Two Days Later

It had been a slog to get through the last two days. Joe was starting to feel the lack of enough sleep. He looked over and noted that Diana looked dead on her feet. They were outside the rift again, having finished off another disappointing run. The loot and essence were solid, but they couldn't get through to the fourth boss with their current skills and gear. After the second encounter, Joe's mana was always on fumes, thanks to all his healing wounds, and Diana was usually poisoned.

For the tenth time that day, Joe thought about packing it in and returning to the house. If they get too careless, even that stupid bearcoon could kill one of them, and they were suffering from diminishing returns. Joe shook his head to clear it. Diana didn't have her skill yet, and he didn't have his level.

Currently, they stood outside the rift, letting mana fill Joe's pool while regenerate healed cuts and bruises from the last run. The injuries weren't bad. He'd gotten more efficient with their rift battles and pulled the plug on most runs before any severe damage happened. Joe pulled up his system sheet and looked over his gains.

Joseph Lemuel Wanderun

Class: Feral

Level : 4

Rank: Mortal

Tier: 1

Attributes:

Strength 9

Alacrity 10

Fortitude 10

Vigor 12

Reflex 9

Connection 5

Glamour 6

Skills: 5/7

Bite lvl 4

Minor Regeneration lvl 4

Tough Skin lvl 4

Lesser Poison Resistance lvl 4

Diminishing Restraint lvl 4

Joe had maxed out all his skills after the last boss. His essence had been full, and it wasn't helping him now, with no bonus attributes to gain. Diana was in a similar position. She'd topped off her skills, starting with mana manipulation. Diana had come a long way and was still progressing, but it was slowing. Joe knew it wasn't effort but exhaustion dulling her edge.

Diana cut the connection to Joe as she felt his mana pool hit its current maximum. Her senses, when it came to mana and essence, were on a different level. They didn't say anything as they turned and went back into the rift. After almost three straight days of fighting and practice, nothing needed to be said.

Joe didn't waste any time moving forward toward the first meadow of the rift. Diana followed close behind him at a brisk pace. Joe ran past the first monster leaving it for Diana to handle. He didn't use his weapon, simply kicking the gnoll in the chest and breaking its legs with quick stomps. No pity was felt for the screaming monster on the ground. Joe knew they wouldn't show him any.

Diana was kneeling on the back of a similarly crippled monster. Joe watched as a mote of mana burst into being in front of her. Over the next minute, it grew in brightness without gaining size, staying about the size of a pea. Finally, Diana opened her eyes, and the mana flew toward the gnoll. It impacted the monster's head and pushed it back slightly but didn't break the skin. Diana growled with frustration and continued trying to use the mana as a weapon.

Joe thought about the last few days. After every breakthrough in density and effect, Diana had checked the pillars, but no offensive skill was unlocked. Joe suspected she would need to at least cause damage with her mana, if not kill a monster outright. He was sure there was an easier way to do this, but neither of them knew what that might be. The information blackout left them grasping in the dark.

Diana continued until her mana was low, and then they killed the gnolls and moved on. Their essence was pretty full, so neither of them worried about who killed what. It was all about practice and, to a lesser extent, the loot. The healing berries had value both in and outside the rift. The nuts that acted as a meal replacement were good too, but they hadn't eaten most of those to keep going on this training slog. After the double clear of the first section, they returned to the starting meadow.

"You need some sleep," Joe said.

"We both do. I can manage a bit longer."

"Nope. Sleep. I'll keep watch. You should try and get as much as possible. It's not about the rewards or the essence anymore. You aren't going to make a magical breakthrough fighting exhaustion."

Diana glared at him, and Joe was sure she was annoyed. She did not like taking orders, even if they were well-intentioned and for her own good. Joe didn't know the reason, but he was sure there was a story. It definitely had something to do with Dublin Council, but Joe wasn't going to pry. She'd tell him when she was ready. Eventually, Diana gave up on the ineffective glare and realized Joe wasn't budging. With another grumble, she laid down with an extra shirt as a pillow and was asleep minutes later.

Joe took a seat and watched over the clearing. It was peaceful here in the first room of the rift, and he needed a break as much as Diana. His enhanced attributes reduced his need for sleep slightly, but after nonstop fighting, the rest was almost as good. He went back over the mix of fights and thought about everything. Joe considered what he did well and where he failed. He did his best not to attach emotion to the thoughts. It wasn't about beating himself up. It was about learning and improving. There was probably a better way, but without a proper training method, this was the best way he found to balance out actual combat.

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Six hours later, Diana woke up with a snort and a start. Joe had the decency to pretend that the former didn't exist. Diana looked over at him, and her expression softened slightly. Joe guessed he looked rough enough to earn a little sympathy. He didn't wait for her to say anything; he simply laid down on the grass and slept within a minute.

*****

Diana knew Joe was right. Her memories of the last day were hazy at best, and she'd been going through the same motions over and over again. That had a low chance of success, but she'd been too tired and stressed to think of anything better. As Joe snored lightly on the grass, her thoughts were sharper.

The mana had enough density to affect the real world and, thus, the monsters. It had taken days and several skill levels to get it to that point. Materializing it took half her mana, which slowed down her training even further. But now she was at a roadblock. The system wasn't going to give her a magical attack until she somehow did damage with the little pea. She'd tried everything, even poking the gnolls in the eye, but it never did any damage.

Glowing blue mana materialized in front of her. She cupped it and felt the power contained in the deceptively lightweight. She could move it a few meters past her center now, but the distance didn't give it enough speed. She'd tried having it behind her, but the ramp-up just wasn't enough.

Diana looked up at the uniform blue sky and wished she could see the stars and the moon. She'd never been interested in the technical details of astronomy, but the night sky had always been calming for her. The immenseness made her feel small when she looked at it. It made her problems feel small. The seasons cycled in the sky just like they did on the earth, and nothing she did ever changed it. That was oddly comforting to her.

Getting up, Diana stretched and tried running with the mana sphere cupped in her hands. She threw it and watched it impact the ground. Neither seemed particularly bothered by the impact, and she chalked it up to another failed experiment. Her mana was below half and dropping steadily, so she went back to work on her manipulation while sitting by Joe.

At first, she'd used her eyes for everything. Now she closed her eyes and focused on sensing the mana using her other skill. It was clunky compared to her eyesight, but she was slowly improving. It also let her work in what would otherwise be blind spots. Diana focused on having the sphere make a continuous loop at her maximum range until she ran out of mana. It wasn't fast, but it was her last thought that might work.

"Force equals mass times acceleration. You're not the only one who remembers highschool," Diana mumbled to herself while looking over at Joe.

Mrs. Winters would definitely rub it in Diana's face if she ever admitted that learning basic physics was useful. Diana pushed down the sorrow at the thought of her teacher on a work camp somewhere. Mrs. Winters hadn't been shy about criticizing the Council's authoritarian leanings. It had bought her a quiet trip out of town. Someday, Diana would get back the people she cared about. Eating crow about physics being useful would be a price she'd willingly pay on that day. She absently wiped a few tears from her cheeks as she continued to practice.

*****

Joe woke up four hours later. He didn't feel refreshed entirely, but it was good enough. His brain was sharp enough to use in combat again. Between the nuts, berries, and regeneration, his body was back to pristine condition after that last nap. The reduction in his mana draw had finally put him back to even while in the rift. It wasn't good enough for the long term, but it would do for now. He looked over and saw Diana meditating with her legs crossed. Joe stood up, and she opened her eyes.

"Bout time, sleeping beauty," Diana said.

"Whatever," Joe said, "I probably needed a little beauty sleep."

Diana snorted, and Joe didn't blame her. His clothes had plenty of small holes and little cuts. It was liberally dyed with dried blood and sweat. Joe would need a lot of scrubbing and a new wardrobe after this. He held out his hand and helped Diana to her feet. She stretched for a minute, then they were off toward the second section of the rift.

Joe sprinted ahead and crippled monsters for Diana. It still wasn't hard in this part, and the more practice he could give her, the better. To Joe's surprise, she didn't kneel next to the thing but stayed standing. The now familiar mote of mana appeared, and Diana didn't send it toward the monster. Joe frowned as he watched the sphere circle her body slowly. What the hell was she doing?

The sphere continued to orbit Diana. Slowly it picked up speed. At first, Joe thought it was just his mind playing tricks, but eventually, it spun as fast as when she'd tried throwing it. That hadn't been enough, though Joe thought it was close. Sweat was beading on Diana's brow, but she didn't move. The monster was crawling with its one good arm in an attempt to bite her feet. Joe put a stop to that and continued to watch Diana.

She had to almost be out of mana. Joe didn't know how to quantify her reserves, but he'd been watching her practice for the last few days. After forming the sphere, she had a little under ten minutes before her mana gave out. Diana had gotten more efficient with its forming and control, but she hadn't managed to beat the ten-minute mark yet. The sphere was going fast enough that Joe heard the noise of it cutting through the air.

That was new. It sounded like a static-laden bumblebee. Joe hoped this would be the time it worked. He still didn't think it would be enough to penetrate the gnoll's skin, but it was a step in the right direction. Diana was determined, and Joe had no doubt she would eventually get there.

Suddenly, Diana opened her eyes and pushed her hand down at the monster. The mana sphere broke out of its arc and plunged into the gnoll's eye. There was no wavering or resistance as it finally broke through, blinding the monster. Joe saw the mana break apart into light blue mist as Diana wavered on her feet, falling backward.

Joe caught her and laid her on the ground. She'd be out of it for a while with mana depletion. In the meantime, he slaughtered the other monsters in the area. Diana couldn't use them, so there was no reason to keep them alive. He looked down at his rift partner. Her eyes were opening but squinty. The headache he knew she felt would make combat impossible for the next half hour.

"Let me help you up," Joe said as he reached out a hand. "We need to head back and see if you unlocked anything."

Diana smiled weakly, and Joe gave her his arm for support. They walked back to the fox clearing and its waiting System pillar. Diana fell asleep on Joe's arm, and he left her be. It had been days so far. An extra hour wouldn't be the end of the world.

Joe felt Diana stir and disengaged himself from her grip. Given her trust issue, he doubted she'd be cool with waking up right next to him. She looked around, confused and concerned, until she spotted him.

"Ugghhh, that sucked. How long was I out?"

"Only about an hour," Joe said with a grin. "So, how about you get up and check the pillar? I am dying to know."

Diana grinned back and wobbled to her feet. She was unsteady for a moment, but her stance firmed up before she touched the pillar. Diana hesitated but then slammed her hand down. Her eyes glazed and glanced around before widening noticeably.

"Fuck yes you stupid damn rift," Diana yelled at the false sky. Then she knelt, clutching her head with a groan.

Joe was there in a moment, looking her over and making she everything was OK.

"You alright? What happened?"

"Who knew that a skill headache and a mana depletion headache would stack? Oh this sucks."

Diana continued to clutch her head for a minute. Joe offered her some water, and she drank sparingly. Finally, after a lifetime, or five minutes, she opened her eyes and smiled wide.

"It worked?" Joe asked.

"Oh yeah. It worked, and it's uncommon. Apparently, I did things the hard way. It unlocked the common skill as well, but since I only had one slot left, it wasn't even a question of what I would take."

"Oh, for God's sake, spill. What is it?" Joe wasn't shouting, but it was close. This was a huge deal, and man, was Diana milking it. Her slight smile let him know that it wasn't accidental. A moment later, she took pity on him.

Raw Mana Bolt

Uncommon skill

Mana cost - lesser / activation - lesser / cooldown - minor

Shoot a damaging mana sphere at the caster's target. The range is (SL*2) meters. Damage is (SL*1.2)*[Connection + (Glamour*0.5)] before resistances . This is an uncommon variant with no elemental affinity.

Joe whooped for her. Not only did Diana unlock magic, but it was also an uncommon skill. Finally, they had a ranged option. Finally, they had magic other than sprouting plants. Oh man, the next day would suck, but it was time to level up that skill by force-feeding Diana essence and then a push to the fourth boss. It was time to level up.

"We need to get leveled up. Let me know when you're ready."

"I was born ready," Diana said. She walked over, and her legs wobbled slightly. "Check that. I need fifteen minutes. After that, I was born ready."