Chapter 43 - A Safe Return

Potency infusion has been successfully completed.

Leveling has stopped. Additional experience earned upon reaching maximum Level 9 potency will be applied to Core Infusion.

Increased core density is correlated with superior class selection.

Increased core density is correlated with superior class resonance.

You have achieved 0.021% maximum core density.

For optimal class evolution paths, personalized consultation is recommended.

Eric gasped and wheezed, every inch of his body aching, surprised to wake up at all, let alone find himself back his own room back at the house, tears springing to his eyes as he felt cotton covered bedding under his hands, open his eyes to wallpaper covered in spaceships and Psiblade-wielding heroes, the air rich with the scents of tobacco, a girl’s perfume, and the tangy aroma of pasta sauce.

Eric turned to the sound of a polite knock on his door before Alice darted in, a look of genuine relief upon her features and he did his best to ignore the sudden flood of desire he felt when the vision of sensual grace licked her ruby red lips in a teasing smile.

“Eric! Thank fucking god. You actually woke up! Morlekai was fucking furious, glaring at all of us, and the look in his eyes… shit. He was worried. Which worried the hell out of all of us! But you’re awake! And damn if you don’t look finer than ever.”

Eric’s heart leaped in his throat as soft warm lips pecked his own before she darted back with a wink, leaving his tongue tingling with the taste of smoke and desire.

“Alice, I...” he chuckled, flashing a rueful smile. “Damn, it’s good to see you. Honestly, I can’t believe I’m back in one piece!”

"And I can't believe my brother actually carried your sorry ass, because with those yummy shoulders of yours, you must have put on a good ten pounds of muscle. Now come on downstairs! You and Morlekai must have both leveled up, by the way he's eating, and I can only imagine you're starving.”

Eric opened his mouth to object, before realizing that he was absolutely famished.

Beyond famished.

His muscles were screaming for sustenance, and he suddenly understood why.

_____________________________________

Eric Silver  -  Level 9 Conscript (You are 100% of the way to level 10!)

NOTE! - You have successfully initiated Core Infusion! All potency earned beyond that required to reach level 10 will be applied to (Upper Dantian) Core Infusion. You are currently at 0.021% Maximum core density.

Physical Characteristics

Strength – 20 (88%) 

Vitality – 21 

Finesse – 21

Quickness – 17 

Appearance – 10

Mental Characteristics

Scholarship – 12

Perception – 18

Willpower – 17 

Charisma – 13

Potency Pools

Arcane Potential – 14 

Spiritual Energy – 16 

Soul Reserves – 25 (24) 

Stamina – 250 Points 

Health – 320 Points.

Resistances & Recovery

Physical Resistance – 1 

Physical Regeneration – You recover 1 Health Point every 13 seconds.

Elemental Resistance – 0

Qi Resistance – 0

Mental Resistance – 1

Physical Age = 17 Years (+98 hours forever lost!)

Interface Recognized Skills

Acting – Rank 3

Bardiche (Glaive) – Rank 10 (Cleaving Blow)

Bardiche (War Blade) – Rank 10 (Cleaving Blow)

Bow (All Types) – Rank 10 (True Strike)

Crossbows – Rank 13 (True Strike)

Dagger – Rank 3

ESS Manipulation – Rank 7

Find Weakness – Rank 4

Negotiation – Rank 5

Repair – Rank 1

Saber – Rank 11 (Doom Slice)

Spear – Rank 11 (Piercing Strike)

Stealth – Rank 9

Swimming – Rank 2

Unarmed Combat – Rank 4

Necromancer Affinities & Skills

Blood Mastery – Rank 10 (Blood Claimance)

Rituals of Summoning and Binding – Rank 6

Flesh Sculptor – Rank 3

You are now an Initiate of the Path of Blood!

You are now an Initiate Necromancer!

Interface Enhancements

Full Neuro-Linguistic capabilities

Extradimensional Storage Space

Essences Claimed:

Fire (Rank 1, White Tier)

Wrath (Rank 1, White Tier)

Essence Related Skills:

Burst of Strength: Rank 7

Infravision: Rank 6

Heat Surge: Rank 6

Unformed (Trash Tier) Cultivation Technique (Flame Origin) – Novice – 3%

Titles Earned

Necromantic Prodigy – Adept tier Necromantic paths are now open to you!

______________________________________

Eric couldn't help chuckling softly when he took a quick look in the mirror, slipping on one of the cotton dress shirts that now wouldn't fit his arms as he slowly took it off and replaced it with a sweatshirt.

No doubt about it, he was absolutely ripped.

And absolutely starving, just knowing he’d be bulking up like mad in the next few days.

"And how the hell will I ever pump out that final point of Strength?" he said to himself with a rueful shake of his head, going downstairs to good-natured whistles and catcalls, not even able to wear the slacks Morlekai had gifted him with, his powerful quads now sure to rip it open at the seams.

“My man Eric, pumped to the fucking gills!” Louie saluted him with a fork full of spaghetti as Drake laughed and pumped his own fist.

Eric couldn't help smiling at that. "What can I say? It's good to be back, guys."

And it was. Even if Alice’s exquisite features were now so flawless it seemed almost supernatural. Her cheeks were as smooth as porcelain, her face glowing with the first flush of youth, utterly free of worry lines or blemish.

She had always been well put-together, but now she was graced with a body so voluptuous that she looked like a lush, ripe, and most certainly forbidden fruit. Of course, her teasing smile was filled with nothing but sisterly affection and relieved joy at his appearance, and she didn’t seem to mind the way Louie's powerful arm was half draped around her as they ate together. If anything, she seemed to savor his possessiveness, leaning back and sighing with a smile when he squeezed her tightly to his side before he flushed and let her go with a raised eyebrow from her brother.

All of them were dressed mafia chic as always when taking their meals at the polished hardwood table Eric quickly seated himself at, the boys wearing suits that emphasized their muscles and further padded with kevlar, which Eric also understood was pretty good for deflecting blades and arrows, if not actual crossbow bolts, with a dash of the sensual goth for Morlekai, somehow looking both poised and badass, equally capable of slicing a competitor’s throat with the saber at his hip, or giving the man or woman who caught his eye a night they’d never forget.

Yet all he gave a wincing Eric was a look of cold appraisal, before nodding his head.

“Eric. Glad you’re with us. Eat up. We’ll talk later.”

And Eric did just that with a respectful bow of his head, understanding at once that the informality of the tunnels was an isolated incident. He didn’t even let the mild tension he felt at his friend’s tone keep him from absolutely devouring the plate of spaghetti and mystery meatballs before him, or the second or third helping either, Alice happily playing master chef and housemother, cooing as Eric ate his fill, the boys hooting and cheering him on.

“Go, Eric! Damn, boy, you must have put some serious points into Strength while you were out there, because you are looking ripped!” Declared Drake. “See? I told you it’s the most important stat for any man relying on steel to save his life.”

“You’re not entirely wrong,” Eric said with a smile. “A high Strength lets you whip around heavy weapons lightning fast that a Quickness specialist would exhaust himself just trying to swing, and since it’s light in your hand, you won’t drain your stamina as fast either.”

This earned a pair of pleased nods from Drake and Louie both.

"Of course," said Eric. "If you're looking for maximum power, why not increase Quickness a little while you're at it? Because power in the form of momentum is mass times velocity, so that little extra oomph from speed means you're striking far harder and tearing far deeper into your target, than you would be relying on Strength and skill ranks alone. Best of all, you're far more likely to hit your foe who doesn't have a chance in hell of dodging your strikes, while you slide past his blows like he's swimming in molasses."

Alice smiled. “Or you can dump all your points into your Mana Pool and blast the fuck out of everyone with lightning. Because all the stats have their place,” she said, slinging back her wine with a smack of her ruby red lips.

“They do indeed,” Eric said, enjoying the tart taste of the red as well, made all the better while savored in the company of his friends. “They do indeed.”

They kept the conversation light, especially when Drake’s girlfriends and a certain greenmage stopped by, the whole table instead laughing at tall tales of college pranks and wild hijinks carried out by a pair of former jocks who found they had a flair for games far wilder than college sports. Even a grinning Morlekai was adding conveniently left out details to a caper or two that made his friends blush while their guests snickered, making it clear as well that he had been far more than a resourceful planner and enforcer, even before the world had turned.

Much as Eric had feared, Morlekai looked less than pleased when he came to his study late the next morning, after Eric spent half the night eating far more than he thought he could possibly fit in his belly. Because his body had been desperate for sustenance long after everyone else had given him warm nods and bemused smiles before retiring for their quarters while holding the hands of their dining companions.

Of course, all of them were long used to tuning out the sounds of their fellow occupants as they savored life's sweetness all the more in these uncertain times, but it didn't change the fact that he had been rooting around the kitchen like a starving pig the night before.

Yet despite Morlekai's intent gaze, and the fact that Eric had overslept their original debriefing, his tone was mild enough.

“How are you feeling?”

Eric smiled. “Both lucky and grateful to be alive. Thanks for having my back, Morlekai.”

The man before him slowly nodded. “You and I know it’s the least I can do, and it sure as fuck doesn’t square us.” He turned his gaze to the door leading to the bedroom adjoining his comfortable little book-lined office, gazing at Eric from behind a hardwood table right now covered with looked like a number of blueprints that he could only guess involved their future heist.

A certain bank once used as a black-book repository for the Federal Reserve.

A bank that possibly held an astronomical sum in the form of gold bullion of sufficient quantity to see them all filthy rich, all the more so in these uncertain times where a little bit of gold or silver would buy far more than an equal amount would have before the world’s end, as Eric knew firsthand, clearing out a shop full of crossbows with a modest sum of gold that would have been worth only a fraction of what he had paid for, back when electricity worked and dollars had value.

Eric nodded his understanding, only finding it slightly odd that Morlekai was okay with his girlfriend perhaps catching sights of his plans for the greatest heist in the new world, but not her knowing how close he had come to death. Which made sense, he supposed. In this world, Strength and the appearance of strength were everything, and he doubted anyone would be calling the cops any time soon. Hell, it was practically an act of virtue, claiming that fortune in gold before the orcs could seize it for themselves.

The man’s hypnotic and now very crimson eyes did grow intent. “What happened?”

“My Interface presented me with a choice. To keep leveling normally, or enter something called potency infusion, which stops my leveling, but allows me to infuse my core.” Eric spoke carefully, doing his best to judge his friend’s reaction.

Morlekai raised a polite eyebrow. “And you chose the latter, in the middle of combat?”

Eric chuckled. “Kind of stupid, right? And I don’t even know what the hell it’s about. Do you?”

Morlekai slowly shook his head.

Eric flashed a bitter smile. "Interesting how that worked out, isn't it? An offer whose ins and outs I'll bet any elite member of any clan of the invading races knows absolutely everything about. And I'm betting as well that they have special training facilities they whisk away their young lords and scions to, whenever they're about to approach level ten. So while poor invaded suckers are forced to make hard choices that will doom them in the end, those same rich elite lords take their dominance as predestination when their offspring make all the right choices to gain all the best classes in whatever manner best suits them while we're all struggling as basic Conscripts, just fighting to survive."

Morlekai's lips curled in a bemused smile. "That's certainly one interpretation. And for all I know, you’re right.”

Eric sighed. “But there’s a hell of a lot more to it than that, right? And I’m imperiling our lives in the deep, playing off my own paranoia and a wild hunch.”

His friend’s toothy smile widened. “And I didn’t have to say a word. Because one thing I did learn before leaving Freetown to scout this territory was that nothing stopped Conscripts from advancing to any class they were capable of, upon hitting level ten… or higher. And if one is fortunate enough to have a mentor to guide one’s steps… or fellow disciples along a certain path that have already taken that crucial step, one might already have insights into what classes might best suit one’s proclivities, and the requirements that must be met for each of them. Even if it does take a couple extra levels to achieve them.”

Eric winced. “Let me guess. One of the requirements for some of those classes is a high enough score in the required stats. And if you haven’t achieved that… you’re pretty much fucked.”

His friend’s hard smile said it all. It looked like Eric might have outsmarted himself, after all.

“But who the hell knows? It could be that your path is the optimal one," Morlekai conceded. "It’s one of the things that my… coven is still doing its best to ascertain. There are, of course, a number of third parties possessing an absolute treasure trove of knowledge that would allow us to avoid any number of pitfalls. Unfortunately, powerful forces strongly discourage allowing that sort of information to fall into the hands of newly integrated races, lest… complications ensue.”

Eric’s eyes widened, suddenly getting it. “Discourage does not mean forbid. I’ll bet it’s possible, but there’s a cost. A damn steep cost.”

Morlekai said nothing, content just to gaze at Eric as his thoughts raced, his eyes widened, and it all suddenly clicked.

"That's what this is about. The heist. The gold… all if it! You're trying to get ahold of whatever resources you can to secure yourselves what amounts to resource manuals, walk-throughs, and class guides to determine the best classes and combinations and the best ways to power-up and level-up for the members your coven. Right?”

The man before him flashed a smile that revealed nothing. “Did you hit twenty Strength yet?”

Surprised at the change in topic, Eric just nodded.

“Good. Then if our smith’s hunch is correct, you’ll have maxed out your maximum natural build for your body type by the time you’ve fully recovered. Every further increase in Strength will be enhanced by the arcane forces and fields now saturating our world. But you won’t necessarily bulk up any more than you will have in a few day’s time, when your appetite finally eases. Not unless you get an absolutely absurd Strength stat, of course. So eat as well as you can for the next few days, Eric. It’s best you allow your muscles to fully recover, then head to the smith for a final body measurement. If you’re lucky, it will be the last one you’ll ever need.”

Eric blinked. “Ah, so the armor...”

Morlekai nodded. “It will be finished in time for us complete the mayor’s little mission, and then it’s on to the real score.”

Eric couldn’t help grinning at that. “And maybe the resources we need not to be playing as chumps in a world full of elite opponents?”

Morlekai just smiled. “Train well and eat your fill, Eric. I told the smith to expect you for your final fitting in three day’s time. We’ll be leaving just as soon as he’s finished with the armor.”

Eric dipped his head. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said with a genuine smile.

“As am I,” Morlekai said with a nod, ears perking up at the soft feminine voice they both heard from beyond his bedroom door. “If you’ll excuse me...”

Eric laughed and left the man to far fairer pursuits than trading conspiracy theories with him, eager to head out to the practice yard and put his boosted stats to the test. But only after eating his fill from what sometimes seemed like Alice's never-ending pasta bowl, and not afraid to admit that he had enjoyed the warmth of her lips brushing his own.

“Train well, hero,” she had said with the sweet innocent smile of a virgin, not the wild creature he knew damn well had put Louie through his paces for at least half the night, and perhaps Drake and his girlfriends as well. And Eric, who might have hungered for his friend far more than he cared to admit, but at least knew better than to date crazy, thanked her for both the pasta and the words of encouragement before heading out the door, intending to train like never before.

He had, after all, nearly three dozen crossbows calling for his attention, magical orc-blasting fire arrows and the best way of shooting them to master, and a Strength stat he damn well wanted to round up to 21 before he would even think of taking a break.

But the first stop of the day, it turned out, would be a bit more pedestrian than that.

"My man," said Drake with a friendly clap on a bemused Eric's sweat-shirt covered shoulder. "We need to get you some new threads."