Ah, level three and now with skills, feats and the ability to discern the best and most choice aspects of loot. Mostly via being able to passively detect, examine and read the weaves of magic. All in all, useful tools for what was to come. Of course, with my new mystic eyes, that meant being able to check in on that scroll from yesterday. Which was, to my new senses, humming a quiet tune. Opening it, it did not so much resemble a dense page of mystical formulas and more a sheet of music, as my eyes looked over the three bard cantrips.

Dancing Lights, Lullaby and Summon Instrument. Not the most overly impressive spells to have, but useful enough... if only because there was a system notification option that popped up. Yeah, that sort of figures really, as I looked into things. And of course, as an important question was raised. Just what sort of mage would I be, before I had access to magic items to really abuse the hell out of the system?

[As a Magos, you start with four rituals known, and gain an additional one at each Magos level afterwards. As you did not purchase starting equipment with your boons, you will have to provide your own spellbook. The first Six spells are free. Add scroll spells to spellbook? Yes/No]

Now, this presented me with a few options, and a few hard choices, as I looked for one of the 80 page single subject notebooks I got off my uncle and a pen. As it was, despite the fact I could heal people via flesh warping surgery, I was going to take the cure line of spells... and fun. It seems that Healing is now a necromancy subschool again. But yeah, big reason for taking it? Healing potions. No matter what anyone says, healing potions are a desperately needed item... and so would always be in demand.

It was practical, it was simple... it was why I made sure to grab those two. Rounding it up would be Plant Growth, Purify Food and Drink, Create Water and Create Food and Water for a simple reason. These would allow me to make bank. No seriously, even if I was planning on having them be in potion/powder form once I got the feat, or a single use magical item... consider the following.

All infrastructure has collapsed. No more trucks, no turning on a tap and getting water, no supermarkets full of food for the people. Sure, the rural areas and preppers would not be as affected until the hordes tried to take what they had... even if many would tear each other apart in the densely packed cities trying to cling to normalcy. So, people would need food and water. Farmers would need to see their crops boom without access to the normal chemical fertilizers that modern civilization takes for granted. Gold and silver? Worthless until I converted them into mythos points.

Which actually made me think. Okay, Mending and Make Whole are on the docket for repair work later. But yeah, you couldn't eat precious metals, but food and water? You needed those to survive. Those? You could take all the gold and silver from the haughty and then break them as they are left with nothing. Granted, with these rituals? Sure, the item would need to be used often, there would need to be more than one... but currently able to feed nine people for a day per use? That was one or two families, and so I would be able to name my price.

Because when the world was ending and the unprepared grew desperate... he who has the food, rules the world.

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But, there were things to do this fine day. This fine day before all went crazy and shit really hit the fan. Of course, most of that was moving all my supplies and belongings into the dug out. Mostly because that was further into the woodlot, sunken into the ground and obscured from casual detection. In many ways, it was my little personal attempt at a shelter for when the bombs flew. Alas, I would never be able to complete my dreams of a balloon rocket and digging into Mars.

The fun thing is, that with my new strength, moving all the varied shit only took two hours. I had time to cruise around, to look around and to properly case the joints. Granted, by properly case I meant check that the jewelry stores locations, where some of the things were located and picked up a box of Persians, a local pastry speciality. Could I have ground out another level or two? Maybe. Maybe. At the same time I had some criminal actions to do in the night, even as I picked up supplies at the wholesalers.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

And of course, rented a U-Haul for the return caper, because I was going to rob the local Chapters Indigo blind. Don't judge me. A proper wizards lair is not complete without a massive library. Which is also why I picked up plenty of books at the local new age shop. Would a lot of the books and the materials end up being bunk? Probably... even as my new senses seemed to almost pick up something like a timer on a few things. So, potential magic item get before the full release?

And then, there was a sudden blare of static, and a pair of voices came out of the radio. "Hello people of Earth! This is your new owners speaking! For the last week, we have had a few lucky winners preforming some beta testing of the system we are going to be rolling out in just a few short hours! At midnight GMT, the system goes live!" The tone was eager and excited, happy and just somewhat.... well, predatory was the best way to describe it. And then it said words that would have been... somewhat welcome in any other circumstance.

"Now, because we don't want you to get any bright ideas, we are engaging certain restrictions early. Firstly, a ban on nuclear weapons! Yeah, no blowing each other up and ruining the game before it starts, and don't tell me you little apes wouldn't do it out of spite." It was almost wrong, how cheerful and happy the voice was, as if they were speaking to friends. "Secondly, we are disabling any gunpowder that is not handmade from scratch, without any electrical tools!" You know, I can practically hear all the preppers and Americans screaming about their ammunition stockpiles.

The next words? The next words made the world almost cheer as one, as a more feminine voice spoke up. "Now, we like to repurpose local monsters when we can, so good news people of Earth! We have taken all the career politicians and bureaucrats, including the leadership of international corporations and organizations and they will be made into some proper monsters for all you eager little things to slaughter!" How many are laughing around the world, as the rich and mighty are taken and broken? As the rulers of the world are cast down by new and whimsical gods as if they were no more powerful than the rest of us?

So... I decided to get while the getting was good, making sure to stop by the Chapters and add more books into the truck, as many people were shaking their heads, as whispers of hacks and fakes run around. Plenty of people blaming the Russians and Chinese. Others some really ambitious hackers with more balls than sense. "Thank you for listening, and we shall be seeing you at midnight... and in the spirit of an opening event? Lucky everyone, we are going to make sure you all know what the first quest is!"

Okay, as my own status screen popped up, that was rather overshadowed by the words formed of black fire in the sky. Subtle, this was not.

[Grand Opening Quest!

Dead by Daybreak

Objective; Survive until dawn!

Reward; Your lives and a box full of starter goodies!

Failure; You soul is shipped straight to Hell to help cover our legal costs! Seriously, the Devils did not give up their share of your world for cheap and litigation is ongoing!]

Well, that was worrying. Something tells me I should stop by a church. That or gibber a little in terror. Deep, calming breaths. Now, there was just one important thing to do. "So, I'll also need an Oreo Royal Fudge Blizzard. I think I'm going to have a little pick me up, because this sounds like its going to be a long night." Ah, the looks of incredulous shock on peoples faces when you don't let the fact the worlds a madhouse get to you. But really, I just wanted lunch before taking the supplies back home.

Maybe see if the clan wants a little help, because yeah. The fact that the quest read itself in the voice of Rosa Morales from Starcraft 2? This was going to be a long night.