A slight breeze blew across the Cooper River creating small, gentle waves that carried above them large clouds of dust that brought the smell of smoke and burning rubber. The sun was beginning to set at our backs, painting the sky with wide bands of orange and gold that cut across a backdrop of deep purple and blue beginning to transition into darkness.

The rubble of the Ravenel bridge was still smoldering, releasing dark plumes of thick, heavy smoke. Both ends of the bridge were relatively intact, but the middle had completely collapsed into the waters below. Debris peaked up above the waves as lengths of steel and concrete blocks leaned up against the triangular pillars that had once supported the majestic bridge. It was a curious juxtaposition of beauty and ugliness.

What remained of our group stood on the west bank of the Cooper river. We were slightly downstream from the bridge, and directly across the river from the USS Yorktown, the old WWII aircraft carrier turned museum.

We’d had a short service to honor those who had died on the bridge, but a proper memorial would have to be left for later. After this impromptu funeral, the remaining bridge guards had left taking Rachel with them. It was bittersweet, but I was glad at least one of us would return unharmed.

We’d lost most of the day to the battle and its aftereffects. Many of the bridge guards and members of my own party had lost friends, even loved ones. The survivors all had injuries ranging from minor scraps to broken limbs and in one case a punctured lung. These injuries, and my own ankle, would have healed perfectly over time – one of the benefits of the system. Still, this process took hours or even days.

Fortunately, one of the guards, a mage with a long coat and fedora, had healing spells as well as his beam of fire. Worthy had also surprised me with his own minor healing skill, one he claimed was called Lay on Hands. He smirked slightly when he said it, but I didn't catch the joke. 

Of the original group, only Worthy, his blonde follower, Tiller, Catayla, and I remained. My other companion had discarded the borrowed flesh it had worn at the end of the battle and returned to its bird form. It appeared to be sleeping while perched on my shoulder, though I could sense its alertness. The terrifying thing was that I knew it could change into the form of a mass of tentacles and eyes whenever it wanted to. It might have given me nightmares if all the vacancies hadn’t already been filled by even greater, more existential terrors.

“Are you sure that thing will float?” asked Worthy. “It creeps me out a little.”

In front of us my ‘boat’ sat on the bank of the river. It was little more than a large box, open at the top with three lines of benches and a flat canopy roof. It was constructed completely from black threads of energy that were constantly moving, containing streams and swirls of deep crimson embers that glowed beneath the thin black mist that rose up from the craft.

I took another moment to look at my creation before answering.

“Probably,” I said. “It should be okay. Not a lot of mass, mostly water tight. Why don’t you give it a try?”

“Mostly?” Worthy asked while raising a single eyebrow. “Ah, fuck it. I’m not going to drown in five feet of water.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about drowning,” said Tiller. “The local marine life is probably just as aggressive as the rest of the wildlife in the area. Who knows what could be beneath this seemingly peaceful water. What sleeps in the depths.”

Tiller’s voice got deeper and more theatrical as he finished.

“Cute,” Worthy said. He began to push the boat across the sand and jumped into it with an easy grace as the craft slid into the water.

He stood still for a few seconds before shifting his weight from foot to foot, barely rocking the boat. Even as his stomping became more vigorous the craft remained remarkably stable.

“Seems sturdy enough,” he said. “Are you sure you want to do this now, though? It’ll be dark well before we make it across. Bridgett and I brought camping supplies, I hope the rest of you did as well.”

It was Catayla who answered. “Normally, I’d agree with you, but we don’t have the time to wait. We’ve rested long enough.” The tall blue-scaled scout jumped up into the boat beside Worthy and turned to look at the rest of us.

“Your physical stats should allow you to easily skip a single night of rest, and if we make good time and have a little luck, we should meet up with the rest of the Peacekeepers well before the moon reaches its highest point.”

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“I think we’re all in,” said the statuesque blonde, Bridgett. “I’ve lost friends to get here, and I’m not ready to turn back now.”

“Thank you,” said Catayla. “I know you’ve lost more than most, all of us have lost something. We all stand to lose a lot more if we do not complete this mission.” Catayla stood up straight, highlighting her intimidating height, before taking a moment to make eye contact with each of us.

“Something has obviously gone wrong at the containment zone,” She continued. “And if we don’t find out what has happened and help to put a stop to it then the whole area may be in danger. Everything you care about could be gone, unless we act.”

“We’re with you,” said Tiller. “I’m not sure what’s at stake, really, but I do know I’d rather be doing something.”

“Well then,” Worthy said. “Are you all going to join me on this pleasure craft, or should I wait for you to hug it out first?”

As everyone climbed onto the boat I was struck by the grace each of them displayed. The physical improvements made by the system allowed almost everyone in the party to move with fluid and precise motions. Even casual movement betrayed the coordination and strength generally only seen in professional athletes and dancers.

I jumped forward covering twice the length of my body, landing upright on the stern of the small boat. Before the system I’d never really taken pleasure in physical activity. I’d kept in shape, of course, but I’d long ago lost the childlike joy that could be found in just moving. It was wonderful just to exist, despite all the suffering and loss that lived around me. I became lost in the physicality. It was exhilarating to explore these new limits.

“Show off,” said Tiller.

“I might be able to take gold in the long jump,” I said. “But I’ve got nothing on those Jedi reflexes.”

“Actually,” said Tiller. “I wanted to talk to you about that. Once we start moving talk with me for a minute, okay? You haven’t spent any of your stat gains, have you?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I was planning on just putting all of them into intelligence. It seems the most efficient use, as it also increases my physical stats. Anything else would feel like a waste.”

“Just trust me,” said Tiller. “If this works you’re probably going to kick yourself. You'll definitely kick yourself if you don't try it, and you find out later that it works.”

I agreed to consult Tiller before spending any of my unallocated stats. I then created a set of four oars that we could use to row the boat.

I took one of the oars, while Worthy, Bridgett and Catayla took the others. With our increased strength I estimated it would probably take less than forty minutes to reach the other shore.

“Listen,” said Tiller. He sat down beside me and began whispering so quietly that I probably wouldn’t have been able to understand him if it hadn’t been for the increased perception I gained from my Hierophant class.

“Do you remember how you got your Able Learner feat?” he asked.

“Sure,” I answered while trying to keep my voice low. “Why are we whispering?”

“I…” he began. “I don’t really know, I guess I just figured you’d want to keep being secretive with your build.”

“Thanks,” I said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I think we’re all past that point. If we’re going to be a team, I think we need to share this kind of info.” I notice a few eyes turn toward me, but no one interjected.

“Ok,” said Tiller. “During the tutorial most of us got feats from focusing on a single stat. In fact, the tutorial encouraged it. Mine is Heightened Reflexes, it doubles my reaction speeds. It’s basically a straight multiplier for my reaction stat.”

I whistled. “Damn, that’s pretty good.”

“You should try putting three points into reaction, see what happens.”

“Yeah, I’ve already done that but with intelligence. It’s how I got Able Learner.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” This time it was Catayla speaking.

“Us Peacekeepers are forbidden from giving you specific information on feats and stats, other than what is given in the tutorial. The tutorial you never had…”

“Oh, shit,” I said. The realization finally dawning on me. “I never finished the…”

I didn’t wait anymore, immediately assigning three points into my reaction stat.

Congratulations! You have put three points into a single stat before completing the tutorial!! You have unlocked the feat(s) –

Heightened Reflexes ® - Having focused on Reaction during the earliest part of your training you now find that your body reacts to your commands more quickly than you had ever imagined. Your reaction times are now half of what they were before. This effectively doubles the gains you receive from the reaction feat!

I looked over at Catayla and then turned my head to make eye contact with Tiller. I just smiled and nodded my head.

“Heightened Reflexes,” he asked. “You got the same feat?”

The look on my face must have given it away because I soon heard a mix of groans and cheers.

“Of all the fucking luck,” said Worthy. “Not only are you the only one of us with a class, you also have a fancy familiar and now… cheat codes. It’s hardly fair to the rest of us slobs.”

I ignored Worthy, instead turning back towards Tiller.

“So, what do you think I should do with my next three points?” I asked.

“Fair question, I don’t imagine it will take you long to level if you’re only level six,” said Tiller.

“Oh, no,” I said. “I’ve already got them. I receive an extra unallocated stat per level from one of my feats, so those three levels gave me an extra three stats buys.”

“Jesus save me,” said Worthy throwing his arms up. “I’d be outa here if this boat wasn’t the size of postage stamp.”

“Focus is my lowest stat, by far,” I said. “But I really could use the boost to will.”

“Well,” said Tiller. “Obviously you should take all of them eventually. Personally, I think Will would be a good idea, considering… everything.” He casually glanced at the kingfisher on my shoulder before quickly looking away.

“I’ll hold out for now,” I said. “A relaxing boat ride is exactly what I need to clear my mind.”

It’s too bad things never work out the way we plan.