” Rochelle asked out of the blue, which completely caught him off guard.

He pointed at himself, and Rochelle nodded.

“I can tell from your drawing that you’re trying to figure out why your ability is overloading your eyes. I can’t give you the answers, but I can regenerate what’s broken.”

Sal recalled her remark about his eyes the first time they had met. When he took her power, he had restored them with her ability, but he didn’t question what was causing the issues. Was his Mythcrafter ability not aligned to his capability? Like how Barry’s version of Illusion was too much for him to handle?

“I promise not to hold your health ransom this time,” Rochelle added with an awkward smile.

Sal laughed as he spread his hands wide. “Okay then, but if you find something to heal, I’ll actually pay you.”

Rochelle’s eyes widened, and Sal couldn’t even get his next words out before her eyes illuminated into a glowing ethereal green.

Chapter 55 – Rested

Sal blinked as he turned over in bed. The sunlight came in through his dorm window, and he realized that he had managed to sleep peacefully the entire night. No nightmares or rogue cramps somewhere in his body had managed to improve his psyche more than he could have imagined. The other pleasant sensation was how well-rested he felt.

Rochelle had managed to find a whole range of issues, if her healing was to be believed. He didn’t doubt her for one moment, because when she had listed the minor injuries she came across, Sal identified them within his own body. He guessed that he had been attributing them to the exercises he did in the morning, and assumed that they’d vanish over time.

His eyes, though, were a completely different story. When Doctor Bob had ran a test on him in the Doom Society, he had felt his eyes water at the sudden burning sensation at the back of his sockets. Rochelle’s healing had not only caused a much more intense burning, but it came with an accompanied sense of capability. It was hard to describe, and it wasn’t like his vision was impaired or anything before, but the time in which it took him to activate his ability had shortened drastically.

It was a wonderful experience, and Sal felt in peak form afterward, but it came with the realization that there was definitely an imbalance with his body and his abilities. His eyes were gradually suffering from injuries because of his repeated use of the Mythcrafter ability. Sal wondered whether the headaches he got as a kid were his body’s way of telling him that it was dangerous to use the ability for prolonged periods of time.

Sal looked out the window at the city below. They had another day to complete their teams. Then it was the weekend, and then they’d be heading out on their first excursion week. Classes taking place in a Reclaimed Zone. It sounded insane just thinking about it, but the normal sense of dread that Sal usually felt was nowhere to be found.

With a smile, Sal got out of bed and kicked his shoes out of the way. He needed to get his exercise routine done before he thought about anything else. If he procrastinated, then he’d end up not doing it and feeling guilty for the rest of the day. Each of his movements were fluid and practiced. There were none of the tremors in his body that he had ignored over the last week.

Rochelle was worth every part of the fifty Q-Cred he had sent her. Her reaction to it was absolutely priceless as she nearly broke down in tears in front of him.

Sal decided that he would be using her services more regularly if it meant keeping him in perfect condition. The thought had crossed his mind of creating some kind of incubation tank, like a recovery booth with Rochelle’s powers, but the cost of making something like that would be astronomical. It didn’t stop him from sketching out the idea, though.

Dropping to the floor, Sal started his first set of push-ups, hating every single moment. When his nose touched the floor, he pushed back up and repeated the process until he could barely move his arms. Toward the end of his last set, Sal gave more thought to the recovery pod idea. It struck him that he probably shouldn’t be trying to make creative solutions when he was hurting, or all he’d end up with was a series of Rare-grade gym equipment.

As Sal got ready to do some sit-ups, he thought about Erika’s proposition to form a team. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it would be, and now that he and Rochelle had an amicable sort of relationship, he was happier to join the team. The unknown factors of the Broken Brophy guy and the mystery Defense class made it a little harder to calculate.

Sal had no choice when it came to Anthony, Blathnaid, Jack, or Barry. Yet, that team became incredible with the right formations and training. Sure, the equipment had helped, but Sal would be able to make equipment for any team he was on.

Sal crunched his body forward and winced as his tired muscles reminded him that he was indeed alive.

Rochelle was an interesting factor, though. If Sal could create something that would give her access to essence reserves, she’d be a huge resource on the battlefield. It was so funny that he had actively disliked the woman a few days ago but now he was thinking of how he could harness her ability for his own benefit.

Sal laughed and regretted the action immediately; his body crumpled to the floor and he was left wheezing on the ground, looking at the ceiling. When he had first started this routine, he needed to use the soft mattress to bounce into the position. Those sit-ups hadn’t really helped his development in the slightest.

In less than an hour, he finished with his routine and was happy that it was out of the way. Lots of people talked about how exercise made them feel great, but Sal definitely wasn’t in that camp.

After a long shower, Sal restored his uniform and got dressed for the day. He was going to stop by the workshop to finish the designs for Chatfield as he had left the man waiting for far too long already. Sal picked up the metal case that contained his visor and revolver and made his way to the door.

It was still the early hours of the morning, so he had pretty much the whole day ahead of him. He should have been thinking about the feasibility of joining Erika’s team, but realistically, there weren’t many reasons for him to say no. He did question what he could potentially squeeze out of her as payment for joining the team. It would be nice to have a Mind Master owing him a favor.

Sal’s journey to the workshop wasn’t eventful, with practically nobody in the corridors or elevators. The lobby itself was virtually dead when he walked through it, save for the few vendors setting up their booths. He wasn’t going to cheat on Alex by getting his coffee elsewhere, and Sal questioned whether he even needed it at this point. It was such a foreign experience waking up in the morning without exhaustion and aches.

When he entered the workshop, he was met with the familiar buzz of activity. The regulars looked as if they had been there from the previous night, while some of the second-year students looked to be getting an early start to their day. By the frantic rushing around, they still had classes to attend and the early hours were the best time to get extra work done.

“Hello, stranger,” Martin called from his workbench. A crooked grin was accompanied by a wave.

Sal smiled and walked over to him, curious to see what he was working on.

Martin had been invaluable when they printed out the components for the Legendary sniper rifle, but Sal realized that he didn’t know much else about the man. Sal didn’t even need to activate his ability to identify the project because he had seen the blueprint weeks ago. A miniature version of the combat drone was resting on the desk. It was separated into multiple parts but didn’t have any mechanisms. If Sal was to guess, it was a rough design rather than a prototype.

Sal gestured at the tiny device. “Did Upgrade enlist you into making the drone? It’s a lot smaller than I expected, but looks great.”

Martin laughed as he shook his head. “Nah, this is a personal project. Wanted to make a toy drone for my nephew, just something that flies around for a bit and comes back.” He gestured at a tiny circular device that rested beside the toy drone. “He wears the bracelet, and the drone will always come back to it. This design is a mock-up of what it should look like before I get into the essence programming. Might need to wait for Upgrade before attempting that, though.” He chuckled as he looked up at Sal. “Glad to see you’re back, by the way. Upgrade was worried she pushed you too far with that dungeon stuff.”

Sal faltered. He hadn’t spoken with Upgrade since they had returned from the dungeon, other than telling her that he needed a break from crafting. Sal needed to tell her that he was fine, because he didn’t want her feeling guilty about something that had actively helped him.

“Where is Upgrade? Is she around?”

Martin snorted. “At this hour? Are you crazy? She hasn’t pulled an all-nighter in weeks, so I can only guess that she’s still sleeping in her bed. Give it a few hours and she’ll likely poke her head into the room.” He gestured at the room that Sal usually worked in.

The cutting words of that second-year flooded back. His accusations that Sal was getting preferential treatment and was using limited resources that he didn’t need. The memory of that along with the potential of Upgrade misunderstanding his absence started to weigh down on him, and Sal realized why he had needed a break from the workshop completely.

Martin gave Sal a sideways glance. “If you’re worrying about Upgrade, don’t bother. We grilled her for a bit when we found out what she did, but it was probably for the best. I can’t imagine it was easy, but I heard you did a great job in there. She was practically boasting about how quickly you picked up the basics.”

Sal smiled. “Thank you, Martin. I still want to tell her that things are good with us. I don’t want her feeling guilty about it.” He was going to leave it there, but he wanted Martin’s opinion on the room stuff. With a gesture to Room 17, Sal grimaced slightly.

“A second-year told me that I shouldn’t be using the rooms in the workshop as a first-year. That I’m taking away resources from them. I’m kinda inclined to agree, since I have the tools in my equipment.” Sal held up the fingerless gloves to Martin, but the older crafter didn’t react.

“Those students can get fucked, Sal.” Martin shook his head as though the topic exhausted him. He sighed and pointed at a cluster of students standing around a single desk.

“There’s a lot of inferiority complexes when it comes to crafting. You see someone produce something good, and you feel that you’re terrible. Some students end up clinging to strange excuses, like needing additional resources or certain equipment. If he or she needed the multi-tool from Room 17, they could have easily reserved one of the other rooms that had one. The fact that they decided to pick a fight with you over it tells me that their problem wasn’t with the multi-tool.” Martin glanced at Sal with a sad smile.

“They’ve likely hit a wall with their crafting and are looking for someone to blame for their own shortcomings.”

Martin’s words took a massive weight off Sal’s shoulders as he looked at the group of students. They were arguing over what he imagined was a group project.

“Thank you, Martin. I needed to hear that,” Sal admitted with a smile.

Martin chuckled again as he folded his arms and leaned on them. “Anytime, Sal. One of my favorite hobbies is deflating those bastards who think they have it all figured out. I’m always here to help those who can ask for it. The ones who feel they’re entitled to it, those are the ones to avoid.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sal turned back to Martin. “Have you had any issues with your powers, since…you know.”

After getting the insights from the visor, Sal now understood how dangerous it was to unknot weaves in other people. He had been lucky with Upgrade, but to have that same luck for both Gosia and Martin, it was likely pushing his chances.

Martin tapped his chest and smiled. “Working better than ever, with absolutely no downsides. I had a couple of headaches at first, but they passed almost immediately. Think I just needed a bit of time to calibrate to the new essence, but it’s been a massive help ever since.” Martin picked up the small toy. “I can make stuff like this without having to worry about it being too ambitious.”

Sal sighed in relief. He’d check in with Gosia when he next saw her, but he was delighted that Martin was completely unscathed.

“I’m going to do a bit of design work in the blueprint room. Will you tell Upgrade I was looking for her when you see her?”

Martin nodded with a smile. “She’ll be delighted to see you. I’ll tell her where to find you when she gets in.”

Chapter 56 – Functionality

Sal sat in the blueprint room undisturbed for a few hours, and he managed to blast through the design work with ease. With his visor attached, he was able to bring up each of the armor set designs and add in the evolutionary trait. Doc Ameye’s suggestions had proved invaluable, and he positioned each of the runes in the optimal spaces along the different sets. What was most interesting about them was that Sal had expected to put individual runes on each component, but the Mythcrafter ability and visor showed him that he could create one rune that was only activated when the set pieces were worn together. It would reduce the speed of evolution, but ensured that the set would grow at a steady rate.

When it came to materials, Sal had way more context than before, which allowed him to pick the best combinations. All the materials he had analyzed with the visor were finally becoming useful. Natural synergies appeared, similar to moonsilver and scarlet screen, and Sal made a note of them. Since the designing and material selection was so straightforward, Sal decided to create armor sets that would suit different fighting styles. Heavy, medium, and light armors. Metal, leather, and cloth. Everything was basic in design, but it didn’t matter. They needed to be functional rather than stylish. If they were durable and had the potential to evolve, that made them fit for their purpose.

Sal didn’t know what cost each of the materials were, but the visor had created a tier system for each component. Void metal was low on the list, with dreadcloth being significantly higher. Hellfire titanium was middle tier, which was concerning to Sal because the Credit floor had been charging quite a bit for a single ingot. He’d need context from Chatfield about prices to know what would be the most cost-effective materials to use for mass production.

When the first set of blueprints were done for the cloth armor set, Sal desperately wanted to try crafting it to see how it worked out. Instead, he saved the blueprint into a file and sent it over to Blathnaid, asking her if she’d be able to craft it from the instructions provided.

If she was able to make it, then it was undeniable proof that he was on the right track. He needed each of these designs to be accessible to students who were learning how to craft from scratch. If they could cut out the patterns, and stitch them up in the right way, apply the runes and follow the procedures, then it would be a success. He was about to move onto the medium armor that he was hoping to try making with faux bovine leather, when his tablet vibrated on the table.

Sal tapped the screen and saw that it was a message from Blathnaid. He checked the time stamp from when he sent it over; it had only been a few minutes. He wondered whether the design was too complex for her to interpret.

Hey! Yeah, I’d be able to make it, but can I play around with the design? It doesn’t look fitted and wouldn’t look remotely flattering on anyone but you.

Sal laughed as he shook his head in wonder. Was it a false confidence or was he underestimating her? He was about to reach over to reply when another message came through from her.

I’ve attached a quick sketch of how I’d tailor it for someone like me. More often than not, it will require less material to make these sets for women. If you make them all for a tall man, it’s going to create a lot of waste. Check the patterns and tell me what you think. My best guess is that you could cut down on material spend by at least 20% with this design, and even higher if you tailored it for the average builds and kept tall people like you as the exception rather than the rule.

Sal tapped the attachment and saw a hastily constructed silhouette of a woman’s body with the armor design. The waist and chest were much tighter than in Sal’s design and looked minimalist. Sal’s had covered pretty much every visible inch of skin, but Blathnaid’s was a lot more revealing in nature. No matter what way he looked at it, Blathnaid’s looked way more sleek and fashionable. Another vibration caught him off guard, and Sal moved back to his messages.

Here’s what I’d do for the male one. I noticed that your designs lacked basic functionality like pockets, so I added them in. If they’re going to be used for field exercises or battles, then it’ll be important to have them. You could also add in a harness into the chest design to allow weapons to be carried on the back, or maybe something held on the hip. It wouldn’t require more material, but just a few tweaks to the design.

Sal laughed. Blathnaid was right. He hadn’t considered any of those factors. He had designed the set for the skills they would yield, rather than ease of use and basic functionality. Sal clicked into her attached image and was met with another sketch that highlighted all the points she made in her message. He saw the value in her design as it would give him a place to holster his revolver and have pockets that would allow easy access to his bullet cartridges. When the next vibration came through, Sal had to admit defeat. He wasn’t a tailor, and it absolutely showed.

If you want, I can come over and do some sketches with you? I already have my team sorted, so I’m chilling for the rest of the day.

Sal sent her his location and told her to knock on the door and he’d let her in. Other than the few instances in the Crafting class, Sal hadn’t seen Blathnaid work. Thinking about it, Sal realized he’d never even seen her using her ability. It was a Tailoring one if he recalled correctly, and he found himself curious about what it could do.

Rather than moving onto the next set of designs like he had intended, Sal took Blathnaid’s suggestions into consideration and re-mapped the design with her changes. He added the harness and pockets as well as the belt attachment for holding a sidearm.

Sal tried to think outside the box when it came to the functionality of the set. It was cloth, so it wasn’t going to be worn by Offense- or Defense-based classes, which left him with Controllers, Healers, and Supports. The versatility needed by Supports, in having a lot of the team equipment, meant that it would require a lot of added functionality. Mythcrafter understood his intentions and proposed he use faux bovine leather that had a high chance of producing the Feather skill, which would reduce weight and increase jumping and mobility capabilities.

Sal frowned as he looked at it, wondering whether that would classify the set as a medium armor set rather than purely cloth. If it was inexpensive, then it wouldn’t matter. Sal wasn’t attached to the idea of just having a cloth-based set. It was purely down to making something that would be comfortable to wear and offered protection for each of the classes.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie, and Sal grinned as he opened the door, expecting to see Blathnaid. However, it was Upgrade on the other side of the door, with two coffees in hand.

She looked somewhat surprised to see him in such good spirits. She offered him one of the cups with a smile. “Martin said you walked straight in here and didn’t pay a visit to Alex. Thought I’d get you one while I was on the way.”

Sal took the cup from her and stepped to the side to let her through. “Thank you. I was starting to get the craving!”

He realized that he likely needed permission from Upgrade to have someone else use the blueprint room. He didn’t want Blathnaid to get in trouble for joining him in an area that was usually reserved for seniors.

“Would it be okay for me to invite Blathnaid here? She’s helping me with the designs for the Chatfield armor sets.”

Upgrade stopped as she looked off to one side. “That name sounds familiar. Why do I know that name?” She placed her coffee down on the table and looked over at Sal. “Have I met her before?”

Sal nodded with a wry smile. “I’d hope so. She’s in your Crafting class.”

They had only had a few classes, so he didn’t expect Upgrade to have memorized each student already. Just as Sal was about to provide more context, Upgrade clicked her fingers with a laugh.

“She’s the one who threw the Controller in the team fights?” Upgrade’s eyes lit up as she looked over at Sal for confirmation. When he nodded, she laughed even harder.

“The Tailor versus the Controller! All the Crafters who went to your tournament wouldn’t shut up about it, which made me sick that I missed it!”

She chuckled a bit and waved around the empty room. “She’s more than welcome to join us. I can get her a card if she wants to use this room regularly. Same rules apply, though. No liquids until she’s trustworthy, and no playing around with the original blueprints in the rack.”

Sal was relieved to hear it. He took a sip of his coffee before looking at Upgrade. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for the last week. I needed some time to decompress from the dungeon, and there were so many things happening all at once that I couldn’t focus on anything. I appreciate what you did for me, and while I hated every moment of it, I feel better for having done it.”

Sal moved around to the blueprint table to avoid making eye contact with Upgrade. “Just wanted to say thank you for what you did and that I’ve got no hard feelings.”

Upgrade stepped over to Sal and tapped his table to get his attention. When he looked up at her, she gave him a bright smile.

“You’re welcome, Sal. I hope you’ve come to terms with how incredible your crafting capability is. You were able to clear a dungeon by yourself with a weapon you made over the weekend. I’ll only have hard feelings if you come to me with feelings of inadequacy again. You’ve got an incredible gift, but it’s your personality that makes it truly wonderful.”

Sal’s face grew hotter as he cleared his throat. “Blathnaid is going to be here shortly. She’s going to help me with this design, but I’ve already made some improvements. What do you think?”

Upgrade looked at the upside-down design and paced around the table to get a better angle. She was deep in thought when another knock came at the door. Upgrade was about to move when Sal gestured that he’d get it.

With a wave of his hand, he indicated that she could keep looking at the design. Sal opened the door to reveal a flustered-looking Blathnaid. Sal was about to ask what was wrong, when he spied the same blond second-year student standing behind her with his arms crossed. It was clear that he had said something to Blathnaid.

“I only asked him which room you were in, and he went off on a tirade,” Blathnaid muttered as she slipped past Sal to enter the room. She looked pissed and evidently wanted nothing to do with the second-year.

Sal wanted to tell the guy to fuck off, but Martin’s words bubbled to the surface. That second-year was likely lashing out because he thought things were unfair. If Sal was going to be labeled as an outcast, he’d at least give them something to talk about.

With a surge of essence into his gloves, Sal activated the Transform effect, turning his hands into a set of impressive mechanical claws. Sal didn’t bother holding back as the rest of his body turned into a suit of black-plated armor. His visor was still equipped, and he could only imagine what he looked like to the second-year at that moment.

“Do you still need a multi-tool?” Sal extended his right claw forward.

The second-year’s face paled as he backed away from Sal. His urgency caused him to fall over himself to the ground, drawing the eyes of everyone around them. But when the other second-years looked over, they could only see Sal with an outstretched hand and their classmate sprawled on the floor.

Sal had deactivated his armor almost immediately after speaking. He didn’t want to do this to intimidate him, but to show that he wasn’t some spoiled first-year who could be picked on. “Stop treating me like I’m the problem. If you need my help, ask for it. Understood?”

The second-year nodded as he pulled himself farther away from Sal. The last thing he saw before the door closed behind Sal was the girl he had just berated.

She was giving him the finger.

Chapter 57 – Construct

Name
Blathnaid McClean

Alias
None

Class
Support

Profession
First-Year Student, Quest Academy (Silver Cohort)

Rank

Guild Association: None

Hunter Bureau: Current Rank | 0

Quest Academy: Current Rank | 391st

Accreditations

Challenge Crests: 0

Certifications: 0

Ability

Skill Name: Construct | Rating: III

Skill Category: Invention

Skill Mastery: 100%

Skill Efficiency: 37%

Progress to Next Rating: 92%

Evolutionary Capability: Yes

Potential Cap: X

Natural Synergy: Concept | Rarecraft | Appraisal

Essence

Essence Type: Invention

Essence Gates: 60

Essence Absorption Rate: 22%

Essence Control: 14%

Essence Refinement: 61%

Essence Calibration: 43%

Physical

Strength Rating: I

Mobility Rating: III

Speed Rating: III

Fitness Rating: III

Current Status Effects:

Injuries: None

Illnesses: None

Reputation

Bastion Families: Unknown

Doom Society: Unknown

Guild Association: Unknown

Hunter Bureau: Unknown

Quest Academy: Known

Threat Level

Analyzed Equipment: I

Analyzed Martial Arts: N/A

Analyzed Movements: N/A

Analyzed Techniques: N/A

Analyzed Body Composition: II

Wealth

Q-Credit: 1,486

Sal frowned as he looked at Blathnaid’s stats. His visor flashed with more information and as he scrolled through it, he found himself feeling sorry for her. Her best stats were in the physical category, as her ability and essence proficiencies were really low. Sal glanced back at her ability and saw that it was Construct. He couldn’t recall having seen it before and focused on it to see whether the visor would give him more context.

“You okay there, Sal?” Blathnaid asked with a concerned expression.

She stood beside Upgrade, and it looked like their small talk had run its course.

Upgrade smiled as she shook her head. “He’s using his visor to check you out. He hasn’t learned etiquette on asking permission first.”

Her tone was lighthearted, so Sal didn’t have to worry about having accidentally offended her. Blathnaid, on the other hand, was unashamedly curious. In less than a second, she was up close and staring at the tracker.

“What can you see with it? Is it Appraising my uniform or something?” The excitement was clear in her voice, and Sal laughed.

He lifted it off his head and presented it to her. “See for yourself! It uses Analysis to display loads of stats about people.”

He didn’t want Blathnaid to feel uncomfortable and showed her what it did. She was more than happy to try it on, but only after a lot of smoothing back her hair. When that failed, she stood beside Upgrade and asked her to put it on her head. Upgrade expertly wove a braid with Blathnaid’s brown hair.

When she placed the tracker on her face, he wondered what she would see.

“Ah!” Blathnaid gasped as her exposed eye widened. Before he could ask what she saw, she turned to look at Upgrade and the result was way more dramatic. “You’ve got so many accreditations! Wait, I’m sorry for looking!” Blathnaid’s hand came up to block her view from Upgrade, who just laughed.

“I don’t mind. What do you think of it? Amazing, isn’t it?” Upgrade asked with a smile, and Blathnaid nodded as she looked around the room.

She wandered for a bit, inspecting the furniture and her own clothing before her eyes caught sight of the blueprint on the table.

“Whoa…” Blathnaid’s voice became almost like a whisper. “This is cheating.” She looked up at Sal with a half accusatory stare. “Like, I can see everything I’d need to make this without a deconstruction.”

Sal’s ears perked up. Was this something to do with her ability? He moved closer to the blueprint and gestured at it. “You’re seeing the same breakdown of how to make it? The Mythcrafter ability isn’t in the visor, so you should only be seeing the drawing itself.”

Blathnaid shook her head as she gestured at the chest piece drawing. “My ability is Construct, which allows me to assemble things. When I break things down, my ability remembers the pattern and I can recreate it with the same materials. It takes effort, though, and a lot of essence, but I really enjoy it. This, though…” She tapped the drawing. “Is skipping the first step. The tracker is showing me how I can construct this with just my essence and materials—I don’t need to have deconstructed it first.”

Upgrade smiled as she joined them at the table. “You’re selling yourself short there, Blathnaid. Construct is a lot more powerful than that.”

Sal looked between them and realized that this information was also news to Blathnaid, who stared at Upgrade in confusion. It wasn’t that she was being modest; she genuinely didn’t understand what the Crafting lecturer was talking about.

When Upgrade met Blathnaid’s eyes, she frowned in disbelief. “You know that you can just create things with raw materials when you have the pattern, right? There’s no need to create the individual components.”

Blathnaid’s first instinct was to laugh, but it died away when she realized that Upgrade wasn’t joking. Her brow furrowed as she shook her head. “I think you’re confusing it with another ability, maybe? If I have the pattern and the right cuts of material, I can assemble it. I couldn’t just put my hands on a bolt of cloth and turn it into a jacket. That would be crazy!”

Upgrade’s expression softened. “Have you ever tried?”

Blathnaid’s last remnants of composure withered away. She looked to Sal for backup, but he shrugged uselessly.

“Why don’t you try?”

Blathnaid was about to say something when Upgrade raised a hand to interrupt her. “Nope. Whatever misbelief you’re about to spout, I don’t want to hear it. Crafters learn things by experimentation, so wait here.” Upgrade pointed at her as she spoke. “I’m going to get a few things for us to test this out, understood?”

Blathnaid nodded and stood awkwardly as Upgrade tapped her card against the door and exited the room.

A moment of silence passed before Blathnaid whispered in Sal’s direction. “Is she usually this scary?”

Sal snorted. “This is nothing. You never want to see her when she’s scary.”

Blathnaid laughed as she sat on one of the nearby stools. Putting her hand on the edge of the table, she pulled at it and spun herself around on the top of the stool.

“So, did you find a team yet? There’s not much time left before we have to submit them.” She reached into her trouser pocket to produce her tablet. “I can never remember their names, but they seem pretty competent. I’m their Support, obviously.”

Blathnaid’s expression crunched as she squinted at the text on the screen. “Juan Clarke is our Offense. He’s super strong and apparently just punches the shit out of things. Seemed like a nice guy, but everything around him breaks. He sat down in the canteen and you’d swear the chair reacted like it was an attack.”

Sal couldn’t imagine what it would be like to try to control a physical-based ability like that. Speed was one thing, but strength…you’d probably end up mangling every door handle you tried to pull.

Blathnaid continued with her list. “Our Defense is another guy, from the Purple cohort, and his name was weird…ah, Richdolphus Ironblood! Goes by Rich, which is thankfully much easier to remember. Same for Saccade Croix…goes by Cade. He’s super nice and is our Healer from the Black cohort.”

Sal didn’t recognize any of the names and really hoped that Blathnaid had managed to find a decent team. If they dragged her down, there wouldn’t be much he could do to keep her from relegation at the end of the semester.

“What about your Controller? Anyone good?”

Blathnaid nodded, a wry grin tugging at her lips. “Yeah, he’s the one who put the team together. Body Manipulator called Darren Lenihan, but everyone calls him Dazzler. His team was at the top of the tournament, and he had already picked out most of the team. I’m super lucky they even considered me, to be honest. You should have seen my face when they approached me! I thought they wanted Barry.”

A knot formed in Sal’s stomach. Darren Lenihan was the name of the Controller Bastion was looking to recruit, and he had been at a couple of meetings with them already. The question was whether Darren was a threat to Blathnaid right now, or whether it would be fine going forward. Blathnaid didn’t know anything about the Bastion threat at the academy.

Dragging her finger along the screen, Blathnaid read out more names. “Barry’s team also managed to get a Healer. Girl called Graya Moon, think she’s in a relationship with my Healer, Cade.” She stopped abruptly as though she had an epiphany. “Two Healers in a relationship…do you think their kids would become super-Healers?”

Sal laughed, which was enough for Blathnaid to dismiss the thought and return to the list.

“Kellen Balistae from the Black cohort. Barry referred to him as a walking human shield, but I think Kellen is down as their Offense class? There was a guy with a crafted guitar, Ogden. No idea what he does, but he’s apparently a Support. Barry didn’t look too fond of him. Their Defense is a guy called Neb Ursa—he has an ability similar to Sinclair, where he can turn into a bear!”

Sal shook his head at hearing all the names. Blathnaid’s team sounded more promising if the names were anything to go by, and it was good that both teams had a dedicated Healer. Sal was also happy that Barry managed to get the Controller role on his team. If that Ogden guy was down as their Support, Barry had secured Controller.

“Hope I’m not interrupting?” Upgrade proclaimed from the door as she carried half a dozen wound bolts of fabric under one arm and a small container of metal studs and zippers in the other.

Blathnaid looked up from her tablet, and Sal got to see in real time how her eyes lit up in excitement at the materials, and how the anxiety crashed through as she realized what was about to happen.

Upgrade laughed. “Don’t go making faces like that or I’ll end up thinking I’m the bad guy here.”

Blathnaid nodded and got to her feet, stepping back so Upgrade could deposit the materials on the blueprint table.

Sal was happy to see that Upgrade placed everything around his sketch, rather than dumping it directly on top of it.

When everything was arranged, Upgrade smiled at Blathnaid. “I want you to look at the blueprint, or pattern. Whatever you want to call it. Focus on it and imagine that the materials here are the exact components you need. Don’t think about anything else, okay?”

Blathnaid looked at them apprehensively as she took a step forward, but Upgrade shook her head and moved in front of her. Blathnaid was clearly unprepared for Upgrade to grasp her shoulders, as she gasped.

Upgrade gave her a reassuring smile. “Trust me, I overthink everything too. I always need to make everything perfect, so I understand exactly what gears are turning in your brain right now. If nothing happens, then at least we’ll know and I’ll drop the topic. Sound good?”

Blathnaid nodded and a small smile found its way onto her lips. She shot a look over to Sal, who gave her a thumbs-up in response. Upgrade released Blathnaid’s shoulders and moved around the table to give her more space. There was still an element of hesitation, but Blathnaid did as she was instructed and focused her ability.

Sal activated his Skill Master ability and watched as Blathnaid’s weave ignited with essence. He almost had to do a double take when he saw the absolute clusterfuck of knots in her ability. It was practically impossible to see a single straight line that wasn’t somehow mangled. Sal desperately wished he had his visor on to see how many of them could be undone safely. He couldn’t imagine how Blathnaid had been managing to live with her ability in such a state.

The inspection that he had done on her before was much more impressive now that he had the context of what it looked like. It also felt like an important lesson in a way, that if he had trusted in the visor, he likely would have assumed that Blathnaid had no real shot of getting much stronger. Sal sighed as he deactivated his ability. He needed to find a way to calibrate the visor to his Skill Master ability, to get a better representation of what could be improved with his power.

Blathnaid winced as she drew her hands back from the materials. Sal was going to say something encouraging, but Upgrade stopped him by giving him a slight nudge with her elbow. Without a word from them, Blathnaid tried again. Her expression was one of hyper-focus, and Sal saw a slight shake in her arms as she gave it her all.

The moment stretched on forever, with Sal realizing how much time had passed when he saw the beads of sweat trickling down Blathnaid’s forehead. He glanced at Upgrade as if to ask permission to stop Blathnaid from continuing, but Upgrade shook her head.

Then, slowly but surely, a dull light appeared at the center of the table. Sal looked at Blathnaid, but there were no emotions present, only focus.

Upgrade smiled broadly as she leaned in close to Sal, her voice a barely audible whisper. “Best. Lecturer. Ever.”

Sal smiled but was mostly interested in what was happening on the desk. He couldn’t see clearly because the blueprint desks were angled upward on the side farthest from the seat. It gave easier access when sketching larger projects. All they could see was a light illuminating Blathnaid.

Another few moments of awkward silence followed before Blathnaid’s hands moved. She was still in a state of complete focus, and Sal wondered whether that was how he looked when he had the monocle equipped. Sal walked quietly to one side of the desk to get a better vantage point and Upgrade did the same on the other side, both being careful not to disrupt Blathnaid’s flow.

Sal was surprised to see that the entirety of the materials was glowing and that Blathnaid pulled tufts of the illuminated cloth and massaged it between her hands. She pulled it in different directions and stretched it out, but Sal couldn’t make out any of the details. It looked like she was constantly pawing at a ball of light. It went on for another five to ten minutes before Sal could discern some of the shapes.

No matter what way he tried to imagine it, the balls of light weren’t big enough to be a piece of equipment. Did that mean she had failed? He looked over to Upgrade to see whether she had any idea what was going on, and to his surprise, she was beaming at Blathnaid’s progress. Sal tried to understand what it was that he wasn’t seeing, but even activating his Appraisal ability gave him no suggestions. Mythcrafter also had nothing to report, and without his visor equipped, Sal was left to wait for the final verdict.

That verdict ended up taking close to an hour to arrive, but Sal didn’t mind. It was genuinely fascinating to watch Blathnaid work. The downside was how much of an impact it was having on her body. There were times she had to stop mid-process to catch her breath, or when her hands shook uncontrollably. Sal was certain that tears were forming at the edges of her eyes, and it killed him to watch her suffer in pain. As soon as he got the visor back from her, he would find a way to alleviate some of the pressure from her ability. With what looked like a hundred knots in that tangled ball of a weave, he’d find something that would make her life easier.

And then, Blathnaid finished. With a step back, she looked at the glowing cube in front of her and staggered back onto the awaiting stool. She missed the seat and lurched to the right, but Upgrade caught her before she fell.

Sal was at a complete loss for words as the glowing stopped and his eyes appraised her results.

Chapter 58 – Pioneer

Sal’s eyes went haywire as they tried to pick apart the materials to Appraise them. He glanced at Blathnaid to see how she was doing and it seemed like she was on the verge of passing out, with Upgrade cradling her. When Sal made eye contact with Upgrade, she gave a slight shake of her head.

“She’s pushed herself too hard. Judging by how she’s still conscious, she’s no stranger to the dregs.” Upgrade’s voice was strained as she gently rubbed Blathnaid’s shoulder.

“She’ll be fine with some rest. We should have done this in Room 17 and put her on the couch. I don’t want to move her from here while there are students milling about outside. Lock that, will you?” She jutted her chin toward the door, careful not to disrupt Blathnaid in her arms.

Sal didn’t need to be told twice and rushed over to the door and tapped the lock option on the terminal. When he turned around, he could see that there wasn’t really a way to remove the visor from Blathnaid without moving her head. He’d leave it until later to get it back.

“Should we have given her a core to use?” he asked lamely.

Upgrade shook her head. “I doubt she has the control required to tap into a core. How she managed to make something with such a trickle of essence is absolutely beyond me, but it’s a testament to her grit. With proper development and training, she’ll become a hell of a Crafter.”

Upgrade rubbed Blathnaid’s shoulder a little more. “You hear that? You’re going to have to train extra hard to keep up.”

Sal laughed as he shook his head. “Your bedside manner is atrocious.”

He moved out of range of Upgrade’s swatting hand and stood to the side of the reshaped materials. Sal frowned as he realized that it wasn’t just a cube of fabric: it was folded layers. Lifting the first piece up, he was surprised to see that it was a hooded cowl in a deep-red fabric. Turning it over in his hands, he saw glowing threads were embroidered into the material, making the shape of the evolutionary rune. He dropped it and picked up the next piece, which was a long trench coat, made with the same deep-red color. The shoulders were squared, with a folded lapel and black buttons running down one side. It was incredibly light to hold, and when Sal turned it around, he froze at the sight of the evolutionary rune. It was embroidered in black threading, which pulsated softly as though reflecting light from an unknown source.

Next was a set of trousers made with the same red material and black runes. True to her word, Blathnaid had created pockets in the coat and trousers. The hood looked particularly menacing, and the black and red contrast made it look like it would be worn by some kind of regal assassin.

“Need…” Blathnaid’s voice was bleary as she tried to get out of Upgrade’s arms. “Shoes. Need to finish…the shoes.”

Upgrade stood with her and helped her maintain balance. When Upgrade’s gaze fell on the completed gear on the table, her eyes widened, and she looked at Sal in shock.

“She actually completed them?”

Sal nodded as he moved the cloth equipment off the blueprint. Checking them off the list, he smiled. “Three out of four pieces. Shoes aren’t done, but she started them. I don’t know how she managed to do it, but it looks like the embroidery is infused with essence?” Sal held up the trousers to show Upgrade, who almost dropped Blathnaid by reaching for them.

With a sigh of frustration, Upgrade tore her eyes away from the equipment and focused on getting Blathnaid back into a seated position. She used a gentle and reassuring voice that Sal hadn’t heard before.

“Just rest up here for a moment. You don’t need to worry about the shoes. I’ll finish them off for you, okay?” Upgrade waited until Blathnaid nodded in agreement before continuing. “Do you feel like this every time you use your ability?”

Blathnaid nodded slowly, wincing at whatever discomfort it caused.

Upgrade reached up to her head and gently took off the visor, pulling away at the strands of hair that had intertwined with it. Without looking, she held it out for Sal to take, which he gratefully accepted. Upgrade crouched so she was eye level with the seated Blathnaid.

“Do you avoid using your ability because it feels like this?”

Blathnaid shook her head slightly, and Upgrade smiled.

“Stubborn…I like it. Do you think you can stay awake for a little longer?”

When Blathnaid bobbed her head, Upgrade patted her knee before standing back up and moving to Sal. Her voice was quiet as she spoke, none of the amusement from earlier on her face.

“Remember what you did for Martin, Gosia, and myself?” She wriggled her fingers as though she was undoing a knot. “I know Quest said that you couldn’t do it, but I think you need to make an exception with that girl. She’s more determined than she is capable, which is dangerous.”

Sal nodded. “The visor can tell me which knots are safe to undo, but it has to be kept a secret. I can’t talk about it much, but Quest was super annoyed about how I can interact with weaves. I don’t want to get on his bad side.”

Upgrade’s smile widened as she gave Sal a playful nudge. “Look at you! I don’t see you for a week, and you turn into a little rebel.” Her eyes eventually fell onto the clothes draped across the table.

“The workmanship is actually incredible on these. I’d go so far as to say that they’re on par with Gosia.” Upgrade inspected each of the seams and marveled at the result. “The seams are purely aesthetic—it’s fused with essence! Who the fuck goes so far as to add detail and style to something that just needs to be functional?”

Sal clipped the visor over his ear and activated his Mythcrafter ability. He decided that it would be best to wait for Blathnaid to recover before he undid the knots in her weave. If she wasn’t able to communicate with him about how she was feeling, then he’d potentially risk harming her. So instead, he worked on the appraisal to see how Blathnaid did in the end.

His visor flashed as he activated his ability, and a detailed breakdown was presented to him, with more information than usual. He had to thank Analysis for bolstering the Appraisal ability.

Name
Hunter’s Trench (Set 1/4)

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Current Grade

Common (Low)

Restored Grade
Common (Low)

Potential Grade
Unique (Upper)

Dimensions
46.8” Length | 20.8” Chest | 20.8” Hip | 28.3” Sleeve

Materials
Void Metal | Twill-Woven Cotton | Refined Construct Essence

Runes

Evolutionary Rune: Essence Absorption will result in an increase of Item Grade over time.

Self-Replenishment Rune: Slight increase in Essence Absorption.

Attributes

Resistant: Increases toughness of the material, protecting the wearer from external attacks.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items.

Abilities
Resistant | Synergy

Power Source
External Essence

Absorption Rate
80% Passive | 20% Active

Evolution
Yes - 0%

Quality

Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $12,000.00 – $15,000.00

Name
Hunter’s Breeches (Set 2/4)

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Current Grade
Common (Low)

Restored Grade
Common (Low)

Potential Grade
Unique (Upper)

Dimensions
25” Waist | 35” Hip | 28” Inseam

Materials
Void Metal | Twill-Woven Cotton | Refined Construct Essence

Runes

Evolutionary Rune: Essence Absorption will result in an increase of Item Grade over time.

Self-Replenishment Rune: Slight increase in Essence Absorption.

Attributes

Impact: Slacks negate fall damage and incoming attacks. Chance to reflect damage.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items.

Abilities
Impact | Synergy

Power Source
External Essence

Absorption Rate
80% Passive | 20% Active

Evolution
Yes - 0%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $9,000.00 – $12,000.00

Name
Hunter’s Cowl (Set 3/4)

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Current Grade
Common (Low)

Restored Grade
Common (Low)

Potential Grade

Unique (Upper)

Dimensions
32” Circumference | 13.5” Length

Materials
Twill-Woven Cotton | Refined Construct Essence

Runes

Evolutionary Rune: Essence Absorption will result in an increase of Item Grade over time.

Self-Replenishment Rune: Slight increase in Essence Absorption.

Attributes

Perception: Wearer is hyper-aware of their environment and can assess threats.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items.

Abilities
Perception | Synergy

Power Source
External Essence

Absorption Rate
80% Passive | 20% Active

Evolution
Yes - 0%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $16,000.00 – $18,000.00

Sal was floored by the fact they were only Common-grade items. Their presentation looked incredible and he had a hard time believing they were ranked so low. Compared to the things he had created with evolutionary runes, the cap on the equipment was far lower, coming in at a maximum of Unique grade. He wondered whether it was down to the metal and cloth choices that Blathnaid had used, or whether it was a limitation of her power. Maybe the set would increase if he completed the shoes she had started to fashion?

Despite those thoughts, Sal was impressed that she had managed to tailor the designs to what she had envisioned. He always made things as they were presented by the blueprints, with the exception of Hannah’s gauntlets.

“You’re spacing out. What are the results?” Upgrade poked Sal gently on the shoulder to remind him of her presence. Her eyes were locked on the pieces of equipment, and she looked just as confused as Sal. “They look really good, but I think it’s just that the craftsmanship is really high rather than them being a good grade? I’m not feeling much essence from them.”

Sal nodded in agreement. “They’re Common grade. The evolutionary rune is functional and they can get up to the Unique grade over time. I just can’t get over the fact that they look so good. She used her essence to change the color of the fabric and created all sorts of designs on them to make them look appealing. I also think she made them in her own size?”

Upgrade grinned and glanced at Blathnaid over her shoulder. “She understands that buyers want fashion over function at the lower tiers. This stuff would sell faster than an ugly Uncommon-grade set.”

Sal chuckled. She wasn’t wrong.

“The Argento Auction had lots of cases like this too. Something with a cool name would end up selling for well beyond its value. I always put it down to buyers wanting bragging rights rather than having something useful. My favorite example was the doom scythe, which sold for an outrageous price.”

Upgrade’s eyes widened. “Oooh, what’s that?”

Sal snorted. “An agricultural tool that has a high chance of corrupting the crops it harvests. It’s useless for its properties, but the name alone kept the bids coming through. Even if it was used as a weapon, unless the target was a plant or vegetable, it’s useless.”

Upgrade smiled as she stared at Sal, waiting for him to make the connection. He gave her a puzzled glance before realization finally clicked with him.

“Leechers!” He gasped as he turned to her. Upgrade rewarded him with a slow clap and a good-natured smile. Sal laughed at himself for that and shrugged. “Okay, you got me. It has its uses for combat, but would you spend a quarter of a million on an item that could just kill a few leechers?”

Upgrade’s smile faltered as her eyes widened. “Fuck off! Nobody would spend that much money on a weapon for leechers. Did it have something else that was of value?”

Blathnaid groaned as she got to her feet, interrupting their back-and-forth. When they turned around to see her, they were met with a frown. Her eyes were locked onto the equipment she had made, dissatisfaction written all over her face.

“Looks like I didn’t get to the shoes.” She made a step toward the table, but Upgrade intercepted her.

“Absolutely not. You’re still recovering from the dregs.” Upgrade stood directly in Blathnaid’s field of view, forcing the girl to look up at her.

Blathnaid’s expression became conflicted as she tried to protest. “Please, it’s almost done. I need to finish it.” It wasn’t even a protest; it was borderline pleading. Blathnaid tried to reach toward the equipment, but Upgrade caught her hand and gave her a stern look.

“You’re not using any more essence today. It’s an admirable trait that you want to see a job through to completion, but it’s incredibly reckless when you don’t know your own limits. You’ve hit yours today by achieving something incredible, so don’t push your luck by trying to inch closer to perfection.” Upgrade released Blathnaid’s hand and put an arm around her shoulder. “You’ve proved that we can create evolutionary equipment with basic materials. Void metal and prowler hide are common enough resources that we should be able to provide large amounts of it to our Crafters.”

Blathnaid still looked conflicted, and it seemed like Upgrade’s words weren’t really getting through to her.

“Blathnaid, you’ve just given Supports a fighting chance against relegation.” Upgrade smiled at her as she spoke, and the effect was instantaneous.

Blathnaid’s eyes snapped away from the equipment and locked onto Upgrade’s face in disbelief. She turned to Sal to see whether he heard the same thing, and got a grin in return. “But without the patterns, I wouldn’t have been able—”

“Bullshit,” Upgrade said. “What part of those sets look remotely like the patterns Sal created? You went rogue and made a whole new design based on your preferences. I can tell with just a glance that you’re both practical and a perfectionist. Sal’s pattern didn’t fit with your style, so you made your own.”

Upgrade laughed as she picked up the hunter cowl from the table and held it in front of Blathnaid’s face. “You created equipment that people will be proud to wear. Not just for its effects and potential, but for how it looks.”

Blathnaid’s face reddened as she started to apologize.

“Nope. Never apologize for something like this. You’re more stubborn than this idiot.” Upgrade hiked her thumb over her shoulder in Sal’s general direction. “Own your successes. This is something you’ve done with your own power, and you should be proud.”

Sal stepped closer as he lifted the hunter jacket up. “Don’t you think you should try it on?”

He held it open by the shoulders so Blathnaid could slide her arms into it, but she hesitated as she looked at it. She was still conflicted about something but was clearly uncomfortable in speaking about it.

Blathnaid bit her lip as she looked at Upgrade tentatively. “How will this stop Supports from getting relegated?” There was light in her eyes and judging by the tremor in her voice, she was clinging to the hope that it wasn’t just words to make her feel better.

Before Upgrade could respond, the door slid open to reveal Chatfield looking rather flustered. He held up a keycard in his hand and gave them an annoyed glare.

“Why did you lock the door?” He entered the room and closed the door behind him, looking as though he was about to share his thoughts when his eyes caught sight of the hunter jacket.

Anything Blathnaid wanted to say died on her lips. She had seen Chatfield at the assembly and clearly had no understanding why he was suddenly in the workshop. She looked at Sal in a panic, but he gestured to her that it was fine.

Sal picked up the cowl and pants from the table and delivered them with the jacket to Chatfield, who had started to smile.

“Are these what I think they are? What materials did you use?” Chatfield looked at Sal, but rather than answering on her behalf, Sal looked at Blathnaid.

“Go on, Blathnaid. Tell Chatfield what you made these with?” He smiled the entire time but felt a pang of guilt at the stricken and panicked look on her face. She was very much out of her depth.

Chatfield pieced the meaning together, and his eyes lit up. “You got a first-year to create them instead? Excellent! Proof of concept at this stage really pushes us ahead. Let’s see what we’re dealing with.” A purple light pulsated from Chatfield’s hands into the materials and a broad smile crossed his face. “Void metal and prowler hide…and it can evolve all the way up to Unique?”

Blathnaid’s face paled at the verdict, her eyes locking onto the equipment. She had no way to appraise what she was making, nor did she even understand the runes she had embroidered into the designs. This was her first time hearing the tangible results of her efforts.

Chatfield didn’t miss her reaction and laughed. “Very cruel, Mr. Argento. You didn’t even tell her what she made? Should I assume you didn’t tell her what this means?”

Sal laughed and gestured at Blathnaid. “We tried, but it might sound better coming from you.”

Blathnaid looked between them in confusion. It was clear that this was a dizzying experience for her, especially considering she was still recovering from the dregs. If Sal had to guess, he’d have assumed she would remember this more like a fever dream than anything else.

Chatfield walked over to Blathnaid and handed her back the equipment. “You’ve just pioneered the first step in making our Support classes invaluable, not just to Quest Academy, but to humanity at large. What’s your name?”

Any color that remained on Blathnaid’s face disappeared as she stammered a response. “Blathnaid…Blathnaid McClean.” She looked at Sal and Upgrade for help, but they just smiled.

Chatfield chuckled as he reached into his coat pocket. “Well, Blathnaid…Blathnaid McClean. Welcome to the task force.” He seemed to enjoy his own joke as he presented her with a Challenge crest. “I hope you’ll continue to work with us in creating more designs like this?”

Chatfield flung another crest in Sal’s direction, who caught it deftly from mid-air.

Blathnaid stared at the crest in her trembling hands before looking at Chatfield with a small frown. “I don’t deserve this…”

Chatfield laughed as he turned to Upgrade. “Any chance you could drill some confidence into her? We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Chapter 59 - New Threads

Chatfield and Upgrade went out to get them some coffees, which left Blathnaid sitting in the chair behind the desk. Her eyes were still locked onto the small fabric crest clutched in her hands. Sal could appreciate how much of a whirlwind the entire day must have been for her, as she was unwittingly looped into Chatfield’s machinations. What had started as an experiment to see whether she could utilize the full capability of her powers had turned into a proven hypothesis for Chatfield’s proposal. Now, she was left with her own thoughts as she held the Challenge crest.

“You feeling a bit better?” Sal asked as he leaned on the desk opposite her. “Sorry if it felt like we ambushed you with all this. Chatfield is pretty intimidating, isn’t he?”

Blathnaid nodded before glancing up at Sal. “He’s going to take this back when he realizes I couldn’t complete the set.” She laughed humorlessly as she placed the crest onto the table beside the hunter set. “Or when he realizes how weak I am with my power.”

Her tone was resigned, and Sal couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Her power was limited because of the knots in her weave, and it was holding her back. To her, it would probably feel like failure and not working hard enough. Sal knew that nothing she did was likely to change the results of her weave.

“About that…” Sal said tentatively.

Upgrade had given him a pointed look as she left the room with Chatfield, and Sal knew what she meant. With a cautious tone, he gently tested the water with her. “What if I told you I was able to help you out with your power? Nothing dramatic, just a little lift in your current capabilities.”

Blathnaid gave him a skeptical look before shaking her head. “I’ve already thought about equipment that would boost my proficiency. I made a whole set of tools specifically around tailoring, and while they help, they don’t matter when my internal essence is so low. I need access to more reserves to make the designs the way I want. And even if I could tether to an external core, it wouldn’t be my essence in the end and would likely ruin my flow.” She caught herself and gave Sal a reassuring smile.

“I’m sorry, but this is something I’ve known all my life. I don’t mean to be negative. I know you’re just trying to help.”

Sal leaned further over the table. “Humor me. Would you let me try something? All I’d ask is that you keep it a secret.”

Blathnaid stared at him before shaking her head. “I trust you, Sal, but you need to give me more information than that. I don’t want to try any drugs, if that’s what it is. I know you manage to stay up all night somehow, but that won’t work for me.”

Sal smiled and gestured at himself. “My ability isn’t Appraisal. I took that ability from my father when I was a kid. It’s actually something called Skill Master, which allows me to replicate the abilities of other people.”

Blathnaid didn’t look as surprised as he had expected her to be. Before he could continue, she pointed at the doorway.

“You took Upgrade’s ability, didn’t you? That’s why you’re able to craft all these things and make blueprints?” She didn’t look annoyed, but confused.

She was half right, and Sal needed to explain before she jumped to more conclusions.

“Yes, but I also took Appraisal and Restoration. Both from my parents. When I combined them all, with Upgrade’s ability, it created a whole new ability called Mythcrafter. I’m able to craft things up to the Mythic grade, but it’s being kept as a secret from people so the guilds don’t try to steal me away.”

Sal gestured at the blueprint and the equipment on the desk. “Chatfield enlisted me to help him create designs that could evolve over time, so we could increase the standard of equipment at the academy. He has a big plan for it all, which was why he was so happy that you managed to create all this.”

Blathnaid stared blankly at Sal before a grin appeared. “So all that equipment we used in the tournament was made by you? That sword that Anthony uses, too?”

Sal nodded and pointed at his eyes. “My Skill Master ability doesn’t just apply to me. I’m able to interact with the internal threads of others, similar to a Body Manipulator. But instead of manipulating the body, I interact with the ability.”

Blathnaid’s grin disappeared as her jaw hung open. She couldn’t formulate any words as she stared at Sal in horror.

“Which is why…” Sal pointed at Blathnaid. “I would like to try to help you with your ability. It’s not invasive and you won’t feel any discomfort or pain. I’ve already done it with Divinity, but that was by accident and before I knew what I was doing. I did it with Upgrade, too, and helped her past her dependency on an external core. She knows this secret too, but Chatfield doesn’t.”

Blathnaid bolted to her feet and grasped Sal’s hands. “Please! Yes. I trust you.” Her eyes were wild, almost desperate as she clawed at his hand.

All her usual composure was gone, and Sal was alarmed at how quickly she had turned around on the idea. He wanted to explain more about the calculations from his visor, and reassure her that it would be safe, but Blathnaid didn’t look like she cared about that. All that existed was a pleading desire in her eyes to have her ability improved. Tears formed at the edges of her eyes, and Sal realized that he had been dangling a carrot in front of her, and he felt like an asshole.

“Let’s get started,” Sal responded with a slight croak in his voice, gesturing for her to take her seat.

He wanted to help her as much as possible. Although he had promised Upgrade that he would only undo a single thread or two to give her more access to essence absorption, he had already decided to give her as much help as it was safe to do.

Blathnaid sat down and waited expectantly, not sure what she needed to do. Her shoulders trembled, and Sal knew that it wasn’t fear from the bright smile on her face.

Without wasting any time, Sal activated Skill Master with his visor. The knotted tangle of web appeared, and he studied the different knots on the outside of the weave. Percentages appeared, showcasing the minor improvements and risk factors. Sal reached forward and unraveled some of the outliers, being careful to double-check that none of them posed any harm to Blathnaid.

The first knot was tight, despite the fact that it was on the edge of the weave, but after a concentrated effort, it finally came free. The percentages around that knot changed to reflect the new output of the weave, increasing the positive outcomes and minimizing the risk. In contrast, the percentages of some of the knots in the center dropped. It felt more like a puzzle than a solution, with Sal having to pick the most optimal knots to target.

He counted almost thirty knots in total, which seemed like an impossibility compared to the ones he had looked at before. By undoing four of them, he could see a definite improvement but it still wasn’t enough. Sal focused on the center of the weave and instinctively felt like it was being strangled from the inside. All the weaves he had seen before had the most amount of power in their center, like a star. If he thought of it like a constellation, freeing up the debris that was orbiting the star helped, but it didn’t fundamentally fix the issues.

Sal picked the largest knot and saw that it carried a slight risk of causing harm to Blathnaid. There was a huge improvement to be had if it worked, but that small chance of it being harmful made him pause. He could have asked her for consent to take the risk, but in her current state, she’d just accept it.

Sal debated it before moving to a safer place in the weave. He didn’t want to take any risks with this and prove Quest right about the terrifying nature of his ability. Pushing those useless thoughts aside, Sal focused his efforts on the center-most knots, targeting those with a guaranteed success rate. For each one he undid, it changed the success rate of the surrounding ones. Sal kept an eye on the big knot that he had considered before; the risk was reducing, but not near a guarantee.

Sal ended up having to redo a few of the knots to keep his target in the positive numbers. It was the end goal for this session, and he had already undone eight. By someone else’s standard, this would have been a monumental increase in capability, but Sal wasn’t satisfied. Blathnaid was his friend, and he never wanted her to feel inadequate again.

Yet, he had to admit that he was hitting a block. His fixation on that giant knot was thwarting what could have been a perfectly executed procedure. Sal resolved himself and kept working on the knots, reapplying them when they had a negative impact on the giant one. By the fourteenth knot, he had managed to bring the giant one within a couple of percentage points of failure. Any temptation to take the chance was quashed instantly as he experimented with the others. It took a painstaking amount of trial and error before he was finally rewarded with a perfect result on the giant knot. The visor wasn’t capable of lying, and it finally gave him the green light on unraveling it.

Just being able to target it was enough to bring a smile to Sal’s face, but that joy was cut short by the complexity that followed. It was an absolute nightmare to work the threads free. All the slack he had gained by undoing sixteen knots had given him some breathing room, but it was persistently trying to remain tied. Sal fueled more essence into his attempts, and it became slightly easier to pull at it.

Persistence won out before his essence ran dry, and Sal was met with what looked like a reasonably healthy weave. His visor did another check on his work and highlighted a few areas that needed to be knotted to maintain the new capability. He was loath to put them in place, but the visor instructed that it was the best method. In that moment, as though reading his mind, the visor prompted him with an alert that the target would need to acclimatize to the new level of ability before more knots could be safely undone. It seemed reasonable, and Sal disengaged his power with a sigh.

He was grateful that he had propped himself up against the desk, as it felt like it was the only thing keeping him upright. His essence had taken a beating, but with a single look at Blathnaid’s expression, it was worth it.

Sal used his visor to Analyze the changes and smiled in satisfaction.

Ability

Skill Name: Construct | Rating: VI

Skill Category: Invention

Skill Mastery: 64%

Skill Efficiency: 100%

Progress to Next Rating: 0%

Evolutionary Capability: Yes

Potential Cap: XV

Natural Synergy: Concept | Epicraft | Appraisal

Essence

Essence Type: Invention

Essence Gates: 80

Essence Absorption Rate: 71%

Essence Control: 23%

Essence Refinement: 52%

Essence Calibration: 58%

Sal went through the list and tried to make sense of it all. He wished that he had saved the previous data to see the improvements, but he could tell from memory alone that her skill rating had jumped from three to six, which was a massive leap. Her gates had increased by twenty, which was something that confused him greatly. How could the gates change from an ability becoming more powerful?

Sal scanned the list and saw that her potential cap had increased by five, and it looked like her essence absorption rate had skyrocketed. It looked like control and refinement had both decreased, but calibration had gone up?

“This…” Blathnaid’s voice cracked as she closed her eyes and concentrated. “I can feel the difference. It’s…like there are lights in my chest, and I can see them!” Tears flowed down her face as she laughed and explored her internal weave.

Sal smiled, happy he was able to help her. It was an incredible feeling, and he wondered whether this was the type of Hero he should be: someone who helped others reach their potential.

When Blathnaid finally opened her eyes, Sal met her gaze with a smile. “You’ve just ranked up your ability. How does it feel?”

Blathnaid grinned. “I’ll tell you after I fix those shoes.”

Chapter 60 – Alias

“You made the right decision,” Erika said as they exited the train station.

She had barely spoken a word the entire trip to the Reclaimed Zone, and Sal was left to sit beside his new team in silence. Rochelle hadn’t spoken, but she stole a few glances in Sal’s direction and had shared an awkward smile at the ridiculousness of the situation. Brophy, the team’s Offense—who was apparently broken—had tried to start up a conversation from the beginning, but Erika had cut that short with a few choice words. Which left Ioseph, who was an absolute anomaly to Sal. He sat quietly and stared forward in contemplation. Sal put him down as a strong silent type who didn’t want to engage in useless chatter.

“Reading my mind again?” Sal guessed as he carried his metal case in his right hand. He had been wondering whether he had made the right choice for the duration of their journey, and Erika’s statement confirmed that she had been prying into his thoughts.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll start imagining things you won’t want to see.” Sal smiled and conjured an image of what Neuro would look like naked.

Erika gave him a withering look. “I’d like to see you tr—” Her face paled as she locked eyes with Sal.

Her eyes were shimmering in gold as she seemed to look straight through him. Sal held her gaze and imagined Quest joining the naked party with a glass full of whiskey. Erika’s cheeks colored, and he couldn’t tell whether it was anger or embarrassment. When Sal was about to speak, he found himself incapable of opening his mouth.

“Not. Another. Word,” Erika hissed as she turned around, her eyes returning to their natural blue. Her shoulders trembled ever so slightly, and Sal grinned at her involuntary shudder.

Rochelle nudged him with her elbow. “You can move around when she’s not looking at you. She needs to keep eye contact to make you do stuff. Be careful, though…she can use reflective surfaces and other tricks to extend her ability.”

Rochelle touched a finger to Sal’s jaw, and a trickle of essence relieved his tension. “If you resist the effects, you’ll end up hurting yourself. Don’t ask me how I know that.”

Sal sighed as he massaged his jaw, looking at Erika walking ahead of them. It was good to know her limitations, and even better to keep her out of his head.

“Thanks for the heads-up and the healing. Don’t suppose you know much about the rest of our team? Didn’t really get to know much from the train ride here.”

Rochelle snorted as she turned around and walked backward, looking at each of the group trailing behind them.

“Our Offense class is the charming Mr. Brophy. Top of literally every class he attends, but you wouldn’t know it if you spoke to him. Pretends to be one of us academically challenged people.”

Sal turned around in time to see Brophy clutch his chest and give Rochelle a pained expression.

“You wound me, Miss de Verdon. I couldn’t possibly hope to achieve your level of grace. I feel all too privileged to be a part of this wonderful team.”

His eyes were playful as he gave her a dashing smile.

Sal couldn’t help but feel like he found a new Barry, but not in a good way.

Brophy’s eyes darted to Sal, that same easygoing smile still on his lips. “And to meet the esteemed Mr. Argento! I should count my lucky stars. I’ve seen you at several functions, but I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of a formal introduction?” He gave a good-natured laugh as he waved the comment away. “I blame the organizers. Those seating arrangements were barbaric!”

With just a single sentence, Sal recognized him. It was hard not to remember him with all the parading and promotion from the United Guilds Association over the years. The unbeatable Super Rookie. He looked older and more mature, but there was no mistaking his identity… and that name wasn’t Brophy. Sal returned Brophy’s smile and chose his next words carefully. “We haven’t met before, but it’s a pleasure. I recognize you too, but I think I misremembered your name.”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Brophy’s face before the smile reignited.

Rochelle pointed to Ioseph, who carried a duffel bag over one shoulder. “Mr. Bitterwater, who likes to go by Ioseph. I say he likes it, but I’ve got absolutely no idea. He’s our Defense class and is way more than meets the eye. You wouldn’t think he was a Healer, would you?”

Sal had to do a double take. There was no way this man was a Healer. He had a similar build to Dominic Walters, in the sense that he looked like he could shield their entire team with his body alone. Muscles that defied logic in a broad frame. His expression was still passive, but Sal guessed that he could tear their heads off if he was so inclined.

“You’re a Healer?” Sal asked in bewilderment. He was tempted to take out his visor from the case to verify the claims, but there would be time for that later.

Ioseph tilted his head to one side and gave Sal a bored look. “Something like that.”

Sal took stock of his team and sighed inwardly. Eager to please, Rochelle. Legacy Hero, Brophy. Silent mountain, Ioseph, and megalomaniac control freak, Erika. There was infinitely more potential than his original team in the Silver cohort, but Sal would have picked that team over this new one in a heartbeat. If they were being marked on their cohesion and reliance on one another, then they were absolutely screwed. Maybe their only way of getting through this would be to let Erika control them across the victory line.

Rochelle grinned, completely missing Sal’s reservations about the team. “Pretty incredible, isn’t it? Ioseph, Erika, and you all won in your cohort tournaments. We’ve got three of the top trainees in our team, and our academic ace!”

Brophy laughed and gave a mock bow. “You flatter me too much! They’re just tests, at the end of the day.” When he stood upright, he flourished his hand and gestured at Sal. “My curiosity is piqued at how an Appraiser managed to win, out of all the people in his cohort! I think that is much more deserving of praise.”

His smile grew wider, and Sal couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the tired joke. He had endured that same reference from every client who thought they were being funny.

Sal was grateful that he found a kindred spirit in Ioseph, who merely grunted and lengthened his stride. It wasn’t long before he had caught up to Erika, maintaining his pace a few steps behind her. Rochelle, on the other hand, had found the joke hilarious. Sal wanted to warn her against encouraging Brophy in case he started making a habit of it, but didn’t have the energy.

Forcing a smile onto his lips for the sake of salvaging some form of team chemistry, Sal turned around and distracted himself by looking around the area. The train had stopped at a recently repaired platform, that stood out as a stark contrast to their environment. It was as if they had stumbled into a post-apocalyptic world, where overgrowth and scenes of carnage reigned supreme. What had probably once been a populated city district was now a shell of its former glory.

Ruined buildings had crumbled and collapsed in on themselves, with rubble and shattered glass being reclaimed by the mounds of uprooted dirt. Huge fissures in the ground showed remnants of a ferocious battle from quite some time ago, with symmetrical claw marks in the ground, hinting at something terrifying in size. Each of the fissures was as wide as he was, and Sal truly hoped it was from a skill and not a demon.

The streets were wide enough to accommodate the marching group of students, but the atmosphere felt too lively to Sal. It was a monument to sacrifice and carnage, and the chattering and laughing of students made him feel hollow on the inside. Was it because he had fought the leechers in the dungeon? He couldn’t tell why he was feeling a sudden sense of melancholy, and he tried to push it out of his head. No matter where he looked, he saw scenes of devastation and wondered how the Heroes had managed to push the demons back.

Although it was nice being outside of the academy for a change, he wished it was under different circumstances. The weekend had flown by and before he knew it, it was time to go on the excursion.

He smiled as he recalled Blathnaid’s elation at her newfound capability with the Construct ability. After a lot of goading, he and Upgrade had managed to convince her to keep the armor that she had crafted. It was lower grade than what she had equipped, but had a lot of potential for the future. Chatfield giving his consent seemed to be the pivotal factor, since he had already created copies of the equipment with his Concept ability.

With the blueprints drawn up for a single set of armor and a prototype in place, Chatfield seemed to be satisfied with their efforts. Sal thought he’d need to draw up more variants, but Chatfield had told him that wouldn’t be necessary. He had what he needed to get approval from the Hunter Bureau, and Sal and Blathnaid had been invaluable in getting it over the line. Sal wouldn’t have gone so far as to say that, but he was happy that he had one less thing to worry about. He found himself wondering what impact it would have on the future, if all the students were equipped with evolutionary armor.

“Hey, stranger,” a voice called out from the distance, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Sal turned around and saw Divinity giving him a wave. Behind her was Melanie and Hannah, with only one of them making eye contact with him. He guessed that Hannah still needed time to get over the ordeal with that bastard Controller, but he was happy to see that she found her way onto Divinity’s team.

“Two Controllers?” Sal asked with a grin. “Looks like you’re just being greedy!” He veered away from his group to speak with Divinity, and they walked side by side.

“Melanie is acting as Support until she has a better grasp of her powers, so it totally checks out. I could ask some questions about your choice in Healer, though.” Divinity’s smile challenged him as she looked past him to where Rochelle was pretending not to notice.

Sal chuckled at that with a shake of his head. “Check out our Offense class. That’s the real surprise for me today.”

Divinity frowned as she looked at Brophy, nothing registering on her face. “Should I know him? He looks very…normal.” When Sal didn’t answer immediately, Divinity activated her ability and looked directly at Brophy. It took a few minutes for her expression to change to one of shock.

“Oh…”

Sal sighed. “There has to be a reason he’s keeping a low profile and not showing his power. I’m getting Barry vibes off him.”

Divinity didn’t answer as she continued to stare at Brophy. Her expression grew more conflicted with each passing second.

Sal filled the silence with a thought that had been bugging him. “Why is he using a fake name? He was plastered over every piece of consumable media as the hope of our generation, but not a single word about him in the last few years. I can’t get my head around it.”

Much to Sal’s surprise, Divinity had an answer for him. Her eyes returned to their normal blue as she gave Sal a pained expression. “He’s here because he can’t activate his power anymore.”

Sal turned around to see Brophy grinning like a madman, with Rochelle laughing beside him. The Super Rookie who had cleared his first dungeon at the age of eight years old. Son of the tenth most powerful Hero, Prestige. His Hero name had been selected for him at birth, but now he was pretending to be a regular first-year at the academy under the name Brophy.

“Gallant,” Sal muttered in confusion. “What the hell happened to you?”

Chapter 61 – Prestige

Once Divinity had left him, Sal walked in silence toward the meeting point. He thought about the fact that Hannah had willingly joined Divinity’s team. Did that mean that she had come to her senses and had ironed out her jealousy? Sal didn’t want to be hopeful in case it didn’t work out, but if she was better, then maybe he’d be able to get things back on track with her.

A lot of the things she had said to him weighed on his mind, but he didn’t want to lose a friendship over the words of Wester Templeton. Just thinking about that guy made Sal clench his fists.

“Less useless thoughts. Focus up,” Erika admonished him from ahead. “And before you ask, I didn’t read your mind. You’re just painfully earnest in your expressions.”

Without even waiting for his reply, she instructed the team to form up on her location.

Sal joined the group and looked around to see what was happening. Each and every first-year was there in force, taking up a massive clearing where a park likely existed before. Ruined buildings surrounded them in a giant square, giving them a full panoramic view of the destruction in the distance.

What made the experience all the more eerie was how close the barriers were to their location. Sal could see the almost translucent blue walls of energy on the horizon. As long as they were blue, it meant that there was safe-ish territory on the other side. Red barriers were the last defense against the demons, and Sal had no desire to see any of them.

“That’s all of them!” a loud voice called from far behind them.

Sal turned to see who it was, but all he saw were the backs of hundreds of students with the same curiosity. His grip tightened on the metal case in his hand.

“Excellent. So that’s two hundred groups of five. We can start pairing them off with their designated guardians.” Chatfield’s unmistakable voice echoed out from the front of the crowd.

Sal wondered why they weren’t using voice amplification equipment.

“Let’s welcome the cavalry! Any bets on them not making this flashy?” Chatfield laughed, and Sal finally managed to see his face at the very front. He held two of his fingers to his ear as he spoke, and Sal realized that Chatfield wasn’t talking to them, but likely to someone at the back of the group with a radio or something.

Sal felt a sense of foreboding as he looked around. Were the guardians going to be people from the Hunter Bureau? He had been under the impression they would be taking classes out in the excursion, so why would there be any need to give them a Hunter mentor so early? The uncertainty was gnawing at him when the first explosion rang out in the distance. More than a few gasps escaped the crowd. The initial thought in their minds was a demonic attack.

“They’re the worst,” Erika muttered as she stared off into the distance at the other side of the park.

Sal followed her gaze to see the remnants of a building collapsing to the ground, with debris still falling off the airship that had smashed through it. The hulking structure looked more like a cargo ship than something designed for combat, made more poignant by how it seemingly crashed through any obstacle in its way.

“You recognize the ship?” Sal asked in disbelief, which earned him a withering glance for his troubles.

“It’s a carrier. Defunct technology that only one guild is foolhardy enough to keep in operation.” Erika spoke matter-of-factly as she jutted her chin toward the carrier.

It seemed to pitch off to one side before falling to the ground a short distance from where they stood. The ground shook from the impact and a few of the students lost their balance.

Sal couldn’t help but laugh as he read the lettering on the side of the carrier. Parts of it were obscured because of how it effectively sank into the ground from the impact, but there was no mistaking it. He knew they were crazy, but the Reavers Guild seemed to not give a fuck about appearances. When the doors opened at the back of the carrier, a dozen people came out of it laughing, with one appearing beside Chatfield in a burst of black tendrils.

“Reavers Guild reporting for duty, Captain!” Blink laughed as she gave a mock salute, surprising everyone in the front rows.

From Sal’s perspective, Chatfield had enjoyed their entrance but was attempting to maintain his composure. Maybe it was from spending a bit of time with him, but Sal was starting to appreciate that the man was, in fact, human.

Chatfield returned the mock salute with one of his own and gestured to the crowd. “You have your assigned group, so feel free to seek them out.”

Blink nodded with a grin as her eyes scanned the crowd. “Which one of you is McGregor?” Her voice had switched to a commanding tone, and all jovial energy left her in an instant. The transformation was enough to make the crowd flinch. A single hand rose from the middle of the crowd, and Sal turned around to see Evan looking at Blink with barely disguised uncertainty.

“Perfect.” Blink disappeared from beside Chatfield and reappeared an inch from Evan’s face. “I’m your guardian. Show me your team.”

They were close enough to Sal that he could hear their voices. After a few awkward moments of pointing at one another, Blink seemed satisfied and instructed each of them to hold her arm. It was clear what her intention was and the rest of Evan’s team looked terrified. Evan, on the other hand, smiled as they placed a hand on Blink’s wrist without hesitation.

Startled gasps and discussion broke out the moment Blink disappeared with her assigned group. Sal heard the mutterings about the groups not all being together, and training in different areas. He didn’t pay any attention to that, though, because if the Reavers were there, it meant that his instructor might actually be Watcher. It was selfish to think that he’d get someone he knew, but if it was Watcher, Sal would learn a lot more from the gunman than any of the others. Worst-case scenario, he’d get Villa, but Sal dismissed that thought as there was no way the vice—guildmaster would free herself up for a month just to train students.

Another set of carriers appeared but were much more modern and sleeker-looking in comparison to the Reavers Guild. They all had wild color combinations, and Sal learned that the yellow and black carrier was from the Paradox Guild. The jet-black carrier was Delvers, and the dark-green one belonged to Source. He only knew it by listening to the observations from the other students. It was just another stark reminder that he knew so little about the different guilds and their identifiers.

By the time the other carriers had landed, the remainder of the Reavers had appeared beside Chatfield, asking for his help in finding their groups.

Sal looked over at them hopefully, but none of the twelve people who had arrived came anywhere near his group.

“That’s a relief,” Erika muttered as she looked around at the other carriers. “It would be better to have a competent instructor who will teach us correctly, than the current methods they undoubtedly use.”

Brophy stepped forward and laughed. “Delightful observation, Miss Clifton. Do you have any preferences yourself?” He moved through the crowd as he approached, seemingly phasing between the gathered people, and Sal had to give him credit—he likely had a terrifying amount of agility to be able to pull that off.

Erika didn’t even bother to look at Brophy as she responded. “Someone in the top one hundred Hunter rankings. You can’t fluke your way onto that list.”

Brophy’s smile didn’t falter as he stepped back to stand beside Rochelle. “I doubt the Hunter Bureau would designate such prominent members of society to people like us, but it’s a bold suggestion.” Brophy ran a hand through his black hair as he grinned at nobody in particular. “Personally, I have a lot of time for the Paradox people. They’ve really been making strides in pushing the front lines and would be excellent mentors for a party such as ours.”

Erika gave Brophy an incredibly frosty stare. “What did you do?”

Brophy shrugged as he gestured at the descending carriers. “I’m just as concerned as you are that we get the best guardian. All I did was make a few suggestions on our behalf, but who knows what way the dice will land.”

How he managed to make his meddling sound flippant was beyond Sal, and Erika’s increasing level of rage was quite the spectacle. Sal wasn’t sure he had ever seen her losing her composure, as their conversations had only ever been curt at best.

Just as Erika was about to snap at him, an enormous pillar of light pierced down from the sky, before expanding outward in a circle. It wasn’t like lightning, but rather a wall of ethereal white that practically pulsated with essence. When the light disappeared, Sal saw a group of thirty people standing in the center of the pillar. An indent had been formed into the ground, in a perfect circle, as though a giant hammer had slammed into that one specific piece of land. The most impressive thing wasn’t the entrance or the effects, but rather the people who remained.

Sal couldn’t help himself and started to Appraise all the incredible pieces of equipment.

“What are you mumbling about?” Erika diverted her attention to Sal, who was listing off what he was seeing.

Instead of quieting down, Sal pointed to the different Hunters who were making their way toward Chatfield.

“Stargazers spear, Epic grade.” Sal pointed to the next person. “Nightstalker helm, Legendary grade. Specter’s cloak, Legendary grade.” He was about to list more when Brophy gave him a panicked look.

“Specter’s cloak? You saw that?” There was clear apprehension on his face, and it was remarkable how he had gone from composed to terrified in a single heartbeat.

Sal nodded as he gestured at the woman in the distance. “Her other equipment is pretty incredible. I can’t get a good look at them all though, because people keep walking ahead of her. Looks like a lot of it is made with dreadcloth, so she must be an Assassin type?”

Brophy’s expression darkened as his shoulders slumped. “She fucking promised…” he muttered as a terrifying glare marred his normally smiling face.

Erika’s laugh was almost musical, if it wasn’t for the sneer on her face. She gave Brophy a pitying look as her eyes glowed in gold. “Ahh, looks like your plan backfired. I can’t imagine her appearing here for any other team, so maybe I should be thanking you?”

Erika leaned down to get a better look at Brophy’s face, ensuring that he could see her smug grin. “Thanks, Brophy.”

Sal frowned as he placed a hand on Brophy’s shoulder. “Are you okay, man?”

Brophy shoved his shoulder violently, knocking Sal’s hand away. The look of unadulterated rage was like a tempest aimed directly at Sal.

“Don’t fucking touch me. You planned this, didn’t you? All of you? That’s why you put me on your team?” His eyes were wild as he glanced around at all of them, searching for clues to their betrayal.

Erika’s laugh continued. “Oh my, I had heard the rumors…but this…wow. This is a whole new level for you to have stooped to. Just how broken is our little Brophy?”

Sal was so preoccupied with Brophy’s behavior that he didn’t notice the crowd parting in front of them. Every student who recognized her tall and elegant appearance had an expression of reverence, with some going so far as to take pictures on their tablet. Sal turned in time to make eye contact with the owner of the specter’s cloak, only to recognize her immediately.

“Prestige?”

Erika smiled as she bowed her head in respect. “It’s a pleasure to meet yo—”

“Miss Clifton.” Prestige gave Erika an unflinching stare that subdued her instantly. With just a single look, Erika was silenced and seemed to be trembling either from embarrassment or something else.

Sal took a step back to give them space, and Prestige’s eyes locked onto him as though searching for something. He felt like his entire soul was being bared to this woman, and it was a haunting experience. Was it the same aura ability that Villa had used on him when he had first started? He had no idea, but he knew it would be suicide to try to meet this woman’s gaze again. Sal looked toward the ground and mimicked Erika’s bow of respect.

Prestige moved forward until she stood directly in front of Brophy. “What did I tell you about trying to pull strings?”

Brophy’s face blanched as he stared Prestige dead in the eye. “Ah, Mother. What a pleasant surprise.” His trembling had disappeared, and Brophy looked to be in full control of his emotions again. That easygoing smile was back on his face, and Prestige looked disgusted by it.

“We both know those tricks don’t work on me. Drop it.” Prestige’s voice was both quiet and deadly at the same time, and had the instant effect of breaking Brophy’s façade.

What remained was something scarier than the anger he had displayed earlier. An eerie calm came over him, and all emotion dripped away from his face. Where most people would look passive in such a state, Brophy looked more like a haunted man destined to slaughter. There was only darkness in his eyes as he returned his mother’s stare.

“Bit late to try to fix me, isn’t it?”

His voice was laced with loathing and vitriol, and Sal couldn’t help but notice Erika flinch. Judging by her wide golden eyes, she had just made the mistake of looking into Brophy’s head.

Chapter 62 – Request

Prestige sighed as she placed a hand into her breast pocket.

Sal took the opportunity to glimpse at her equipment. The specter’s cloak was more like a scarf than anything else, as only a single banner trailed off her right shoulder. It was black at first glance, but contained a shimmering interior that looked almost like a starry night. Her clothes were a tailored three-piece suit made in black with white stripes; the vest was completely white, and the blouse underneath was a gleaming silver.

All of them were Legendary grade, but Sal didn’t dare focus on any one part of her in case he drew her attention. What caught his eye most was the weapon she rested her weight on. It was called Obsidian’s Decree and was fashioned as an elegant black cane with an ivory white grip.

Sal racked his brain to recall more information about her, but could only come up with the basics that everyone knew. Prestige was a Controller, and one of the best. She dominated every battlefield she entered with explosive power and tactical prowess, to the point that she could solo most dungeons and towers that she entered. Sal realized that he didn’t know much about her relationship with Gallant, or as Sal knew him now, Brophy.

“You haven’t been going to your meetings with Sergeant Head.” Prestige spoke quietly as she withdrew a small necklace from her pocket. “You’re also not wearing your ward. Come here.”

When Brophy made no immediate steps forward, Prestige sighed and tapped her cane against the ground.

Sal was suddenly blinded by a swirling vortex of gray smoke that billowed from every direction. It didn’t interfere with his breathing, but it obscured his sight and ability to hear. It lasted at most a few seconds, but felt like an eternity, similar to Barry’s purgatory. When it disappeared without a trace, Sal blinked and saw Brophy standing with a gentle smile and a necklace around his neck. Before Sal could stop himself, his eyes activated, and he pulled the information on the necklace.

Name
Restraining Locket

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Rare (Upper)

Dimensions
20” Length | 1” x 0.6” Locket

Materials
Infused Moonsilver | Refined Unicrafter Essence

Attributes

Calm: Wearer enters a calm flow-state when equipped.

Resilience: Wearer has increased mental tolerance when equipped.

Subdue: Wearer’s ability will be muted at will.

Abilities
Calm | Resilience | Subdue

Power Source
Internal Essence

Evolution
No

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $110,000.00 – $135,000.00

“As expected of an Argento. You got all that in a flash.”

Prestige’s eyes locked onto Sal, and he barely had time to deactivate his ability before she stood in front of him. Her gaze didn’t have the same terrifying aura as before, but her eyes were discerning. She pinched his jacket between her thumb and forefinger and rubbed it slightly.

“Epic grade…” There was a hint of confusion in her voice as she gave Sal a closer look.

“Ah, Mother! Sorry about that, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is Salvatore. He’s one of my team members.” Brophy was over in a flash with a warm smile on his lips. “He came in first place in the entirety of the Silver cohort, with just an Appraisal ability. Isn’t it incredible?”

Prestige didn’t react negatively to Brophy’s exuberance this time, but instead looked at Sal with a raised eyebrow. “With just an Appraisal ability, you say?” She released his jacket with a slight smile. “Your eyes must be starting to rot. Your friend here doesn’t even have an Appraisal ability.”

Sal’s blood froze but he tried his best to maintain his composure. How was she able to determine that he didn’t actually own the Appraisal ability?

Brophy laughed, clearly thinking it was a joke as he nudged Sal with an elbow. “Don’t mind her—she can be like this sometimes. Don’t be scared because she’s Prestige. There’s a warm heart in there…somewhere.” He winked at his mother, who rewarded him with a smile.

“Brophy, go apologize to your friends. I want to have a word with Mr. Argento for a moment.” She gestured with the base of her cane for him to move away.

His brow furrowed in confusion, as though trying to recall something. “Apologize? Did I do something wrong? Wait, did it…”

He gave his mother a concerned look, and she returned a slight nod.

Brophy sighed as he turned to Sal. “I’m so incredibly sorry for what you saw just now. I’ve been suffering with a bit of a condition for some time, which can unfortunately manifest in an unsightly manner. I hope you’ll forgive me, and that we can start anew?”

Sal was so confused by everything. Brophy had come across as an insane bastard just a moment ago, and now he was all smiles and sunshine? It didn’t add up. Prestige had clearly been disgusted with the happy-go-lucky act, but now she was seemingly fine with it?

Brophy excused himself with an apologetic smile and a face of pure remorse.

“You don’t have the essence of an Appraiser,” Prestige said quietly. “But you activated something when you looked at that locket. What was it?” She eyed him in the same way that Villa had during the sniper rifle appraisal, with suspicion and wariness.

“I can’t tell you that. But I can confirm that I appraised the restraining locket.”

Sal spoke in an equally quiet voice, paying special attention to how she reacted. If he wasn’t allowed to tell the guilds about his identity as Myth, then he surely shouldn’t be telling one of the top ten in the Hunter Bureau.

Prestige smiled as she looked over her shoulder at Brophy, who scratched the back of his head as he apologized profusely to the team. Everyone was reassuring him except Erika, who kept a visible distance from him. Sal didn’t understand what was going on, and as much as he wanted answers, he didn’t feel like Prestige was going to tell him.

When her gaze returned, she looked past him and smiled at the students still waiting for their guardians.

“Sorry if I gave any of you a fright just now. I couldn’t help but show a little bit of my powers to the next generation of Heroes.”

Sal wanted to laugh; there was no way the other students hadn’t heard her words before. When he turned around, he expected expressions of fear or confusion, but all he saw was adoration and smiles. It looked like each and every person was completely oblivious to everything that had happened. His eyes snapped back to her clothing. It had to be an effect. Sal desperately wanted to know what it was that had an effect over such a large crowd, but it would be suicide to check.

“Controllers can dominate more than just the battlefield, Mr. Argento. So, I’ll ask again. What is the ability you used just now?”

Prestige’s voice took on an edge, and Sal guessed that she was acting to protect Brophy. If that locket was anything to go by, she had nullified his ability and somehow made him more compliant. The real question was whether this new Brophy was the true nature, or whether the terrifying one was. As those thoughts swam through his head, he faced Prestige’s gaze.

“If you want to know, you can ask Quest,” Sal said, deciding to outsource the issue.

If Prestige was trustworthy enough to know he was a Mythcrafter, then it would be down to Quest to divulge that information. He was out of his depth on this one as there were too many questions that needed answering. Why hadn’t she used the effect on him like she did with the rest of the crowd?

Prestige held his gaze for a few moments. “So, you’re the kid Doc Ameye keeps harping on about?”

Only the narrowing of her eyes gave Sal any indication that she was bluffing.

“I don’t know who that is, sorry,” Sal replied as he gripped the handle of his case tighter.

A moment of awkward tension appeared between them before Prestige started to laugh.

“Well, at least we’ve confirmed that you can keep secrets. So, can you promise me that you’ll keep that recent appraisal to yourself?” She clapped him on the shoulder gently, without waiting for his reply.

As she turned to the group, she kept her hand on Sal’s shoulder, which made him incredibly uncomfortable. His parents were not going to believe this.

“As you’ve probably deduced by now, I’m Prestige, and I will be your guardian. I look forward to getting to know you all as we conduct the next few weeks of training. I promise not to be an overbearing mother, if you promise to keep my roguish son safe.”

She laughed as she gave them a warm smile that Sal wasn’t buying. Sure, he had been wrong about Chatfield, but there was something definitely…off with the dynamic between Prestige and Gallant.

Prestige’s eyes locked onto Erika. “Ah, Miss Clifton. I was wondering if we could have a chat? You’re the Controller of this troop, I imagine? I want to know every little detail about your team, so I can best assist you in your growth as Heroes.”

Prestige’s hand grew a little tighter on Sal’s shoulder as she spoke to the Mind Master. Her intent was clear as day: if Sal didn’t tell her what she wanted to know, she’d get it out of Erika.

Sal couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. He almost wished Villa was their guardian. Almost. If Prestige wanted every little detail, he was more than happy to oblige. Opening his case carefully so he didn’t draw Prestige’s attention, Sal withdrew the visor before closing it back up. He didn’t need to equip the revolver, as that was a surefire way to be misinterpreted. He clipped the visor onto his ear and inspected Prestige as she had her back turned. She was in front of him, turned around to the group with her arm still firmly clasped on his shoulder. If she had heard the click of his case, she was clearly ignoring it.

The flash of his visor was oddly reassuring as Sal looked at her stats.

Name

E. Brophy

Alias
Prestige

Class
Controller

Profession

Current: Board Member, Hunter Bureau

Previous: Guildmaster, Cirque

Previous: Vice-Guildmaster, Phantom Guild

Previous: Guild Officer III, Paradox Guild

Previous: Guild Officer II, Ultima

Previous: Hunter, Independent

Rank (Hero)

Guild Association: Cirque | Tier 1 | 28

Hunter Bureau: Current Rank | 8

Accreditations
[Confidential]

Ability

Skill Name: Catalyst | Rating: XV

Skill Category: Energy Manipulation

Skill Mastery: 100%

Skill Efficiency: 100%

Progress to Next Rating: 0%

Evolutionary Capability: No

Potential Cap: XV

Natural Synergy: Cultivate | Deduction | Regenerate

Essence

Essence Type: All

Essence Gates: 240

Essence Absorption Rate: 100%

Essence Control: 100%

Essence Refinement: 98%

Essence Calibration: 100%

Physical

Strength Rating: VIII

Mobility Rating: XII

Speed Rating: XI

Fitness Rating: X

Current Status Effects:

Injuries: None

Illnesses: None

Reputation

Ameye Locomotion: Revered

Bastion Colonies Families: Despised

Doom Council: Revered

Doom Society: Revered

Guild Association: Revered

Hunter Bureau: Revered

Quest Academy: Revered

Threat Level

Analyzed Equipment: XII

Analyzed Martial Arts: None

Analyzed Movements: XI

Analyzed Techniques: None

Analyzed Body Composition: X

Wealth
Q-Credit: 0

Sal’s jaw practically dropped as he witnessed the overwhelming difference between a top-ranked Hunter versus the students and Heroes he’d seen up until that point. His previous questions about people having more than sixty gates had been thrown into the deep end when he saw that Prestige had four times as many as regular people. Her physical stats were no joke either. He would have guessed from her lithe physique that she was fit but nothing had prepared him for those stats. He hadn’t heard of Catalyst before, and wondered what it was.

Catalyst:

Allows user to understand the very nature of essence to the point that they can transform atmospheric essence in their vicinity into any type of essence they wish.

Sal didn’t understand the full implications of it, but it made sense that she was able to see through his Appraisal ability. It also made sense why she was so eager to find out more about his ability, as it was an essence she hadn’t encountered before. Mythcrafter didn’t exist a few months ago, and now she was seeing a new essence variant that she didn’t understand.

When Prestige turned back to Sal, she was bemused to see the visor resting on his face.

“He doesn’t know Doc Ameye, and yet he found himself a trove of scarlet screen and moonsilver? Did your father purchase that for you?”

She wasn’t goading him. It sounded as if she was genuinely curious as to how he came across it.

Just as Sal was about to answer, Prestige’s eyes narrowed on the visor. A wide smile cracked her terrifying gaze as she finally pieced the puzzle together. Sal didn’t want to give her the satisfaction, so decided to preemptively explain.

“You can probably see my essence signature on the visor. I guess your Catalyst ability allows you to do that?”

Prestige held his gaze before letting out a beautiful laugh. “Oh my. There’s a little bit of fight in you. You’re definitely Sophia’s son.”

Did Prestige know his mother? How did she know her on a first-name basis? Sal knew that his family had carved out their niche in society, but he would never have thought that his family was on her radar.

Prestige finally released her grip on Sal’s shoulder and brushed it off gently. “I apologize for being overbearing just now. I’ll respect your privacy and not delve too much into your background. Doc Ameye’s materials and Quest’s backing tells me you’re one of the good ones. Add Chatfield’s recommendation to that, and your stock grows even higher.” She glanced over to Brophy, who was laughing with Rochelle. “My son is quite burdened with his ability, so I’d appreciate if you didn’t judge him too harshly for what you’ve seen today.”

Prestige looked almost lost in thought as she stared at her son. When she turned back to Sal, she tapped the visor’s casing at the side of his head. “I am curious, though. Did someone warn you about what your next few weeks were going to look like? You seem to have come prepared.”

Sal gave her a blank look, which elicited another laugh.

Prestige gave Sal an almost pitying look. “I hope you brought some tools with you.”

With that said, Prestige left him with his own thoughts as she sought out Erika. Sal watched her leave and couldn’t help but think that her hot and cold personality seemed to be genetic. A few moments afterward, when he calmed down, he remembered her last words.

“Why would I need tools?”

Chapter 63 – Gallant

“These are your rations for the first week. Please ensure to use them sparingly, as you’re not getting resupplied until the following week. Your first week will be induction with your new guardian and focus on getting your teamwork established. They will be assessing your capabilities to better instruct you in the coming weeks,” Chatfield called out from the entrance of a large white tent.

Groups went in single-rank file to retrieve a single duffel bag filled with essentials for surviving in the Reclaimed Zone. The looks of horror had long passed and had been replaced with resigned expressions, as Chatfield informed them that this was how the real world operated.

Sal cursed Chatfield under his breath. The fucker had known there would be no classes taking place this week and hadn’t even offered a heads-up to let Sal come prepared. When it was Sal’s turn to retrieve the duffel bag from Chatfield, the Controller laughed at Sal’s dark expression.

“Ah, don’t be like that. It’ll be fun, like camping…with Prestige. Pretty sure that’s every kids dream right there.”

Chatfield smiled as he gave Sal a wink. That was it—no amount of familiarity had given him any leeway with Chatfield, and Sal was now faced with having to camp out in the Reclaimed Zone for at least an entire week, with just rations and his own skills.

Erika was her usual cold self, and Sal guessed that she had somehow gleaned the information earlier. If the duffel bag she insisted that Ioseph bring was anything to go by, she likely had provisions that would help them set up camp.

Rochelle tried to remain upbeat, but it was clear that she was equally miserable as the rest of them. Brophy was remarkably quiet as he carried his pack along with the others. Ioseph didn’t so much as utter a word, but from everything Sal had learned of him—which was nothing—that behavior was typical.

Prestige guided them away from the other groups as they made their way into a copse of black trees in the park.

“As you’re now aware, the real exercise has now begun. The Hunter Bureau felt that the Survival module at Quest Academy was fundamentally flawed, because it took place exclusively within a classroom environment. Scare tactics aside, and Sinclair’s proclivities when it comes to mauling students…we decided to give you all a practical lesson in Survival. There are no demonic threats in this exercise. It will be just you facing the elements.”

Prestige gestured at the land around them: dusty gray stone, brown muck, and eerie black trees. It didn’t really inspire the imagination when one thought of the great outdoors. But that didn’t stop the Hero from smiling at what she saw.

“You need to meet your basic needs in order to survive. Throw away your wants, and focus only on your needs. I won’t be interfering with your decision-making process, but I would encourage you to work as a team to reach your goals. While it may feel unfair right now, this is one of the many reasons that we encourage teams to recruit diverse classes. Your Support class, if he knows his role well, should be able to make this a much less painful experience.”

Sal raised his hand, causing Prestige to glance at him. She waved for him to ask his question.

“You said that there are no demonic threats in this exercise. Does that mean there are other threats that aren’t demonic?” He felt like he already knew the answer, and the smile on Prestige’s face didn’t make him feel secure.

Prestige continued walking through the trees. “Excellent question. Which brings us to the roles of the Controller, Offense, and Defense classes. Your Support will orchestrate the camp, while protecting it will be up to you three.”

She turned to smile at Rochelle. “And while your team protects the camp, you will be protecting them.”

Rochelle nodded, but she still looked uncertain.

“Eh…does it have to be assigned by function?” Brophy asked tentatively as he looked around the group.

Prestige raised an eyebrow, which Brophy took as permission to speak freely.

“I’ve gone through this almost a hundred times in the past, and can set up camp, a perimeter, and traps. I don’t want to overstep, but I feel like it would be a wasted opportunity to just have me hit things.” Brophy spoke emphatically as he looked at Sal as though to gauge his reaction.

Sal couldn’t have cared less about hierarchy if he tried. If Brophy knew how to set up a camp, Sal wasn’t going to stand in his way. He was still ruminating over the fact that he had been so completely blindsided about this excursion. His plans to grill Lombardi about the essence gates and to ask Jez about the private auction were now on hold because he was camping.

Prestige sighed as she shook her head. “You can surely guide him, Brophy. But his role is Support, and he will be graded on his performance in that function. If you do all the work for him, you will likely both lose marks.”

Brophy bit his lip as he shuffled closer to Sal, and fell into step beside him. Looking over at his mother, Brophy smiled. “There’s no penalty for giving advice on the way?”

Prestige smiled at that and shook her head. “But there may also be a penalty if you act too independently from your Controller’s instructions. Remember, you’re here to fulfill your roles and to learn how to work together as a team. If I was to start us off early, I’d be very curious to know why our Controller is leading the pack when it should be our Defense class?”

Erika froze as she turned around and stared at Prestige. It seemed to have finally dawned on her that everything was going to be a test from this moment forward.

Sal looked between Erika and Brophy, the two top scorers in literally every subject. If they were being subjected to a test, Sal’s life was about to become very miserable for the next week. The only person among them who seemed delighted by the chaos was Prestige, who leaned on her cane with a bright smile.

“So, shall we try this again? You learned your formations in Combat training, I hope. So, show me how to properly navigate unfamiliar territory as a unit.” Prestige practically cooed as she tapped her cane, as though it would inspire some urgency.

Ioseph moved to the front of the group and repositioned the duffel bags to rest over his shoulders so he could use his arms effectively if need be. Rochelle stuck close to Sal, while Brophy sighed and took up the rear. Erika stood in front of Sal, and he could see the tension in her shoulders as she glanced over at Prestige with a confused expression.

Prestige grinned. “Good instincts, Miss Clifton. You need to decide between your memory of what you’ve learned, or the thoughts I’m presenting you in my head. Which is correct, and which will lead you to failure? Using your abilities is encouraged, and you don’t need to worry about running out of essence. I’ll be your sponsor and giving you as much as you can handle during this exercise.”

Rochelle’s face lit up. It seemed like all her worrying until that point was down to that factor. Obviously, their initial plan of using Brophy as a walking battery had likely gone out the window the moment his terrifying mother appeared as their guardian.

Brophy tapped Sal on the shoulder before moving back into his position a few steps away. Sal turned around, and Brophy gestured to an area off to the left.

“Set up camp there. You need to decide on it, but ask Erika if it’s suitable,” he whispered urgently and gestured again at the area.

Sal genuinely felt like packing the whole thing in and returning to the workshop if his next week was going to be playing house with this team. The pleading look on Brophy’s face made Sal resign himself to the next few days from hell.

“Erika, I think we should set up camp in this clearing over here. What do you think?” Sal gestured at the location and looked at it through his visor to see whether there was anything obvious about it that made it better than the countless other locations they had already passed.

Much to his surprise, the visor analyzed the area and highlighted key pieces of information. What Brophy had suggested as their campsite looked like the aftermath of a battle long past. Huge shards of stone pierced the ground in every direction, with a flat base behind them. There were gaps between the pointed rocks, almost like it was a hand facing upward.

Erika glanced at Prestige, who watched her intently. It was clear she didn’t want to fuck anything up, so her ire was directed at Sal.

“Why this area in particular? I’d rather hear your reasoning and its merits before deciding.” Erika gave another half glance to Prestige, who now looked at Sal for his response.

Sal could see Brophy panicking in the background, but there was no need.

“It’s elevated ground with clear lines of sight. The jagged rocks would act as a natural barrier, and it’s far enough from the trails around us. The surrounding black trees give us more cover, too. Ideally, we’d have access to a water supply, but unless we track all the way back to the lake, we’re not going to find a better location than this.”

Erika froze as she looked at Sal incredulously.

He didn’t give her time to process the information and instead pushed her for a response. “Does that merit a decision, Controller? I’d ideally like to get started on making camp while we have sunlight to spare.”

Prestige chuckled. “What do you think, Miss Clifton? This is your unit.”

Sal glanced away from Erika to see Brophy grinning. He thanked his visor for coming to the rescue, but found himself more and more curious about Brophy’s past experiences. If the Super Rookie, Gallant, was giving a seal of approval…then there was very little reason for Erika to refuse.

“It has merit. We’ll camp here.” Erika was about to go herself when she froze and cursed under her breath. “Brophy, please scout the perimeter to ensure it’s safe. Ioseph, remain here with us to protect the party.”

Sal could practically see her grinding her teeth as she was subjected to going through protocol. He was surprised that she wasn’t enjoying it more; he had assumed she was the type who loved rules and regulations. The glare she shot him reminded Sal that his thoughts were being broadcasted and confirmed his theory that she could read his mind whenever she liked.

His hope that the visor would prevent it had been in vain. It looked like Erika had lied about it interfering with her ability. With a sigh, he imagined what Alastair would look like naked, and Erika’s shriek of repulsion elicited a chuckle from him.

Just as he turned to watch Brophy navigate the bushes, his visor settled on the Super Rookie and started to process his information. Sal didn’t prevent it from doing so, as he was curious to know what his power was.

Name
J. Brophy

Alias
Gallant

Class
Offense

Profession

Current: Student, Quest Academy

Previous: Hunter, Independent

Rank (Hero)

Hunter Bureau: Current Rank | 843rd

Guild Association: Current Rank | 0

Quest Academy: Current Rank | 56th

Accreditations

Challenge Crests: 2

Specialist Classes:

Advanced Survival | Merit (Exemption)

Advanced Field | Merit (Exemption)

Advanced Combat | Merit (Exemption)

Certifications: Field Aid | Apprentice Grade - LN: 1,493

Ability

Skill Name: Soul Forge | Rating: XII

Skill Category: Psionic | Energy Manipulation

Skill Mastery: 2%

Skill Efficiency: 100%

Progress to Next Rating: 93%

Evolutionary Capability: No

Potential Cap: XXV

Natural Synergy: Calm | Deduction | Cleanse

Essence

Essence Type: All

Essence Gates: 210

Essence Absorption Rate: 100%

Essence Control: 100%

Essence Refinement: 76%

Essence Calibration: 3%

Physical

Strength Rating: VII

Mobility Rating: VIII

Speed Rating: IX

Fitness Rating: IX

Current Status Effects:

Injuries: Ability Imbalance

Illnesses: Trauma

Reputation

Ameye Locomotion: Known

Bastion Colonies Families: Hostile

Doom Council: Well Known

Doom Society: Known

Guild Association: Respected

Hunter Bureau: Respected

Quest Academy: Well Known

Threat Level

Analyzed Equipment: II

Analyzed Martial Arts: None

Analyzed Movements: VIII

Analyzed Techniques: Scouting (3% Calibration)

Analyzed Body Composition: X

Wealth
Q-Credit: 352

“Soul Forge?” Sal muttered before casting a nervous glance to Prestige, who didn’t seem to be paying him any attention. He breathed a sigh of relief as he checked the visor to see whether there were any records of the ability on the database. It took a little longer than usual, and Sal tensed with anticipation.

Soul Forge:

Natural evolution of the Hype ability, which allows the user to use positive mental reinforcement as a medium for explosive power.

Soul Forge incorporates all mental states as the medium, providing various effects based on the emotional state of the user.

Sal stared at the ability before referencing back to Brophy’s stats. Skill mastery of just two percent? Coupled with the fact that he’s suffering from an ability imbalance and trauma? Sal pieced it all together when he re-read the Soul Forge ability. The mental episode before and the restraining locket that Prestige had given him…

Gallant’s ability had evolved outside of his control.

Chapter 64 – Equipment

Sal sighed as he surveyed the area. Brophy had come back from his scouting unscathed and delivered a report on everything he didn’t find, in a clear effort to highlight that he knew what to be wary of. There had been no signs of animal or demonic activity for some time, and it looked defensible from above.

Prestige gave a nod of approval at Brophy’s report before turning to the rest of the team expectantly. “Now that you’ve found a place to camp that you’ve confirmed as defensible and secure, what are your next steps?” Her eyes flitted over each member of the team, making each one of them unsure whether it was them who needed to step forward.

Sal was lucky in the fact that he just needed to look at Brophy to see what was expected of them. The man was actively giving them as many hints as possible with facial expressions and miming. When Sal looked in his direction, Brophy stared at him meaningfully. It was time for Sal to step up. Brophy gripped his bag and looked at the other bags before making a gesture of opening it up.

“Erika, I think we should check on our rations and resources to see what we got earlier,” Sal said after a moment of hesitation.

Brophy gave an imperceptible nod, and Sal knew that he was on the right track. With a rotation of his wrist, Brophy indicated that he should continue. Sal was not a fan of this piecemeal information but tried to push past the discomfort.

“When we know what we’re lacking, it’ll give us time to look around for resources?”

Brophy winced, and Sal guessed that he had made a mistake. Thankfully, Prestige wasn’t there just to punish them, but apparently to teach them as they went.

“Good start, Mr. Argento. Seeing what your pack contains is the best route forward, but foraging in this sort of territory isn’t likely to yield anything of value. You should be able to discern that from looking at your surroundings. The trees are dead, likely as a result of the destructive essence used in the battles that took place here.” Prestige smiled as she gestured at the duffel bags. “If Miss Clifton has no objections, I’d recommend that you get started.”

Sal took a knee and placed his metal case on the ground before placing the duffel bag in front of him. Unzipping it, he was met with a series of smaller containers that had labels written on them. He picked out the first-aid kit and placed it beside his knee. There was a much larger roll of cloth material underneath the top layer of containers. His visor confirmed that it was a low-grade sleeping bag, which came as a massive relief. He didn’t particularly want to lay on a rock in the hopes of getting sleep later. The heaviest bag contained rations, which was a series of sealed bags of meat, fruits, and vegetables. They had assigned days on their labels to highlight how much should be consumed and when.

“Now, where did you get that?” Prestige asked with an amused smile as she walked over to Ioseph and Erika.

When Sal glanced over, he could see a small stove had been placed on the ground, as well as an expensive-looking metal coil. He activated his Appraisal just to get the basic details of what he was looking at.

Name
Campfire Stove

Origin
Crafted

Age
8 years

Grade
Uncommon (Low)

Dimensions
25” Diameter Tray

Materials
Cast Iron | Magma Shard

Attributes

Warmth: Can continually convert atmospheric essence into heat.

Grill: Can maintain temperatures required for cooking low to mid-grade foods.

Abilities
Warmth | Grill

Power Source
Internal Core 70% | External Essence 30%

Evolution
No

Quality
Average

Condition

62%

Value
Est. $400.00 – $600.00

The stove looked useful, and Sal was pleased at the prospect of them having some cooked meals throughout their stay in the Reclaimed Zone. Having warmth meant that he didn’t need to go out and get firewood, which was another relief. His eyes moved to the coil to see what use it was going to be.

Name
Ishka’s Essence Converter

Origin
Crafted

Age
3 years

Grade
Rare (Low)

Dimensions
30” x 2” Cylinder | 20” Diameter Basin | 4” Faucet

Materials
Infused Pearl | Copper | Refined Elementalist Essence

Attributes

Condense: Can continually convert atmospheric essence into water.

Purify: All water will be purified and suitable for consumption.

Cleanse: Converter will clean itself using the absorbed essence.

Abilities
Condense | Purify | Cleanse

Power Source
Internal Core 35% | External Essence 65%

Evolution
No

Quality
Excellent

Condition
86%

Value
Est. $4,500.00 – $8,000.00

“Oh, thank fuck.” Sal groaned in relief.

Their biggest obstacle had been overcome, and his words caused a bit of a stir in the camp as Prestige turned around to look at him with a smile.

“I forgot, we have an Appraiser in our midst. Care to explain what we’re looking at here?” Prestige gestured at the equipment.

“Converters. One for cooking and warmth.” Sal pointed at the stove before moving his hand to the coil. “And a converter for clean water. Both use atmospheric essence.”

He smiled genuinely at how lucky they were to have Erika’s ability on hand. There was no way that she didn’t pull the information from Chatfield’s head and prepared in advance. Sal’s only issue was that she kept that information to herself rather than telling the team. If it was Divinity, she would have told them everything the minute she found out. Erika was definitely not like Divinity.

Prestige clapped. “Excellent. Which means that two of your basic needs have been met. What is next?”

Erika looked around the area before her gaze went up to the sky. “Shelter. We need to avoid getting soaked if it rains.” She was so certain of her decision that she didn’t even glance at Prestige for confirmation. Erika’s gaze fell instead to Sal, who was still sorting through his duffel bag.

“Do you know how to craft tents?”

Sal frowned at her still relatively full bag. It was the one that Ioseph had been carrying. Sal was certain that she had brought a tent for herself, which meant that she was asking for the rest of the team.

“I’d need to see one to know how to replicate it, and even then, I’d need materials to be able to craft one.”

Prestige’s lips curled into a smile. “So, I take it that you did bring some tools with you?” She moved closer to Sal’s bag and took a knee beside him. “Show me what you brought.”

Her eyes fell onto the metal case, and Sal obliged by opening it and turning it around for her to see. Whatever she had expected, a revolver wasn’t it.

Prestige frowned as she looked at the gun. “So, that’s what felt incomplete. You’ve synergized the essence between the gun and your visor?”

With a shake of her head, she got to her feet and looked down at the still kneeling Sal. “I’m not an Appraiser, but I can tell that those items aren’t fit for use, Mr. Argento. I’d suggest that you pack them away and avoid using them until a professional can fix them.”

“They work perfectly,” Sal answered back, not caring about how harsh his tone sounded.

He couldn’t believe her audacity in claiming his equipment wasn’t fit for use. Whatever curiosity he had about finding out her reasoning, his defensiveness flared up at the suggestion that he had somehow built them wrong. If it was Upgrade telling him this, then he’d likely listen, but this woman didn’t seem to know much about Crafting.

Prestige sighed as she gestured at the visor on his head. “If you keep wearing that, you’ll eventually suffer from dregs. You’re likely unaware, but that set of equipment is absorbing atmospheric essence at a very high rate. I’m honestly surprised that you haven’t felt the effects, but I’m not willing to risk your life over your pride.”

Sal tilted his head and picked up the revolver by the barrel, so Prestige wouldn’t think he was choosing a violent route. He held it up to her and pointed at the evolutionary rune.

“It’s designed to absorb external essence, and not my own. It needs it to recharge the bullets, as well as helping it achieve the next level of growth.”

Prestige chuckled. “Clearly a poor imitation of an evolutionary rune.” She looked at Sal’s defiant face before her expression darkened. “Would you be willing to bet your gun and your visor on the fact that those runes work?”

Sal nodded. “Absolutely.”

Prestige paused as though debating on her next steps. She continued to hold Sal’s gaze. “Place your visor and gun back in the case for a moment. If you’re correct, then we should see something very interesting. If I’m correct, let’s hope that you can salvage some of those materials after we’re done.”

Sal unclipped the visor and placed it into the case beside the revolver. He looked at Prestige with a level expression. “If you destroy them, you should know that their value is over a quarter of a million as a set. Are you prepared to pay that?”

Prestige chuckled as she gestured for Sal to step away from the case. “That’s not how a wager works, Mr. Argento. You should know that.”

Sal shook his head. “A wager is when I have something to gain from this. Everything seems to be in your favor at the moment, so there’s no incentive for me to go along with a bet.”

Prestige’s smile widened. “My experiment is your incentive. If your equipment is capable of evolving, then they’ll absorb the essence I’m about to flood into them. If they can’t handle it…” She left the sentence hanging and looked at Sal meaningfully.

Sal got to his feet and stepped away, which seemed to surprise Prestige. “Give it your best shot.”

Brophy, Erika, and Rochelle watched on in curiosity, while Ioseph stood beside the towering spikes of stone. Sal glanced over at him and frowned when he saw that he was tracing a fingertip along the edges of the stone. It was quite odd to see him doing something proactively, and Sal wanted to check out his stats. That wasn’t going to be possible until Prestige had her curiosities settled.

Prestige was still smiling at him. Her confidence was really starting to irritate him now.

Sal pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes closed. Was she picking on him because he had high-grade equipment, or was it because she couldn’t identify his essence? Even if she was concerned for his safety, she waited hours to say anything about it. Sal couldn’t determine whether she had his best interests at heart, or whether she was just trying to make an example of him in front of the others. Taking a breath, he decided to throw another curveball at her to see where it landed.

“Is it all right if I monitor your ability while you do this? Just want to ensure you don’t use Catalyst to forcibly destroy my equipment when your essence flood tactic doesn’t work.”

Sal activated his Skill Master ability and stared at her. The result was instantaneous as Prestige picked up on a completely different essence coming from Sal. Mythcrafter and Skill Master were separate abilities, and if she knew all essence, there was a very good chance that she recognized what he was doing.

“Skill essence, too?” Prestige scoffed as she placed a hand on her hip. “I can count on one hand how many Heroes I’ve come across with dual abilities. Did you get an implant?”

Her eyes searched his face for some form of deception, but there was none to be found. Just as Sal was sure she was going to say something else, her head whipped around to stare at Ioseph in surprise. “I guess this is on me for giving Mr. Argento too much of my time.”

Prestige marveled as she looked at the barrier taking shape around their campsite.

Ioseph had managed to erect a shimmering barrier of essence between the gaps of the stone fingers on one side of their camp. He barely acknowledged Prestige’s comment as he drew more runes on the ground with his thumb.

Prestige shook her head at the nonchalance from Ioseph. “I’ve wasted too much time on this already. You have my assurance that I won’t be playing tricks on you. As a guardian and a member of the board in the Hunter Bureau, I’ll be testing the suitability of your equipment. If you don’t agree with my terms, you can pack your equipment and use it after gaining certification from a reliable Appraiser. Shouldn’t be hard to find one of those.”

Sal sighed as he looked at the sky in frustration. “Would an Appraiser working for the Reavers Guild be sufficient? Silver token holder?”

Prestige thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Those terms would be sufficient. I’m glad that you’ve decided to choose reason in—”

Sal pulled out his silver token from the Reavers Guild and presented it to her. “As the Appraiser for the Reavers Guild, selected by Vice-Guildmaster Villa, I’m telling you that the appraisal of this equipment has been completed. Those evolutionary runes are functioning perfectly.”

Brophy’s whisper of “Holy shit…” managed to carry through the silent campsite.

Prestige’s jaw tightened as she raised a hand over her head.

Sal took a step back from her and started to panic. Had he pushed her too far? She didn’t come across as the type who would hit a student who disagreed with her. A heavy atmosphere swelled around him, and not in the figurative sense. Sal felt the very nature of the air changing and it was suddenly bearing down on him. When he looked over at the others, he could see they were struggling too, except for Ioseph, who looked bored and continued to mark his runes.

An erratic flash of red drew Sal’s attention to his visor, which looked to be overloading. The revolver beside it had started to glow as though it had been heated in a searing fire. A lurch of dread welled within Sal as Prestige focused her entire attention on his new set. He wanted to interrupt, but there was nothing he could say that was likely to stop her.

Time passed achingly slow as Sal bit his lip in anticipation. He had built them to the best of his ability, but their current low grade might not be enough to withstand the number eight in the Hunter rankings. Sal tried to believe in the materials he used and his own essence, but something about watching the set getting battered by foreign essence made him feel incredibly vulnerable.

“My mistake,” Prestige said as the atmosphere returned to normal. She didn’t look at any of them, as her eyes were locked onto the set in the case. “You crafted these?”

Sal rushed to the case to check on his visor, but it was still glowing with a very familiar effect. It was the same glow that appeared whenever the sniper rifle was evolving into its Legendary form. It was an evolution, but Sal knew it was nowhere near the Legendary grade yet. She had just powered up his equipment.

“I asked if you crafted them, Mr. Argento.” Prestige’s voice was unreadable, and Sal was too grateful to harbor any hostility.

She could have easily destroyed them with a snap of her fingers, but instead kept her word and tested the evolutionary runes.

“Yes. I did,” Sal answered with a grin.

Prestige’s unreadable expression melted away as a smile appeared. “Then I imagine a few tents should be no issue for you.”

Chapter 65 – Truth

Prestige had excused herself from their camp and said she would be back in a few hours. It was late in the afternoon, and they had plenty of sunlight to spare. Ioseph had silently and meticulously set up a series of barriers around their entire camp. The runes he drew on each surface had joined together to create one large structure. When pressed for details on how he managed it, he shrugged and told them it was just borrowing from nature.

Brophy took on the role of leading the group as Erika busied herself with setting up her own accommodation. It was clear to everyone that Erika had never needed to rely on anyone and was unshakably proud. Brophy offering to help her erect the single tent she brought did not go well, so nobody bothered with her after that. Rochelle, in an attempt to be useful, offered to cook them a meal, which was well-received.

As the camp stove sizzled with meat, and the barriers loomed around them from all sides, it left one last part of the puzzle. Sal looked around at the equipment they had brought and started to come up with a plan. He had crafted without blueprints on multiple occasions, but he needed a rough idea of one to get the Mythcrafter ability kickstarted.

“We don’t need to cover the entire area, just enough space to keep our essentials and sleeping areas dry, right?” Sal asked Brophy, who gave him a nod. “Do the barriers keep water out, or will it come through?”

Sal looked at Ioseph, who got to his feet and made his way over to the converter. Lifting a small cup, he filled it with water before splashing it at the closest barrier. Rather than phasing through it, the water slapped the shimmering wall and trickled downward. Ioseph gave him a nod before returning to his seat.

Sal sighed in relief. That made it a lot easier for them, as it meant they could use the barrier wall with the rocks for additional defense against the elements. Kneeling to the ground, Sal picked up a twig and drew out the rough shape of a tarp. He was going to use the empty duffel bags to create a large sheet of material. Because they were already waterproof, it suited his needs perfectly. Their zippers could be converted into a makeshift door, too.

Experience told him that he needed to wait until he had a rough plan before he could craft it effectively. Just like with Hannah’s Barrier gauntlets, he needed to create an awful mess of intent before the Mythcrafter bailed him out with a fix. It was like having a Crafting lecturer in his brain who insisted he try his best first before it would step in. Sal drew out the materials he had on hand and roughly outlined his intentions. Some of the metal in the bags would be used as metal fastenings to latch into the rock, while the straps would be useful for securing it to the ground.

While he worked, he thought of how instrumental Blathnaid was going to be for her team with her new Construct ability. It wouldn’t surprise him if she had managed to build her team a house in the wilderness. On the other side of the coin, Sal thought of Melanie, who was clearly a Controller…acting as a Support on Divinity’s team. There was no way that was going to go well, even with Divinity’s foresight ability leading them. Sal felt guilty for the laugh that escaped his lips.

“Finding something funny?” Erika whirled on him from the other side of the camp.

A series of tent poles were sticking out in all the wrong places and the material was tangled in the center. She obviously thought he was laughing at her, which gave him peace of mind that she wasn’t actively reading his mind all the time.

Brophy stepped between them with an easygoing smile. “Hey now, there’s no need to raise voices. We’re all in this together. Erika, can I please help you? It’s hurting my eyes.”

Although the words exuded condescension, Brophy’s awkward smile was disarming enough that Erika extricated herself from the mess of a tent and gestured for him to take over.

Sal looked at where she was setting up and frowned. “We’re going to be putting our covering over here with the rock fingers. I’m thinking of using the wall to put a large tarp down at an angle to let the rain fall downward. You should set your tent over here with us.” He gestured to the area behind him, but Erika shook her head.

“This is where I’ve selected. You can all stay over there, though. Rain won’t be a problem for me.” She was as imperious as ever and not a single person seemed surprised at her behavior.

Sal, on the other hand, wanted to take the opportunity to enlighten her. “That’s downhill, Erika. We’ve already shown that the barriers repel water, so we’re essentially in a tilted bowl, with your proposed tent being on the lower end of it. You can set up there if you want, but I hope you like swimming.” Sal shrugged as he went back to his drawing.

Rochelle turned the meat over on the stove and looked at the sky. “It doesn’t look like there’s going to be rain. Maybe we’ll be okay without it?” When everyone stared at her, she glanced around awkwardly. “What?”

Brophy was the one to explain to her. “Ah, my sweet summer child. Looking at the sky isn’t going to provide you with any clues, because this exercise has nothing to do with the laws of nature. If I know my mother, she’s going to strike lightning on top of us as we try to sleep, to test us.”

Erika frowned as she gestured to Brophy. “I’ve thought about it and it makes sense for us to stay together as a team. We’ll set up the tent over by the rocks.” She picked up her things and started to move them toward the rocks, and Sal could see that more than a few stray hairs had escaped the normally immaculate knot of golden-brown hair.

Sal snorted. “Guess you don’t like swimming…”

Erika ignored him but Brophy gave a good-natured chuckle as he carefully untangled the mess that was supposed to be a tent. Sal watched him in fascination. There was zero hesitation in his movements, as though he had done it a thousand times before.

“Brophy, when you get a chance, could you review this plan and tell me what you think?”

Sal wasn’t going to waste Brophy’s expertise while it was readily available. Much to Sal’s surprise, Brophy’s face lit up with excitement as he let out another laugh.

“Of course! I’ll be with you in just a moment. How exciting to be able to orchestrate the camp!”

Brophy’s tone was both dramatic and genuine, and Sal couldn’t for the life of him figure the man out. No matter how much he watched Brophy, Sal kept thinking about the Soul Forge ability that was being muted by the locket he wore around his neck. Which personality was the genuine one?

Sal opened his case and picked up the visor. It had changed slightly in appearance, with the red screen becoming a deeper hue of red. The casing around his ear was now much sleeker and low profile. If he had to guess, he would have said that the dimensions had shrunk ever so slightly. His appraisal of the item had given him a much better picture of just how much had changed.

Name
Scarlet Moon Visor [Set 1/2]

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Rare (Upper)

Dimensions
Visor 2.2”, 3” | Earpiece 3.8”, 3.3”

Materials
Infused Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft & Catalyst Essence

Attributes

[Sealed] [6/16 Unlocked]

Analysis: Ability to interpret visual data and information.

Insight: Wearer can analyze patterns and predict outcomes

Perception: Wearer is hyper-aware of their environment and can assess threats.

Deduction: Wearer can rapidly process real-time information.

Lock: Guaranteed to track sighted targets.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items. [Headshot] [Lock]

Abilities
Analysis | Insight | Deduction | Lock | Synergy | Perception | [Sealed]

Power Source
External Essence [Scarlet Moon Revolver]

Evolution
Yes - 14%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $145,000.00 – $180,000.00

Name
Scarlet Moon Revolver [Set 2/2]

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Rare (Upper)

Dimensions
6 inches barrel | 11.5 inches length | 5.5 inches height | 2.1 lbs. weight

Materials

Infused Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft & Catalyst Essence | Hellfire Titanium

Attributes

[Sealed] [7/16 Unlocked]

Tether: Shots tether the gun to its prey, siphoning target essence with every shot.

Catalyst: Small chance of creating area-of-effect damage in blast radius.

Leech: Synergized equipment will benefit from absorbed essence.

Burst: Greatly enhances shot potency by utilizing stored essence.

Reaction: Essence-based bullets will have increased effect.

Headshot: Headshots will have a small chance to apply critical damage.

Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items. 

Abilities
Tether | Leech | Burst | Reaction | Synergy | Catalyst | Headshot | [Sealed]…

Power Source
External Essence

Evolution
Yes - 14%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value

Est. $200,000.00 – $240,000.00

His visor had picked up the Perception skill, which would work perfectly in this environment. It would also give him a much better understanding of Brophy’s characteristics and discerning what was fact or fiction. Overall, the dimensions of the visor had reduced to reflect its more stylish form, but it had blasted past the mid-grade for Rare and ascended all the way to the higher grade. Sal had thought it would automatically grant him a new ability for each level, but it didn’t seem to work that way. It still said that there were sixteen total abilities to unlock, so Sal guessed that it was evolving in whatever way it wanted.

The revolver, on the other hand, had experienced an excellent evolution. It had picked up two new abilities. Headshot was one he was familiar with from Maslow’s sniper rifle, but it was a much weaker version than what they got with the Legendary grade. That was to be expected, though. Sal didn’t think for one second that he’d end up getting an overpowered ability. Nor did he think that he’d end up getting an ability from Prestige. It was a very low variant of the ability, offering a small chance of success, but it would have a lot of potential if it activated.

Sal grinned as he equipped the visor and felt the familiar flash. People like Prestige forcibly evolving equipment was a whole new level of power that he had no idea existed. If he was able to force an evolution, then it would be an absolute win. What would happen if Prestige was to pour all her essence into the Legendary sniper rifle? Would it speed up the evolution to Mythic?

“So, how can I help?” Brophy appeared to Sal’s left and took a knee so they were on the same level.

Sal had to admit that his drawing left a lot to be desired, but it gave a good idea of the concept he was going for. He moved out of the way so Brophy could get a better look at it, which he did with a few satisfied humming noises thrown in. Sal thought it would be as good of a chance as any to look at his behavior. With Insight, Perception, Deduction, and Analysis, there was no way for Brophy to bluff his way past him.

“Brophy, if you don’t mind me asking…the thing that happened before, with your mother?” Sal said cautiously, keeping his visor trained on Brophy. “What happened? You seemed out of sorts.” He tried to keep his tone neutral and sounding sympathetic.

Brophy looked at Sal and gave him a tired smile. “I’m guessing you didn’t really need help with the camp setup.”

The disappointment in his voice was palpable, and Sal could see on his visor that Brophy was genuinely upset by the realization.

Rather than ignoring the question, he withdrew the locket from around his neck and held it up for Sal to see. “No doubt you caught a peek of this little thing?”

Sal’s reading showed that Brophy was certain that Sal knew what it was. There was no point in playing coy. “Yes, I know it’s a restraining locket.”

Brophy nodded as he looked back at the etchings on the ground. “Then why don’t you ask the question you really want to know?”

Sal debated on whether he should keep up the act of curious sympathizer or cut straight to the concerns that had been washing over him for hours. He took a breath and exhaled slowly. “Your ability used to be called Hype, but it evolved into a stronger ability called Soul Forge.”

The readings on the visor showed that Brophy had tensed up and was immediately defensive, but his smile was still genuine. That information made no sense, but the threat analysis told Sal that he wasn’t currently in danger. Brophy remained quiet, as though waiting for the rest of the question.

“Is that angry side your actual personality, or is this friendly version the real you?” Sal finally asked and braced for Brophy’s reaction.

It took a few moments before Brophy responded. He picked at the locket with his right hand and gave Sal a sad smile. “Would you prefer the disingenuous answer or the truth?” He twirled the locket in his palm as he looked directly at Sal. “Because, if you want the truth, I’d need to take this off.”

Sal saw a sudden spike in threat level, and chose the safe route. “Let’s try disingenuous for now.”

Brophy’s laugh was light and full of heart, and Sal could tell he was truly amused by the response.

“Oh Salvatore, that tickled me. Ah, how should I answer this?” He gestured at himself with a smile. “I’m guessing that since you know my ability, you saw all sorts of other things in there? Was my medical history in there, too?”

Sal nodded slowly, and Brophy grinned.

“Okay, that makes it easier. When I was a kid, I was invincible. Self-belief in children is unwavering, and when you have a power that’s tied to your self-belief? You’re absolutely unstoppable. I threw myself into dungeons and despite my crippling fear, I was able to prevail time and time again.”

Sal listened carefully. Everything he said was true, according to the visor.

“Gallant was a name chosen for me at birth. Mother thought it would sound regal, like Prestige. My successes in towers and dungeons caught the interest of everyone, and I was hailed as the upcoming savior of humanity.”

Brophy stared off into the distance as he spoke, his voice unwavering, as though he had already said this a thousand times before.

“Hype evolved, as you said…at the worst point in my life. All those dark thoughts, the accumulated trauma, and the happy facade I gave everyone—it all broke at the same time. Soul Forge is indiscriminate when it utilizes emotions, and all my baggage was turned into a destructive force. Everything in my head became amplified to the point that I lost myself in it.”

Sal faltered as he listened to Brophy. He couldn’t believe it, but the visor stated that everything he said was true.

Brophy glanced at the rest of the group, and Sal finally saw that the smile he wore was fake.

“The painful truth of it all is that if I ever want to be Gallant again, I need to face my inner demons and learn to control that darkness.” The light in his eyes died as he dropped the locket from his palm and gave an aggravated sigh. “Wearing this fucking thing isn’t doing anything except keeping me docile. But as you saw…that’s the Brophy our illustrious Prestige prefers to see.”

Getting back to his feet, Brophy dusted off his knees and pointed at the etchings on the ground. “It’s a good concept. Let me know if you need any help.” And just like that, he made his way over to Rochelle, his voice taking on a happy and high-pitched tone as he laughed and joked with her.

Maybe it was because he had used the monocle, but Sal understood how much humanity the Calm ability withheld from a person. Brophy clearly wanted to heal and become Gallant again. Knotting his ability wouldn’t do anything but reduce his skill mastery to zero.

The painful realization was that Sal could do nothing for him.

Chapter 66 – Enclosure

Sal couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the chaos unfold. Their lunch had gone down without a hitch, but afterward, Ioseph of all people had managed to catch Erika’s ire with a simple suggestion. Her screeches at him had become the lighthearted entertainment that everyone needed.

“How many times do I have to explain it to you? This is an expensive piece of purification equipment—you can’t just piss in it!” Erika’s eyes were wide as she stared at Ioseph as if he were an idiot.

It was Ioseph’s uncaring stoicism that made the scene play out all the funnier. He kept replying with the same sentence repeatedly, as though it were obvious: “It cleanses and purifies things. Why can’t I piss in it? It’ll make drinkable water much faster than the current rate.”

He was steadfast that his argument was sound. He just failed to register the revulsion that it caused Erika, who clearly owned the device. Rochelle was trying to explain it to Ioseph, but that just made it funnier.

Sal and Brophy grinned the entire time they ripped apart the duffel bags. The discussion had raised a massive oversight on their part, and they had to dig an area near their camp where they could relieve themselves. Ioseph clearly hadn’t availed of it when he was erecting the barriers around it, because he seemed more agitated by Erika’s insistence that he couldn’t piss on her things.

Brophy acted as though he and Sal never had their earlier conversation. It was a little startling at first to see him slip back into character, but Sal eventually got used to it and decided to leave it alone. All he could focus on doing was ensuring they got through this week without killing one another or getting injured.

“Okay, that’s all of them disassembled. You got a sewing kit tucked away somewhere?” Brophy laughed as he put his hands on his hips and looked at the scattered mess of fabric on the ground. “Should we at least sort it to make it easier for you?” he asked tentatively, as though realizing the task ahead.

Sal grinned as he kept his voice low. “You trusted me with a secret, so it’s only fair that I return the favor.”

Brophy’s brow furrowed, but Sal could tell that he was curious. Bringing his gloved hands into view, Sal threw a surge of essence through them before yanking back on the leash.

Brophy staggered back as Sal’s arms transformed into gleaming black mechanical claws. His shocked expression was replaced with a grin as he moved closer to get a better look. “That’s incredible… It’s from your uniform?”

Rather than answering, Sal got to work on the materials as he focused on making them all one giant piece. His essence and intent did the rest for him as his claws fused pieces together. His Deduction ability created the optimal method for assembly, and it was practically an automatic process.

Brophy watched on in fascination as the materials were expertly folded atop one another, with each new piece becoming a layer. Every so often, the entire stack would rotate and the fused material would be added onto a different area.

Sal didn’t feel much strain on his essence as the scrap had all been turned into a rough tarp. Its quality was understandably low, barely even scraping at the Common grade. With the materials prepared, he brought up the rough schematic on the ground and looked at the tarp in his hands, hoping that it would be enough to activate the Mythcrafter ability. A single flash of his visor caused him to grin.

“Now it’s time for the fun part…but it stays between us, okay?” Sal gave Brophy a conspiratorial wink, which got a laugh from him.

“You have even more tricks to show me?” Brophy crossed his arms as he looked at the tarp in Sal’s hands. “I thought it was done? It looks sturdy enough to handle the elements, and we can use the straps to loop around the top of the rocks.”

He was right, but Sal didn’t want to settle for something adequate when Prestige had challenged his ability to craft a tent. Sure, she was likely goading him, but it worked.

“Let me try this out first, and if it doesn’t work out, we can revert it back to this.”

“Revert it?” Brophy repeated as he watched Sal’s eye turn purple. “You do have two abilities, don’t you? Normally your eye goes silver when you do an Appraisal!”

All Sal gave him in return was another wink. He started to craft the tent, which was by far the largest construct he had ever worked on. But that didn’t matter to the visor or the Mythcrafter ability. It was simply a project that needed to be completed, and they were sufficient to guide Sal to the finish line. He was eager to get it done before Prestige returned so he’d get to see the look on her face.

His essence flowed into the fabric and although it was a trash material, it absorbed it well. One of the surprising factors was that Sal had to physically move over to the location where he wanted to erect the tent. He followed the instruction and laid the material out on the ground in front of the pointed rocks, which was draped over their gathered supplies. Sal frowned as the visor started to add their supplies as potential materials, and he had to hold it back forcibly from continuing the craft.

One of the frayed edges touched the rock and much to Sal’s amazement, it wanted to know whether the rock was able to be used as a material. Sal’s curiosity got the better of him, and he included the pointed fingers in his design, but made sure that their structure and the runes Ioseph had carved into them were preserved. Everything suddenly became a lot more complicated. Sal had to map out his vision with the tarp, reaching up to place the edges of the glowing material against the now glowing rock.

“What is even happening?” Brophy watched Sal in bemusement.

The others stopped their squabbling to watch, with Rochelle getting excited by the display, but Ioseph looked on with a dark expression. Sal could tell that he was worried about the runes, but it wouldn’t be an issue.

Despite the new complexity, Mythcrafter told him that he needed to fuse the rocks and material with his essence. If he didn’t have the ability guiding him, he would have thought that the concept was insane. His plan for a sloping material tarp had ended up getting changed by Mythcrafter, and not even Sal knew what the final result was going to look like. As it hung loosely in the air, Sal moved back to retrieve the straps while still holding one of the edges. He didn’t want to risk finalizing the design before it was done. The metal fixtures would come afterward.

Almost an hour passed with Sal moving to different sections of the glowing tarp, smoothing edges and tracing his mechanical clawed hand over the material in a state of complete concentration. Erika’s demands that he just hang the tarp fell on deaf ears, and Brophy gestured that it was going to be fine. Ioseph’s expression had turned into one of curiosity.

Sal double-checked everything and finally smiled in satisfaction. The runes on the material felt completely unnecessary, but as always, his ability dictated the correct way to do it. He wondered whether his essence would have managed to get it up to the Uncommon grade, but that felt like wishful thinking. He wasn’t Blathnaid by any stretch, and he had awful materials to work with, but time would tell how it worked out.

With a step back, Sal deactivated his ability and watched as the glowing tarp started to lose its luster. He wasn’t able to use Appraise on it yet, so it looked like they were in for a bit of a wait. With that in mind, Sal turned to face the group as he deactivated his armor and returned his hands to normal. It was by far, one of the shortest crafting exercises he’d done, but he imagined it felt like an eternity to everyone forced to watch him.

“Salvatore!” Brophy called as he pointed at the area behind Sal. Everyone’s mouth was agape as the tarp started to rise on its own.

Sal laughed with a shrug. “I was wondering what way it was going to work out, but it looks pretty reliable.”

He watched as the tarp’s creases disappeared. It was straightening itself out and creating a large interior for their sleeping area. Better than that, the material looked to have changed in composition, becoming a wall of slate rock. If their original campsite had looked like a palm of a hand, it now looked like it was holding a gray card in it, with each of the fingertips holding the edge.

“As impressive as this is…how do we get inside?” Erika voiced what the others were thinking, based on their nods of concern.

Sal smiled as he walked to the very edge of the tarp that had pushed itself into the ground. Reaching down, he grabbed what looked like a rock and pulled it upward. What should have sounded like a zipper had ended up clicking and clacking as the rocks separated to grant him entry. That had earned a few gasps, but when he folded the rock back like it was a piece of fabric, they were stunned.

“Who wants to see inside?” he asked before stepping into the interior.

Their wall was still intact, with the shimmering barriers allowing natural light to flow into the space, illuminating everything. It was going to be cramped, but with only four people staying in there, it would have to do. The space was slightly bigger than the workshop room in his dorm.

“Oh wow. This is a fucking vibe.” Brophy laughed as he touched the material from the inside. “It doesn’t feel like rock, but the outside is ridiculously hard? How did you manage this?”

Sal activated his visor and finally appraised the structure, wondering what it was going to tell him.

Name
Rock Enclosure

Origin
Crafted

Age
New

Grade
Uncommon (Low)

Dimensions
Floor Area 85 square feet | Height 7 feet, 45-degree decline.

Materials
Rock | Polyester | Aluminum | Warders Essence | Refined Mythcrafter Essence | Plastic | Clay

Attributes

Harden: Greatly increases defensive capabilities by hardening skin or external surface material.

Abilities
Harden

Power Source
External Essence

Evolution
No

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $1,200.00 – $1,500.00

“There wasn’t nearly enough material in the bags, despite them being huge,” Sal admitted as he gestured to the rocks against the wall. “I didn’t want to damage Ioseph’s runes, so I used the materials in the ground to add to the surface area. The added bonus is that we now have relatively soft bedding areas.”

Ioseph gave a grunt of approval as he walked over to inspect the rune on the rock. It became apparent in that moment how small the space was going to be for them. It could accommodate all five of them at a stretch, but it would certainly be preferable if Erika camped in her tent outside.

Erika had her arms folded as she looked around at the protected space. “I thought you could only craft weapons and equipment. This…this is more like a house?”

Sal raised a hand and poked their roof, which wobbled in response. “I just made a hard tent, which falls into the equipment category. We won’t be able to take it with us though, as it’s fused with the rock.” Sal was actually a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to keep it.

“Additionally, the Harden ability it uses for outside isn’t something that switches on and off. It’s going to be like that until it runs out of atmospheric essence.”

Brophy chuckled. “Which would be never.” He placed his hands on his hips and let out a satisfied sigh, a wide grin on his face. “This is going to piss her off for sure.”

Sal’s visor noticed that he was delighted by the prospect.

“Excellent work, Sal.”

Chapter 67 – Adaptability

Barry: Please tell me your team is useless. I need to feel better about this shit-show.

Barry: I’m serious though. There’s a fucker with a guitar who thinks everything can be solved with a song.

Barry: I’ve never been more tempted to yeet someone into purgatory.

Barry: Tell me your team is shit, or I’ll join Bastion and become your sworn enemy.

Sal smiled as he went through the messages on his tablet. He had assumed that they wouldn’t have access to their messages during the excursion, but they were encouraged to share their experiences. More than a few pictures had been posted into newly created forums and some hastily pulled together survival guides were thrown into the Credit Store. Sal frowned as he clicked on the Credit Store.

Completed Orders: 41

A momentary surge of panic washed through Sal as he clicked into it, thinking that someone had been making purchases on his account. His thoughts went to the Controllers at Bastion, but the result was not what he had expected.

Rookie Set: Schematic has been purchased.

Rookie Set: Transition has been purchased.

Agent Set: Schematic has been purchased.

Rookie Set: Schematic has been purchased.

Rookie Set: Schematic has been purchased.

Sal exhaled slowly as he looked at the list of sales on his account. He didn’t even remember what price he had put them in at. Thinking about it, he realized how flawed those designs were without Blathnaid’s input and worried that he’d unintentionally scammed the buyers. It took him a few moments of scrolling through the orders to relax enough to think rationally. The schematics were much better than the blueprints available on the store, so it wasn’t so bad. There was no use for him to be buying anything out here, so he exited out of the store and checked his other messages.

Divinity: Prepare for shit weather.

Divinity: They’re doing it in bursts around the place. The three camps near us got drowned out awhile ago and we’re next.

Divinity: Aaaaand, we’re safe. Hope you haven’t killed Erika yet.

Divinity: But I’ll forgive you if you have.

Divinity: Send a picture of your setup!

With a laugh, Sal got to his feet and exited their enclosure. It was a lot more cramped once all the supplies had been stored, but it was better to think of it as cozy. Prestige hadn’t arrived back from her mysterious trip yet, which left them with a lot of time to get to know one another better.

Sal knew that Brophy was practically brimming with useful information, but Erika looked like she didn’t want to stoop to the level of asking him for help. Rochelle lay on her back, looking up at the sky. Likely out of sheer boredom. Ioseph was still eyeing the purification device, and Sal desperately wished that he still wasn’t trying to test out his earlier suggestion of pissing in it.

Sal thought it might be good to break the ice.

“My last team had help from Divinity Khan. She looked into the future and pulled all the training sessions for the next number of months, useful stuff like combat formations and training drills. I ran them for my team, if you’re interested in trying?”

Erika’s snort was the first to set the tone. “You only had to do that because you didn’t have a strong team. Everyone here is competent, which is why I brought you all together.”

Sal’s visor caught a slight hesitation in her demeanor, which meant that she wasn’t completely without reason. Any hope that she was willing to hear him out ended with her next sentence.

“All you have to do is trust in me to make the right calls. If you can’t keep up, I’ll ensure that you don’t fall behind.” She looked at each of them intently, and not a single person misunderstood what she meant.

Sal looked at Brophy instead. “Can you teach me what you know, please? While I’m sure Erika will have us covered, I’d still like to know how to act if she gets killed in battle.”

Erika’s laugh was cold as she gave him a withering look. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a training exercise and we’re only going to be entering an early floor in a tower. Do you really think a leecher has the potential to take down a team of five? Even if there was a prowler in the vicinity, it’s not like we’re defenseless.”

Sal nodded. “Yes. I do think that a leecher has the potential to kill you.” He kept emotion out of his voice and summoned the images of what he endured during his first dungeon raid.

Whatever Erika’s retort was going to be, it died on her lips as she saw and felt every emotion Sal had experienced during that encounter. She faltered and shook her head. “What was that?”

“Gallant, would you be able to recall a battle with leechers please? Maybe from when you were just starting out?”

Brophy raised an eyebrow at Sal’s choice of name, but a smile tugged at his lips as he looked over at Erika. “Most certainly. But Miss Clifton, I do hope you’ll forgive all the screaming.” He gestured at his temples as though giving her permission to read his mind.

The contrast was incredible. Sal’s projected memory had caused Erika to falter, but Gallant’s made her vomit over her shoulder. She barely had time to turn around before the retching began.

Rochelle got to her feet and hesitated.

Brophy winked at her and extended his hand.

If Sal didn’t know Rochelle’s ability, he would have been confused. His visor picked up the essence tether to Brophy’s body as Rochelle channeled her Regenerate ability on Erika. Getting sick from something horrible shouldn’t have left much to heal, but Rochelle seemed determined. Sal wondered whether it was an excuse for her to inspect Erika’s capabilities. The visor picked up a small smile on Rochelle’s lips that confirmed that very suspicion.

Sal clapped his hands together, bringing everyone but Erika’s attention back to him. “I think that small demonstration highlights the dangers of demons, even the weakest ones. Who wants to learn formations?”

Brophy’s hand shot up into the air, and Sal laughed at the enthusiasm. Rochelle left Erika where she was before also raising a hand. Ioseph shrugged and nodded. Sal smiled at that.

“Since the Controller will be giving out the commands, we just need to be able to execute those movements?” He directed his question at Brophy, who gave him a reassuring nod.

“Correct. It works a little differently in dungeons and towers, though, because of the change in terrain.” Brophy gestured to the area they currently occupied. “Our curriculum has only shown us how to navigate through the streets and how to be mindful of our surroundings. Things like the gauntlet are invaluable experience, but will be a lot less useful in a tower.”

Sal spied Erika from the corner of his eye. She sat up, wiping at her mouth. Rather than glaring at anyone, which was what he thought she’d do, she was listening intently to Brophy. It was the perfect outcome.

“We’ll need to have a closer grouping to ensure that we can reach each other in times of need, but spaced out enough to allow for movement and ability usage. With Roche needing to tether to activate her ability, it makes sense for her to be directly behind me. It changes the dynamic of the Healer propping up the Defense, but we’d have to adapt to our current builds.”

Brophy turned to Ioseph. “Could you tell me the nature of your ability? Your runes make me think that you’re likely a Warder. I’m guessing you protect and reflect?”

Sal finally witnessed emotion on Ioseph’s face, and it was a glorious image of disbelief. Brophy had apparently nailed his assumption in one guess.

Without missing a beat, Brophy snapped his fingers with a laugh. “Fantastic! Excellent ability for Defense, which gives us a lot more breathing room.”

When Sal met Brophy’s gaze, he no longer felt like he was talking to a fellow student. Brophy’s entire demeanor exuded confidence, capability, and expertise.

“Salvatore, you’ve got that fancy revolver and excellent defensive equipment, which would make you the perfect candidate for our rear guard. As long as we clear everything in front of us, you shouldn’t be ambushed from behind. It’ll allow you to pick off the targets we’re fighting at a distance.”

Erika’s voice cut through the explanation. “A Support can’t act as rear guard. Every lesson we’ve been given has reinforced that—”

“Adaptability.” Brophy cut her off and gave her a meaningful look. “That is what you need to learn in order to overcome a dungeon, tower, or portal. Why do you think we’re out here in the wild without knowing a single thing about it beforehand?”

The question was rhetorical, and Erika didn’t give Brophy the satisfaction of answering.

His smile returned as he looked at the group. “Because they’re training us to adapt to a new environment, which means that we need to create new countermeasures to the scenario we’ve found ourselves in. Roles are important, but none of us should be arrogant enough to assume that our class archetype is determined by ability alone. It comes from a desire to perform in that role and to add value to the team. The desire to protect, to save, to coordinate, and to support.”

Ioseph laughed as he looked at Brophy. “I think you forgot your own role. What is the desire of the Offense?”

Brophy smiled as he gave a good-natured shrug. “I just like killing demons. If I can do it quick and fast, my team never has to face danger.”

Sal raised his hand, but Brophy laughed at the gesture and waved it away. “You don’t need to do that, Sal. What is it?”

Sal had left his revolver in the case back in their enclosure. His memory of the dungeon raid still lingered in his mind. “I’m not a good enough shot to act as the rear guard. I’ve only used the gun once before, and I wasn’t really in my right mind at the time.”

Brophy’s eyes lit up, which was not the response Sal was expecting. “Excellent! That’s a key area for us to work on over the next few weeks. Expertise isn’t earned in a single day, so we’ll work on getting your familiarity up with your weapon. Anyone else? Any issues or fears that we can work on?”

Ioseph shuffled uncomfortably as he glanced at Sal before looking elsewhere.

Brophy didn’t miss the exchange as he walked over to the mountain of a man. “What do you need? Remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question.”

Sal doubted the sincerity of that last part, but he was curious about what Ioseph Bitterwater could possibly need help with. At Brophy’s urging, Ioseph finally sighed and gestured in Sal’s direction.

“His mechanical hands. I can’t make runes very fast…like, they’re in my head and the power is there. Trust me, there’s a lot of power there. I just can’t get it out very quick.” His shoulders sagged as he shook his head. “I don’t know how that can be fixed, though. I want to be able to make the runes faster.”

Sal tilted his head. “Did an etcher not work for you?”

Ioseph shook his head. “I bought three of them, and none of them activated. No matter how much essence I try to push into them, they don’t pick it up. It’s the most frustrating thing. I ended up breaking two of them.”

Sal smiled and raised a single finger. “Did you prick your finger and give it any of your blood?”

Ioseph’s blank stare gave Sal the answer. At a speed that didn’t seem humanly possible, Ioseph bolted toward the enclosure. He almost ripped the tent flap off the tarp in his haste.

Brophy chuckled and turned to Rochelle. “I’m not going to pretend to have understood that conversation, but what about you? Is there anything we can help you with?” His grin was almost infectious, and Rochelle winced slightly before shaking her head. Her red braid flew from one shoulder to the other with the movement.

“Nope. I just need to meditate by myself to see if I can open more gates. It’s exhausting and boring, but it needs to be done if I’ve got any chance of using my ability without needing essence from others.” She looked resigned to her fate as Erika walked closer to their small huddle. In her hand was a half-full cup of water.

“I can assist with that. Not the exhaustion, but the boredom.” Her voice still lacked emotion, and Sal felt like there was a catch.

Rochelle seemed to have a short memory and terrible instincts as a smile appeared on her face. “You have a way to make it interesting?”

Erika shook her head as she gave Rochelle a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “No. I have a method that will keep you training until the job is done. Boredom won’t be a factor.”

Rochelle finally realized what Erika meant. “Oh.”

Chapter 68 – Accountability

Sal leaned his back against the rock as he listened to the rain hammering down on their slate roof. It had started suddenly as nightfall happened, likely as a punishment for students who didn’t have their shelter organized by that point. At least, that’s the way Sal thought of it. Divinity’s group had gotten the rain hours ago, so maybe it was just their turn out of the two hundred teams. It made him curious about who they enlisted to control the weather like that. His first thought was Prestige, who had vanished from their campsite awhile before Divinity sent her message.

Prestige’s Catalyst ability allowed her to change the fundamental nature of essence, which would mean she could influence anything that contained it. If it was really her causing the thunderstorm, they’d likely know sooner rather than later. Each crack of thunder was followed by a quick bright light, illuminating their floor space. Sal had optimistically called it cozy earlier, but it was tiny.

Ioseph’s face was clearly visible as he studied something intently on his tablet. The bright light of the screen made his concentration all the more sinister in the darkness. Rochelle had her eyes closed as she struggled to meditate, but seemed to be the only one who flinched erratically whenever the thunder sounded. Brophy sat quietly as he looked through the barrier that made up a portion of their wall.

“Looking pensive,” Sal remarked as he turned toward him.

A sudden burst of light briefly illuminated Brophy’s face, and Sal wasn’t surprised to see a smile.

“Just thinking about something funny.” He shrugged.

Sal could guess that was a lie, but didn’t want to press him on it.

Rochelle, however, wanted any excuse to break away from her training. “Tell us!” she practically begged him.

The desperation in her tone told Sal that she was definitely not making much progress.

Brophy laughed as he turned away from the barrier and leaned his head against the rock. “I was just thinking that my mother is giving us special treatment with this storm.”

Sal wondered how he knew it was her but was happy to have his suspicions confirmed.

Rochelle groaned. “I thought you said it was something funny.”

Brophy chuckled as he gestured to the side flap of the enclosure. “Miss Clifton’s tent is definitely not equipped for this level of storm.”

“Hah!” Ioseph barked from across the room, glancing up for a moment before returning to his tablet.

Rochelle’s face was a picture of astonishment before a devious laugh escaped her lips. Sal couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Erika had insisted on being on her own, but he did find himself wondering which would win out: her pride or her practicality.

Brophy shrugged as he nudged Sal with his elbow. “Well done, by the way.”

Sal wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but Brophy pointed at the ceiling that was rippling under the raging storm.

“She’s likely incensed right now.” Brophy chuckled at the prospect as he smiled. “Everything is a learning opportunity. That’s her mantra. If you succeed, she’ll still find a way to turn it into a teachable moment.”

Sal straightened his back as he followed Brophy’s gaze to the roof. “Does that mean she’s going to bring it crashing down on us?”

Brophy shook his head, the smile not leaving his face. “On the contrary, the lesson isn’t going to be learned by us. But rather by Erika.” He gestured around the interior. “We’ve succeeded in making a shelter by working as a team. I can tell you for a fact that my mother took one look at Erika’s tent and made the decision to impart a teachable moment.”

Sal sighed. “Sounds like a nightmare to grow up in that sort of environment.”

Brophy chuckled. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I imagine it was quite cutthroat growing up in an auction house!”

It was Sal’s turn to laugh as he shook his head. “Far from it. My parents are probably my best friends, as lame as that sounds. My father used to make games for me to try out with clients. Creating fantastical stories about the equipment we had on sale. They all knew it was the prattling of a child, but they played along with me. When my ability awakened, it was an absolute nightmare, but he supported me every step of the way.”

Brophy slapped his knee and turned to Sal. “Are they open to adopting a washed-up Super Rookie? I could stack shelves and woo clients like there’s no tomorrow.”

Sal burst out laughing. “The Great Gallant, working in the Argento Auction? Are you kidding me? Our sales would go through the roof! Could you double up as security?”

Ioseph cleared his throat as he looked up from his tablet. “Your parents sound pretty cool. I’ll take the security job.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips before he ducked his head back down to the tablet.

Brophy looked over at Rochelle, who sheepishly smiled. “I guess I’ve shown some of my negotiation skills? I could probably run a counter or something.”

Sal laughed. “Too soon, Rochelle. Too soon.”

“So, what have you all learned?” Prestige asked as she walked straight past their group to inspect the shelter.

It had managed to weather the relentless storm that went on for well over an hour. The entirety of their external camp area had been submerged until Ioseph disabled one of the barriers to let the water out. There was no damage to the supplies, with the only casualty of the storm being a single tent.

Erika looked like a drowned rat that had crawled out of muddy water. Her inability to take a shower had resulted in her appearing before Prestige in the exact state she woke up in. Her tent, or rather, the remnants of it were scattered around the campsite. Erika’s default regality had been replaced by a seething rage that led to everyone avoiding eye contact with her. Someone with the ability to control and read minds was terrifying. A pissed-off mind controller was much worse. It wasn’t clear whether her shaking was from rage or the fact that she was freezing from sleeping in the rain.

Thankfully, her ire wasn’t directed at her team.

Prestige turned around expectantly as she tapped her cane against the sturdy exterior. “Excellent craftsmanship, Mr. Argento. Did your team assist you in its construction?”

Sal was conflicted. As a Support, it was his role to take care of the campsite, but he didn’t want to make it look like the rest of the team did nothing. Prestige raised an eyebrow, so he decided on the safest route.

“Erika delegated tasks to each of us. Rochelle prepared food while Ioseph reinforced the barriers. Brophy and I constructed the shelter together.” Sal guessed he had managed to pick the right choice when Prestige nodded in understanding.

She poked her head through the exposed entrance and looked at the setup. “It looks like a snug fit, but there’s definitely room for a fifth.” Prestige straightened as she turned back to them. “Was there a particular reason that you didn’t stay together as a unit? A falling-out, perhaps?”

Sal opened his mouth to respond, but Brophy shook his head. He mimed a single word back to him. Teachable.

Prestige walked around them as she waited for an answer. When none came, she looked in Erika’s direction. “Miss Clifton, as the unit’s Controller, would you care to explain?”

Erika closed her eyes as though battling internally for some semblance of composure. When she opened them, she looked at Prestige and responded in a neutral tone. “I made an incorrect judgment. It won’t happen again.”

Sal looked at Brophy’s grim expression and guessed that Erika had given the wrong answer.

Prestige laughed as she shook her head. “An incorrect judgment. Let me ask you this.” She stopped pacing as she glanced at the shelter. “What are you here to learn?”

Erika’s eyes darted toward Brophy, but Prestige interjected. “If you parrot back Brophy’s words about adaptability, I’ll be very disappointed.”

Sal’s blood froze. How did she know about what Brophy had spoken about the day before? Was it something he said regularly?

Prestige stared at Erika with another expectant look. “Hmm? This isn’t a question that you can answer by plucking it from my head. Psionic essence is disrupted around me, so you’ll have to come up with the answer by yourself. What are you here to learn?”

Erika faltered and looked off to one side. “We’re here to learn how to survive in the wild.” She didn’t seem convinced by her answer, and Prestige wasn’t making it easy for her.

“And if that were indeed what you were here to learn, what grade would you assign yourself thus far?” Prestige inquired, this time with a definite edge to her voice.

Brophy’s expression looked as though he wanted Erika to back down and take the slap to the wrists. Sal could see from Erika’s expression that the chances of that happening were next to none. He didn’t even need his visor for that one.

“Based on my estimates, roughly eighty percent.” Erika spoke so confidently that Prestige actually froze. “I brought two of the three main necessities for a camp’s operation and delegated the construction of the third. Out of the five students, none have had a less than satisfactory night’s sleep, despite the commotion outside. Our shelter is still standing and our supplies are preserved. If this is a grade based on survival, we’re alive and well. If the examiner was to be pedantic, I would imagine that they’d deduct twenty percent for the rough state of one presented member.”

Ioseph inhaled sharply and his eyes bulged as he looked between the others. They were all thinking it. Erika had gone on the offensive from the start. Even though Brophy was smiling, Sal saw the slight shake of his head to indicate that Erika was not going to fare well.

Prestige chuckled as she embedded her cane into the ground, leaving it standing upright. It was such a nonchalant display of strength that even Sal had to do a double take.

“Unfortunately, Miss Clifton, I would have to disagree with you. If you indeed slept soundly last night, I could only imagine that you’d have drowned had you set up your tent on the base of the slope.” Prestige’s eyes locked onto Erika as she approached. “That is, if it was even you who set up your tent. I believe that task was allocated to Brophy?”

Sal’s fears were confirmed. Prestige had been watching them the entire time. She was a pace or two from Erika when she stopped walking.

“When presented with the opportunity to train, you expressed disdain toward your team. When your Support was building your tent, you ordered him to stop as it was taking too long. If I was to grade you as a Controller, you would fail. If I was to grade you as a member of this team, you would fail. The one redeeming moment you’ve had since entering this campsite was when you offered to help your Healer with meditation. And we both know how you were going to do that…don’t we?”

Prestige crossed her arms as she stared at Erika, waiting for a response. The tension in the entire camp was palpable, but not a word was spoken. Sal was currently in the Brophy camp of wanting Erika to just apologize. His heart couldn’t take much more of this.

Erika lifted her head and met Prestige’s gaze. “I made a series of incorrect judgments. They won’t happen again.”

Prestige’s face broke into a smile. “No, Miss Clifton. They won’t happen again.” She turned to the rest of the group and gave them a warm smile. “You’ve all performed above expectations, and I’d encourage you to learn from each other. Mr. Argento will focus on refining his shooting skills with assistance from Brophy. Mr. Bitterwater will acclimatize himself to his etcher and practice his execution of wards. Miss de Verdon should focus her efforts on meditation and increasing her core capabilities.”

Prestige turned back to Erika. “Miss Clifton, on the other hand, will be receiving direct guidance from me on what it means to be a Controller.”

Chapter 69 – Training

The next couple of days went past in a blur for Sal. He had gotten reports from Barry and Divinity that their groups had managed to weather the storms, and they each had shared pictures of their campsites.

Divinity’s left a lot to be desired but managed to somewhat harness the nature around them. Tree branches had been used to give them cover, with Hannah’s gauntlets providing a barrier for them throughout the rain. It was a blue prism filled with fauna for bedding and although simplistic, it had been effective against Prestige’s storm.

Barry’s group had elected to create a manmade cave, with Neb Ursa from his team taking on a bear form and carving out a den for them in the center of a hill. They managed to completely evade the test by Barry concealing their entire camp with his illusions.

If it was just Prestige in charge of raining down hell on Barry’s team, his essence signature would have been visible. Sal was starting to think that they enlisted other Hunters from the bureau to test the students, as Prestige had clearly stayed around their camp to listen to their conversations. She wouldn’t have had time to be in all those other locations at once.

Sal had spent each night practicing his illusions by referencing the weave stored on his visor. He was getting better at it, and Barry dutifully sent him instructions on how to increase the training difficulty. With less than a week of practice, Sal wasn’t delusional about his progress. It was going to take a lot longer to get a grasp of the ability, but he was happy with how far he’d come. He was able to create illusions of the blueprints that he visualized in his mind. It wasn’t that beneficial to display them, but it was good practice to increase his mastery of the ability.

With illusion practice happening at night, his mornings took on a regular routine of exercises with Brophy. After watching them curiously, Ioseph joined on their fourth morning in the camp. Rochelle was diligently trying to meditate, but Sal’s visor could detect that she was making slow progress. He wondered whether Prestige’s ability to control all essence types could help brute force Rochelle’s gates like Vanessa had done for him.

Sal glanced toward the copse of trees that Erika had disappeared to. Each morning she was gone first, and each night she was the last to return. It wasn’t the only consistency to her behavior: every time she returned, she looked like she had been through hell. Without a word to anyone, she would march straight into their shelter and not say a word until it was time for food. Prestige had regularly joined their camp to check on their individual progress, offering advice to Rochelle in particular.

Ioseph had become more familiar with the etcher and had reinforced the barriers around the camp. He had started to add runes to random places outside their camp too, with a number of the trees surrounding them adorned with fresh carvings. They didn’t create any new barriers, so Sal guessed that they were just practice for him.

Which left Brophy.

Sal turned to look at him and saw that he was deep in concentration during their workout. Whatever doubts Sal had about Brophy’s capability as a shooting instructor disappeared the moment they stepped onto the makeshift range. He hadn’t even fired the weapon and Brophy had corrected nearly a dozen small inefficiencies in his stance and movements. Their whole first day had been about moving around with the gun in hand, and into a proper stance whenever Brophy issued a command.

Sal had expected their second day to finally involve shooting, but instead it had been about faster movements and taking cover in the available surroundings. The visor had come in handy for picking out all the places that were suitable, but Brophy pushed Sal to the point that he could do it instinctively. In just two days, holding the gun felt natural, which blew Sal’s mind.

“Are we going to fire it today?” Sal asked as he pushed himself up off the ground and dusted his hands.

Brophy kicked his feet off the ground and turned his push-up into a handstand. His smile was wide as he swung his legs around and completed a perfect cartwheel. “That depends on how much you’ve learned so far. We need to get your combat awareness up before we worry about your aim. You said yourself that a lot of those cartridges have destructive capabilities, so rather than working on precision in the time we have, it’s better to give you positioning.” He offered his hand to Sal, who took it gratefully.

Sal winced at a twinge in his left leg, which didn’t escape Brophy’s notice.

“Let’s get Rochelle to fix you up before we head out.” He gestured at Sal’s leg before leading the way toward Rochelle’s perch near their stove.

Sal tried to get his attention. “Honestly, it’s fine. We should let her meditate. You know how rare it is for her to actually get in the zone.”

Brophy shook his head. “Small injuries stack up. It’s better to be proactive instead of reactive. We’ll get it sorted now and then head out to the range.”

He led the way without another word, and Sal had no choice but to follow him across to Rochelle. When they approached, Rochelle’s eyes flittered open and a relieved smile crossed her face.

“What did he sprain this time?” She looked past Brophy to where Sal was muttering darkly.

Their first day with maneuvers had resulted in a few falls and scrapes, which seemed to entertain Rochelle greatly. It wasn’t that she reveled in Sal’s pain; it was more that she felt useful to the camp when there was someone to heal. Sal was the only one in the camp who seemed reliant on her healing, and it reinforced the fact that he had a long way to go to catch up to his peers.

“No sprain, just a quick check-up. I think he might have a circulation issue in his leg.” Brophy stepped aside to give Rochelle a clear view.

To Sal’s surprise, Rochelle frowned as she looked at Sal.

“He had an issue with his leg the last time I checked him, too. Have you been getting leg cramps, Sal?”

Sal blinked. “I have. They’ve been happening for the last few weeks, but a lot less severe than before.”

He couldn’t understand how she was able to tell that. From his own understanding of her ability, she could transfer Healing essence, so how did that give her an insight into specific injuries?

Instead of responding, Rochelle turned to their rations storage and pulled out a packet of green leaves. She tossed them in his direction, and he caught them in confusion. Rochelle smiled and gestured at the packet.

“Vegetables. Your diet is likely one of the big factors. If you’ve been training every morning, your body needs more nutrients for sustainable muscle growth.” Rochelle glanced over at Brophy. “Make sure he eats them all, or I won’t cook him food later.”

Brophy raised an eyebrow as he gestured at Sal’s leg. “Don’t you think it needs a look, though?”

Rochelle shook her head. “If it becomes a problem, I’ll treat it. For now, it’s easily preventable with a small change in diet.”

When it was clear that Rochelle had no intention of treating Sal, Brophy shrugged and gestured for them to leave the enclosure of the camp. Before they left, Sal glanced back to see Rochelle back in her meditative state, and he was relieved to see that she was taking it seriously. Brophy, on the other hand, was a little ticked off by the exchange as he looked at Sal’s leg warily.

“I don’t want us taking unnecessary risks today. It’s not my place to tell her what to do, but I think she made the wrong call.” Brophy placed his hands on his hips and looked around the area. “We’ll adapt our plans for today. Let’s work on hitting targets, and if you’re feeling better later, we can throw in some light movement work.”

Sal laughed and shook his head. “Honestly, Brophy, I think you’re overreacting. It’s fine. Just a little bit of tightness, but it’ll ease throughout the day.” He really did think that Brophy was overreacting, but he couldn’t understand why.

Brophy sighed as he gestured around them. “You’re a fast learner, Sal. You’ve got good instincts, and I’m building a clear picture in my head of your capabilities. Your leg is a variable that will skew my judgment, and I don’t want to accidentally push you too far. Resilience and self-belief are important, so we need to build on those in incremental steps. I want to give you a challenging environment that builds on those successes, so that when we do go into a tower, your body will act purely on the right instincts.”

Sal exhaled slowly as he gestured toward the camp. “Should we just go back and get Rochelle to fix it up?”

He was a little concerned at how intense Brophy was becoming. In Sal’s mind, he was going to learn how to shoot his revolver, but Brophy sounded like he was getting prepared for war. Would he be able to rely on instinct in a dungeon or tower? It seemed like a laughable goal, but Brophy didn’t look amused in the slightest.

“No,” Brophy answered as he turned and started to walk into the trees. “We’ll continue your training and work on your aim for today. Any movement will be light, so please don’t push yourself.”

Brophy carved chunks of bark off the dead trees around them. They were all at head height and it didn’t really make sense to Sal, until he had four chunks carved out.

Brophy gestured at his handiwork. “Each of these trees will represent your teammates. You’re going to move around them and shoot at targets between them. If you hit the trees, then you’ve hit a teammate. Understood?”

Sal frowned as he held his gun at the ready. “Are you sure about this? Shouldn’t we start without obstacles? Like, in a straight line?”

There was a lot of explosive power in the cartridges, and Sal wasn’t confident that he’d be able to successfully shoot between the tightly packed group of trees. From his current vantage point, there was a few feet separating the closest trees, with him needing to shoot perfectly between them.

Brophy laughed as he picked up a rock from the ground. With surprising deftness, he ran vertically up a tree and placed the rock in between a branch and the trunk, nestling it in comfortably. As if to add some unnecessary flair to the action, he used his momentum to backflip to the ground, where he landed with a flourish.

“Your targets will be the rocks. I’m placing them at an elevation to represent a floating leecher, as it would have you aiming over the heads of our party.”

Sal watched in grim fascination as Brophy added five more large rocks to the list of targets. He was almost too nervous to ask the next question that came to mind, but Brophy preempted it.

“You’ve got six rounds per cartridge. We’re going to practice this until you’re able to successfully hit all six rocks in succession. Hitting any of the trees restarts your progress.” Brophy stood beside Sal and admired his handiwork. “And when your leg is better, we’re going to have you weaving through these trees and shooting while on the move.”

Sal shook his head as he looked at the rocks ahead. “This is actually impossible.”

Brophy held out his hand to take the revolver, and Sal hesitated. Was he actually saying he could do it? The visor on Sal’s face told him that Brophy wasn’t nervous in the slightest.

“Sal, you can either live your life telling yourself that you can’t do certain things. Or, you can try them and know for certain. With practice and guidance, this will be laughably simple to you in time.”

Brophy’s tone was gentle as he grabbed the revolver in Sal’s hands. Rather than taking it away and showing Sal how it was done, he adjusted Sal’s grip on it. “Just try your best and we’ll work from there.”

Sal put his back against the tree beside him, causing Brophy’s smile to grow wide.

“Excellent, Sal! Utilize your cover and show me what you’ve got.”

When Sal moved around, just like Brophy had shown him, he registered each target on his visor and kept track of them. He didn’t equip any of his area-of-effect bullets for this exercise and instead focused on single-shot projectiles. He raised his hands and aimed the revolver at the nearest target. He looked through the sights and steadied his breath.

The first few breaths didn’t feel right, and his hands got clammy as he gently placed his finger on the trigger. No matter how much he tried to line up the target with his sights, his left eye kept interfering with his perspective. Just when he was about to take the risk of firing his first shot, Brophy’s hand covered his left eye, plunging every distraction into darkness.

“Steady yourself, Sal. Make each shot count.”

Brophy’s words came from directly behind Sal, and he responded by pulling the trigger. A stream of red light punched through the air from his muzzle and obliterated the rock as well as the branch it rested on. Sal’s eye widened as he took in the damage but Brophy’s calm voice brought him right back to reality.

“One down, five to go.”

Chapter 70 – Ambush

It was dark by the time Brophy and Sal made it back to their camp. It was the evening of their seventh day in the wilderness and they had managed to get stuck into their routine.

Sal could barely comprehend how much he had improved over the last few days, but with Brophy by his side, he was counting his blessings for having such a veteran as an instructor. He wished he could have said the same for Prestige, but she had focused her time looking after Erika during the day. Not even Erika would say a word about their training regimen. But if her demeanor was anything to go by, it was hell on earth.

“We kept food for you, but it’s cold by now. Want me to warm it on the stove?” Rochelle offered as she caught sight of them. There were bags under her eyes, and Sal knew that she was giving the meditation her all.

Brophy shook his head as he picked up the offered plate. “Cold is fine for me. Is Prestige still training Erika?” He looked around the camp for any sign of them, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Rochelle shook her head. “No, Erika came back a while ago. She went straight into the tent and hasn’t come out since. Ioseph is still out in the woods, but he should be back any time now. I was meditating, but I could hear their movements. I didn’t hear or sense Prestige at all.”

Sal took the offered plate and lifted the overturned plate that rested on top of it. He had silently prayed that she would have forgotten about the leg thing from their third day, but when the assortment of green vegetables met his gaze, Sal’s heart plummeted into the bottom of his stomach. Rochelle oversaw their rations, and she was making a point to load his plate up with nutrient-rich foods. It had been far too long since he had a steak, and Sal was justifiably devastated by the loss of meat.

Rochelle pretended not to notice Sal’s dismay as she gestured to where they had entered from. “How did you guys get on today? How many out of six?”

She had learned of Sal’s trials when he had come back cursing the previous two evenings. Despite spending all available sunlight out in the target area, he was no closer to reaching his target. Their most recent practice session had been no different.

Brophy smiled as he raised four fingers. “It was a great achievement, but inconsistent. He went straight back down to twos and threes afterward. I am seeing progress, though, so we can’t give him too hard of a time.” He laughed before taking a seat on the log beside Rochelle.

Sal glared as he took the visor off his face. “If someone kept them all in the same place, I’d probably have more consistent results. Changing targets means I need to keep learning new patterns.”

Brophy snorted. “Firstly, it’s you who keeps destroying them. If you just hit the targets, then we wouldn’t have this issue. Your gun seems to want to take out half the tree every time it gets a hit. Secondly, what demon is going to perch themselves in the exact same place for an entire battle? You need to be prepared for moving targets.”

Rochelle noted Sal’s dark expression and tried to lighten the mood. “Four sounds really impressive, though. Wasn’t your best only two a few days ago?”

Brophy nodded as he pointed his fork at Sal. “Very true. Now your worst result is consistently getting two. You’ve not dropped below that, which is an incredible feat in such a short space of time. You should be proud of yourself.”

Sal smiled humorlessly as he looked at Brophy. “Are you proud of me?” He knew the answer. Brophy held himself to a completely alien standard that didn’t make sense to humans.

Brophy’s grin didn’t falter in the slightest. “Any failure you’re experiencing is likely down to my inadequacy as an instructor. If you keep up this level of growth, then I’m sure you’ll be a crack shot by the time we step foot into the tower.”

Sal laughed. He should have added the caveat to his own thoughts. Getting genuine praise from Brophy was the hard part, like getting blood from a stone. The meaningless compliments came free and easily, but they weren’t even skin-deep. Sal knew very well that Brophy was frustrated by his progress. None of the smiles could mask his disappointment.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” Rochelle perked up as she turned her attention toward Sal. “Your tablet was buzzing nonstop a while ago. I could hear it all the way from out here while I was meditating.”

Sal frowned as he put down his plate. “I’ll go and check.”

Both Brophy and Rochelle pointed at his plate.

“Get back and finish your vegetables.”

Both of them broke into laughter as they essentially said the same thing at the same time, but Sal didn’t pay them any heed as he opened the door of the tent and moved inside. The first sight he was met with was the bedraggled Erika. He could have sworn that she was looking straight through him or sleeping with her eyes open. If she was surprised at his appearance, she made no note of it and continued to stare forward. It was incredibly creepy, and Sal didn’t stop for any small talk as he reached for his tablet. It had been placed on silent, which was likely an intervention from Erika.

Not wanting to stay in her presence any more than was necessary, Sal exited the tent and tapped into his messages while wandering back to Brophy and Rochelle slowly. He had a few dozen messages, all from different people. After scrolling down the list, Sal found the earliest ones in the day from Divinity.

Divinity: How is your shooting practice coming along? Some of the teams are spooked because they think there’s fighting happening.

Divinity: I had a chat with Hannah about everything, and she’s really torn up. She didn’t mean any of the things she said to you and doesn’t know how to make things right.

Divinity: I think I made a breakthrough with essence control, by the way. All through normal meditation. No stupid illusion tricks. Just in case you change your mind and want to try a healthy method.

Divinity: I’m joking by the way. Do what makes sense for you. Hope you haven’t been getting any nightmares lately.

Divinity: Oh! I forgot to tell you. Melanie’s ability started going haywire on our first day, but she’s really getting it under control. This place is filled with death and she’s managed to quiet all the voices.

Divinity: I’ll let you know if she ends up going full Necromancer though.

Sal read through the messages. There didn’t seem like there was any immediate need to worry, and it looked like Divinity was just messaging him as usual. He sent back a few messages as replies and promised he’d read the rest of her messages soon, but that he was eating. Tapping back out of the menu, Sal clicked into the next one and saw that it was from Upgrade.

Upgrade: Just heard from Chatfield that you guys are spending a month in the Reclaimed Zone? I’ve let the commission requesters know that you won’t be getting back to them for a while.

Upgrade: Send me a picture of the tent thing you made. Your guardian reported that you had made a rock cave and I’m curious.

Upgrade: Haven’t let any of the second-years use Room 17, even though you’re gone. You should have seen their faces. Anyway, be safe and try your best.

Upgrade: You’ve got this.

Sal used the picture he had sent Barry and Divinity from his gallery and forwarded it on to Upgrade with his thanks. He really hoped that she was messing with him when she said that Chatfield confirmed they’d be out in the Reclaimed Zone for a month. He had assumed it would be for a week or two, but to be out there for the full duration of time before the tower raid sounded unhinged.

Would they just keep supplying rations to them and hope they wouldn’t ask questions? He needed to ask Prestige when she next appeared. If they were going to be staying at the campsite for a prolonged period, then they’d need to figure something out. There was no method for them to bathe properly other than taking turns with a heated pot of water and seeking privacy somewhere in the wilderness.

Sal reached for his plate and picked up a vegetable, munching on it as he went through the next series of messages.

“Someone’s popular,” Rochelle teased as she cradled her chin in her palms. Her green eyes sparkled from the light of the stove, and Sal just ignored her.

Brophy gave Sal a wary glance. “Anything from Divinity? Things to be mindful of?”

Sal shook his head as he went through the messages. “She messaged earlier in the day with a few random updates. Nothing of note.”

That seemed to appease Brophy, who nodded and returned to his own plate. “Her power is no joke. We’re lucky that you’re friends with her.”

Sal nodded silently as he moved through the messages. There were a few updates from the Credit Store about blueprint sales to the second-years, and also a few updates on prices for hellfire titanium and lord crystal. Sal tapped on those to discard them. He forgot that he had put on a price watch to see if any appeared on their storefront. There was a single message from Vanessa that Sal was curious about. He couldn’t think of what she might want to talk to him about and wondered whether it had anything to do with the Reavers Guild negotiations.

Vanessa: Got a tip off from Watcher. Hunters and guilds will be starting mock raids on the student camps in the coming days. Testing defenses and subduing students. Be prepared.

Sal laughed when he read the words on his screen. Of course they wouldn’t be content with leaving them camping. A storm wasn’t enough to prepare them for the fights to come, so why wouldn’t they launch a raid on the students?

“What is it?” Brophy placed his plate to one side as he got to his feet. Without looking for Sal’s permission, he tilted his head and read the words on the screen.

“Oh my,” he said in a breathless tone.

When Sal looked at him, he was surprised to see a delighted expression on his face. “Were you hoping this would happen?”

“Hoping what would happen?” Rochelle got to her feet.

Brophy grinned at Rochelle and Sal. “Looks like we’re going to get ambushed by the guilds. Isn’t this exciting?” He looked around and seemed to realize that Ioseph wasn’t in the camp yet. “Do we know where Ioseph is?”

Sal gritted his teeth as he added Barry and Divinity to a group chat. He sent a message as quickly as he could, trying to warn them about the incoming attacks. He noticed that his tablet suggested a more recent group with both Divinity and Barry. Sal navigated to it and saw that incessant notifications had been coming from it.

Incoming Attack Reports!

Divinity Khan: Ambushes will start tonight. Guilds and Hunters are going to attack in the middle of the night to test our defenses. Add as many Team Captains / Controllers as you know!

Darren Lenihan: Found tracks outside our base this afternoon that weren’t caused by the team or guardian. Do you think they’ve been scouting us?

Victoria Chase: How do we know this is actually happening and not some bullshit prank?

Victoria Chase: Has anyone been attacked yet?

Barry Francis: Who added Victoria? I thought we agreed to let her get ambushed?

Lucia Hernandez: Lol. Thanks for the tip, Divinity. We’re ready.

Whisper Ding: No attacks on our side, but we’ll stay awake tonight. Thanks.

Darren Lenihan: I’m going out to scout the area. I’ll report back if there’s anything.

Barry Francis: Add Blathnaid to the group in case her Controller dies. No offense, Darren.

Darren Lenihan: None taken. Added.

Divinity Khan: I don’t know their names, but three teams have already been ambushed. They’re not from Silver cohort.

Sal turned the screen around to show Brophy and shook his head. “There’s already been three ambushes. One of them is saying they found tracks outside their camp. Do you think that they’ve been scouting around us?”

Brophy shook his head. “No. There’s been no signs of anyone in our area, but we should be fine even if they do try to ambush us.”

Rochelle stared out of the barriers into the darkness. “We need to get Ioseph back here as soon as possible. Should we go out and look for him?” The tremor in her voice showcased that despite the brave words, Rochelle had absolutely no desire to step foot into the dark woods.

Sal continued to read through the thread, hoping there would be some nugget of useful information. He recognized most of the names at first, which he guessed was because of how connected his original group was to those teams, but that changed as he kept scrolling.

Divinity Khan: Can you check your own cohort groups to see who isn’t responding?

Aeon Silverbright: Everything is looking normal over here. Will keep an eye out.

Ellie Nacha: Hey everyone! Catching up with the group chat. Give me a second!

Barry Francis: Lol.

Elias Storm: Flying over our camp now, can see signs of battle near the lake. Can anyone in that area confirm?

Ellie Nacha: Oh fuck! We’re by the lake!

Vex Furor: This is ridiculous. Why are they throwing this at us now?

Divinity Khan: Please refrain from messaging unless it’s relevant to the attacks. We need to know what we’re dealing with. I can’t keep an eye on two hundred teams and need some direction of where to look.

Victoria Chase: Fuck you, Barry!

Jay Darkwind: I threw some lightning down by the lake for visibility. Hope it helps.

Angelus Flavius: Running toward the lake now, have my armor on.

Barry Francis: You’re running…toward the problem?

Brophy stretched his arms out wide as he took a deep breath. “Ioseph will be fine. He’s been ahead of the game for a while now. I actually feel more worried about the guilds that try to attack us.” He looked over toward the tent with a sigh. “We should let her know that things are going to get spicy. Rochelle, would you mind doing the honors?”

Rochelle gave him a knowing look before setting off toward the tent in a sprint.

Sal scanned through the chat in the hopes of finding something of note, but there wasn’t anything factual. Everyone was sharing their observations, feelings, or concerns. Divinity seemed frustrated by the lack of direction, and Sal couldn’t blame her. Barry looked like he was having a great time and seemed content to throw in a few incendiary comments now and again.

“Ah, excellent timing,” Brophy announced.

Sal glanced up.

Ioseph held his chin high as he walked toward the camp. His bloodied hand was holding his nose, and the entire front of his gray uniform was showered in blood.

“Rochelle!” Sal shouted for her to come back while Brophy took a step closer to Ioseph.

“How many?” There was a glint in Brophy’s eyes that Sal had never seen before.

Ioseph bowed his head long enough to make eye contact with Brophy. He removed his bloodied hand to reveal a broken nose. A crooked smile crossed his lips as he shook his head slightly. “Don’t ruin the fun. I let them chase me here.”

Sal stared at their Defense. “Are you crazy? You want them to come here?”

Ioseph’s teeth were covered in blood as he grinned maniacally.

Chapter 71 – Synergy

“What’s going on?” Erika demanded the moment she was out of the tent.

Even in her exhausted state, the panic on Rochelle’s face had managed to spur her into action. She was a little unsteady on her feet, and Sal had to wonder what torture she was going through on a daily basis to be that battered emotionally and physically by the end of each day.

Brophy gestured toward Ioseph. “Order Rochelle to fix him up and give us the commands. There’s an imminent ambush, so you can assume that all our moves are being watched. If you say it, I’ll go out with Ioseph to fight.”

That gleam in his eye was still there, and it made Sal nervous. It was like an uncontrollable bloodlust that was threatening to spill out if he was left too long without an answer. What made it more impressive was the fact that he was able to display such emotions with his restraining locket still equipped.

Erika took one look at Ioseph and frowned. “Rochelle, heal him.”

Turning to Brophy, she weighed her thoughts before turning instead to Ioseph. “Explain what happened.”

Ioseph gestured into the darkness and smiled. “I was securing the defensive perimeter, which has grown over the last few days. It was close to another camp, and I saw that they were under attack from men and women wearing black uniforms.” He shrugged and pointed at his face. “One of them noticed me and got too close to my perimeter and it activated. I wasn’t prepared for the backlash and ended up with a broken nose. The guy who came for me took the brunt of it though, so I’d say we’ve got awhile before they finish up there and come here.”

Erika’s eyes shone in their radiant gold as she stared deeply into Ioseph’s head. She clearly hadn’t been satisfied with that retelling, so went looking for herself.

“Oh.” Erika straightened as her eyes returned to their normal blue. “You rigged the trees to explode?” She turned to look into the forest as though piecing the information together. The last few days suddenly started to make sense for her. “All those runes…”

Ioseph grinned as Rochelle placed her hand on his nose. She had her other hand extended toward Brophy, who gladly accepted it.

Ioseph withdrew the etcher from his pocket and wiggled it in his fingers. “I needed something to practice on, and the only thing around us that has a connection to essence are the trees.”

“Shush,” Rochelle commanded as she used her Transference ability.

A slight crack echoed through the silence as Ioseph’s nose returned to its normal shape. The trickle of blood stopped as Rochelle moved away from him with a sigh. “That’s fixed now but take it easy.”

Sal looked at all the trees around their camp. “How many did you inscribe runes onto?”

Ioseph snorted. “Runes? I’m not some rookie engraver. Those are battle-wards. Reflection, Deflection, Combustion…you name it. They’re placed tactically around our camp. All we need is someone stupid enough to hit them in the right sequence.”

Brophy’s expression darkened. “I think you’re severely underestimating the capabilities of the guilds.”

Erika pulled her golden-brown hair back into a tight ponytail as she looked around the camp. “Ioseph, are the barriers fit for an ambush?”

He gestured at the sky. “Only from the sides. We’re vulnerable from above. If they can jump the walls, we’ll have to face them in here.”

Erika nodded. “If something jumps over the wall, can you shoot it?”

Her eyes had turned to Sal, and he suddenly felt an immense pressure from her gaze. Moving targets weren’t something he’d encountered yet.

“If he misses, I’ll take them out,” Brophy answered in his stead.

As if to emphasize his point, he withdrew the training knife from his belt. It was the same one he had used to carve the bark off the trees.

Erika glanced around as she sighed. “Get into formation. Sal will attempt to shoot anything coming over the barriers. If they land, Rochelle will try to siphon off their essence while Brophy dispatches them. I’ll barrage their mind to stop them from acting too independently, but we won’t know if Prestige will scramble my power.”

“And me?” Ioseph gestured to himself in confusion.

Erika gestured at the group of them. “Try to keep us safe while we do this.”

An eerie silence fell over the group as they waited for the ambush to happen. Brophy and Erika were by far the most composed in the group, and Sal wished he could replicate it. He scanned his surroundings with the tracker, paying special attention to the woods. His visor had managed to highlight enemies from ridiculously far away in the dungeon, but it was showing up blank as he peered into the darkness. In a moment of curiosity, Sal willed the visor to treat all humanoids as potential targets, excluding the team around him. The moment it happened, he wished he hadn’t.

“There’s seven of them on this side,” Sal whispered as he pointed at each of their locations in the trees. Behind him there were three more. “And three more on this side. They’re navigating around the trees and creeping closer.”

His heart thundered as Erika nodded, with traces of a smile as she looked back at Sal. “Great work.”

“Can you tell their exact location?” Ioseph whispered from behind Sal.

With a nod, Sal read out the distance of the nearest person. They were in a group of three. He pointed in their direction, which was enough for Ioseph.

“Erika, permission to remotely activate the battle-wards?”

Erika laughed at the suggestion as she gave Ioseph a nod.

Ioseph tapped Sal on the shoulder. “You’re going to be my eyes. Keep an eye on them when they start scurrying.”

His etcher was out in a flash and he drew a series of shapes on the ground in front of him. Sal wanted to watch him work but kept true to his word and studied the incoming threats. The group of three had seemingly stopped on their side, while the seven advanced. If Sal was to take a guess, he’d assume they were waiting for the chaos to unfold before ambushing their team from behind.

“Three… two… one…” Ioseph said, and Sal had to suppress a shudder from the sudden memory of Vanessa unlocking his gates.

He kept his visor on the group of three, or rather…two. A huge explosion ripped through the forest as the tree beside one of the red figures sent a powerful essence blast directly at them. It likely wouldn’t have been enough to cause a high-ranking guild member any issues, but the chain reaction that Ioseph had set off guaranteed the demise of their group. Sal watched as the first red figure was thrown like a rag doll between sets of trees, their body not having time to hit the ground before the next explosion propelled them in another direction.

“Talk to me, Sal,” Ioseph said in a voice filled with concentration.

Sal moved his eyes away from the group of three who were now all on the ground and turned to the group of seven.

He brought his voice down to a whisper as he filled in Ioseph. “The seven have stopped and are holding their hands to their ears. The ones you hit are on the ground over there.”

Erika followed Sal’s gesture to the fallen group as her eyes turned golden. “Thanks for giving me a line of sight, Ioseph.” She sounded happy, and it was more terrifying than any of the glares she had given Sal so far.

Sal turned his attention back to the group of three and saw they were getting to their feet. Just as he was about to warn Ioseph, they started to attack one another. He looked at Erika and saw her grinning as her gold eyes glowed in the night. It was truly one of the scariest things he had seen, and he was finally grateful to have her on his team. When Sal looked back at the seven, he gave instructions to Ioseph, who needed a few clarifications.

The next explosion rang out but it was too far from the intended target. Ioseph cursed when Sal relayed the information, but the chain attack was broken. All seven of their assailants rushed toward the camp at breakneck speed, with Sal registering two of them launching into the sky. One of them disappeared from view completely, and Sal suddenly felt a huge sense of dread.

“Two in the sky, and one disappeared from sight!” Sal shouted as there was no benefit for them to whisper anymore.

Erika’s eyes were still locked on her targets, so there were no commands coming from her.

Brophy’s knife was launched through the sky, embedding itself into the shoulder of one of the attacking Heroes. A startled gasp was his reward for his pinpoint accuracy.

Sal raised his gun into the air and aimed at the second target. His visor gave him the trajectory information and instinct took over as he took the shot. A blast of searing red light illuminated the campsite as his shot pierced through the air to hit the leg of the incoming Hero.

Both of them crumpled to the ground, with one clutching their shoulder and the other gripping their leg. Sal’s tracker tried to pick out the remaining five assailants, but he could only see four of them. Two stood on the other side of the barrier, their faces completely concealed with black cowls. Their entire outfits were black to blend in with the night.

One of them threw a series of punches at the barrier, causing it to flicker under the assault.

“Ignore them. They’re trying to scare you. Focus on the ones you can hit,” Brophy shouted as he plucked the knife from the downed Hero.

There was no way that their attacks were enough to put them down, so Sal guessed that they were merely acting as though they’d been dispatched. The real question was whether it was a ploy to get them to lower their guard. From Brophy’s lack of finishing the job, Sal guessed that it was fine to leave them on the ground as they were. When he looked around to see the Hunter punching the barrier, Sal was surprised to see him spear tackled from the side by two assailants wearing black.

Erika’s face was still adorned with a bright smile as she caused the Heroes to attack one another. Sal quickly checked on Rochelle and saw that her eyes were glowing green. Her hand was outstretched to the Heroes on the ground, with her other pointed at Brophy, who was on the other side of the barrier. It was pure chaos, with Ioseph still on the ground trying to gauge when to activate his wards, and Rochelle needing to move closer to the tree line to support Brophy. Erika’s orders were nonexistent as she let her power roam free against her enemies. Sal could still see a few of the Heroes hanging back in the trees and realized that Brophy was likely going to target them, which meant Rochelle would be in danger.

Sal ran toward their tent and vaulted onto the roof, climbing up to the top point of their campsite. He carefully aimed his gun at the red figures through his visor and treated them like rocks nestled among branches. If he could take them out before Brophy, then it wouldn’t lead to their Healer being compromised. Sal took his steadying breath before pulling the trigger.

Solar Scatter.

The shot he had used against the leechers that had proved to kill them with sunlight was the perfect attack against people hiding in the darkness. It launched forward in a straight line toward the Heroes, impacting against a tree in front of one of them and illuminating the entire forest for a few seconds. Those few seconds were all Sal needed to fire again.

Shock Lance blasted forward with a slightly higher trajectory, clearing the tree and slamming directly into the Hero covering their eyes. Sal couldn’t hear the reaction, and didn’t care to listen out for it. The next in the cartridge was Spiral Flare, which had managed to ignite the leechers with ease. Sal lost sight of one of the Heroes, and knew in his heart that he was likely to be put down at any moment, but he still needed to do his part. He was supporting the team, and if it meant just taking out one more, then he’d take the risk.

A searing flame whipped around the muzzle of the gun as another jet of red flame shot toward his prey. Swirls of wisp-like fire followed the attack through the trees before exploding viciously against the unsuspecting Hero. Sal didn’t bother checking his handiwork as he slid down the cover of the tent, his Epic-grade clothing absorbing all the pain that should have pierced through his skin. Before he hit the ground, Sal threw his internal essence into his gloves and transformed his uniform into the black suit of armor.

His visor flashed rapidly, and Sal barely had time to lift his arm to block the incoming blow. In front of him was an imposing male figure dressed all in black. His arm was extended from the punch he had thrown at Sal. Adrenaline coursed through Sal’s veins as he saw that many of their camp barriers had been destroyed. His team was nowhere to be seen, and all Sal could focus on was the man in front of him. His visor told him that the shift in stance was going to lead to a kick to his side and suggested that Sal move in a certain way to avoid it.

Sal smiled as he ignored his visor and shot the attacking Hero point-blank with his revolver, slamming him in the chest with a bolt of ice.

Chapter 72 – Recap

Sal saw the shock on the Hero’s face as the ice enveloped their torso. It was enough to put them on their back, but nowhere near enough to defeat them. But, whatever metric the Heroes were using for this fight, it was apparently enough for him to lay on his back with a grin. Rather than paying him any more attention, Sal whipped around and cast his gaze across the campsite.

Ioseph was on one knee and looked somewhat dazed. Beside him on the ground was a crumpled figure in black. Sal tried to do a quick headcount to see how many of their opponents were left, but it was difficult to know which ones were under Erika’s control as they were still marked in red. There were four on the ground in the campsite, with one on the ground outside the broken barrier. The person who had disappeared had yet to resurface, which kept Sal on edge as he looked around. Erika was at the edge of the trees as she maintained her line of sight, but Rochelle and Brophy were deeper in the woods.

When Sal’s visor checked the surroundings, he knew that there were still five assailants remaining. Three of whom were presumably under Erika’s command. That left a single individual in the woods, and one person who had disappeared. With it being an ambush, Sal was sure that it was going to be a stealth attack when they least expected it.

His tracker was supposed to be able to pierce through all layers of defense to identify targets, so why was it failing him now? He thought through his actions up to that point and suddenly remembered Barry’s message from a few days ago. One of his team had managed to dig out a den for their campsite. Could their hidden assailant be in the form of an animal?

Sal recalled that he had set his tracker to search for humanoid targets. When he switched it to look for any living organism, he was bombarded with lights from all the black trees containing essence. Instead of canceling it outright, Sal persevered with gritted teeth and searched through the blinding lights for any sort of anomaly. He couldn’t see anything of note in the forest in front of him, but when he turned to check behind him, he faltered at the sight of their tent.

Scarlet screen was reportedly able to see statistical information through twenty barriers with ease, so a layer of tarp was nothing. Sal locked his gaze onto an ethereal mass of smoke that clung to the ceiling in the center of their tent. It was infused with essence and was likely an Assassination skill. The Lock ability activated under his suggestion, and he cursed himself for not thinking of using it earlier.

The heat of the moment had made him reactive instead of proactive, and he hadn’t even used the abilities available to him. Sal couldn’t figure out the next steps. If he was to shoot inside the tent, it would essentially destroy their belongings and supplies. If he tried to lure it out, then it would remove the element of surprise that he currently had. With a shaky breath, Sal activated the Deduction ability of his visor and processed the information that was available to him. With Perception and Insight working in harmony with Deduction, the path to success pieced itself together as though it were common sense.

There was no way that he should be prioritizing their valuables in an ambush situation, but there was an alternative method to deal with the problem without causing too much issue. Because the individual was currently in a gaseous form, it would make sense to attack that vulnerability with his ice shot. Rather than opening the flap of the tent and announcing his presence, he could get Ioseph to deactivate one of the barriers between the rocks, to get a clear shot from the outside. His thoughts of climbing to the top of the roof were denied by the visor, as it would alert the Hero.

He rushed to Ioseph to give him the instructions. The dazed Defense was a bit shaken from his fight but nodded before reactivating the wards on the ground beside him. He got into place and gave Sal a thumbs-up.

“Remember, twenty seconds,” Sal whispered to him before darting out of the side of the camp and circling around the trees so he could get a clear shot of the barriers between the rock fingers.

It took him about ten seconds to get into position and another five to calm his aim. He had his target locked and the range was about thirty-five feet away, at an upward trajectory. The barrier looked like a shimmering pane of glass, and he had his sights trained on the ethereal form within. As the seconds ticked away, Sal held his breath and tightened his grip on the trigger.

The pane suddenly vanished and Sal pulled the trigger, watching as the shard of ice flew dramatically toward its target. Sal’s eyes widened when the bolt of ice exploded prematurely, as though it had hit an invisible barrier in front of the campsite. He stared in horror as his target materialized on the other side of the barrier in a defensive crouch, looking directly at Sal.

“That’s enough. You were compromised.” Prestige’s voice sounded out from behind Sal, causing him to jump in fright.

The black figure launched forward, to appear a few feet from Sal. He couldn’t make out any of their appearance other than the fact that it was a woman. Sal kept his weapon raised, but Prestige’s white glove pressed down on the barrel and forced him to lower it.

“How was I compromised?” Sal asked as he looked around at Prestige.

He hadn’t noticed her and didn’t think she’d be taking part in the ambush. Even if it was a test environment, having the number eight in the Hunter Bureau as an opponent was unfair.

Prestige shook her head as she gestured with the base of her cane to the woman dressed in black. “Not you, Mr. Argento. Her.”

The black figure shook her head and laughed. “Are you kidding me? None of them noticed me slip into their tent. Just because one of them caught sight of me, I’ve been compromised?”

Prestige raised her gloved hand and clicked her fingers, causing a shard of ice to form above her thumb.

“Mr. Argento noticed you in the tent, removed the barrier, and attempted to shoot you with one of these while you were in your ethereal form.” With a wave of her hand, the ice shard dissipated. “I shouldn’t need to tell you how lethal that would have been.”

The black figure turned to Prestige before nodding in understanding. “Thank you for saving my life. I have indeed been compromised, and will take greater care going forward.” Her head turned then to Sal. “Well done on creating a lethal countermeasure in such an environment.”

Prestige made an amused sound as the black figure crumpled to the ground as though they had been bested in battle. When she turned to Sal, she smiled. “My sentiments exactly. Now, shall we see how your team fared?”

Other than a few shattered barriers, the campsite had managed to survive the attack quite well. There had been no casualties from their team, with the only injuries being picked up by Ioseph. Each of them stood to one side, with Prestige standing in front of them. Behind her were the ten figures dressed entirely in black. Brophy had managed to dispatch the remainder of them in the forest. Erika’s face held a wide smile as she looked at their results.

It was an overwhelming victory for their team, and Sal guessed that Erika was beyond elated by their performance. He didn’t share her sentiment as their teamwork was a joke, but the results looked one-sided from where he stood. If the mantra of their excursion was adaptability, they had certainly delivered on that promise.

Brophy’s expression was somewhat conflicted, but Sal sensed that he had enjoyed himself. Rochelle was still panting as though she were out of breath, even though they had been safe in the camp for close to ten minutes. Ioseph was seated with his back to their tent. His eyes were locked on a particular man in the crowd. Sal didn’t have to use his imagination to guess why that was, judging from the bruises on Ioseph’s face and neck.

“Now, before we get into the grading element of all this, I’d like to congratulate you,” Prestige said with a clap.

All ten of the Heroes clapped exactly five times in unison, which made the whole experience feel very weird.

“You showed great promise in your strategic use of your surroundings. You coordinated well in the lead-up to the conflict and utilized your synergies. Those were the positives from your assessment as a team.”

Erika’s smile faltered at that, and she turned to give Brophy a look of disbelief, but it wasn’t reciprocated. Brophy looked resigned to whatever was coming.

Prestige laughed as she shook her head. “It would be too unkind to start picking apart your mistakes, so I’ll give you a few more pieces of praise.” She gestured to where Rochelle looked like a rabbit that had been caught in a hunt. “Your Healer moved with your Offense into the battlefield, rather than choosing the safety of sticking with the Defense. It was a good judgment call and deserves some praise.”

Despite Prestige’s words, it didn’t sound like she was genuinely complimenting Rochelle’s actions.

Rochelle bowed her head.

“Ah, it would seem that you’ve realized the problem.” Prestige smiled as she gestured to the seated Ioseph. “Your Defense was so busy trying to correct his minefield that he completely disregarded the safety of the team. Rochelle, I must commend you on making the correct judgment call. But it’s such a shame that you had to make that judgment yourself…” Prestige’s gaze swept over to where Erika stood. “Since your Controller was too preoccupied with using her own powers to keep an eye on you all.”

Lifting her cane from the ground, Prestige walked over to stand in front of Brophy. “While there is merit in a good offensive strategy, you endangered your Healer recklessly by charging straight in. Without defensive capabilities, you are both vulnerable as a unit. Taking your prowess aside, can you ensure the safety of your Healer when you’re fixated on an enemy in front of you?” She looked at Brophy meaningfully and waited for an answer.

“No, Prestige. I cannot ensure the safety of the Healer as an Offense class.” Brophy’s voice was matter-of-fact, and he had the grace to bow his head in shame.

Prestige nodded as she glanced over at Ioseph. “You had a remarkable strategy that ultimately failed. You did not adapt to the flow of battle as it changed, and you were an anchor to your team. By dwelling on your failures, you inadvertently limited the combat power of your team. Reflect on this, and work on being the Defense of the team. The strategy should ultimately lie with your Controller, but I understand why you might feel the need to take that responsibility into your own hands.”

She gave Erika a meaningful look.

Ioseph stood and bowed his head to Prestige. “I apologize for my mistakes, and I’ll work harder to fulfill my role.”

Prestige tilted her head. “That will remain to be seen, Mr. Bitterwater. I better not see that etcher in your hand for the next week. Polishing your skills is one thing, but covering your weaknesses is another. Learn from this.”

Sal watched as Prestige made her way to stand in front of him. Her gaze was still that same discerning look but he forced himself to meet it. If he was to reflect on his own capability in the fight, he knew that he would end up losing points for leaving the camp to take out the assassin. He also likely overstepped by shooting at the Heroes in the forest instead of keeping an eye on Ioseph. If he had been more careful, or had spoken up, maybe they wouldn’t have scattered.

“Mr. Argento. You managed to identify all incoming threats and informed your team. You coordinated the strategic attack using battle-wards, and you effectively dispatched four of your assailants with ranged attacks by moving around the battlefield. You also thwarted a hidden stealth attack with ingenuity. Well done. It was an excellent display of a Support class.”

Prestige gave him a nod of approval before stepping away to look at the members dressed in black.

Sal was speechless. Had she been watching the same fight?

“Now, we will ask your assailants for their verdict,” Prestige advised as she stood behind the masked Heroes. “How did my team perform in this ambush?”

Only one of them stepped forward and turned to face Prestige.

“Assessing the camp, we became aware of the battle-wards that protected the area. It took us a long time to navigate the surroundings in the darkness, which was a well-executed strategy from your team. The barriers were also a great deterrent, as only three of our group were able to clear it with ease. None of them reacted to taunting or our fear tactics, nor did they fall for the sneak attacks from behind or within. The layout of their camp is effective and their lines of sight were excellent.” He paused for a moment before continuing.

“The team composition is weak, with little to no instruction being issued between members. There was a high adaptability and a lot of individualism on display, but there was no cohesion or teamwork. After taking a vote, we have concluded that the Controller class and Defense class failed most in their duties, with the Offense class getting a passing grade for sheer competency in battle. Our verdict on the Healer class was that she performed above expectations, with marks docked for the injuries sustained to the Defense class. Support class was by far the most impressive during this encounter, showcasing a great level of adaptability to each situation, especially against our internal attack.”

Prestige clapped, and the black figure rejoined his group.

“Well, there you have it. Week one has come to a close, and you’ve successfully repelled your first wave of attack. Let’s see how you perform against them next week.” Her smile was sickeningly sweet, as though she relished the looks of shock on each of their faces. “It will be the same team of Heroes, but we’ll be allowing them to showcase a little more of their power. As you’ve heard Brophy say, the theme of this entire excursion is adaptability. What better way to train you, than to pit you against attackers who can learn your habits?”

Sal could only stare at the group in shock and could sense that the ethereal woman stared right back at him.

Prestige grinned. “I hope you’ll show me even better results next week.”

Chapter 73 – Infusion

The next week had been chaotic to say the least. After getting their rations delivered the morning after the ambush, they had a team meeting to discuss the feedback they had been given. Ioseph had been apologetic and determined to prove himself, but Erika was in a complete state of denial.

No matter how she looked at it, they had succeeded. Her individual training with Prestige had started to chip away at the cold and calculated exterior, and Erika showed signs of more than just fatigue. Her confidence had justifiably taken a battering, which resulted in her attempting to control even more of their actions and decisions. Everything they did needed to be reported to her, even the simple things like mealtimes.

Sal was grateful that there had been no resentment regarding the feedback he had been given. The team was at least functional enough to own their individual performances, rather than pointing fingers accusingly.

Prestige’s feedback had been to the point and highlighted each of their weaknesses. The knowledge that they had just a week to prepare for the next attack had driven them into a corner. Their camp hadn’t been defensible enough to repel their attackers, which was an immediate concern, but their teamwork was by far the biggest problem.

Erika’s solution was to reorganize the camp in such a way that they’d maximize the amount of time they’d have before the barriers were breached. Ioseph had been tasked with adding additional layers of barrier protection to their surroundings, while Sal had been instructed to create a watchtower of sorts at the top of the tent.

His visor and revolver were the perfect combination for scouting and long-ranged attacks, and Erika wanted him to be their eyes on the battlefield. Sal didn’t argue with her but felt like a lot of responsibility was being placed on his shoulders. Rochelle would be paired with Ioseph, who would only work on reinforcing the battle-wards and barriers around the camp. Any that were destroyed would be replaced as they cocooned within their camp. Brophy was to dispatch any combatant who managed to clear the area, while Erika would orchestrate their movements.

The plan sounded good, but it was easier said than done.

Sal cursed as his foot snagged on a shard of broken tree trunk, causing him to stumble and drop the thick branches in his hands. Brophy looked over at him, but Sal shook his head and indicated that it was fine. They needed materials to construct the tower, and the only things available to them were rock and wood.

Ioseph’s battle-wards had caused the vast majority of nearby trees to explode, which forced the team to scour the farther reaches of the forest in the hopes of finding useful pieces.

Sal picked up the thick branches and tucked them under his arm. His mind raced with the words Chatfield had told him in the dungeon about materials and how hard they were to source. Staying in the wilderness had given Sal a whole new appreciation for the materials he had used up to that point, and he told himself repeatedly that he wouldn’t take it for granted going forward.

“Think we’ll have enough with this?” Brophy asked from across the way as he gripped three massive logs over his left shoulder.

Each of them was thicker than one of Sal’s legs, and he marveled at the nonchalant display of strength. Sal ran a quick calculation in his head before giving Brophy a curt nod.

“Yeah, that should do it. I think we already had enough at the camp, but with those we’ll have a surplus,” Sal answered as he looked around him.

No matter how many times he tried to use the visor to pick up useful materials in the surroundings, it came up with nothing other than wood and rock. There hadn’t been enough essence in the atmosphere to forcibly evolve any of the materials into infused variants, nor had enough time passed for it to occur naturally. It was an incredibly limiting factor for him as a Crafter, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Brophy nodded before setting off with a light jog. The collection of small trees on his shoulder bobbed slightly on either end as he made his way back to the camp.

Sal sighed as he looked at his own branches in distaste. It was hard not to compare himself to Brophy, and no matter how many times he tried to avoid the comparison, he was reminded constantly of how wide the gap was in their capabilities. After spending a few moments feeling sorry for himself, Sal tightened his grip on the branches and made his way toward the camp.

Brophy had disappeared into the distance ahead, and Sal decided he might as well check in with the others. Lifting his tablet out with his free hand, Sal ignored the muted group chat and navigated to the shared chat with Divinity and Barry.

Salvatore: Out foraging for wood. How are you guys getting on?

He had made it about ten steps forward when his tablet vibrated in his hand.

Barry: I put the guitar guy into purgatory and now the team is freaking out that there was a psionic ambush.

Barry: Pretty sure he knows it was me, but he’s not saying anything.

Divinity: Hey Sal! We’ve been foraging ourselves and Melanie keeps finding bones. It’s creepy.

Divinity: Barry! You’re the Controller. Stop being petty.

Salvatore: Don’t suppose you guys came across any materials I could use? It’s just wood and rock around our campsite and I’m going crazy.

Divinity: Sorry, Sal. Nothing but bone here and I’m not sure how I feel about them being used for crafting. Ugh.

Barry: You don’t understand—he doesn’t stop playing! He tried to compose a battle song when we were fighting!

Salvatore: Sounds rough. Want to trade teammates?

Divinity: I would love to see an Erika and Barry combo! I’m shipping this.

Barry: No thanks, I’d rather have a team I can control. She sounds like she’s being a nightmare, though.

Salvatore: Ah, she calmed down a bit. Just not enough to make her pleasant yet.

Barry: With the material stuff, why aren’t you using your essence to upgrade the materials? Or are they too shit to improve?

Divinity: Not that it’s much use, but I checked the future and it looks like you don’t find anything useful out here anytime soon.

Salvatore: So…there’s hope? That I’ll find something eventually?

Barry: Are you still practicing your illusions?

Divinity: Sorry Sal, didn’t mean to give you hope. You don’t find anything useful in the wild.

Salvatore: No worries, just wanted to check. And yeah, every night before I sleep. Thanks for sending over more notes.

Barry: Cool. Gotta go, but I’ll catch up with you guys later.

Divinity: You’re going to go back to trolling the main group, aren’t you?

Barry: We’re literally days from Victoria’s nervous breakdown. I’m not missing it for the world.

Salvatore: Chat later!

Sal smiled as he pocketed his tablet. It was great that he was still able to chat with them throughout the exercises, because without them he likely would have gone insane. Just knowing that the other teams had been struggling with the excursion had been a huge relief. The group chat had devolved into people talking about useless stuff with many spouting conspiracy theories as to why they weren’t allowed to go back to the academy.

Sal had wondered how Bastion had managed to get its hooks into the next generation of Controllers, but after seeing the stupidity from some of the group chat, he understood how easily they could be swayed. It wasn’t all useless, with some of the Controllers offering a detailed rundown of their own ambush encounters.

Erika had joined the chat but didn’t contribute anything from their team. They did manage to learn that the ambushes had all taken place on the same day. Some groups with low-ranked members only had three assailants, with the maximum being ten. It made sense for their team to have a higher level of difficulty because of the tournament results and their overall ranks, but it didn’t stop Sal from being jealous. Facing off against three attackers seemed way more preferable to what they had endured.

As the camp came into view, Sal saw that Brophy was busy stacking another set of retrieved branches on the large pile in front of their tent. It was way more than he requested, and Sal wondered whether there was merit to Barry’s suggestion of refining the materials with his essence. He stepped into the camp and deposited his paltry number of branches in the stockpile before stepping back to look at them all.

“What are you thinking?” Brophy stepped off the pile and stood beside Sal, following his gaze to the wood.

Sal frowned as he picked up a small branch. “I’m wondering if it’s worth infusing the wood with my essence. It’ll improve its capability as a material by removing the impurities, but it’ll drastically reduce the amount we’ve got stockpiled.” Sal’s gaze moved to the empty space above their tent. “Alternatively, I could create the tower and try to upgrade it afterward with whatever we have left?”

Brophy nodded. “Let’s say you had unlimited amounts of wood. Would that make the decision easier?”

The question caught Sal off guard. Prestige had already made it clear that they wouldn’t be left wanting for essence in the camp, which he already knew was true from his illusion practice. His essence recovery rate had drastically improved, and that was down to Prestige’s Catalyst ability. She had likely altered the atmospheric essence to suit each of their needs.

“Since I don’t need to worry about conserving essence, my first choice would be to refine the materials and build it afterward.” Sal bit his lip as he studied their stockpile. “I could maybe change the structure of the tower to require less materials, but it’s really hard to quantify it without making a blueprint first.”

Just as Sal was about to dismiss his own thoughts, Brophy clapped his hands together.

“Okay, that settles it. Ioseph!” Brophy called out to the Defense, who was inspecting one of their barriers. “Help me get more wood in the forest, would you?”

Rather than answering immediately, Ioseph looked to where Erika sat with Rochelle beside the stove. She gave him a nod of approval, and Ioseph moved toward the exit of their camp.

Brophy grinned as he clapped Sal on the shoulder. “Leave the supply to us and get started on the refining. We’ll make sure you don’t run out!”

Sal laughed. “Are you sure? It might not improve the structure all that much.”

Brophy shrugged before turning toward the exit. “Worst-case scenario, it fails and I’ll make your life miserable during training tomorrow. No pressure!”

Sal’s laugh turned into a sigh. Training with Brophy had only grown in difficulty, and he had to suppress a shudder to avoid thinking about the torture that awaited him the next day.

Pushing those thoughts out of his head, Sal took a knee beside the large stockpile and picked up a small branch. He needed to know what he was going to build before refining the materials, so he loosely sketched out his idea on the dirt.

The large logs were perfect for support beams while the rough shards were thick enough for flooring or panels. With the components in mind, he drew out the mock blueprint and designed it in such a way that the base would clip over the top of the tent. Sal compensated for the slope of the tent by having the tower base slot seamlessly between the jagged rocks.

When the blueprint finally took shape, Sal activated his Mythcrafter ability to see whether it picked up his intentions. The visor scanned the drawing but didn’t register the design. Sal sighed as he got to his feet and dusted off his knees. His scrawl on the ground had been sufficient for the tent, but there was a lot more complexity to the tower. Drawing in dirt wasn’t going to cut it, and Sal decided to try a different tactic.

He navigated to the Illusion ability on his visor and activated the weave, conjuring the image he had in his mind of what the tower should look like. It was going to be rough, but Sal didn’t care. There were no textures and it was incredibly blocky, but he managed to place the illusion of a tower over the tent.

Sal paced around the camp and looked at it from every angle to verify that it would work. He ignored the questions from Erika and Rochelle as he fought to maintain his concentration to keep the illusion in place. When he was satisfied with the placement, Sal activated his Mythcrafter ability and tried to create a blueprint from the illusion. It was the first time he had tried to use two of the abilities together in this order, so he wasn’t sure it would succeed.

Much to his relief, the blueprint materialized in front of his eyes and meshed over the illusion. He kept it active while deactivating the illusion, feeling a huge wave of relief. It required far more concentration than he had anticipated, and Sal had to thank his visor for keeping him sane. Deduction flared to life as Sal ran the calculation of material costs. They had more than enough to create the tower with the basic wood from the forest.

Instead of trying the essence infusion and running the simulation again, Sal attempted to make the calculation with his visor. There were so many variables at play that he didn’t hold his breath. Sal guessed it would fail, but to his surprise, the visor changed the blueprint to reflect the new materials. Estimates and totals flooded his vision, telling him that he had around forty percent of the required raw materials. There was a breakdown of a predictive analysis, highlighting his chances of infusing each piece of wood successfully. Atmospheric essence and his own internal core were factored into the project, with Sal being informed that the project would take over fifteen hours to complete with the essence available to him. Those calculations even took Prestige’s influence into consideration.

Sal shook his head at the pile of wood. Fifteen hours was an absolute age, and he couldn’t understand why it would take so long. He inspected the blueprint again and saw that it had factored in the rock enclosure he had made with the tarp. There were two phases to the blueprint, with one of them taking only four hours, and the other taking the original fifteen. Sal realized that the longer estimate had proposed recreating the enclosure with the new design.

When he explored the blueprint, Sal was disappointed to see that the Mythcrafter ability seemed unwilling to accept his design and instead offered multiple variations of it. It still incorporated the same infused wood as a material, but the scale and scope of the projects kept creeping away from his intentions. One of the proposals was to create a wooden barrier around the entire camp. It was all very overwhelming.

He groaned as he rubbed at his eyes. They were going to need a lot more wood.

Chapter 74 – Stacks

Sal realized his mistake the moment he filled Erika in on the situation. The entire team had assembled to listen to his report on the tower. He decided not to hold back on the details and thought that it would likely result in them changing their plan.

“So, all you need is essence and wood? And you can turn this place into a fort?” Erika’s eyes had lit up at the prospect of having a more defensible structure, and Sal tried to manage her expectations.

“An insane amount of both! Infusing the wood with essence refines it into a smaller and more compact material. If I was to follow the blueprint for the tower and tent, it would take over fifteen hours of nonstop work while managing my own essence. That’s assuming we have all the wood that we need, which we don’t.”

Sal’s voice was earnest as he tried to make her understand, but Erika just smiled as she shook her head.

“And you said about the walls, like fortifications? You just need essence and wood again. Right?”

She was almost giddy at the prospect, and Sal felt like he was talking to a stranger. Her cold and broken visage had been replaced with a face filled with excitement. Sal wondered whether she had finally cracked and become delirious because of the stress and expectations on her shoulders. He didn’t want to be the person to burst her bubble, but he needed her to understand what she was asking of him. It was a monstrous amount of labor that wasn’t even guaranteed to work out. All the predictions from the visor were just that—predictions.

“Erika, even if we had the wood—and it would need to be at least twenty times what we’ve gathered so far—the essence requirement is more than I’m capable of outputting. Fifteen hours was the estimate based on my recovery rate, but I’ll need to take breaks to eat and sleep. It’ll massively impact the time we have available before the next ambush. I think we need to brainstorm a different solution.”

Sal looked around at the others to see whether he had their support, but they were all looking at Erika for her reaction.

Erika smiled as she tapped Brophy on the chest. “We’ll get Brophy to help on the essence front. Rochelle can use her Transference ability to act as a conduit between the two of you. That should give you enough essence to get through the project.” She turned and gestured at Ioseph. “Ioseph and I will gather wood. Brophy and Rochelle can join us while your essence reserves are high.”

Sal was dumbfounded by the suggestion. Erika Clifton was going to collect wood for their team? He looked around at the others and saw them nodding at the prospect. Sal didn’t know whether he was just anxious about having so much responsibility on his shoulders, or whether he was finally going insane, but he tried his best to convince them that there was a better way.

“Even if we use Brophy for the essence, we’re placing a lot of faith into this one plan. If Ioseph is in the forest getting wood, then we won’t be refining the battle-wards and barriers for the camp. If I screw this up, we’ll be set back by days.”

Sal finally addressed the concern that niggled in the back of his mind. He wasn’t confident in his ability to complete such a large-scale project, especially with the stakes being so high.

Erika sighed and placed a hand on her hip as she gestured at the campsite with the other. “Look around. We’re essentially a tent with a few barriers. We don’t have the element of surprise anymore, as our opponents know our abilities and what to expect. Having a defensible structure that gives us range and versatility in combat would be a huge advantage.” Her hand circled their group as she kept her eyes locked on Sal.

“Right now, our environment is the best it can be because of Ioseph’s barriers. Brophy, Rochelle, and I can’t contribute meaningfully to the camp construction, which is why we need to rely on you.”

Sal wanted to interject, but Erika raised a single finger to halt him. He stopped and followed her finger as she pointed to the tent behind them.

“You made that with rocks and duffel bags. You’ve already shown how reliable you are as a Support, and everything you’ve told us sounds like the best method for upgrading our camp. I wanted you on this team because of your versatility, but I had no idea just how resourceful you would be. If you had said that it can’t be done, then that would be a different story.” An uncharacteristic smile crossed her lips. “But all you’ve told us is that it’s possible but will require a lot of effort.”

Sal shoulders sagged as he let out a sigh. “You want to go with the fort option, I take it?”

Erika’s grin was answer enough.

Sal ate his food quietly as he mulled over the task ahead. It was eerily quiet in the camp as everyone watched him expectantly between bites of their own meals. His assigned rations from Rochelle were still packed with vegetables, and Sal had long stopped complaining about the lack of meat in his diet. Behind him, the once towering stockpiles of wood had been transformed into neatly formed stacks. It had initially taken much longer than the visor had predicted, but Sal had picked up the pace as he got used to the refining process.

All the twigs and branches had been fused into uniformly cut stacks of wood. The blackened trees had kept their ominous hue and the addition of essence had given them an almost reflective quality. In their basic state, they had been a Common material, but with the infused essence, it had been enough to bump many of the stacks into the Uncommon grade. The preparation was complete and now all Sal needed to do was start the assembly. That was the reason for the silence during their meal.

Brophy’s hand trembled as he raised the fork to his mouth. Sal felt a massive pang of guilt at seeing the man so close to the dregs because of Erika’s plan. He had operated as a battery for Sal throughout the entire day, and he was clearly close to his limits. Rochelle was physically fine, but her eyes were filled with concern when she looked between Sal and Brophy. Only Ioseph and Erika looked unfazed by the tension around the stove, with the latter eyeing the stacks that dominated their campsite.

“Do you need to wait for Brophy to recover, or do you have enough essence to finish the project?”

Her tone was controlled, and Sal wondered whether he had imagined her smile from the previous day.

Sal shook his head as he glanced at Brophy. “I can get started without him. If I start to struggle, we can use the Transference. That should give him enough time to recuperate. The essence absorption rate here is incredible, so he’ll probably be back to full within an hour or two.”

Brophy grinned as he placed his plate on the ground. “An hour is more than enough. I can’t be the only one who’s excited to see our new accommodations?” He looked around the group, and his easygoing smile managed to alleviate some of the tension.

Rochelle smiled as she took Brophy’s empty plate and stacked it beneath her own.

Ioseph had his arms folded as he stared at the stacks of wood. “It’s hard to believe that all the wood we dragged here only amounted to that. I can’t get my head around how much they’ve shrunk.”

Erika nodded as she followed his gaze. “Are they just more compact?”

Sal shrugged, which caused a few looks of surprise. He raised his hands defensively and smiled. “I just know how to do it; I don’t necessarily understand everything about it yet. Most of this stuff has been learned through trial and error. I’ve only had a handful of Crafting classes with Upgrade and haven’t learned anything about refining from her yet.”

Ioseph frowned. “I know it’s rude to ask, but I can’t figure your ability out at all. Are you an Appraiser, or a Crafter?”

Sal met his gaze and smiled. “Yes.”

Ioseph chuckled and shook his head. “Suit yourself. It’s really impressive, though. I don’t know where we’d have been sleeping without it!”

At those words, Erika got to her feet and stretched her back. “Speaking of which. I’d very much like to sleep tonight in our new fort. We’re not going to get any closer to it by chatting here.” She gestured for Sal to hand over his plate, which he did wordlessly.

It was finally time for him to get started. His essence was fully restored, and he had the blueprint firmly ingrained into his mind. He exhaled slowly as he moved toward the first stack of wood. Mythcrafter prompted him with the placement of each component and Sal was relieved to see that it looked like a giant puzzle.

All he needed to do was stack the pieces of wood in certain positions and his essence would keep them in place. The weight of each piece of timber was putting an unforeseen drain on his essence, but Sal ignored it and continued. He had to enter their tent a few times to place a few of the larger pieces, with most of them creating a lattice-like effect across the sloped ceiling. Sal didn’t question the blueprint as he stacked some of the wood on top of each other, leaving it for the ability to figure out when it came to flooding the thing with essence.

When he added the hundredth piece of wood, Sal was nearing his breaking point. With a wave to Brophy and Rochelle, they got into position and Sal felt his essence being bolstered artificially. It wasn’t like the cores he tethered to in the workshop as it was an already refined essence of another person. If he had to describe it, it wasn’t neutral…but still worked for what he needed it to do.

There were another three stacks to go, and Sal guessed that he was around sixty percent of the way to completion. The tricky part was climbing up onto the tent and having Ioseph hand him the large planks that would act as the basis for the tower. Smaller pieces were able to be thrown up to him, which sped things up considerably.

Sal continued to work for another couple of hours, long after all the pieces had been assembled. With so many parts of the puzzle, he couldn’t afford to take a risk and activate it. He checked each piece to see whether anything had dislodged and was relieved about his decision when he found more than five errors scattered around the tent. One had been a large mistake in the interior that likely would have caused the project to fail. Sal wondered whether it would result in all the components falling or whether they’d just fuse together incorrectly.

Erika stood with her arms crossed as she watched Sal intently. Maybe she had looked into his mind and knew that he was close to the finish line, or maybe she had been watching the entire time. Sal didn’t know which it was as he slid off the roof and admired his handiwork. It didn’t look like much at the moment, but it would transform into something truly great. His blueprint had given him a fair idea of the finished outcome, and Sal was excited to see their reactions. It had been almost two days of refining, and he was ready for it to be finished.

The sloping tent was barely visible with all the planks of wood surrounding it. The tower looked more like a roughshod assortment of small panels and branches, with a series of planks visible at its base. The slate color of the rock enclosure contrasted with the blackish hue of the wood, and to everyone staring at it, it looked terrible. All their work had culminated in a tent surrounded by wood and it wasn’t hard for Sal to read the apprehension on their faces. Only Erika looked confident, but Sal knew she was cheating.

With a deep breath, Sal flooded the structure with his essence and pulled sharply on the tether Rochelle had given him. Brophy’s essence mingled with his Mythcrafter essence and blended into both the tent and the surrounding wood. Sal watched in fascination as the planks started to fuse together.

Each component hungrily drank in the offered essence and glowed vibrantly. It truly was a sight to behold as it took shape. Sal moved into the tent and applied his essence to the lattice on the ceiling. Pillars of glowing wood pierced through the tarp as the tower above started to take shape. Sal needed to stay underneath it as it would be impossible for him to scale the tent in the construction phase.

A few gasps from outside told him that it was starting to take shape, but Sal zoned out those thoughts as his visor picked key areas that needed his attention. Essence needed to be massaged into certain points that hadn’t fused automatically. Planks had to be repositioned and the tent needed to be pulled in different directions to accommodate the change in layout. It was a slow process, but Sal was happy to do it. With every little tweak or change, he saw the improvements it would make to the overall result.

When he finally exited the tent, he was met with a look of pure astonishment from Erika, which made the whole ordeal worth it. Brophy was equally impressed as he moved around to inspect the structure more closely. Rochelle prevented him from getting too far away as she yanked his sleeve back to keep him tethered. Ioseph shook his head in disbelief, and it warmed Sal’s heart to see their reactions to his work.

After some final touches, Sal noticed that the structure was no longer taking any of his essence.

He deactivated his ability and stood back with the group. It was finally time to see the result.

Chapter 75 - Double-Edged

Sal held his breath as the structure came to life. It came with a huge sense of accomplishment, and he could barely believe how it all had all come together. Looking around, he saw the expectant looks mirrored on everyone’s faces.

What had started as a plan to create a separate tower onto the tent had transformed into a fortified keep of sorts. Internal and external wooden frames glowed with the rock enclosure to create something entirely different.

Sal’s visor flickered a few times, drawing his attention to the base of the wooden planks. His eyes widened when he saw roots burrowing into the ground, undoing all his refining work as the materials reverted into their original form. The tower grew larger, with the sloped tent swelling upward to accommodate the new frame. A series of crackling noises signaled that the internal wood was bending into shape, and it wasn’t dissimilar to the noises they heard when Ioseph’s wards caused half their surroundings to explode.

“Is it always like this?” Brophy stepped closer to the wooden planks that were writhing into their new form.

Sal didn’t answer as he watched everything unfold. The glowing lasted quite some time, almost pulling in the atmospheric essence around them before revealing its final form. Their wait finally came to an end when the entire structure flashed, causing all of them to shield their eyes to block the sudden light.

When they opened their eyes, practically all of them gaped at their new lodgings. Sal wasted no time in inspecting it with the Appraisal ability, curious to know what sort of properties it held.

Name
Black Oak Tower

Origin
Crafted (Reforged)

Age
New

Grade
Rare (Low)

Dimensions
Calculating…

Materials
Infused Oak | Infused Rock | Polyester | Aluminum | Refined Warders Essence | Refined Mythcrafter Essence | Refined Soul Forge Essence | Refined Transference Essence | Plastic | Clay

Attributes

Harden: Greatly increases defensive capabilities by hardening skin or external surface material.

Amplify: Greatly increases the potency of essence-related abilities.

Rooted: Natural growth occurs, utilizing atmospheric and subterranean essence. Rate of growth is determined by essence supply.

Refined: Increases Crafting Grade based on essence quality.

Abilities
Harden | Amplify | Rooted | Refined

Power Source
External Essence

Evolution
Yes - 1%

Quality
Perfect

Condition
100%

Value
Est. $45,000.00 – $87,500.00

Sal had to do a double take when he saw the listed properties of their new fortification. He had assumed that the essence he borrowed from Brophy and Rochelle would be converted to Mythcrafter essence, but it had transferred their unique essence types straight into the materials.

The result had been a change in abilities, with Transference creating the Rooted ability, and Soul Forge creating the Amplify ability. Harden had been carried over from the original rock enclosure, and Sal assumed that Refined was a result of their various essences being used in the construction. He marveled at the result, as it was far beyond his expectations. There wasn’t even an evolutionary rune in the design, but Rooted had brought that capability naturally. He wondered whether it was because he had used natural ingredients from the forest, but didn’t know for certain.

“This is insane…” Brophy breathed.

Black wood was intertwined in the shape of walls, almost like the trees had grown together to create a natural barrier. All the spaces between their branches were slate stone, like their previous tent. The branches coiled upward to create what looked like a natural perch. Sal’s meticulously placed tower had turned into a sort of crow’s nest, with branches weaving around it to create a natural defensive point.

“It almost looks like black glass,” Rochelle whispered as she touched the reflective wood.

Ioseph and Erika moved forward to where their tent flap had been. It was Ioseph who figured out that it was now a door, but only after grasping at a few different areas in the hopes of opening it up. When he swung it open, his eyes widened.

“It feels…weird,” he remarked as he looked over his shoulder.

Erika moved past him to enter the construct, clearly curious about what he was talking about. Sal guessed that they were experiencing the Amplify ability, but he couldn’t be sure until he went in himself. Brophy and Rochelle followed her, but watched for her reaction warily.

She stood in the center of the construct and a wide smile crossed her face. “It’s some kind of potency enhancer. Not like the atmospheric essence that Prestige did for us, but rather like I’m sitting in a skill-pod?” She looked at Sal with a questioning look, as though asking him to validate her claim or to explain himself.

Sal shrugged as he gestured at the structure. “It’s because of the essence variants we used in building it. It’s taken some of Brophy and Rochelle’s ability, as well as my own. So, according to the appraisal, it looks like our tower has formed roots and will grow over time. It has Amplification and Hardening abilities too, so it’s probably channeling essence from everywhere into the interior.”

Erika’s eyebrows raised as she looked around. “You managed to make something like this with just wood and essence? No matter what way I look at it, your ability is ridiculously overpowered,” she muttered to herself as she marveled at the internal space.

The rest of the team made the same expressions of wonder, leaving only Sal outside. His visor was trying to calculate its dimensions, and he willed his visor to stop processing it. He could tell from the outside that it was much bigger than what they had before, with a second floor for their tower and an internal staircase that led up to it.

When he finally entered, Sal looked at the lattice of black wood holding up the ceiling. Whatever material remained of the tent had been overtaken by the wood, leaving only a few glimpses of the fabric between the gnarled branches.

The amount of floor space had increased with the removal of the sloped ceiling, giving them a much more spacious environment to camp. On the leftmost side was a tiered staircase that wound upward toward the tower. It dominated a lot of their available space, but it was the only way the design could be completed. Sal questioned whether he could have designed it as a spiral staircase, but dismissed the thought as soon as it came to him.

“And just what do we have here?” Prestige’s voice sounded out from outside their new fortification.

The tapping of her cane signaled her approach as the students moved to make space for her. When she finally entered and came into view, her eyes widened in shock at what Sal assumed was the Amplification ability taking effect.

“How in the world did you manage to create this?” Her voice was almost breathless as she paced around the area, tapping at the walls with her cane.

Sal realized that she wasn’t actually asking him how he had made it but was surprised at the quality of the end result.

Prestige moved up the steps to where the tower was erected, and Sal saw her suddenly freeze as she reached the top. She paced backward down the steps and gave him a stricken look.

“How the fuck did you manage to make this? It’s amplifying essence from the ground all the way to the top of the tower. A student shouldn’t be able to manufacture something like this, even with the right materials.”

Sal gestured to where Brophy stood with his arms folded. “I utilized the essence of Brophy and Rochelle, which ended up being classified as a material in the construction. You already know that I’ve got a Skill Master ability, so my crafting used their skills as components. This building has Rooted and Amplify abilities, as well as Harden from the enclosure.”

Prestige shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips. “I heard about your ability from Chatfield, but this is a whole new level than what I was expecting. You used essence and wood, nothing else?” She looked all around in wonder.

Sal’s silence confirmed that she was correct, and it seemed to confuse her even more.

“As a defensive construct, it’s unparalleled. Is it suitable for an ambush encounter, though? You might find that you’ve crafted a double-edged sword. There’s barely enough room in that tower for one person, so who are you going to send up there? Will it be Erika to try to control all ten of the ambushers, or will you place your trust in Sal’s ability to pick off targets? What will the rest of you do when the attack commences?”

Prestige looked at each of them as she moved around their internal space, paying special attention to step around the sleeping bags strewn on the ground.

Sal frowned as he listened to her advice.

Prestige smiled as she made her way outside. “I guess we’ll have to find out.”

“No, they’re on the right side! My right!” Sal shouted down from the tower.

The entire evening had turned into a chaotic mess since the ambush started. Erika had tried to man the tower at the start but couldn’t get a clear line of sight without Sal’s tracker. Without him identifying them from the outset, the ambushers closed the distance and surrounded the tower in seconds.

Each of their barriers were under attack from every angle, and the branches of the roof were impeding Sal’s ability to fire at them directly. It was a massive design flaw as the very things created to protect him were stopping him from retaliating. Erika couldn’t use her powers without seeing the attackers, and the absence of windows in the downstairs structure had proved to be a major oversight. The ambushers paid special attention to avoid the transparent barriers between the rock fingers on one side, which had made Erika’s ability redundant.

“We don’t know what way you’re facing!” Ioseph called back as he frantically tried to erect barriers from the interior. “Are they on the camp side or the other?”

Sal grimaced as he looked down at the gaps at his feet. He could barely see his team from the vantage point and tried to hold his composure together. “They’re on the camp side! If they were on the other side, you’d see them!”

“Just let me out!” Brophy’s voice was strained as he attempted once again to make Erika see reason. He wanted to be out at the campsite, fighting them in person.

Erika’s voice cut through all of them.

“No! Sal, just shoot them. Brophy, stay inside. We’re defending right now and the moment the door opens, we’ll be taken down. Ioseph, focus on the barriers!” She sounded absolutely pissed; the whole thing had turned to shit around her.

No windows, reduced visibility of their surroundings, and being trapped in a cube with their assailants outside had ended up as a disaster. The best outcome they could hope for would be a stalemate unless Sal managed to take out all ten of them by himself.

“They’re too close. I’ll hit the roof if I try to hit them!” Sal insisted again, but Erika’s voice snapped back in frustration almost a half second later.

“Just shut up and keep trying! You made this mess, so we need to hold out for as long as possible!”

Sal saw red as he snapped his attention to where her voice sounded out. “I made this mess? If you hadn’t insisted on manning the tower, we could have seen them approach and reduced their numbers! They’re clumped on us now because you needed to be in control!”

Erika shouted something back at him, but Sal didn’t hear it as an ethereal mist formed in front of him. He tried to lift his revolver, but it was too late. A hand burst out from the mist and grasped his wrist tightly. The strength of her hold was insane, and Sal could barely budge as the rest of her body materialized into the tight space around him.

Sal couldn’t even get out a word of warning as her arm snaked around his neck and forced him over the edge of the railing. His visor was forcibly removed and the revolver followed shortly afterward. Sal twisted his body, trying to get a look at her, but all he could see was a small device clipped to her belt.

Name

Essence Disruption Grenade

Origin
Crafted

Age
1 year

Grade
Uncommon (Low)

Dimensions
4 inches Length | 2 inches Width

Materials
Nullification Essence | Void Metal Dust | Soul Shard Fragment | Magma Shard

Attributes

Nullify: Drains target essence and restricts activation of abilities.

Stun: Temporarily paralyzes target.

Abilities
Nullify | Stun

Power Source
Internal Core

Evolution
No

Quality
Excellent

Condition
91%

Value

Est. $4,000.00 – $6,500.00

Sal suddenly understood Prestige’s earlier warning. If that grenade went off inside their building, the effect would be greatly amplified. He strained as much as he could and managed to surprise her slightly.

In that small window, Sal screamed down at his team. “Get out of the tower!”

His reward was darkness as his ambusher cut off his air supply and knocked him unconscious.

Chapter 76 – Defeat

“So, there’s a lot to unpack this time.” Prestige tapped her cane against the ground, a wide smile on her face. “It was about time we had an overwhelming defeat, with no doubts about your performance. Isn’t that right, Erika?”

She turned to Erika, who stared back at her defiantly. There was no refuting the facts. They had lost, and badly.

Sal had found out when he awoke that the team hadn’t managed to get out of the building in time, with the grenade going off moments after he screamed at them. One factor that gave him a grim sense of satisfaction was that his attacker had also been caught up in the blast, with the Amplify ability blowing up the tower she was perched on with Sal. She had been similarly knocked unconscious.

That was the only person they had managed to take down, and it was only through her own error. Brophy had apparently been forced by Erika’s ability to remain in the building, which ensured their collective defeat. If they had managed to achieve one thing as a team, it was a mutually assured destruction.

Prestige’s smile didn’t leave her face as she listed the facts. “You cloistered from the beginning, with an over reliance on your impenetrable defense. That clearly resulted in your downfall, but we’ll get to that in a few moments. I want to talk about the construct first.”

She turned and waved her cane at their camp. “Incredibly resourceful, but poorly utilized. You had four people doing nothing with all your focus on a single person in that tower. Having just a single person responsible for your success is a poor choice, and out of all the available people, you elected the wrong individual to start.”

With a wave of her hand, she gestured at one of the people dressed in black who were lined up the same as the previous week. The same man who had spoken to them before stepped forward at Prestige’s beckoning.

“We were able to advance on the camp without any issue this time. There were no surrounding wards like before, nor were there any barriers. It looked like an invitation to advance on the building, so we proceeded carefully. No traps were detected in the area, and all we needed to do was stay out of her line of sight.” He pointed at Erika as he spoke. “The branches of their tower created blind spots that we leveraged in our approach, and we had no issues in getting to the building.”

Prestige raised a hand for him to stop. She looked at the team and shook her head.

“You somehow managed to regress the complexity of your campsite in just a week. All the factors that gave them issues have been thrown to one side in favor of protecting yourselves. What did you hope to achieve with this plan? A fortified structure like this is something you fall back to when your initial plan doesn’t work—it’s not the place to stage your counterattack. In my opinion, this week’s ambush felt like you went into it with a defeatist attitude. You all knew that the ambushers would be adapting to your movements and habits, and you did nothing to change up your personal performance.”

She gestured for the man to continue, and he obliged with a nod.

“We identified very early on that there was limited offensive capabilities around their structure, with an over reliance on the tower itself. We utilized that as our entry point, by dispatching the Support, who had been switched out with the Controller. The essence disruption grenade was supposed to mildly stun them and allow our infiltrator to open the building from the inside. We hadn’t anticipated the Amplification effect of the building, which resulted in a severe reaction. Our apologies for not taking this into consideration, as it wasn’t our intent to create such devastation on week two.”

Sal followed his gaze to see the remnants of the tower that had been half-destroyed by the grenade blast. If his assailant hadn’t pushed him to safety, he likely would have been gravely injured by the blast. He couldn’t help but be resentful toward Erika for streamlining their defeat. She had insisted on being the person in the tower and refused his suggestion of using the tracker to identify the incoming targets. He didn’t know whether it was because of arrogance, or something else, but Erika said that the Amplification ability was more than enough for her to take them all out before they got close.

When that failed, she had tried to wrestle back control, which devolved into shouting instructions and ordering everyone to listen to her. Sal couldn’t even fathom the frustration Brophy must have felt at being controlled with her power, only to have to face an explosion as a reward.

Prestige clapped her hands together, drawing everyone’s attention back to her.

“I’m sure you’ve all learned a great deal from this encounter, and I’m almost reluctant to tell you that it will be worse next week. Your opponents steamrolled you this time, and my expectations have not been met. I’m happy that you’ve faced a setback early rather than later, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed at what you showed us this week. If I was to allocate grades on the last week, I’d fail each and every one of you. That structure that you poured days into creating is not fit for purpose and limits your capabilities. My suggestion would be to dismantle the building as it’s clear you’re being held back by it.”

Sal’s jaw clenched. He was proud of what he had built, but it had ended up working against them. A part of him wanted to insist that the problem wasn’t with the building but with Erika. If they had used it as it was intended, the result would have been much different. It felt unreasonable to blame his construct for their failure, but he was conflicted.

He had made the tower to suit his own needs from their first ambush and didn’t really consider how it could be used by the others. Sal was reminded of the first shirt he made with his ability, and how it, too, hadn’t been capable of performing the way he’d designed it. It was a product of his fear of prowlers, and it had almost killed him despite being functional. He thought then of the equipment that Blathnaid had made, and how she took the wearer into consideration when she adapted the style of her clothing. He still had so much to learn, and Prestige’s words about the building being dismantled really grated on him. Not because he thought she was wrong, but because he was starting to see that she was right.

Prestige stood closer to Erika and placed her cane squarely between her legs. She gave their Controller a meaningful look as she tilted her head to one side. “Do you disagree with any of my assessment so far?”

Erika shook her head slightly, the only indication that she was even listening.

Prestige wasn’t satisfied with just that and she leaned in closer. “Explain to me what went wrong during this exercise. I need to know that you understand before I can sign off on you entering a tower in the future.”

With those words, Prestige highlighted the importance of them getting this right. The guardians were in place to ensure that the students would be ready for what awaited them in the tower. Be it training vigilance or resilience, or whatever, the guardians were watching their every move.

Erika’s brow furrowed as she looked back at the team. It was like she was weighing up if she’d rather own up to her mistakes, or to throw them into the fire. No matter what she said, Sal was convinced that her actions had thrown them into disarray.

Erika gestured at their accommodation and maintained a stoic expression. “We operated with the materials we had available to us. Salvatore created this with the help of the others, so the time spent on its construction reduced our ability to bolster our defenses.”

Prestige’s laugh cut her off. “Please, Miss Clifton. Stop trying to pawn this off on your team. I know the concept of working with a group is new to you, but don’t you think that it’s a little farfetched to blame our battle-readiness on this? Your Support highlighted how long it would take and the resources required to build it. You insisted on its construction, so don’t try to use it as an excuse.”

Prestige smiled as she tilted her head again and looked at Erika with that piercing gaze. “You could make this so much easier on yourself by explaining what truly went wrong.”

Erika’s jaw tightened, and Sal saw how uncomfortable she was. He genuinely wondered how she was going to try to talk her way out of it.

When Prestige tapped her cane impatiently, Erika gave her response.

“It made the most sense to have the Controller in the tower, to orchestrate the rest of the team and issue commands. When the enemy got too close, I made a judgment call and put Salvatore into that position instead. He can track them better with his equipment, and I thought he’d be able to take some of them out if he was up there. It would seem that I was wrong in that assumption, and we ended up getting overwhelmed.”

Erika spoke as though the outcome was obvious, and Sal stared at her in astonishment. How could she be so clueless about everything around her?

Prestige shook her head and waved Erika away as though she wasn’t bothered with her anymore. Her cane tapped against the ground as she moved to Rochelle.

“No bullshit or excuses, Miss de Verdon. Tell me what happened from your perspective.”

Rochelle didn’t even blink as she pointed at Erika. “We agreed that Sal was the best choice to use the tower at the start, but Erika overruled our decision. She wouldn’t let Brophy outside to fight off the enemy and told us that we just needed to wait while she came up with a plan. Brophy should have been outside fighting like an Offense, and Ioseph should have been guarding us with wards. Neither of those could happen because Erika and Sal wouldn’t work together.”

Sal did a double take. He had disagreed with Erika and let her have her way in the end because she was their Controller and he was Support, but had Rochelle really interpreted that their failure was because he couldn’t work with Erika? It seemed somewhat ridiculous to think that he was supposed to somehow have overruled her.

Prestige nodded at that feedback and went to Brophy next. “And your opinion? What is the verdict?”

Brophy nodded at Rochelle. “Essentially what Rochelle said. We were hamstringed from the beginning as the guard tower could only be used by either Salvatore or Erika. They argued over who should use it, and Erika won out by pulling her ‘Controller’ card. I doubt we could have talked her out of it as she already demonstrated that she’s not above using her powers on her teammates. Even after getting the instruction from Salvatore to leave the building, Erika forced me to stay by using her ability. I was forced, against my will, to take the blast that I could have easily avoided by evacuating. We absolutely failed because the structure was not designed with our team in mind, but rather as accommodation with added versatility. Squabbling over the use of that versatility and treating the building as a fortress rather than our accommodation resulted in us sitting inside and waiting for defeat.”

Prestige smiled. “I agree. At least you’re now aware of the limitations this sort of building brings. I hope that you’ll give us a better showing next week. Otherwise, I’ll need to recommend to Quest Academy that you don’t face the tower.”

Erika whirled around and gave Sal a dark look.

“Don’t look at me like this is all my fault,” Sal snapped as he pointed at her. “No matter what we do, you’re convinced that you’re right. I made this place and it’s flawed—I get that now. It has limitations, and I should have been more mindful of our team dynamic when building it. I can tell everyone when I’ve fucked up, but you can’t seem to own your mistakes. Your orders screwed us tonight, so at least own those instead of blaming everyone around you!”

He hadn’t intended to sound as venomous as he did, but when the words came out, Erika looked as if she had been slapped in the face. Rather than showing shock, she appeared to be furious.

Prestige stepped into the gap between Sal and Erika and looked at Sal first with a calm expression.

“Frustrations among teams are normal but allocating blame to each other isn’t a healthy mindset to operate with.”

Her head turned to Erika as she gave her a wide smile.

“You should be communicating with your team and working together to achieve your goals. This was a failure, but there is a lot for you all to learn from. Utilize the team to get the best results possible, rather than trying to dictate every detail from the sidelines. You’ve already seen the incredible capability of your team, so rather than trying to control it, work in harmony with it to reach even greater heights.”

Brophy snorted, which drew Prestige’s attention. Her eyes narrowed and locked onto her son, but he shrugged as he gestured at Erika.

“It doesn’t matter what you say to her. It’s going to be her way or nothing at all. That’s just her personality, and we have to deal with it when you disappear for days on end.”

Erika shook her head and gave him a deathly glare. “Big words for someone who’s literally planned out how he’d kill each and every one of us. Don’t try to deny it, Brophy. I saw your thoughts. How can I trust you when you’re ready to kill us off?”

Brophy’s expression didn’t so much as flicker. “You could start building trust by not reading people’s minds. I factor in risks and ways to mitigate them—that’s the role of your Offense. To help train each person on this team, I need to know your weaknesses. I run simulations in my mind to best prepare for those encounters. That’s context you’d have if you actually had a conversation with me instead of trying to control me like a toy.”

Prestige’s cane slammed into the ground, which caused a ripple of essence to stagger those around her.

“Enough!” She stared at Brophy to silence him, and he complied immediately.

When her gaze turned to Erika, Prestige shook her head, but with no semblance of mirth on her face. “Trust is vital to the successful operation of a team. If you’re betraying that trust by burrowing into their thoughts, no wonder they’re not feeling great about working with you. This is a team, and although you’re operating as a Controller, it doesn’t make you their owner. Find a way to work together or the next two ambushes will end up even worse than this one.”

Sal laughed humorlessly, which was enough to draw Prestige’s gaze. No matter what was said to Erika, it was unlikely that she was going to change her behavior. He didn’t want to take that risk and continue operating with everything being an uphill battle. If they wanted to change their trajectory, there was only one thing that could be done.

Sal stared at Prestige and pointed at Brophy. “Make him the Controller, instead.”

Chapter 77 – Motivation

To say that the atmosphere was tense would have been an understatement. Prestige didn’t elect Brophy as their Controller, and the position remained with the now furious Erika. They had endured countless admonishments and reports from the ambushers and Prestige, with recommendations on how they could have worked better as a team.

The following days had been spent in near silence around the camp. Brophy and Sal continued their training out in the woods while Ioseph constructed barriers around their camp much like he had the first week. Rochelle had taken it upon herself to go for walks in the forest to stay away from the campsite whenever Erika was there.

It took a couple of days before Brophy addressed the topic with Sal. They had just completed the fourth run of Sal’s new exercise regimen, that involved darting between the trees, sliding into cover, and taking out ranged targets that Brophy called out at random. It was during a short rest when Sal had sat heavily against a tree that Brophy turned to him with a conflicted expression on his face.

“I wouldn’t be a good choice for Controller.” He raised his hand to stop Sal from interrupting. “I’m an Offense class, and even though I know a lot more than the team, that comes from experience being out in the field. We need to respect the different roles and the advantages they give us. Trust is paramount for success, and I feel like our best chance of having a functional team is with Erika performing well in her role.”

Brophy squatted to sit on his heels as he sighed deeply. “It’s incredibly frustrating. I get that, and I have my own feelings on how Erika uses her powers on others. That doesn’t matter, though. What matters is the task we’ve been assigned. I hope you understand?”

Sal gave him a small nod. He had time to reflect on recent events, and he wasn’t happy at how everything had played out over the last few days. The team was barely talking to one another, and it spelled disaster for their upcoming ambush. He wasn’t sure what Brophy expected from the conversation.

Brophy glanced over in the direction of the campsite hidden beyond the trees in the distance. “I think Prestige’s advice has merit. I can’t even fathom how painful it might be to see such an incredible feat of crafting being dismantled, but it’s the best course of action.” He paused and looked at Sal with a hopeful expression. “Unless you had any other thoughts on how it could be repurposed?”

Brophy was asking about changing the layout of the building, but even though Sal had considered it, he couldn’t figure out a way to make it useful for everyone. They had already lost most of a week on its construction, and he didn’t want to place his bets on it being their salvation. Brophy’s gentle tone and troubled expression showed Sal that he was genuinely remorseful about wanting to tear down the building.

“I don’t think we can salvage it or make it into something radically different in the time we have available. The resources took us too long to gather, and we’d need even more to make something better.” Sal laughed as a thought popped into his head.

“If I was being perfectly honest, I’d love to put Erika in the tower and have her act as bait for the ambushers. They’d absolutely think that she wanted to try again, and we could just pick them off from the outside while they clumped together like last time.”

It was a joke, but Brophy didn’t treat it like one. He stared at Sal. “That’s not a bad idea, actually. I’d be more inclined to rig the place to blow up, but I doubt Erika would be fond of that, seeing as she’d be in the center of the explosion.”

Sal raised a single finger to Brophy as he activated his visor. He was still maintaining his practice each night and the results were nowhere near as good as he needed, but it might be enough. Sal closed his eyes and visualized Erika standing with her arms crossed. He tried to represent her scale realistically before making her materialize with Barry’s illusion ability.

Brophy’s gasp was signal enough that something had happened, and Sal opened his eyes to see a poor depiction of Erika standing haughtily in front of them. It was his first illusion of a human and it showed, as Erika’s body was waist-deep in the ground in front of him.

Sal got to his feet and raised Erika’s illusion with him, until her feet floated unevenly on the ground. The colors were all wrong and she looked more like a black-and-white representation of herself, with only the gray uniform looking realistic. It would take a lot more finessing to get her to look more like the original, and Sal dismissed the idea of using an illusion in their plan.

Brophy laughed as he walked around the image, his eyes wide with surprise. “This is phenomenal! You could use her as a decoy! They don’t expect us to have an Illusion-based ability, so this level of likeness at night would be more than enough to convince them.” He was getting excited and looked at Sal eagerly. “This could absolutely work! We could ambush them while they’re distracted with this fake Erika! Can you make her eyes gold?”

Sal wasn’t sure but gave it a shot and visualized her glowing irises. The result was gradual as Sal applied the gold rings to her eyes. He recalled the advice Barry had given him about applying textures to objects; because it wasn’t going to be a pattern around the eyeball and just a picture on one location, it worked perfectly.

Brophy clapped excitedly, and Sal decided to try to change the pigment of her skin from the dull gray tone to her porcelain white. It didn’t work as well as he had hoped, with her hair becoming white too. Sal kept trying small changes, and eventually called it a day with brown hair and gold eyes.

“Fantastic work!” Brophy grinned as he stepped around the illusion. He couldn’t resist passing a hand through her head to verify that it was indeed an illusion. He glanced over at Sal to see whether he had disrupted anything, and when he saw Sal smiling, he clapped again.

“This is an excellent development! What else can you do with illusions? Could you hide wards and make them look like normal vegetation?”

Sal paused at that, and Erika’s image flickered from the sudden loss of concentration. He hadn’t considered using illusions to disguise traps, but it sounded possible. All he needed to do was cover them with fake rocks or something.

Sal pulled his tablet out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. “I’ll send Barry a message to see how he’d do it and see if he can give me some pointers.”

Brophy smiled. “I’m guessing that it’s his ability that you copied? He’s a Controller, I take it?”

Sal nodded and returned the smile. “Yes, and you should see the sort of stuff he can do. It’s incredible. He can make illusions fight and do all sorts of stuff. In the tournament, he made an illusion of a commander variant demon, which scared the shit out of our opponents.”

Brophy’s eyes widened, which made Sal chuckle.

“I’m absolutely going to tell him that Gallant thinks his power is cool. He’ll get a kick out of that. Well, if he believes me.”

Sal sent off a message to Barry and then tried a few different iterations on the Erika illusion to see whether he could make it more lifelike. No matter how many times he tried to do it, he knew that he’d need to study her in more detail to do the illusion justice.

Sal didn’t want to have that conversation, nor did he particularly want to stare at her for a prolonged period. Sure, she was easy to look at, but being on the receiving end of one of her glares was more than enough to put him off. Brophy offered some help as Sal worked, making some suggestions of things that looked unrealistic or things that might be improved.

“You should mess up her uniform. There’s no way that we look this clean after a few weeks in the wild.” Brophy laughed as he tugged at his own uniform. “Personally, I’d be willing to pay about a hundred Q-Cred to have my stuff professionally cleaned. Washing up with heated water leaves a lot to be desired.”

Sal frowned as he saved the Erika illusion template to his visor. Even though Barry had suggested that he’d learn how to do it naturally himself in time, Sal wasn’t going to make the effort of learning if the visor could do it seamlessly. When it was successfully saved, Sal waved the illusion away and brought up his mother’s Restoration ability. He powered the weave and touched Brophy’s shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Brophy asked cautiously as he looked at Sal’s glowing hand and eyes. “Are you trying to craft me or something?”

His laugh had an edge of concern, which only grew with Sal’s continued silence.

Sal sent the ability through Brophy’s clothing, causing droplets of dirt to roll off the material to the ground below. Brophy’s eyes widened as he turned around in a full circle, inspecting his clothing to see whether he was just imagining the clean sensation. When he tapped his chest, Sal raised an eyebrow.

Brophy looked up at Sal with a confused expression. “It’s not an illusion! These are actually clean!”

Sal finally understood how it must have looked from Brophy’s perspective. He likely didn’t know just how many abilities Sal was capable of replicating.

Brophy faltered as he looked at Sal in shock. “Wait, does that mean you could have been cleaning everyone’s clothes from the very beginning? Why hold out until now?”

Sal sighed as he shrugged and gestured to the camp. “Nobody offered to pay a hundred Q-Cred.”

He gave Brophy a wide smile, and it took the Offense class a few seconds to realize that Sal was joking. When Sal was about to touch his visor to resume the work on the illusion, Brophy halted him.

“I won’t give you a hundred Q-Cred, but what if I give you the equivalent in special training?”

His smile was conspiratorial, and Sal was curious to know what Gallant might possibly want to teach him. The first thing that came to mind was martial arts or some kind of stealth technique. Both of which would likely be useful at some point in the future. Sal readily agreed and gave Brophy a nod, which elicited a laugh from him.

“Excellent! I’ve wanted to teach Rochelle this for a while now, but she’s not at the base level to try it safely.” Brophy pointed at Sal’s chest. “But based on the output you have, I’d say you’re able to give it a shot.”

Sal frowned. The only difference between him and Rochelle would likely be the number of essence gates they had available. Brophy wasn’t a Body Manipulator, so there was no way he could do the same sort of exercise as Vanessa to break through essence gates.

“You’re talking about essence gates?”

Brophy raised his palm and tilted it left to right. “Yes and no. My mother taught me an essence control method that drastically improved my internal cores. You might not realize it from looking at me, but I’ve accessed over two hundred gates.” He smiled proudly as he placed his right palm on his chest. “It’s a method that the top rankers created to enhance their capabilities after reaching the pinnacle of their abilities. I can teach it to you.”

Sal scoffed at the prospect. “There’s absolutely no way that it is worth just a hundred Q-Cred. Something like that sounds invaluable.”

Brophy’s smile faded. “Well, as you’ve likely deduced…it can come with a cost. I don’t anticipate that your ability will suddenly evolve beyond your capacity, though. So, what do you say?”

Sal laughed as he shrugged. “I guess I don’t have anything to lose. Will it hurt to learn?”

Brophy blinked before he laughed. “Of course not! It’s just a breathing exercise coupled with essence control. Think of yourself like the wood, and this method as the infusing of essence. You’ll ultimately become a better product than before. That is, if you meet the requirements.”

“Requirements?” Sal wasn’t sure he was following Brophy’s train of thought.

Brophy gestured at Sal’s revolver with a grin. “You said so yourself that it’s invaluable knowledge. So, what say we make a small wager? You help us get a defeat against the ambushers this weekend, and I’ll teach you the breathing method.”

Sal shook his head and laughed ruefully. “Right, so all we need to achieve is the impossible and you’ll give me the invaluable method of the top rankers? Sounds like a completely reasonable thing, if you ask me.”

Brophy clapped Sal on the shoulder. “Glad we’re on the same page. But you know what? Rest time is over. We can get at least another five sets in before the sun goes down.”

Before Sal could counter, Brophy rushed off into the forest, leaving him standing there with his revolver in hand. He pushed all other thoughts to one side before raising his revolver and chasing after Brophy, his hand coming up to fire at the thrown object that flew across his view.

Chapter 78 – Tactics

Sal stepped back from his handiwork and couldn’t help but smile. Only the tracker was able to deduce the trap that lay underneath the illusion. With Ioseph’s help, they had managed to set up a series of spaced-out traps that would act like land mines when stepped on. They led the entire way to the campsite and even into the interior around the building.

The barriers from their first week had been erected again and had visible traps on the ground in front of them. That idea had come directly from Barry, to lull the attackers into a false sense of security by having some of the traps visible. Sal and Brophy had thought the idea was genius, even though Ioseph seemed against it. Even though he had orchestrated the destruction of an entire forest, he had qualms about hiding traps. Apparently, it was cowardly in his eyes.

Erika, on the other hand, was completely behind the idea. She had started to look at Sal a little differently when he showcased the illusions he was working on. It wasn’t the reaction Sal had initially feared, as she saw the value in luring their ambushers to their demise.

The tension and anxiety that had sprung up from their last assessment was in the past, as Erika had reverted to her calm and cool demeanor. If Sal had to pick the person responsible, it would have been either Brophy or Rochelle who had broken the ice and worn down her resentment. Brophy had framed their plan as the perfect method to turn the tide, with the ambushers clearly expecting the team to be in a state of turmoil. If they worked together and used that assumption against them, they’d have a stronger chance of securing victory.

Once Erika had heard the plan, she practically posed for Sal to get her likeness right. All the small details that both Sal and Brophy had missed were remarked on by Erika as she pointed out how the illusion could be better refined. She even went so far as to do a series of gestures that Sal could mimic with the illusion, from an attacking pose to a frantic screaming at them to get things in order.

Sal was floored by her level of self-awareness, in that she knew all the telltale Erika-isms that would add credibility to the illusion. All it confirmed to him was that she was well-aware of how she was perceived by others. Sal guessed that she both knew and didn’t care.

Rochelle was the most reluctant to try the plan because a key part of it was smearing their gray uniforms with mud and dirt from the surrounding area. They needed camouflage and their uniforms stood out too much. After Brophy insisted that Sal could clean them with one of his powers, Rochelle conceded and started to cover herself in muck. Erika had even made a joke that Rochelle should cover her red hair with mud just to be safe, and the horrified look didn’t leave Rochelle’s face, even when Erika had started laughing.

Thankfully, once they had all gotten behind the plan, things progressed smoothly, with Brophy guiding the team through the woods to explain the different routes they would be taking. He had put together a series of encounter plans, which everyone listened to carefully. It sounded convoluted at first, but after his third time explaining it, they started to understand. Ioseph had a series of unfinished battle-wards on the trees around their safe zones. All they needed were a few seconds and Ioseph would have them covered with barriers.

Sal would be in the trees, acting as their scout and picking out the targets. To improve communication, Brophy decided that Erika would read Sal’s mind from a safer position farther into the forest. They had found a set of trees that had a line of sight, which would give Sal plenty of time to warn them of the ambushers approaching.

Brophy would be stationed with Sal, giving him enough time to escape back to safety before retreating himself. Ioseph would be stationed with Erika and Rochelle. It was a chaotic plan, that involved them sacrificing the building, but everyone was behind it completely. It was using tactics that suited their abilities, and gave them a much stronger chance of ambushing their attackers.

Sal looked around at the group and gave them a thumbs-up. “That should be all of them. Should we get into position and wait them out?” He looked at Erika, who nodded and hiked her thumb over her shoulder.

“Yes. Let’s get into position now and keep an eye out for their approach. Can you put the illusion Erika into the tower?”

She squinted at the tower in the distance, and Sal could almost tell what she was thinking. It was a preposterous amount of space to project an image to, but just as Barry said, the effort it took to maintain static illusions was ridiculously low as long as you didn’t make them move much.

“Sure can. I’ll set it up now.” Sal tapped the side of his visor and brought up the saved template.

He had to position it manually, which was quite difficult from a distance, so the team got to enjoy a floating Erika phasing through the building at weird angles a few times before it finally looked natural. The template that he had chosen made the fake Erika look diligent in her scouting duties.

“Don’t forget the eyes,” Erika reminded him as she looked at the illusion.

Sal switched out the template with the one with her powers activated, and the golden eyes suddenly became visible in the distance. It would keep the ambushers’ attention on Erika’s eyes rather than the ground they were stepping on. Even if Ioseph saw it as cowardly, it was a pretty smart play. Sal definitely owed Barry a crafted knife for that suggestion, especially if it resulted in them getting a win.

“Looks like everything is in order,” Brophy remarked as he took special care of where he was stepping. “Shall we move now? They should be arriving in a couple of hours.”

Sal took one last glance at the illusion before turning and setting off with the team. He felt confident in their plan, but there were so many things that could go wrong. All he was certain of was that they were going to try their best.

It was less than an hour before Sal saw movement with his tracker. His locked targets had come into view and approached the camp in a wide circle formation.

The sun was still setting, and it was an earlier attack than what they had experienced up to that point, but they were ready this time. Sal was perched on the higher branches of a tree, almost twenty feet above ground level. His revolver was primed and ready for any attack, and his eyes followed their movements carefully. From his own memory, he knew that they were coming close to some of their perimeter wards, and it was likely going to kick off soon.

Sal had to fight with himself to remain calm. His heart thundered as he tried desperately to get it under control. He couldn’t tell whether it was excitement or anxiety, or a blend of both.

One of the ambushers halted suddenly and took a knee. The silhouette of their body was visible in the distance, and Sal could see them gesturing for another person to come up carefully. It was too far to see any of the signals that were being communicated between the groups.

Sal was sure they had noticed one of the traps, and he was hoping that it was one of the visible ones. If they were able to identify the ones covered in illusions, it would drastically reduce their chances of success.

The red shapes on his visor moved around the trap and kept a close eye on the ground in front of them. Their approach had slowed at the discovery of potential traps. The others moving gradually closer to the camp hadn’t slowed down, which had ultimately resulted in the party starting with a bang.

A wide smile crossed Sal’s face as the first explosion erupted in the distance. One of the invisible traps had been triggered, and resulted in pandemonium as the other ambushers froze in place. Many of them were communicating to one another with rapid hand signals that Sal didn’t understand, but he got the idea that they were trying to determine what had just happened.

The individual who had stepped on the trap was lying on their back, but Sal saw them raise their hands to give a slight round of applause. It wasn’t nearly enough to take them out, but they acknowledged the trap as being enough to defeat them in the exercise.

One of the silhouettes disappeared, and Sal knew that it was the ethereal woman. He kept scanning the horizon to see where she’d reappear, and his heart froze as he contemplated whether he had been found out already. Much to his relief, her body took form on the other side of the camp barrier, in a narrow space between their fortified keep and the barriers. She looked like she was hiding to carry out a surprise attack.

The illusion of Erika in the tower was making the group cautious of approaching within a certain line of sight, but the explosion had made them wary of the ground at their feet. As a result, the forward movement of each person had slowed to a snail’s pace. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the ambushers moved tentatively closer, avoiding all the visible traps on the ground. It took close to ten minutes before the next explosion erupted near the camp. Whatever communication went on between the group, all of them seemed to activate at the same time.

Sal twisted his head in multiple directions to keep sight of all the ambushers as they broke forward into a run. Maybe it was an attempt to regain momentum, with two of their team already taken down. He watched as two of the ambushers launched into the air in an incredible jump, bringing them into what they assumed was the safety of the camp.

Unfortunately for them, the entire surface area of the interior was connected to explosive wards. When the first made contact with the ground, it exploded in shards of rock and dirt, creating a temporary cloud of dust. The second desperately tried to latch onto the rooftop of the keep, but his momentum dragged him down to make contact with the ground. His foot barely graced the rock before he was launched back into the air with an assortment of rock and debris.

In just a few seconds, they had managed to dispatch four of the ambushers: two from carelessness in the forest, and two who tried to jump to safety. When the dust finally cleared, the two ambushers were revealed to be sitting on the ground, looking around curiously as they pointed at the wards. Sal wished he could hear them from that distance, but his Deduction ability was telling him that they were likely conversing about the traps. He could have figured that one out himself, but he was grateful that the visor tried to help.

With the smokescreen girl still in hiding, it left five ambushers in the forest who had managed to get to the barriers. Sal barely noticed it in time, but a projectile was thrown directly at the illusion of Erika. He tried to move her position to a template that would make her take cover, but in his haste, he loaded the template that had her celebrating. He watched in horror as Erika’s image raised a clenched fist in the air as the grenade sailed straight over her shoulder and bounced against the rooftop behind.

An abrupt flash of light burst out from the device and to everyone watching, Erika hadn’t reacted in the slightest. That was enough to make the ambushers suspicious, and they exchanged a series of hand signals to one another. The two dispatched people who sat in front of the keep laughed as they figured out the illusion, and Sal hoped they wouldn’t communicate it to the rest of the team. His visor was telling him that the ethereal woman was moving forward and backward anxiously from her hiding space, trying to get a read on the situation.

A crackling sound in the distance tore Sal’s eyes back to the ambushers who had reached the barriers of the camp. One hit the barrier repeatedly at a terrifying speed. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for it to be destroyed completely, giving the group full access to the camp. It was still out of illusion Erika’s line of sight, and the surviving five people moved into the area cautiously. To Sal’s relief, the two guys on the ground didn’t say a thing or make any signals. Instead, they lay on the ground as though they were dead.

With ruthless efficiency, the team got into place and started to storm the keep. One of them had forcefully ripped open the door, leaving space for another to invade the building. Sal saw them falter ever so slightly at the empty surroundings, but a moment later they launched themselves up the stairs to take out Erika. Sal turned his head around and looked in the direction of the real Erika, who was perched in a distant tree. Her gold eyes watched him intently.

“Do it now,” Sal whispered as he sent the most deliberate thought he could.

Erika glanced down and made a gesture to Ioseph, who got to work immediately. Prestige’s advice was to destroy the keep, and they intended to do just that. Ioseph had rigged the entire place to explode, using all the gathered essence and Amplification ability to make something devastating.

Sal didn’t want to do it, but it was the best solution for their team. He was proud of the building, but it was unlikely that he would ever return to this place in the future. There was no point in being sentimental about it.

Turning his head back to watch the ambushers, he could see that the others had entered at the urging of the person invading the space. It wouldn’t take long for them to realize it was a trap, and Sal hoped Ioseph would remotely activate it soon.

Before the thought fully formed in his head, Sal watched in grim satisfaction as the walls of the keep buckled in unison. The red silhouettes inside rushed toward the door when the runes activated, but only a couple of them managed to get outside before the place erupted in a roar of snapping wood.

Whatever Amplify did to the runes seemed to have elevated the destruction to a whole new level. An invisible explosion of force destroyed the walls in sequence as the roof flew into the air at an angle. It was like an enormous bubble of air had expanded from the inside, and it reduced its container into weaponized shrapnel. Wood blasted in every direction, slamming into the ambushers unlucky enough to be in its range.

An aggravated wail sounded out from one of the ambushers, and Sal was horrified to see a shard of wood embedded into their thigh. A wave of guilt surged through Sal, and he fought to repress it. He couldn’t lose focus at a time like this.

The ethereal woman had been forced into the barriers by the blast but hadn’t been knocked out or incapacitated. She disappeared and didn’t reappear anywhere that Sal could see. It made him anxious, but he tried his best to ignore the dread growing in the pit of his stomach.

“How many did we get?” Brophy whispered from the ground below, his eyes still trained on the remnants of their camp.

Sal counted the ones he could see before giving a report.

“Two taken out in the forest, two taken out in the campgrounds, and three taken out with the building. I’ve lost sight of the teleporting one but can see the two survivors of the blast. They’re not coming this way yet.”

Their odds were good, and it really was a relief, but the danger wasn’t over yet. Just one of those people would be enough to take them out.

When Sal turned around to share the report with Erika, he froze at the sight of the teleporting woman standing on the branch above Erika. She hadn’t done anything yet but was watching her carefully. Sal implored Erika not to react to the danger above her, and Sal’s visor could see her almost imperceptible nod of understanding.

Ioseph’s barriers protected them from straight attacks, but not ones that came from above. Rochelle would be a bad match for a fight with her, as she needed time to siphon off essence. Their group was built for a war of attrition rather than a fast dispatch, and Sal was worried that they would get taken out the moment the ethereal woman attacked.

Sal raised his revolver and took aim at her. There was at least forty feet between the two locations and if he could take her out before she attacked, then they’d have a much better chance. Just as his finger tightened on the trigger, she disappeared from sight. He sent the instruction to Erika that the girl was gone, and that they should change location immediately. It didn’t look like he and Brophy had been spotted yet, but Erika’s group had absolutely been compromised.

When Sal turned around to check on the other surviving ambushers, he saw that the ethereal woman stood beside them, pointing directly at Erika’s group. They’d have seconds to retreat before the ambushers were upon them, and Sal was about to turn toward Erika to see whether she had heeded his warning when he saw the woman change the direction of her gesture. She was pointing directly at him. He didn’t know whether she was bluffing, or whether this was a method to intimidate him. When she waved at him from the distance, he was certain that she had noticed him.

“Brophy.” Sal didn’t even bother to whisper. “You’re up.”

Chapter 79 – Teamwork

Sal decided that the best way to show Brophy where the attackers were was to launch a pre-emptive strike against them. He raised his revolver and aimed directly at the ethereal woman, who taunted him with that damned wave. He aimed at her head and pulled the trigger, knowing that the trajectory would dip over the distance and hit her in the chest. That is, if she had stayed where she was. A streak of purple light lanced forward at the target area, and Sal knew that she was gone before it struck the area she had occupied.

Brophy wasted no time. As soon as the shot went off, he launched forward at a dizzying speed and navigated the woods as though he had grown up in them. His body weaved naturally through the branches as his feet raced toward his prey. It would take him a few seconds to get there, and Sal didn’t want to let the other two out of his sights. After his first shot, they had scattered in different directions, but ran toward the forest as though they were going to attempt a pincer maneuver.

Sal whirled around on the branch and pulled the trigger. His practice with Brophy over the previous weeks had made him much more confident in shooting at moving targets. The visor was also coming in handy in guiding him on how to predict their movements. A stream of fire blasted ahead of one of the ambushers, causing them to dart off to one side, out of danger. Sal smiled as an idea took hold in his head.

He repositioned his aim away from the closest attacker and instead targeted a safe patch near their hidden traps. When he pulled the trigger again, the enemy responded as predicted and changed their route to avoid the blast. Which resulted in him stepping onto the concealed trap.

An explosion rang out, but rather than taking out the enemy, it just knocked him off-balance. Sal was about to shoot at him again when Brophy appeared in mid-air in front of the ambusher. His entire body turned in the air as a vicious kick slammed into the side of the ambusher’s head. The built-up momentum of the kick as well as that of the attacker resulted in considerable damage. Brophy arched his back and landed on a single palm before he used it to flip to safety.

“Take him out, Sal!” Brophy shouted as he darted into the trees to pursue the next attacker.

Sal didn’t need to be told twice and aimed at the staggered opponent. When he pulled the trigger, a dazzling beam of light shot forward and hit the enemy square in the chest. It didn’t seem to have much destructive power, but it was enough to put the man down. If it hadn’t been for Brophy’s kick, the ambusher would have likely weaved through the attacks all the way to Sal’s location.

When Sal turned to find the location of the other ambusher, he heard a creak in the branches around him. It wasn’t from his own movement, and Sal knew exactly who his next opponent was. Without waiting for her attack, Sal launched himself out of the tree and hoped that his landing wouldn’t be too painful. He turned his body in the air and saw the ethereal woman crouching on the branch above him, a baton extended to the area his head had just been. He couldn’t see her face as she was concealed completely, but he knew she wasn’t someone to be fucked with.

Sal whipped his head around just before he hit the ground. He prayed for the safety of his ankles as he prepared to roll to negate some of the damage. Much to his surprise, his feet hit the ground and, rather than him taking any damage, he attacked the ground?

His trousers glowed faintly, signaling that they had activated the Impact ability. He hadn’t ever fallen before, so it was his first time seeing the ability in action. A silent thank-you was sent to Gosia, Martin, and Upgrade for making him the set. Without looking behind him to see where his opponent was, he set off toward the rest of his team. They’d be stronger if they worked together.

“Did you take out the guy I kicked?” Brophy asked as he materialized out of the trees to Sal’s left. He was much faster and looked incredibly focused.

Sal nodded, which didn’t do anything to relax Brophy.

“The other guy is a Controller of some sort. Created a golem, so keep your eyes open and your revolver high.” Brophy stated the facts as he took his place behind Sal and slowed to match his pace. “The teleporting one is going to be the primary issue for the moment, so try to lure her into Erika’s sight.”

Sal turned around at the mention of a golem. He had never seen a power like that before and had no idea what it would be like to counter it. Were they going to go all out because of the trap from earlier? When Sal saw Brophy’s resolute face, he knew that there was no jesting in the statement.

Sal tried to increase his pace as the other group came into view ahead of them. The entire tree was surrounded by shimmering blue barriers with a grotesque-looking construct made of rock and clay hammering the walls in slow and labored punches. Each of its legs were the size of Ioseph’s waist, and its torso was likely constructed with a boulder. There was no head on the construct, just limbs that continuously hammered at the team’s defenses. Erika couldn’t do anything as it was just a puppet, and Rochelle couldn’t use Transference because of the barrier separating them. Ioseph could only hold on to maintain the barriers, which left them completely stuck.

Sal looked up to see the ethereal woman perched on a branch above, her baton tapping against her hand expectantly. Sal’s revolver was up in an instant as he pulled the trigger, sending a blast of ice in her direction. He guessed that she’d just teleport away from the attack, but to his surprise, she batted the ice away with her weapon. It deflected in a completely different direction as she gestured for him to try again. Sal knew he was being goaded, and he desperately wanted to fire off a series of rounds in her direction. Instead, he aimed his gun at the golem and started to fire.

“Leave her to me,” Brophy called as he ran past Sal and ducked under the barrage of gunfire.

Brophy was fast and managed to launch up and over the barriers with just a leap, finding a branch to vault up higher in the tree.

Sal wanted to watch his progress, but the golem had turned around and was advancing on his location. It felt like the exact same sensation that he experienced back in the dungeon. Every part of him wanted to run away from the monstrosity, but the knowledge that it was only a test kept him rooted to the spot.

Each bullet smashed into the golem’s body but did very little damage. The gravitational shot managed to slow it down for a few moments before it lumbered closer. The fire attack charred a part of its torso, and the ice had just shattered on impact. The purple electrifying blast had done absolutely nothing to it either, as the rock easily negated any of the damage. Sal was quite literally up against his worst match-up.

In a moment of desperation, Sal backed away from the slowed golem and changed out the cartridges in his revolver. In the time it took him to take out the cartridge from all six chambers simultaneously, the golem had halved the distance between them.

Rather than looking for the best bullets for the job, Sal snapped his hand to the right and let the chamber click back into place. He built it so that it would be able to use the Epic-grade core to fire essence-based bullets even without the cartridges made of other materials. Because it was an essence construct, Sal hoped that it would have some kind of effect on it.

When he pulled the trigger, the gun responded instantly, and a singular bright bullet punched through the air and slammed into the upper right of the golem’s torso. Unlike the other bullets, this one chipped away a significant chunk of rock. It wasn’t really a destructive power, but Sal didn’t care; he didn’t need to worry about cooldowns when it was just essence bullets.

Sal continued to pull the trigger as he aimed at different areas of the construct, his fingers twitching madly as he continuously fired. When a stray bullet hit one of the joints of the golem, Sal noticed that the visor flashed in understanding. A series of weak points highlighted with the new data, and Sal saw how he could start dismantling the creature. Even though Sal was making progress with each bullet, the golem lumbered closer and closer.

A crackling sound emerged from behind the golem, and Sal retreated and moved to the right to see past it. His heart sank as he witnessed two more golems at the barriers, launching attacks at Ioseph’s battered defenses. With a glance up the tree, Sal saw that Brophy was fighting on the branches like a gymnast. He was chasing his target, who was clearly just playing with him.

The distraction cost Sal dearly as a shooting pain smashed into his shoulder. He buckled backward and fell on his ass with a gasp for air. With a trembling hand, Sal tried to lift the revolver to defend himself, but no follow-up attack came. With a painful wheeze, Sal looked for the golem, only to see it in a crumpled heap.

“Did your jacket do that?” Rochelle asked as she placed her hands on Sal’s temples.

Sal was startled by her sudden approach, but relaxed when he felt her healing wash through him. It wasn’t enough to fully restore him, but it eased the stinging pain in his shoulder. His breathing came back to normal as he surveyed the scene. Only Ioseph was behind the barrier, with Erika nowhere to be seen. Brophy was still dancing on the branches, launching a series of flashy attacks with his fists and feet. Sal finally processed Rochelle’s words as he touched his coat with his left hand.

“Yeah, it can apparently stop a hulker’s attack,” Sal muttered as he got to his feet.

He turned to Rochelle and saw a pained expression. Sweat glistened on her brow, but her eyes were locked on the different members of the team. Sal thought she looked like a real Healer at that moment. Apart from the absent Erika, everyone was performing in their roles.

Sal raised his revolver and was about to take aim at the golems attacking the barriers when his body suddenly stopped responding to him. It was like an invisible layer of essence had coated his body and was compelling him to move against his will. He couldn’t even close his eyes as the effect took hold.

Sal walked straight toward the golems with his arms outstretched. He tried his best to fight the sensation and started to panic, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Rochelle pulled at his arm, but it was no use. She couldn’t stop him from approaching the golems. “Erika! Stop this!” Rochelle shouted into the night, but it was no use.

Sal continued to walk until he was right in front of the golems.

He was almost hyperventilating. His whole training had been about moving out of range of the enemy and taking tactical shots. This was literally using him as a meat shield, and Sal couldn’t for the life of him understand why Erika was willing to do this to him. He couldn’t look away and instead had to face his worst fear: being unable to move and completely at the mercy of the golems. He genuinely wondered whether she wanted him to die.

The first golem turned and lashed out at Sal’s body, and thankfully Sal’s arms came up to defend against the attack. A series of audible cracks came from his arms as the attack went straight through his flimsy defense to hit his chest, and Sal couldn’t even close his eyes. He was forced to watch the entire encounter, and the pain that swept through him was beyond anything that Vanessa had done to him. The numbing couldn’t come fast enough, and the shock absorption wasn’t doing its job as Sal felt every sensation of his forearms shattering.

Blood ran down his fingertips as his arms slumped uselessly at his side. They were twisted in the wrong direction, and Sal couldn’t even look down to see how bad the damage was. What he could see was the explosion of essence as his armor reacted to the golem’s blast. It was enough to send the construct flying backward, with its arm disintegrating from the impact.

“What the fuck is she doing! Sal, please tell me you’re okay!” Rochelle shouted as she grasped his head.

A trickle of power entered his body as she attempted to heal some of his wounds, but it was no use. There were simply too many problems for her weak core to treat.

Sal was in complete disbelief at what was happening. Maybe it was the shock kicking in. Erika had obviously seen how effective his armor was against the golems and decided to use him as a tool for their victory. His gun snapped up and fired two shots at a branch that he couldn’t even look up to see. A feminine curse was all he heard, followed by a grunt from Brophy.

Sal would have screamed at the movement from his shattered arm, but he couldn’t vocalize so much as a whimper. Rochelle had managed to resist some of the Mind Master ability in the canteen, but why was he so susceptible to it?

Sal walked to the next golem, which attacked much like the last one. It aimed for his exposed face, and Sal’s body jumped up to take the attack in the chest. Sal was shot backward, as well as the golem.

All the air left Sal’s lungs, and he struggled to breathe. It felt like there was a massive weight holding him down, and he couldn’t even use his arms to sit up. The revolver had left his hand at some point and his visor flashed erratically, but he couldn’t move his eyes to focus on the words presented to him. All he could do was lay there and try to take shallow breaths to keep his heart beating.

“Give me your essence, Sal!” Rochelle cried as she slid across the ground to land beside him.

Her pale hand clutched his, and Sal was grateful that he was able to at least give her access to his essence. It was pitiful that he was overjoyed to have a sliver of control over his own body.

“Ioseph!” Rochelle shouted without looking.

Sal couldn’t even look at her. He was staring directly at the starry night sky as a tear rolled down his cheek. It was the first time in his life that he had truly felt helpless, and it was terrifying. Freezing from fear was one thing, but being locked in your own body was a completely different sensation.

“Put a barrier around us. Stop her from controlling him!” Rochelle hissed as she accessed Sal’s essence and got to work.

Ioseph’s face came into view as he looked down at Sal’s unmoving body. Unadulterated rage took over his face as his jaw clenched. “She made him walk into the golems?”

He spoke quietly, but Rochelle didn’t have time to explain.

“Barriers, Ioseph. Now!” Her words came through gritted teeth as she used her Transference ability.

A wave of restorative energy surged through his body and made a beeline to his arms. It was the first time he had ever broken a bone, and it wasn’t something he wanted to experience again.

If breaking them had been an ordeal, setting them back in place was much worse. It was like the most excruciating jigsaw puzzle with each fragment of bone grinding back into place, before being fused with red-hot liquid steel. Each of his arms felt as if they were being bathed in a warm and sticky substance as they involuntarily twitched under the influence of the ability.

“It’ll take me awhile to get a circle. I don’t know where she is,” Ioseph warned Rochelle as he got to work drawing runes in the ground.

Rochelle plucked the visor from Sal’s face and secured it over her own eye. She winced slightly before turning around and looking for some sign of Erika. Her palm was on Sal’s chest and her ability was still doing its work on his body.

Sal couldn’t believe the level of control she had in being able to multitask like that. He wanted to tell her how to use the visor, but the words wouldn’t leave his mouth. Rochelle propped Sal’s head up on her lap as she moved her hands to his neck. He was able to see more of his surroundings now, but it wasn’t much help.

A feminine grunt burst out from the tree before a body impacted against the ground with a thud. Her baton fell shortly afterward, clunking against the rubble. Her hands raised up and clapped a few times in applause before she feigned death.

Brophy landed gracefully beside her body and shot her a frown. “We’ve got one left. What’s happening with Sal? Is he okay?” Brophy made his way over to them, his eyes not leaving the trees.

Rochelle shook her head as she worked. “Erika’s controlling him and made him walk into attacks so his armor would take out the golems. His arms are shattered and she’s not letting him speak.” She looked up at Brophy and laughed humorlessly. “So no, he’s not okay.”

Brophy shook his head as he looked to the area where the golems had appeared. “I’ll take care of the last guy, and we can end this.”

“No need.” Erika’s voice appeared from the darkness as she walked into the clearing with the final ambusher. “Couldn’t let this one keep running around like a rat.” She glanced at Sal and tilted her head in confusion. “I removed the power a while ago. Why are you still lying down and feeling sorry for yourself?”

Sal realized he could finally turn his head but decided against it. He stared at the moonlit sky. “I told you never to use your powers on me, Erika.” He forcefully kept his tone neutral, but he felt anything but neutral at that point.

Erika shrugged as she gestured at the destroyed golems. “The situation called for it, and you weren’t making much progress with the gun. It was just a strategic decision.”

Sal finally turned to Erika. “Read my mind.”

He summoned up the conversations with Quest about how he was able to knot people’s powers and permanently block them. He made his thoughts crystal-clear about how he felt, and how he would repay her in kind if she ever did anything like that again.

Erika faltered as her eyes widened, but Sal didn’t bother waiting for a reply. He was done with this exercise and was ready to sleep for a week back in the dorms. When his eyes met Rochelle’s, he saw both concern for his wellbeing and anger at Erika’s actions. Whatever camaraderie they had built up over the last week had been completely shot to shit. Ioseph wasn’t much better as he stared at Erika with a baleful glare. Only Brophy looked collected as he paced around the area, deep in thought.

Sal continued to lay on the ground until Prestige arrived at their location. Then, he got to his feet and flexed his fingers tentatively. Everything felt stiff and painful, but they were working. He looked over to see Erika standing proudly in position as though waiting for Prestige’s praise. Brophy got into step beside her, and Ioseph begrudgingly followed suit.

Rochelle held back and gave Sal a meaningful look. “What she did isn’t okay. No matter what sort of situation we’re in.” With that said, Rochelle gave him a solemn look before falling into position in front of Prestige.

Sal was the last to arrive, and he made sure to pick up his visor from the ground where Rochelle had left it and retrieved his revolver from a pile of rubble that used to be a golem. He didn’t rush as he re-equipped them. If anything, he was happy to keep Erika waiting for her perfect score. When he stood in front of Prestige, he placed his hands behind his back and awaited her verdict.

Chapter 80 – Trust

Prestige summoned each of the ambushers to her location, and Sal was relieved to see that the one with the shard of wood in his leg was completely fine. They gathered as they had the previous weeks and held their hands behind their back. Just like all the other occasions, Prestige started them off with her own feedback.

“You took our advice this time and worked well as a team. Sacrificing your base was a difficult decision to make, but you understood that it was a liability. That is quite praiseworthy in itself. To trick your opponents into believing you stubbornly stayed at that location was an excellent ploy, and I commend your Support for the use of illusions. It was something that the ambushers had yet to encounter in their fights against you, and it proved to be very effective.”

Prestige smiled as she gestured at the ruins of the tower in the distance. Her hand swept down to their feet, where she placed her cane.

“Adding in traps like the first encounter and hiding them with illusions was an excellent idea. It forced your opponent to be mindful of Erika’s gaze as well as on the ground. I would have liked to have seen more tactical placement of the traps, but that is only a minor criticism. They were highly effective and drove your opponent into acting rashly. I was negative in my reports last week about your Defense, but I can only give glowing remarks this time around. Wards are an exhausting means of defense, yet you managed to lay them out across a wide area in such a short space of time.”

Prestige’s cane came up to gesture at Ioseph. “You did well this week. Barriers were done expertly, and you protected your team.”

She walked around the camp and looked at each of the students before continuing. Her cane came to a stop behind Brophy as she smiled.

“You didn’t venture far from your team and remained mindful of their location. Utilizing teamwork with your Support was well done, and disengaging against a threat beyond your abilities was a wise choice. That golem was not a good opponent for you and would have likely resulted in more casualties had you fought that Controller directly. You showed great restraint and teamwork, good job.”

Prestige tapped Rochelle on the shoulder, who straightened her back immediately. “You showed excellent Healer senses and moved exactly where you were needed. I dread to think of the agony your Support would have gone through if it wasn’t for your quick thinking and reflexes. Slipping out of the barriers to back up your Support is an unorthodox play, but it was a testament to your adaptability and battle sense. Full marks from me this week.”

The anticipation was getting heavier, and Sal was sure that Erika was practically laughing on the inside. No matter what way Sal looked at it, she had used him like a Controller would. There were a lot of ethical boundaries that could be considered, but when it came to war, he was sure that the guilds would side with Erika’s methods. He was almost certain that Prestige would praise Erika for her tactics, but a small part of him hoped that Prestige would berate her for her actions. If any of their previous rounds were clues, it was that Prestige had no particular fondness for Erika. That was Sal’s petty hope—that she would find fault with Erika’s methods.

“Which brings us to the role of the Controller in this exercise.” Prestige began as she stepped around to face Erika. “You listened to your team and assisted them. I half expected you to dismiss the idea of using illusions, but I’m happy that you saw the merit in those tactics. You used your powers to enhance the communication of your team, but it was reckless to pursue the remaining Controller by yourself.”

Prestige’s smile tightened ever so slightly. “You used your ability on your Support, without consulting them and without their consent. Furthermore, you endangered their life while giving them a front-row seat. Your Support is not your Defense and shouldn’t be utilized in such a way.”

Prestige sighed as she glanced over to where Sal stood. “I debated on stepping in but saw it as an opportunity to assess the rest of your team. I was pleased to see your Healer and Defense move to protect their Support. It’s just a shame that the solidarity and teamwork displayed was caused by the Controller acting in such a cold-hearted fashion. Many will praise your strategy, but I am not one of those people.”

Prestige’s gaze returned to Erika. “From what I’ve learned of Mr. Argento, he’s able to transform his uniform into an impressive suit of armor. If you had tasked him with using his armor to take out the golems, he likely would have done it. Instead, you forced him to face them in just his clothing, which caused him serious injuries. Even if you have a Healer, it’s incredibly naive to sacrifice members of your team to achieve victory. There were multiple solutions available to you, and you chose the one that ended up hurting your team.”

Erika’s shoulders tensed as she tilted her head slightly to one side. “His gun wasn’t causing enough damage. We all saw what his armor did to that golem, and it made sense to replicate the scenario.” She was adamant that she had done nothing wrong, and the tension in her voice showed that she was aggravated by the lecturing tone from Prestige.

Prestige frowned as she stepped back. With a tap of her cane, she looked around at the ambushers and gestured for one of them to speak. “Let’s hear your version of events before we conclude all of this.”

Instead of the usual man who stepped forward, it was the ethereal woman. She gave Prestige a nod of respect before beginning her report.

“Excellent defensive perimeter, with an ingenious method of trap placement. We only spotted the visible ones as we were led to believe there was nobody in the student team with illusory capabilities. Seeing the Controller in the tower made us believe that they were going to try to cloister again, so we paid attention to staying out of her line of sight. When the first explosion went off in the forest, we assumed it was carelessness from one of our team, and it was only after the second that we realized there were hidden traps.”

She gestured at Erika as she spoke. “Knowing that our location had likely been revealed to the Controller, we attempted to storm the camp to incite panic in the students. We hadn’t anticipated that they would place traps in the camp interior, which took out another two of our team. I took a hidden position in the camp and waited for backup before proceeding.

“When the barriers were taken down, we breached the tower and realized that it was a trap almost instantly. The blast radius was much more dramatic than we expected, and it took out even more of our team. At that point, we determined that the exercise was too one-sided, and made the judgment call to utilize our abilities. It was to offer a challenge to the students.”

Prestige nodded. “I approve of the judgment call. If you had carried on as normal, then they likely wouldn’t have learned anything more than complacency. This isn’t about winning or losing…it’s about learning.” She looked at the students as she spoke.

“There will be unforeseen moments that happen in dungeons and towers. It will feel unfair and no matter how prepared or equipped you are, there will always be something that catches you off guard. Remember this.”

When Prestige finished speaking, she looked back at the woman giving the report, who gave a slight nod.

“I used a Scout ability to identify the location of each student and placed markers on them. I was only noticed by their Support, which was impressive. I goaded the Support into thinking I’d attack the remainder of the team, making them reposition out of their guarded location. I then attempted to dispatch him before being apprehended by their Offense. He evaded my attacks and showed keen senses. I was impressed with his actions.” She shifted slightly on her feet and gestured at Brophy.

“As an opponent, the Offense was incredibly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. The terrain provided no issue for him, and he was able to fight me on equal footing on the tree branches, which was very impressive. He also dispatched one of our remaining team members who had high durability and resistance to attacks.”

She moved her hand to the others on the team. “Defense and Healer performed very well in this exercise, showing a high degree of adaptability and ingenuity. My essence was being sapped when I was goading the Support, which led me to believe that I was already noticed by the Healer. I was particularly impressed by how quickly the Healer moved in to assist the Support.”

Prestige nodded and then pointed at Erika. “And what did you make of the Controller’s performance?”

The woman didn’t hesitate as she shook her head. “The Controller showed a blatant disregard for the safety of her team. It was particularly unpleasant to watch the Support taking those attacks head-on. From a strategic perspective, it showed a high degree of ingenuity and could be praised, but on a personal level, I was not impressed with their methods. The Controller could have used their ability on me to sow discontent among the rest of the team, or they could have attempted to take over the mind of another of my accomplices. Instead, she focused on someone within her own team while she remained in hiding. It felt like a cowardly act, but that is my personal feeling on the matter.”

Prestige sighed as she turned back to Erika. “Cowardly isn’t the word I’d use for this.” She seemed almost conflicted as she chose her next words.

“Controllers often need to carry the heaviest burden as they’re ultimately responsible for the safety and wellbeing of their team. There are some out there who would rate mission success over team survival. I would hope that you’re capable of seeing the gray area between the two. Captain Chatfield is highly regarded as a Controller because of his flawless track record in bringing his teams back alive. Every self-respecting Hunter would trade their entire set of equipment to work with him. There are other Controllers in the ranking who see teams as pawns, or stepping stones to reach their goals. Nobody wants to work with them, no matter how powerful or competent they are. Think carefully, Miss Clifton, about what type of Controller you want to be.”

Erika glared at Prestige as she shook her head. “They bend the rules to increase the level of challenge, but I’m the person who gets a warning? We’re here to do a job, and we did it perfectly. Salvatore is healthy and our enemies have been defeated. Why should I hold myself back from using my powers when I can end things faster than they can?”

Frustration crept into her voice as she looked at the assembled group of ambushers. “They ran into our traps recklessly and got dispatched one by one because of the planning we did in advance. Yet, you place more value on their opinions than on ours. With all due respect, I think this entire exercise is flawed. Chatfield wanted us to learn how to survive out in the Reclaimed Zone and criticized the student tournament. Yet, the solution was for us to fight adults instead of students? We should be running low-level dungeons to get us ready for the tower. Not out here playing with Hero rejects.”

Sal couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. He wasn’t sure whether she was delusional or unbelievably arrogant. Prestige and the ambushers had literally just told her that they disapproved of her actions, but instead of accepting the criticism, she threw the blame at everyone else. He wondered whether she had ever experienced the sensation of being a puppet under someone else’s control. It would likely give her a lot more perspective about how terrifying her ability was to experience firsthand.

Prestige sighed as she gestured for the ethereal woman to step back into the line of ambushers. She turned her attention to Erika and tapped her cane against the ground as she stepped closer.

“I had hoped that the personalized training might have put you on the right path, but you seem insistent to rush things. Your opinion of your own capabilities and career trajectory seems to be misaligned with reality. As a Controller, you might someday specialize in interrogation or some form of Assassination style class, but for now, you’re learning the basics. To get to where you need to go, you’ll need a team.

“If you look at the faces of the people who are supposed to trust you, you’ll see that they’re not particularly pleased with how you’ve conducted yourself today. Go on, feel free to read their minds and see what they’re thinking. I can guarantee that they share the same thoughts as me: Will Erika Clifton take control of my body in the tower and get me killed?”

Erika’s face went white as she shook her head vehemently. “That’s ridiculous. This was just a test. There was no way the golems would go for the kill. It was the only solution that I could see. They wouldn’t have come up with a better solution if I hadn’t acted.”

“Because you don’t trust anyone other than yourself,” Brophy said, to everyone’s surprise.

Rather than admonishing her son, Prestige gestured for him to continue.

Brophy turned to face Erika and pressed his hand against his chest. “Broken Brophy.” He pointed at Rochelle. “Healer Bitch and Vampire.” His hand moved to Sal. “Crafter.” Finally, his hand moved to Ioseph.

“I don’t know what you’ve categorized Ioseph as in your brain, but I’m sure you probably think poorly of him in some way. Because, to you, all of us are essentially tools to be used. You barely used our names, or asked us about what we could do, because you already knew that you could make us do whatever you wanted. You didn’t bother contributing to the group chats with other teams because you don’t like collaborating. You shoot down nearly every idea that isn’t your own, and all your attempts at working with us have felt contrived and forced. It feels like we’re a means to an end, and while I can respect that among other teams, you have a particularly horrible way of doing it.”

Prestige looked at Erika and smiled. “It’s a lot to take in, but as a Controller, you need to be able to work with your team. If they’re all against you from the beginning, then the cohesion falls apart and mistakes lead to fatalities. Even if you don’t agree with what you’re hearing, respect the fact that your team is communicating with you and telling you how they feel. It will help you navigate inter-personal relationships going forward and you might find yourself able to rely on others as they start to rely on you.”

Erika’s face became incredibly passive as her voice slipped into a neutral tone. “Thank you all for explaining this to me. I’m grateful that you’ve communicated your feelings, and I’ll work to improve on my actions.”

Prestige shook her head with a sigh. “Overall verdict from this exercise is a pass. We don’t need to do this for another week. You’ll return to the academy tomorrow and you’ll have a week of rest before you take on the tower exercise. It will give all of you a chance to cool down from the tensions of the last three weeks, and I hope you’ll use the time to reflect on everything you’ve learned.”

Sal blinked in surprise. “Wasn’t there supposed to be another week of training?” He blurted out the words and saw that the other members of his team were thinking the same thing.

Prestige gestured at the group behind her. “That golem attack was supposed to take place in your final week of training, but you managed to overcome it early. I think it would be disruptive to your development if we were to keep you out here for another week. There are a few other teams who have returned early due to their performance.”

She paused for a moment, considering her words as she placed her cane in front of her, holding it with both palms. “I’m not entirely dissatisfied with your teamwork over the last number of weeks. You have two victories out of three, and the two that you won were convincing enough to warrant a pass. I have an issue with your cohesion as a group, but it isn’t enough for me to fail you. I will be accompanying you into the tower as an observer and watching you carefully to see how many floors you can successfully clear.”

Sal couldn’t help but feel relieved knowing that they’d have her there with them. The feeling was short-lived as Prestige continued.

“The requirement of students is to clear a single floor to pass the assignment. As you’re my group, I expect a minimum of five.”

Chapter 81 – Commission

“Do you want to talk about it?” Brophy asked as he assembled his belongings into a small pile.

Considering their camp had essentially exploded, there was very little that was salvageable. It had been a rough evening, placing the destroyed roof against the rock pillars in the hopes of making some shelter, and the group quietly focused on doing their own thing. Ioseph sat off by himself, reading something on his tablet, while Rochelle tried to make them a meal with what was left of their rations. End of week was the tightest time for them, as they typically ate more than their assigned allocation during the week.

Sal shook his head as he folded up his sleeping bag. “Thanks, but I’m okay. The pain is gone now, and it feels more like a nightmare than something that actually happened.”

It was a lie, but he kept that part to himself. Sal felt every single moment of excruciating pain, and he was loath to ever go through that again. The nonchalant reaction from Erika had only fueled his anger, but he was doing his best to push those emotions to one side.

They needed to work together in the tower, and building resentment wasn’t going to help anyone. It was a shit situation, but the beginnings of a plan were forming in his head. All he needed to do was create something that would prevent her from taking over his mind again. It seemed like the most straightforward solution, and Sal had already started to brainstorm ideas for the item.

Brophy didn’t seem convinced. “Feeling powerless in those sorts of situations is horrifying, Sal. Don’t let the intrusive thoughts win. You’re probably thinking of a way to get revenge, but I can assure you, it’s not worth it.”

Sal laughed as he shook his head. “Quite the opposite. I was thinking of making something that would keep her out of my head. I’m not the type of person who would want to hurt her for what she did. I just wish she could appreciate how horrible it feels being trapped like that and having no way to avoid the pain.”

Brophy smiled as he waved his hand. “Ah, forgive me. I think I was projecting a little just now. I’d be absolutely hell-bent on ruining her if she did that to me, but I guess that comes down to maturity. The old me wouldn’t have questioned putting her in her place, but the current me must be careful about what fights I pick. Without an ability to call on, I’m just a regular guy.”

Sal snorted, which drew a look of confusion from Brophy. Sal couldn’t believe he had to spell it out to him. “There’s not a single regular thing about you, Brophy. I can’t think of a single person who could fight like you, or dance on the branches in such a stressful scenario. You were incredible the whole time. Training me out in the forest and helping me understand the basics of combat and strategy…”

Brophy broke into a wide smile as he clapped excitedly. “Ah, you’re too kind! But I believe that I have something that might turn that frown upside down.” He moved closer to Sal and tapped his chest meaningfully. “I believe that we had a little wager going about internal cores. A wager that you delivered perfectly.”

Sal’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember what they had spoken about. It felt like a lifetime ago, but he remembered the conversation where Brophy insisted that the internal cores could be improved somehow. A sudden thought popped into his head. “I saw with my visor that some students have over sixty cores. Professor Lombardi implied that number was the limit?”

It was a question that had been in his mind for weeks, but recent events had pushed it to one side. He wasn’t sure he’d get a clear answer from Brophy, but there was no harm in asking.

Brophy’s laugh was accompanied by another clapping of the hands. “So, you were already aware! That makes it easier. The technique that all the Hunters share to keep themselves relevant is a breathing method. Stronger abilities require more gates than the basic sixty, but everyone uses that number as a baseline. This method allows each of those internal gates to act more like a star than a gate.”

Sal frowned, but Brophy waved his hand to one side.

“Sorry, that probably makes no sense. Imagine each of your internal cores as a star, rather than as a gate. Some of them will be able to support a few moons that orbit around them. Almost like a mini constellation. They’re smaller cores that work synergistically with your main core and allow you to generate much more internal essence. The breathing method is a way to reinforce each of the stars, infusing them repeatedly with layers of essence until they produce a sister core. It’s not something that can be done with brute force and needs a lot of essence control and finessing to do properly.”

Brophy spoke passionately as he started making all sorts of hand movements across his chest, demonstrating how the circuitry worked. “It helped me skyrocket in terms of capability, and if you learn it now rather than when you hit a wall in the future, then it will be much more beneficial. There haven’t been many studies done on it yet, but a lot of the Hunters in the bureau have said that they wished they started it earlier.”

Sal smiled. “It sounds incredible, but it’s far too precious a thing to teach me. No matter what way I look at it, it’s not a fair trade. I’d be taking advantage of you.”

Sal was very curious about the method and wanted to know how to increase his internal cores, but he didn’t want to be in Brophy’s debt. There was a darkness to the man that Sal couldn’t quite explain, and he felt like latching himself to him would be a bad idea. Working with him on a team was fine, but the mood swings between threatening and docile were far too frequent for Sal to get a good read on him.

Brophy frowned before he clicked his fingers. “Okay then, what about equal trade? You said you’re thinking of making a device that can block out Erika’s powers? Could you do something similar for me, that helps me use my Soul Forge ability? Q-Cred wouldn’t be an issue, and I can literally run any dungeon you need for materials.” Brophy’s smile faltered. “Well, not any dungeon…but most of them if I have a decent weapon.”

Sal wondered how he’d even go about doing that. Nothing came to mind, and he guessed he’d need to have a chat with Upgrade about it.

Brophy misread the silence and backtracked. “Sorry, that was an incredibly selfish thing to ask. Prestige has tried to get Doc Ameye on the job for a few years now, but his waiting list is insane. I was even planning on cornering him at the next Hunter Bureau gala, but that would likely push me even lower down his list. I can only imagine how long your commission list is.” His smile was forced as he tried to switch topics, but Sal raised a hand to stall him.

“If I can make something that gets you using your powers, you’d be up for running dungeons for materials?”

Sal latched onto that singular hope that he would have his own private supplier of materials. If he could bring Gallant back from the brink, then it would give him a drastic advantage in the trials to come. The tower wouldn’t be an issue for their team, and Sal wouldn’t need to worry about Erika going rogue again with her powers.

“Absolutely. I’d even take you through them to get your rank up. All the training we’ve done here is nothing compared to what I could show you in the dungeons.”

The hope on Brophy’s face was clear as day. He looked ready to cut off his own arm if it convinced Sal to take his request. The only issue was that Sal had no idea whether it was even possible. Was there even an ability that would force Soul Forge to play nice?

Sal needed to manage his expectations, but it was impossible not to feel like he was leading Brophy on.

“I’ll try my best, but there are no promises it will work. I don’t even know where to start with something like this, nor do I know what materials would be required. It could end up costing a fortune in Q-Cred, and I don’t want to waste your time.”

Brophy shook his head and gave Sal a dazzling smile. “Honestly, the hope alone is worth it to throw every piece of currency to my name. Tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen. Breathing technique, dungeon runs…hell, we’ll even do some scavenger runs. You can keep it all—I don’t care. I have some materials that I collected as mementos over the years. I can bring them in to show you to see if any of it is useful.”

The desperation in Brophy’s eyes made Sal want to put all other projects on hold. Brophy’s voice cracked as he clutched at the locket around his neck.

Sal was shocked when Brophy took it off. There was a long sigh of relief as Brophy blinked a few times and looked at the locket in his hands. When he turned to Sal, there was no false demeanor.

“I just need hope that I can get it back.” His hand shook slightly as he held it gently. “This thing keeps my senses dull, and slows me down. It’s horrible being out there in the field and feeling like I’m moving through water. Any annoyance or anger is extinguished and numbs me. It’s a horrible existence, and I need to be free of it.”

Brophy’s eyes flicked upward, and Sal met his gaze. It was such an unnerving feeling, because he felt the exact same sensation the moment he met Villa.

Brophy smiled again, but it was different than the ones Sal had become used to. It was as if he were in the presence of a trained killer, and Sal was directly in his crosshairs.

“Sal, I wanted to tell you this outside of the influence of the locket. With my full faculties. If you can find a way to get my power under control, I’ll take you all the way to the top of the rankings.”

Sal knew that Brophy was serious. No, it was a disservice to call this man Brophy. Gallant stood before him, asking for his help. Being at the top of leaderboards wasn’t something Sal had ever aspired toward, but it would guarantee a high grade at the end of the term.

Running dungeons with Gallant was an almost ridiculous concept when he thought about it, but it could end up being a huge benefit in the future. Sal had already resolved himself to try to help him, but the way Gallant was speaking made him uncertain.

Sal felt like he was holding a key to a cage that contained a monster. If he set it free, it could do some good…but there was no telling what sort of person Gallant would be after years of resentment and ridicule from his peers. Would he strike down Erika for calling him Broken Brophy?

Sal nodded slowly. “I’ll try my best, but as I said…there’s no promises it will work.”

Gallant’s face broke into a grin as he gripped Sal’s shoulder firmly. “That’s all I can ask for. Now, I better put this back on before the bloodlust gives you a panic attack.” He chuckled at his own joke before securing the locket around his neck.

The dreamy expression returned, and Sal was left with more questions in his head than answers.

Although he had been suspicious of it before, he was now certain that Brophy and Gallant were very different personalities based on the locket. What truly unnerved Sal was how easily Brophy had pretended to be fine on the train when the locket wasn’t even around his neck. From the brief conversations they had with each other, Sal was convinced that Brophy was trying to process his emotions and get over the negative thoughts in his head, but Prestige wanted to keep him docile until Doc Ameye could come up with a countermeasure. No matter which person he chose to support, it would likely infuriate the other.

Which left Sal wondering: who did he want to disappoint less—the Super Rookie, Gallant? Or the #8 Hunter, Prestige?

Chapter 82 – Return

Sal and the others walked in single file through the forest, leaving the remnants of their camp far in the distance. Erika hadn’t spoken a word to anyone through the night, which had set the mood for their entire group. Ioseph kept to himself with the tablet, and Rochelle had sat alongside Sal and Brophy while they talked well into the night.

Brophy had gone through all the different materials he had collected over the years from the dungeons and remarked that he foolishly kept only the ones that looked interesting. Where most kids collected rocks, the Super Rookie had collected valuable dungeon materials. Sal was curious about all of them, especially as he didn’t recognize any of them by name alone. When Rochelle had fallen asleep with the others, Brophy reiterated his eagerness to have Sal craft a solution for him. It was somewhat overbearing, and Sal had to push back a little on it and asked him to manage his expectations once again.

When Brophy offered to start teaching him the breathing method, Sal refused. He didn’t want to deal with any of that until he knew he could deliver on the commission. Brophy deflated a bit after that, but thanked Sal for his consideration before they both turned in for the night. The cleanup of the camp hadn’t taken long, and when Prestige appeared before them, they were ready to get out of the camp and never look back. Sal was happy that the remains of the tower were still in place, as it felt like a small monument to what they had accomplished out in the Reclaimed Zone.

When he had appraised it, he was delighted to see that it was still recognized as the Black Oak Tower, albeit at four percent condition. It was a few storms away from being destroyed, but Sal was still proud of how it had managed to withstand the relentless explosions. He wondered whether it would survive the elements and grow back into its original form, but the logic in his brain told him that it was highly unlikely.

A half hour later, they arrived at the white tents, and Sal sighed in relief. It finally felt like it was all over and that he had survived the hellish excursion. Three weeks of camping with strangers had been tough, but training daily and fighting off ambushers was a whole new category of exhaustion. He kept up his exercise routine and his illusion practice, and only felt minor improvements on the illusion side of things.

Maybe it was the stress or just how action-packed his days were, but he didn’t suffer from a single nightmare the entire time he was training. It made him grateful because of their sleeping quarters. He didn’t imagine that the group would be filled with confidence if they learned he was terrified of demons.

“Have you forgiven me yet?” Chatfield teased from a fold-up chair in front of the tents. He clutched a huge cigar between his fingers while his feet were resting in a large bucket of water.

Sal took one look at the leisurely appearance and a swell of annoyance bubbled to the surface. He didn’t have time to make his thoughts known as Chatfield got to his feet and rested the cigar into a small cup holder in the arm of the chair.

“Heard you lot were one of the groups finishing early. You might be relieved to know that Blathnaid’s group finished quickly too.”

His smile told Sal that he wanted them both in the workshop as soon as possible. That said, Sal was relieved to know that Blathnaid had managed to get through the training exercise.

Chatfield glanced past Sal to inspect the rest of the group. “Guessing that you didn’t make too many friends on this outing? Doesn’t matter. You don’t need to love each other to get the job done. From what I’ve heard, you lot are quite a resourceful bunch. Can’t say that we’ve ever had a team erect a fortified keep before in this sort of scenario, let alone chest-bump three golems to death.”

Prestige cleared her throat as she turned around to look at the team. “As I’ve already told you all, you’ve passed this training exercise. Your individual results will be mailed to you as well as your overall team grade. Captain Chatfield will be taking you from here, and I will see you all next week for our tower run. Rest up and reflect on everything you’ve learned. I have high expectations of this group and hope to see you exceed them.”

In a dramatic burst of light, Prestige disappeared from sight, leaving all of them to stare at the space she had just occupied.

Chatfield’s whistle was enough to draw their attention back to him. He hiked his thumb over his shoulder at the interior of the tent behind him. “If any of you need healing or are feeling particularly hungry, you can rest up or eat here. Alternatively, if you just want to get back to the dorms to have showers and a fresh uniform, the train station has a service every two hours. Next one should be heading off in around fifteen minutes.”

Erika moved toward the train station, which resulted in Rochelle, Ioseph, and Brophy all entering the tent at the same time.

Chatfield noticed the tension between them and chuckled. “Guessing that she used them as pawns?”

His question was directed at Sal, but it was in such a matter-of-fact tone accompanied by genuine mirth that Sal wondered whether rogue Controllers were a common occurrence.

“Just me. Shattered both my forearms and broke two ribs,” Sal answered as he moved to follow Erika toward the train.

He had too much to do to wait around at the tent with the others.

Chatfield’s expression darkened, and he held out an arm to stop Sal. “She was told specifically not to do that to you.” Chatfield’s voice was devoid of humor as he looked at Sal. “Your Mythcrafter ability is incredibly precious and the last thing we need is for you to get injured out in the field. Erika was instructed to protect you throughout the exercise.”

His voice held an edge that Sal didn’t recognize. The visor was secured with the revolver in the small metal case, so he had no help in reading Chatfield’s emotions.

Sal laughed humorlessly. “There are a lot of things you didn’t tell me. This whole exercise was a surprise that I could have prepared for.”

Chatfield shook his head. “Adaptability is better trained when you have limited resources. You would have dragged every piece of equipment known to man if you had been briefed about this. That isn’t the issue, though. If Miss Clifton isn’t abiding by the instructions we’re giving her, I’m not confident in her ability to navigate a tower with your group.”

Sal shrugged as he moved away from Chatfield. He was tired and annoyed. If Erika had been given a secret mission to protect him, then it just meant that they didn’t trust him enough to look after himself. It felt like a slap in the face after the ordeal Sal had gone through in the dungeon with Chatfield and Upgrade. He gave Chatfield a shake of his head as he passed.

“If you were the Controller in my group, and you had her powers, would you have used me like that?”

Chatfield nodded without hesitation. “I would have made you transform into your better armor, but yes. If it saved lives and would only result in some minor injuries for you, that’s the judgment call I would have made. However, there’s a lot more to consid—”

“Then I guess there’s nothing more to say about it!” Sal smiled and stretched his arms out wide. “Erika was apparently just acting as a Controller should. I hope you’ll let my parents know, when I’m killed by her, that it was a tactical decision. That’ll warm their hearts.”

Chatfield didn’t respond to that as Sal left in the direction of the train station.

Sal’s anger had reached a boiling point. Chatfield had essentially confirmed his fears. People getting injured was apparently a reasonable risk in strategy. Intentionally getting someone hurt was somehow also a part of strategy.

Was he being naive for thinking that people could work together as a team and come out unscathed? He didn’t know for sure, but he was certain of one thing. He never wanted to feel that helpless again. Did that mean that he needed to be a Controller to be safe from persecution in the team-based battles? Barry and Divinity were both Controllers. Were they going to make decisions that would put Supports into the line of fire?

Gritting his teeth, Sal realized that he was feeling sorry for himself. He got hurt, and it was painful as fuck…and he was just lashing out at the people around him. His Mythcrafter was giving him a lot of preferential treatment, even to the point of Erika being instructed to protect him during the training exercise.

He knew deep in his heart that he wasn’t having as rough a time as others, and it was ridiculous for him to feel persecuted when he had so many benefits thrown his way. Hell, he was in the top three in the entire year because of his friendship with Divinity and the power he had created during the Skill Registration.

Rochelle had barely a handful of Q-Cred, and she was able to save lives. That alone was enough to make Sal pause in his thoughts. There was an inequality for sure, but he wasn’t a victim of it. He was hurt because he was used by someone, in a way that ultimately resulted in them winning the battle. Chatfield had even said that Erika’s decision was the right judgment call, yet Prestige and the ethereal woman had criticized the action.

Sal processed his thoughts as he tried to find some form of answer. He was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. He should have just gone into the tent.

Erika walked ahead of him, and Sal decided to get the first obstacle out of the way. He had a lot of things to consider, but she was at the top of his checklist.

“Erika!” Sal shouted from behind her, causing her to turn around abruptly.

Her shoulders tensed as she got into a fighting stance, and her eyes turned gold. Of course she’d assume that he was here for revenge. Brophy was right; she didn’t trust anyone.

Sal continued walking toward her, grateful for the fact that she didn’t restrict his movements again. “I just want to talk about what you did to me yesterday.”

Erika didn’t so much as blink at the sentence. She continued to stare at Sal as though waiting for him to strike.

Sal sighed as he gestured at the train station in the distance. “Let’s walk and talk. I don’t want to be stuck here for another two hours.”

Erika’s shoulders relaxed, and Sal wondered whether she verified his intentions with her ability. Either way, he was grateful to see that she wasn’t immediately going on the attack.

“What is there to talk about?” Erika’s response was stiff, but Sal ignored it as he walked alongside her.

“I wanted to apologize for threatening to remove your power. I wouldn’t ever do that. I was in so much pain that I wanted to kill you, so the words came out in an attempt to keep you out of my head.” Sal spoke earnestly as he continued to stare straight ahead.

“Chatfield mentioned that you were given instructions to keep me safe, so I guess I wanted to apologize for that too. I don’t want to be a burden to people.”

He couldn’t see her reaction to his words, but her voice changed in pitch. “Apology accepted. I should have acclimatized you to the power before using it on you. I saw how it made you feel, and it was wrong of me to subject you to that without warning.”

Sal winced ever so slightly. It was an admission of guilt, but there was no sign of an apology coming from her.

“If I’m being honest, Erika, I don’t particularly enjoy being on a team with you, but I need to rely on you to get through the tower.” Sal left the sentence hanging in the hopes that she would respond and give him some modicum of reassurance. It never came.

They continued to walk in silence until they reached the station. The train had yet to arrive, so Sal paced awkwardly around the platform until it appeared. Erika chose that moment to respond to him.

“Well, if I’m being honest, I don’t rank you as a peer at all, Salvatore. You have capability with Crafting, but you lack all desire to join the battlefront. I can’t rely on you when I can see your thoughts. If I hadn’t taken over your body, you would have run away or retreated from that battle. You’re not a coward, and I know you’ve worked hard to improve yourself. It’s just not enough for what I need and most certainly not deserving of the rank you currently possess.”

Erika sounded like she was reading a recipe. It was devoid of all emotion.

Sal was stunned. How long had she been harboring that resentment? He looked straight at her and gestured at the case in his hand. “I’m trying my best. I made this so I could be useful in battle. It’s going to take some time to adjust to the pace, and then I’ll be more reliable.”

Erika shook her head as she pointed at the case. “No, you made those so you could hide in the background and take shots from a safe distance. You’re lying to yourself if you think otherwise. Gallant offered to take you on dungeon runs, which would be the absolute dream of any student in this academy, but it fills you with dread. A single dungeon clear with Chatfield and Upgrade doesn’t turn you into a Hero. A few weeks of running around a forest with Gallant doesn’t turn you into a Hero. It takes a lot more determination and effort to reach that level.” She pointed at Sal’s head, and Sal noticed her eyes were glowing again.

“Even now, I hear you second-guessing every single thing in your mind. You’ll never be able to make the harsh judgments required to ensure your team comes back alive. Test or no test, I had to make a decision, which we both know was the correct one.”

Sal shook his head and turned away from Erika, content to just wait for the train in silence. He didn’t need to get lectured by her, of all people.

“If I had your ability, I would replicate every powerful ability around me and add it to my arsenal. You could be the greatest Hero of all time and equip yourself with the most incredible gear that can be made. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to see you getting worked up over a wooden shed or getting hit a few times? Why don’t you have a Healing ability on hand whenever that happens? A defensive ability that will turn your body as hard as diamond? You’re literally surrounded by a free catalogue of abilities and instead you spend your time hiding away in the workshop making trinkets and excuses.”

Erika voiced her frustrations, and Sal didn’t have a single word of retort for her.

He continued to stand on the platform and eventually saw the train approaching from the distance.

Erika sighed as she shook her head. “If you actually want to clear the tower, then I’d suggest you take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. You could solo a tower if you really wanted to, but the only thing holding you back is yourself. I can’t see the future like your friend can, but I understand the human mind. If you keep running from your fears, you’ll never get anywhere. If taking a few hits from a golem makes you realize that you need to be stronger, then I’m more than happy to deliver that lesson.”

Sal turned around to Erika as the train pulled into the station. “Did you let me get hit on purpose?”

Erika ignored him as she approached the nearest carriage door. Just when he thought that she wasn’t going to give him an answer, she turned on the step and rolled her eyes.

“Of course I did. If I had my way, I would have let them keep hitting you until you finally stopped acting like a little bitch.” She pointed at the farther end of the train. “Now, if you don’t mind. I’d rather not hear your stupid thoughts for a while.”

Sal’s jaw tightened as he turned around and marched to the next available carriage. He couldn’t believe the audacity of her. She had let him get hurt because she thought he was capable of so much more. It was infuriating to think that he had been used as a pawn in more ways than one.

Erika was actively manipulating him so that he’d use more of his powers. All his concerns about autonomy and agency were thrown to the side as Sal seethed in the almost empty cabin. A few other students walked down the aisle, but Sal couldn’t even look at them.

She was goading him, and he knew that he should ignore her…but Sal wasn’t feeling rational. He was angry. No matter what thoughts ran through his head, Sal was convinced of only one thing.

He needed to prove her wrong.

Chapter 83 – Reset

Sal showered for well over an hour. His mind was still firing on all cylinders, thinking about everything Erika had said to him. There were a lot of accusations that he needed to unpack, but also a lot of harsh realities that he had been avoiding since he stepped foot in the academy. Her opinion was that he had an overpowered ability, and he couldn’t refute that.

Being able to replicate the abilities of others gave him an unbelievable amount of versatility, but he summoned an excuse almost immediately. Prestige had recognized his essence as Skill Master with just a glance, and Quest had successfully registered that skill onto his Q-Card. Mythcrafter had been the anomaly that hadn’t been seen before, which meant Skill Master was more common. Why hadn’t he heard of other people with the Skill Master ability launching to the top of the rankings?

Sal knew that it was a foolish thought the moment he had it. There was no way for him to know what powers the top rankers used. There could very well be Skill Master users in the top ranks, all doing what he could be doing too. The other consideration he had to make was that he was at Quest Academy.

Imprinting and Implanting were new technologies that really synergized with his ability, allowing him to permanently take abilities of his own creation. Yes, it had been a complete accident the first time when he created Mythcrafter, but he was sure that he could do it again under the right circumstances. All he’d need was a bit of practice and it would be fine.

He lifted his head and let the hot droplets rain down on his face. He ran his hands through his slick black hair as he considered his next move. Self-preservation was high on his list, and that wasn’t going to change any time soon. He wanted to help people, but not at the expense of his own life. Self-sacrifice wasn’t something he saw as noble, but rather as foolish. It wasn’t to say those kind of people were wrong; he just wasn’t like them. Divinity was the perfect picture of a Hero, as she was prepared to do whatever it took to protect everyone around her. Sal knew he wasn’t like her, and that he likely never would be.

The big question in his mind was whether he should start collecting the abilities of the people around him. He was already able to store them onto his visor, so it would give him an entire arsenal of abilities that he could alter to fit his current capabilities. With the addition of that breathing technique from Gallant, the Body Manipulation from Vanessa, and Healing from Rochelle, he’d be able to rapidly increase his capabilities. It wasn’t like he was starved of Q-Cred and forced into a corner with all this. He could start spending it on himself to ensure that he was developing faster.

Thinking back to his previous goal of working with his family in the Argento Auction, Sal knew that he could never go back to that kind of life. He’d be racked with guilt if anything happened to his friends that he could have helped prevent. Sitting in a workshop and hiding away from the world wasn’t going to cut it either. He had already seen how that had strained his friendship with Divinity and Barry. Well, with Divinity. He wasn’t sure Barry gave two shits about the time they spent apart.

“Fuck…” Sal breathed as he reluctantly turned off the supply of water.

He stood there as the cold embraced him, wondering what he was going to do. He had overthought every single thing since he was a kid, and that hadn’t eased off as he reached adulthood. He needed to go to the tower in a week with the rest of the team. They needed to clear five floors. Those were the main things he needed to focus on, but all he could see was Erika’s face, rolling her eyes as she admitted to letting him get hit a few times.

He clenched his fists, pressed them against the tiled wall, and let out a shuddering breath. Few things were capable of making him angry, but Erika seemed to have a knack for it. She expected him to embrace his power to its fullest, essentially changing his role and personality in the process. Someone who rushed into battle head-on, with devastating powers, wasn’t likely to be analyzing everything around them.

“Another excuse,” Sal groaned as he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the metal radiator.

No matter what direction he moved in, he found an excuse that made him the martyr and everyone else the villain. Divinity and Erika had told him some harsh truths, and he wasn’t sure which direction his future was going to take him. Divinity feared that he’d step into a portal and never return, which sounded like absolute insanity to Sal.

Erika felt like he was squandering his powers. He didn’t want to think that his life path was set in a fixed direction, and that he had more control over his destiny than what Divinity had predicted in her countless futures. A part of him wanted to tell Erika to get the implant of Skill Master so she could be the Hero she so desperately wanted him to be. It was petty, but he was annoyed that everyone around him had such high expectations of him when he just wanted to find his own way.

The idea of starting a guild had sounded fun when Vanessa had pitched it to him. He’d get to continue crafting and potentially make a big difference with his creations. It would make good money and give him a comfortable life, and the equipment he gave to Heroes would increase their survivability.

Why did he have to rush into battle himself when he could provide so much more value to society as a Mythcrafter? Even if he did have the greatest powers of the top-ranked Hunters and Heroes, he was still only one person. In a worldwide demonic war, a single person wouldn’t be able to feasibly make a huge amount of difference.

If he had a guild, he’d be able to make a concentrated effort in making change and retaking territories. Yes, it would mean that he wouldn’t be leading the charge…but his power let him help others reach their full potential. That had to be a major point in how his powers weren’t suited to being on the front lines.

Sal dried himself off and dressed up to the waist before moving to his small workshop area in the dorm. The shard of dungeon heart was still resting on the side of his desk, and he barely acknowledged it. His eyes instead landed on the metal case containing his visor. He’d Appraise the shard later when he calmed down.

It was funny to think that a couple of months ago, he had won it for coming third in the rankings. He was so excited to inspect it and see how it could be utilized in his crafting, but now it was just a reminder of how quickly his priorities were shifting. It took a few moments to clip the visor onto his still damp hair. Erika had told him that he needed to look in the mirror, and Sal was going to take that advice literally.

Ever since the moment that he got the visor, he had been curious about his own stats, but hadn’t been able to check them out. Looking at his torso hadn’t activated the ability out in the woods, so he assumed that he’d need to look at his reflection to have a better chance of success.

No matter how many people he had inspected with his visor, he hadn’t been able to see the stats that Cooper had talked to him about. Perseverance and Spirit weren’t present in any of the Analysis reports. The real question was whether he was going to be able to see them when he looked at himself as the visor was innately connected to his essence and body.

Sal moved back into the bathroom and wiped the mirror with a hand towel to better see his reflection. It took a few moments before the visor flashed in recognition, detailing the information that Sal was so curious about. To be able to improve, Sal needed to know where his baseline was.

Name
Salvatore Argento

Alias
Myth

Class
Support

Profession

Current: Student, Quest Academy

Previous: Appraiser, Argento Auction

Rank (Hero)

Hunter Bureau: Current Rank | 48,944th

Guild Association: Current Rank | 0

Quest Academy: Current Rank | 3rd

Accreditations

Challenge Crests: 3

Jez’s Challenge Crest

Quest’s Challenge Crest

Chatfield’s Challenge Crest

Specialist Classes:

Crafting Masterclass | Enrolled

Tactics Masterclass | Enrolled

Certifications:

Appraisal | Master Grade - LN: 210

Academic Report

Mandatory Modules:

War Zone (Field, Survival, Combat)

Proficient (75%)

Resilience

Pending

Skills

Pacing Well (60%)

Elective Modules:

Administration

Excellent (90%)

Analysis & Demonic Behavior

Pending

Crafting

Exemplary (100%)

Ability

Skill Name: Skill Master | Rating: VII

Skill Category: Replication

Skill Mastery: 64%

Skill Efficiency: 100%

Progress to Next Rating: 82%

Evolutionary Capability: Yes

Potential Cap: XV

Natural Synergy: Amplify | Configure | Enhance

Skill Name: Mythcrafter | Rating: XV

Skill Category: Invention

Skill Mastery: 18%

Skill Efficiency: 41%

Progress to Next Rating: 5%

Evolutionary Capability: Yes

Potential Cap: XXX

Natural Synergy: Construct | Concept | Refine

Essence

Essence Type: All

Essence Gates: 42

Essence Absorption Rate: 62%

Essence Control: 84%

Essence Refinement: 29%

Essence Calibration: 35%

Physical

Strength Rating: III

Mobility Rating: IV

Speed Rating: III

Fitness Rating: III

Current Status Effects:

Injuries: None

Illnesses: None

Reputation

Ameye Locomotion: Known

Argento Auction: Revered

Bastion Colonies Families: Unknown

Credit Floor: Well Known

Doom Council: Known

Doom Society: Known

Guild Association: Known

Hunter Bureau: Known

Quest Academy: Well Known

Scout Status

Reavers Guild: Interested (Sponsorship, Tier 2)

Delvers Guild: Interested (Tier 1)

Cirque Guild: Interested (Tier 1)

Threat Level

Analyzed Equipment: V

Analyzed Martial Arts: N/A

Analyzed Movements: III

Analyzed Techniques:

Scouting (24% Calibration)

Traps (7% Calibration)

Warding (6% Calibration)

Analyzed Body Composition: IV

Wealth
Q-Credit: 6,295

Sal moved through the whole block of text, and it annoyed him to see that the stats he was looking for didn’t appear. Maybe it meant that the level of the device was too low and he needed to wait for it to evolve further over time? Either way, it didn’t give him a huge amount of new information other than a marginal bump in his essence-related stats.

What did catch his eye was the fact that the Mythcrafter ability was able to evolve into another ability. That alone was enough to make his mouth turn dry. The cap for the ability was thirty, and he was already at fifteen. The same could be said for Skill Master, which could apparently evolve in time too. It was at seven, and could go to fifteen before it had any chance of evolving. Those numbers felt surreal, and Sal didn’t want to dwell on them as it would likely take years to get any sort of movement with them. He had essentially spent his whole life avoiding using the Skill Master ability, and when he used Purple Punch during the registration, it had heightened his grade to a seven. Mythcrafter had been created at fifteen, which just showed the disparity between the skills.

When Sal spied the Scout Status tab and saw that there was a new entry, he was curious to know why Cirque was suddenly showing an interest in him. He had only come across them when he used the visor on Prestige and saw that she was previously the guildmaster of Cirque.

Did that mean that the cloaked people were all members of Cirque? Had he impressed them during the exercise? Sal decided that he’d have to wait to find out. There was no point in worrying about something he didn’t have any control over. If there was a formal process for talking to the guilds and giving an answer, he’d happily tell the Delvers Guild to go fuck themselves. He was loyal to Vanessa, and after hearing about what she had gone through with them, he had no intention of going anywhere near them. If he was able to pull Sakura away from them too, that would be a bonus.

Sal wasn’t sure what to make of the Analyzed Techniques section of the report. Was the visor learning from watching certain actions being performed? He had watched Brophy moving through the forest repeatedly with his visor equipped, which might have given him a bonus amount of progress, but he wasn’t sure.

His Physical capabilities had improved, though, as they fell somewhere in line with the average student he came across. He was nowhere near the Brophys, Erikas, or Divinitys of the world, but it was a good start. The last thing that caught his attention was the new rank that he had achieved with the Hunter Bureau. Sal was almost bottom of the barrel—in the forty-eight thousands—as he was sure there were only fifty thousand registered with the bureau at any one time. Brophy hadn’t been active for years and had still managed to maintain a rank in the top thousand.

Sal scanned through the rest of the report to see whether there was anything useful and saw that there were a few suggestions of recommended abilities for him to add. One of them was Blathnaid’s Construct ability, which would be easy to replicate. Whisper’s Amplify ability was there too, as well as Chatfield’s Concept. Even Vanessa’s Configure ability was among the best Synergies, which left Refine and Enhance. Sal made a mental note to check them out in the list that Quest had given him. Maybe there was a piece of equipment he could use specifically for crafting that would allow him to use all the Synergies at once?

Lastly, there was a slight uplift in the amount of Q-Cred in his account, which he guessed came from the schematic sales on the Credit Store. The balance on his account was quite high, and Sal wondered whether he should do some retail therapy to distract himself from the feelings of inadequacy gnawing at him from every angle. It wouldn’t make him feel better; he knew that already.

Sal took off the visor and placed it down on the edge of the bathroom sink. Erika had goaded him about using his powers, but he disagreed with her.

The best work he could do was from the workshop, and when Quest gave him the green light to unknot abilities, he’d add even more value to the various Hunters, guilds, and students. Erika was right about one thing, though. Sal was finding excuses to avoid conflict, and he needed to improve himself to have any shot at making it to graduation. Sure, Quest and the other lecturers might pull the strings to ensure he crossed the finish line, but he wanted to earn it himself.

Sal looked at his reflection in the mirror as he leaned against the sink. “We’re going to clear the tower floors. After that, we’re going to take Brophy up on his offer to clear some dungeons. Any outings that come up, we’re going on them. Scavenger runs? We’re going to do them all.”

He stared at himself as he reaffirmed his intentions. Erika had told him that he wasn’t a coward. He just lacked conviction, which was what irritated her so much. His scatterbrained thoughts of fear, denial, and anxiety had likely been pushed at her on a daily basis. Sal didn’t know whether he’d be able to calm those voices, but he was going to try to improve his actions.

Sal stared at his reflection for a few more moments as he thought about the affirmation he had just committed to. He needed to prove to himself that he could overcome his fears and push forward like a real Hero. He wasn’t going to compare himself to others, as he wasn’t like other people. The goal was to not only keep up with those around him, but to surpass them and keep his spot at the top of the class. He’d become a Savior with his friends, and he’d deserve his place among them.

Just as he was about to wipe the mirror again, his tablet vibrated with a message from Brophy. He didn’t even need to read it to know that it was another picture of materials he had found at home. Sal had an entire week without classes and without distractions. Barry and Divinity were still in the Reclaimed Zone, preparing for their fourth ambush. He’d have a full week to work on his own projects.

Sal glanced at his tablet as he picked up the visor. The first step was always going to be the hardest.

It was time to restore Gallant to his former glory.

Reviews!

So, how did I do? Did you enjoy reading Quest Academy? If so, it would be a massive help to me if you left a review for the story. With millions of books being published on Amazon, it’s very hard to get any sort of traction and discoverability. If you share the book with people you think might enjoy it, that would be incredible. I’d love for as many people as possible to have the chance to read the story, and for that, I need your help.

If the story does well enough, I’ll be able to spend more time writing, which will cut down the time between releases…and fuel my coffee addiction.

If leaving reviews isn’t something you can do, then I’d really appreciate you helping to share the story with people who might enjoy it. No matter what, though, you’ve read my story and that’s the most important thing to me.

Thank you!

Facebook and Social Media

If you want to reach out to talk about Quest Academy or just get to know me a little bit, you can find me on my swanky new author page on Facebook. There’s a very high chance that you’ll be one of the very first people to like it who wasn’t involved in getting me published:

www.facebook.com/BrianJNordon

Alternatively, we’ve got a new Facebook group to spread the word about cool LitRPG books, called LitRPG Legion. It’s a fun space to share old and new books, and to discover great titles you might have missed along the way.

Only rules for joining are to spread the word about great new books, and not being a dick! As a bonus, if you join…you’ll have access to dozens of author interviews!

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If you’d prefer to catch me over on Discord, here’s a link:

https://discord.gg/GAN5RgNJGn

I created the Discord for my first ever series that I started over on Royal Road, called Wildcards: The Dread Captain. It’s a fun story that I absolutely loved writing and will get back to after Quest Academy is established. I’m not the fastest at replying, but I do always reply!

Patreon!

Okay then, now for those of you who don’t know about Patreon, it’s essentially a way to support your favorite authors. You can sign up for a day or a month or a year, and you get various benefits for it, ranging from my heartfelt thanks, to advance access to the books, to me sending you books, naming characters and more.

My Patreon was very focused on my time writing Wildcards, and I’ll be incorporating new tiers in the future for advance chapters of Quest Academy. I’m talking with Legion Publishers to find out what we could offer fans outside of more chapters, so it might be worth keeping an eye on. If not now, maybe in the future when there’s more on offer!

All support is appreciated, but not compulsory. Honestly, a review or just recommending my story to others is more than I have any right to ask.

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Wandering Warrior: Judge

By Michael Head

A divine quest to deliver justice. One year to accomplish his mission. After nineteen planets, there’s something different about this one.

James Holden has reached the maximum level there is for a human. That’s perfect, since he’s the only one of his kind: a wandering warrior, without control of his destination, tossed between universes by gods who’ve failed to tell him why. James is the lone Judge on a new world in need of someone to balance the scales. He isn’t afraid to do so with extreme prejudice. As the Chief Justice, he has to right the wrongs the innocent can’t fix themselves.

As James quickly discovers, the roots of corruption run deep. Guilds choose to protect themselves rather than the people. Monsters roam the wilderness unchecked. Judgment is usually a decision between right and wrong, but nothing is ever that simple. This time, being the strongest human won’t be enough to punish the guilty. James might have to recruit some new blood, even if he prefers to work alone.

On his twentieth world, he is going to win, no matter the cost. James will have to find a way to break past the limits of the system if he’s going to have a chance at making a difference.

Buy on Amazon

Calamity

By Rachel Ni Chuirc

When Zara awoke to find Valerius, leader of the legendary Gilded Knights, towering over her, she thought she'd gone mad.

She was the Fury, mistress of claw and flame—armies trembled at her name! Now she lay chained and broken, a prisoner in her own home. But that wasn't why she thought herself mad.

Only yesterday, she remembered a different life. She remembered her nephew in the local arcade, struggling to beat the villainous Zara the Fury in Knights of Eternity. She remembered her uncle and his big booming laugh.

…and she remembered the gun that changed everything.

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Arise: Alpha

By Jez Cajiao

When you steal a hundred grand from some very bad people, the best way to survive is to stay small and quiet…

Possibly it’s not to save a pair of drowning girls, not go viral on social media, and certainly not to let the local police take your passport, trapping you on a small “party” island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

But Steve isn’t the average guy: he’s ex-military, ex-enforcer, and ex-human. He’s a one-man, nanite-fueled nightmare for those who cross the line, and he’s decided that it’s time to clean up his act. He’s going to make up for the things he’s done, and save “the little guys.”

It’s a nice fantasy, but even he has to admit, it’s really just a justification, because he’s a very bad man, with horrifying abilities, and he’s only just learning what he’s capable of. He needs a reason to not go to the dark. And if that’s hunting down the creatures of the night and beating them to death with their own femurs?

Well, he’s just the man for the job.

Stolen money. Greek Islands. Werewolves and Enforcers…what could possibly go wrong?

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Battleforged: Survivour: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure

M.H. Johnson

To do list for the post apocalypse:

1. Survive the orcs rampaging through your city.

2. Survive the pod trying to steal your mind.

3. Pull off the greatest heist of all time.

Eric was as shocked as everyone else when the apocalypse struck, but unlike his mother's movie, there were no chosen heroes destined to fight the beast hordes now overrunning the planet.

Just people trying desperately to survive.

Yet there was a glimmer of hope that humanity could hold on to. A chosen few really could level up in this brave new world, and embrace magic, adventure, and the potential for limitless power!

But the only way to find out if you were one of the lucky few who can level-up and grow stronger was to dare alien vegetative pods. Pods as happy to turn you into topsoil as give you any shot at mastering a System designed to benefit elite invaders, not fragile humans just trying to survive.

But Eric was all about beating the odds!
Along with a handful of new friends who happened to be rogues long before there was any System.
Friends absolutely intent on stealing a priceless fortune that their enemies are eager to claim, right out from under the noses of everyone trying to kill them!

Eric might not be able to save the world, but nothing says he can't make a killing! All he has to do is outmaneuver a thousand orcs, outfox an army of too-clever elves, and escape a war-torn city without getting caught!

Eager for a fast-paced adventure with a survivor determined to get the best of everyone trying to kill him and make a fortune while doing so? Then read on!

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Recommendations

I’m not sure they’ll be your thing, but if you like reading my stories, then you might be interested in these books too. This is only from my own personal enjoyment though, so take my words with a pinch of salt.

Death Loot & Vampires by Benjamin Kerei

Forge Master by Seth Ring

Four Horsemen by Michael Chatfield

Artem: The Rise of Oshbob by Kevin Sinclair

Artem: Underdog by Lars Machmüller

Castle Kingside by Gennon Asche (Royal Road)

Cowboy Necromancer: Infinite Dusk by Harmon Cooper

Wandering Warrior by Michael Head

First Fist: Seventh Bridge to the Heavens by TJ Reynolds

The Good Guys series/The Bad Guys series by Eric Ugland

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www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/

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