The rest of the day turns into a blur. At some point, Inu pulls me into a hug, which I return, smearing blood all over her hair. Opal claps me on the back, and Thatch gives me small smiles. My entire body aches, and I’m covered with blood and dirt, but no one cares.
Exhaustion digs deeply into my bones as I stumble up into the inn, until Bay stops me. “Headphones.” She says more, but that’s the only word I hear. For a moment, I bristle, ready to fight to the death, but then…
I see the spark dancing along her finger, and my eyes widen. No. No way. I don’t dare to hope, even as I rush, stumble, and fall to my room, pulling out the piece of plastic and metal from my backpack with ceremonious care. Very slowly, I pass them to her, and there’s a flicker of power.
My finger presses onto the button, and then, after two torturous seconds, there’s that familiar, machine-like voice. “Power on,” it says. And the world grows dimmer, as the noise cancelling kicks in.
For the second time that day, laughter bubbles out of me. It hurts my chest, and I lose it in a cough, hacking up blood, but I don’t care. The injuries don’t matter as I laugh, sinking to my knees.
“Are you crying?” Bay asks, the words dull and crackly through the noise cancellation.
I laugh even harder, tears crawling down my face. “Yeah! Hahahaha, yeah. I’m crying. I’m sobbing, even,” I manage between laughter. “Can you get my phone as well?”
“... Yeah,” Bay says slowly, and I hand it to her. There’s another zap, and she returns it to me, with 89% battery.
My fingers tremble, and it takes me three tries to unlock the stupid thing, and two more to turn on the bluetooth. Then, shakily, I press the button on my music player, and it flicks on. Some dumb, metal-vocaloid song. I laugh again, sobbing.
“Thank you,” I say. Her lips move and I shake my head. “I can’t hear you right now, but thank you.” She frowns, and I laugh even more. “Yes, I could turn the music down. But I won’t.” In fact, I turn it up louder, so loud she can hear it. “I’m gonna not hear anyone for the next two hours or so.”
She pinches the bridge of her nose with a smile, shaking her head. Then, she raises her hand in goodbye, and walks out of my room.
About fifteen minutes later, I pass out from blood loss.
- - -
When I wake up, there’s a finger jabbing my cheek. I grimace, but force open my eyes nonetheless. The lids are sticky with crusted over blood, since I’ve been leaking again. Like a damaged water faucet.
Grimacing from the pain, I force my eyes open, to see Sylves’ face in front of me. Her lips are moving, but I can’t hear anything - which is when I remember that my headphones still work. And are still playing music.
Instantly, I feel elation again, sinking back into the wall. Then it hits me that I’ve not seen Sylves in two weeks.
With a casual, practiced gesture, I quickly flick off my headphones, letting them rest around my neck, and throw her a dazzling smile. “Hey, Sylves. You are real, right? Not a figment of my imagination turned valkyrie, ready to take me to valhalla?”
The girl stops pouting, and withdraws her testing finger from my cheek, replacing the expression with a wide smile. “Good morning, sleepyhead Snow!” she says enthusiastically. “Gosh, I missed ya. Hug?” She opens her arms wide in request.
Snickering softly, I lean forward, wrapping my arms around her. She tussles my hair at the same time I do to her. “Glad to have you back,” I whisper.
For a moment, her breath hitches, and she gets so very, very quiet. “Even… after everything? After I disappeared? After I-”
I roll my eyes, then squeeze her tighter. “Yes. Even then. No matter what you did. You could have killed every climber on the third floor, and I’d still welcome you back.”
At that, she laughs, pressing her head into me, and squeezing me so hard I can feel my wounds reopen. “Ow, ow, ow!” I complain, and she quickly lowers the pressure with a happy sigh. There are tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
“I really did miss you, Snow,” she says quietly, smiling so radiantly.
I return the expression, trailing a finger along her cheek. “I missed you too, Sylves. My favourite fairy.”
Then, her eyes widen. “Have you been crying?” she asks.
Snickering, I nod. “Bay charged my headphones. I happy cried.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” she nods. Then, she lets herself fall backwards, staring at the ceiling in the room. “Glad to have you back at full efficiency.”
“Not quite,” I complain. “You see, my body is riddled with holes-”
Sylves waves her hand dismissively. “Child’s play.”
“I only have one arm-”
She holds up her stump in solidarity. “Aye!”
“And my mana is currently overflowing and trying to kill me, so I’m gonna rein that in real quick,” I say with a snicker, reapplying my attunement loop before more blood pours from me. There’s so much dry and flaking off already, I don’t need to make it worse.
Once I’ve wrangled my mana, I pour about half my vessel into a supercharged healing spell.
[Biological Restoration 18 > 20]
Ah, the level jump must be all the knowledge I stole from Ezekiel. I smile at it, at the energy coursing through me, closing over the many bleeding tears on my outsides and insides. “Phew. Feels a lot better to not have holes in my gut.”
“You had what?!” Sylves yells, sitting up again and staring at me.
I pull up my shirt to reveal 5 patches of pale scars. “Yeah. Ezekiel grew crazy claws when trying to kill me. Some fear bullshit. But I wasn’t afraid. So, I’m alive, and he’s dead in a ditch. My ditch, actually. I made Bile dig it.”
“Wouldn’t that make it Bile’s ditch?” Opal asks, raising an eyebrow. They stand in the entrance to my room, smiling brightly. “Also, morning, Sleepysnow.”
“My ditch,” I repeat. Then, I lean against the wooden wall, stretching my sore legs. “Anyway, how long was I out?” I ask.
Thatch’s head appears over Opal’s shoulder. “Half a day,” he supplies helpfully, and our heroic blademaster steps aside to let our friendly rage-monk inside. Thatch instantly claims my bed without hesitation, taking a seat on the sheets. “Long enough for me to deal with all the cleanup from your little pet project. Town lord was not pleased.”
I wave a hand dismissively. “We killed some undead and stopped the town from blowing up. He can pipe down.”
“We’re being asked to do a whole lot more than that,” Thatch notes with a roll of his eyes. “He wants you to make some enchantments for him. And all of us to fight. For free.”
As the last one of our little crew, Inu walks in. There’s something different about her, even as she stands in casual clothing. Some weight clinging to her. I furrow my brows and look closer.
And then my eyes widen. “No way. You stored armor in there?!”
Inu grins smugly. “Yes, I did,” she replies lazily, leaning against the doorframe. “But that’s not important right now. The town lord.”
“Yeah, so, like, we’re fucking dipping, right?” Opal asks, using their bound longsword to pick dirt from under their nails.
Inu laughs for a moment, dragging a hand through her messy hair. “I love running from my responsibilities, I guess?”
“Oh, yeah, we’re running. For sure,” Thatch nods.
Sylves eyes him for a moment. “You didn’t, like, tell them that, did you, Thatch?”
The boy laughs, shaking his head. “Hah! No. I lied to their stupid faces. They really think we’ll stay. So silly.”
“When are we heading out?” I ask. “I needa check my notifications beforehand.”
Opal whistles. “Check the notifications, Snow says,” they say with a snicker. “My, my. I’m sure you’re in for a treat, friend. See there’s-”
Sylves quickly shoots from the floor in a gust of air, smacking a hand over the enby’s mouth. “Don’t spoil it, rockhead.” Then she smiles at me. “Check it for yourself, Snow.”
Smiling slightly under their watchful gaze, I open my notifications.
[Class up! Nullmage 21 > 25]
That makes sense. It’s focused on breaking and dealing with magic, and I did break an authority, after all.
[Level Up! 64 > 75]
And that made my eyes widen. “Whoa. Level jump.”
“Ezekiel was level 133,” Inu supplies helpfully.
Ah. That’ll do it.
I nod, slowly, then decide on what to do with the stats. A moment later, they’re allocated.
Sylves giggles, laying sideways in mid air. “All mana?” she asks.
Tilting my head, I look at her. “Am I that predictable?”
“Absolutely,” Opal confirms. “Mana maniac.”
“Vessel addict,” Thatch chimes in helpfully.
I roll my eyes slightly, and smile, moving onto the other things I’ve missed.
[Congratulations!]
[You have raised two skills to level 25. For your exemplary performance, you have acquired 1 class change voucher. Additional knowledge on skills will be revealed. Brace.]
[Congratulations!]
[You have reached level 25 in your second class. To continue advancing, change your class with a voucher or via tithe.]
The first of those notifications should have been a standard voucher gain. But then, when are things normal, anyway? I feel my head pound as information pours into me, even when it all boils down to a simple truth: Skills can fuse.
And now I know how.
Thresholds are, once again, the answers. When skills press up against thresholds - level 10, 25, 50, 100, they become malleable. Soft. Pliable.
When there are two skills, with overlapping or synergistic functionality at the threshold, pushing them both can alloy them. Fuse them into one. The process is illustrated in more detail, but I let it pass me by as I breathe.
And then, one more notification, buzzing in my ears. I want to change my class, too, of course, but before that…
[You have crushed Ezekiel’s authority of the hunt. Claim an Authority.]
“Show me my options,” I hum with a smile.
Instantly, another menu pops open.
[Authority: Desolation
Glassed earth, salted ground
Where no more life can be found,
Desolation’s crown.]
[Authority: Defiance
No kings, no gods, none.
No one above another.
Stand against the throne.]
[Authority: Efficiency
Do not waste a breath,
To bring to life breadth and depth,
Stagnation is death.]
[Authority: Silence
A breeze’s graceful
Touch on your cheek. It whispers
Without words at all.]
[Authority: Curiosity
The world is bright, so
Full of life, and things to know
Reach out. Take them home.]
As my eyes fall on the first entry on that list, I frown. It sucks to read. Desolation is what I’m offered first, as if it’s the prime thing the system knows me for. Killing and ruin. I sigh, softly, but nod. Because it is part of who I am. So, I let myself feel the disappointment, then keep reading.
The good news is that it does get better. Defiance, as a second choice, was nicer. Because, well, I said it before. I do have a problem with authority. So, reading over it, I almost snicker. But, at the same time, I don’t want to be defined by my animosity towards people. It’s part of who I am, and yet, there is more to me. I want to be more than that, at least.
Which is when I come upon Efficiency. The way I push myself, the way I reach forward, refuse to stand still. The way I need to keep pushing, keep trying, because it’s the right thing to do. Because there is always another step to take, another mountain to climb, and there is a way to move forward best. Without wasting my time, by making the most of my effort. It’s, in a way, about respecting myself. And I like that.
Next up, I find Silence, and that is the first time that a small shiver runs up my spine. I like silence. It’s such a wonderfully rare thing, and the words promise it so gently. I draw in a long, deep breath, as I read the poem over and over again. Four, five times, and smile. It’s a nice promise. One that speaks to me, silently. And that’s enough all on its own.
And finally, there’s Curiosity. I’m glad it’s being offered to me. I know it’s silly, but the Tower seems like a largely accurate arbiter, and seeing facets of my personality laid out like that is almost comforting. Even if I hate myself for the destruction I cause, even if it’s a part of me I can’t deny, there is more than that. And for that, I feel gratitude.
Except, of course, that I now need to decide. Desolation is out because I can destroy well enough. Curiosity is out, because it overlaps my mantle too much. Defiance is out because it is too external, too conditional. Which leaves it between silence and efficiency.
The first is something I want. Something I reach for desperately. Something that should belong to me, that I want to take. But it is not quite yet something I have. Efficiency, meanwhile, is written in both my epitaphs. There is a proof of character that I don’t yet have for silence. And something tells me I need that proof for an authority. That I need to be worthy of it.
So, with a heavy heart, I let silence softly seep away, and take efficiency for myself.
Instantly, the concept seeps into me, drives long claws into my spine. Thin, ephemeral needles pierce my skin, tuning me, turning me into something more efficient. Faster, stronger, and more talented. More ready to grow. Less wasteful.
It settles over me with a physical weight, a blanket that recedes within my body, that bubbles underneath my skin, that roils around my heart. It’s a wild beast, a malleable force, and a friend all at once. Demanding, but rewarding.
[Fourth Threshold (authority) crossed! Due to reaching it without prerequisite supremacy, you have been awarded 1 lesser request]
For a moment, I let the information packet on authority wash over me, and then I nod as I understand. It progresses in stages. Novice, initiate, adept, expert, master…
Of course, I start at the bottom. As a novice of efficiency. That’s fine, though. I’ll grow more, and that’s okay. Finally, there is one more menu for me to open. I trigger my voucher and let the choices sprawl out of me.
[Class Options: <Sorcerer>, <Moonlit Dervish>, <Vesselsmith>, <Healer>, <Deathseer>, [New!] <Darktamer>, [New!] <Copycat>, [New!] <Deadzone>, [New!] <Dreadhunter>, [New!] <Trapper>, [New!] <Modifier>]
I filtered out the sponsored options, since they’ve been just getting on my nerves. Still, there are a lot of new choices, so I have to think it over. What to pick, then?
- - -
A/N: I know this isn't super part of NovelFire's culture, but I do wanna give a shoutout to a fic of a friend of mine that I've been betareading for. Vilesports, by hatohato, is a LitRPG battle royale slash game show with a witty protagonist, a brutal deuteragonist and all the ways they clash and complete each other. I love it. I look forward to every chappie, and I'd just kindly ask you to give it a look, too. Especially if you like a lil bit of slowburn yaoi!
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