Thomas considered what Chris had said about his ability, thinking about change. Was that truly the basis of his ability? The more he thought about it, the more he, unfortunately, agreed. Not quite in the way Chris seemed to mean it, but- well, the system was great and all, but the problem with it was the points. In order to do anything with the system, he needed to spend points, which meant anything major he tried to do required a time investment. However, outside the system… Well, he could use the points as any energy he'd seen, changing them into whatever he needed, which was definitely nice. However, the biggest advantage he had was what he could do mentally, which was driven home by what he'd done with the naga. It didn't even cost him points unless he wanted to add or remove something! Getting into people's heads and adjusting them was a powerful ability, but… it was also a quick downhill ride into becoming a complete and utter asshole.

Thomas sighed, shaking his head. What were his options here? Continue to ignore what was looking to be a fundamental cornerstone of his ability? Resign himself to just being support for the others, watching them grow stronger and stronger while he struggled to keep up? Thomas scowled. If that was all he could do, then fine, that was life, but it wasn't. He wasn't going to let himself fall behind just because he was scared of his own ability! Which meant… ugh, he had to practice. He should also look into getting the World to make him a unique race. He had enough points to make another body by now, so all he needed to do was get a unique form from one of the other Worlds.

Thomas glanced at Andrew. "Please don't let me turn evil."

Andrew blinked. "O- kay?" He frowned. "Do I want to know?"

"I'm going to be getting a bit more involved with my mental abilities, and knowing the risks… well, if you start to see me surrounded by a bunch of mindless slaves, please smack me or something?" Thomas explained.

Andrew grimaced. "Can't you just- not?" He asked, a bit helplessly. "I mean, what's wrong with the system? Can't you just stick with that?"

Thomas shook his head. "You know what we're up against. Sure, it doesn't really feel like it right now, but… the Immortals are out there, being who knows how awful to who knows how many people! If I want to face that… the system isn't going to cut it. I'm- honestly not sure what will cut it, but we need to make use of every option we have available."

Andrew gave him a weird look. "I don't know… Narita doesn't seem all that powerful."

"Okay, first off, Narita freely admits she's not one of the more powerful Immortals. Secondly, we aren't worried about the ones that go wandering around in other Worlds, doing fuck all to anyone. We're worried about the ones who stay in their own Worlds, treating them like their own little playgrounds, using the people in them like toys for their own amusement." Thomas finished with a growl, clenching his fists, before coughing awkwardly as he came out of it. "But, uh, we're not going to do anything to them if we play by their rules. We need to use the abilities we have outside these systems, like Chris's world, your aura, whatever Greg is doing to those trees, and… my mental abilities." Thomas finished with a twisted expression.

Andrew hesitated for a moment. "Is- is that really our plan here?"

Thomas blinked. "I- yes? What else would we be doing?"

"I don't know!" Andrew threw up his hands. "I thought we were just trying to survive whatever these Worlds were throwing at us! Plus, you know, keeping Greg from turning into some kind of dark lord… maybe Chris too. Oh, and fixing the Worlds that are super messed up. Like this one. And Greg's."

"Well, yeah, but… isn't taking care of bad Immortals part of fixing fucked up Worlds?" Thomas offered. "I mean, they're fucking up Worlds, so if we remove them, the problem fixes itself."

Andrew frowned. "I guess? I just never really thought of it that way… feels like we already kinda have our hands full with the five Worlds we're in already."

Thomas sighed. "Yeah, that's true… we should figure out how to actually navigate these Worlds better. If we end up in a hostile Immortal's World, I don't think they'll be nice enough to let us fuck around and slowly build up power like we are now."

Andrew shook his head. "What more can we do? I mean, it isn't like we can grow any faster than we already are."

"Are you sure about that?" Thomas replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

Andrew paused, before letting out a sigh. "No, I suppose I'm not."

"Fuck!" Greg growled, stomping out of the real estate office, followed by a bored looking Chris.

"No luck?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"We're like fifty thousand short of the cheapest property." Greg grumbled.

"Can't we get a loan or something? Isn't that what people usually do?" Andrew commented.

"Well, sure, you know, if we had official identities, with credit histories, or any history at all!" Greg threw up his hands in frustration. "Man, they just do not warn you about this shit in multiversal god school."

"I don't think they teach you the specifics of getting loans in any school." Chris muttered.

"Which is honestly kind of a major oversight, now that I'm thinking about it." Thomas frowned. "Like, practically, a finance class would probably do kids a lot more good than gym or art."

"Anyway, so we need to make fifty thousand dollars somehow?" Andrew interjected.

"Pretty much." Greg nodded. "Think we could luck into another dungeon?"

"We should definitely look into that, but I don't think it's something we can rely on." Thomas shook his head. "How about we look into some of the mercenary opportunities around here? Make some money that way? We don't exactly need an office for that, we just need to be available and effective." Plus he needed something to test his mental abilities on. Ones that weren't already under the control of a dungeon.

"There's a Raider office over there. They usually have good work for mercenaries." Chris offered, pointing down the street.

Andrew's expression twisted. "I'm- not exactly comfortable working with the Raiders."

Chris frowned. "There aren't exactly many other options. Defense is taken care of by the Legion and patrols are done by the town guard, neither of which are exactly money makers. We aren't powerful enough to take care of any creature strong enough to hire mercenaries for, some with dungeons, which just leaves Raider work."

Andrew groaned. "But they kill people! Innocent people! Just because they happen to be born on the wrong side of the Line!"

"True, but that's not what I'm suggesting we do." Chris replied. "In fact, we could possibly save lives by doing this. We take a mission to wipe out a village, but instead we shove them all into my world, getting the best of both worlds."

"And how exactly are we supposed to get them into your world?" Andrew asked. "No offense, but I don't think we're at the level of even taking a small tribe at the moment. The Shaman from my old tribe would laugh at us!"

"True…" Chris frowned.

"You guys do know that we can do things that aren't guaranteed to succeed, right?" Thomas pointed out. "I mean, why not challenge ourselves!"

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Plus, worst case scenario, we just kill them all." Greg chuckled.

Andrew scowled at him. "We're not murdering people just because they're monstrous!"

"Well, no, but if there are people who insist on preying on nobles and won't accept a reasonable alternative, then I don't mind removing them from the equation." Greg shrugged. "I did say worst case."

Andrew's expression twisted, before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, whatever."

They made their way towards the small Raider office. They walked in to see a woman literally snoring as she slept laid out across a small desk, looking to be the only person there, unless someone was hiding in the back. "Uh, hello?" Thomas called out, not sure how to approach this situation.

Chris walked up and knocked on the desk, startling the woman awake. "Who- wassit- eh?" She blinked up at him. "Who're you?"

"I'm Chris. My friends and I are looking for work." He explained, gesturing to the people behind them.

"Work? Oh!" She straightened up, flushing as she adjusted herself. "Sorry, we don't get many- uh, what type of work are you looking for?"

"What do you have available?" Chris asked, cocking his head.

The woman turned to the computer, pulling up a menu and looking over it. "Uh… looks like- there's a scouting mission to Obleck, a few bounties, a few exterminations, and as always, the standard reward for every monster killed, with proof of death."

"What are the bounties?" Andrew interjected. If they could take out someone who was actually hurting people, that'd be better than going after some innocent village that was just trying to survive.

"Let's see… well, there are a few identified portalers, some abnormally successful raid leaders, oh! An up and coming prodigy! Haven't seen one of those in a while. Not in this region, at least. A goblin, huh? Weird. Should be some easy money if you guys are interested."

"A goblin prodigy?" Andrew frowned.

"I know, right?!? Hard to imagine one of those being anything special, but apparently this Corek has been making some pretty big waves." The woman turned the screen, showing them a picture and a list of deeds.

Andrew's eyes widened as he saw a very familiar face, his old friend staring back at him with a dark, bitter expression. According to the sheet, Corek was a cold, calculating warrior who specialized in shadow and lightning, forging himself into the perfect ambush predator, crushing his foes before they even knew he was there. His level was already over twenty-five and suspected to be in the mid-thirties. "We're taking it." He growled.

Chris blinked. "We are? But-"

"Chris, shut up." Andrew turned to growl at him. "We're taking it."

The woman gave him a weird look. "Okay… I'll just need your group ID and I'll get it all set up."

"We don't have one." Chris replied.

The woman blinked. "Oh. Uh, I can't give you the mission without an ID… and you'll need to go to an actual guild building for that. This is just an outpost for accepting and turning in missions."

"Well, shit." Greg sighed. "Yet another roadblock."

"We can probably take care of it in Nobilis." Thomas pointed out. "Shouldn't take too long, right?" He asked, shooting a questioning look at the woman.

"You don't have to go all the way to Nobilis." The woman frowned. "There's a guild building in Pomala."

"Okay, but it shouldn't take us long to get registered, right?" Thomas insisted.

"No, you just need to pass a test and sign a few forms." She shrugged. "A few hours, tops."

"Great, we'll get that taken care of and be back soon." Thomas nodded, and they all headed out. "So…" He turned to Andrew. "Want to tell us what that was all about?"

Andrew grimaced. "I know Corek, from before. He was- is my friend. I can't just sit back while people are hunting him!"

"Gotcha…" Thomas muttered. "And your plan is to have us hunt him instead?"

"Obviously we're going to put him in Chris's world." Andrew rolled his eyes.

"So we're kidnappers now?" Greg chuckled. "Not that I have a problem with that, just want to make sure we're all on the same page."

"We aren't going to kidnap him, we're going to convince him!" Andrew snapped. "We're doing this to keep him safe. To get him away from all that crap!"

"Yeah, just- pretty sure this isn't going to go as smoothly as you might want it too." Thomas commented.

Andrew's expression twisted. "I- I know, but- I have to try! He's my friend…"

Chris patted him on the shoulder. "We'll get him, don't worry. Even if we have to kidnap him. Now, let's go become Raiders."

Andrew groaned. "Fuck he's going to hate me."

*

"Alright, let's get this over with." Andrew grumbled as the four of them arrived at the Raider headquarters in Nobilis, walking into a much more professional building than the small outpost they'd entered earlier. Andrew took the lead, walking up to a receptionist. "Hello, we'd like to join the Raiders."

The receptionist nodded, grabbing a clipboard and a few forms, handing them over to Andrew. "Just fill these out and we'll set up an appointment for your test."

Andrew took the clipboard and they moved to a nearby sitting area. "Alright, let's see… Name, Race, Classes, Ranks, Levels…" He filled in the information as quickly as possible, before signing a few release forms that pretty much said the Raider Guild wouldn't be responsible for any injuries or death, before handing it off for the others to do the same. Once they finished, Andrew returned to the counter and handed the clipboard back.

The receptionist began to enter the information, before freezing as she processed it. "None of your Classes are over level twenty- hivemind- rank eight?!?

"Is that a problem?" Andrew frowned.

The receptionist hesitated. "It- isn't advised for anyone to join before reaching level twenty-five in their Class at least, but the only real requirement is passing the test."

"Which will be when?" Andrew asked, feeling a bit impatient. He wanted to go after Corek now! They could obviously look for him without becoming Raiders, but without the bounty information, they'd have to put a lot more work into finding him. Plus, the others still wanted to get paid.

The receptionist checked their computer. "Someone will be available to administer it in about half an hour. Please return when this number is called." She handed him a slip.

Andrew waited impatiently with the others, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. Both Greg and Chris took out books to read, while Thomas just waited with a bored expression. "Finally!" Andrew exclaimed as their number was called, the group heading up to the counter where a grizzled old man was waiting.

"So you're the oddballs, eh?" The old man commented as he looked them over. "Name's Redford. I'll be administering your test today, if you'll follow me." He waved as he began to head deeper into the building. They quickly arrived in a large open room, Redford turning back to face them. "Alright, the three basic qualities necessary for a successful Raider are stealth, survival, and combat ability."

"Oh, fuck not this again." Thomas groaned, looking around. "At least they don't seem to have any weird formations."

Redford frowned at him. "Anyway… your first task is to move your team from here to the other side of the room without tripping any of the alarms." Redford announced as a maze of barriers rose up from the ground and down from the ceiling, creating a complex obstacle course between them and the other side of the room.

Greg let out a low whistle. "Impressive little set up you got here." He nodded. "Alright, Chris, give me a point." He waved as a fairy formed, waiting for Chris to attach a portal point to it before darting into the maze, easily avoiding the sensors and traps to arrive at the other side, where Chris opened a portal and they all stepped through. "Done!" Greg announced with a grin.

Redford grunted as the barriers receded. "Unconventional, but effective. Now, for survival-" He pulled a sack full of ingredients out of a compartment and tossed it over to them. "Use these to make a meal and eat it. Be warned, not all these ingredients are safe to eat."

Greg scratched his head. "Does it matter how we make the meal?"

"Not one bit." Redford shook his head.

"Great!" Greg grinned, sending his smoke into the sack and turning the entire thing into a pile of sandwiches. "Dig in, guys."

"That- was an interesting solution." Redford muttered as the four dug into the sandwiches, watching for any signs of the poison taking effect, which would be immediately noticeable. Some sort of advanced alchemy ability? But with their low levels… He shook his head. "Well, then all that leaves is combat. Now, direct combat isn't always a Raider's greatest strength, but when stealth fails you, you must at least be able to survive it." Redford rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "I'll be coming at you full force-"

"Can I stop you right there?" Greg interjected. "We can't die. Like, literally. We aren't worried about survival."

Redford blinked. "What?"

Greg hesitated. "Damn, we came in the wrong bodies… look, just-" He took out a dagger and stabbed himself in the chest, pulling it out as it healed. "See? Nothing."

Redford glanced at the others. "All of you can do that?"

"Basically." Chris nodded, before turning to scowl at Greg as he stabbed him in the side. "Ow." He grumbled as he brought his world out and healed himself.

"What? Seeing is believing." Greg snickered, turning to the other two. "Who's next?"

"That won't be necessary." Redford shook his head, frowning at the four of them, before checking the time. "Well, you all pass. And in record time… I don't get paid enough to care about this shit." He sighed, signing their application. "Give this to the receptionist and have a nice day."

"Don't." Andrew warned as he took the clipboard, glaring at Greg, who was still eyeing him while twirling the dagger.

Greg clicked his tongue as he put away the dagger. "Y'all are no fun."

They returned to the front desk, handing the clipboard back to the receptionist who blinked. "You passed? Already?!?"

"We have skills." Greg grinned.

The receptionist eyed him warily for a moment, before sighing and turning back to her computer. "Alright, all we need is a name for your team."

"The Eternals." Chris answered immediately. And like that, they became Raiders.