《Black Home》


 Chapter 1 - The Tutorial

    Ok. What am I going to do with my life now ?


    I mean, it¡¯s been a long road to tread and I¡¯ve lived my fair share of weirdness. But what still baffles me to this very day is how it all began. Well, baffling isn¡¯t really the word, it was more akin to boundless pain and suffering, so¡­ Yeah.


    Yet, I remember those times as enlightening and tempering - such that I feel ready for whatever curveball get thrown at me next - and with some kind of¡­ Fondness ? Affinity ? I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t be certain. There¡¯s not much I¡¯m clear on these days.


    Now everything¡¯s gone to shit. I can¡¯t really recall a time where things hadn¡¯t, per say, but from what I can gather, massive changes happened. People are going cuckoo in the nest, drunk dogs can¡¯t walk straight, water¡¯s a luxury while we eat fish eggs at breakfast- and oh ! Aliens. Aliens god damnit ! Even if the majority of them are of the boring push buttons and form filling sort, they¡¯re still extraterrestrials beings ! With lasers and spaceships and weird languages and stuff. Lots of stuff. Exciting, right ? Would be without that sword of Damocles looming above us.


    But hey, I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. Let¡¯s not jump the gun here.


    I want to bring you along for the ride. I think that, as things get more and more strange and dicey, you¡¯re gonna enjoy yourself, my little passenger.


    However, you must catch up with the tale before you can tag along. That¡¯s a given. So, how will I work that out ? Cold and formal won¡¯t cut it, I need you focused and attentive, not drooling over yourself as if reading an ever so stale record of yearly earnings or some such. I¡¯ll try as a journal of sort¡­ and add some commentary along the way to help with the reminiscing your entire story part.


    Yeah, that should be swell. But first a brief summary of my first steps as a human.


    Well, I was born in the late 20th century, that much I can tell. And I think I was still pretty young when it happened. Not young like just out of your parents¡¯ home, but still very close to mommy and daddy. Mostly for the washing machine. Ah, the smell of freshly cleaned clothes¡­


    Back on topic. I was¡­ a regular guy ? Surely, I must have had problems, even back then when everything was still regular business, but I feel I was pretty happy. Stable parents, great friends, a job, a loving girlfriend. And a lot of time on my hand. That I can remember. The hours I¡¯ve spent in front of my computer, let me tell you, I was an addict. Still a functioning member of society but no doubt I was running a tight ship between my sleep schedule and daily activity.


    Anyway, my love for videogames and all the folklore surrounding it may have had a hand in what followed. I can recall that day pretty accurately ¨C understand it feels more like the memory of a memory of a memory of a¡­ you get the gist of it, and yes, you¡¯ll figure it out, shush now.


    Started as a normal day, woke up, washed myself, got to work, bid my time until lunch break, and that¡¯s when it appeared. A beautiful, beautiful, black and white screen. I may have been partial, but damn was I pumped up about this. Like I was waiting for this my whole life. I mean, the promise of untold adventure, the possible discovery of profound truth about the world, life¡­ everything. And superpowers ! That¡¯s what was beckoned to me in that simple screen that quickly displayed the following.


    You are not alone anymore. Humanity has been discovered.


    I¡¯m pretty sure I screamed right there. A full-on cry of amazement. Probably not intelligible.


    This, is the System. Familiarize yourselves with those screens. They are now to be your lifeline, your grip on an ever-flowing reality. Change is coming to your world. A new form of awareness will arrive and settle soon in your core. Prepare.


    Yep. You know what¡¯s up. I know what¡¯s up. My colleagues at the time sure seemed not to get it but hey, tough luck being a normal guy with normal hobbies.


    And so there I was, running around the office, grabbing every letter opener, water bottles and snack lying around. I even snagged a fire extinguisher. Putting all of that in my backpack - except the extinguisher, obviously ¨C a new feeling came up. A new sense I might say. It felt to me like being submerged in heavy liquid. I could tell the flow, in and out of me following my frantic breathing, but my skin and my lungs didn¡¯t register anything different than the same old polluted air. I learned later that everyone got a somewhat different reaction to that new sensitivity, so I won¡¯t complain about mine, apparently it was a benign one.


    Anyway, shortly after that, we got hit by another screen.


    In order to facilitate the transition, you will be taken to the Tutorial and offered the possibility to accustom yourselves to the System. Please choose a location you think would be suited for this task.


    Time until Tutorial : 1:14


    Wait, that¡¯s new.


    And therefore frightening ¨C that was me thinking by the way. When the ethereal screens started I thought I knew what was coming but that last one threw me for a loop. Sure, I had been excited for the novelty and the unknown, but in a relatively safe measure. At that point, I began to wonder if I really knew what to expect anymore.


    This caused a miniature panic to invade me as I watched the counter unwind. It¡¯s at this point that I¡¯m not clear on what befell on me. Maybe I assumed I could be clever and dodge the apocalypse, or maybe I considered the safest place I knew, or even I may have thought about it and the System interpreted it as my choice. Doesn¡¯t matter now.


    In any way, shape or form, I was transported to a place that defied common sense. Nothing was really different from my usual workplace. My desk was there, I held my bag and the extinguisher firmly in my hands and the lighting was the same as just a moment before. No, what was definitely out of the ordinary was the alarm. My alarm. Blaring loud and deafening. And I knew why it was here. For I was now in my own mind.


    I tried to calm myself, and I think I succeeded since I don¡¯t recall the alarm sounding much longer after that. Or maybe the confusion blunted my perception of time, who knows ? Looking around I observed as the people near me were frozen in time, unaware of their own existence as anxious statues. Now that I recall it, the colors did seem a bit off, as if slightly washed out.


    I have thought in great depths about what happened next. I came up with many theories addressing it but only one sticks out to me. If you think about it, what was transported in the tutorial ? Not all of me, I can spoil you that, so which part of my entity was carried there ? You guessed it, my mind was shifted in itself. That¡¯s the kind of things that breaks reality you see.


    I must have entertained the same kind of idea at the time, for as soon as that inconsistency occurred to me, the background started to change. In minor things at first, like the lighting going more off color as I delved deeper and deeper into the instances my intellect was creating in itself. There also was this increasing white noise in my head that I could not shake off for the life of me. The variations became more and more drastic as entire walls started to darken and my colleagues¡¯ figures began to ooze and became smudges against my vision¡¯s outskirts. The droning in my ears was pretty painful at this point, so you¡¯ll excuse me if I can¡¯t recall exactly what happened, but after an agony of time spent in this decaying world I met the end.


    I met the void.


    Blackness everywhere I looked. Not even I was illuminated. I felt as if falling endlessly, my clothes vaguely sticking to me. And the cold. The cold. The backpack¡¯s strap in my left hand got rigid at some point and the handle of the now blown-up fire extinguisher drank the heat right out of my other hand. Quickly, I lost all sensations in my fingers. Next were my hands and feet. But that could not compare with the excruciating torment of having no air to breathe anymore.


    I don¡¯t actually remember this part specifically, but I¡¯m pretty sure of how it felt. You see, this didn¡¯t last long, an untrained human¡¯s brain shuts off after 30 seconds without oxygen, and with all my blood boiling in my veins and arteries ¨C you know, pressure and stuff - it surely took even less than that. You could say it was a pretty shitty way to blackout, and I would agree, although I can imagine worse. But imagine waking up with a violent start, expelling all the air from your lungs, and you¡¯re still there, floating in the void, experiencing all that pain anew. Again. And again. Until nothing of you is left than burning agony and frozen tears in your eyes.


    You may have guessed it, but I didn¡¯t really fall unconscious that many times. It took me¡­ quite a lot of iterations to realize that, you can¡¯t think clearly under that kind of torment.


    Yep, I died. Lots. And lost any perception of time that I had left. No sun, no light cycle, nothing. Good luck figuring out what¡¯s going on in those conditions. I think I went a little bit crazy at that point. I pride myself of having overcome this but it might show sometime. I was lost, never to be found, never to live ¨C really live ¨C again. Darkness became my world. Misery my livelihood.


    For at least a bazillion years. An entire era of this. An eternity of nothingness.


    Ok maybe I¡¯m overreacting a bit. Still took a long ass time. I didn¡¯t count the number of cycles but it was in the high three hundred before my mind rebooted ¨C that broken piece of shit ¨C and heaved ideas to pull me out of this situation, all more useless than the last one. But as I was working out the futility of such an endeavor, I noticed I was experiencing less and less pain as the cycles went on and stretched. I was actually starting to survive suffocation ! I could also feel something nagging at the back of my head but I was entirely focused on - you know ¨C not dying.


    There was now a delay of 1 to 2 minutes between the blackouts, still painful, yet I felt hopeful. And I could wiggle my limbs a bit, shaking off the frost on my skin. I supposed that whatever was bringing me back to life only affected my body, generating a small supply of air in my lungs, and stopped at its surface. I blanked out for a moment I admit. I could still feel the void surrounding me from all sides, but my mind was elsewhere - pun intended. The direness of my situation finally settled in. No clear way out. I didn¡¯t even know if there was a way out. This was all too much for me. I just hanged there, floating and falling, frozen and dying, shocked and desperate. Sentenced to an endless torment.


    Well fuck.


    *


    *  *


    The Tutorial, the void


    Your name is Yann Roy. Don¡¯t lose yourself. Your name is Yann Roy. You¡¯re a man, 23 years of age. Your name is Yann Roy. You have a caring family and some of the best friends in the world. Your name is Yann Roy. Anna is your amazing girlfriend and she honestly loves you. Your name is Yann Roy. You are a good person, flawed, but still respectable. Your name is Yann Roy. Don¡¯t lose yourself. Your name is¡­


    That is how I spent my time for a while, drifting as I was in the vast emptiness. Still, it¡¯s all in retrospect, I was only recently able to put names and faces on those notions. You must know that I didn¡¯t wallow in the mire because of my cowardice, I could feel somethings wrench away from me. I was losing my heart in this void, some very important emotions and memories, like the love I had for my parents, my passion and desire for Anna¡­ And some more trivial, the texture of stone or the sound and ambiance of torrential rain for example.


    I repeated my mantra ad nauseam, hoping for my release of this plundering aura, but I had to come to my senses one day or another, no one but myself could help me. And so, I started experimenting. It¡¯s just that any movement required incredible effort, as every fiber of my every muscle were frozen solid. Felt like ripping off my own skin too. Woo ! More pain for me !


    First, I put the handle in the backpack to free my hand, then I picked up my cellphone in order to at least see something. I thus discovered junk food floating out of burst sealed bags and little more than ruined scraps of water bottles. Around me ? Nothing apart from frozen foam. My light didn¡¯t shine on anything anywhere I pointed it to.


    Hey, at least I could eat something while asphyxiating.


    I tried throwing the lonely handle as to observe how far I could see and, suffice to say, that wasn¡¯t very far.


    Ok, now what ?


    I found myself idle, not knowing what to do next. Then I felt it. That pulse at the back of my mind, as if demanding my attention but too dim to really notice. I tried grabbing at it, using a sense I had only just discovered before my shifting. I could not put a name on it, but it was definitely real ¨C even in those conditions I could determine that. It wasn¡¯t easy, and I don¡¯t remember how many times I had to reach for it before I finally succeeded. And what it brought was¡­ edifying. Knowledge. Pure raw knowledge. About the Tutorial, the System, stats, apparently a beginner quest and some sort of updates. What I discovered follows.


    The Tutorial is, as you¡¯d expect, a place of learning, of adaptation. This is the time and place where you can explore the meanders of the System. For me, it meant jack shit. The System, if what I was contacting at that moment was indeed the System, was barely accessible, as if instead of a clear screen in front of me I had to squint my eyes to seek a glitchy cathodic monitor at the other side of a hallway.


    Speaking of which, the info on the System were bare and rare. It is a system - duh - meant to assist the beings that have been reached by a higher plane of existence. Which implied that it was the case for humanity. I wondered for a moment if in the case of extraterrestrial sapience this meant an immediate change for them too. Would the System¡¯s arrival travel like a wave at light speed through our universe ? Or would it just happen everywhere all at the same instant, since it came from another plane ¨C whatever that means. Focusing back on the information gathered, it seemed that the System had brought along a new reality, and changed the paradigm we were in. That was all I learned on the subject.


    Next were the stats, and oh boy was I glad for this little bit of good news. Stats implied superhuman growth and opened a lot of possibilities all around. Would it be the old but trusted D&D style ? Or a new one from another set of rules ? Or even something nobody had ever imagined ? Case in point, it is a bit of all of the above. It definitely felt realistic and efficient with a touch of whimsy. Let me show you mines at the time, it¡¯ll be simpler.


    Might = 0


    Constitution = 2


    Finesse = 0


    Perception = 0


    Intellect = 0


    Willpower = 2


    Discipline = 0


    Wisdom = 0


    Charisma = 0


    Stability = -1 [Unbalanced]


    Fluency = 0


    Wits = 0


    I¡¯ll give you a moment to mull it over. Hey, I¡¯m not going to give you all the answers ! Reflect on it, deeply, until you understand what it tells us. A part of you already got it, so come on ! Keep up with yourself.


    Ok, time¡¯s up. And the answer is¡­ drumroll¡­ The value 0 represents the average capability of a human being. Or of my person, it still is an open question. The 2s mean that when I was agonizing I performed some sort of feat that the System recognized and rewarded me with a rise in these stats. Explains in part the increase in livable time between each death among other things. The -1 indicates my failing mental sanity ¨C shocker ! ¨C while the [Unbalanced] involves another parameter, the margin of variation. If it is within acceptable limits, a stat will accurately represent the actual proficiency of an individual, but if not, then it will say so with an [Unbalanced] tag.


    Don¡¯t feel bad if you didn¡¯t get it in time, took me what felt like years to guess how it works. Of course, there were no explanation on any of that. Of fucking course.


    Anyway, what I discovered next was the beginner quest. To sum it up, it was a basic quest for newbies in the tutorial. And the first action it asked me to take was to open my status page. Naturally, I voiced ¡°Status¡± aloud. Or tried to. Until I remembered that sound is a fickle thing in the void.


    Well, at least no one saw that.


    I then said it in my mind, which worked much better, so much so that instead of flapping my tongue around futilely I had to focus intensely on a tiny speck in that other realm. Took me a while, and a few deaths, but I got what I wanted.


    Status :


    Physical = Frozen


    Mental = In pain and lost, despair settling in


    Social = Lonely


    Traits = None


    Current Path = None


    Ding !


    For completing the first task of the beginner¡¯s quest, you have unlocked the Paths [It¡¯s a new World] and [It¡¯s a new Life]


    For completing the first task of the beginner¡¯s quest, you have been given the Skill [Scrutinize]


    Second task of the beginner¡¯s quest : Find a being to use [Scrutinize] on.


    Hmmm¡­ Mister System ? Are you aware that there might be a bit of a problem with what you¡¯re asking me to do ? A small tidbit you might have missed. I am all fucking alone in here !


    I had to take a breather ¨C ha ! ¨C after that one. But I quickly consoled myself with the other notifications.


    Skills, I knew what they were, but Paths were something else entirely. If my suppositions were right - and you know they¡¯re always right ¨C then I might have found a way out. Without waiting, I rushed after the description of those new Paths and Skill. Which means that I laboriously chased after their image. You know the drill.


    [It¡¯s a new World] 0/4 : This new world is full of wonders and dangers. Prepare yourself to explore it.


    [It¡¯s a new Life] 0/4 : This new life will be a boon and a curse. Prepare yourself to dompt it.


    [Scrutinize] Level 0 : Displays a description of the being selected.


    Before I could analyze those, my attention was grabbed by the last piece of knowledge that had appeared to me. The updates we¡¯ll call them. And boy were they good to receive.


    By performing special actions, you have unlocked the Skills [Apnea] and [Endure]


    [Apnea] Level 5 : Ability of the user to hold his breath for long periods of time. Based on Constitution.


    [Endure] Level 11 : Propensity of the user to endure pain and torment. Based on Willpower.


    You now have 16 PPs to spend.


    I then did what comes naturally to any human with cash to spend, I went on a shopping spree.


    [It¡¯s a new World] 4/4 : This new world is full of wonders and dangers. You now feel ready to delve into it.


    +1 Might OR +1 Intellect OR +1 Charisma


    [It¡¯s a new Life] 4/4 : This new life will be a boon and a curse. You now feel more able to wield it.


    +1 Constitution OR +1 Willpower OR +1 Stability


    You now have 8 PPs to spend.


    PPs¡­ Path Points ?


    Then, what felt like an eternity later¡­


    For treading the Paths [It¡¯s a new Life] and [It¡¯s a new World] you have been given an appropriate Skill for your Tutorial, [ERROR]


    [ERROR] Level 0 : x?Z?n>|?¨´i}=???]?_K?[???#@h??~($


    Hmm¡­


    Seemed like a glitch in the matrix. Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s not me who broke it. It broke itself ! I¡¯m not the one to blame here ! I hadn¡¯t expected that folding my mind in itself would cause that kind of problem. Hell, I¡¯m not even sur I¡¯m the one who chose to be sent there ! This was pure bullshit.


    Fuck the System ¨C I love to say that.


    At that point, somewhere in my head, I was a bit excited, more or less. More more than less. Ok, a deep thrill was shaking me. I had found a way out ! Not specifically the way out, but the best next thing, a vague track that led to it. The System was fallible. So maybe, just maybe, I could force my way out.


    First off, picking which stats to improve. I yearned mostly for Might and Stability, because, well, who wouldn¡¯t want to be a beefier guy with less psychological issues ? But I had to come to my senses, those would not have helped in this situation, or not as much as the other solutions. In the end I selected Intellect and Willpower, both in order to boost my mental capabilities. I needed imagination and self-control if I was to pull this through.


    Next, I lacked a clear concept of what was that new Skill. And of course, my dumb ass thought that querying the System about it would be a fantastic idea. What follows is a taste of what filled my head for a time before my next death.


    7;g-v%t>AM8QAM=Qw9KN,L*[&w7sN.#ma`b{h8TayBL+^4/E_xvH?,4[7r8<U"x}Z,98AQACc-eS6ZQ~sMY{5(D)t^!QZ.c;q5R''PJ"-G*5N''wz8/:nJxA`FjvQTX[yya!jdLkB9X3jk.}>@N8#3+Mpr^!&LU.VQvC5V^R{X9z/{YqpE5,mV5,[%R.aZ&ZAQ@<Ct+^;y3^<&Cefg~)_m9rXU`4dF"9?*.8z=XY?Dy;@*P''xYC,&2~9~qZ8.(yF)3ZLfm`Z,x4?>bLmVtXu}vAGS"!hW<$P{$>!X]b3uV+.BA(4_5aDP]^C$p&5<`_D<ZFcKEckP-jyW2Fcy,%~C>h`JUsh[S[a/Pk&N~haU%6<vtzF=?uVHGx]}/}T&"y}>W/uqmcWMd:''"cYP5:+/TrfX!Y?''^cqk"Zm/~Z)c=6B?DC}4nD_sRA&q}(z5g{?ezyX>hDy[''67.$M=?''Ug\sPnQ!Q-WZvZwBq:,$@&27eW_S[h]qK;>Ap`[4)Ymdz


    When I woke up, I could still feel the buzz on the ridges of my consciousness. This had sucked. Just to be safe I checked my status.


    Status :


    Physical = Freezing


    Mental = In relative pain and confused


    Social = Lonely


    Traits = ERRORUnauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Current Path = None


    And it appeared the bug had spread to my Traits. I didn¡¯t know what those were yet but hey, it¡¯s not like I was in some sort of tutorial where I was supposed to learn this kind of stuff ! I mean, what kind of System doesn¡¯t come up with a contingency if its Tutorial meets an unexpected condition ? Ok, it doesn¡¯t make sense to plan for the unforeseen, but damn am I still pissed about that !


    *


    *  *


    Around a thousand deaths in the Tutorial, the void


    Pew-pew-pew !


    So, umm¡­ I might have had discovered a magic spell, [Basic Mana Throw]. It may or may not have involved me doing Kamehamehas to relieve boredom. You¡¯ll never know. The Skill in itself was pretty barebones, it just shoots a paltry purple light where I point with the palm of my hand. Still was pretty to look at, and something to pass the time.


    But that¡¯s not the sole occupation I found. I determined with my enhanced Intellect and by toggling on and off [Apnea] that my now 3 points in Constitution afforded me around 4 times more leniency when it came to survivability, and [Apnea] further multiplied that by 2 at a level around 25, with a large margin of error due to the Skill constantly ranking up. I could now last a full 5 minutes of total consciousness !


    I also brought back from the dead the concept of holograms. Yep, I was a living 3D photo projector. Another Skill, another joy. [Basic Light Manipulation] allowed me to project an image from my eyes. At first, I experimented it with my backpack as the backdrop and as I got more used to the feeling, I started being able to maneuver the light I emitted. For example, I could cast the mirroring of my hands in front of me, and later on I was able to play out parts of the movies that I could remember.


    Dear spectators, tonight we have a specialty for you ! A redistribution of an old indy classic that will give you food for thoughts. Dream on my friends, for now is the time of ¡°The Man from the Earth¡± !


    It wasn¡¯t perfect. It relied heavily on my memories of long past seen films, but as they say, don¡¯t look a given horse in the mouth. I think that¡¯s what they say¡­


    My mantra didn¡¯t work so well. I lost quite a lot of myself. Funny thing is, I didn¡¯t mind it that much. I mean, would you care if you had only vague notions of long lost memories ? If you forgot them, they may not be that crucial to your existence. What importance does love possess in the void ?


    Anyway, on the get out of dodge side of things I must admit I hadn¡¯t made any major progress. Apart from one little thing. I actually managed to fire the bugged spell. It didn¡¯t have any visible effect but I would still put on a training session every once in a while, just to see what leveling it up would do, and if I even could. I also tried to [Scrutinize] an illusion I created, but got no result from it.


    Still, I had to reach deeper. I probed and scoured my mind till the end of all known thoughts until I got some results. A strange sensation it is to comb through your awareness, but a necessity in those times. What I found was a bit¡­ unexpected - but what wasn¡¯t at this point ?


    ¡°Salutations, friend.¡±


    With a profound and solemn tone, a male voice reached out to me. I could feel its tremors in my very being, and it was weirdly pleasant. Maybe having someone to talk to would do me good.


    Hmm¡­ Hi ? I hesitantly replied.


    ¡°This, will not do. One has to greet individuals in the proper manner or one will be sorely disappointed as he watches the backs of potential allies flee away from such dawdling.¡±


    I¡¯m¡­ what ? I don¡¯t¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re not what I thought you¡¯d be, friend. I may need to retire for now¡­¡±


    No ! Please wait !


    I didn¡¯t know what he sought, or how he could have expected anything else other than little old me as at his base he was certainly just a figment of my imagination. Maybe it was my self-deprecation coming to life¡­ But I was desperate for human contact, even one as freaky as a mental onanism.


    I¡¯d just like to talk for a while, if possible¡­ I mean, if you would be so inclined, sir¡­


    ¡°¡­ Very well. I shall grant you your wish and entertain a conversation for a time. But I expect you to take heed of my advice, may we meet again. And please, don¡¯t sir me just yet.¡± He responded royally.


    I took real care not to think aloud what I judged him as ¨C a pompous bastard ¨C while rejoicing in this new relieving social contact, quirky as it was, and at the possibility of getting some explanations to my numerous questions. Suffice to say, I quickly began to consider him as my potential personal search engine on the matters of the apocalypse and the System. He seemed like the kind of guy who would know stuff.


    So, umm¡­ Who am I speaking with ? And what were you doing in my mind ?


    ¡°I am but a simple traveler, looking for the unforeseen, longing for a mythical encounter that will topple my life upside down as never before¡­ Would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of such a person ?¡±


    Ouch¡­ That hurts old man.


    ¡°It is but your own fault for assuming you were the object of my destiny. Blame only yourself.¡±


    Okay, you know what ? Go fornicate with your own ego !


    Yeah, not the brightest tool in the shed ¨C or was it the sharpest box in the sky ? Damn it. I mean, if you¡¯re gonna insult someone, at least don¡¯t do it in such a civil way ! Minus one point in street cred !


    ¡°Fine. You are clearly in a dire need of quite an amount of time sole in order to revise your demeanor. I will see myself out then.¡± He said, and promptly disappeared from my reach.


    Now he¡¯s pissed off and you¡¯re alone, again. You done goofed, me of the past !


    Feeling pitiful, I retracted in my shell of well-worn habits, namely training and dying. Nobody ever did say that there¡¯s no such thing as dying too much, but that nobody¡¯s still an ass.


    For meeting special requirements, you have unlocked the Path [The Inner Truth]


    *


    *  *


    Two thousand-ish deaths in the Tutorial, the void


    Yep, it¡¯s official. I¡¯m gone. Broken. Spent.


    Status :


    Physical = Frozen


    Mental = In light pain, helpless and angered


    Social = Lonely


    Traits = [ERROR]


    Current Path = [The Inner Truth]


    A lot of time had been put into improving my Skill up till that point. A lot of effort put into a single goal, even if the goal was hardly straightforward. That path I got ¨C from what, one can only guess ¨C had really burned me out. An unattainable target, made to see me suffer. But the regular rewards kept me focused for all this time, wondering what the next one would be, and what fulfilling prize it would garner me.


    [The Inner Truth] 123/256 : Look further into your own self. Gaze upon the veritas of your soul.


    I had gotten several points in my more psychic oriented Stats from putting PPs into this path, and it made a whole lot of difference. I could think faster, better, stron- An all-around improvement. But what I didn¡¯t expect was the pain slowly trudging along with my accelerated thought process. Made sense after all. I could reflect on it as quickly as I was now able, it still didn¡¯t mean it would make it go away. It just dampened the constant burden, spreading the load on a larger amount of perceived time. And I won¡¯t complain about that.


    No, what raised the question, and my fury, was how god damn long it was to finish that damn Path ! All my Skills had leveled up by tremendous amounts and I still wasn¡¯t even half the way there ! I mean, look at that !


    [Apnea] Level 41 : Ability of the user to hold his breath for long periods of time. Based on Constitution.


    [Endure] Level 53 : Propensity of the user to endure pain and torment. Based on Willpower.


    [Basic Mana Throw] Level 22 : Shoots a piece of raw mana toward the target. Based on Intellect.


    [Basic Light Manipulation] Level 15 : Allows the user to control light in his sight. Based on Discipline.


    So now you understand why I was fuming. Although, silver-linings and all that, I still got those lovable Stats points.


    Might = 1


    Constitution = 5


    Finesse = 0


    Perception = 0


    Intellect = 2


    Willpower = 4


    Discipline = 4


    Wisdom = 3


    Charisma = 0


    Stability = -3 [Unbalanced]


    Fluency = -1


    Wits = 0


    Terrific. Sure, my Fluency tanked along with my Stability, but seeing this downward trend, now you know why you¡¯ve been following the rambling of a delirious madman ¨C I¡¯ve still put a lot of work into this monologue, so be grateful !


    Ah, whatever. You¡¯re probably just another part of me, deep down I know it. So be grateful, me !


    Something I¡¯ve noticed is that the System seems to follow a binary rule of thumb. Every point based bonus, be it Stats or Paths, functions as a multiple of two. It¡¯s logical after all. Surely, not all sapient beings possess ten countable limbs. Every species has the potential to have a different number base, so why not pick the simplest one, down to the basics ? Binary¡¯s simple, it¡¯s either on or off. True, or false. One, or zero. And then you build on that with smooth operations. Yeah, I dig that, I¡¯m not ashamed.


    Wait, did I forget to tell you about Stats Bonuses ? It¡¯s an intuitive turning point system. I attained 4 in three attributes so I got three new skills. Clean, right ? Oh, and before I let it slip, I did gain a Might point. The struggle to move my petrified limbs did pay off.


    For reaching a milestone in Constitution you have been given the skill [Basic Physical Regeneration]


    For reaching a milestone in Willpower you have been given the skill [Basic Mental Confidence]


    For reaching a milestone in Discipline you have been given the skill [Basic Mental Tolerance]


    They¡¯re pretty self-explanatory so I won¡¯t bother laying it out for you.


    All this period of working out non-stop brought about a mixed bag in the end. I wasn¡¯t happy, pretty furious rather, but I had to admit this was going the right direction. The matter now was how slow Skills were to level up. After getting in the thirties, it was a real pain in the ass to grind them. So, next idea was, to come up with new Skills of course ! Sadly, they don¡¯t grow on trees, and there weren¡¯t that much trees around anyway. The passives would go up by themselves but I needed something to do so as to not fall deeper into insanity, and you can only shoot so much Kamehamehas before it gets old.


    Brainstorm time !


    What could I perform in the void ? Physical things were out of the question, nothing to touch around here, and social interactions were¡­ compromised at the time. So, mind-bending shenanigans it was ! Now, exactly what could I realize by using my brain ? Calculate real fast ? Seemed more related to the Intellect Stat than a Skill. Visualize a utopia and imagine every single being living their own life ? Processing power intensive, check, but still an Intellect thing, plus a bit out of my grasp. Create physical objects from the power of my thoughts ? [Basic Light Manipulation] would most likely supersede any attempts at a new skill and it might be farfetched. Controlling some kind of element ? Slight problem. Control what exactly ? My backpack ? What element is that ?


    The classical elements were a stupid idea ¨C there¡¯s no such thing ¨C but what about the forces of nature ? I didn¡¯t want to mess with the primordial laws of the world but¡­ Who am I kidding ? Of course, I wanted to. I ached to ! Disintegrate stone by a look, crush your enemies into themselves, reverse time !


    Disrupting the inner force of the atom proved to be much more difficult than I had thought, the strength of a single bond was capable of intense radiation if ruptured, and controlling time was even more complicated since I had no point of comparison. The one I would have the most success with was gravity. At least, when you¡¯re stuck in nowhere-land, you¡¯re free of any weight constraint, and as such, free to experiment with all kinds of mental pulls and pushes. So much so that applying pressure to the fabric of reality came pretty easily to me and I quickly obtained what I coveted.


    By performing special actions, you have unlocked the Skill [Basic Gravity Control]


    The power is mine.


    I slowly sailed away from the heap of detritus surrounding me. It¡¯s amazing the mess a simple backpack filled with junk food and a blasted fire extinguisher can leave behind while still frozen solid. Anyway, that Skill worked in mysterious ways. For once, I couldn¡¯t nudge my entire body, only a small part of it. In order to fly, I actually pressed some force into my fist and dragged the rest of me along. Picture Superman in common clothing with some foam glued to his left side and you¡¯ll get the idea. Second is that try as I might, tugging in two opposing directions was impossible to me. And last, the maximum of anchor points I could manage simultaneously numbered in the half dozen at their minimum size of small marbles.


    Still happy as can be with such a reward, I resumed my training regimen, adding the quick flying lessons in between bursts of gleaming mana and even shinier flashes.


    *


    *  *


    A few thousands of deaths in the Tutorial, the void


    Whoa¡­ My love¡­ My darling. I''ve hungered for your touch. A long¡­ Lonely time¡­


    What ? Never seen someone sculpting light ? You should get some more time outside, mate.


    Anyhow, as I progressed progressively in maddening madness, I received some good news, with quite a bit of lag and interferences as always. But here¡¯s the clean notification.


    By improving your grasp of [Basic Light Manipulation], your Skill has ranked up to [Lesser Light Manipulation] !


    [Lesser Light Manipulation] Level 30 : Allows the user to control light inside a perimeter around him. Based on Discipline.


    I immediately stopped forming the perfect picture of an ancient Chinese porcelain - with penises inscribed on the butt, it goes without saying - and reviewed the sum of information available to me. One, it¡¯s possible to evolve Skills. I had predicted it, the names were kind of a dead giveaway, but it was nice to confirm it. Two, the rank up of a Skill seemed to provide a bonus to its leveling up, as I now felt a lot more comfortable with creating light. And three, with [Lesser Light Manipulation] acquired, I didn¡¯t need to project the image from my retinas anymore, I could actually figure it dancing behind me and it would. Which was cool, I guess.


    I might have been able to envelope myself in a shiny coating at that point, Silver Surfer style. But oh well, that was a project for another time. Still, I had to wonder how I came upon this rank up, the only thing that had changed was my proficiency in the Skill before it did. Or is it ? I can now remember thinking about how the light was refracting on Sam while he faded away, how an immaterial being reflected light. I had asked myself if what [Basic Light Manipulation] was doing was of the same kind and¡­ had come up with a hypothesis. A hypothesis that supposed that the Skill wasn¡¯t truly manipulating light as it claimed, because light is a finicky thing to get a grip on, but creating a structure to shape it, to lead it. It would explain why my eyes were the point of origin, if what it could only do was mirroring what I emitted from them.


    Bolstered by my lightbulb moment, I tried the same process with all of my skills, and got some results.


    I started with [Basic Gravity Control] as it was the one with a basic in its name I understood the best. I pondered my old physics lessons of high school ¨C not that long ago but after passing away so many times I felt like the world had run me over for an entire lifetime. I recalled how gravity and time were connected in some sort of space-time continuum but quickly dropped the concept, as I had no idea how to work that out. But something jumped to me, the fact that what I considered as pushing and pulling were the same force, just oriented differently to me. Plus, force equals mass times acceleration. So, what was I affecting ? Mass or acceleration ?


    You have to understand, I had not been known to be a bright kind of guy, and while I could still appreciate the grand theories, advanced science had not been my cup of tea. I had a good memory, which allowed me to pass the senior¡¯s final test with flying colors, but didn¡¯t help me get a decent job afterward. All to say that at that point I felt definitely superior to my younger me. I could reflect on the matter at hand with what felt like incredible focus, and my thoughts reached further than ever before. A mix of astonishment and intense thinking was taking me on a subtle and gentle high.


    My conclusion was twofold. I was either changing my linear acceleration or creating a new force on a defined mass, and the way to evolve my Skill was pretty straightforward. I had to crush something. You see, gravity is consistent and omnipresent. So, applying it in a laminar way is not the prime expected result of its manipulation. It is to compress in a single point. Sure, if something is farther enough, it might seem like it¡¯s going straight, but it¡¯s not. It¡¯s all angles and circles.


    After reducing my now useless backpack into mush, I quickly got a notification. But could only read it long after¡­ The all focus and squint your mind to get information was really getting old.


    By improving your grasp of [Basic Gravity Manipulation], your Skill has ranked up to [Lesser Gravity Manipulation] !


    By improving your grasp of [Lesser Gravity Manipulation], your Skill has ranked up to [Minor Gravity Manipulation] !


    [Minor Gravity Control] Level 15 : Allows the user to control gravity to a greater extent. Based on Intellect and Discipline.


    Yippie Ki Yay Motherfucker !


    And now, [Endure]. All in all, it was just my brain enduring the pain, but maybe I could force it to entirely block it, to not even register it. And sure enough¡­


    By improving your grasp of [Endure], your Skill has ranked up to [Pain Tolerance] !


    [Pain Tolerance] Level 48 : Propensity of the user to ignore pain and torment. Based on Willpower.


    Ok, I couldn¡¯t completely stop it. Yet.


    Great hope is worth a lot more than disappointing fulfillment.


    I was just comforting myself, don¡¯t worry. Next up was [Basic Mana Throw]. But I didn¡¯t talk about mana yet. For the simple reason that, at the time, I had a misconception about it in my mind, being raised by videogames will do that to you. I believed it followed rules, of pools and regen, exhaustion and cooldowns. But I only just recently became aware that it doesn¡¯t even have these rules. It¡¯s a simple problem of creating a vivid enough image in your head and will it on the reality to bend matter. Mana actually represents your propensity to believe your own lies. But it only applies to physical things, whereas¡­ Oh, almost spoiled you there. You little devil nearly got me, ah !


    I got working on my understanding of the mana throwing, while absentmindedly grinding other abilities. As I said, I was biased, and as such didn¡¯t get further than ¡®Dunno. Shoots violet stuff.¡¯


    So, I did the best I could. I shot myself in the knee. And it hurt. Even with my painkiller. It was like a tiny speck of molten dust had penetrated my skin and lodged itself in my patella. As the pain decreased, I discovered a clean burned hole in my jeans, with a small patch of charred skin poking out. But no blood, as the wound had been cauterized the instant the raw mana had slipped in my kneecap.


    But it hadn¡¯t been for nothing. As I had formed the spell in my mind, and been on the receiving end of it, I could compare the image I had of the magic with its result. And they were indeed different. I had pictured it as a little bit of free energy launched in a straight path, but I now had to wonder what it meant in the physical world. Energy doesn¡¯t have a real presence, it¡¯s stored in various forms inside actual matter, as far as I knew. So, what had I created ? Plasma. A condensed smoothie of elemental particles. Scorching hot, the smoothie. I had to admit it didn¡¯t fit my conceptualization of mana, but maybe the hint was in the raw part, I thought. This led to my next hypothesis on the nature of [Basic Mana Throw], that I should stick to what I knew of physics. To the nature of things, and just adapt it to my needs. If I had had to, I probably could have tried and used it to expel oxygen, but that was a far-off goal to set. For now, I had to settle for plasma. Poor me.


    And, as if to confirm my thoughts¡­


    By improving your grasp of [Basic Mana Throw], your Skill has ranked up to [Lesser Mana Throw] !


    [Lesser Mana Throw] Level 37 : Shoots a piece of raw matter toward the target. Based on Intellect.


    I felt more than ready to tackle the issue, ready to put in some work toward my objective. So, now, a training montage !


    *


    *  *


    Let¡¯s say six thousand deaths in the Tutorial, the void


    ¡­ It¡¯s the end of the world, as we know it¡­ It¡¯s the end of the world, as we know it. And I feel fine¡­


    [The Inner Truth] 254/256 : Look further into your own self. Gaze upon the veritas of your soul.


    Yep, that¡¯s right. After all this time, I was finally nearing the completion of my self-appointed goal. I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t eager to end it, yet I was filled with a kind of premature melancholy. Looking back on all the sweat poured into this, the battle to meet that required number of PP, I¡¯m still feeling sentimental to this day. That¡¯s why I was currently taking a break, reviewing my entire resume. Here¡¯s some of it.


    Might = 2


    Constitution = 6


    Finesse = 0


    Perception = 0


    Intellect = 4


    Willpower = 6


    Discipline = 6


    Wisdom = 7


    Charisma = 0


    Stability = -4 [Unbalanced]


    Fluency = -1


    Wits = 0


    [Pain Tolerance] Level 63 : Propensity of the user to ignore pain and torment. Based on Willpower.


    [Apnea] Level 49 : Ability of the user to hold his breath for long periods of time. Based on Constitution.


    [Lesser Mana Throw] Level 43 : Shoots a piece of raw matter toward the target. Based on Intellect.


    [Lesser Light Manipulation] Level 38 : Allows the user to control inside a perimeter around him. Based on Discipline.


    [Minor Gravity Control] Level 35 : Allows the user to control gravity to a greater extent. Based on Intellect and Discipline.


    [Meditation] Level 19 : Calmness incarnate, the user lets all practical matters wash away and rejuvenate his mind. Based on Wisdom.


    Looks good, innit ? Intellect and Wisdom having finally exceeded 3 points, I got some new passives. And yes, I did discover a new Skill. I was minding my own business, thinking of nothing particular during an intermission, when this arse of a System blared in my head I had gotten another ability. I mean, sure, the Skill was a nice touch, but the timing ! Almost felt deliberate just to nag at me.


    Anyway¡­ Was I ready for the grand finale ? The big reveal ? Is that your final answer ? I¡¯m gonna phone a friend.


    I was a bit shy at first, probing lightly the place in my head I had found him in last time. But no luck, he wasn¡¯t there anymore. With little hope I kept laggardly scouting for him. Until he was there. Doing whatever he was doing deep inside my mind. I had to wonder if he had constructed a little home for himself out of my souvenirs. A bit of my old crib for the porch, the windows of my parents¡¯ house, my crappy TV¡­


    ¡°I see you have returned, at last. If I wasn¡¯t so magnanimous I would mention your late apology, but things being what they are, I will gladly accept them. Come, friend.¡±


    And voila, I already didn¡¯t want to speak to him anymore.


    Greetings. I hope you didn¡¯t wait for me too long. I said, clenching my figurative teeth.


    ¡°It is of little importance. Now, tell me, what brings you in this insignificant neck of the wood ?¡±


    My cheek had a tiny spasm right then. You know you¡¯re talking about my memories, right ? ¡­ I came looking for answers. I am currently stuck in a dire situation and, well, I was counting on your assistance to clear some¡­ interrogations I have.


    ¡°I might agree to such a proposal, but every favor calls for a compensation. Raise your questions, and we shall see about their price.¡± His voice was as enthralling as ever. If only he was a bit more cooperative, I could have friended the guy.


    Took me a minute to find the right one. It was just like choosing your three wishes for a malevolent genie. You carefully lay it out and hope nothing is going to come bite you in the ass.


    Okay. Let¡¯s start it slow. How may I call you ? Better not to poke the bear too much and lull him in a sense of civility.


    ¡°Good, your courteousness progressed. Adalfaro is the moniker you shall use when addressing me.¡±


    Adalfaro, a strange name if I ever heard one. Sounded ancient and dignified. My image of him settled on ¡®Old and wise guy with a superiority complex¡¯.


    Nice to meet you, Adalfaro. Next is, I¡¯d like to know how can I solve my current dilemma. You see, complete emptiness isn¡¯t really my favorite place to be, and I¡¯d be really glad to come back home. I hoped my desperation wasn¡¯t too apparent, didn¡¯t want him to demand too much out of me.


    ¡°I am deeply sorry, but I cannot help you in any way regarding this sinister matter. One does not escape the void I am afraid.¡±


    Bah, you and I know that¡¯s not true, but at the time doubt sneaked its way into me. In the end, I did refuse to believe this was true.


    Well, fuck me sideways, right ?


    ¡°Flamboyant as always. You may be interested to know that not all is lost. I do not understand how you defy death. There might be material to solve your issue in there.¡±


    Right. Keep looking, that¡¯s what you¡¯re saying ? You¡¯ll be happy to know that that was the plan all along.


    I tried regaining my composure, focusing on what else he might offer me.


    Anyway. Can you just tell me what you do know ? Any insight that might be useful to share. Anything at all, really.


    Fishing with dynamites, lovin¡¯ it.


    ¡°That is too broad of a request. You might not like its price.¡± He replied apologetically.


    And what would be that price ?


    ¡°Your soul¡­¡±


    This absolutely did not raise any flags, none at all. Just a regular exchange of information for a soul. Yep, nothing wrong there.


    Like Hell I¡¯m gonna give you my soul ! Not a chance, you crazy old¡­ schmuck ! And what have you been up to in my head ? What are you doing ?


    ¡°Not a thing, I assure you. I am not one to trifle with such a thing as free will. In addition to that I am unable to subvert you in any way, I may only speak to you in this manner. So, don¡¯t you worry, friend. You have nothing to fear from me.¡±


    Yeah, trust the guy who lusts for your heart when he says he¡¯s not messing with you. Sure.


    ¡°I can understand the anxiety such a threat might induce¡­ To make up for it¡­ I shall grant you one question free of any charge. I shall answer it to the best of my knowledge and ability.¡± I could hear his regret at this realization. He genuinely did feel obliged to me.


    And I pondered, long and large. What kind of crucial query did I have in store ? What would help balance our waning relationship, if we could call it that ? One in particular rose above the others. For what reason, one might imagine.


    What is the System ? In its core ? Where does it come from ?


    At that, he seemed to pause, to break from our connection in a way that told me I was about to be hit by an unfurling flood of information. He then returned, and with his now familiar profound inflection said this.


    ¡°That is a good question. What is the System ? You have been briefed on the readily available facts, but achieved no satisfying answer to any basic inquest. You ask for its provenance, but a better direction to take would be asking who or what made it. After all, every kind of automatization known to any lifeforms derives from one or several sapient beings. Indeed, it could be an artificial one who could have constructed it, but the question still applies. Which genius individual, or group of, made, or caused, the appearance of the System a reality ?¡±


    Yes ! That¡¯s¡­ better put than I did¡­ but exactly what I meant ! So, who are they ? What do they want ?


    This was the moment I would get the answers to my questions. Who shall I blame for my untimely demise ? Who made me suffer until I couldn¡¯t remember what not being in pain was ? What do I do ? How do I stop it ? Those were critical issues !


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Came his response, as flat as my heartbeat. ¡°I only know a few rare truths about myself, but not a lot about the world at large. In fact, I know nothing beyond the void, it has been my life for as long as I can remember. Apart from what I could gather from your souvenirs and other bits here and there, the outside world is absolutely unknown to me.¡±


    As the disappointment flew away, leaving me shocked and troubled, I started putting two and two together.


    Wait a second¡­ So not only are you a devil contractor who wants my soul, but you¡¯re also a leech who feeds off of my memories !?


    I may have tried to strangle him telepathically at that point, it may have not worked, and I may have screamed silently into the void. Until I felt him disappear. But not in the same way he had previously. This time, he was, in a way, expelled. Banished away, at the fringe of my consciousness. I had literally exiled him from my mind in pure anger. And I wished him back, as simply as flipping a switch. It didn¡¯t mean I felt guilty about it - he really deserved that mental backslap - but our conversation had not met its end yet.


    He almost immediately started wailing. ¡°Oh please, my lord, please ! Do not cast me away from your light ! I¡­ I am lost, and desperately in need of your guidance out of this terrible emptiness !¡±


    He pleaded for his cause as if his life depended on it, which, to be fair, was a rather safe bet to make in there. Plus, the shock might have whacked him the wrong way, he seemed¡­ strangely submissive all of a sudden.


    Explain yourself, now !


    ¡°I¡­ I was born here, in the void. I do not recollect my entire life, but I can say this, not even an atom can survive it. I observed many objects and beings caught in its trap, not one has ever survived it, and every part of them ended up swallowed in the void¡¯s never-ending stomach. I¡­ sustained myself with the immaterial vestiges left behind. Mind you, I don¡¯t absorb them, I simply¡­ relive them. Be it a birth, a stroke of a hammer, the fear such a place can generate or even an unassuming memory, I play them back inside me. And it nurtures me.


    ¡°Then, you appeared. And you died, like so many before you. You floated there for an instant, not a care in the world. I didn¡¯t hurry much, for I knew you would be stuck there for a while. I had seen it so many times after all¡­ But you came back. You opened your eyes, and started convulsing again. Then died. Then lived. And so on, and so forth.


    ¡°I was mesmerized. You, a scrawny little thing, outlived what uncountable entities could not. You have survived what one would name ¡®The end of the World¡¯. Naturally, I deducted that your souvenirs were a highly sought-after delicacy, and I invaded you. I did not really know any better, so, please excuse my behavior. What I discovered is honestly the most fascinating person I ever had the privilege of reliving its souvenirs. Or a part of, there seems to be a gaping hole in your memory, I do not know if you have noticed.


    ¡°That¡¯s around when you first contacted me. I thought you would be my savior, my hero, come here to wrench me out of such an undesirable state of affairs. But you were just as lost as me. Worse, my image of you depreciated to one of a rude and clueless character with anger issues. I left and continued living in your mind. Hum¡­ A small note about that, if you¡¯d allow me ?¡±


    Just¡­ Continue.


    ¡°You should really consider building a foundation for your own sanity. It seems to be withering as of late. In any case, I must applaud you, you have a very cozy head, apart from that hole I mentioned earlier.¡±


    Thanks¡­ I guess ? Then, noticing my deviating train of thoughts, I reined back in the conversation. And why did you demand my soul when I asked for your help ?


    ¡°Well, I did specify there would be an expenditure to concede¡­ ¡°


    And you deem my soul a fair price ? To what amounts to practically nothing ? You don¡¯t know shit about what¡¯s happening to me ! You know what it¡¯s called ? Fraud !


    ¡°No ! I absolutely did not commit such a crime ! I only¡­ failed to contain my desires. It is very humane to do so, I hear.¡±


    Suit yourself. Enjoy the void.


    ¡°Wait ! I can still help you !¡± Desperation filled his voice, creating a troubling tremolo, fluctuating between bass and baritone.


    Speak.


    ¡°I may have not been truthful when I said I had no clue as to how you could return to your world. I may¡­ I may have an idea.¡±


    I was still suspicious of him, but¡­ And why didn¡¯t you say so earlier ?


    ¡°Because it involves you finishing the Tutorial, and I doubt it will carry me along¡­¡±


    Explain ? Now I was interested.


    ¡°This Path you have been training for all this time, I believe you were right to do so. It gave you an occupation, but most importantly I devise that its final reward might be the solution to your lack of target for [Scrutinize]. If you recall correctly, you discovered this Path by conversing with me, correct ? Then it may be possible later on, with the reward from this Path, to use that Skill on me ! After all, I am indeed a being, not a physical one, but a being nonetheless !¡±


    So, your solution is to do as I had already planned ?


    ¡°Yes, but you will still need my presence for such an endeavor ! See ! I¡¯m useful !¡± His voice had suddenly shifted in the sopranos in the end, definitely not on purpose.


    At that, I had nothing left to add. I then consigned him to a safe location inside of me, a space filled with but a single memory, one of watching endlessly the circular movement of a washing machine.


    Don¡¯t eat my brain, you memo-muncher !


    ¡°I told you I don¡¯t-¡°


    Finally, I could compose myself back. This guy was really tiring to manage. His attitude may have been one of a disgusting mental rapist, but he kinda grew on me at the end. He seemed almost glad to have finally found a purpose, and to have a person to talk to, even if he didn¡¯t really show it.


    When I considered going back to training, a notification I had inadvertently dismissed came back to me.


    By performing special actions, you have unlocked the Skill [Mental Shell]


    [Mental Shell] Level 2 : Creates a barrier between your mind and every outside influence. Based on Willpower.


    And that¡¯s how I finally got back on track, heading straight for deliverance-town !

 Chapter 2 - Random Access Memory

    A bit less than ten thousand deaths in the Tutorial, the void


    ¡­ Bang bang. I shot me down¡­ Bang bang¡­ I hit the ground... Bang bang¡­ That awful sound¡­


    Of the sanctity of your own body, I would say that not consuming it is the prime directive.


    But common sense doesn¡¯t apply anymore. Or more accurately, it has been so warped by the dire need for survival that it¡¯s not the obvious rationality we knew and loved until then. I had been aware, deep down in my heart, that even if I got out of the void, I would face unbeatable odds against whatever new forms of life had discovered us. But my delusion came to an abrupt halt when I listened to what the System had to say.


    Wait, you¡¯re probably more interested to know what happened after I finally completed the Path. Let¡¯s get it out of the way.


    [The Inner Truth] 256/256 : Look further into your own self. Gaze upon the veritas of your soul. You may not be whole, but your persona will fulfil your core¡¯s passion. Reflect upon your soul and discover your true self.


    Traveler can now use any targeted Basic or Lesser Skill on himself


    This was everything I could have asked for. A way out. No, a way forward. It finally allowed me to complete the second task of the beginner¡¯s quest by using [Scrutinize] on myself, and finally move on from my infuriating routine¡­ But not as much as I had thought, as I would next encounter a paramount piece of hidden knowledge about this ¡®apocalypse¡¯ that still makes me queasy. The System is not the answer, it is the question. A question to an ageless matter.


    How do we outlive the void ?


    Not how to stop it, nor evade it. Just¡­ how to subsist.


    Because you don¡¯t survive in the void. You just don¡¯t. And I¡¯m no exception. During all my time previously spent in it I had felt some pieces of me wrenched away but didn¡¯t pay it any mind, as every lost feeling was accompanied with the loss of the need paired with said feeling. So, I never truly understood the meaning of this process. I was losing myself. That hole Adalfaro had described in my memories, that was it. And it grew ever so slowly as seconds passed, absorbing my very being. Whatever kept my body alive would at some point sustain an empty husk.


    You want more desperation and hardship ? I hit another wall soon after completing the Path.


    But I¡¯m not one to complain ¨C I swear ! ¨C let¡¯s just¡­ keep it going, yeah ? It doesn¡¯t make a whole lot of sense put like that anyway¡­


    So, when I got [The Inner Truth] I was ecstatic. I rushed inward to analyze myself and got a relatively quick pop-up in response.


    Name : ???


    Race : ??? - Bipedal


    Age : ??? - Young


    Attitude : Inapplicable


    Power : Inapplicable


    I told you earlier that I recovered the content of my mantra much later on when I eventually got out of the Tutorial, right ? Well, there you have it. Me, at the time, not knowing who I was, or only vaguely. [Scrutinize] only summarized what I knew and could see. Not really useful in my case if not for the rewards from the beginner¡¯s quest.


    For completing the second task of the beginner¡¯s quest, you have unlocked the Path [Observe and Declare]


    Third task of the beginner¡¯s quest : Create a Party with a Non-Sentient Character near you.


    A difficult mission in the void, but not the wall I was talking about earlier. No, this¡­ this was actually where my clarity came from. You see, the System may have its faults, but it¡¯s still something. Something that can interact with the environment, in limited ways, and speak to me, if only in a dim and scrambled voice. Just like an NSC would.


    Yep. I invited the System to join my Party.


    Hey ! Don¡¯t look at me like that ! It agreed of his own volition !


    And it also blared a bunch of nonsensical numeric garble to me. You need to know at that point that, when in a Party with someone, you can hear their mental voice. No, not quite hear it, but capture and understand it. It¡¯s a weird feeling to sense another man¡¯s deliberate thoughts in your mind, but an even weirder one when it¡¯s a machine doing the thinking.


    I was still confused when I started to catch a repeated sequence of numbers. Like a counter. A long one, with at least forty numbers in it. And it counted down. Very fast. When I finally understood this, the pattern changed, now becoming a series of letters. And these letters formed ominous words.


    The void is coming for us all.


    A simple sentence, but so much to learn from it. I knew the void, personally, and quickly realized what a threat it would be to all life on whatever planet I was coming from. Hell, it didn¡¯t specify it would come only for my home planet, every living being anywhere should be afraid of it !


    This knowledge took some time to settle, and with it, my connection to the System was severed.


    For completing the third task of the beginner¡¯s quest, you have unlocked the Path [Allies Make One Better]


    Fourth task of the beginner¡¯ quest : Kill a being in the vicinity.


    Still not the aforementioned wall, but yet another hurdle. This new gig made me ask myself if killing would sit well within me, and I quickly came to the conclusion that it wouldn¡¯t even bother my heart. Cold goosebumps snaked through my neck as I found yet another missing piece of my psyche. The void was indeed an unrelenting devourer.


    The solution to this task swiftly came to me. Just as I had made use of [The Inner Truth] to look at my own persona, killing myself would surely achieve the desired result. Yet, I faltered. Not that I hesitated to end my life, I had long passed this snag, but inflicting pain to yourself is a totally different issue. The reticence to self-imposed suffering is nothing to brush aside, and at the same time I was incredibly willing to. I decreed that, as my next step toward freedom, I had to solve this conundrum with what I had at my disposition. And solve it I did.


    [Lesser Mana Throw] is a good example of a misleading concept. You¡¯d think you need to point at something to launch it, and you¡¯d be correct, but what about not throwing the matter you created ? As in, just letting it expand in place ? An action also known as an explosion¡­ that you don¡¯t need any hand movement to aim.


    Kids, don¡¯t do this at home.


    One instant I¡¯m floating in place, the next I¡¯m in the middle of...


    Gore. It was kinda gross, and gooey, and clumpy.... but I did manage to successfully execute myself without any pain. Interestingly, detonating my head gave me a privileged view of my brain, or of its many pieces drifting away. I actually felt rather pleased afterward, carried by an elation I didn¡¯t know I was capable of. And the fact is, I wasn¡¯t. This was not coming from me, this was the System¡¯s doing.


    Essence reclaimed : 2


    You now have 2 EPs available.


    Hum¡­ Ok. Thanks for the gift, but don¡¯t mess with my head next time.


    This was new, but it made sense, in a strange video-gamey way. A kill should reward you with something, and I felt that Essence would later translate into Stat points. This meant I had a new way to grind Stats. But right after that, I got hit by another note.


    For completing the fourth task of the beginner¡¯s quest, you have unlocked the Path [Action Before Decision]


    Fifth task of the beginner¡¯ quest : Explore and investigate a Vault.


    And lastly, we meet the wall. Because, whatever actually is a Vault, there weren¡¯t any around. You might expect me to come up with a brilliant idea, to overcome this complication by sheer inventiveness, to excel myself... But the reality is, you can¡¯t delve into something when you don¡¯t even know what or where it is, nor how to find it. I did try to come up with a solution, but they all summed up to me getting out of the void to find one. Which was already why I was trying to conclude the beginner¡¯s quest in the first place.


    Dejected, I looked up my new Paths to get my spirit back in shape.


    [Observe and Declare] 0/4 : A new environment surrounds you. What dangers will it bring ?


    [Allies Better Oneself] 0/8 : Face adversities with allies, build a new world with them, and you shall never yearn for another life.


    [Action Before Decision] 0/4 : Some dangers need to be dealt with quickness, rather than with greater care.


    Woohoo...


    I didn¡¯t doubt the utility of such Paths, the previous ones given by the quest were at least useful, but none of them showed any clue pertaining to Vaults. So, back to square one. Sort of. I could now farm myself to gain SP ! That¡¯s a good thing ! ... Right ?


    Even so, I did. At first just to prove that EPs were indeed meant to be translated into SPs. And, after killing myself fourteen more times, I finally got my confirmation.


    You now have 30 EPs available.


    You may transform 30 EP into 1 SP.


    Coincidently, thirty was the cumulative number of my current Stats. I also noticed that this total, once divided by the number of Stats available, and truncated, was equal to the EPs I was earning each time I had burst my brain out. A rather well-worn operation it seemed. The more powerful the being you kill, the more EPs you get. The more powerful you are, the more EPs you need. Math, fuck yeah !


    Naturally, I tried counterbalancing my negative Stability, but unfortunately, the System did not seem to agree. ¡®Bonus SP cannot be added to deficient Stats¡¯ or something¡­ I ended up putting it into Finesse because, well, I had been having a lot of difficulties moving my limbs around, even with two in Might.


    And so, just like that, I added blasting myself off to the now long list of my training regimen. In a way, I had rationalized absorbing my own power. Which put the question, where did that power come from ? I still believe the old saying that nothing is lost or created, just changed, so me getting more horsepower under my hood by cannibalizing my own engine seemed off. I assumed that I was missing something and left it at that.


    Anyhow, this was my life for a time. Grinding Skills and Essence. Not knowing how I could get out, too stubborn to go fetch Adalfaro, and yet, I was convinced I would, some way or another. Call me crazy - and you should - but I waited for an epiphany that, ultimately, came under an odd disguise.


    *


    * *


    Twenty thousand deaths in the Tutorial, the void


    ¡­ I want to BREAK freee, yea-ah ! I want- I want- I want- I want to breeaak freeee¡­


    I was on my way to become a monster. I had killed myself enough time to fill the space around me with pieces of my brain. And when I say fill, I mean clutter, clog, obstruct my view so much I couldn¡¯t see past my nose. And I had to clear it several times. The bonus in Stat Points had been tremendous, but sadly I would not see the color of the money for a while, there seemed to be a cap to how many SPs you could allocate per¡­ a certain unit of time, couldn¡¯t figure out which, cause, you know¡­ Anyway, I had enough backlogged points to last me a lifetime.


    Some other things happened. I got my Skills so high I had more PPs than I knew what to do with. I had completed the three last Paths of the quest and had obtained some small bonuses compared to what I now had.


    [Observe and Declare] 0/4 : A new environment surrounds you. What dangers will it bring ?


    +1 Perception OR +1 Wisdom OR +1 Wits


    [Allies Better Oneself] 0/8 : Face adversities with allies, build a new world with them, and you shall never yearn for another life.


    Traveler can now add one more member to his party.


    [Action Before Decision] 0/4 : Some dangers need to be dealt with quickness, rather than with greater care.


    +1 Finesse OR +1 Discipline OR +1 Fluency


    For treading the Paths [It¡¯s a new Life] and [It¡¯s a new World] you have been given an appropriate Skill for your Tutorial, [Adaptability]


    [Adaptability] Level 0 : The user is more inclined to develop ways of facing adversities.


    The increase in size for my Parties was a nice touch, would I be able to actually form one , and whatever was doing [Adaptability] seemed cool enough. But it wasn¡¯t all there was.


    Might = 22


    Constitution = 32


    Finesse = 24


    Perception = 22


    Intellect = 26


    Willpower = 28


    Discipline = 30


    Wisdom = 30


    Charisma = 10


    Stability = -7 [Unbalanced]


    Fluency = -1


    Wits = 20


    I had become a monster. A literal superhuman. Even the Basic Skills I had got from my Stats passing 4 had ranked up to Lesser when reaching 16. I had first spread my stats over the physical part, thinking of what I wanted to be when I would get out, but had realized a little late that before thinking about that, I had to actually make sure I would get out. That¡¯s when the mental ones took a big rise. And as for the Charisma and the Wits¡­ Well, I have my quirks, I knew that, so I wanted to at least be able to handle them.


    It had been a while since I had last taken a break, but the matter at hand grew so much I couldn¡¯t avoid the issue anymore. The void started to eat things in my head that were occurring at the same instant. I had been having trouble focusing on my abilities, and my attention span narrowed even further from normal. This was all going very wrong for me now. Soon enough, I¡¯d be an empty shell, void of any feelings.


    This served as a wake-up call, and prompted a furiously accelerated brain activity. What should I do ? Until then, I had worked on my Stats, my Skills and my Paths. What else would there be ? I had generated thousands of EP, trained every Skill to their utmost potential, and completed every Path available to me. What else was there to do ?


    Wait, did I really try everything I could ?


    I went back to the defective Skill I had gotten from the first two Paths, [ERROR]. It was broken in every way possible but I remembered how I had thought that it would be my ticket home. Try as I might, I hadn¡¯t had any luck leveling it up. But, rather than augment its level, maybe I should try to evolve it ? Just like I had with [Basic Light Manipulation], it revolved around the comprehension of said Skill. So, what was I missing about [ERROR] ? In which way should I pick at it ?


    I reviewed how I got it. A reward for completing the Paths [It¡¯s a New World] and [It¡¯s a New Life]. What did it tell me about this ability ? That it was supposed to help me ¡®explore¡¯ and ¡®tame¡¯ the new environment I would be in. In a word, survive the void. But it¡¯s simply impossible, so it may instead be a way out. And that¡¯s exactly what I had thought at the time. What more could I deduce ? That there was indeed a way out the System didn¡¯t even recognize as feasible. The answer was in that piece of mystery.


    What was out of reach for the System ? Not matter, not energy, nor any physical phenomenon. Internal mind-fuckery ? Yes, for example Adalfaro wasn¡¯t acknowledged by the System, but too-vague. That¡¯s when it hit me. I had always pictured the human being as a two-part arrangement. The body and the mind. When somebody mentioned the soul in a conversation, I would roll my eyes and dump a huge rant on how the soul was just another term for the chemistry of the brain, and basically just a part of the unconscious mind. But what if I was wrong ? The System did mention here and there the soul as if it were a tangible thing. Maybe it knew better than me while at the same time being unable to even approach the subject. This had to be the answer I was expecting.


    At this point, I should have gone and retrieved Adalfaro for a quick chat about my ponderings, but I was too jittery to do so. I only wished for one thing, to flee the void the quickest way, and reflecting just a bit more on the nature of my broken Skill seemed like a good idea.


    [ERROR] affects the soul, good, now what ? How do I rank it up ? Well, by conceiving a way to make it work using my soul as a baseline. And to do that, I had to delve into the soul problem. What was it ? How did it change anything in the physical world ?


    Let me warn you, what follows is some dubious ramblings from an insane and desperate person, recalled by said person much later on, so¡­ don¡¯t be too picky about it.


    If the body is the physical part of a being, the mind is how a particular part of the body is arranged, then the soul must be¡­ the errors in its operation ? Like, body equals hardware, mind equals software and the soul is the tiny electromagnetic interferences ? These impedances might be ignored most of the time by the mind, but by sheer accumulation could alter a small part, and with even more time, deviate entirely the mind¡¯s direction. It would explain how the soul is considered the core of a person.


    Wait, no, that¡¯s the other way around. The System is merely translating concepts into words I can comprehend, so it must mean that the word ¡®soul¡¯ conveys the approximately right meaning to append to that particular concept. Then, if that¡¯s the case, the soul I¡¯m talking about is something that affects me in subtle ways. It¡¯s those tiny miscommunications between my synapses. What could cause this ? We¡¯re down to the cellular level right now, so maybe a molecule acting weird ? Nah, I feel like molecules are too predictable, same for atoms. Ah, atoms acting predictably, funny. No, what¡¯s probably messing with my brain non-stop is inside the atom. Primal particles and all that. But I remember people emitting hypothesis on them¡­ What would always be out of reach from any physical means, yet has an influence on the world ?


    I then looked around me, as though I had found breadcrumbs in the void. Which was in part true, due to the lingering morsels of biscuit¡­ But you get the idea.


    Blackholes. I exhaled in a silent breath.


    Tiny, minuscules, blackholes. These are what make matter. And if I want to manipulate them, then they themselves want to too¡­


    By improving your grasp of [ERROR], your Skill has ranked up to [ERROR] !


    *


    * *


    Is it¡­ real ?


    The light blinded me. The sound deafened me. The touch of something on my skin kept me frozen in place¡­


    Then, as it slowly faded, I took a look around, stretched my ears, but most importantly, gulped in avid breaths of actual air into my lungs.


    I was¡­ home.


    Tears ran down my face. I didn¡¯t even notice the long-lost fire extinguisher, nor the backpack, clatter to the ground as I raised my hands to my face, gently caressing them, not believing they were actually so smooth. This¡­ This was life. And it overwhelmed me. I felt as if born anew. Not a care about the mayhem surrounding me. I was entirely focused on re-discovering my forgotten senses. The taste of liquid saliva filled my mouth to the brim and the smell of sweat and running machines reminded me of where I was.


    This was¡­ home ?


    No, I was in a place I used to call ¡®work¡¯ and those people dashing around were ¡®coworker¡¯. This room was filled with desks and computers ¨C computers ! ¨C that were of no use to anyone right now. Everyone had left by the time I realized it. Home was¡­ somewhere else. I had to find home. So, I went looking for home.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The streets were filled with people on the phone, or rushing to¡­ their home surely. I wanted to get home, too.


    ¡°Excuse me sir, where is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yann ! You¡¯re still here !¡± Interrupted the man I had started talking to. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been told by this ¡®tutorial¡¯,¡± He exclaimed, with actual air quotes. ¡°but don¡¯t panic, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll hear from the government very soon. Everything will be fine, it must be¡­¡±


    He looked more concerned with his own problems than with me, so I left him to ask another person. But whether they were more preoccupied with running around, coping with the experience, or actually checking on their loved ones, nobody seemed inclined to help me. I went pretty far like that, lost among all those kindred souls. I was happy. Glad not to be alone anymore.


    I eventually found a quiet place filled with trees, high green foliage supported by a large brown trunk if, like me, you didn¡¯t remember them. There was a couple of seats and a playground. I sat on one of the benches, and lifted my eyes up. An endless blue sky. Nothing to hurt me, nothing to fear, just a nice breeze floating around. Then I heard some alarms in the distance, and a bit of black smoke rising in the background. But nothing worried me. Nothing was out to get me anymore. Yet, I didn¡¯t dare close my eyes, the darkness still unpleasant to see, even in a glimpse.


    Time passed. I don¡¯t know how much, but time passed. Until the night started to fall. But it didn¡¯t matter to me, because the cold didn¡¯t bother me anymore. Because the sky filled itself with sublime little specks of light.


    This¡­ This is home¡­


    I caught myself playing back everything that brought me here, from the first screen to the last sight of pure blackness. Generally, I¡¯m not one to hope things had panned out differently, but this time it was another matter entirely, and I wished nothing had happened at all. I wished I still had my entire memory, that I wasn¡¯t so shell-shocked by this abrupt return to reality, that I wasn¡¯t so used to pain I actually missed the feeling. I cried that night, I¡¯m not ashamed to say. I cried like every soul on Earth when they realized that all of this was real.


    Don¡¯t feel bad about it, in hindsight, it was a necessary rite-of-passage. And I wasn¡¯t depressed either, I very much enjoyed the fact that I was alive and in full command of myself, able to appreciate the soothing atmosphere in this little playpen. Whatever misery the void brought to me, I got enough determination to pay me back. And power. I felt more capable than ever before, able to think of subjects I hadn¡¯t even conceived before. My body was brimming with energy and the walk I had had was incredibly satisfying. I could feel the ripples of my muscles when I flexed them, could appreciate the dexterity my hands had. This was all new, and all the more delightful. No more struggle to move my limbs a mere inch. No more battle in order to blink.


    Soon, the sun soared high in the sky. And life resumed around me. People tentatively got out of their homes, as a school of fishes would from corals after a shark had passed through. With my tear streaked face I garnered a few sympathetic looks and one person even started to head toward me. The woman in her late fifties and dressed in dark clothing called out to me.


    ¡°Hello. A bit frightening, isn¡¯t it ? This apocalypse thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± My voice felt coarse and vociferated through my skull.


    ¡°Would you like a cup of coffee ? You look terrible, my dear.¡±


    It was tempting, her voice calm and appeasing, but I still had to return home. ¡°I¡­ Thank you, but¡­¡± I went to clear my throat but she quickly interjected.


    ¡°I insist. I have tea too, if that¡¯s more your thing.¡± She looked me up and down, filled with enough compassion to let me sense it. ¡°I must say, you really look like you need some help, and I¡¯d be happy to.¡±


    Allowing myself to be persuaded, I followed her across the alley, up to a tiny apartment with old-looking furniture. She didn¡¯t seem well off but still held her ground, pressuring me to just enjoy the hot beverage together. I ended up sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of what she called coffee, and I rediscovered a taste that had escaped me. She then spoke about the announcements from our government. At first, they tried to downplay the importance of the event, but quickly had to revise their position. They chose to approach the subject as a world class disaster, and treat it accordingly. Martial law had been enacted this morning and the army deployed inland. She seemed anxious about that, and looked as though a bad memory had resurfaced.


    ¡°Is there... any issue with... the army ?¡± I still had trouble speaking, and it came out raspy and jerky.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ When I was your age, my husband joined the forces. He died on his first tour.¡± She took a long breath, eyes in the wind. ¡°Didn¡¯t have any grief with them, until his old boot camp mate described to me how he died¡­ His hierarchy was at fault, let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± She shot me a look, telling me not to press the issue further. Not that I planned to. ¡°And it didn¡¯t seem to be going well even years later. So you should understand, I don¡¯t really trust the army with the wellbeing of civilians if they can¡¯t even take care of their own.¡±


    At that, her face sullen, she turned her head toward the window and spoke these words in a half-whisper. ¡°So long ago¡­ Maybe they changed since then...¡±


    Not wanting to press on any further, I waited for the moment to pass. Then, taking the opportunity. ¡°Could you help me¡­ find my home... ma¡¯am ?¡±


    ¡°You sure got hit pretty hard¡­¡± She mused to herself. Then, regaining her faithful smile... ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll help you, son. And please, call me Jane.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Jane. I¡¯m¡­ Yann, I think ?¡±¡± As my tongue unwind, I pondered what was my name. I could remember the man at the exit of ¡®work¡¯ calling me that, but didn¡¯t gather much more from him.


    ¡°Yann¡­ It¡¯s got a nice touch. I like it.¡± She said while flashing her teeth. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go find out where you live, yeah ?¡±


    She reminded me I still had my cellphone, that it may contain an address, or at least an often-used contact, but the battery was dead. We then left her flat, and traced back to where I came from. I could recognize certain landmarks from the day before, such as a corner store, or a particularly bright building, but didn¡¯t remember any street name. So, we walked at a leisurely pace, chatting about what was to come.


    ¡°You really think that higher beings will come visit us next ?¡± She asked me at a turn in the road.


    ¡°Well, if you think about it, it¡¯s the next... logical step. We were ¡®discovered¡¯, then those who did must surely be coming our way.¡± I still had a slight speech impediment, but it was barely noticeable anymore.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Nodding, she seemed deep in thoughts for an instant, then resumed talking. ¡°So, who do you think they are ? Some kind of super intelligent octopuses ? A hive mind, with billions of spawns ? Or just a regular two feet, two hands human-like figure ?¡±


    Her eyes told me she was enjoying the wonderment, and joking at the same time in a silly undertone.


    ¡°Oh, surely they¡¯re just tiny people with eight limbs and an ass on their head.¡± I answer in a half-serious, half-mocking voice.


    And she laughed. A stupid and nasal snort, mostly heard in pigpens. Made me burst out all the same. It is now the laugh I hear when I come across an absurd situation. When we finally got our giggles under control, we had reached our destination. My ¡®work¡¯ place. Nobody was there, the doors left wide open and the hallway empty. We decided to go to where I remembered getting out of the void. We hadn¡¯t talked about what we lived in our respective Tutorial, and I was glad for it. I had told myself it was the same for her, an experience too hurtful to remember, but the fact is, even if she had shared her own ordeal, I wouldn¡¯t have disclosed mine. Too soon for that, I still needed some time to think it over.


    We arrived near the right place, and I spotted the familiar bag on the ground. As I picked it up, I saw a plate affixed to the half-wall enclosing the nearest desk.


    Yann Roy


    Customer service department


    Retrieving my name was the first step, now I had to find home. I promptly rummaged through the desk, collecting seemingly important papers. But Jane had a better idea, which, now that I think about it, was pretty obvious. My wallet. With all my IDs. She searched my backpack for a second, and pulled them out while calling out to me.


    ¡°39th Mason road. It¡¯s on the western hill, I think. Next to that river I don¡¯t recall the name of¡­¡±


    ¡°39th Mason road¡­ 39th Mason road¡­ How do we get there ?¡± It didn¡¯t ring any bell, but I hadn¡¯t had any hope on that part anyway.


    ¡°Normally, we would take the subway, but right now I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s working if it¡¯s not absolutely critical. And I didn¡¯t find any car keys in this.¡± She explained, as she lifted the bag up.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll continue walking. Thank you-¡°


    ¡°Already done with me, huh ?¡± She rhetorically asked, a smile drawn on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I had some things to check on anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a goodbye, then. I¡¯m glad I met you. Again, thank you for all you¡¯ve done, Jane.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy to help. See you around then !¡±


    She left the floor with a wave, smiling all the way out. I don¡¯t really know who she was, but she had a good heart. Maybe I had helped her in return, by just being here with her, a person to speak to, and joke with. I reflected on that for a bit then gathered what I deemed important and went out, following her steps. I was now on the right track, closing in on my destination.


    *


    * *


    ¡­ Jolene. Jolene. Jolene, Jole-E-ene¡­


    I might have had misjudged the travel to Mason road. It took me more than two hours to get to the hill, and one more to ask some bystanders how to find the coveted street, but I was finally there. 39th Mason road, an apartment tower, grey and bulky. Yet, a pleasing memory reappeared. One of a slight anguish at the unknown and a deep thrill with the new possibilities. I had moved in this building around a year ago, and I hadn¡¯t regretted it one bit. This vague memory brought with it an unplanned fact. I hadn¡¯t taken this flat alone, but for the life of me I couldn¡¯t remember who. Maybe a roommate ?


    I took out my keys, tried them one by one on the lock, and finally got in. My heart racing, I checked the mail boxes for my name and found which floor I was to go to. At the 5th floor, I fumbled with my keys against the door with my surname on it. My entire body pulsed with trepidation. Home, at last ! Then, I heard someone move about the apartment and open the door in a rush.


    I was face to face with a young woman, blonde, thin and visibly shaken up. Before I could even react, she encompassed her arms around me and started squeezing. Hard. And violently cry in my shirt as I just¡­ stood there, not knowing what to do with myself. It took a moment, but she raised her head and started shouting.


    ¡°Oh my god you¡¯re here ! Where were you ? I thought you were dead ! Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone ? I was worried sick ! Don¡¯t do that to me ! Have you any idea what I went through ? This apocalypse thing, the looters at work, the government shutting everything down, and you ! You never even called !¡±


    A rapid succession of words intertwined with anger and fear surged from her mouth and assaulted my ears. This reminded me of an argument I had had once, with who I didn¡¯t know, but it seemed to be a recurring theme. I couldn¡¯t help it, I winced, and she took that as further proof of my guilt.


    ¡°You¡¯re always running about, helping people, but you don¡¯t even care about those who love you ! You don¡¯t ! You¡­ selfish¡­ jerk¡­¡±


    And more crying. What had I done to deserve that ? All I wanted was to come home, and unwind. Drink¡­ something¡­ while doing¡­ some other thing¡­ That was the plan ! But this girl just would not stop bothering me. So, I pushed her aside and went in.


    You know, hindsight is 20/20. This girl was Anna, my girlfriend. And she was right to blame me. My phone had rung the first day out of the Tutorial, I just didn¡¯t bother to answer it, focused as I was to return home. Which, ironically, would have gotten me there faster. And you might think I was being brutish with her, but at the time, I didn¡¯t know her. Entirely.


    Stunned, she just watched me enter the flat. I looked around, and on auto-pilot, went to the fridge and grabbed a can of¡­ beer ? Popped the tab and took a gulp. The taste was familiar, but not enjoyable. I could tell this would irk me for a while, but I add to acquire the habit back, for the sake of my sanity. I then headed to the balcony, a small one-person slab of concrete with railings. I hadn¡¯t yet gotten used to the fresh air out in the open, and I wanted to revel in it as long as possible.


    ¡°Who. The fuck. Do you think you are !?¡± This wasn¡¯t anger anymore. Fury is what it was. She dashed to me and gripped my throat. Or tried to. I saw her coming a mile away. With a simple step to the side I avoided her hand, add to that a light shove, and she was on the ground, looking at me with ire in her eyes. She tried to get up, one hand on the floor and the other on the banister. This was not going as planned. My moment of pure bliss was ruined. This¡­ bitch was ruining it. She had to go.


    Or I had to.


    I simply walked out, went done the stairs, and sailed away. This was no place of mine. Home was not the promised land.


    As I was roaming around, I felt my stomach rumble. I hadn¡¯t eaten for 24 hours. And the empty can of beer in my hand reminded me that sustenance was needed in order to live a happy life. But where does one get food ? Well, luckily for me, it was now two in the afternoon, as indicated at the bus stop. This meant shops to buy food at. The process of exchanging goods and services for money luckily got spared the void treatment, otherwise I would have found myself in quite the pickle.


    Problem was, everything was closed. All ? No. One fast-food restaurant still held out stubbornly against the martial law¡­ I got in and ordered the biggest menu I could afford with the bills I had. As I sat down at a corner table, I observed every person around the dive. More accurately, scrutinized them. My mindset of training Skills was still holding off. And while I made the meal vanish into my stomach, I caught the latest news from the giant TV in the back.


    ¡°¡­ to be the new standard, as everyone got caught in this tutorial. Also, we just heard from senator Knowles that all able-bodied man and woman are required to register their Skills and Stats at their local town hall. This is a federal order and as such should not be ignored. It is, after all, for the greater benefit of all, right Michael ?¡± I could hear the sarcasm in her voice.


    ¡°Indeed. I might add that every refusal to do so was said to be met with the full force of the martial law. You heard it folks, you risk jail time if you do not comply with our lovely government.¡± Then, dropping the act¡­ ¡°What a load of crap. Pardon my language, but we don¡¯t need threats at the moments. We need certainty, and while this plan to record each¡¯s own experience of the event is definitely a good idea, the way it is done will gravely affect the trust people put in our thinking heads. Couple that with the army presence in our streets and the ambient climate in the country seems to be getting hotter by the second.¡±


    ¡°It may be so, but I have to remind you that these soldiers are our sons and brothers, they won¡¯t cause any trouble in my opinion. No, the problem comes from the politicians and their private armies. Reports show that every person in power is gathering entire militia for, allegedly, their own safety. But that is ground to a festering number of conflicts and skirmishes. The question is, will the army step up and gather a sufficient pull to set things straight ?¡±


    ¡°Careful with that line of thinking, this is called a coup for a reason.¡±


    ¡°No, not that way of course, but as a temporary relief for the population. It has been projected that with a general in command, we would cope with this kind of event much better than divided between greedy pushovers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly how Cesar got into power. And every other dictator the world has ever known.¡±


    It surprised even me how these anchors let their tongues loosen up. I suppose the apocalypse makes us all seek deeper into our roots.


    I finished eating and quickly got out. This should all be very concerning, but I didn¡¯t feel like caring at the moment. I mean, this was worrisome, but what could I do about it ? And I sure as Hell wasn¡¯t going to reveal my hard-earned cards after all these efforts. Focused on my thinking, I reached the corner of the street. As I took a step left, I was apprehended by a man in a dull beige tuxedo.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear ? The Martians did it ! And they¡¯re on their way right now !¡± His breath smelled strongly of alcohol. Pissed as he was, I was stunned to see him still standing. More than that, he was shouting to every passerby that would listen, swinging to one side then righting himself abruptly.


    I promptly evaded his reach and continued my route with not even a look back.


    ¡°Keep your sperm close ! That¡¯s what they¡¯re after ! And don¡¯t get close to the rotary thing ! Even if it flashes green ! Especially if it flashes green !¡±


    After this magical encounter, I decided to go meet my progenitors, because why not ? Problem, I recalled a house in the suburbs, and not much else. How would I find them ? The city hall might do the trick, but they would most certainly ask for my information if that news show was to be trusted, and that wasn¡¯t happening. What did it leave me with ?


    Phone booth !


    And with it came a phone book ! As soon as I found the Roys¡¯ number I quickly inserted the last bit of change I had into the machine and dialed it.


    ¡°Hello ?¡± The voice was rough, most likely weathered from smoking too often. The smell of cigarettes forgotten on the ash tray came back to me in an instant.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Hi. It¡¯s¡­ Yann.¡± I didn¡¯t really know how to start the conversation. Roy wasn¡¯t really a common name but, what if they weren¡¯t my parents ?


    ¡°Yann ! Oh my god ! Where were you ? Your dad has been worried sick !¡± Well, jackpot.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry. Just, can you come pick me up ?¡± I then gave her the name of the street I was in. She immediately agreed and hung up the phone.


    I was a bit reluctant to call my parents for help, but what were parents for if not to get you out of trouble ? So, I sat and waited in the middle of the street, watching the clouds unfurl above me.


    ¡°Are you feeling alright, friend ?¡± A familiar voice resurfaced in my head.


    ¡°Hey, you. Wondered if you made it out alright. I¡¯m okay, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I had actually missed him. Him and his hot-shit attitude.


    ¡°Might have you already neglected you can discuss with me in your mind ?¡±


    Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. You good in there ?


    ¡°Dandy. There is so much to do here. And so many colors¡­ I cannot believe I am in fact out of the void. This is¡­ simply amazing.¡± I could actually sympathize with that.


    I feel it too, mate. Glad you¡¯re enjoying yourself.


    ¡°Listen, I wanted to talk to you about that girl before¡­¡±


    Yeah, I know, I was a bit fierce with her. Sorry you had to see that.


    ¡°Fierce is one way to put it... And it¡¯s none of my business.¡± He took a break, seeming not to be sure whether to continue or not. ¡°But I seem to be unable to leave your memories. You may not have noticed but you slackened your grip on me since we got out, and I have been trying to escape ever since. Alas, to no avail. Thus, I feel the need to prevent you from further incidents of the likes. I just want to make sure you won¡¯t react inadequately to any situation that may arise would your parents be shocked by your new¡­ state.¡±


    Alright, I¡¯ll be careful to rein in myself. And why can¡¯t you leave ? As you said, I¡¯m not restraining you anymore.


    ¡°It seems I am incompatible with matter of all kind. I surmise the mind remains my designed place of living. Your mind, more specifically. There may be a hidden piece of wisdom in this fact, but try as I can, it appears to be out of my grasp.¡±


    Keep trying, but don¡¯t sweat it. Look at me, a lot is still beyond me and I don¡¯t make a big deal about it. You¡¯ll figure it out someday.


    He was really starting to grow on me, this little knob. While we stayed idle, I tried a bit of chitchat.


    So, what did you think about this meal ?


    ¡°Regal. An absolute feast. I have never sensed something so rich and filled with taste. I cannot even begin to fathom how such a thing can exist. Your world must be at the apex of culinary mastery.¡±


    ¡°That was just some junk food you know ?¡± I said aloud, irony in my voice.


    ¡°And junk is a poor misnomer for its quality.¡±


    And just like that, half an hour passed. We talked about food mainly, but also about the layout of the city, how everything was made of straight lines and neatly packed. Efficiency seemed to be a concept lost on him. I found that peculiar detail absolutely adorable, like a newborn discovering the beauty in pragmatism. All that stopped when a car rushed through the alley, stopping right in front me, and out got the passengers.


    A man and a woman of average height, both with brown hairs. They looked the same age as Jane, with clearly more money in their bank account. The car was brand new, the clothes assorted and the jewelries glossy. The lady had small and winding crow¡¯s feet at the corner of her eyes, that¡¯s what got to me first. I remembered those crow¡¯s feet. Coupled with frowned eyebrows, they were the symbol of my fear when I was doing my time. The fear of absolute unimportance, of disappearance, to the indifference of others. This was not a pleasant memory to have at a reunion. I didn¡¯t hide it very well, because as soon as she got near me, she enacted that very same frown.


    ¡°My god, son ! Don¡¯t sit on the ground ! You¡¯re gonna dirty your pants ! And don¡¯t stand there all flabbergasted, come hug your parents.¡±


    I did as I was told, an ingrained reflex I thought had disappeared. As I took my mother then my father in my arms, I realized a lot of visions were coming back to me, and much more seemed to be on the horizon. There might still be a chance for me to be whole again. I just hoped some of them wouldn¡¯t be as perturbing as most of the last ones.


    ¡°Hi Yann, how are you ?¡± Dad asked in a small whiny voice.


    ¡°Good. Can we just go home ? I just want to relax for a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°And why aren¡¯t you with Anna ? Did you two fight again ? You don¡¯t deserve her and you know it.¡± My mom reeked of tobacco as she preached for the woman who had tried to strangle me. It¡¯s thanks to that that I learned her name, just so you know.


    Not answering her, I climbed in the car. The trip to my parents¡¯ house was uneventful, we circled back through the beltway and I was able to see that life was slowly regaining its ground. People were out more, activity seemed to be flowing out of the stores and motorized vehicles were everywhere again.


    And finally, we were home. The home I remembered. Kind of. I don¡¯t know if it was the effect of time or the void, or both, but it looked different than from my recollection. Then I got in my old room and it all came back to me. The evenings I was stinted from lunch, the hours I had spent cleaning my rooms and every other one of the house, the demolishing comments, the now absent lock on the door to keep me from ¡®going out at night¡¯¡­ I heaved acid, my stomach not able to take the force of the remembrance .


    I rushed out, dropping my bag I had in my hand, and passed my dad who had bleak eyes, surely knowing what I was going through. He hadn¡¯t had any hand in what I had suffered, but he had let it happen, too weak-willed to oppose her wife. And I resented him for that. I didn¡¯t come across my mother, luckily, and can¡¯t remember much after that. I think I ran. Away from all those things that kept hurting me. I had the power to make it all disappear in a fraction of a second¡­


    But I did not.


    I¡¯m Daddy¡¯s boy, fleeing my problems as I should be¡­


    *


    * *


    ¡­ Next door the tv''s flashing. Blue frames on the wall¡­ It''s a comedy of errors, you see. It''s about taking a fall¡­ To vanish into oblivion¡­


    My whole mantra had been a lie. My whole life had been a lie I had told myself to sleep at night. So much so that I had ended up believing it.


    I was a wreak. And now in jail. Yes, jail. I had run so far and for so long I had met a group of soldiers patrolling the early night who tried to halt me. Distraught as I was, I didn¡¯t hear their call. They pointed their guns at me and in a moment of lucidity I accepted my fate. They took me first to a police station and when I failed to present my IDs they just detained me for a time. Which didn¡¯t last long as soon after a representative from the county came and recorded the Status of every person there. I refused, and since I hadn¡¯t given anyone my name, was labelled as uncooperative and sent to jail the next morning.


    I didn¡¯t care. Everything was just¡­ garbage. My life, my home, myself¡­ I just couldn¡¯t give two fucks about anything.


    Dead inside, and a tad bit depressed, I made my first impressions on my future colleagues. The entrance to the cell blocks was lined with inmates, rattling their cage as in a parody of a jailbreak flick, where I would have been the innocent going in and they the animals who I would learn to appreciate and tame. No, it was just a ritual to welcome the newcomers. And we all need rituals when the apocalypse falls. Mine had been one of training non-stop and suffering. Not really doable in here.


    I could have gotten out of custody at any time, using my Skills or simply my overwhelming Stats ¨C I had heard in passing that the maximum disclosed until now had been no more than 4 - but I didn¡¯t have the will to. What for ? What awaited me on the outside ?


    ¡°The seat¡¯s taken.¡± A large shouldered man informed me.


    After being introduced to my cell and bunkmates, I had been led out to the field. Not knowing what to do with myself, I had headed toward the benches on the far side of the courtyard. Rookie mistake, the benches belonged to various and of course powerful clans of cons. The men had at first dismissed me as fresh meat, but when I had come closer to them, they didn¡¯t seem to appreciate, and the nearest group sent a muscle-head to bully me.


    I had a choice then. Either fight my way through a bunch of sluggers, no way would they stop at such thing as fair-play, or gently backtrack and huddle in a corner. The smart pick would have been the second one, stay under the radar and wait for it all to blow over. But I wasn¡¯t in a smart mood. I wanted to hit something, or someone. Luckily for them, and for me, I pulled my punches.


    In the end, there was only one. No, I¡¯m messing with you. When they saw that I was dodging most of the jabs thrown at me and rolling with those I didn¡¯t feel like avoiding, they stopped trying altogether. Not much point to clash with someone clearly not in your strength bracket. Plus, there were already two of them on the ground, one clutching his abdomen, the other one out cold. One of the non-fighter one, a portly middle-aged man, came down to my level.


    ¡°Well, I think you¡¯ve clearly shown you know how to handle yourself. What¡¯s your name kiddo ?¡±


    I almost blurted out my name right there. Didn¡¯t know yet why it was so important to me to keep it a secret, but I¡¯d thank me later. I needed something else to call myself now, and what more appropriate than what had made me what I still am to this day ? But, with a little twist. I like twists.


    ¡°Neant.¡± Quick, and to the point.


    ¡°Weird name. But hey, I¡¯m no¡¯ one to judge. I¡¯m Clavic. Hope we didn¡¯t start on the wrong foot ?¡±


    ¡°I needed it actually. Thank you for the warm-up.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± Warily, he went back to his flock, his goons picking up the ones wounded.


    I found myself a place in the middle of them all, where they had kept a no-man¡¯s land until now. Then, I just kinda let time do its work. I could hear them adapting to the subtle change in attitude toward the group I had inadvertently challenged. Lines shifted, some got closer together, other distanced themselves. Then the whispers started, amidst regular conversation which were pure facade. With my Perception now in the low twenties I could hear them as clear as if they were talking in my ear. ¡®Who¡¯s this guy ?¡¯ this, ¡®Who¡¯s he with ?¡¯ that¡­ Just uninteresting stuff. For now. Maybe I would need it later on, that¡¯s why I was intently listening.


    I must admit, I still found it funny how I had kicked the anthill just by¡­ actually kicking a guy in the shin. I had done a bit more than that, ok, but still, the irony wasn¡¯t lost on me. Plus, it did wonders to my ego, which was a welcome change of pace. I could also feel the looks on my back, not all filled with the desire for vengeance. Some were expectant, wondering if I would be friend or foe. Maybe I could form a few bonds with some of these guys. Maybe this could be my new home.


    I spent a few days in there. Didn¡¯t really talk to anybody that didn¡¯t speak to me first. My everyday routine pleased me, soothed the wrinkles in my mind. We weren¡¯t treated very well, near cattle-like, but I didn¡¯t preoccupy myself about it. The guards had seen my little skirmish the first day and left me alone for the most part. The placid expression I wore most of the time might have played its role.


    There was an attempt at my life the day earlier, but not a successful one. While showering, a fellow of Clavic had went up to me, gripping a shiv behind his back. I had sensed him passing the door, and as I was turning around to glare him away, another guy grabbed his arm carrying the pointy toothbrush.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    He was a tall black skinned mister. Not ripped with muscles, but the way he carried himself told me he felt confident he could bounce the other one out pretty easily. And I say mister because I had seen him previously with a tie walking around in the yard. A tie, in prison. This was, well, incongruous to say the least.


    When the ill-intended man left the showers, he came to me, in the same Adam costume as me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk tomorrow, yeah ?¡±


    I nodded, and he left to gather his outfit, with no other word or acknowledgement of what had transpired.


    The day after, we met at a table at lunch, away from any prying ears.


    ¡°So, what have you gone through ?¡± He asked me, his eyes staring into mine.


    ¡°What do you mean ?¡± I was cautious, not knowing which way the wind was blowing with this guy. On one hand he had helped me avoid a complicated situation, on the other I didn¡¯t know a thing about him.


    ¡°Your Tutorial. You showed up with all those who refused to reveal their experience with it. And don¡¯t tell me your real name is Neant or something, I won¡¯t believe you.¡±


    Suddenly, I felt like gambling. ¡°You first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a good one. No need to remind you I saved your life, huh ? Well, now that I think about it, maybe I saved Mike¡¯s life instead.¡± So, Mike was his name. I¡¯d be sure to remember that name.


    ¡°All I can say is, I wasn¡¯t prepared.¡± Maybe a bit of honesty would get me a long way here.


    ¡°Hmm. Same here. Tell you what, I¡¯m gonna be the bigger man here. Let¡¯s hope you¡¯ll return the favor.¡± He looked me over, already doubting I would.


    ¡°So, as you may have deduced, I was here when it happened. Had got caught for a stupid thing, but as I was a persistent offender, they¡¯d put me in for a year. Which leads to the place I picked for the Tutorial. I chose a nice sunny beach. Just wanted to relax. Ended up blowing steam for six months. ¡°


    At that he seemed to remember something. Surely something he had seen and wouldn¡¯t mention to me.


    ¡°Then things started to fall apart. So, I went into one of these Vaults and when I took the crystal, ¡®Poof¡¯ I was back in the refectory, wearing my prisoner uniform again. There you have it. Now it¡¯s your turn, I believe.¡± He finished with a slight grin, gesturing to me to re-live my own adventure in front of him.


    But an adventure it hadn¡¯t been. And I didn¡¯t want to reveal everything about me right then. Plus, he most likely didn¡¯t tell me the truth either.


    ¡°My experience wasn¡¯t that fulfilling. To say it like it is, it wasn¡¯t anything at all. I failed to choose a location in time. So, I just watched everyone blink at once, like coming out of a collective daze. Then everything went to shit. They started talking about martial law, and writing down what we had gone through¡­ But I had nothing to say about that, so I tried getting out of town. Ended up here, of all places¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Then how were you able to fight those thugs so well ?¡± He wondered, perplexed.


    I lied through my teeth. ¡°Krav-maga. Learned it when I was young.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Yep, he didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Ok, now that we both know not to trust everything the other says, let¡¯s jump on the issue I wanted to talk to you about. See, I don¡¯t want to talk about my over-whole Status either. And so, they¡¯ve put me on an indefinite detention, to force me to spill it out. If I ever want to see the color of the walls from the outside, I¡¯m gonna need to speak to them¡­¡° He checked our surroundings, then winked at me. ¡°Or get out on my own terms.¡°


    He added, after a moment¡­ ¡°You may be a good brawler, but you won¡¯t last long here, now that you¡¯ve made enemies. So, let me offer you¡­ freedom.¡±


    I looked at him quizzically, not sure if his proposal was serious. ¡°And how are we supposed to get out ?¡±


    He beamed up at that. ¡°Through a Vault of course !¡±


    A Vault¡­ It reminded me of the last task of the beginner¡¯s quest. What would happen to me, now that I was out of the Tutorial, if I completed this quest ? Was my immortality founded on it ? Was it what was keeping me alive ? Would I just crumple from having died too much ? These were all legitimate answers. And I didn¡¯t even have to answer them, I could just jump over the fences if I truly wanted to escape.


    But this was exciting. He seemed like a guy with a plan, and I loved watching plans going awry.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name again ?¡±


    ¡°Kurt. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you keep yours¡­ Neat.¡± A jab to me¡­


    ¡°Suits me if it suits you, Captain Kirk.¡± And a punch to him.


    ¡°Humph¡­ Then let¡¯s get you up to date¡­¡±


    I then started preparing my evasion from a smelly prison with a guy I had just met naked in the showers.

 Chapter 3 - Return to Reality

    ¡­Jaiiil-break¡­ Had more than I can take. Jaiiil-break¡­ yeah¡­


    It ended up taking a couple of days to prepare everything. Kurt¡¯s plan was spot on, he sure was a crafty one. We had the hour of the nightly delivery, a hand-made sketch of the inner walls we¡¯d hug and the times of rotation for the guards. We both had had to glue our ears to the window long after midnight to hear the truck¡¯s engine, and the guards roster had taken a similar late-night exercise the next day. Kurt wasn¡¯t pleased, ¡®A man needs his sleep cycle¡¯ he repeatedly said to me. For which I would taunt him, scoffing at his lack of manly vehemence. But I must admit, he possessed quite a detailed idea of what he wanted. He seemed to have conceived this project for a while as he had already drawn the plan before we met.


    Meanwhile, I met again with Clavic¡¯s men. A broken nose here, a scared little girl there, meh, nothing serious. Maybe talking to him might have solved the issue, or maybe it would have just aggravated it. My Fluency was still at zero, having picked up a point thanks to talking so much these last few days ¨C like three full conversations ! ¨C while the bonuses SPs were better put elsewhere. It was still another incentive to get out of dodge.


    So, on the afternoon of my sixth day of jail, a scorching hot Thursday in the summer of the year 2015, I went to the woodworking shop. Near the back, in a chute for all the chips and sawdust, was a miniature blue crystal, hidden behind the inward latch. I wondered for a time why the supplies were coming at night, because it sure seemed convenient for any wannabe escapee. It didn¡¯t matter much in the end, at that point I could just cut a hole through the walls, run to the next town and be on my merry way without anyone being the wiser. But it wouldn¡¯t be cool, know what I mean ? Reaching the outside by sheer power is all fine and dandy, but beating the odds and accomplishing an actual sneaky jailbreak was just my type of fun. I again realized my psyche had changed in perceptible ways, as I wasn¡¯t that adventurous before. Having nothing to lose will do that to you.


    I checked my surroundings, and as everyone seemed focused on their work, I grabbed the glowing stone.


    It didn¡¯t last very long, but I caught a glimpse of a black flash, if it makes any sense. The transition was nauseating, pulling at my stomach in every direction in the span of a half second. Then I appeared with a ¡®Pop¡¯ in a white hall, still holding onto the crystal but not for very long, as it was fixed mid-air three full meters high.


    ¡°You sure stuck the landing, Neat.¡± Kurt congratulated me.


    My ass hurt, I flipped him off.


    Pleased with himself, he continued. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you had actually never entered a Vault. Well, one trust point to you I guess. Follow me.¡±


    He had been the first to go in, he didn¡¯t want to be stuck in his cell while every guard was looking for me would they realize one of us was missing. We were now walking at a brisk pace in a similarly white corridor. It was long and curved a little to the left, plus the whiteness of it all, so much so that when we arrived in front of ¨C guess what ? ¨C a white door, he almost bumped into it if not for my sniggering in his back.


    ¡°Ok, a door. Thanks for the warning, jackass. Now what ? I don¡¯t see any handle¡­¡± He searched near the faint outline that indicated the presence of said door.


    ¡°There might be a button somewhere¡­ Or I could just bust it open.¡±


    ¡°Pff. If it¡¯s made of the same material as the walls, good luck on that. Last time, I tried shooting at it with a gun, almost lost a foot.¡± Dismissing my idea, he went back to observing the gate.


    ¡°You big softie¡­ Watch me.¡±


    I had read somewhere that the safest way to bring a locked door down was to kick it near the handle, one of the piece of trivia I had left. Problem, no handle. Solution, kick it wherever. And it worked ! After two or three attempts, and the same number of snarky remarks from Kurt, but it worked ! The door was blown sideway, a giant dent in its side.


    ¡°Blow me an Amish doll and tell me it¡¯s Lent time.¡± Hadn¡¯t expected that from him, but¡­ okay.


    ¡°Well then, after you, my dear.¡±


    I followed him into the room, excited to see the next part of our adventure. Which amounted to¡­ nothing. The plan was to find the red crystal in the Vault, and wait near it for the night to fall on the outside world. And in the middle of the room, floating a couple centimeters above a pedestal of what seemed like translucid glass, was the crystal in question. Kurt sat down, back against the podium, and looked at his watch.


    ¡°Six hours to wait. I hope you don¡¯t get too jittery when bored.¡±


    Walking around the room, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary, which in this case meant any other color than pure blinding white, I answered him. ¡°Just a little. You might hear me speak to myself but don¡¯t worry, as long as I don¡¯t talk about Santa you¡¯re all good.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a real piece of work, you know ? And what the fuck did you do to this door ?¡±


    ¡°I kicked it. You should consult someone if you can¡¯t remember that.¡± Said the one who couldn¡¯t recall his name not a week ago.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go consult someone anyway after having spent six hours with you. God help me¡­¡±


    ¡°Call me Neant, please.¡± Cheshire grin, eyebrows bobbing up and down, little dance with the hips, I played the whole ¡®I¡¯m the funny guy¡¯ part to the perfection.


    ¡°Just¡­ Shut up¡­¡± Tough crowd.


    And so, we waited. Me, trying to engage a conversation about food, or his family, or the state of our country, or what he was going to do once he got outside, or something¡­ And him, ignoring me, or answering with ¡®Hmm¡¯ and ¡®Mhm¡¯. Note the difference, because it took me hours to get it. After some time, I just gave up, and sat on the busted gate. What would happen next ? A lot. A lot was about to go wrong.


    *


    *????*


    ¡­ Always, I wanna be with you. And make believe with you. And live in harmony, harmony, oh love ! ¡­


    ¡°Stop humming that fucking song !¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to sing it, you don¡¯t want me to dance it, you don¡¯t want me to hum it¡­¡± Dejected, I counted his orders on my fingers then smiled at him, having thought of a new way to annoy him. ¡°Maybe you want me to mime it ?¡±


    ¡°I got to get out of here¡­¡± He checked his watch for the umpteenth time. ¡°Ok, we¡¯re twenty minutes early but it¡¯s gotta do. Otherwise I¡¯m gonna strangle you. Let¡¯s just grab the damn ruby and go back to the lapis.¡±


    I was both surprised of his knowledge of precious stones and the time it took to drive him crazy. This guy was a keeper.


    Alas, things didn¡¯t go as expected. As he picked up the stone, the lighting in the room shifted to the same red as said stone. I heard the mechanism of the broken door whine and, abruptly, a dozen giant rats came out of sliding openings in the walls. They were standing upright, a menacing look in their beady eyes and their paws had claws a good five centimeters long¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be eviscerated by that, even if somewhere in my mind I knew my Stats would prevent it. This was all textbook trap, the main gate closing ¨C thanks to me it didn¡¯t - while an ambush was revealed. So, I did the logical thing. I started crushing their head into themselves. This apparently gave the rest of them the signal to attack.


    Whoops.


    To his credit, Kurt didn¡¯t falter. He brought out a long and pointy piece of metal and defended himself pretty well against two of them, meaning he got small cuts to his forearms and lost his shiv in the eye of a rat, which quickly stumbled to the ground. When the other one tried to leverage this opportunity, he got a chunk of his head melted with plasma. Only three were left when they finally got to me. The first was ejected toward the pedestal, breaking some bones by the sound of it. The second received a lucky knife-hand to the side of his neck, breaking its spine. It happened more by chance than anything as I had tried to grab his throat. The last one was a bit of a pain in the ass, jumping around me and taking jabs at my face. Nearly lost an eye there. It actually took me some time to end him, with a combination of a plasma shot plus a grav-wave to force him onto its path. My inexperience fighting closeup showed itself. I could use my Skills at medium distance well enough, but in melee, I was shit. They weren¡¯t that great either, which probably saved me the pain of having to die again.


    I took a breather and scrutinized the one still squirming at the feet of the podium. And it took a while. I haven¡¯t said it before, but even out of the void, I was still getting those interferences with my access to the System. I had to focus for a good three seconds to get a result, which, you know, makes things difficult while in a pinch.


    Name : Fucko


    Race : Giant Rat - Bipedal


    Age : ???


    Attitude : Hostile - Mindless


    Power : Inferior - Remarkable speed


    Did I name it that ? Really, me ? You gotta do better than that.


    These creatures were as tall as my torso, with dark furs and rats¡¯ heads and limbs. Lean, but still following the proportions of an actual rat. In a word, beautiful. Like little pet hamsters, just bigger. I wanted to caress their soft coat, relish in the silkiness. What a shame I had to kill them.


    At that moment, I could hear skittering coming from the black openings. More were on their way.


    ¡°We gotta get to-¡°


    ¡°Get to the chopper !¡± I reenacted in my deepest tone.


    I could have stayed and fought them, but Kurt certainly wouldn¡¯t enjoy the experience. So, again, I did the logical thing. I picked him up in a princess carry and ran, monsters high on my tail. One or two times I could feel something brush my rear, like those things you use to scratch an itch on your back. At some point we finally got back to the blue crystal and it was down to eye level. Luckily for Kurt, as I didn¡¯t have to throw him in the air to catch it.


    At last, when he grabbed it we instantly got transported back to the woodworking area. No more rats chasing us, no more emergency¡­ No more emergency ? Ah ! An alarm was singing a high-pitched noise while ¨C again ¨C red lights illuminated our surroundings, as otherwise night had covered the jail. Out of the frying pan and into a fucking disaster. God, I love plans going wrong.


    For completing the fifth task of the beginner¡¯s quest, you have unlocked the Path [Delver of the Depths]


    Congratulations on completing the beginner¡¯s quest ! You will now leave the Tutorial in [ERROR]:[ERROR]


    Well, I didn¡¯t explode, I didn¡¯t fall apart, everything seemed A-Okay. And I¡¯ll look into the Path another time.


    ¡°You can drop me now.¡± Kurt said, his voice empty, as if he didn¡¯t know how to act anymore.


    I did as he asked, and got reprimanded in return. ¡°Not drop me like that, you buffoon !¡± At least that got a reaction.


    ¡°What do you think is happening ? I can hear screams and fights breaking out all over the prison.¡±


    ¡°No idea. The Vault I went into last time wasn¡¯t like that at all¡­ Let¡¯s just get out.¡± Good, he had come around finally.


    We dashed through corridors and doors, avoiding altercations at the guards¡¯ stations. Rushing in the open and dashing behind covers, we made It out into the entry court. It was Hell, every inmate had got out of their cells and toward the sole access out of the prison, where a lone sentry had tried to fend them off. Well, he still had had his colleagues in the watchtowers, but they had been blind in effect to what had happened on the ground, the only light being the emergency lamps which didn¡¯t really give any precise idea of who was who.


    Kurt and me stuck close to each other as we passed the checkpoint, the experience exhilarating for me, nightmare fueling for him. The guard had been cut and pierced in numerous place, an angel smile drawn on his face, his ear lobes stuffed in his empty eye sockets and his gut displayed for all to see. There really were some fucked up people in there. At least prop him up on a high place if you want to make a show out of it, jeez.


    When we got on the other side, we were finally out of the jail, but not out of difficult situations.


    ¡°There you are.¡± And here comes Clavic with a seriously buffed up guy. I mean, Bronson level, with crazy eyes and a massive torso, the whole shebang.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, have we met yet ?¡± Taunting is a little joy of mine, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed.


    ¡°Never, ever, has anybody disrespected me as you did !¡± His voice shook with anger, his face ready to burst in full rage. ¡°You will learn respect at the hands of my friend here ! And this will be the last thing-¡°


    I shot the other guy in the head. Sorry, but not sorry, I didn¡¯t have time for any of this.


    Surprisingly, the big dude responded with quite the speed. Instead of getting clipped in the face, he received it in the jaw and along the neck. We watched as he screamed and contorted in pain on the ground. I had intended to wait till he had died to launch a snarky comment to Clavic then finish this whole ordeal, but Bronson was taking a long ass time to check out. So, I shot him again, and for good measure crushed his head. Clavic was next, but he had disappeared. Now I knew how people did that in the movies. You just have to wait for the other bastard to look away and jump onto a magical unicorn. Yeah, that must be right¡­


    Anyhow, after this¡­ thing, we got going. To where, only Kurt knew, and I followed. Frankly, I liked the guy. He was at least reasonably honest and an all-round sane person, what more to ask in a friend ? Sirens blared into the night, some spotlights here and there illuminated the clouds, and there was a certain ambiance of mayhem to it all. Whatever had caused this was pretty darn big. But hey, I was out, right ?


    *


    *????*


    ...There''s somebody set to grab me, anywhere that I might be. So, wherever you might look tonight, you might get a glimpse of me¡­


    After having stolen some clothes, shoes, backpacks and some other things that might be useful for a long trek in a general store, we marched for days, stopping only to refill on water and food. At every town we took a break at we saw global destruction and haggard people, caused by what we didn¡¯t know. Not wanting to alert anyone as to our passage through those places we didn¡¯t show our faces to anyone, stealing what we needed from already looted grocery stores during the nights. I learned a great deal about Kurt during this time. He¡¯s actually from another small town in the area, and that¡¯s where we were headed. He drums like a god on any resonant surface he can find and he dislikes ¨C hates ¨C fishes. Especially if they wriggle between his legs while he fills up his canteen. He can¡¯t make a fire for shit though. Okay, I might be advantaged here¡­ But hey, even I knew that you need to light a piece of paper or dry leaves first.


    Oh, by the way, I had received some good news once I was able to take my time and put some points into the last Path I got.


    [Delver of the Depths] 8/8 : For the price of your life, you will get infinite power.


    Traveler can now use Crystals to empower himself.


    I had asked Kurt if I could take the stone, and he agreed promptly. I should save lives more often. Anyway, when he handed it to me, nothing happened, only when I actually tried to sense it through the System did it offer me the choice to absorb it. I asked Kurt what it would do and he just answered a ¡®Traits Points¡¯ while looking at his feet. Ah, Traits. Another thing I had that was erroring. When I tried to use the Crystal, it kinda broke into pieces, and I received only white noise through the System. Well, no luck there. Another problem for another time.


    We had followed the county road for a while, not directly on it, but close enough to see it and far enough to hide behind the trees when a car passed through. We saw a military convoy once, but they had no hard rock playing though. I could feel him tense up gradually as we passed villages he probably knew and neared our destination. He was also still warming up to me, and me refusing to disclose how I got my ¡®Carrie-style superpowers¡¯, as he said, didn¡¯t rub him up the right way. I was actually pondering telling him what had happened to me when he suddenly picked up the speed.


    We had arrived. A town of I¡¯d say of a million souls devolved beneath us. Relatively flat, it reached the horizon. We weren¡¯t on a very high hill, so it doesn¡¯t say much¡­ I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m bad at evaluating city sizes. It¡¯s a very specific default but highly concerning to me, we shall not speak about it. We found a way down and started walking again.


    ¡°It looks like you reached your destination there.¡±


    Yep. How do you think it¡¯s gonna go ?


    ¡°As long as you keep your Skills in check, this whole enterprise shall go without any catastrophe.¡± That¡¯s reassuring.


    I had been speaking with Adalfaro from time to time, it felt good to entertain a relation not based on grunts. He was enjoying the fresh air as much as I did and regretted having to go back into a polluted city. I had also picked up some of his quirks, like his slip up in his language when he was thoroughly excited about something happening. I had found out about that when he saw a river for the first time. The expletives he used were quite colorful, let¡¯s leave it at that.


    It¡¯s funny, remembering all that, I realize it¡¯s actually the best days I have lived since the start of it all. Not to say that the rest was bad by any mean, but it felt¡­ good. Yeah, yeah, good and bad are words for simpletons, I know¡­ But it was just that, simple. Walk, eat, sleep. Look at the forest and the sky, listen to our footsteps and Kurt¡¯s occasional drumming, speak with Adalfaro about innocent things and exchange groans with Kurt¡­ Good is the right word. And now it had to end.


    When we reached the suburbs of the city, we saw some looting had happened to the supermarkets, but nothing too awful, a couple broken windows, some cars tagged with ¡®THE END IS NEAR ¡® and such things, plus a few spilled bins lying around. The people were queuing at some of the more robust or luckier stores, surely waiting for their chance to buy some supplies. There was a pool of dried blood in front of one of them. This place had also been hit by a panic wave but had managed, by the looks of it.


    We walked further into the city itself. At the boundary between the outskirts and the inner districts there was a military checkpoint. Not great for us, but it meant a smidge of law and order at least. I believe I¡®ve seen hope resurface in Kurt¡¯s eyes for his family at this point. He had been bleak after the last pillaged town. But now, we had to find a way inside without alienating the soldiers. Kurt proposed to simply walk up to them and pretend we had been robbed of our IDs during our travel, but I had a better idea.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s Spiderman time !¡±


    ¡°No. No. Just, no. We¡¯re gonna do it my way, end of the line.¡± Adamant, he spoke while striking his index in my shoulder.


    ¡°Yes sir !¡± I saluted him, my dirty sweater and disheveled hair aiding to get the right picture.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say a word, understood ? Nothing, nada, niet !¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean ¡®nichevo¡¯ ?¡± I said, still saluting.


    ¡°What ?¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t know the right word. Wait, how did I know the right word ? Was it really the right word ?


    ¡°What, what ?¡± I now had Jane¡¯s laugh playing on repeat in my head.


    ¡°What are you on about ?¡±


    I answered the most logical thing. ¡°Nichevo.¡± I¡¯m a very logical person.


    ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake !¡± He pinched his nose, the signal not to press further.


    After a moment to let him refocus himself, we went toward the checkpoint. The ones on guard duty watched us get near, then when we were at a reasonable distance, they hailed us to stop.


    ¡°State your business !¡±


    ¡°We just want to go meet our families inside the city !¡± Kurt answered, not really shouting, more like talking really loud.


    ¡°Come closer.¡±


    Once we were in a more comfortable distance to speak, he asked for our IDs, just as planned. What could go wrong ?


    ¡°Sir, we can¡¯t show you any IDs, we¡¯ve been robbed on the way here¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name then ? We¡¯ll check in the database.¡± And there we go.


    ¡°Quincey Wolf. And this here is Vance Bullock.¡±


    ¡°Ok, give me a minute.¡± 60 seconds it is. 59¡­ 58¡­


    12¡­ 11¡­ ¡°All clear !¡± Damnit ! ¡°You¡¯re good to go. Good luck finding your families.¡± He did look worried for us. It didn¡¯t augur anything good for Kurt¡¯s people.


    ¡°Thank you, sir. Let¡¯s go Vance.¡± Kurt grabbed me by the arm, rather forcefully I might say.


    We actually did end up on the other side without any issue. I admit, I was shocked and a bit disappointed. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was glad to be on the safe side of things, but a plan is supposed to go wrong at some point. This could only mean that it was borrowed luck and something even bigger would hit us on the head next. It really didn¡¯t augur anything good.


    ¡°Why was I the Bullock one and you got the cool name ?¡± I asked the important question to Kurt once we were at a safe distance to talk.


    ¡°Because you deserve it that¡¯s why, you nutjob.¡± Had I seen a smile ? Yes ! An honest to god smile ! ¡°By the way, did you know you can get Skills by ¡®performing special actions¡¯ ?¡± I looked at him for a second, staring dumbly into his eyes. ¡° Right, stupid question. It¡¯s just¡­ I got a Skill while speaking to that guy. It¡¯s called ¡®Trumpery¡¯, supposed to help me cheat my way out of sticky situations or something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news ! From now on, you¡¯ll be my PR guy !¡± It was a really good idea that came to me on the spot.


    ¡°God, why do I keep talking with you ?¡±


    *


    *????*


    ¡­ I think it¡¯s time we stop, what¡¯s that sound ? Everybody look what¡¯s going down¡­


    We walked for a bit, meandering through the city. Kurt knew this place, he led us across small alleys and main streets toward a block of flats built in a 90¡¯s fashion. A central fountain surrounded by buildings painted in bright colors, with rounded balconies and diverse forms of depression in the inner sides. This felt like a small town inside the city, with boutiques and delis at the feet of the tall buildings. We went up the number 13, to the 7th floor. Kurt, even more mute than before, knocked on a door with the name ¡®Maxis¡¯ on it. Nothing. He knocked again. And again. And each time with more force, fueled by desperation.


    ¡°Kurt ?¡± Another door down the hallway opened and the head of a shriveled man popped out. ¡°Oh Jesus¡­ I thought you were still locked in ? Ah¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter now¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Abernathy ! Do you know where they are ?¡± Kurt exclaimed.


    ¡°Quiet, young man. This is not the time nor the place to tempt fate¡­ Come.¡±


    He funneled us into his home, wary of any onlookers. Once we were all inside, he whispered to Kurt.


    ¡°You have to be very discreet. Something bad happened Kurt¡­¡± He looked him in the eyes, not sure how to proceed.  ¡°During the blackout... your mom did everything in her power to help us, the elderly. We couldn¡¯t¡­ We couldn¡¯t manage by ourselves, see ? But she got angry. Against the senator and his clique, I mean. They were twiddling their thumbs while people died, and looting was getting worse by the hour.¡± He took a breath, reliving the horror that night must have been. ¡°Luckily, the army got involved in the morning. They hadn¡¯t before because the city had been declared a ¡®demilitarized zone¡¯... While martial law was enacted, can you believe it ? That damn peacock always thought he was better than everyone, capable of keeping his city under wrap with his goons...¡± I could hear the bile in his words. He sat down on an antiquated armchair.


    ¡°She wanted to go and expose to Knowles his faults at his villa¡­ Your brother tried to stop her, but you know your mother, once she has an idea in that damn head of hers, nothing can hold her back.¡± His face got somber as the words flowed. ¡°In the end, they both went. I don¡¯t know what happened there, but¡­ Kurt¡­¡± I could see my friend¡¯s face cramp up in preparation. ¡°Your brother got shot, Kurt. He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Only I heard his whisper, more like a sigh he had let go of without knowing. I caught him as his knees shook violently. ¡°No !¡± I could feel my shirt dampen, the sobs now clear against my ear. ¡°No¡­ No¡­ No¡­¡± He repeated I don¡¯t know how many times. As many as he needed, I thought to myself.


    After a while, his tears stopped flowing. ¡°Let go of me.¡± His voice was now ice-cold. ¡°Where¡¯s my mom ?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in detention at the Whitewood station. We heard about it just yesterday¡­ The cops claim she resisted arrest, but that¡¯s just a plain lie¡­ Kurt, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He didn¡¯t know what to do with himself anymore, muttering excuses for what wasn¡¯t his failing.


    Kurt got out of the flat in a dash. I found him two floors below, kicking a door, eyes fixed on the peephole, screaming for anybody who would listen. I let him vent his pain away at a distance, leaving him a moment to deal with what we had heard.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get her out, yeah ?¡± I said after the rhythm of punting slowed down. ¡°We can go to Knowles after that.¡±


    He blinked at me, realizing I was still there. He then nodded, and left without a look back.


    We rushed to the other end of the city, passing another checkpoint, and reached a cushy neighborhood. Every house was encased in three meters high perimeter walls. When we finally arrived, Kurt was running on fumes but he still headed straight for the police station.


    I grabbed his shoulder, turning him around so he would look at me. ¡°Take five. We¡¯re here to get her out, not cause a scene.¡± His teeth clenched, grinding away a festering fury. ¡°Well, nod if that¡¯s what you want. But you need to be sure about it. Those cops might be in on this, but maybe not.¡±


    I could feel him tense up beneath my hand, ready to storm in and assault the place, but reason prevailed. He stood there, waiting to catch his breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    When we passed through the front gate, something became immediately clear. We were not welcome here. Every pair of eyes in the lobby flicked to us, staring at our impromptu appearance. We obviously weren¡¯t the usual customers after all, dressed as we were. Kurt didn¡¯t care one bit on the other hand. He promptly went to the receptionist and asked without any sort of preamble.


    ¡°Where is Alyssa Maxis ?¡±


    The clerk asked for his name first then professionally answered him that his mother was being detained on the charges of misconduct in a public area and assault on an officer, and that if he had any inquiry, to direct them to some detective named Fletcher. Kurt was about to demand to be led to that person¡¯s desk when the man in question called my friend from the catwalk up above.


    ¡°I¡¯m Fletcher. You¡¯re the brother, right ?¡± Then, addressing the other policeman. ¡°Let him come in my office, we have a lot to discuss.¡± Back to us. ¡°Third floor, first door on the right.¡±


    We went up the stairs, three steps at a time, and reached the appointed door which had been left open. The room was small and messy, papers strewn about with a delicate sense of purpose. There were remnants of a Chinese takeout box on the desk, next to a computer brand new, but already chipped on a corner. The man was in his late forties, his hair already sparse, and sported an impressive mustache. He wore a long-sleeved grey shirt a little too wide with an unassuming watch on the inner part of his left wrist. My guess was ex-military, and still combat effective judging by the hidden muscles. Probably wounded in combat in the left leg, as I saw a faint limp when he came to greet us. Had got the most similar job he could, and swiftly got jaded when he got stationed in this neighborhood, proved by the wrinkles already etched around his eyes.


    ¡°You must be Kurt. And you are ?¡±


    ¡°Neant. I would be pleased to meet you if in any other circumstances.¡± I got an odd stare and so added hastily. ¡°I¡¯m a foreigner. Sorry if I seem a bit eccentric.¡± Add in a muted smile and the disguise is complete.


    He looked me up and down, analyzing me as best he could, and dismissed me as unimportant just as quickly.


    ¡°Mister Maxis, please sit down. You-¡± He then pointed at me. ¡°-can wait outside.¡±


    So, I did. It didn¡¯t matter much anyway, I could hear just fine from the hallway. I just had to filter out whatever else I could hear, which wasn¡¯t that different from a regular conversation. They didn¡¯t beat around the bush, Kurt¡¯s first word once I had closed the door was his mother¡¯s name.


    ¡°She¡¯s downstairs. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s alright and out of any danger... for now. Kid, I know you¡¯re supposed to be in jail right now, and the man at the entrance will soon too, so listen to me very closely. She angered the wrong kind of people. You saw how there are still cops playing their role around here, me included. That¡¯s because of Knowles. He owns this territory and all that¡¯s in it, you don¡¯t anger him without issues, and he likes his neighborhood with blue on the street, especially if they are on his payroll.


    ¡°His men killed your brother, Kurt, just because your mom wouldn¡¯t stop shouting obscenities in front of his house. He doesn¡¯t fear anything now¡­ When the blackout happened, every electronic device active at the time was fried. There¡¯s no centralized government anymore, nor any media or internet. So right now, he is only accountable to himself. The military got an ancient infrastructure up and running, but it¡¯s only used to check the identities of those going in and out of the city, and some other minor things. Their fancy new-tech weaponry doesn¡¯t even turn on anymore ! They can¡¯t even begin to compare with what he¡¯s got under that villa of his.


    ¡°Sure, they got the number, but they¡¯re too spread out, trying to oversee all the districts by themselves. Add to that the local gangs running amok with super-strength and you¡¯ve got a city on the verge of civil war, son¡­ Don¡¯t look at me like that, I ain¡¯t lying to you. Hang around for a bit and you¡¯ll understand. This powder keg is gonna hurt a lot of people if it blows up. Which brings me to your momma. You know what will happen if I let her out ? She¡¯s gonna go straight to her dear friend mister soldier and blabber all about mister Knowles and how awful he is. If not worse. The senator might get to her first. I was lucky enough as it is to have heard her screams to act in time, but I¡¯m not her guardian angel, I won¡¯t follow her everywhere.


    ¡°Now, go back, find someplace to hide, and pray nothing bad is coming our way.¡±


    Civil war between corrupt officials, confused soldiers and evil thugs ? Bingo !


    I heard Kurt walk to the door, not a word escaping his mouth. When he got out our eyes met, and I knew. We had  the same idea. Was it an actual bromance forming between us ? I so hoped it was.


    ¡°Kurt ! Don¡¯t do something stupid, she already lost one son.¡± Fletcher pleaded.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be stupid, I promise you.¡± That¡¯s my man.


    Once out of the precinct, I nodded at a classy black car with tinted windows we had seen on the way in. We went around the block and approached it by the rear. I had arranged for the light around us to dim slightly and the driver couldn¡¯t have been more surprised when Kurt opened his door in a swoop. He grabbed his neck and threw him on the ground, quite violently I might say. A shame for such a nice suit. The man grunted, tried to get up but got stopped by a foot on his head.


    ¡°Where is Knowles ?¡± Kurt barked at him.


    ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re doing. This-¡± His nose slammed into the pavement.


    ¡°Where. Is. Knowles ?¡± Ooh, He almost scared even me right there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy hearing you scr-¡± And out went his lights.


    Luckily, the car had an onboard GPS with a list of recent stops ¨C a mystery how this one had resisted the global black out, Knowles sure seemed to have some nice toys. One address came back repeatedly, and we assumed it was the right place.


    Kurt then paused for a moment. Turning to me, he asked me a question I hadn¡¯t conceived myself. ¡°Why are you still here ? I mean, we¡¯re going to face a lot of shit there, and¡­ God am I really saying this ? ¡­ I can¡¯t do it without you, ok ?¡±


    YES !


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kurt, I understand.¡± I said in a relaxed voice.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± He looked at me suspiciously. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ What do you want ? What do you expect from all of this ?¡±


    My answer came without delay. ¡°A friend. That¡¯s all I want.¡±


    I think he saw something on my face then, as he became quite stunned afterward. I had been honest, a buddy, a partner, was all I longed for at that point. I didn¡¯t have any other goal in mind. My family was a farce, my girlfriend a banshee, and my supposed friends were probably just as much of a lie I had told myself when still in their hands. The country was in shambles, people were going crazy left and right, I had obtained superpowers after having suffered a crippling amount of pain, and nothing mattered to me anymore. Except for Jane and this guy. They were the only ones still binding me to this world. I knew not every person were bad or inherently evil, but try rationalizing your emotions, it doesn¡¯t work all that well, right ?


    We ended up driving pass the back entrance of a humongous wall even taller than the ones we had seen before. There were two guards in black costumes, one in a security post, facing a computer, and the other one at the opposite end of the gate, looking at us while we drove away. It might be obvious to you now, but for some reason, we didn¡¯t think of it at the time. We were in one of their cars. With the guy that was supposed to be in it leaking blood from his face somewhere in a bush. Yeah¡­ Not the brightest shed in¡­ Ah whatever.


    ¡°What¡¯s our plan ?¡± Kurt asked me, uncertainty clear on his face. ¡°Do we try to climb the wall ? Or ¡®Spiderman¡¯ it, rather ? Or rush through-¡±


    ¡°No plan. I actually want this to work.¡± Perfect logic.


    ¡°-one of the¡­ Wait what ?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a holistique thing.¡±


    ¡°You gonna hit them with that holy stick of yours ?¡± Ah, sarcasm, my old friend.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s gonna hit itself on them.¡± And on these cryptic words, I got out of the car. I just forgot it was still cruising, at a small pace, yes, but it made me miss my step. As punchlines go, my delivery wasn¡¯t really on point. Oh well, nothing broken, nothing lost, life was good.


    We were fifty meters from the front entrance, lucky me, so the guards, three this time, had seen me fall off of the vehicle. To their credit, they didn¡¯t laugh. They wanted to, but they didn¡¯t. No, rather, they got their guns out. No warning, no hailing, nothing. Just bullets.


    Bullets are a funny thing. I could vaguely remember being afraid of them before. Now, it was just plainly annoying. Little holes etched themselves into my sweater and my shirt, followed by the detonations reaching my ears. I raised my hands and formed the idea of two grains of rice made out of plasma in my head. Creating two defined mental constructs at the same time was an arduous but rewarding endeavor. Two of the men went down in a purple flash, the last one run over by Kurt.


    ¡°Open the gate ! Storm the castle ! Kill the king !¡± I bellowed at full force.


    I could feel some light bruises disappearing right as they formed on my torso, Might having stopped the bullets and my Constitution making me wonder if I could regrow a leg. The pain accompanying the impacts had been dismissible, to say the least. I could sense a notification popping up in the background, but I had other fishes to melt. It was time to get serious. I kicked the gate, bending it inward. It reminded me surreptitiously of the Vault.


    And now, the piece de resistance !


    Alarms were starting to turn up and I could hear over them in the distance people gearing up and roaring orders.


    ¡°Kurt ! Grab a gun and stay behind !¡±


    This was going to be fun.


    I kicked the door again, this time unhinging it for good. The runway went up to a central plaza surrounded by a garage and other buildings. The white gravel contrasted sublimely with the grey stones used for the constructions. Balconies littered the highest one and the parapets were formed by a mix of white granite, carved with slight flourishes, and dark toned steel embracing the whole thing. The rest of the outer walls were decorated in the same fashion, bringing it all together to constitute a magnificent architecture. But it was all brought down by the many men in combat outfit running around, finding covers behind sandbags walls and military grade trucks.


    You sons of bitches, ruining such a perfect scenery. Disappear !


    They didn¡¯t stop to exist at that instant, but they wished they¡¯d have. A vortex appeared in the middle of them, sucking in almost every little play-soldier into a sanguine ball of limbs. Of course, they shot me a few times, and, not wanting to risk Kurt¡¯s life, I tried to stop the rounds in front of me. One hand extended, every bullet slowed down and dropped on the ground.


    Becoming the chosen one, check.


    This was a little too easy, I thought. And of course, I received a round in the back of the head at the same moment. A fast-enough shot that it pierced my skull, went straight through my brain and resurfaced right above the left eyebrow. And I actually remember this. I mean, every time I had died in the void, I couldn¡¯t recall my last moment. Now that I had ended the Tutorial, things seemed to follow a different set of rules. I kept control of my left side while falling onto my right. My left eye having popped out of its socket, I quickly put it back in. Pain wasn¡¯t a problem, it felt distant and muted, surely a side effect of adrenaline. Or maybe of getting shot in the head. Anyhow, after an instant, my cranium started putting itself back together, regenerating bone and tissue, and soon after I regained feelings in my right side.


    I turned around and spotted the sniper on a roof behind me sending another round my way. This one just flopped on my leg, decelerated as it was by my hastily put together grav-wall. I prepared a counter-projectile but the silhouette promptly disappeared. Instead, I sent it into one of the vehicles¡¯ reservoir¡­ Not gonna lie, I like fireworks. And that one was quite charming, if one disregards the screams of the many wounded, crushed or burned men. I then mashed the brains of the last remnants of the force assembled here, returning to a proven tactic. In the end, there was only one of them left. An Asian-typed man, looking worn and shell-shocked. He looked back at me, mechanically pointed his gun toward my face, and died, a smoking hole in his head.


    I don¡¯t know what went by in his mind - no, I¡¯m not making that joke - but I think I felt something then, watching the life drain out of his fixed eyes. He could have surrendered, he could have kept his life. He didn¡¯t. Does that mean I reevaluated my choices leading to this point ? Not really. It just meant that I appreciated my actions in a different color. I was really turning into an inhuman monster, and I was fine with that. I still had some boundaries to what I¡¯d do, but they were more excuses to letting my rage run rampant than anything.


    Kurt was crouched behind the gate, a gun in his left hand, looking at me as if he had seen the devil.


    ¡°Get yourself back together, those guys were literally prepared for war. It¡¯s far from finished.¡±


    Right on cue, I received yet another bullet in my torso, this one coming from the sniper and doing a lot more damage than the ones fired from those pistols these other guys had used. My lungs got torn out of my ribcage, my heart blown up and my blood was everywhere I looked. But, as soon as the wound opened, it closed by itself, weaving into a clean scar. At last, I had the time to shoot the offender down. A tricky one to aim, but accurate enough to clip him in the shoulder.


    With this issue solved, I headed for the main entrance of the central building. I could hear Kurt¡¯s footsteps crunching on the gravel behind me. Good, he hadn¡¯t lost his will. We finally reached the double mahogany doors and it was locked. Well, not for long in any case. Again, I started roaring.


    ¡°Who might have come to this palace of all places ? Who dares step into your lair ? It is I, no other than Door-Kicker !¡±


    But no one was there to witness my grandeur. A massive wooden staircase rounded itself in front and above me, two hallways went to my left and right¡­ Every little detail seemed made to cause awe to the trespasser. Which worked on me just fine. Kurt brought me out of my reverie by a tap my shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can find the basement, ok ?¡±


    I agreed and we set out to look through the house. Which took a fair amount of time. Damn was it big ! In the end, we faced a large bookshelf. I had stopped in front of it while scanning the ground for worn parquet. Always look down when looking for something below you, first rule of ¡®Searching Cellars¡¯ by yours truly. I pushed the bookcase aside, breaking some kind of mechanism in the way and revealing a hidden metal door. My reflection watched me quizzically as I prepared kicking down that door as well.


    ¡°Wait ! Try the handle first.¡± That seemed like a good idea, until I actually tried it and received a minor electrical buzz for my effort. Or what felt like a small shock to me at least.


    ¡°Great idea Kurt. Care for a try yourself ?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Just kick the damn door.¡±


    Once downstairs, we couldn¡¯t see a thing. Pitch black everywhere we looked. Luckily, I¡¯m a man of many resources. Kurt watched me with incredulity as my eyes became literal flashlights. I also started looking in two different directions, one with each eye, just to freak him out a bit more. And because I could. We trudged along the corridor, searching every room we passed, and finding nothing worth the trouble. Pieces of hardware, military gear, or some desks and electronic boards. Tension was at its paroxysm. Lastly, I came to a stop in front of the only door we hadn¡¯t opened. It was sealed tight and no light was coming from under it. Moved by force of custom, I kicked it down in one strike. Then I saw them.


    One woman and three children. All scared senseless. She was wrapping her arms around their heads, protecting them from the view of the big bad wolf. Her eyes were trained on me, daring me to take a step forward. I could tell Knowles was also there, hidden behind the closet on the side to surprise me when I¡¯d get in.


    ¡°Knowles, get out.¡± Then, adding in a sing-song tone. ¡°I can see you.¡±


    He hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, his hand holding a gun found its way around the cabinet toward me. I flicked the weapon away with a short tap of my finger. As the sound of it clattering against the floor resounded, I asked him again to get out.


    ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t harm my family, ok ?¡± He said as his head peeked from the corner of the cupboard.


    Kurt perked up at that. From where he was he couldn¡¯t see inside, the hallway too slim at this point for him to stand behind me. I nodded at Knowles to go meet my friend. Once he got out of the room, I rested my eyes on the woman, still holding firmly her offspring.


    ¡°Knowles...¡± I could hear Kurt outside growl at him, garnering his anger back.


    ¡°Do we know each other ?¡± His voice didn¡¯t quaver. I didn¡¯t like this guy.


    ¡°Your men killed my brother !¡±


    ¡°You must be talking about that incident a few days ago. I am deeply sorry to hear that, but I¡¯m afraid they did so in just cause. If he hadn¡¯t reached for a gun we-¡° More justifications, more excuses.


    ¡°In just cause ? A gun ? My brother was a pacifist ! He never even touched something resembling a weapon !¡± I could feel the fury building inside of him. ¡°He was murdered ! You killed him !¡±


    ¡°The unstable woman accompanying him caused all this, she-¡° He actually sounded collected and firm, in a situation like this ! As if trying to negotiate a contract¡­


    ¡°Stop ! Just stop ! You¡¯re not getting out of this. It¡¯s over Knowles.¡±


    I heard the click of a hammer being cocked, then Knowles said something filled with incredible intent, almost unrecognizable from a human voice, coming from a place that didn¡¯t have the right to exist.


    ¡°Attack !¡±


    All hell broke loose. The family all turned their heads toward me in a swooping motion, eyes alit with pure rage. Even the kids looked ready to tear my throat apart. And they attempted to. By reflex I pushed them away.


    Luckily, they all just fell to the ground when a bang resounded in the corridor.


    I stepped out, looking for my friend, observing the pool of blood slowly ebbing across the concrete floor. He had shot him in the head at point blank range. My friend stared back at me, his eyes filled with something akin to sorrow. Sorrow for his brother ? Sorrow for the man he had just killed ? Sorrow for this part of him he will never get back ? I didn¡¯t know, and this wasn¡¯t the time to delve into it. Later, when we would be able to take a break in a safe location, maybe we would speak about it.


    For now, I lightly pushed him away from the body, dragging him toward the exit. When we reached fresh air, I was able to truly discover the mess I had made of the place. A building partially collapsed under the weight of a truck, which had his tank exploded thoroughly, a dozen corpses with blood marring around their crumpled heads, a¡­ ball of body parts, and a man with a dark hole in his forehead. The Asian guy who stared at me while dying. It had been brief, but I had seen it, the same look the woman and her children had had. They had all been indoctrinated by Knowles in some way. Maybe a Skill of his was at fault. The same thing that allowed me to butcher all these people.


    With those somber thoughts, I walked across the grit of the runway. Making sure Kurt was following, I watched him as he stumbled his way through bits and pieces of human bodies. Later, I again said to myself. Later.


    The void had chewed me up and spat me out, but this was no reason to let my mind linger in it anymore. I had to do better. I had to be better.


    ¡°I am sorry to interrupt, and you¡¯ll excuse my language, but what in all Hell, was that ?¡±


    Adalfaro¡­ Not a good time to talk right now¡­ I really didn¡¯t want to speak with him at that point.


    But sadly, he pressed on. ¡°I won¡¯t judge, I promise, but your present feats are¡­ disconcerting to say the least.¡±


    Not. Now.


    ¡°I know that seconds do not possess the same weight in those kind of situation, that your brain can only process so much before shorting out, yet I can only wonder, was it really unavoidable to kill them ?¡±


    They were shooting at me ! What the fuck was I supposed to do ? Ask them to stop ? Now I was pissed off. He really should have listened to me when I told him to stop.


    ¡°What are you talking about ? First Anna, then¡­¡°


    Shut the fuck up ! Anna doesn¡¯t have anything to do with any of this ! I¡¯ll send you back where you come from if I hear another word from you !


    And at this threat, he stopped bothering me. Finally. It might be a hollow one, I had no idea if I was in fact able to send someone into the void, even less if the one in question didn¡¯t have any physical part to target, but it worked. Usually he wasn¡¯t so annoying, yet this day he sure didn¡¯t seem to understand that I wasn¡¯t in a talkative mood.


    ¡­ Whatever my mood was, I should have listened. If only I had listened¡­

 Chapter 4 - Arrival

    ¡­ Mama, just killed a man. Put a gun against his head. Pulled my trigger, now he''s dead¡­


    After getting myself a new outfit, we had set out and found a place to rest in another neighborhood. The walk had been silent, neither him nor me talking about what we had done or seen. We were both in a blank stupor, realizing what we were capable of, and reflecting on the validity of such actions. Where before I was ok with anything I might do as long as I didn¡¯t cause undeserved suffering, now I had to think over my decisions not to plan ahead and let my emotions run wild. I liked that side of me, there was a bizarre cathartic feeling to joking around even when in the worse situations, it¡¯s undeniable, but I couldn¡¯t just allow it to overcome the better parts of me and nullify them. I had wallowed in my declining sanity as of late, and this just would not work for me anymore.


    Our hideaway consisted of a rundown flat, in a murky building, with tags on the walls and rats in them. But it served its purpose well enough. Arriving in the early evening we had eaten some snacks absentmindedly and promptly went to sleep after that. Kurt did at least. I was too focused on the images replaying themselves in my mind. Could I have prevented this massacre ? Probably not, they had opened fire as soon as we went near them. But that¡¯s probably because we had taken one of them out just before and were driving his car. So maybe, instead of assaulting that man outside the police station, we should have asked him nicely ? Sure, as if that would have worked.


    No, the real matter in the first place was our goal going in. Getting to Knowles. Maybe we should have let the idea go, and just insisted to Fletcher to have Alyssa be released. But the inspector had had a point, the city was in a bad situation, principally because of Knowles and his private army. Killing him and part of his goons - there was no doubt there were more of them somewhere - must have served the interest of the whole. Maybe what we did could have been done better but was still a good thing ? I wasn¡¯t sure about that, the thought leaving a bad ashen taste in my mouth.


    As I sat still on the ground, deep in reflection, the night came and went. I didn¡¯t feel tired nor sleepy, surely another quirk of my Stats. Or maybe the horrors of the day before were catching up to me, but I doubted it. The dawn created dazzling rays of light through the broken windows, shining on the rubbish scattered around.


    I had taken some time to contact the System while meditating, I had received a new Skill called [Double Casting] which, as it implied, allowed me to form two spells at the same time. I created a tiny orb of light in the palm of my hand, shifting its color through the visible spectrum, from violet to red, and back to violet, continuously, while levitating a couple centimeters off the ground. I could now control my whole-body worth of mass after so much time spent training controlling gravity.


    Kurt had asked me what I wanted, and my first instinct was to look for friendship. But my life shouldn¡¯t be resumed by just that. I wanted more. I needed more. A purpose in life was required if I was to last in this world. Running around haphazardly, causing chaos everywhere I go, this wouldn¡¯t do.


    As I mulled over this little problem of mine, Kurt woke up with a start. He quickly got up and looked around, as if astounded he was still there. I couldn¡¯t blame him, he most likely had relived the past day with nightmarish dread added to it. I felt a pang of guilt rush through my gut. No, I had to redirect myself, I hadn¡¯t forced him into this. Not to say that I cleared myself, I still had had a hand in it.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Ah !¡± He exclaimed, taken by surprise. ¡°Jeez, don¡¯t scare me like that !¡± Then, hesitating to talk, he looked me over twice before settling on a decision. ¡°I think we need to speak about... what happened yesterday. Just, let me eat a bit first.¡±


    He rummaged through his bag and brought out a piece of jerky that he began to eat. Not waiting for him to finish, I started to lay out my opinion.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You saw their equipment, they were ready to bring fire and fury to this city. I don¡¯t think we wiped them out completely, but getting Knowles out of the picture will definitely help. Don¡¯t stress it out.¡±


    He gulped the last bite, watching the sun reflect against the many windows across the street. ¡°You¡¯re not the best person to talk to concerning that, but I still feel sick in my stomach about... killing him. I mean, yes, he did some awful things and had probably planned to do much worse, but if I skip my own grief with him, the key word remains ¡®probably¡¯. We don¡¯t know for sure what he was using those grunts for.¡±


    ¡°But he was using them. Toying with their mind.¡± He glanced at me curiously. ¡°You may not have seen it, but at the last moment, just before you shot him, he made his family turn rabid and try to attack me. He did the same thing to his men.¡±


    ¡°What ? How ?¡±


    ¡°Must have been a Skill. He used his voice to set it off.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I remember now. He was looking me directly in the eyes, then he shouted something, and I¡­ I pressed the trigger.¡±


    ¡°As I said, don¡¯t stress it out. The shock will pass, then you¡¯ll feel even worse, but this will also fade in time. Give yourself a few days to think it over.¡±


    He eyed me, as if searching for a proof of what I was saying. Then he saw my face, saddened and compassionate. At least that¡¯s what I tried to show him. I stood up, stretched and ate my share of jerky. We didn¡¯t have much more in terms of food, and were on our last swigs of water.


    ¡°Kurt¡­ I wanted to say, erm¡­ I¡¯m sorry you had to see all that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Neant. It¡¯s fine. You might be one of the worse nutcase I¡¯ve ever seen, but you¡¯re no devil. I¡¯ve seen you look at people with compassion in your eyes on our way here, and you saved my life multiple times when you didn¡¯t have to. Yes, you killed a lot and in gruesome ways, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re an inhuman monster. Not to me at least. I¡¯ve met some people who walked the right path, did the right thing¡­ Doesn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t rotten to the very core when they thought they were alone.¡±


    I didn¡¯t react to that, not externally. Inside, I was relieved. An incredibly heavy weight was lifted from my shoulders. This man was telling me I wasn¡¯t an abomination, that I wasn¡¯t the worst humanity had ever seen like I had come to believe. This was freedom. Freedom of the heart. I breathed a long sigh of alleviation, nodding to him with a thankful smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a jackass by the way.¡± Ah, the long lost stingy quip, how I had missed it !


    We finished preparing ourselves and set out to resupply. Having no money whatsoever, this was a challenge in and of itself. We went to several stores to find out that the shopkeepers brave enough to keep their stands open were doing it for the wrong kind of reasons. Prices had skyrocketed to impossible measures and items were available in meager quantities. We were walking through town to find something, anything, that would sustain us when someone mentioned that the military were organizing open provisions distributions all over the city, so we listened in a bit more and learned the location of the nearest one.


    Arriving there was a pain, the crowd surrounding a group of trucks suffocating. But while we waited and shuffled slowly toward the so desired food and drinking water, we picked upon some strange rumors traveling around.


    ¡°You heard about Knowles¡¯ place ? It¡¯s been completely wiped out !¡± An adult male voice said.


    ¡°Pff. You¡¯re full of crap. Last I heard, He had a well-equipped force standing around in there. And as far as I know, the army didn¡¯t move any soldiers around yesterday.¡± Another male voice responded, this one more nasal.


    ¡°I swear it¡¯s true ! My cousin knows a guy who works for him ! He said there was only one guy ! A big stocky dude with super powers !¡±


    ¡°Man, I know the Tutorial was a mess and a half, and that it¡¯s really close to those video-games your son loves, but you got to keep your head out of your ass ! How did the guy who witnessed it survive all this, huh ?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, when shit started, he and all the other servants were led to the attic. They heard screams and explosions and weird sounds, you know ?¡±


    ¡°Then how did he know what he looked like if he stayed hidden all the while ?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ Err¡­ I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s real, I tell you !¡±


    They kept going at it from all angles, one assuring the other of the veracity of his story, while said other just didn¡¯t buy any of it. It was strange hearing about my actions in retrospect from the point of view of a bystander. How scary and confusing it had been. Kurt looked at me for a moment, wondering what I was thinking about what we were hearing, but I just blinked my eyes slowly, casting away any wish to correct them on how it actually went down.


    When we finally reached a truck, it was nearly empty. We hailed a soldier on top of it to throw us something, he then grabbed a plastic bag of what seemed to be dried food and a pack of water bottles. Happy as can be in this kind of loud and rowdy crowd, we slowly pushed our way out. I had to take extra care not to push too hard or risk breaking something, but we still made it to the other side in one piece.


    This endeavor completed, I turned to Kurt and asked him silently what he wanted to do now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I want to go see my mother, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s a good idea, with the mess we created back there.¡±


    ¡°Well, it might be a good opportunity to get her out. With Knowles gone, she has nothing to fear now. And Fletcher has no reason to keep her locked up anymore.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯m just¡­ You think it¡¯s a good idea ?¡±


    That made me pause. It was the time to think ahead, to anticipate the hardships coming our way following the choices we were currently making. A time to plan. A nasty shiver took my spine as I refrained from shaking my head ruefully in disgust. This felt unnatural to me. But I trudged through the feeling, and got my brain working. What would happen if we were to return to the police station ? More chaos. The people there would surely know by now that we were escapees, but more than that, we were connected to the massacre of around fifty people. So, not a good idea.


    Wait, Fletcher had mentioned that his place was run by Knowles¡¯ money and coercion. So, with him out¡­ There was probably nobody in the precinct anymore !


    ¡°Yes ! And we gotta go now !¡± I said as I started running, slower than I could have to let Kurt keep up with me.


    ¡°What ? Why ? What¡¯s happening ?¡± He shouted right behind me.


    ¡°I think your mom might be all alone in her cell right now ! Or maybe with Fletcher. Or something else¡­ But we need to get there now !¡±


    And so, we ran. For a bit, before Kurt lost all capability to breath the correct way. Then we resumed running, but even slower this time, I made sure of that.


    The police station had its doors wide open with nobody at the front desk, good sign for us, not so much for the gear stored in there. All the lights were out but we still saw something shift above in one of the offices. In Fletcher office, if my memory was right. We looked at each other, and moved silently through the lobby and up the stairs. Once in front of the door slightly ajar, we could hear somebody walk around and talk to himself. I risked a look inside, and got a glimpse of Fletcher, gagged and tied up on his chair. This didn¡¯t bode anything good. Alas, Fletcher saw me peeking and groaned mutedly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally decided to speak ? Let me help you.¡± I saw a silhouette of a man in a white suit go over to Fletcher and untie his gag.


    ¡°Humph¡­ I already told you, I have nothing to do with that !¡± He spat at white suit.


    ¡°If it is to lie again, you can abstain from opening your mouth. Tell me the truth, who did it ?¡±


    ¡°The guy who¡¯s-¡° I had stepped into the room, ready to deliver an express package of knuckles to the white suit, but received yet another bundle of bullets for my effort. Maybe I should stop trying to be so dramatic in my entrances. Note to self, do the deed, and speak after. There was another guy in the room behind the door. Other note to self, kick the door even if it¡¯s already open.


    Unmoved by the impacts, thinking more about how I had ruined yet another set of clothes, I sent a grav-wave backwards and heard a thump, then a slide against the wall and onto the floor.


    ¡°As I was saying, I¡¯m the guy who¡¯s about to kill you if you don¡¯t release my friend here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your friend, mate.¡± Ouch.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one who made this mess.¡± White suit turned to me and said, undeterred by my badass entrance. I hated this kind of guys, A poker face stronger than a mirror.


    ¡°And who are you ?¡±


    ¡°Your end. Your little tricks won¡¯t work on me.¡±


    Naturally I tested this affirmation, sending a plasma marble into his gut. Which vanished the instant it reached him, not even singing his damn costume.


    ¡°See ? Now, you will do as I say and follow me quietly. We have a lot to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, it¡¯s of no use. You-¡°


    He got stopped right there by a fingers pie in his face. I may have gone overboard, as his jaw was now on the other end of the room. But nobody tells me what to do or not do without consequences. This prick was now wailing on the floor, gurgling blood down his neck. I stomped on his head to put an end to the noise. A crack and a squish and it was over. I looked up and Fletcher had eyes as round as saucers.


    Whoops, did it again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I have no reason to give you the same treatment.¡± I tried reassuring him. It worked so-so.


    ¡°Christ, Neant¡­ Just untie him¡­¡± Kurt seemed to think I had done it on purpose, but I swear I hadn¡¯t !


    ¡°Hum, yeah¡­ Thanks...¡± He said to me as he kept his eyes trained on me, watching my every move.


    ¡°Now, who was that guy ?¡± Said Captain Kirk, taking control of the situation.


    ¡°An associate of Knowles¡­ Is Knowles really dead ? Is it really over ?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kurt said. The sound of his voice flat, only I heard the shiver in his throat. ¡°Can you lead us to my mother ?¡±


    Fletcher acquiesced, his eyes having left mines and directed toward the headless body.


    We descended to the first floor, in a part of the precinct that was hidden behind numerous doors. We entered a room with half a dozen cells, all empty of any offenders. Before they had left, the cops had had the wit to let them free, or there just wasn¡¯t that many criminals in this burgher neighborhood.


    ¡°Alyssa ? Are you ok ?¡± The detective shouted while approaching the end of the room.


    ¡°Fletcher ? You fucking fuck ! Don¡¯t even dare show your face to me !¡±


    ¡°Kurt¡¯s with me, Alyssa.¡± He said as he went through a set of keys in front of a metal door.


    ¡°Kurt ? Kurt, you¡¯re here ?¡± My friend was fixed in place, eyes glazing over the hatch.


    ¡°Mom ?¡± He answered after a moment.


    Finally, Fletcher managed to open the door, revealing a dark-skinned woman with freckles on her face. She was dressed in a wide red tee-shirt with bright blue jeans. Borrowed clothes I guessed. When she saw my friend she practically jumped to him, hugging him to the point of cutting off his breath. Breath he had skipped when he had looked at her, all worn down and bleary-eyed as she was. She had had to bereave her other son while locked up, unable to see him a last time before he was buried. In fact, I doubted he had been, with all that was going down. Maybe we would find his corpse in a morgue, forgotten and left to rot by his guardians¡­


    Which made me think about the smell that got out of her room. Quite a strong musk I might say. I pinched my nose, unable to hide a grimace from showing up on my face. Fletcher flicked his eyes at me, frowned and just as quickly looked the other way, all in one continuous motion of scowl and unease.


    After a long moment of reunion between the two Maxis, I got a chance to speak with the mother.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Alyssa. I¡¯m Neant, your son¡¯s babysitter.¡± I caught a glimpse of Kurt facepalming behind her. ¡°If you would kindly follow us, we need to leave this place.¡± I didn¡¯t want to have other friends of Knowles come up and surprise us in there.


    ¡°Um, sure.¡±


    ¡°Fletcher, you can come with us too. I assume your home must be infested with pest by now.¡±


    ¡°What is he talking about ?¡± Alyssa asked her son.


    ¡°Knowles¡¯ people. We need to get out of the city, and quickly.¡±


    I started walking back toward the entrance with a springy gait, making sure they were behind me.


    While they followed, Fletcher after Kurt and Alyssa, she whispered to her son. ¡°Is he a friend of yours ?¡±


    Kurt murmured back to her. ¡°Kinda¡­ But you can trust him. He¡¯s on our side.¡±


    ¡°Are those bullet holes ?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s more robust than he looks.¡± Why, thank you Kurt.


    ¡°Is he¡­ Are you two...¡± I could feel the undertone in her hesitation.


    ¡°I¡¯m not swinging that way if that¡¯s what worries you.¡± I interjected before Kurt could speak.


    ¡°Oh no, I was just wondering¡­¡± Apologetic, she didn¡¯t know how to react.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not too sure to be honest, I¡¯ve never tried it. Care for a new experience, Kurt ?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather sleep with a fucking blender.¡± Pictorial as always.


    ¡°Too bad. And what about you, Fletcher ?¡± I turned around, walking in reverse along one of the corridor.


    His eyes went back from vague awareness to crisp focus in an instant. ¡°Hum, what ? Sorry, I wasn¡¯t listening.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I just had an idea. Everybody masturbates, right ? Then, if you think about it, we all are a little bit gay.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he does that sometimes. Goes on wild tangents coming from nowhere.¡± Kurt said and betrayed me to the others.


    ¡°He does seem a little bit off his rocker.¡± She remarked.


    Once in the lobby, we noticed some people had wandered inside. We quickly left the building, then got into Fletcher¡¯s car, an old but well-maintained model of the 80s. I rode shotgun with the Maxis in the backseats. The detective then started the engine and asked me where we would be going.


    ¡°Anybody know a place where no-one will come looking for us ?¡±


    Alyssa of all people answered me. ¡°In the East valley, there is a small town that might suit our needs. I know someone there that owe me a favor.¡±


    ¡°Well then. Onward, my noble steed !¡± I exclaimed as I slapped my hand on Fletcher¡¯s shoulder.


    Cue the groans and grumbles of exasperation, but we were finally on our merry way. But first, the morgue.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    *


    *????*


    ¡­ And on the road again. Like a band of gypsies, we go down the highway. We''re the best of friends. Insisting that the world be runnin'' our way¡­


    The trip had been uneventful, cruising along the freeway, joking and singing, telling each other incredible stories¡­ Or rather plain silence right till the end. We had left the city with cries and tears, having buried Elijah ¨C Kurt¡¯s brother ¨C in a meadow on the outskirts of the suburbs. This had been a trying experience, not succumbing to the collective weeping and keeping a straight face, as I didn¡¯t want to add to the grieving atmosphere. I saw a mother and a son mourn, and it felt bitter. I may be capable of many impossible feats, but reviving the dead wasn¡¯t in my reach. But it passed, colors returning to the Maxis after a time.


    We were now in the town named after the abrupt cliff it grew on. Sutherdryre. An old name for an old place. The ocean could be seen below the overhang of many buildings right on top of the crag, as if the town was spilling over the natural wall. I guessed the burg was originally farther from the dead drop and that erosion had played its part. I could see some tall constructions, but it resembled more an extended village than a town per say.


    We parked the car in a narrow alley, at the back of a diner-bar. We had arrived in the late afternoon and the small dwelling was fully lit with loud discussions coming out. It seemed a bar was as good a place as any to spend your time during those troubling days. Luckily, Fletcher had spare clothes for me in his trunk.


    ¡°She¡¯s in there. Don¡¯t cause a scene.¡± Alyssa said, her eyes pointed directly at me.


    Wow, already ?


    We went in through the front, passing by drunk men and women, old and young, celebrating the end of the world together. Inside, the air was heavy with the smell of sweat, alcohol, a bit of ladies¡¯ perfume and¡­ tobacco smoke. I was bringing up the rear, and the instant this odor fluttered in my nose, I froze. Rushing outside, I took deep breaths and leaned over myself, as if dry heaving my lungs out. Panic attack is what it was. This¡­ stench brought too many memories back with it. I couldn¡¯t stand it, I had to get away, I had to¡­


    I felt a hand drop on my shoulder. Stopping myself from reacting violently just in time, I turned around and faced Kurt.


    ¡°You ok ?¡± He looked concerned, a worried frown on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Take deep inspirations, and let it go slowly. You need something ?¡± He simply offered his help, just like that, no strings attached.


    ¡°Just some time alone, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Sure. We¡¯re at one of the left side table, come join us when you can.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ And erm¡­ Thanks, Kurt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± This guy¡­


    I took a minute or two to calm down. People kept staring at me, but I didn¡¯t mind much. Sure, the looks grated on my patience, I kind of wanted to scare them away, but in the end, it didn¡¯t matter to me. I went back in, spotted my group sitting at the designated table and joined them, facing the entrance. Nobody asked about my absence.


    Alyssa was the first to speak. ¡°We ordered you a burger with fries, is that ok ?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. I might need it actually.¡±


    Fletcher then intervened. ¡°So, who is it that we are meeting ?¡±


    ¡°She should be here any minute now.¡± Alyssa dismissed his question with venom in her voice. She was still pissed at him, but she would eventually get over it, he had probably saved her life after all.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll tell me about it afterward, I have to go see a man about a horse.¡± Fletcher on the other hand didn¡¯t seem to care much about what she thought of him. To him, he had done the right thing, that was all.


    ¡°Have I met her ?¡± Kurt asked, trying to figure out who it was.


    ¡°No, we came across each other just last year.¡±


    ¡°Right. What did you do for her again ?¡±


    With a knowing look, she addressed her son. ¡°I helped her get her dad out of trouble with the cops once or twice. He¡¯s a heavy drinker.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s also a damn big guy with a mean right hook.¡± A voice called out to my left.


    There, dressed in a cook attire, was an athletic woman. She had slipped past me without anyone the wiser, me included, which was actually very impressive.


    ¡°Madison !¡± Alyssa then proceeded to hug the shit out of her. This was a recurring theme it seemed.


    ¡°Easy there. Introduce me first !¡± Madison said with a smile.


    Alyssa took a step back and pointed a hand at her son. ¡°This is Kurt, my little baby-¡°


    ¡°-Ah come on !-¡°


    Then at me. ¡°-and this is¡­ Neant¡­ He¡¯s¡­ someone¡­¡± Sputtering her last words, she looked back at Madison, embarrassment visible.


    ¡°Haha ! At least you got his name right, right ?¡±


    I nodded a couple times, enjoying this moment of confusion. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Madison.¡±


    ¡°Ooh. The boy¡¯s even got manners. Alyssa¡­ Tell me, what are you up to with such a fine lad ?¡± She quirked her eyebrows, two grins worth of smile on her face.


    Alyssa pinched her nose ¨C a family thing ¨C then invited her friend to sit down with us.


    ¡°So, why are you all here ? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s for the cuisine, I¡¯m not that gullible.¡±


    I spoke up for all of us. ¡°Well, we have a service to ask of you. We need to disappear for a while and Alyssa here was thinking you might have a place somewhere for us to stay at, if it¡¯s not too much to ask for.¡±


    ¡°Why, yes of course ! I owe Alyssa much more than that. And I have just the right thing for you. A friend of mine left his house empty to go find his girlfriend at the other end of the country and left it to my care while he¡¯s away. He won¡¯t mind if you use it a bit, as long as you don¡¯t break anything.¡±


    I sure hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to that.


    ¡°That is very kind of you.¡± I don¡¯t know why nor how, but my brain insisted to be extra nice with her. Probably my synapses starting to tire out. Or the animal in me found her appealing. But most likely my synapses. Yes, my synapses, working overtime to interpret the wink she shot me.


    ¡°God ! Get a room !¡± Kurt blurted out, disgust showing.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we were talking about, Kurt. I told you already, you should consult someone asap.¡±


    He muttered under his breath something related to rabbits and got quiet, sulking in his corner.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you around after we close, for now, beers on me !¡±


    She got up, walked behind the counter, grabbed a tray, filled five glasses after I told her to add one for Fletcher and got back to us, all that under a minute. You must appreciate someone who can pour beer that quickly without it foaming. I took a sip after thanking her, and the bitterness took me by surprise.


    I really should get used to it.


    She apologized seeing me wince. ¡°Sorry if it tastes a bit off, we had no power running for two days last week. It¡¯s been like that since.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, I¡¯m just not used to it yet.¡±


    ¡°To beer ? What !? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never drunk before ?¡± I could tell an idea popped in her mind. I didn¡¯t like where this was going.


    ¡°About that, how do you still have anything to drink ? Let alone any food ?¡± I tried veering the conversation onto safer subjects.


    ¡°Oh, yes. There was a general supplier for the region in the next town. We scavenged it after the black-out happened.¡±


    ¡°And the power ?¡±


    ¡°A small plant between- Don¡¯t think I¡¯m not seeing what you¡¯re doing, mister lightweight ! You will get plastered tonight, or I¡¯m not a part of the Make-A-Drink foundation !¡±


    ¡°With great enthusiasm comes great responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll take good care of you.¡± And another wink. To which even Alyssa rolled her eyes.


    That¡¯s how I started my night, a beer in my hand and people to laugh with. Things were looking up, all was well, the world was pulling through the apocalypse, I even contemplated the future with wishful thinking. But, again, things didn¡¯t pan out the way I expected them to.


    *


    *????*


    ¡­ And that¡¯s the way the cookie crumble !


    We were in the middle of the night, even more patrons had come in, more beer had been poured, food was in abundance, laughs and animated discussions were aplenty¡­ I was having the time of my life. If it wasn¡¯t for the lingering cigarette smell ¨C I had forced every smoker out of the place ¨C I think I would have wanted to stay there indefinitely. Madison had remained true to her words, serving me glass after glass, from brew to whisky, even going as far as making me try some moonshine she had reserved for special occasions. Fletcher was sharing his experience in the Tutorial with an antiquated man¨C it involved reliving a battle he had lost a friend in ¨C and the Maxis were in a corner, catching up to each other¡¯s tale. When Madison had returned from the kitchen, she insisted I defend my manly honor and challenge the local drinking star. At that point I had drained four beers, two shots of Scotch and one of what tasted like pure alcohol, the aforementioned moonshine. And I still didn¡¯t have to go to the restroom. I was truly a cheat character.


    ¡°I think I feel something... A slight tingle in my fingers¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ! Then you need more !¡± She burst out, half-laughing to my allusion, half-joking herself. ¡°Go find the guy with red hair and a skull on his cheek, he¡¯s gonna coach you on how to drink properly !¡±


    Madison had been very professional during the night, not drinking more than a beer before going to work. But now that she was done cooking, she had let her inner monster loose. At times, I felt like a piece of meat in front of a lioness, or a goose she poured alcohol in. She was truly fearsome, and yet a part of me seemed drawn to her, always coming back for another round.


    The guy in question was burly, his crimson mane giving him a fierce look. I sat in front of him, waiting for him to acknowledge me. He looked me over, his eyes strangely alit under a face marked with the regular use of alcohol, then pushed his half-emptied pint and nodded at me. Getting the message, I gulped it in one go. He ordered two more, and we started chugging them like there were no tomorrow. I didn¡¯t really know why I was participating in this ritual, but I did it anyway. In a sense, I felt as if a part of something bigger. Part of a ceremonial that transcended our young and wobbly society.


    We finished our fourth gulp just in time to hear a commotion outside. Screams of what sounded like fear and amazement mixed with tables and chairs thrown to the ground. A man with eyes poking out of his head then entered the bar in a rush and started shouting to us all.


    ¡°They¡¯re here ! The aliens are here !¡±


    We all tried to go outside at the same time and ended up blocking the entrance, but I could see lights above the houses through the windows. Green lights, moving in the sky. It was true, they were finally here. What would they look like ? I got a flash of my discussion with Jane about that. What would they want from us ? If they even did want something from us in the first place. Maybe they were here for the resources ? Maybe we were only pest to eradicate to them ?


    I got outside and saw them fly over us, coming from the sea. They were heading inland, toward the larger cities probably. I couldn¡¯t determine the size of their ships, the green points of light too little to even guess at their approximative diameter when put against the black backdrop of the night sky. People Oohed in awe, and rushed to the center of the town when one appeared to come to a stop right above it. I watched in muted expectation as the fleet finished its passage over us. We were ants, that¡¯s the feel I got from this quantity of power displayed.


    Our group met up in front of the bar, we needed to discuss our current course of action.


    ¡°I say we just ignore them, we need to keep a low profile.¡± Fletcher proposed, caution his priority.


    Alyssa looked at him, scowl in her eyes. ¡°And who wouldn¡¯t go meet the aliens when they have come directly to us ? That¡¯s not keeping a low profile, that¡¯s idiocy !¡±


    ¡°We should go there and at least see what they want. We can¡¯t just hide our heads in the dirt and hope for everything to be alright.¡± Kurt said, using his brain for once.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we might learn a thing or two.¡± I added my comment, trying to encourage him.


    We went there, quickly catching up to the now massive crowd surrounding the town square. The alien craft was hovering ten meters high, looming menacingly above our heads. It slowly but surely descended as people watched in open wonderment. As soon as it touched the ground, a bright light shot out of its belly. The whole thing seemed engineered to create a dramatic entrance. Three small silhouettes draw themselves against the lighting. They then descended from the ship, floating the last few centimeters between the open hatch and the pavement beneath. Then, the brightness subdued, leaving us to gaze at three completely different individuals.


    The one in the middle was short, a bright red cap above four beady eyes, the rest of his body dark with a tint of green due to the dimming engines. I could spot many patches of fur on its head and neck, much like an ape. It had two prehensile limbs with weird bends and two hind ones made for standing up. It resembled a monkey with a baseball cap and antelope arms and legs. It looked around, surely analyzing us all.


    The second one was tall, more than two meters in height. It had numerous limbs with just as many wriggling fingers at each end. A central smooth torso with no head forged the picture of an octopus mixed with a stone face in the middle, its two enormous eyes seeming bored and scanning us with lazy intent.


    Last is the most surprising one. Not because it was extraterrestrial looking, but on the contrary for its uncanny resemblance with a human being. It had all of our characteristics down to the eyebrows and a perfectly symmetric body. Two glowing red eyes were the only difference from us. His attitude toward us was¡­ disturbing. It was smiling from ear to ear and bobbing its head up and down.


    They were wearing some sort of jumpsuits, each tailored to embrace their body in seemingly optimal ways. Then, the monkey one addressed us all with a voice that conflicted with such a small frame. In fact, he probably used a space-megaphone.


    ¡°People of Sutherdryre ! As of the twenty-sixth day of the seventh month of the year two thousand and fifteen following your calendar, you are now under the command of the Fifth Expeditionary Force of the Hierarch.¡± It was a voice out of this world, literally. The speech pattern was flat, but Its intonations marked its pride in his allegiance.


    Several people gasped in terror, other started to head toward the invaders but were quickly stared into place. Alas, five men and women didn¡¯t get the memo, and went nearer to them than caution dictated. They were instantly dispatched by the two aliens standing to the sides of the one talking. Quick thrusts of weapons I hadn¡¯t seen before ¨C long metal poles ¨C and they were on the ground, groaning in pain. Thing is, it had been quick for everyone but me. I had seen them get small object from their backs, deploy them into full staffs and strike as if in a slight slow-motion. They were indeed stronger and faster that the average man, but they still didn¡¯t compare to me. Thing is, they were probably just low-ranking officers of this expeditionary thing. If I was to go against the full might of their army, I had no doubt I would encounter opponents on par or even stronger than me.


    Call me a coward, but I didn¡¯t fancy going against an unknown enemy without proper preparations. And for what ? To protect humanity ? I didn¡¯t care. Or just a bit, my friends did matter to me at least. But that is why I did nothing, and let the monkey continue his little speech.


    ¡°This is a once in a universe-time opportunity. The Hierarch is benevolent and compassionate. He offers you a chance to prove yourselves and enter his dominion over all that lives. You can all be part of a bigger society. For that, you only need to use the System and its many boons to evolve and become worthy of His notice.¡± Then, picking up pace and volume. ¡°Rejoice, people of the Earth ! For today a new page of your history unfolds ! A page of unbound richness and power ! The future is bright for those who assiduously follow His dictate !¡±


    Mixed reactions could be seen on the surrounding faces. Ones of dread and horror, ones of expectancy, of unbridled potential finally being set free¡­ And ones of utter surrender. People don¡¯t want to fight if they can help it, that is the rule of humanity I started to learn that day. Yes, a minority want to better things out, others prefer them as they were, but the majority just wants to live peaceably. I was frightened to see as many of my kin accept and just resolve themselves to this new state of affairs. They weren¡¯t that numerous ¨C for now ¨C the shock had just happened, but the next following days would prove me right. Business as usual would keep going, simply adjusting to new circumstances.


    ¡°We will now establish a camp in the near vicinity in order to distribute gifts to those who wish to join the great Hierarchy. You may now have realized that a maximum number of Skills are available to you at any time. We offer you the chance to increase that maximum with a Trait in order to develop your strength and augment your usefulness to the Hierarch. Further than that, you will choose in what way you want to serve Him, for his gift is one of many possibilities. This Trait is called [Child of the Hierarchy] and is prone to evolve following your feats done in His name !¡±


    Yeah, sure. A free of charge offering just to enlist in a shady group of psycho aliens with a cult of the personality disorder. No issue there.


    And still I could tell some were enticed to do so. When our extraterrestrial guest finished giving the location of its soon to be recruitment center near the entrance of town, they took off in a breeze, disappearing above the buildings roofs. I turned to my friends to watch their reactions, but they were already discussing it among themselves.


    ¡°¡­ I tell you, we need to get out of here and quickly !¡±


    ¡°Fletcher, don¡¯t be such a moron. They¡¯re everywhere now, there¡¯s no use fleeing to another town.¡± Alyssa, again, berated the detective.


    ¡°I say we just stay put, it won¡¯t matter anyhow, as you said they¡¯re everywhere.¡± Madison added her opinion.


    But Alyssa begged to differ. ¡°No, we must fight them however we can ! They should not be able to come and conquer our planet without us fighting back !¡±


    ¡°I can understand your point, but leave that to the army. Going all Rambo or take to the hills isn¡¯t possible for any of us.¡± Madison, cool-headed, reminded her of our capabilities.


    ¡°Neant could.¡±


    Everybody stopped arguing when Kurt spoke. Fletcher watched with rapt attention the shoes of Alyssa who, together with Madison, stared at Kurt with question marks on their forehead.


    ¡°I could, but I¡¯d prefer not to. We don¡¯t know their full strength yet.¡±


    At that, Alyssa looked at me with dubious eyes, trying to pierce my skull and search the truth in it. Madison on the other hand took the news with relative ease, meaning she grinned at me as if appreciating a good joke. Somewhere, deep inside, it hurt my pride. Just a bit. But I was certain that, soon enough, I would have to prove them wrong.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join them instead.¡± I said straight faced, a migraine and a plan starting to form on the ridges of my brain.


    ¡°Here we go again¡­¡± My friend said to himself.


    Madison kept her smile, expecting me to drop the act at any moment. Alyssa on the other hand¡­


    ¡°Are you fucking stupid ? It¡¯s clearly a ploy to use us in some nefarious means ! How can you be so blind to their intentions ?¡±


    ¡°I blink a lot.¡± This got some reaction. Fury and laughter from you can guess whom, while Fletcher still seemed absorbed by the floor.


    ¡°Urgh¡­ Just explain us your idea¡­¡± Kurt, helpful as always. ¡°You do have one, right ?¡±


    ¡°Why, yes ! Thank you for asking ! It¡¯s quite simple really. We infiltrate them !¡±


    ¡°What for ?¡± Asked Madison, playing the part.


    ¡°To learn of their weaknesses of course !¡±


    ¡°What if they don¡¯t have one ?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ We make one !¡± I was proud of my logical thinking.


    ¡°Even if we successfully join their organization without them brainwashing us with some space wizardry we have no idea of, even if we survive all the while the more than probable alien-hazing, even if we find a fault in their invasion of the Earth from a platoon surely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, what, the fuck, are we gonna do with this ¡®weakness¡¯ ? We¡¯re not the military ! We can¡¯t push them back into space with only four people !¡± Alyssa said as the good buzz killer she was.


    ¡°Five, don¡¯t forget Fletcher.¡± She crossed her arms at that. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. The moment we get an edge over them, we¡¯ll destroy them from the inside ! Or just call the cavalry, if you insist. But I still prefer option one.¡±


    Madison then realized I wasn¡¯t joking around. She experimented a brutal reentry into reality. ¡°You¡¯re mental... You¡¯re actually out of your fucking mind !¡±


    Wow¡­ That hurt¡­ Why does that hurt so much ? Why does what Madison think of me matters that much ?


    I was troubled for a second, shaken in my core. I was in fact rediscovering a lost feeling. Attraction, its many flaws and its thorny side.


    ¡°He can do it, you know. He¡¯s more capable than his brain farts suggest. I bet he can actually damage their project severely if offered the right opportunity. And it¡¯s not gonna come to him on its own, he needs to go seek or create one.¡±


    This was all a bit too much. Madison setting off explosions in my heart and Kurt complimenting me in his own way, it broke me a little bit.


    ¡°Kurt, stop messing with us, this isn¡¯t funny anymore. You¡¯re playing into his own delusions !¡± Alyssa didn¡¯t seem to agree.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen the bullet holes in his shirt !¡±


    ¡°Well-¡°


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable of. Fletcher, tell them !¡±


    ¡°Traits !¡± I blurted out, a part of my brain still assessing my new plan.


    ¡°What now ?¡±


    ¡°Ideally, I would have done it on my own, but as things are, I can¡¯t. Traits¡­ aren¡¯t my forte.¡±


    ¡°No. No way. Nu-uh. You will not drag my son into this.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even-¡° Kurt tried to say something but got interrupted.


    ¡°But he is a necessary part of this endeavor. If I go alone, they will not let me venture around freely. I need him with me.¡±


    ¡°Neant, I-¡°


    ¡°He will do no such thing. You can wallow in your pipe dream but don¡¯t bring him into it !¡±


    ¡°Can I just-¡°


    ¡°He¡¯s going with me, end of the-¡°


    ¡°Let me talk !¡± Kurt ended up screaming at full volume to us both, which successfully shut us up. ¡°Mom, I know it¡¯s difficult to consider, but you have to let me make my own choices, even if they endanger me.¡± Alyssa closed her eyes in mixed understanding and remorse. ¡°And you-¡± Pointing at me. ¡°-don¡¯t tell me what to do either ! My life is mine to live, not yours, is that clear ?¡±


    He had a point. I had a reaction of pure refusal to any imposed decision on me, why would I expect anything less from a friend ? And now that I thought about it, this plan would involve a lack of free-choice in what I would be able to do, the Hierarchy surely not one to let its recruits loiter. I had to prepare for compromises, and a good start would be with Kurt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kurt. I need you in on this, but you don¡¯t have to. What do you truly want to do ?¡±


    He took a moment to gather his mind, think it over and decide. ¡°I¡¯m going with you, and it¡¯s not because I owe you anything. We need answers, and nobody but the aliens can give them to us.¡± Alyssa left abruptly at that, a forlorn look in her eyes. Kurt watched her walk away, sad but determined. ¡°Without me you¡¯ll just cause another mess anyhow.¡± He flashed a contorted smile, trying to comfort himself in his decision.


    ¡°Why are you so resolved to throw your life away ? What does he have that we don¡¯t ?¡± Madison couldn¡¯t hold her tongue anymore.


    ¡°Power.¡± He didn¡¯t drop his gaze from his mother to argue with Madison. I could feel his regret at causing even more anxiety to her.


    ¡°Kurt, can I ?¡± I asked as I nodded at his departing mom.


    ¡°Go ahead. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to get through to her, but you can try.¡±


    I then quickly sprinted to Alyssa. Reaching out to her would be difficult, she had lost a son and was thinking she was about to lose the second one.


    ¡°Alyssa, can we talk for a second ?¡±


    I took her lack of answer as assent, and said my piece. I should have known better.


    ¡°Believe me or not, but I don¡¯t want to endanger your son. I actually care about him¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why are you bringing him on this ? And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because of your ¡®Trait¡¯ thing, I don¡¯t buy it.¡± Anger took her voice, progressing at every syllable spoken.


    Alarmed by her rising tone, I tried to answer her concerns. ¡°It is ! I may be able to fly, but I-¡±


    ¡°Why am I even listening to you ? You¡¯re clearly insane !¡±


    As she snapped at me, I deliberated revealing what I was capable of. It may solve the issue at hand, but would also create another further along the road. What if she asked where I got these Skills, or how I obtained these Stats ? Kurt was sensible - or trusted me - enough not to press me for answers but, as far as I knew her, Alyssa wasn¡¯t so agreeable. And I wasn¡¯t ready to talk about the void yet. Why ? Because, I admit, I was a bit paranoid about it. To divulge my story, even to a friend, was in fact opening the door to every abuse and exploitation possible. And I feared that above all.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the soundest person around here, sure, but don¡¯t think one second that it makes me value Kurt any less.¡±


    ¡°And yet you¡¯re ready to throw him into the lion¡¯s mouth ! Don¡¯t speak to me about friendship ! You don¡¯t know what friendship is. You don¡¯t know what caring for anyone more than yourself is !¡±


    Although she said it as if I was the one to blame, I still had to agree with her. It may be because I was the nearest thing to an able-bodied newborn, or because of my antecedents in my past life, but she really hit the nail on that one. I had no idea what true love or affection meant. I may be functional on the surface, but inside, my social skills were a mess, my mind was a mess and every connection I felt with my past was tainted with the knowledge that it was all a lie I had kept up to preserve myself. What am I doing ? Who am I ? Those are the questions I asked myself. And I didn¡¯t get any answers.


    I can¡¯t recall exactly what followed, but I can at least remember her face changing from one of scorn to one intensely empathic, with drooping eyes and tightened lips. I think¡­ I think we spoke about my family. About Elijah, too. I feel like I had to talk about certain things of my past, and that this was the moment my heart decided to speak. I kept being vague about it, but I let go of a lot of shit I had in me.


    Things you don¡¯t need to know.


    We had walked till the outskirts of town, the sun starting to show itself on the horizon. Nobody in sight. Only hills, forests and the ocean below. Peace and quiet that we perturbed with our voices. We had come to an agreement of sort, recognizing in each other a part of ourselves. The angst at the perspective of losing a relative, and the need for recognition and fellowship.


    ¡°Take care of my son, Neant.¡±


    ¡°I will, I promise. And go easy on Fletcher, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s all that bad.¡± She actually smiled at that. I guessed she was giving him a hard time just to get even at him, but there was no harsh feeling behind it.


    Thereon, we turned back toward the bar, where the others were still waiting for us. When we reached it, the premises were deserted save for a couple of sleeping dudes and our group, still discussing the way the world would run in the near future.


    Madison hailed us, grabbing two plates filled with eggs and bacon on the near counter. ¡°You guys got it sorted out ?¡±


    ¡°I think so, yes.¡± Alyssa answered, calm and appeased. ¡°I still think it¡¯s a bad idea, but I can¡¯t stop them from doing what they want, can I ?¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan ?¡± Fletcher asked in a tired voice.


    Everybody had shadows under their eyes, sleeping was long overdue. ¡°For now, let¡¯s eat. Then we¡¯ll go to that house Madison mentioned and catch some sleep. We¡¯ll see about the rest tomorrow.¡±


    After gulping the breakfast Madison had kindly prepared, we set out in search of the so needed beds. We each quickly found our own little smooth paradise and crashed without waiting. I had been awake for two days straight at that point, and tiredness came rushing back when I stopped pushing it away. Sleep¡­ is a strange thing. Blank memories with colorful dreams. That day, I dreamt of many things, which, of course, I can¡¯t remember. But I¡¯m sure they were good. If not, I wouldn¡¯t have fucked up the next part.

 Chapter 5 - Questions

    ¡­ It ain¡¯t me, it ain¡¯t me ! I ain¡¯t no fortunate one ! No, no, no...


    It is often said that a man who is his own lawyer has a tool for a client, and I had to agree to that. Which is why Kurt was currently speaking on my behalf to the Hierarchy¡¯s recruiter.


    ¡°So he already got a Trait ? Impressive. But worrying. If I were you I¡¯d be more careful around him, he must have been in a lot of Vaults to obtain one. And you know what they say about Vault-nuts¡­¡± The alien looked up from his computer, pausing after meeting Kurt¡¯s gaze. ¡°Well, you wouldn¡¯t, not that soon anyway. Sorry about that. Let¡¯s just say that people who delve into those death traps repeatedly on their own tend to develop some¡­ sinister view on life. It¡¯s a well known facts in the higher realms, so consider this an early warning.¡±


    He was of the same sort than the one who made the greeting speech at the central plaza, just a bit taller. Of regular height even. His red cap had tiny cavities in it, forming a coarse hemisphere on the top of his head. Couple that with greyish patches of fur and milky eyes and you get the picturesque image of an aging alien with an elongated white mustache.


    ¡°I¡¯m already keeping a close watch on him, don¡¯t worry. But what do Vaults have to do with Traits ? He didn¡¯t share that with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t. You know that crystal you get at the end of a Vault ? Well, if you¡¯re determined and lucky enough to find a matching set, you can claim a Trait from the System.¡± I didn¡¯t know if that piece of information was common knowledge where he came from, but to us it was invaluable. ¡°Nobody does it that way. Those rocks aren¡¯t worth anything more than currency nowadays, especially when you can get an incredibly potent Trait just by joining us.¡±


    Kurt bounced back on this. ¡°Speaking of, of what use is [Child of the Hierarchy] ?¡±


    ¡°It allows you to learn one more Skills for starters. As a new specie you are currently limited to four, but you will quickly fill them out. Skills are a necessity if you want to progress in the vast world, and nobody expects you to survive with less than four anyway. The Trait also offers you a boost in your learning speed, and as you progress in our ranks-¡±


    Wait, four Skills maximum ? Then how did I have as much as twenty of them ? Even if I didn¡¯t count the ones given to me by passing Stats thresholds, that¡¯s still six more Skills than allowed ! That [ERROR] really did bug the System for me. Strange thing is, it had been given to me by said System¡­ Or had it ? Did the System rather try to put into words something I had discovered by myself ? I was swimming in suppositions while Kurt continued discussing with the clerk.


    ¡°-All will be explained when you enroll with us. For now, are you ready to-¡± Accept our lord and savior into your heart ?


    Kurt turned to me, forming a question with his eyes to which I acquiesced. I got closer to the front desk, and we started filling out the forms the alien contractor was handing us while he explained what we were agreeing to.


    ¡°We cannot ensure your safety during your first steps with us, you are in effect entering at your own risk. That is not to say that you will definitely suffer injuries during our newcomers-program, but still, don¡¯t take security for granted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s encouraging.¡± Kurt noticed with sarcasm dripping from his voice.


    ¡°Well, complaints were made, and the higher-ups have deemed this footnote necessary.¡±


    Finished with our applications, we were led to a backroom and told to wait there for a minute. I wondered at the engineering stunt erecting such a building overnight had been. It may be plain and stern, but you have to admit that constructing a three stories edifice made of what seemed like concrete in as little as six hours was a damn fine accomplishment. Few did, most of the towners had looked at it and dismissed it as an affront to the landscape, or another proof of the aliens¡¯ desire to control us. Which made sense, I¡¯ll give them that, but delayed our enlistment to the next night in order to go in unseen. Alyssa, Madison and Fletcher had stayed in town and were spending their time snooping around, listening to conversations and looking for a way to reach the army, wherever they were.


    Suddenly, a door in the wall slided open, revealing a man in casual clothes. Jeans cropped to the knees, a colorful shirt and flip-flops collaborated to create an easy-going appearance. But what gave it away was the second pair of eyes on his forehead, black and bulging. They kept switching focus, always moving, as if  constantly soaking in the entire room.


    ¡°Greetings, my dear trainees ! I am your new instructor ! My name being untranslatable in your language, you can call me Jarof, as in ¡®jar of nightmares¡¯ ! In the next few days we will assess your current capabilities and discover your potential. On to the presentations ! You, what¡¯s your name ?¡± He declaimed then pointed to me.


    ¡°Neant¡­ sir. And this is-¡±


    ¡°Let him answer for himself ! If he cannot even do that, he won¡¯t live long enough for his name to matter.¡±


    After a short break, Kurt spoke slowly. ¡°I¡¯m Kurt, pleased to meet you sir.¡±


    ¡°Good ! Now that that¡¯s done, let¡¯s skip the usual background recital, I¡¯m sure Zodb cleared you when you checked in.¡± Zodb was the recruiter by the way. ¡°As you are now under my care, I expect great things of you ! Train hard, and show us what you got !¡±


    This guy was definitely enthusiastic about this whole training process. Despite my best effort, I was driven to follow him in his excitement. I admit, I did shout a vigorous ¡®Yeah !¡¯ while pumping my arm in the air. Kurt brought me back by grabbing my shoulder.


    ¡°So, what are we supposed to do ? Do we start now ? How are you going to evaluate us ?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re up for it, sure. Let¡¯s begin the tests !¡± Then, in a lower voice. ¡°You¡¯ll love them¡­¡±


    He swiveled on his feet and swooped back the way he came. Naturally, we followed him in the dark corridor. It had all kinds of bends at weird angles, up, down, a bit left, slightly right, up to the right, down and a u-turn left¡­ Got a bit lost in that maze. That may have been intentional. Soon, we arrived in a new room, brightly lit with a rack full of those metallic staves in their compact forms. They were the size of a hand in length but each one had a different width.


    As he reached the center of the room he started speaking aloud. ¡°This first test is to¡­ test your physical abilities.¡± He seemed disappointed with himself, but quickly got back on track and gestured to the shelf. ¡°You will each choose a Bo to your liking then attempt to activate it. When you do so, you will strike me with it. Simple enough, right ?¡±


    I didn¡¯t like that smirk. Not because it was insufferably cocky but¡­ Well, that¡¯s a part of it, but I was fearing what it would push me to do. If I was to go too hard on him then they would realise my strength was a bit odd, and questions would arise. So, no brutalizing the overconfident ass. But I wanted to so hard¡­


    How would I solve this issue ? How would I even be able to control my force to such a fine degree as to appear to have only one or two points in Might ? Well, I might need to explain a thing or two. You see, those thresholds Skills I got were really nifty. You¡¯d think having 25 Might would cause me to crush everything I grasped, but those passives helped for that. Contrary to its name, [Lesser Physical Strengthening] didn¡¯t augment my strength. It allowed me to adjust it. Maybe the concept was lost in translation, I don¡¯t know. I understood that fact when I had tried accelerating my deaths. I discovered that [Lesser Physical Regeneration] could work against my Constitution, and deduced that it was the same for the other passives. Still, I had to be thankful for that. I remember when I absentmindedly gripped the armrest of that bench the day I emerged from the void. It had collapsed under my pressure like putty in my hand. I won¡¯t lie, constantly taking care not to use explosive force for every menial tasks of the day was tiring, but my Discipline helped tremendously.


    Anyway, ready to duke it out - calmly - with Jarof, I headed toward the Bos, Kurt on my tail.


    They look like¡­


    Stopping my drifting thoughts, I grabbed one. It was light, extremely so, and had some sort of adherent polymer covering it.


    ¡°To deploy it, send your Intent to do so in it.¡±


    Intent, huh ? Was it like Mana ? If so I feared I might fry the dild- the Bo in my hand. But Jarof quickly answered my worry.


    ¡°Intent is the very foundation of your being, of your very soul. You can¡¯t think it, you must will it.¡± He said, a glimmer in his regular eyes. Looked like he really enjoyed his role here.


    I tried to focus myself, to bring out my Willpower, but achieved nothing, the concept going far over my head. What was a soul ? Again, I was faced with this question. On the other hand, Kurt nearly blinded himself as the rod extended past his face in a brisk motion. It reminded me of the first rule of firearm. ¡®Don¡¯t look straight into the barrel¡¯, not that I knew much more about them.


    ¡°You are fast to learn, disciple, but lack basic common sense. Your comrade on the other hand, seems to struggle quite a bit. Could you share your insights as to how you projected your Intent ?¡±


    Wait, did he just switch accent mid-sentence ?


    Until now, he had spoken like the rest of us, if with somewhat bizarre inflections here or there, but it begged the question, how did they know how to communicate with us ? It hadn¡¯t been a month since the arrival of the System, so were they already listening on our coms and learning our language before that ? Or did they possess a mean to absorb knowledge quicker than we could ? The question of speech pattern distracted me for a bit, and I only caught the end of Kurt explanation.


    ¡°- with some sort of pressure, and that¡­ well¡­ I pushed inward and... Woosh !¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Yep, completely lost.


    I resumed my attempt, glaring at the object like it had insulted my ancestors, whoever they may be, careful not to point it toward me lest it respond in kind.


    The soul¡­ My soul¡­ Poor soul¡­ How mistreated and banged up it was. Still is. What could I do to heal it ? Time ? Social interaction ? Foreign concepts to me at that point. I could barely project myself in the next day, and the nearest people I could call friends had just started to warm up to me. This soul of mine sure had had it rough, and it wasn¡¯t exactly looking up.


    I realized I was viewing it as separated from me, as something added onto my mind. Maybe I had to consider it a part of myself¡­ Meditation might offer some insight, I thought, and quickly fell into an awakened trance.


    I felt something. A feeble tug in my head. Or was it my heart ? Or my stomach¡­ I couldn¡¯t locate the feeling, try as I might. It wasn¡¯t diffuse, something telling me I was sensing it in my body somewhere. But Jarof had clearly stated not to think about it. So, I just did what came naturally, and by that I mean what seemed the most logically sound. I let the pressure in my body direct itself toward the rod, going inside of it but still being a part of me.


    And it grew. Slowly. At a snail pace.


    ¡°Ha ! It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen someone so miserable with his soul ! Reassure me boy, you do possess one ?¡±


    His joke aside, he wasn¡¯t wrong. My constant inner turmoil must have been at fault here, or I just wasn¡¯t meant to be good at this. After an embarrassing full minute, it stopped expanding. I was finally ready. Jarof had watched me intently all the while with both sets of eyes, which was more than a little unnerving. He murmured something, the sounds throaty and rattling, surely his native tongue.


    ¡°Good. Know that those weapons are not to be taken lightly. In the right hands they can be as much if not deadlier than a blaster or a cutter.¡± Seeing my interested gaze he added. ¡°You¡¯ll learn about those at the appropriate time, and don¡¯t be too hopeful. That little demonstration of yours tell me you won¡¯t be particularly talented with them either.¡±


    It stung, his smirk rubbing salt into my wounded pride.


    I¡¯ll show you if I¡¯m talented or not.


    No you won¡¯t. Stick to the plan.


    Had I just answered myself ? Yes. Yes I did.


    Stunned by my alter-ego¡¯s comment, I didn¡¯t notice Jarof get in front me, his staff held like a spear ready to poke me in the gut. Only his shout drew me back to the present.


    ¡°Focus !¡±


    I saw his attack coming, deliberated with myself on how I shall answer it, and chose to act as the naive pupil. The thrust took me dead center, right where my aorta split. I absorbed most of the shock and allowed the rest to spread to my inner organs. It would have hurt like a bitch if not for my Skills. Still, I had to show pain on my face and buckle over so as to not arouse suspicion.


    ¡°Do NOT ignore your master. Do NOT daydream while training. Do NOT disrespect the Hierarchy by thinking we will go easy on you. You decided of your OWN volition to join us. You shall now carry out that choice to the FULL extent of your capability.¡± Jarof hammered me. Figuratively and literally, punctuating his words with rhythmic blows to my back.


    All the while Kurt had a frown on his face. He was just about to interrupt our teacher in his humiliating lesson when I stopped him with a look. This was necessary, we needed to swim under their radar, and what better way to achieve that than by behaving like an innocent weakling ? Well, not that weak, I still had to play the part of a Vault enthusiast. Thinking about it, I had to wonder which Skills I would reveal. A newbie without Skills couldn¡¯t pretend to have survived multiple Vault runs after all.


    I had the choice between my gravitational forces Skill or the raw mana shots, light manipulation not offensive enough to justify me already having a Trait. While my strongest affinity belonged in the control of gravity, I surmised it would be wiser to downplay my abilities. So I picked [Lesser Mana Throw] as my goto Skill in public.


    ¡°I hope you will keep that teaching in your heart, disciple, for I will not be as lenient the next time.¡± Finished with his rant, he paced around us, observing our stances with the staffs. ¡°This will have to do, but I expect quick progress on your posture from now on.¡± Then, stopping in front of us. ¡°Now, attack !¡±


    Kurt froze, and I could see the memory of Knowles¡¯ shout cross his eyes, followed by the ringing of a gunshot. I had to take the lead. As much to pull Kurt out of his stupor as to reinforce my image of an aspirant adventurer, I screamed and rose my Bo above my head while dashing toward Jarof. Of course he received me with a strike to my shin, toppling me over in an impressive semi-circle. I had voluntarily overreached, sure, but still, I had no idea how to correctly handle a weapon. This ploy of ours might help me learn a thing or two after all.


    We exchanged blows for a while, or rather my body embraced Jarof¡¯s strikes with an eagerness I didn¡¯t know it was capable of. A dance of suffering took place between us, me playing the part of the tenacious training dummy and Jarof the relentless spinning dervish.


    Did I enjoy it ? No, of course not. Was it instructive ? Absolutely.


    By performing special actions, you have unlocked the Skill [Combat Sense]


    [Combat Sense] Level 0 : The user will perceive which action best to take while in combat.


    YATA !


    I raised my arms in victory, only to find myself on the floor a moment later, the notification spinning inside my head.


    ¡°You seem to have received a Skill, good. You may now try to hit me, or at least swing in my general direction.¡±


    Without a pause to gather myself, he made to pin me against the ground, preventing me from standing up with a flurry of jabs I had to deflect while on my back.


    ¡°A real fighter. Has no sense. Of ¡®fair play¡¯. As you call it. Don¡¯t expect me. To let you. Off the hook. So easily.¡± He said in between strikes.


    I sensed more than I saw Kurt¡¯s motion. He had attempted to kick Jarof in the back of his knee but a dodge and a backward swing and he fell on his face.


    ¡°Initiative and treachery. Savvy warrior you may become.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, Yoda.¡± I muttered beneath my breath.


    We got up, Kurt¡¯s nose bleeding slightly, and exchanged a look. As one, we rushed Jarof, trying to overwhelm him with quick thrusts. Suffice to say, it didn¡¯t go well for both of us. Once more kissing the stage, I felt rage bubbling within me. This had to stop soon, or I wouldn¡¯t be able to contain myself. I feared as much as desired to see him bleeding, begging for mercy, the tip of my staff caressing his chin.


    ¡°Look me in the eyes, worm. This is you last breath, make it count.¡±


    And with a fell swoop, I struck his temple, cracking his skull, popping his left eyes out of their orbits. I kept hitting his limp head, blood painting my gleeful grin.


    Wow ! Where¡¯s that coming from ?


    I reined myself in, brought my mind back into its rightful state. This was... dangerous, and worrying.


    ¡°I see it in your eyes. The will to hurt, the will to kill. Not as impotent as I thought, hmm ?¡±


    Get a grip of yourself ! Don¡¯t let him get to you !


    ¡°Very well. It is now time for the next step. We shall train you two every night in this manner, and I will be the judge of your progress. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± With a pointed look, Jarof slid his now hand-sized Bo in his belt and waved us to a now open door.


    We got up, dusted ourselves more by principle than actual necessity, and followed him into another long corridor lit by yellow stripes on the ceiling. Having stopped projecting my Intent in the Bo, it folded into itself. Neat piece of alien technology, if a bit underwhelming in appearance. Kurt on the other hand had his still deployed, and I saw in his gaze he wanted to strike at Jarof while his guard was down. Bad idea since I doubted he was truly relaxed even with his back to us, and his speed was nothing to scoff at. I put my hand on Kurt¡¯s forearm and shook my head, now was not the time.


    Our ¡®master¡¯ led us to a staircase going upward, a metal-looking hatch above it. He raised it effortlessly and we discovered we were in the middle of the forest a mile away from town. Did we walk that far ? Another piece of alien wizardry surely.


    ¡°We will now head toward a Vault not far from here. This will be a good opportunity to see your reaction to true peril. Of course your dear teacher will stand watch, so don¡¯t worry too much about dying. Injuries on the other hand¡­¡±


    Yeah, not trusting this guy one bit with Kurt¡¯s life. Push comes to stove - never understood this one - I¡¯d crush everything in sight.


    We meandered through the trees for half an hour before finding the blue crystal. It was the same size as the one in the prison woodshop but shined a bit less, as if signaling its difficulty rating. Which was actually just that.


    ¡°The crystal¡¯s girth indicates the scope of the Vault while its radiance tells us of its content. The brighter it is, the more hardness you will face. The larger its size, the longer it will take to explore it. This one is just in its infancy, it won¡¯t be of much trouble.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°How did you know it was there ?¡± Smart Kurt, asking the right questions.


    ¡°We can detect their formation. They garner a lot of energy in that stage and radiate it quite strongly if one knows what to look for.¡±


    ¡°Last time I went into one, a trap activated when I grabbed the ruby at the end. You know what this one¡¯s holding for us ?¡±


    ¡°You got a red one while in the first month of the Arrival ? You might be lousy with a Bo, but you sure are lucky¡­¡± He laid his chin in his hand and mumbled yet again with that rumbling language of his then looked back up at me. ¡°What is your Trait by the way ? [Might is Right] ? [Inteligencia Arcana] ? I doubt it is the social one.¡± He said while looking me up and down. ¡°Or maybe you got a rarer one. Tell me.¡±


    Luckily, he offered the name of available Traits. Under his scrupulous gaze, I picked the one nearest to the personna I was trying to develop. ¡°[Inteligencia Arcana]. As you saw, I¡¯m no good in melee, but with magic in the equation I can hold my ground.¡± A fist to the torso, head up and a blazing look, the perfect image of a young and proud mage was formed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Let¡¯s not blabber any longer. Form a party and join me.¡± And with that, he reached for the rock, and disappeared, just like that.


    ¡°Ready ?¡± I said while waiting for the invite to transmit.


    Kurt looked at me, a slight mischievous grin spreading on his cheeks. ¡°As much as can be. Don¡¯t go killing everything this time, leave some for me.¡±


    ¡°If I recall correctly, last time you were kinda shitting your pants, right ?¡±


    ¡°Only because rats¡¯ heads were popping left and right. What you gonna do this time ? Dismember them ? Churn their inside out ?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected him to be so graphic in his talk, but I guess after what he saw and what he did, he was starting to adapt to the new state of things.


    ¡°Meh. Plasma throwing will be enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Pff¡­ As if.¡±


    And as Kurt finally received the invitation to my party, we both put our hands on the crystal. One instant in a forest, the next in a white chamber of mysteries and menaces.


    Not unlike our last delve, there was only one way out of the room, and whiteness encompassed every corner of our vision. Jarof, standing by the side, didn¡¯t wait for us to get our bearings and headed for the hallway up ahead.


    ¡°Quickly, young apprentices. There¡¯s no time to idle about.¡±


    We caught back with his strides and advanced calmly along the corridor. After 30 minutes in an expectant silence we reached another room, empty if not for a dark hole in its center. Were we meant to drop down this sinister chute ? There was no other way forward.


    Right as I was about to voice my pondering, a giant bird came out of the black gap. Jarof took a step back, Kurt and I had our Bos at the ready and the creature raised its head toward us.


    It wasn¡¯t a bird. It resembled more a harpy clad in scales with an elongated head. The sight disturbing and antagonizing, it wouldn¡¯t look that way if it weren¡¯t meant to be an enemy.


    Before any of us could move, it shouted a cry so acute I think it ruptured Kurt¡¯s eardrums. I could read pain on his face, but his grip didn¡¯t falter, and he was the first to take a step forward. The harpy, undeterred by his bravado, flapped its wings in a hulking gust of wind. Its wingspan no more than twice my armsreach, I wondered how it could create such a strong force, not to mention float above the ground. Laws of buoyancy and aerodynamic and all that. But, this was no time for a sciency brainstorm, now was the moment to act.


    I pointed the palm of my hand toward its head, aiming for a quick kill, but it saw my motion, and darted to my left, right in front of Kurt, putting him between us. He tried spearing it in the abdomen, but only barely touched its left leg as it rose in the air. Still, it allowed me a clean shot to its torso, right where I thought its heart should be.


    Wrong, try again.


    Shouting again a terrible piercing cry, it flew above Kurt and toward me. And collapsed right before me, its beak rupturing against the floor. It had a black rod embedded in his back, Kurt¡¯s Bo.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that, huh ?¡± He exclaimed, gesturing at me as much as at the harpy.


    ¡°Again, good initiative.¡±


    ¡°What ?¡± Kurt shouted, his hearing impaired.


    Jarof gave him a tiny flask of translucent liquid and after gulping it, Kurt seemed fine again.


    ¡°Striking at an enemy¡¯s back will constantly reward you with a grievous wound, if not a kill. But be careful with losing grasp of your only weapon. Facing numerous foes is a lot more frequent than duels. Also, it¡¯s impressive that you already understood how to change a Bo¡¯s form. Normally it takes about two weeks before anyone attempt it, not even speaking of achieving such a transformation.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he talking about ?¡± I asked Kurt.


    He headed to the harpy, grabbed his weapon and pulled it out. It had been planted a good 10 cm in its spine and now I wondered how the flat end of a staff could pierce skin. Kurt showed me his Bo, the forward end having turned into a fine point, reflecting light as metal would. He had turned his staff into a javelin !


    ¡°Wow. You did that with Intent, right ?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I guessed that if we could extend it by just willing it, we could change its design the same way. I worked on it while we walked here, you just didn¡¯t notice.¡± His smile was more alit than the room we stood in.


    I clapped his shoulder, proud of his resourcefulness.


    ¡°You, how did you learn [Basic Mana Throw] ?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t about to tell him I had actually ranked up the Skill, but a bit of truth wouldn¡¯t hurt here. ¡°Well, I just thought that since we have Stats and Statuses, the System worked like a game, so why not try magic, right ? So, I tried shooting fireball out of my hands, and, well, I ended up with this.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ Anyway, the main objective here is to get to the Trait crystal, not congratulating each other on insignificant achievements. Move on, disciples.¡±


    And so we did. But not before exchanging an annoyed glance. A hidden door had opened in the back wall after the harpy¡¯s demise, conveniently letting us push forward in our quest of experience. I had to wonder, were the Vaults comparable to dungeons in video-games ? Were the creatures guarding the end crystal ? How did they subsist in this black and white world  when we weren¡¯t there ? And more importantly, would there be loot ?


    All those questions populated my mind, and unfocused as I was, I nearly missed it. A small depression in the wall at ankle-height. Should I mention it ? Wouldn¡¯t it be weird to notice such a tiny inconsistency when I was supposed to have near zero Perception ? It was like rolling a natural 20 with a six-faced die. You¡¯d be instantly cast away from the table. So I did the next best thing. I tripped on my own feet. Totally on purpose.


    Jarof cursed in his language while reaching out for me. ¡°How you still manage to breathe is the greatest mystery of all. Such a disciple¡­¡± His eyes ran over the white depression and he instantly perked up. ¡°But as much of a klutz as you are, luck or fate seems to favor you.¡± He passed his hand over the gap and a panel in the wall opposite slid open, revealing...


    A room filled with gold, ancient weapons and armors of bright metal crimped with precious stones, various treasures of all kind.


    Until I payed attention to the actual objects. They all had a somber reflection, me with crazed eyes and my face messed up in a rictus of madness. This didn¡¯t bode well.


    ¡°Disciples, what exactly do you see ?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Eli-¡± Kurt started, but I cut him off before he divulged anything. If my intuition was right, I didn¡¯t want him to speak about what he was seeing.


    ¡°Gold! Wealth ! Shinies !¡± I shouted, playing my role and faking a rush to get inside.


    Jarof stopped me just before the entrance. ¡°This is a trap. Don¡¯t be fooled, only death awaits you in there.¡±


    Knew it !


    ¡°What do you mean, teacher ?¡±


    Rather than answer my question, he grabbed a piece of round stone in one of his pocket and threw it inside. As soon as it hit the floor, its shadow started to move, to crawl, to stretch itself and gulped the rock.


    ¡°This is a Vault Deceiver. It uses your inner desires to lure you in his domain before swallowing you. A nasty death I hear, first it eats your legs, then your abdomen, and by the time it reaches your heart, you wish you were already gone.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What I¡¯m looking at¡­ Isn¡¯t really there ?¡± I could guess at what Kurt was seeing, but left the matter unspoken.


    ¡°How do we kill it ?¡± Hey ! A man needs his priorities !


    ¡°I just did.¡± As he said that, the shadow that had absorbed the stone resurfaced, this time appearing slowly, with flecks splitting up from the main mass. After a few seconds, the pebble returned and the spot of blackness disappeared completely.


    ¡°Ow¡­ Little shade got a tummy ache ? Poor babe¡­¡± Of course I got a disturbed look from Jarof, but I had to express myself, the pressure in my head due to performing as another person was rather strenuous to keep in check.


    ¡°Nevermind whatever¡­ this was-¡± He said, drawing a circle with his index pointed at me. ¡°-but you should enter the room and see if we got any reward. The place is safe now.¡±


    I put one foot on the other side of the entryway, still not trusting Jarof, but didn¡¯t get bitten or wrapped in darkness so I guessed that everything was A-okay. Inside, the ambient whiteness had returned and covered every corner apart from a pedestal in the far end. Atop of it stood a green crystal, reminding me of the last time we cleared a Vault. I had to admit, it was a bit monotonous. Go through white rooms, take the crystal on the white stand, go back through the white rooms and leave. Did those Vaults have nothing else to offer ? Sure, they had monsters, secrets and traps, but it wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy my hunger for a full-on dungeon delving experience.


    By the way, the day after I figured out why I saw those riches in that room, and not something more¡­ personal. It was because of [Mental Shell] that I kept activated at all times. It got two levels from that little experience.


    I grabbed the crystal and turned around. Oh stupid, foolish me. Obviously the panel would close itself the moment I would take the prize, of course the lighting would shift to red in an instant, and clearly there would be other panels opening to let those familiar giant rats in. I found myself alone in the chamber, surrounded by half a dozen human-sized rodents fixated on me as if I had stepped on their hairless tails. Oh well. Shit happens I guess.


    *


    *????*


    Rat boys ! Rat Boys ! What¡¯you gonna do ? What¡¯you gonna do when they come for you ?


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you would get away with it. Good for you I guess.¡±


    After two waves of them, the panels had closed and the door opened back up. I was covered in gore. Bits and pieces of rat matter stuck to me like a ball of gum attracted dirt. At one point I had taken one rat by the head to hit another one but it had suddenly come loose over me and had showered me in its internal fluids.


    Bummer. I liked those pants.


    Jarof watched me suspiciously, but didn¡¯t add another word. Kurt on the other hand didn¡¯t even dare look at me, grossed out as he was by my appearance. And smell, I guess.


    ¡°Get away from me dude !¡±


    ¡°Heh, come give me a kiss Kurty !¡±


    And like two kids in a playground, one having fallen in a puddle and chasing the other, we ran around. Just simple and basic fun, but one I hadn¡¯t had in a while. Never before even, according to my barely functioning memory.


    ¡°Hum... Humhum¡­ Stop this right this instant !¡±


    Oh come one ! I almost tagged him !


    ¡°Don¡¯t you realize you are in a Vault ? Don¡¯t you have any sense of danger ? How did you even survive this trial ? You shouldn¡¯t be alive right now !¡± I had definitely attracted my fair share of distrust from him. I now had to calm the beast.


    ¡°Dunno. I stayed in a corner and kept them at bay with my mighty stick while firing at them. It worked for the first wave then they just lost it and launched themselves at me. The rest is¡­ fuzzy. But it¡¯s always been that way since I first started coming in those Vaults.¡±


    Jarof held his gaze pointed at me, judging my story as a fine connoisseur would a wine. A hefty silence settled between us. Then, as if nothing had transpired in that moment, he turned around and beckoned us to follow.


    Come to think of it, why didn¡¯t I gained the Skill [Trumpery] ? Did it mean I hadn¡¯t been successful in my attempt ? Oh boy.


    We arrived in front of another door flush with the walls, the same as last time. Jarof took out a small device in the shape of a handle, the sort that would expand into a laser saber. And, lo and behold, it was. Kind of. Well, there were some discrepancies with the movie prop. For one it didn¡¯t project a tube of raw energy, it just expelled what seemed like plasma at extreme speed. Second, it didn¡¯t glow, nor did it buzz. Rather, it spewed matter like a blowtorch, and made the same type of noise. To use it, he pointed it at the door and made a vague circle. After a simple push, the drawn circle just fell on the other side. Impressive technology, I wouldn¡¯t want to be on the receiving part of such a device.


    We got in the room, white as always, and with the podium in the center waiting serenely for us. This time Kurt would be the one to pick up the crystal, a blue one this time, apparently the most common type. I would stand on the side and provide cover when the inevitable swarm of monsters would come, while Jarof would pick at his nose and scratch his butt.


    He didn¡¯t actually do that, I¡¯m just adding some funk to this adventure, because even if I call it that, it was depressing of monotony. The fight with the rats or the harpy not challenging enough and the blankness of our surroundings blurring my awareness of the place. I understood now how Vault dwellers might be a pejorative term, as anybody who would spend any significant amount of time here by himself would inevitably turn crazy.


    At the signal, Kurt seized the crystal. Cue the panels opening, but this time it wasn¡¯t rats who came to greet us, but waist height globs of dark goop sliding on the floor and leaving a disgusting trail behind them.


    Slimes ! Finally !


    They were slow, that¡¯s for sure, but I was wary of any special abilities, like suddenly extending a tentacle of sludge to slap us, or being impervious to physical damage. Luckily, none of that happened. They kept coming toward us as we swept the floor with them. But all our attacks did was split them in two, then four, then eight¡­ Asteroid style. When they were small enough we started heel stomping them to great results. It still took a damn long time to get rid of them. That is, before I got an idea.


    [Lesser Mana Throw] was a nifty Skill. It allowed me to expel matter out of my body, or in my body as I recalled the kill switch I had used. But nothing forced me to launch a tiny speck, or create an undirected explosion. I could, you know¡­


    Become a living flamethrower ! Ah ! You didn¡¯t see that one coming ! Right ?


    The gist of it is, I just pushed flaming hot gas out of my fingers in a general direction and watched the results.


    Burn. Burn. Burn ! BURN !


    I lost myself in the flames. Pure abandon in the act. How exhilarating it felt to be able to produce five meters long flames just at the tip of your fingers !


    But I had to come back to reality at some point. With soot covered hands, I approached Kurt, still crushing some remnants of the slimes.


    ¡°We can go now, don¡¯t waste your time with those.¡±


    Just as I finished my sentence, and as he squashed the last one, I sensed a notification coming.


    For completing a Vault, you have been rewarded with an increased comprehension of the System. Train yourself and discover your true potential.


    I then felt a flood of excitation and eagerness to work out travel through myself. It was pleasant, but it implied a more serious fact. The System could affect our mental state. How much of my current condition was caused by said System without my knowledge ? Was I chosen to be the fool, the damaged good ? How deep was it influencing me ? My surface thoughts ? My subconscious ? My very needs and desires ? Or did this bonus learning speed just skim over my mind, only touching upon my ability to pick up and develop Skills ?


    I certainly hoped so.


    *


    *????*


    The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.


    ¡°As far as we could gather, the army¡¯s in shambles. Part of them are staying in the cities, acting as law enforcement, but whose law one might ask. The rest took to the hills and has been engaging the aliens in guerilla warfare with poor results until now. Shit, my friend in Talem says there¡¯s even some divisions who joined the Hierarchy ! They call themselves the ¡®New Earth Forces¡¯... And concerning the rest of the world, it doesn¡¯t seem to be going any better.¡±


    ¡°The air is filled with calls for help or reinforcements.¡±


    Alissa and Fletcher had scoured the town for any means of communication with the world, and apart from a few old telephonic lines and a jury-rigged radio, nothing had survived the blackout. No satellite nor global servers on the ground meant no internet, no smartphone, next to nothing to contact our acquaintances.


    ¡°But did you find a way to get in touch with the people still fighting ?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I can locate a transceiver for my junky radio, yes. But from here we¡¯d need a bigger antenna to reach the mountains, and risk less wanted parties to answer our call. Or we could go there ourselves, but that would take a couple days of travel right in the combat zone, so not good either.¡±


    Fletcher had been a communications operator in his last life, so his help was more than welcome. It seemed getting his hands busy had gathered his spirit back and he looked much younger now. Alissa on the other hand had had trouble contacting her friends in the neighboring cities, and her morale was tanking more and more.


    ¡°Madison, you heard anything else ?¡±


    ¡°Not much about the military, but there seems to be a militia starting to gather weapons and manpower in town. Not sure who¡¯s in charge but I¡¯m on the lookout for more info. Oh, and be careful when you go back there, I heard David and his posse have joined as well, and he¡¯s kind of an ass.¡±


    ¡°Ok. It¡¯s not over yet, guys. Fletcher, try to build that antenna of yours. Even if we don¡¯t use it in the end, it¡¯ll open us some possibilities. Alissa, try to get in touch with that budding militia and Madison, keep your ear to the ground. Kurt and I will keep training with the aliens. We need to learn as much as possible from them in the meantime. Anything relevant to them, really. So, stay sharp and safe, and we will get out of this unscathed. They will not.¡±


    They all stared at me, a plethora of emotions on their faces. Confidence and fear. Calm and excitation. Questioning looks rivaled with smiles of complicity. Did a third arm sprout out of my forehead or what ? No, they were just surprised I had taken the lead so naturally. Come to think of it, I was surprised as well. Who would have thought I had it in me to stay focused long enough so as to not mess up our reunion or just fumble critically and blurt out a stupid joke that only I would understand ? Was I becoming¡­ reliable ?


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡­ go. I need to do something¡­ somewhere else¡­ Seeya !¡±


    It was too good to be true. I had to escape this oppressing feeling of people depending on me.


    I wasn¡¯t tired yet, so my brain thought it was a good idea to go wander in the forest while the sun was peeking above the mountains in the distance. We were in the early morning, the 17th day after the apocalypse. After leaving the Vault, Jarof had led us back to the aliens¡¯ building. We were let off after yet another round of form filling, this time surveys on how we felt ensuing our first session with a Hierarchy tutor. They sure loved their paperwork. On actual paper, mind you, which was astonishing coming from a space faring organization.


    My thoughts went back to the brain altering bullshit the System was probably pulling on us. How could I defend myself and others against such attacks ? I had [Mental Shell] to ward off any intruder but would it work against more subtle persuasions ? Nonetheless, I added teaching my group that Skill to my todo list. Also, did Willpower affect tempering of the mind ? If so, was mine high enough ?


    I had to stay on my guard, ready for anything. Find a solution, and quickly.


    After some time spent dwelling on such dire reflections, I came upon a small clearing. You know the kind, lush, green with high weeds in the middle of summer, splendid. I let out a sigh holding all of my worries, and, taken by a swift inspiration, started meditating. Truly meditating, on the ground, cross-legged with my hands on my knees. At least that¡¯s how it was taught to me when I was young. I recalled a teacher - of what or when I do not know, nor can I remember their name or gender - had explained to me the value of meditation. Prior to the System it sounded like hogwash to me, but that person had been gentle enough to tame me, and with time, it had become an habit of sort, I think. The motion felt well-rehearsed at least.


    I didn¡¯t use [Meditation], I didn¡¯t want to sacrifice yet another piece of me on the altar of the sacred System. I just¡­ let go. It was difficult at first, my thoughts bumbling and buzzing around inside my head. But as time went by, calmness took me away. With spikes of distracting consciousness, I managed to focus on my breathing, emptying myself of worldly matters. Bizarre emptiness. Filled with greyness. Sound echoing through the snow. Shimmering after-lights in the wind. Hope and abandon. In the end, a strange feeling passed through me, but what was a feeling ? What is it to ¡®feel¡¯ ? What are those questions ? What is all of this ? What am I ?


    It came to me as a blaring horn in the fog. A beacon in the silence of my soul. Jarring me awake.


    Again ? Come on !


    By improving your grasp of [Meditation], your Skill has ranked up to [Abnegation] !


    [Abnegation] Level 43 : The user lets his mind float away, focusing on his soul. Based on Wisdom and Willpower.


    For meeting special requirements, you have unlocked the Path [Independence]


    And since good news come in trees, I had just about enough to complete that Path.


    [Independence] 128/128 : The Skills are an impossible boon to all existence. For some they are a crutch meant to catch up their own shortcomings. One you don¡¯t need anymore. You enjoy the feeling of freely using your abilities without the help of the System.


    Traveler can now cast Skills with no delay nor assistance from the System.


    Right at this moment, a lead blanket I wasn¡¯t aware of was lifted off my shoulders. Instinctively I knew how to call upon my powers without first prepping my connection to the System, something I didn¡¯t even knew I was needing. Fireworks escaped my hands faster than ever before, stroboscopic lights flashed around me and the tall grass swayed with me. A maelstrom of my fused Skills intertwining themselves with each other surrounded me, [Double Casting] working overdrive to support my unleashing.


    Am I God ? Maybe not, but I sure feel like one !


    Ecstatic, I kept at it until the sun rose above the trees and shun in my eyes. Afterwards, strolling back through the dense thicket, I revised my current full Status.


    Status :


    Physical = Tired


    Mental = Joyous


    Social = Insecure


    Traits = ERROR


    Current Path = None


    Might = 25


    Constitution = 35


    Finesse = 27


    Perception = 25


    Intellect = 30


    Willpower  = 31


    Discipline = 35


    Wisdom = 35


    Charisma = 10 [Unbalanced]


    Stability = -7 [Unbalanced]


    Fluency = 0


    Wits = 20


    Available Bonus SPs = 607


    Available EPs = 80


    Available PPs = 9


    [ERROR] Level 0 : [Scrambled]


    [Lesser Physical Strengthening] Level 1


    [Lesser Physical Regeneration] Level 3


    [Lesser Physical Agility] Level 0


    [Lesser Physical Insight] Level 0


    [Lesser Mental Enhancement] Level 3


    [Lesser Mental Confidence] Level 6


    [Lesser Mental Tolerance] Level 4


    [Lesser Mental Acuity] Level 6


    [Basic Social Influence] Level 0


    [Lesser Social Acumen] Level 0


    [Scrutinize] Level 10 : Displays a description of the object or being selected.


    [Pain Tolerance] Level 86 : Propensity of the user to ignore pain and torment. Based on Willpower.


    [Apnea] Level 59 : Ability of the user to hold his breath for long periods of time. Based on Constitution.


    [Lesser Mana Throw] Level 66 : Shoots a piece of raw matter toward the target. Based on Intellect.


    [Lesser Light Manipulation] Level 53 : Allows the user to control inside a perimeter around him. Based on Discipline.


    [Minor Gravity Control] Level 60 : Allows the user to control gravity to a greater extent. Based on Intellect and Discipline.


    [Abnegation] Level 43 : The user lets his mind float away, focusing on his soul. Based on Wisdom and Willpower.


    [Mental Shell] Level 11 : Creates a barrier between your mind and every outside influence. Based on Willpower.


    [Adaptability] Level 1 : The user is more inclined to develop ways of facing adversities.


    [Double Casting] Level 11 : Allows the user to cast two spells concurrently.


    [Combat Sense] Level 2 : The user will perceive which action to take while in combat.


    [It¡¯s a new World] 4/4 : This new world is full of wonders and dangers. You now feel ready to delve into it.


    [It¡¯s a new Life] 4/4 : This new life will be a boon and a curse. You now feel more able to wield it.


    [The Inner Truth] 256/256 : Look further into your own self. Gaze upon the veritas of your soul. You may not be whole, but your persona will fulfil your core¡¯s passion. Reflect upon your soul and discover your true self.


    [Observe and Declare] 4/4 : A new environment surrounds you. What dangers will it bring ?


    [Allies Better Oneself] 8/8 : Face adversities with allies, build a new world with them, and you shall never yearn for another life.


    [Action Before Decision] 4/4 : Some situations need to be dealt with immediately, rather than with great care.


    [Delver of the Depths] 8/8 : For the price of your life, you will get infinite power.


    [Independence] 128/128 : The Skills are an impossible boon to all existence. For some they are a crutch meant to catch up their own shortcomings. One you don¡¯t need anymore. You enjoy the feeling of freely casting your Skills without the help of the System.


    Whoa, that¡¯s an eyeful, right ?


    Anyway. After this little bit of good news, I went back to the house and crawled lazily inside my bed, wondering what the next night would have in store for us.


    I had to admit, I was feeling¡­ at peace.

 Chapter 6 - Troubleshooting

    Goooood Morning !


    I was up and well rested, ready for another day of adventure, and shared my sentiment with the rest of the crew in the living room.


    ¡°It¡¯s five in the afternoon, you know¡­¡± Kurt, down to earth as always, tried to bring me back to his level of half-slumber, half-awakeness.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s got up on the wrong tooth, huh ?¡±


    ¡°Foot.¡± Alissa intervened.


    ¡°Age !¡± I answered.


    ¡°What ?¡± Alas, they didn¡¯t seem to understand my quip.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Ur ?¡±


    ¡°What is he on about ?¡± Fletcher asked more to himself than the others.


    ¡°No, wait ! Ile ! Am I right ?¡± My last offer to this little challenge.


    ¡°It¡¯s too early for this shit¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought it was five pm ?¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡± A collective sigh could be heard leaving the room, as the ghost of a deceased patience fleeing the scene.


    They were all seated around the central table, eating crepes -covered with¡­ jam ? - for a late, late breakfast. Kurt seemed out of it, eyes glazing over his plate, while his mother and the detective fixed me with fury, or pity maybe. Madison on the other hand seemed more interested by her book.


    I took a chair and reversed it, grabbed a plate and served myself.


    ¡°What¡¯s this ?¡± I asked, pointing at the lumpy marmalade.


    ¡°Lumpfish roe.¡± Alissa supplied while taking a bite herself. ¡°Cheaper than sugar right now.¡±


    ¡°mmm-kay !¡± I smiled and spread some on my crepe. ¡°Stranshe, bush tashty !¡±


    ¡°You man-child¡­ How did I trust you with the safety of my son ?¡± She over-emphasized the last word, playing me for a fool.


    At least this got some laugh from the audience.


    We carried on with the meal, sporadic small talk in the air, the mood light and free. All along, Kurt¡¯s head was bobbing up and down, as if too heavy for his neck to support. I wondered for a minute about my sleep cycles, becoming as loose as they had, and found that I nonetheless enjoyed the resting hours. It was a time to dispel all my debuffs accumulated during the day - or night rather - and was refreshing in and of itself, even if I didn¡¯t need it that much anymore.


    Then, cleaning up the table, I asked them to join me in the garden. I had an idea I needed to put to work.


    ¡°There¡¯s a Skill you all need to obtain, to shield you from mind shenanigans and other mental matters. I expect a lot of those in the next few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Seems reasonable. How will you teach it to us ?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m kinda going to invade your heads. So it might be a good idea not to think too loudly about your deepest secrets¡­ And now that I said it, you¡¯re gonna do just that.¡± Throwing my hands in the air, I ranted in a squeaky voice. ¡®Don¡¯t think of an elephant !¡¯ he said, and they all went right to thinking of an elephant. Damn it !¡± I snapped my finger in frustration.


    ¡°Soooo¡­ what should we think about, then ?¡± Alissa, the goddess, solved my problem with a smirk.


    ¡°Erm¡­ Something calm ? Soothing ? Maybe even pleasant. But not too pleasant, because then I suppose you¡¯ll be too receptive. Or maybe not. You could be inaccessible, as if you were somewhere else, somewhere with a cool air on your skin, and a nice lighting. Not too bright, but bright enough to see miles away, to see the countryside, with its fields of grains, and some little hamlets here and there¡­ And don¡¯t forget the birds ! Of course, the birds¡­¡±


    ¡°Neant.¡± Kurt shook me back to reality, his eyes laughing and his face straight as a lightning strike.


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m back. Sorry ¡®bout that. Ok. Hum. Well, who wants to start ?¡±


    Alissa of all people stepped forward.


    So, if I¡¯m right, there should be some kind of Skill to breach into the minds of others. Let¡¯s try this.


    I placed my hand on her forehead and focused on clearing my thoughts, putting [Abnegation] to good use. When that was done I picked a random tidbit of knowledge and pushed. Nothing seemed to happen but to be sure I had to ask her.


    ¡°Ok. What color are my underwear ?¡±


    ¡°No idea, and I don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    ¡°Damn. Oh well. I¡¯m going commando by the way.¡±


    ¡°Dude ! What the fuck ?¡±


    ¡°Gross !¡±


    ¡°We know, it shows¡­¡±


    We all turned toward Madison, her embarrassment painted clearly on her face. She averted her eyes to her feet and pouted in awkwardness.


    ¡°Now that that¡¯s out of the way, can we get back on track, please ?¡± Alissa, still sporting a wry smile, waved at my face.


    I managed to gather myself. ¡°Sure, let me try something else.¡±


    I still had another idea, one that was a bit esoteric but seeing all the fuss about the mind and the soul, maybe there was some truth in those notions. I got myself back into a trance and pictured my spirit, the perfect reflection of my body, if a bit more transparent and alit, taking the same place, the same volume as my actual body. I imagined it reaching its hand to Alissa, touching her shoulder.


    ¡°Wow, ok. I felt that.¡±


    I knew a notification was coming, but I pressed onward. My psychic self grabbed firmly onto her with both hands and, with its eyes shining, opened its mouth to speak a word of wisdom. What I didn¡¯t predict was the wording itself, or the delivery. It screamed like a banshee. A shout coming straight from the deepest nightmarish level of Hell. I stopped it not a second later, cutting off any connection I had with the thing before it could hurt Alissa. She wobbled on her feet for a moment, Kurt helping her to a near bench.


    ¡°What did you do ? What did you do to her ?¡± A mix of fear and anger took him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know ! I didn¡¯t think it would do that !¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine Kurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Jeez, don¡¯t scare me like that.¡±


    ¡°What happened ?¡± Fletcher asked, worry marking his brows.


    ¡°I messed up, I didn¡¯t think this through¡­¡±


    ¡°Guys, guys. Calm down, I got a Skill !¡± She was actually proud of herself. ¡°It¡¯s called [Mental Resilience] apparently, and it says that it preserves me from attacks upon my mind. Is that the Skill you wanted to give us ?¡±


    ¡°I guess so, yeah.¡± By the look on their face I knew I had to elaborate. ¡°It might be the lower ranked Skill of what I intended to teach you, but it¡¯s a good start.¡±


    Before they could ask any further questions, I raised my index and opened my figurative ears to the signal I was receiving.


    By performing special actions, you have unlocked the Skill [Mental Projection]


    [Mental Projection] Level 1 : The user¡¯s spirit manifests itself. Be wary of backlashes. Based on Stability.


    Interesting¡­


    ¡°What is it Neant ?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I thought I heard something. Anyway, who¡¯s next ?¡±


    This got some rather¡­ contrasted returns.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡±


    ¡°Nu-uh.¡±


    As I was about to plead for my cause, Alissa grabbed my attention. ¡°I could try something else, if that¡¯s ok with you.¡±


    I shrugged and sat on the ground, looking at her expectantly.


    She approached Madison first, who quickly shook her head as if trying to unscrew it, but to no avail. The barely fifty year old woman wouldn¡¯t have any of this and smiled ruefully to her friend. In the end, it took five minutes of argument to convince the chef to participate as a guinea pig in this little experiment. With both of them ready as can be, Alissa laid her left hand on Madison¡¯s head and both closed their eyes. After a short amount of time, some¡­  current traveled through them, leaping from one mind to the other, joining together two very different entities. I could feel the energy Alissa was deploying in order to establish the bridge, and I could do nothing but admire her tenacity. Finally, after a long minute of exchange, they separated, smiling between themselves as if sharing a drink with a long lost family member.


    ¡°Did something happen ?¡± Asked Fletcher, as ignorant as ever.


    ¡°Yeah, we kinda¡­ linked.¡± Madison offered her view of the event. ¡°Frankly, that was the most amazing thing I¡¯ve ever lived. Scary yet fulfilling at the same time. I feel like I know you so much better now, Alissa...¡±


    ¡°You and me both, Mad.¡±


    ¡°I take it one of you got a Skill ?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. [Communion].¡± Alissa was the one providing all the efforts during that ¡®Communion¡¯ and she was the one to receive the Skill. ¡°With it I can form a connection between my consciousness and another¡¯s.¡± Then, turning toward me. ¡°I guess that can count as an invasion of the mind too, right ?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Let¡¯s see if they can resist it.¡±


    ¡°Well, before that, I think I¡¯d like for everyone to link with me without barriers, after I get some rest of course. I¡¯d like¡­ I¡¯d like to know you all a bit better, if we¡¯re going to stick together.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to think of this. Sure, it would be a great team building exercise but showing the hooks and crannies of my inner workings ? No thanks. And I feared that preserving myself from experiencing what the whole group would share might antagonize me from them even more. What to do ? What to do...


    The fact was, they needed to get closer together. In this new world and age, it was clear you needed a group you could count on. I wasn¡¯t about to keep that away from them, not when it would mean life or death along the road. That became clear to me as I saw them talk among themselves. They were chatting and laughing about some lame joke from Fletcher. Not one to laugh himself mind you, but his deadpan expression served its purpose and reinforced his sneaky humor. Even Alissa was smiling¡­ Maybe I should leave them for a bit, let them wash away their worries with some chit chat and camaraderie. I was too strange, too out of it to include myself properly in this kind of joyous ambiance. Maybe I should leave them be, go on my merry way and not disturb them any longer.


    I smiled when I saw Kurt looking my way, or tried to rather, he made a weird face afterwards. Probably messed that up, too. Oh well, I decided to give them as much of a headstart as possible and I¡¯d let them be. But first, push the aliens back into space.


    ¡°So ! Let¡¯s get you three [Mental Resilience] ! We shall make quick work of this and then I¡¯ll show you some others tricks !¡± With a genial and open smile I gathered back their attention.


    ¡°Wait, I haven¡¯t linked with you yet.¡± Alissa politely offered me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, it won¡¯t work on me. Now ! Let¡¯s start the training, shall we ?¡±


    And so we did. Alissa went around the three, trying to pierce their defences one by one. At first it went as smooth as a knife through butter, then, as they each gained some understanding of how to counter the pushes, they earned the intended Skill and were able to resist the assaults. But they kept going, to train themselves, they said. And as time passed, Alissa got better and better at slithering inside their mental castles, sneakily perverting their mind¡¯s well and breaking apart the walls they holed up in. She had a clear talent for this and I wondered if she hadn¡¯t ranked up her Skill.


    ¡°Good. Now that that is done, we should go on and assign each of you a role.¡±


    ¡°A role ?¡±


    ¡°What for ?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you all need to work as a team now, and as a team each of you will specialize in a different field.¡± I let them ponder this for a moment, then pointed at Fletcher to my right. ¡°Fletcher. You will be the craftsman and man in the shadows. You¡¯re tech savvy and you have experience with uprooting information. You¡¯ll work under the radar to supply information to the others. In a fight, I think your stature gives you a good reach advantage in melee, so invest in Finesse and Wits as soon as possible and craft yourself a weapon to wield.¡± My guess was that with the advent of super-regeneration and harder than steel skin, firearms were on the decline. Hand-to-hand combat might see a revival in the next year or two.


    ¡°Madison. You¡¯ll work as the drunkard whisperer slash cook slash mage. Yeah, congratulations, you evolved to magic wielder. Meet me later to learn some spells. Or just practice on your own, you¡¯ll figure something out quickly I¡¯m sure. You¡¯ll need Intelligence and Charisma. Focus on area of effect attacks and stay away from danger.


    ¡°Alissa. You will be the figurehead of this group, a small game diplomat if you will. Improve your grasp on the mind thingies and get some Discipline plus Fluency. You must keep your head cool at all times, I trust you will handle those ruffians well.


    ¡°And lastly, Kurt. You shall become their defender, their shield, their lance. You¡¯ll handle the standoffs and the inevitables skirmishes. Invest in Might and Constitution first, and don¡¯t forget to bring your Bo wherever you go.


    ¡°Everyone, understood ?¡±


    I got a collective blank look of agreement, followed by some ¡®What ?¡¯ and ¡®Oh, sure...¡¯ or ¡®Why do I get to be the musclehead ?¡¯. All in all, it was a good thing, I had shared an apparently great idea and this initiative hadn¡¯t broken my teeth on the pavement. They weren¡¯t exactly happy to be told what to do but they received my advices as grown-ups, mulling it over and thinking they could come up with better solutions. And they were welcome to do so, I was far from omniscient and even I didn¡¯t trust myself fully. Or at all, really.


    The rest of the evening I explained them how I thought the System worked, how to gain Essence Points and rank up Skills. I shared some of my more obscure guesses, about the way to increase Stats without killing, or the time limitation of one additional Stat Point per day. I didn¡¯t say anything about my Tutorial, or my real Status, mind you. They kept discussing the new knowledge and creating novel ideas and suppositions out of what I told them. It felt good to teach them, to catch the glimpses of comprehension and flashes of inspiration in their eyes. I felt... useful.


    The night fell before we could eat, so Kurt and I grabbed some bread and meat and ran to the aliens¡¯ office. Kurt was supposed to obtain the famous Trait from them tonight, so we hurried toward the bleak building.


    ¡°What kind of ceremony you think it¡¯s gonna be ? Dark and bloody ? With choirs and brasses ?¡± Kurt asked me, anxiety hidden behind his antics.


    ¡°Oh, look ! The sacrificial lamb worry about its fate. How cute¡­¡± I mocked him, dragging out my last word.


    ¡°I swear one day I¡¯ll make you run naked in a pineapple field.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d probably enjoy that, you know ?¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± I heard the disappointment in his voice, mingled with¡­ What¡¯s the word ? Something involving playfulness¡­


    We arrived not too long after that. Jarof was waiting for us at the entryway with another alien I recognised immediately. It was the human-looking one with the frightening smile we had seen upon their arrival, one of the bodyguard of the red-capped monkey. Jarof stepped toward us and hailed.


    ¡°Here you are. We worried you wouldn¡¯t come after all. Neant, you will follow Idrisa here, he has something for you to sign off, while Kurt will come with me to complete his rite.¡±


    We nodded as one but only after checking what the other was thinking via non-verbal communication. God I loved when we did that. Kurt, with Jarof at the helm, went through a door in the back, leading who knows where. We weren¡¯t comfortable with this arrangement, but felt it would have been too awkward to insist I should assist to this ¡®rite¡¯. Idrisa kept his bloodshot eyes trained on me, as a camera recording my reaction - which amounted to a raised highbrow and a finger in the ear, trying to shake away a scratch.


    He turned away suddenly and did not wait for me to catch up before entering a staircase leading to the second floor. After a couple of swinging doors we got into a sort of manager¡¯s office painted all in red. The walls were red, the ceiling was red, the floor was - wait for it - blue. Nah, it was red. The desk was red. What seemed to be a computer was red. The flowers were red. The chairs were re-e-e-e-ed. The fish tank was red. The fish inside the fish tank was red. Red was the fern. Red everywhere. Red all around. Red. Red. RED.


    Red.


    Hum.


    If you will excuse me for a moment, I need some time alone.


    *


    *????*


    Insanity - a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.


    So, where were we ?


    Ah yes, the meeting with Idrisa. I... remember the red lighting, but the rest of the room was just regularly colored. I mean, the goldfish was kinda red, so that counts, right ?


    ¡°I heard from Jarof that you were doing quite fine as a rookie ? Even survived a few waves of giant rats ? I must congratulate you. It is not often we encounter such a valuable recruit in these kinds of newly discovered universes. Do you have some previous experience with Vault dwelling ?¡±


    His voice was smooth, incredibly so. He was at ease, seated behind the desk, and his full attention was on me, the screen to his left not even turned on.


    ¡°Hmm yeah. I ran into some while in the wild.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± His lips did the motion of a smile with no warmth behind it. ¡°What do you think of this new career we offer you ? Excited ?¡±


    ¡°Very. The call for adventure has always lived within me. I cannot wait to get to the meat of the program. What¡¯s coming next, by the way ?¡±


    ¡°Oh, some simple group exercises, and we brought some more mature Vaults with us, just so you guys can experience the real deal.¡± After a short break, he resumed his pitch. ¡°I brought you here to discuss about your future with us. As you know, we are a multiverse faring organization at the order of the benevolent Hierarch, may he help us till the end of all. He is indeed the source of all our advancement, He uplifted many of us into true sentience and He offers the same to humanity. But as in all things, there is a price. That price is a set of rules to always follow and obey, a vow never to be broken.¡±


    Here we go. Where¡¯s the catch ?


    ¡°There are three of them. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing too dramatic, and it won¡¯t cause any trouble to the vast majority of your specie. The first one is to never endanger or cause harm to a fellow of the Hierarchy. Makes sense, right ?¡± I nodded. ¡°The second one is to answer to the best of your abilities to your superiors. In return you will always have the opportunity to move up the ranks. It¡¯s a perpetual work in progress for both sides, the ordered and those ordering.. A point of balance was declared by our master and it has worked quite well since the founding of the Hierarchy. Do you disagree with such a mode of operation ?¡±


    ¡°No, absolutely not. We have the same concept here and call it ¡®meritocracy¡¯.¡±


    ¡°A good term to name such a practice. Meritocracy¡­ Anyhow. The third and last rule is judged unnecessary by many of us veterans, but a lot of the newcomers don¡¯t have the experience to see the reasoning behind it, so it is still in place to this day. That rule is quite simple. You have to get the Trait [Child of the Hierarchy] to enlist.¡±


    I felt pressure on my shoulders. He didn¡¯t move, his face didn¡¯t lose its welcoming glimmer, but I felt the weight of his words assault me as a typhoon would a coast.


    ¡°Im sure you understand now our little dilemma concerning your situation. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it is no small feat to gather enough crystals to afford a Trait while still in your Systemic infancy, but it breaches our decrees. Of course you could not have known that beforehand, so we don¡¯t count you as obligated toward us.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just give me the Trait ?¡±


    ¡°Alas, only one Trait slot is available to starting species. And before you ask, no you can¡¯t drop your current Trait. While the System prevents any modification to one¡¯s Traits, it is still possible for some elected few. But between time limitations, the equipment needed and the cost of such a procedure, it is not beneficial for us to reset your Trait.¡±


    So it is possible to forcefully change Traits. And if Traits are susceptible to alteration, the whole Status might be too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t kick you out for this slight deviation from the right path. As I said, we cannot modify your Traits, yet. This means that if or when you prove yourself of enough value to us, we will agree to such spending. Until then you will not be officially part of our establishment and will need to cover your own expenses as well as your tuition fee.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Oh. I thought it would be much harsher than that.¡± I paused, showing a scrunched up face focused on the matter at hand. ¡°I suppose you have no interest in our currencies, so how shall I repay you ?¡±


    ¡°With the crystals you recover from the Vaults we¡¯ll lead you to, of course, plus those you might uncover by yourself. Would three crystals per one of your day be satisfactory ?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if I was being swindled or ripped off, but it definitely was one of the two. Yet, it was a problem for another time, at least I wasn¡¯t forced to leave the premises and for now I had no other use for them. Well, maybe I could have given them to the crew to further their strength...


    ¡°I think it¡¯s acceptable. Thank you for not just getting rid of me, I don¡¯t know what I would have done if you had done so.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural for us to care about our new recruits and potential members. Now if you could just sign these to concretize our agreement...¡± Suave, he was playing along with my acting. I couldn¡¯t tell if he had caught on to it, but I scribbled something resembling a capital N beneath squiggly lines and pressed on.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you I¡¯m worthy of your notice, you won¡¯t regret it.¡± First rule of lying, twist your phrasing enough to not feel like it¡¯s a lie.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we will, mister Neant.¡±


    At that, he got up and went around the desk to open the door for me. I saw his hand resting on his Bo, casually caressing its tip. His smile was as stretched as ever and I pictured an executioner looking into the eyes of its next client.


    This guy gives me the hibby-jibbies. He¡¯s seriously deranged.


    Look who¡¯s talking¡­


    Shush !


    He led me back to the front office and after shaking my hand in one brusque motion went back upstairs. I needed to be extra careful, now. I could feel a noose forming around my neck. And I was nowhere closer to gaining their trust, my primary objective coming here.


    I headed toward the receptionist and asked him where I could find Kurt or Jarof.


    ¡°At the moment they are in the ceremonial chamber proceeding with the rite and should remain undisturbed. Mister Kurt was last on the line, so if you¡¯d like I can direct you to our dojo where you can train while you wait ?¡±


    ¡°I guess so, yeah.¡±


    And so I was shown toward a similar room to the first one Jarof had led us to. Empty if not for some racks of Bos and - surprise! - a few people sparring. The one seemingly leading the group was tall, a head above mine, and sported a black T-shirt with green camo trousers, revealing a definitely military tattoo on his left bicep. The others all looked to have taken inspiration of the guy with clothes similar - if not perfectly identical - to their leader¡¯s, but none had any marking on their arm.


    I wasn¡¯t able to judge their combat prowesses but they seemed¡­ brutal, even amongst themselves while training. At first glance they were all smiles and encouragements, but beneath I could hear the ragged breaths of raging beasts, eager to dismember, rape and pillage. That image stuck to me, as if branded in my brain. So, when one of them finally noticed me, I had a violent urge to snuff out their lights, to assert my dominance over such a horde of rabid animals.


    The big guy hailed me. ¡°Hey ! What are you doing here ?¡±


    ¡°The guy in the hall said I could come here.¡± I was instantaneously back to my sweet smiling self.


    ¡°Oh yeah ? Well, too bad for you mate. This room¡¯s taken. Now piss off.¡±


    I pondered for a minute on how to react to that. Take offense and argue I had the right to be here ? Or find myself a quieter, less morronic place ? First option would definitely set off a fight and I was walking on begshells - eggwells ? No, begwells ! - with the aliens. While the second one wouldn¡¯t really sit right with me. Not that I had any pride to take care of - obviously - but these people would definitely become a problem if they felt they could bully me around unpunished.


    At last, I decided to keep playing my role.


    ¡°Hum, there¡¯s plenty of room for me to practice while you guys keep sparring. Can¡¯t we share ?¡±


    ¡°What part of ¡®piss off¡¯ don¡¯t you understand ? Go back to your mother¡¯s nipples or I¡¯ll break your head.¡±


    ¡°Such aggressivity. Such violence. Wow.¡±


    ¡°You asked for it. Guys ! Get that son-of-a-bitch !¡±


    I had done my part, now it was time to run, or jog lazily to be honest. We roamed around the corridors for next to five minutes, only a few meters between me and them. At some point we encountered a group of aliens carrying various metallic crates and barrels and I expertly avoided them, the animals behind me... not so much. I looked at my trail and saw a bundle of limbs strewn about with little to no regards for safety concerns. I laughed a bit and turned around to face the big bad wolf who had taken another route to stop my escape.


    I made sure to display surprise on my face and even made a show of flight back the way I came, but as predicted his posse had gotten back on their feet, and they looked absolutely furious.


    Oh joy, how entertaining had this day become !


    ¡°No more running, bitch.¡± Said their chief.


    One of his goons exclaimed behind me. ¡°Fuck ! My pants ! Let me kick his ass, David !¡±


    So that¡¯s the famous David. Alright.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you have your piece when I¡¯m done.¡± David said while extending his Bo.


    Bad choice. Firstly, in a skirmish like that, you don¡¯t wait around to fight your opponent one by one like a group of well-behaved kids. Also, Bos in those narrow corridors are kind of a stupid idea if you don¡¯t want to limit yourself to thrusts. But who am I to judge ?


    Of course, he did just that, a thrust to my torso, which I dodged to the side, followed by a weak swipe to my legs that I jumped over.


    He paused, frowning deeply, and offered me the chance to taunt him once more. ¡°Jeez ! You¡¯re a feisty one, you know ?¡±


    Cue the full-on charge aimed at my center of gravity. A spin to my left and a conveniently placed foot, and down goes the calf who thought himself a bull. After that I just disappeared into the hallways, my acute laugh echoing through the whole structure.


    I¡¯d see them again, that was for sure, but I was glad I¡¯d do. As if playing with a fly, I had made a fool of them to my greatest enjoyment. Sadistic, me ? No, not even a little.


    Plus, I knew this encounter had been engineered by the Hierarchy, and as such I had dealt with it as a game. A dangerous, no slip-up allowed, game where I couldn¡¯t afford to deliver any pain to my playmates, just a little bit of shame and frustration, nothing too serious. In the end, what¡¯s a bruised ego in the face of adversity if not a great opportunity to better yourself ? That¡¯s right, I was their benefactor !


    But enough of that. As I was strolling through the nonsensical and dismal maze, I came upon a storage room filled with boxes of all sizes and shelves displaying bits and pieces of arcane technology. Grabbing a chunk of what looked like computer hardware encased in glass, I was fascinated by its intricacies. If our regular gold and copper circuit boards showed tiny cities, this chunk of polymer had an entire country inscribed on it. It was light, warm to the touch and had no movable parts. I was wondering what use it had and if I could snag it real quick to study it when I heard the door displace the air behind me. Perception sure had its uses.


    It was a small alien worker bringing another crate into the depot. He had red fur on his face and two four-fingered hands, a slight hunch to his back and a tentacular appendage as a nose. I asked myself why they were so insistent on the use of manual labor when I was sure they could just whip up a swarm of robots to answer to their every beck and coal. Might as well ask the concerned party, right ?


    ¡°Hi ! Why do-¡±


    ¡°Ah !¡± And of course he dropped the box which emitted a clear sound of glassware breaking.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m so sorry ! Did I frighten you ?¡±


    He started to speak in the same language as Jarof had in his rare moments of consternation, but caught himself quickly. ¡°Who- Who you are ?¡±


    ¡°Just a recruit who got lost in this labyrinth, no need to be afraid.¡± I added a bright smile and stretched my hand to him, but I guess the complete darkness we were in didn¡¯t really convey my cheerfulness. I popped a light into existence above my head, illuminating the whole room and his scrunched up face.


    He had backed up to the entrance, his legs ready to carry him far, far away. ¡°Please me not hurt.¡±


    ¡°Calm down kiddo, I¡¯m no evil doer. Just trying to find my way out.¡± I still had the contraption in my hand and waved it at him. ¡°And looking around for interesting baubles, of course.¡±


    Eventually, he relaxed and let his eyes blink a few times. ¡°Why master¡¯s hip holding you ?¡±


    Why am I holding¡­ Wait, it¡¯s a hip ? That thing ?


    ¡°I¡¯ll put it down, ok ? Just¡­ don¡¯t move.¡±


    I proceeded to put back in place the artificial limb under his watchful gaze. His eyes were wary but he possessed no weapons, I simply feared what he could summon on me if he were to escape.


    ¡°There. Now, let me help you with that.¡± I said as I pointed to the crate on the floor.


    It was a mess. A goopy, glassy and cutty mess. Luckily for me, my Might made my skin as hard to breach as rock, and Finesse allowed me to pick up the broken pieces without a snag. Well, as long as I didn¡¯t touch the fuming liquid in the bottom - I nearly lost a finger in that caustic soup. The boy waited for a bit while I was toiling before joining in, still fearful of me.


    ¡°So, what are you doing around these parts ?¡±


    ¡°... Word is¡­ Squire ? Squire Am I.¡±


    ¡°Oh ! So you¡¯re learning the trade by doing menial chores ?¡±


    ¡°... What chore is ?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s things like lugging around big objects, mopping the floor or anything your master says, really.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­ Chores do I.¡±


    ¡°I do chores.¡± I corrected him. I had enough trouble understanding him as is, I couldn¡¯t even imagine what longer and more convoluted sentences would sound like.


    ¡°I do¡­ chores ..?¡± His eyes opened wide as he grasped the grammar rule. He then yelped an impressive sound for a human-looking mouth made of rolling Rs and sputtering in a quick succession of Ks and Gs while his trunk made a wet slurping noise as it swung back and forth following the rocking of his torso. That was a sight to behold, alien and comical in all its glory. It competed on equal ground with Jane¡¯s snorting.


    ¡°Did you just laugh ?¡±


    Hearing my reaction he quickly dropped his head, averting his eyes to the side. ¡°... Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be ashamed, I¡¯ve heard more absurd giggles than that. And it felt good, right ?¡± He nodded, a smile creeping back beneath the elongated nose. ¡°Anyway. What¡¯s going on around here ? I heard some from my specie came to get [Child of the Hierarchy] today.¡± I didn¡¯t know what had been so funny about that little syntax correction but I prefered to let the matter slip away, I had to gather some intelligence and fast. This teen, for he was clearly a teen to me, both in mind and body, might have something valuable for me.


    ¡°Yes, I know that. Master Balin tell me to bringing the crystals early. Earlier.¡± I hummed and acquiesced, encouraging him to continue. ¡°They be done now. I carry back the waste here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what was in that crate ? The leftovers from the ritual ?¡±


    ¡°No leftovers, waste. Used Hierarchy¡¯s crystals turn to eating water.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of acid.¡± And there he goes again, laughing like there was no tomorrow and clasping his hands around his torso. ¡°You¡¯re a strange one, you know that ?¡± After he was done with his feat, I persisted with my prodding. ¡°Hey, would you happen to know where are the cutters stored ? Oh and the blasters, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh ya, those are erm¡­ Miltirary ? Milirary ?¡±


    ¡°Military.¡±


    He roughly contained a smile from reaching his ears. ¡°Military equipment. They¡¯re on fifth underfloor.¡±


    ¡°Basement. How do I get there ?¡±


    And now his trunk was chuckling farts. ¡°I show you, worry not.¡±


    He hurried me out of the room, and back into the dark maze. We made quick work of the bends and turns, slopes and stairs, thanks to his thorough knowledge of the layout, and arrived before yet another door. But this time it was bigger, badder, and was clearly indented in the wall. Three meters tall, four wide, seemingly thick enough to sustain several of my kicks, it was a beast of a gate. Did I mention the terminal on the side ? Of course it had some kind of hand or eye recognition system coupled with a tough locking mechanism.


    My mind immediately shifted into ¡®bang on it until it breaks¡¯ gear, but luckily my little assistant stood up before the interface and spoke a few words in his language, introducing me to the concept of opening reinforced doors the gentle way.


    Open sesame.


    And, oh joy, the chamber behind it was filled with racks upon racks of hand-sized devices. Jackpot ? Yes, but by the time we had gotten there I was wondering what I should do with the stuff. Sabotage them ? How ? I knew nothing of how they worked. Steal them ? Again, how ? Lugging around all this equipment seemed far fetched and stretched the limit of my candor. Eventually, I settled on taking a sample to see how the aliens¡¯ hardware was ticking.


    I picked up what looked like a replica of the cutter Jarof had used the night before, and looked for what he had called a blaster.


    ¡°Hum¡­ We not allowed to take the weapons.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give them back. I just never saw anything like that, so¡­ I kinda want to test them.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If you say that¡­ You promise ?¡±


    ¡°Sure kiddo. By the way, you never told me your name.¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­ How do I say it ?¡± His nose swung side to side for a moment. ¡°I not have Human name. I only have Scritcher name.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that ? Scritcher ?¡±


    ¡°Is what I am. Not part of Hierarchy, but have been taken to become.¡± He scratched the back of his neck, looking for my approval to continue. ¡°We not choose to become Hierarchy. We are¡­ selected. At birth, by order of supreme leader, our families tell what kind of spawn we are.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure I was understanding correctly. ¡°You mean the Hierarchy records the type of child birthed and they pick the ones that suit them ?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We grow to serve. And if we prove we strong enough, we get baptized with true name, and expedition name if there is need.¡±


    ¡°Meritocracy my ass¡­¡± I should have expected something like slavery coming from aliens with superiority complexes. In fact, I had seen it coming, I was only mildly shocked, more angry than disappointed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s call you Trunk, alright ? And don¡¯t ask why.¡±


    He looked up at me, surprise in his eyes. ¡°Trunk¡­ Trunk is... I¡­¡± He seemed about to break down into tears for a moment but caught himself. ¡°Trunk will do good ! Trunk will make master proud !¡±


    Damnit, what had I done ? I had just given clothes to an house elf apparently. Oh well. Problem for another time.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m gonna take those two with me, you ok with that ?¡± I said, putting away in my backpack the blaster and cutter I had in my hand.


    ¡°Yes, yes. But, now I give name to you too !¡±


    ¡°Wait what ?¡±


    ¡°You be named¡­ Blik !¡±


    Bleak ? Blink ? For fuck¡¯s sake, I already have a stupid name, I don¡¯t need another one !


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Thanks, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Now we get out before overseer comes !¡±


    We then left the room and the door slid down behind us. I bid my new friend goodbye at a small junction after he explained to me how to get back to the surface. All in all, my night was going fine. I was a bit nearer to learning some of the aliens¡¯ secrets, I made a contact in their base, and I had... a plan. Find what makes their weapons tick, and then figure out a way to break or deactivate them. Or craft a shit ton of them and give them to the army, assuming they would still be fighting by then. That oughta do it. It wasn¡¯t much, but my sanity fared much better with vague ideas rather than well-established schemes.


    During the travel upwards, I caught myself thinking about Adalfaro, and how I had reacted the last time we had talked. Maybe now was the time for reconciliation.


    Hey Adalfaro. You here ?


    No answers came my way. He was definitely shunning me. I resolved myself not to be angry at him, and wait for his return. Peace comes with compromises, and I was ready to make some.


    I eventually got back to the greeting hall, the receptionist informing me Kurt was waiting for me outside. All I could see was his strong back, powerful shoulders spread wide above his hips, his arms crossed in front of him. His posture was one of awareness even in the wait. He turned around, hearing me step on the raw dirt.


    ¡°Neant ! Finally ! No time to waste, they told me where to find the next Vault, come !¡±


    As much as I was happy to reunite with my friend, Kurt¡¯s enthusiasm hid and shackled something beneath. This was no genuine excitement for the hunt, or a will to train. This was but a poor disguise of a cry for help.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ Lead the way.¡±


    As we ran through the thickets adjoining Sutherdryre I inspected Kurt thoroughly, his gait didn¡¯t betray anything out of the ordinary but he kept his hand resting on his Bo. I Scrutinized him for good measure.


    Name : Kurt


    Race : Human


    Age : Young


    Attitude : Suspicious


    Power : Nonthreatening


    So either [Scrutinize] just showed me what I already thought, or there was definitely something wrong with him.


    ¡°So, how was it ? The rite ?¡±


    ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡± He didn¡¯t even turn his head to look at me.


    Something¡¯s fucky¡­


    I spread my senses around, trying to find a clue as to why he was so tight lipped, contrary to his usual self. But nothing stood out to me. The forest was gloomy with the moonlight spearing through the foliage and no one was spying on us, as far as I could tell. Had my friend been turned ? Was he just an alien with my friend¡¯s appearance ? Or... Did he just stop trusting me ?


    We reached a peculiar boulder, as if a stony fist had sprung up from the earth in between two trees, moss covering its knuckles. Right on top of it was the distinctive glow of a Vault crystal. Without even a pause, he jumped on top of the rock and disappeared. I didn¡¯t waver and joined him.


    ¡°They know.¡±


    I was greeted with the usual whiteness, Kurt sitting down against one of the walls.


    ¡°What do you mean ?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think they know a lot more than they seem. They must had a way to spy on us even before they landed...¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that ?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a ritual to get the Trait. I was interrogated. And¡­ something got into my head.¡± At that his brows clumped together, the memory still fresh in his mind. ¡°Glad you thought about that beforehand. That [Mental Resilience] sure was useful. But they¡­ they knew so much about me, about my brother¡­ I had to give them something so they¡¯d stop.¡±


    I really didn¡¯t like where this was going. This was, in all certainty, the foreboding of betrayal. I should have listened to myself and left long ago.


    ¡°I told them about the militia, about the army hiding somewhere in the mountains nearby, I even promised I¡¯d infiltrate them, but it wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    I should have gone away, I should have left Kurt with his mother when I had the opportunity.


    ¡°They were only interested by one thing. You.¡±


    I was responsible for this.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Neant. They know about Knowles. They know about your powers.¡±


    This was my fault.


    I could see the pain on his face clearly. As much physical, from the ¡®interrogation¡¯, as emotional. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t want to¡­ I didn''t want to tell them, I swear. I tried to resist, and I managed to, for a while. But they¡­ they did something to me, I don¡¯t know what, but I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t stop talking.¡± He was now on the verge of tears, his eyes downcast and his arms around his knees. ¡°They pulled and prodded till I was nothing¡­ Just... nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not nothing. They raped your mind. Don¡¯t apologize for something you had no control over.¡± I tried calming him down, but it visibly didn¡¯t work, as his head turned brusquely toward me.


    ¡°But I could have resisted a lot more ! I should have done better !¡± He was now screaming at me, I guessed resenting me for putting him in this position.


    It actually reminded me of something I had told myself after the Knowles incident, that I had to do better, to be better, and Kurt was already there with me then. How much of my unstable psyche had pervaded him ? I had to come to the sensible conclusion, I wasn¡¯t a good influence on those surrounding me.


    He got up on his feet and stared at me. ¡°I can tell you think this is all your fault, but it¡¯s not, Neant. I followed you on my own volition. I¡¯m not some pet you protect in a golden cage for fuck¡¯s sake ! I chose to enlist ! I chose to kill Knowles !¡±


    ¡°But if I hadn¡¯t been there-¡±


    ¡°Then I would be the one dead, and so would my mom ! You don¡¯t have to shoulder every responsibility ! You¡¯re not the center of the universe !¡±


    As he shouted and pleaded, he got near me. I staggered back, stunned out of myself. He grabbed my arm, and smiled.


    ¡°Thank you for all you did, but stop thinking you¡¯re the one to blame every time something goes wrong, ok ?¡±


    I can make him shut up if you want.


    I quickly dismissed that comment coming from the darkest parts of my soul.


    I breathed a long sigh, observing him, waiting for¡­ anger. A hint of deception. Something¡­ Anything other than¡­ compassion. I couldn¡¯t take it. This was too much for me. His honest smile, the way he just opened up to me, I couldn¡¯t bear the weight of trust and honest friendship. I longed for it, but as soon as I got a whiff of it, it scared me. Shitless.


    I shook off his hand and swiveled away. I could tell sadness grasped him, but we had more urgent things to discuss.


    ¡°We should go now. I don''t know what their game is but they probably won¡¯t let me come and go as I please anymore.¡±


    ¡°... No. They tried to flush my memory of their actions, but thanks to you and that Skill, I managed to stop them. I played dumb after that, so they don¡¯t know that we know. And since they didn¡¯t try to capture you in the hall, I guess they opted to wait and see what you could do for them.¡±


    ¡°Or they just need the approval from their superiors to capture us.¡±


    ¡°Or that. In any case, fleeing won¡¯t help. We have nowhere to go.¡±


    ¡°We should ask Madison about that. She might have an idea about the localization of the army.¡±


    I touched the crystal, wanting to come back out, but nothing happened. Seemed you had to complete the Vault in order to exit.


    ¡°Neant, you need to listen to me ! We-¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish the Vault first. I¡¯ll tell you about my meeting with Idrisa on the way.¡±


    And at that, he finally stopped talking.


    *


    *????*


    An evil feeling attacks. My body''s shaking, there''s no turning back.


    ¡°-and that¡¯s why we need to know where the military is, right now.¡±


    The sun was barely making contact with the horizon while we were all sitting at various places in the living room of our temporary house. Madison was practicing her newly acquired fire spell in a corner and Fletcher tinkered with a pile of advanced hardware - picked up who knows where - while Alyssa, Kurt and I were discussing the recent events. Grim future and worrying possibilities made their way into each of their hearts, I could tell by their little quirks. Madison had to focus extra hard to contain the tiny flame she produced out of her hand, Fletcher checked multiple times the same component and Alyssa had an empty look, deserted of any emotion. Bad news tended to have that effect on people.


    ¡°Indeed. They might be our only possible salvation.¡± Alyssa approved my thought process.


    Madison cut off the flare she was focusing on and turned to us. ¡°I may have a way to find them.¡±


    ¡°And I finally got this piece of shit working.¡± Good timing Fletcher.


    ¡°Madison ? We¡¯re all ears.¡±


    ¡°Well, I got in touch with some folk coordinating the militia. What surprised me most was his gear, it isn¡¯t anything a civilian could find on the market. I mean, before the System and aliens and all that. So maybe they have a contact within the army.¡±


    ¡°And maybe we can reach out to this ¡®contact¡¯ ourselves. Fletcher, you think your radio could open a channel, or whatever it is they do, with the army if we had a general direction to point it at ?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d need to be less than five kilometers from them, but yes. Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Or ?¡±


    ¡°Or I could use the local radio station¡¯s antenna to broadcast our message even further, if it hasn¡¯t fried.¡±


    ¡°Talem¡¯s range is at least a hundred kilometers from here, and that¡¯s where they¡¯re at, most likely.¡± Alyssa chipped in.


    ¡°Very well. Guys, we have our plan. Get to the army, and for that, either get this ¡®contact¡¯ from the militia or try to send an SOS via the town¡¯s antenna. Everybody ok with that ?¡±


    Everyone nodded or acquiesced verbally.


    Time to go then.


    And time to go it was. We packed our immediate needs. Fletcher took his handmade radio, Alyssa mainly clothes and blankets, Madison was all books - books ? -and food while Kurt traveled light. And by light I mean two jerrycans of water. I offered him to at least take one of them, but he mysteriously denied. On one hand I felt free from any wordly consideration, on the other I was feeling naked and idle. Their logic was that I would be in charge of protecting them, being the only one capable of annihilating a building with a snap of a finger made some kind of sense. I say that but neither Madison nor Alyssa looked very reassured, wonder why¡­


    With the night not completely gone, we made our way toward the central plaza. Our destination was the church, of all places, prevailing upon the square. The head priest was our entry ticket into the budding militia. He was, in a way, the perfect representation of a typical religious nut, his head as bare and sterile as his beliefs - don¡¯t hate the player, hate the game - and his welcoming, shit-eating grin spoke volume about his thoughts on us. I made the decision that, if more subtle and agreable ways didn¡¯t yield sufficient results, I would definitely play the bad cop.


    ¡°How can I help you in this wonderful morning, my children ?¡±


    Alyssa, as convened, took charge of the discussion. ¡°Father, we are in desperate need of assistance. Our situation is dire, and we need to escape town, pronto. We hoped you-¡±


    ¡°-Of course, of course¡­. But I¡¯m not sure what you expect of me ? After all, I am but a humble preacher in these parts. If you desire to flee, I can only direct you to the police, they shall be able to protect you, I assume. Or maybe you¡¯d like to talk about what¡¯s making you so frightened ?¡±


    That¡¯s when Alyssa shot me that look. That look that said ¡®I tried !¡¯ but didn¡¯t convey any plea, or attempt at a bargain. Her life, or rather her son¡¯s life, visibly meant far more to her than the wellbeing of a procedural old schmuck.


    I stepped up, locked my gaze upon his, and flicked my finger at his nose. ¡°Tell us how to reach the army. Now.¡±


    Yeah, I know. Not much of threat. But I had to keep up appearances ! I wasn¡¯t about to become the big bad meanie in front of all of them ! That¡¯s not my style.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare- Humph !¡±


    ¡°Talk.¡± My fist being where his stomach had been proved that, indeed, it was my style.


    ¡°Richard ! Speak to Richard¡­ He¡¯s the IT guy at the corner of the street¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go.¡± Wow, I made a damn good bad cop if I can say so. Fierce tone, dominant attitude and all.


    We quickly made our way to the computer repair store, all of us wary of any onlookers. Luckily, the door of the shop was locked. I mean, sadly, it was locked. For a short while.


    ¡°Hey ! What do you think you¡¯re doing !?¡±


    ¡°Richard, right ? Who¡¯s your contact with the army ?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°-Don¡¯t play dumb ! I¡¯m not in the mood !¡±


    ¡°Sir, I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about ! I just run this shop ! Or what¡¯s left of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s coming !¡± i heard Madison from beyond the storefront. This didn¡¯t bode well.


    ¡°Everyone in !¡±


    While they all rushed in, I peeked out of the window, and sure enough, a dozen guys with assault rifles and full combat gear were taking places in the street. These weren¡¯t aliens forces, these were humans. The fucking monk had bamboozled us.


    ¡°Richard ! Is there a back alley behind ?¡±


    ¡°Hum, yeah, there is, but-¡±


    ¡°Alright. Fletcher, find us a car. I¡¯ll distract them. Go !¡±


    I launched a bit of screaming plasma down the street, delaying their advance, and received several bursts of bullets in return. I didn¡¯t want to cause any unnecessary death this time, the militia was on our side after all. Kinda.


    I repeatedly exchanged fire with them, getting my index finger torn off for my efforts, until Kurt called for me. Good timing, because I could hear the distinctive sound of a cutter behind activated. The Hierarchy was here. I left Richard cowering behind a desk and dashed for the exit. Outside, an old nineties car was waiting for me, engine revving up. We managed to avoid any other skirmishes thanks to sheer luck and left town without a look back.


    ¡°Too close, that was just too damn close !¡±


    ¡°What we gonna do now ?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god ! Oh my god, oh my god¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to go back, we need to try for the antenna.¡±


    Apart from Fletcher who seemed to have fallen in love with his CB, they were all dearly feeling the adrenaline withdrawal. I couldn¡¯t blame them, I was feeling it too. Hands shaking, head swimming, ears ringing¡­ And that damn finger took his sweet time to heal. I didn¡¯t exactly understand why I was so afraid, I had a bunch of trump cards in my deck, and was considering myself as essentially unkillable after the fight at Knowles¡¯, but I knew in my gut that there were uglier fate than death. Maybe I could have squashed the aliens and the militia, but that¡¯s a maybe, and with what results ?


    We were now on the road, with a few days worth of supplies, a junky ride and no clue as to where to go. We were, in a word, fucked.


    But what broke the mammal¡¯s back was the green hue slowly appearing above us.

 Chapter 7 - Stack Overflow

    BONE. FLESH. BLOOD. SKIN¡­ BONE. FLESH. BLOOD. SKIN¡­


    The headlights went off immediately. Surely an EMP kind of attack, luckily our current ride was of the old time when cars weren¡¯t riddled with electronic components and kept going. Even luckier, Fletcher managed to avoid launching us in a ditch or embedding us into a tree without any light other than the green hue above us.


    ¡°What is going on !?¡± I heard someone scream, louder than the screeching of the tires but still just dim enough that I wasn¡¯t able to recognize the voice.


    ¡°Fletcher ! Back up ! Now !¡±


    ¡°How !?¡± We were on a straight road with gullies on the sides, so the question was indeed worth the time asking.


    ¡°Just back up ! Quickly !¡± I could see the engines lowering themselves ahead of us, doom quickly impending.


    Fletcher didn¡¯t object and reversed gear immediately. The car whined but did not stall. The double-bus-sized spacecraft stopped its landing and followed our movement.


    ¡°Faster ! We can make it !¡± Then I saw a rod mounted on some sort of turret pop out underneath it. ¡°Turn right !¡±


    The bitumen exploded where we were just a moment ago, gravel and dirt showering our metal roof. Fletcher corrected our trajectory but I could tell another shot was coming our way, sooner than we¡¯d have liked. I poked my head out the window and fired a salvo at them. It did jack shit, stopped by an energy field apparent only when struck by my shots. Luckily, I had just the thing. I aimed a plasma shell at one of their three engines.


    ¡®Plasma shell¡¯ was, on paper, a condensed glob of plasma expelled at high speed that would expand violently upon impact. I had never actually tested it, as I had been unsuccessfully trying to stay unnoticed, but no time to damn myself about it. I focused on the palm of my right hand, my left stabilizing the arm. A white light started to shine from my fingers, then it coalesced in their center. I could actually feel the scorching heat such a restrained power was emitting. I had to release it before it blew off in my face.


    The light soared through the night sky, forming a blinding shooting star right in front of us. It struck right. But the detonation never came, it just passed through their shield, through the howling turbine and disappeared behind them. Luckily, it seemed to have damaged them enough that the craft veered to the left, starting an unending rotation in the air.


    We arrived back into town shortly after. A U-turn and off we went, weaving through the darkened streets now that all electric lights were off.


    ¡°You can slow down now. We don¡¯t want to crash into a random building, you know ?¡± A bit of humor to diffuse the decision¡­


    ¡°What the fuck was that !?¡±


    ¡°How¡­ Did you just shoot a missile at them !?¡± ¡­ And it fell flat.


    Madison and Alyssa were apparently more shocked by my performance than by the giant hovercraft that tried to blast us off the Earth. Priorities, ladies !


    ¡°Technically, it¡¯s more of a shell than a missile or a rocket, but I see your point.¡±


    ¡°Fuck. Off !¡± Madison sure loved the f-bomb.


    Kurt grabbed everyone¡¯s attention with the question they all had at the edge of their mouth. ¡°What do we do now ?¡±


    ¡°We go for the big antenna.¡± I answered.


    ¡°And what ? Even if we manage to reach the army, what are they gonna do, huh ? What if the aliens can decrypt the message and reach us before them ? What if more fucking flying TANKS come our way ? You gonna shoot them down again and have a rain of metal drop on the town ? And what if we get caught by the militia again ? You just-¡± Madison seemed on the verge of hysteria, spewing a quick jumble of bothersome questions and other futile concerns. I interrupted her so as to sooth her down.


    ¡°Stop worrying that my plan will go wrong, because it most definitely will. So, you know, don¡¯t bother and accept the fact that shit¡¯s going down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your answer ? REALLY ? How irresponsible are you !?¡± And more screeching and accusatory glances were thrown my way.


    ¡°Guys, chill out ! We¡¯ll pull through¡­¡±


    Of course that¡¯s when we heard a bullet whizz through the windshield and out the back, miraculously avoiding any of our heads. I spotted the rifleman and crushed his brain inward.


    ¡°See ! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about ! You can¡¯t protect us !¡±


    Silence the ungrateful bitch !


    You, shut up ! Let me focus.


    I extended my senses, trying to look out for any dangers up ahead, but at the same time I racked my brain to find a solution. She was right after all, I didn¡¯t have any invulnerability spell or some such. Personally, I was fine getting shot, or exploded, or sliced up, but they were not. So, I made a decision I didn¡¯t know would be the right one or not, but had to be made.


    ¡°Head for the antenna, contact the army, and get the Hell away from here. I¡¯ll create a diversion.¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯re gonna leave us all alone !?¡±


    ¡°Madison, his plan is the best we have.¡± Alyssa interjected in my favor.


    Not wanting to waste any more time and risk their lives, I jumped out of the vehicle after making sure nothing was in their way. Now, all I needed to do was attract attention. A lot. And from far away. Well, I had just the thing.


    A giant fireball erupted above town, briefly imitating the sun blazing high in the sky, but at roof level. I think I went blind for a moment.


    Something worth mentioning, and now would be a good time, is that my Perception allowed me to hear steps as far as three blocks away, in the right condition. So, with people screaming in their houses, detonations echoing through the streets and my ears ringing from my last little feat, I managed to determine somebody was approaching from behind. I heard a strike of metal against metal, a bang, and then nothing. For a while it was just¡­ nothing. It reminded me of the Void, and I prayed I wasn¡¯t back there, that it was just a bullet through the head. Last time, back at Knowles¡¯, I had kept control of some of my body and senses when shot, but this time I felt empty of all sensation.


    Please¡­ If there¡¯s a God¡­ Don¡¯t make me go back¡­


    Then, as a rush of sensitivity came back to me, I spat out a chunk of lead. You see, having a stone-hard skull is a nice perk, but if it means that a bullet that manages to penetrate it will bounce around and turn the inside into mush, it¡¯s not that great.


    Ahah ! I¡¯m back baby ! God is a lie and I¡¯m awesome ! Woohoo !


    I woke up face on the ground, blood seeping through my hair.


    ¡°Where are the others ?¡± I heard someone a few meters to my left.


    ¡°No idea sir.¡± A shadowed voice answered.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s-¡±


    Ah, the smell of burning flesh sure is likeable, a taste I didn¡¯t mind acquiring. The screams, not as much. Annoying but with a peculiar melody. Some went the high road, with strident pitches and piercing howls. Others had a low tremolo to their wails, their throats melting and creating inhuman sonorities. Now that I think about it, I should have recorded it, I lack a good ringtone at the moment.


    But of course, it was all in my head. A figment of my imagination.


    Right ?


    I ended up running in circles, avoiding potshots and grenades alike. They were persistent, even when I returned the courtesy. A part of me wondered why they were so pissed off at us, after all we only asked for a name, why would they go all out for just that ? But it didn¡¯t matter in the end. They were a danger to my friends, so I fought them, end of the story.


    At some point, the Hierarchy joined us. I now had to avoid and return fire while whacking and dodging aliens. Troublesome ? Yes. Enjoyable ? Assuredly. Tiresome ? Quite.


    Even with my enormous Constitution, my body felt weak after a dozen minutes of this regimen. The one-man army concept might not be sustainable. I started to search for hiding places, finding a minute here and there to catch my breath and alleviate the strain on my brain. Maintaining such a high rate of Skill usage had put a weight on my mind, slowly turning it into a sluggish 2000¡¯s computer.


    It¡¯s in one of those hidey holes that I came face to face with a random kid. I was in a store, crouching behind a shelf, and I heard a hastily caught breath in the back. He was maybe fourteen years old, a head full of frizzy red hair and freckles on his nose. I saw fear in his eyes. Unrestrained, total fear. Then I heard yet another snap of a whip in the distance, muddled by the others. But this bullet had been aimed at me. Just, not very well. It caught him in the jaw, and out through his neck.


    I didn¡¯t feel a thing when I felt blood on my face. I didn¡¯t feel a thing when he went limp on the ground. I didn¡¯t feel a thing when his last motion was to look desperately at me. But it gnawed at me. What kind of monster had I become ? How many had been caught in the crossfire I had caused ?


    End it.


    I got out of the building. Shots taking me from all sides. I stumbled to the middle of the street. I layed down. I received yet another volley. I waited.


    What was I ?


    I waited.


    People screamed.


    I waited.


    More shots rang around me.


    I waited.


    Was I broken ?


    I waited.


    Beyond repair ?


    I waited.


    I could hear explosions going off around me.


    I waited.


    Blasters, surely.


    I waited.


    Silence.


    I waited.


    Steps. Coming toward me.


    I waited.


    The alien language sang. I felt a Bo prodding my side.


    It was time.


    Unleash it.


    [Double Cast]. [Lesser Mana Throw]. [Minor Gravity Control].


    A gravity well formed above me, a literal star in its center. Everything and everyone got swallowed and vaporized. The aliens surrounding me. The cars parked nearby. The walls and their buildings. The pavement. The dirt. But not me. I stood still below it. I reigned supreme in destruction. The apostle of the End. The herald of Death.


    Now, I know what you¡¯re thinking. But no, it¡¯s not badass. It¡¯s not impressive. It¡¯s sad. Pitiful. Incredibly so. My heart took control, heart I didn¡¯t understand, and still don¡¯t.


    Was I mad they killed the teenager ?


    Did I want to end it all ?


    Or was it just my true nature showing ?


    Maybe a simple yell for help, even.


    And yell I did. A guttural, deep and gut-wrenching wail.


    *


    *????*


    Carry on my wayward so-O-on. There''ll be peace when you are do-O-one. Lay your weary head to re-e-est. Don''t you cry no more¡­


    By improving your grasp of [Lesser Mana Throw], your Skill has ranked up to [Minor Mana Manipulation] !


    [Minor Mana Manipulation] Level 66 : Forms a piece of raw matter. Based on Intellect and Willpower.


    I was sitting in the middle of a crater twenty meters in diameter, a glaring scar upon the town. Half collapsed houses and melted gravel surrounded me. Me, in my Adam¡¯s costume, with my gaze floating upon the desolation. No corpse was in sight, but after such an ordeal it wasn¡¯t that surprising. What was truly unexpected, was the people standing on the edge of the depression, staring at the missing chunk, staring at me. They were too shocked to realize I was the one responsible. Responsible for countless deaths, and irreparable damages. From a bird¡¯s eye view, I was sure to see pockmarks riddling the town.


    This was my design. This had been my half-assed, half-improvised plan.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I need to go.


    How much time had passed since I had split from Kurt and the others ? Were they still at the radio station ? Had they even managed to get there ? I didn¡¯t know, and I needed to find out.


    Or did I ? Maybe it was the perfect situation to finally leave them be. To rid myself of unnecessary troubles.


    No, they were my friends, not lambda citizens. But who was I to impose myself on them ? And why should they be more important than the common folk ? My actions caused them to be involved in this mess, not the other way around.


    I¡¯m a disease. I am walking disaster.


    Stop feeling sorry for yourself and act !


    Right, no time to doubt and ponder. Those will come later.


    I got up, stretched myself, and jumped out of the fuming hole. I knew the general direction and rushed there. It took me less than half an hour to finally see the antenna stretching high above the old chimneys. There were no sounds of battle, which could mean they had arrived safely here and had been able to contact the military. Wishful thinking, that¡¯s what it was, but I was in no position to be picky.


    I found the back door open, the lock busted. I headed up the stairs, my hopes rising into my throat. And I saw him. Kurt, keeping watch behind a desk. Alive.


    He saw me back. His eyes round open in surprise. His grip on his Bo relaxed, and he hailed.


    ¡°Neant ! Fuck ! Thought you were- Why are you naked ?¡±


    ¡°Long story. Everyone¡¯s here ?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Fletcher is on the roof with Mom, the antenna¡¯s damaged and they¡¯re fixing it. Here, take my coat.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. And Madison ?¡±


    ¡°Said she needed a moment. She¡¯s in the other room. But¡­ Maybe don¡¯t disturb her for now.¡±


    They were all safe. All here, all alive. And we still had a way out of this plight. I smiled. An honest to god smile. A smile that sweared with the last hour or so, conflicting with my inner turmoil, but bringing a fresh wind in my decaying mind.


    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll head up and see if I can help.¡± He nodded, reverting to a state of complete alertness.


    On the roof, Fletcher was crouched in front of a metal box containing all kinds of wires and fuses and buttons and levers, while Alyssa had climbed the antenna and was orienting the parable at Fletcher¡¯s cues.


    ¡°You getting any signal ?¡±


    They jumped in fright at the sound of my voice, looking at me as if they saw a peacock speaking to them.


    ¡°Neant !? We thought you were gone for !¡± Alyssa stepped down of the dish and hugged me with a strength I didn¡¯t expect from her.


    ¡°Kid, you sure you¡¯re not a cat ? Cause I bet you lost some lives back there. We heard and saw a lot of gunfire and explosions and something out there.¡±


    ¡°Meh. A walk in the park.¡± I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt the need to downplay the mass murder I had just committed.


    ¡°Well, now that you¡¯re here, help me with this last fix. I¡¯m trying to find the right direction for the dish and Alyssa here doesn¡¯t know her right from her left.¡±


    ¡°You said North ! How can I know which way is North in the middle of the night ?¡±


    ¡°Ever heard of something called the North Star ?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a city lady ! Not a bumpkin lazy detective !¡±


    ¡°I grew up in the Stronx you know ?¡±


    Friendly banter and other invectives stormed the air around me. I was glad to have them back. But we had a goal to reach, and probably not much time before reinforcements came.


    ¡°Fletcher, where do you need it to point at ?¡±


    ¡°Around... there.¡± He said as he pointed toward a lone hill in the distance.


    I pulled at the parable with a gravity tether till it fell in position. I seemed to have arrived for the last adjustments as we immediately heard chatter coming from the speaker.


    ¡°-Bravo Zero Uniform Tango One. Section eight, please respond.¡± The comm was scrambled but still understandable.


    A young voice came up crystal clear to answer it. ¡°Section eight reporting in. Gunfire and explosions confirmed. No sign of X-Ray since zero four hundred. Permission to launch a scouting party into town ?¡±


    ¡°Declined. We can¡¯t risk your men, Corporal.¡± A different voice had taken over, a rusty and harsh voice. ¡°Engineers ETA at zero five thirty to collect the-¡± Then, a short break, followed by... ¡°Radio silence, now.¡±


    ¡°I think they know we¡¯re listening.¡± Fletcher explained the obvious to me.


    More obvious than that was the fact that this section eight was in the proximity, possibly near that hill I was looking at.


    ¡°Fletcher, contact them. Tell them we¡¯re civilian and we want to flee this town.¡±


    He flipped a switch both on the radio and in his demeanor. ¡°Demand for contact with section eight. Civis requesting evac. Located at radio station, East of town, big antenna on the roof. Please help.¡±


    ¡°Who are you and how did you decrypt this frequency ?¡± Responded the man in charge.


    ¡°Private Fletcher reporting in. Retired comm expert from third infantry division. Am with four other civis in need of a way out of town.¡±


    Silence. Disturbed only by the whisper of the airwaves.


    ¡°Granted. Head for the hill North of your position before sunrise. Any wounded ?¡±


    ¡°Negative. We¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pull a fast one on us. Section eight-¡±


    Fletcher looked up at me, optimism shining below his brow. We needed to scram, and fast. Leaving behind the handmade radio, much to his regret, we went down to pick up Madison and Kurt. Once in the car, and well on our way North, they all started to grin and laugh, tension leaving their bodies and minds.


    I had to refocus them. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet, stay vigilant.¡±


    They immediately stopped their early celebration. I got an elbow in the stomach from Kurt and Alyssa shot me a killer look. Fletcher was driving the car, but Madison didn¡¯t even glimpse my way, her face scrunched up in what looked like anger, or rage. I think she knew I had ravaged her village.


    We arrived at the hill¡¯s base, the road veering East after that. Once out of the car, Fletcher rose his fist and crouched down, surely because of the blinking light up ahead. He got back in the car and used the headlights to answer. Shortly after, a small group of well-equipped soldiers came down to greet us.


    ¡°Weapons ?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°Just some of the aliens¡¯ staffs.¡± Fletcher responded.


    But I had to correct him. ¡°I have a blaster and a cutter in this bag. You have a team of techs coming, right ?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hand them over.¡±


    ¡°Gladly. You¡¯ll be more capable than us to uncover their secrets anyway.¡±


    After we gave him the small backpack and the Bos we climbed up the hill, meeting a row of camouflaged rifles aimed at us.


    ¡°Threat ?¡± I heard someone ask from behind a bush.


    ¡°None, as far as we can tell. But they had alien weapons with them.¡±


    ¡°The colonel will handle their interrogation. Bring them to the clearing, the engineers are here.¡±


    We were then led toward the aforementioned clearing, and saw what could only be described as a battlefield. Aliens corpses littered the ground, foreign limbs and organs splattered for all to see, black, blue and red blood stained the grass and flowers. This great picture of carnage was dominated by the half slumped over alien craft I had shot before. Seemed I had managed to hit a critical point after all. A group of soldiers with a multitude of tools were rummaging through the carcass, like a bunch of ants devouring the remnants of a cat.


    ¡°Tell the corporal we¡¯re mostly done, we just need to free the power cell from its hinges and we¡¯re good to go.¡± I heard one of them tell our guardian, or captor.


    ¡°Contact West !¡± Someone shouted, alarming everyone. The ants scrambled to their feet, taking anything they had in the vicinity while rushing to the trucks parked nearby.


    Whip cracks and fireball resounded through the early morning, the sun coloring the sky a deep red. The decor was just right for an early battle.


    In the middle of the chaos, I headed toward the sound of gunfire. They were retreating, frog leaping from one tree to the other, hiding behind boulders and bushes when they reached the open space around us. Then I saw one of them. An alien, human blood covering its face, dashing from cover to cover as the soldiers did but with the difference that he possessed an otherworldly grace in his movement, with twirls and spins, jumps and light steps. Bullets grazed him, occasionally finding purchase in his skin, but not any deeper. This was a monster, with at least forty in Might and Finesse. And by the looks of his superficial wounds already closing up, Constitution as well. How could the army hope to fight such an individual ?


    I could.


    I ran to his flank, preparing another bright star to launch at him. But he saw me, and I would lie if I said I didn¡¯t feel fear in that instant. He smiled, and I recognized him. Idrisa. Sporting his usual grin from ear to ear. I triggered my combo above his head, but a second too late, he had already honed in on me and bolted at an incredible speed to my side. My attack blinded us all, storming the place with the sound of a thousand tornadoes.


    When I finally was able to open my eyes without pain, I caught a glimpse of the butt of a Bo, then blackness. I had died, again. But not for long. Two or three seconds later, my regeneration working at full power to heal my head wound, I got back up and saw the carnage Idrisa had been able to sow in this brief lapse of time. Half the soldiers were on the ground, their ribs caved inward, or decapitated by brunt force.


    I ran toward the clearing, avoiding him by sacrificing two men on my way.


    I shouted, desperation in my voice. ¡°Run !¡±


    ¡°What-¡± I heard the corporal trying to say something¡­


    ...But was interrupted by Kurt. ¡°Do as he say ! Head for the trees !¡±


    They started to retreat for cover, slowly at first, then at a brisker pace. All the while, the alien was watching.


    I stood tall, ready to defend my group, but he just¡­ watched.


    ¡°Neant !¡±


    ¡°Go ! I¡¯ll catch up with you !¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t.


    They all reached the thicket on the other side, disappearing one after the other into the green fog. I kept my gaze leveled with his. Steps echoed behind me for a while, but soon, nothing disturbed the air anymore. I was alone with a very relaxed devil.


    ¡°I know I killed you. I received a very substantial boost to my Essence Points. And those bugs wouldn¡¯t have given me that much. Who, or what, are you ?¡±


    ¡°No one. Would it be too much to ask you to leave us be ?¡±


    ¡°I guess you got a visit from Osmosis, huh ? Anyhow, the Hierarch will be pleased with my catch. Now, either you follow me, or I hurt you.¡± Then, as an afterthought... ¡°Please, do resist.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what this ¡®Osmosis¡¯ was, but I had no time to reflect on that, his Bo was on a path to inflict quick and utter destruction. My first instinct was to block, but that wouldn¡¯t achieve anything if not a broken arm. I gambled my everything on a counterattack, putting my head in arms way. I saw my own Bo strike him in the stomach, but it was just an afterimage, he had moved so fast I hadn¡¯t even seen it. And I didn¡¯t see any more than that, a crunch then blackness.


    I just had to wait for my regeneration to kick in, putting my brain back in my head. Alas, he had a way to counteract it. For the next hour or so, my consciousness was floating around my body, unable to find a way back in. I would eventually understand he had put a large stone in my cranium, preventing any reclamation of my bodily functions. I was, in a word, defeated.


    I¡¯m fucked, ain¡¯t I ?


    ¡°So, mister Neant...¡±


    I picked up a strange voice, mixed with all kinds of undertones, speak to me while my head was reconstructing itself.


    ¡°I hear from our dear friend, mister Idrisa, that you have a peculiar set of Skills, and above all, an incredible will to defy death.¡±


    I was in some sort of breathable liquid, a molasse which pervaded my lungs and blocked my vision past the window in front of me and prevented any sharp movement. Not that I didn¡¯t try. I also tried to create plasma to blast the vat I was in, but it was a lot more resilient than regular glass, or even a stack of bulletproof glass panel, as it didn¡¯t even singe it. And using my Skill outside of my field of perception was¡­ problematic to say the least.


    ¡°Don¡¯t struggle, get used to this environment, you are to be shipped to our original universe in a few hours. Rejoice ! You will meet the Hierarch in person ! Few can say they had the honor.¡±


    I was, indeed, fucked.


    ¡°Where are my manners ? Let me present myself. My name, for you barbaric people, is Mecholia. I am in charge of this little town, but not for long, not after spotting and capturing you. I must thank you for choosing my dominion to hide. Or try to, and passably poorly, I must say !¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer. I didn¡¯t want to offer him the pleasure.


    ¡°The silent treatment, huh ? Doesn¡¯t matter. Well, I just have a small question for you, if that¡¯s not too much to ask. My curiosity has been ticked and it requires a resolution.¡±


    Still, I wouldn¡¯t give him anything.


    ¡°Why did you kill them ? I understand family is an important value here, so why go on such a rampage ?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about ?¡± The words escaped my mouth without my consent.


    ¡°Oh ? But you¡­ Oh. Ah ! Ahahah !¡± He started laughing, human chuckle devolving into exotic sounds. ¡°You don''t know ? Or can¡¯t you remember ? On the Hierarch, I have never been in a more incongruous situation !¡±


    I tuned out his ramblings, focused on finding a way out of this ordeal. Make myself into a nuclear bomb ? That could work. Let¡¯s try that.


    I created a focal point in my stomach, trying to accumulate compressed matter into it. Once released, it should expand abruptly and free me from this cage. But after a couple seconds, I could feel my control over it escape me. I blasted my innards, but not much else.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, this container is especially designed to absorb Skills. You have no chance to get out. Even Idrisa cannot.¡±


    A quick jab of despair grabbed me, a spinning sensation that made me reconsider my situation.


    What should I do ? What could I do ?


    Suicide wasn¡¯t an option, and yet I wished it was. Nothing good would come out of meeting their leader. Endless experiments and abuse, trying to squeeze as much Essence Points out of me as possible, that was my future.


    Wait, suicide¡­ That¡¯s it !


    Killing myself had previously been one of my signature move back in the Void, and with great results. I didn¡¯t have to listen to his biting comments, I just had to get stronger !


    With renewed vigor, I formed a speck of plasma in my brain, like I used to in the Void. Practice makes projects !


    Schtumph. Silence. Awareness. Repeat.


    *


    *????*


    Welcome to the mental health hotline. If you have short-term memory loss, please call again in a minute.


    I¡¯m tired.


    Recalling this lapse of time tires me.


    Murdering myself over and over. In the simple hope to get stronger, to find a way to apply more than one Stat Point a day. The killing part wasn¡¯t the worst, rather, the feeling of being lost in time, coldness gripping my heart and of my thoughts rebooting constantly was what troubled me. But I pushed onward, every death bringing me closer to my salvation.


    [Exponential Growth] 0/256 : Limitations and hard caps are not meant for you. This world shall know the might of ever so growing desires, unfulfilled wants and never satiated needs.


    Yes ! Finally !


    Then, it hit me. My old nemesis. The abysmal Path Points cost. It reeked of a dreaded and endless grind. I struggled in my cage, banging, or rather flailing uselessly, at the walls girdling me in a burning fever of seething rage.


    So close, yet so far.


    It had taken a long time to get there. Maybe a couple of days in darkness, if not more. And my efforts were rewarded by yet another steep wall.


    FUUUUUUCK ! FUCK FUCK FUCK...


    After a while, I managed to calm down.


    -FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK-


    Or not.


    It was a bang on my prison that finally diverted my thoughts from this new difficulty. I heard distorted sounds of metal scraping against metal, like someone dragging a hammer against an anvil. All kinds of commotion rattled around me, I must have been in the middle of a large shipment being unloaded. I was transported to another location, the oscillations easily recognizable. Then, as the journey ended abruptly, the liquid trapping me started to flow down. I coughed out some of its remnants, but before long I could peer out of the glass window in front of me. I was in a gray room devoid of any furniture if not for an oval table in its center. And at the other end of the table was a silhouette, hard to define through the glass.


    As if to answer my wish, the panel slid upward. I had only Kurt¡¯s overcoat on me, stained with my blood and some dirt. It gave me an unexpected idea.


    ¡°Want a piece of candy ?¡±


    ¡°I do not believe this to be a regular human greeting. Am I wrong to assume as such ?¡± I could only see his back. A well-formed, admirable back, especially through that kind of latex suit. Very much human looking. I surmised he was of the same specie as Idrisa, or a close one.


    ¡°Well, It is if you are trying to assert dominance. You see, candy is a rare commodity on Earth, so offering one to a potential enemy is just showing off your wealth.¡±


    ¡°Do not take me for a fool, Yann Roy.¡±


    ¡­ What ?


    I was stunned. My original name shouldn¡¯t have been linked to the Neant¡¯s one, ever. In the chaos following the arrival of the System and the Hierarchy, nobody should have cared about a single dude gone missing. Not in a city of more than one million individuals¡­ I don¡¯t actually know how many people lived in my hometown, so I may be stretching things a bit¡­ But you get the idea ! In that moment, the only thing that came to my mind was that it wasn¡¯t real. Yeah, my brain copped out of the situation.


    ¡°Oh ? Did I break you already ? As always, the strongest have the most glaring weaknesses.¡± His tone was filled with acid, as spikes rupturing my thoughts. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, if what this report is saying is true, we won¡¯t need you to talk. But, that is only if you do not wish to collaborate. We could get you to work for us forcefully, but I dislike the concept. A servant is not truly serving anything other than his own survival, whereas a¡­ coworker, is just that. Codependent, equally responsible and above all, devoted to the task at hand. Either is fine, even if I am more inclined in making you a participant in this endeavor, rather than a victim.¡±


    A shivering chill ran down from my neck straight to my tailbone. He was definitely not just any interrogator. His voice held power, weight and promises of suffering, or rewards following my decision.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush your decision, we¡¯ll come back to you soon in that regard. For now, get used to your new dwellings.¡±


    That¡¯s when he turned around, and I got to look at his face. He was indeed from the same race as Idrisa, but lacked the manic grin. The blood-filled eyes were still there, yet possessed none of the frantic madness screaming to come out. His were tranquil, calm, compassionate.


    ¡°Before we part ways, I must ask a question my subordinate already asked. When you reached Knowles in his hideout, why his family ?¡±


    ¡°What about them ?¡±


    ¡°You killed them. We found their corpses stuck to the back wall of that basement. Something only you could do at the time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I understand they must have been mentally controlled by Knowles himself - we found some logs and writings testifying of his newly acquired powers - but why not incapacitate them ? Maybe you panicked, caught in the instant.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And I assume you didn¡¯t fully control your Skills yet. As is shown by the accident at your parents¡¯ house.¡±


    ¡°What accident ?¡±


    ¡°It was erased. Burned to the ground. With your family in there, of course. Didn¡¯t you know ?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, you knew. And I can deduce that it wasn¡¯t, in fact, an accident. As much so as your lover - Anna - didn¡¯t fall to her death from her balcony due to a misstep.¡±


    ¡°What ? I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You are responsible for countless deaths, mister Roy. And some of them have surely been perpetrated under the influence of anger, later covered by denial. I can see it on your face, these events are shocking yet familiar to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight it. It is only natural to lose all concept of morality when faced with a new world, with new variables to take into account. Even if you are one of the rashest case of mental deficiency I have ever seen in the new arrivals, you don¡¯t have to beat yourself over such things. Sadly, it happens.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ No. No-no-no¡­ It didn¡¯t happen that way ! You¡¯re lying !¡±


    ¡°I may be mistaken on some of the steps along the way, but the bulk of it is true. Look into your own memories. As jaded and repressed as they are, you must be able to gather some of them back.¡±


    No¡­ It can¡¯t be true¡­


    It was.


    It is.


    I am sorry, dear friend, dear passenger. But I have lied to you. I omitted certain truth as I had omitted them from my own mind. I wanted you to feel the same way as I felt in that moment. Betrayal, anger, disgust. I was, in a way, a monster of my own. Murdering whichever was caught in my path. Now caught in my past.


    Please¡­ Not this¡­


    I slumped on the floor, lifeless. My brain shut down, leaving me on the sidewalk.


    It¡¯s not real¡­ It¡¯s not...