Heinz, Phil and Rosa waited outside the marina for the others.
While they did, Phil and Rosa made small talk about Phil’s bestiary plans. Heinz lost interest in the conversation so instead watched the ocean and tried to relax.
Rosa seemed very supportive of Phil’s idea and offered the use of the outdoor centre’s printers. They were deep into plans on how best to duplicate and share the work when Claire passed with James and Niamh. She didn’t stop to talk.
Tara arrived first with her Mother who was introduced to Heinz as Róisín. Neither said it but it was clear that Rosa would not be handling Tara’s purchases. Heinz didn’t think Rosa minded. She was here for him rather than to earn Credits. He just hoped Tara had explained the pain caused by augments to her mother in advance.
Louise joined them and as they started to walk, Rosa started to explain.
“The delegates have added a tax. All credit transfers bar those for food in the Kinmore zone now cost an additional credit.”
“Maggie was okay with that?” Heinz asked in surprise.
Maggie wasn’t a revolutionist or anything but her hatred of tax season was no secret. October, when she filed the tax returns for her business, was a dangerous month to be around. You couldn’t be sure where in the cycle of despair, anger, determination and grief she was on any given day.
Rosa shot daggers at him before sighing.
“I guess most people know Maggie’s a delegate already and if they don’t they will soon. Buuut, we’re now keeping the names of the Kinmore delegates quiet. As for the tax, the delegates are staying mum about how they work with the system. They won’t tell us anything.”
“Where are the credits going?” Phil's high spirits from the bestiary talk were dropping.
“To pay for the council.” Rosa answered and made finger quotes. “But based on Aisling’s expression that was news to her too.”
“Aisling?” Tara asked.
“Harbour master.” Heinz and Rosa echoed together.
“How were the delegates chosen?” Phil asked.
Rosa shrugged. “No one knows. Seems to be a mix of cultivation and amount of credits.”
They stayed silent as they passed through the clean-up efforts in the town square.
“And there is no possibility of the tax being rescinded?” Louise asked.
“All five are sticking to their story.” Rosa said with a grimace. “And we don’t have any other options. Most of us haven’t passed our first threshold yet.”
Rosa fielded a few more questions on the subject before the conversation moved away. She avoided answering a few about the delegates or even how the council was working.
Heinz wasn’t sure why Maggie would keep secrets from Rosa. He knew she wasn’t a fan of how the council were doing several things but that shouldn’t be enough for her to hide things from them.
They walked through the stalls on the way to the dock area but didn’t stop. Heinz saw a few new shops but none of the products jumped out at him. A few others wandered through the area but Heinz didn’t see a single transaction take place. Judging by how agitated the stall owners were, this wasn’t a quiet moment but a pattern.
A few more notice boards had been set out in the empty space just before the Shop area.
Heinz was drawn to a new poster with new shop options.
Name
Effect
Price
Cultivator threshold
Requirement
Rest II
Reduce need for sleep
150
2
Recovery 6
Adrenaline II
Improve and increase production
155
2
Endurance 6
Circulation II
Increase Energy absorption
160
2
Strength 6
Dilation I
Manually trigger memory recollection increase
165
2
Agility 6
Sound I
Increased hearing range and control
170
2
Channel 6
Nothing Heinz could afford but the added requirements for certain attributes were interesting. He had the attributes to buy three of the options currently, credits aside. If he switched his personal point he would have the option of another by the fifth threshold. But did he want Dilation I or Sound I?
No one had added notes about either augment yet - which wasn’t a surprise. He doubted that anyone was able to afford any of these new options now, even if they did know a cultivator past the second threshold. On top of that, Rosa had explained that the System’s descriptions of augments differed from what was posted. He hated to say it but it might be time to take Rosa’s advice and leave someone else try it out.
He turned his focus to the other boards. He already knew what he was going to get - Healing II. The earlier version had been first on his list but he hadn’t had the credits until now. With the results of today's duty he could skip the first version and go straight to the second.
The previous notice with the options was unchanged but the crowd sourced notes underneath it were gone. They were replaced by a more detailed explanation for each augment.
Name
Effect
Price
Cultivator threshold
Vision I
Better vision. You can see at night
50
0
Healing I
Bone marrow improvement. Seals wounds.
55
0
Breathing I
Increased breathing efficiency
60
0
Adrenaline I
Allow manual adrenaline release
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
65
0
Rest I
Reduces need for sleep
65
0
Healing II
Marrow production increased. Blood becomes a universal donor
100
1
Camouflage I
Adjust skin pigmentation
105
1
Shield skin I
Secrete section of metal from skin
110
1
Combustant I
Secrete flammable material
115
1
Circulation I
Increase Energy absorption
120
1
Adrenaline I
Allows you to twitch a muscle and release adrenaline.
Additional: Grants a feeling for how much adrenaline you have left. Similar to the feeling of thirst or hunger but weaker.
Breathing I
More efficient gas exchange. More oxygen absorbed and carbon dioxide exhaled with each breath. Estimated doubling of ability to hold breath.
Additional: Unknown change in respiratory muscles.
Rest I
Estimated that two hours less sleep is required.
Healing I
Increases blood clotting and scabbing speed. Increases tissue regrowth.
Heinz scowled. The Vision I explanation was unreadable. Someone had scrawled PINPRICKS across the explanation with a permanent marker.
The new explanations were much more helpful but still didn’t explain much. 8 words to describe Rest I?
A pen was still tied to the board but fewer people seemed to want to add notes and argue with the new explanations.
Healing II
WARNING DO NOT PURCHASE WITHOUT HEALING I. Large risk of Anaemia. Contact the hospital for supplements if you have this augment without the previous version.
Enables emergency field blood transfusions and increases circulation.
Shield Skin I
WARNING HEALING I RECOMMENDED. Contact the hospital for supplements if you do not have the healing I augment.
Form a localised metallic barrier on your skin.
Combustant I
WARNING BREATHING I RECOMMENDED. Increase liquid intake if you have the augment without the previous iteration.
Cough up a flammable jelly.
‘Fatal imbalance’.
The System’s warning from back when he was making his classification choice echoed in his mind as he read these warnings. Except this time the warnings - outlined in red - came from people and not the System.
The short messages were like reading the back of a box of medicine. All warnings, no explanations and they only left Heinz with more questions. Heinz hated it but he would need to trust that whoever posted them had his best interests at heart.
Descriptions for Camouflage I and Circulation I were missing. It made sense to him that people would be less interested in experimenting with expensive augments. They purchased the more guaranteed increases to their fighting power and survivability.
“Heinz.”
Heinz turned. Shane had walked up beside him. The furthest points in the group from Rosa he noted.
“Evening Shane. Have you seen the new set of augments?”
Shane grunted which Heinz took as a yes.
"Are you buying one of them?" Shane asked curtly.
Heinz sighed. "No. I was hoping to get Healing II but the warning points towards that being a bad idea. I could just about afford Camouflage I or Shield skin I but I don't see the need for Camouflage and there's a warning about Shield skin."
"What will you get then?" Shane's voice was a little less brisk.
"I'm thinking Healing I. I've been waiting to get it for-"
"Rest I. We all should get Rest I." Louise's voice rose as she cut across everyone.
Heinz and Shane turned to face her.
"Why?" Tara interrupted. She looked disgruntled. Tara had objected during their first team shop when Phil suggested that Louise and her buy Healing I. It didn't look like she was eager to hand over control of her credits again.
Róisín pinched Tara and gave her a look. She ignored Tara's complaining yelp and gestured for Louise to continue.
"Less sleep is more time earning credits." Louise looked between Phil, Tara and Róisín. "Or time with your family. More credits is more augments in less time."
"Less sleep won't help with wounds and staying alive after a fight." Rosa pointed out. She was still an advocate for Healing I it seemed.
"Or with the fighting itself." Shane said and started to tap his leg. Shane shared a short look with Rosa before they went back to ignoring each other.
"As Adrenaline I has helped you?" Louise's eyes narrowed.
Shane frowned and his face reddened.
"You don't think you or Tara should get Healing II? Or another of the second set?" Heinz asked, surprised. All of them seemed stronger than the first set of augments.
Louise opened her mouth and looked at Tara and Róisín. Her lips moved slightly as she began to form words that never sounded. She looked stricken.
"She's right." Phil said and rubbed his eyes. He looked uncomfortable. "Rest I will help us keep up with the growing curve. I should have said it myself."
Shane cleared his throat. "I can't get Rest I yet. 65 for the augment. 3 to the cultivator and 1 for the tax. I will get something else."
Louise let out a curse and smacked the notice board. Her hands were trembling as she gave them one last look before turning and walking away from them.
Shane's face reddened further and the pace of his tapping hand increased.
"We could do a credit transfer?" Tara offered looking back at the board. "One of the stall owners would be happy to help I'm sure."
Heinz blinked. They had forgotten the ability the cultivators used to run all the stalls.
"Alright. If we can get Shane the credits we go for Rest I?" Heinz asked. He still wanted Healing I but he trusted Louise and Phil.
Phil and Tara nodded while Shane looked alarmed.
"I'll tell Louise." Phil offered, turning and heading after her.
"Do you have it?" Heinz asked, looking towards Rosa and Róisín.
"Nope." Rosa responded cheerfully while Róisín shook her head. Rosa was taking a measure of pleasure from Shane's predicament.
"Can you get it?" Heinz prodded her. Rosa had plenty of credits from their last trip to the Shop. Rosa pursed her lips but headed away towards the Shop.
Heinz shook his head as he watched her leave. Her pettiness usually expressed itself with pranks.
Heinz stumbled as someone pushed his shoulder.
"I don't need charity." Shane said. Red had spread across his face.
Heinz straightened and rolled his shoulder before responding. "I wasn't offering any. You can send it back when you’ve earned enough."
"You know what I mean." Shane ground out from clenched teeth.
"I think you've been angry about credits all day. And now you're saying your pride is more important than working as a group."
Shane opened his mouth wide to speak but flinched back and let out a pained grunt. He grimaced and walked away instead of replying.
Heinz frowned as their group splintered. He turned to Tara and Róisín.
"Are you fine with getting Rest I?" While he spoke to Tara he kept his eyes on Róisín.
"I guess." Tara said with a sigh, not noticing where Heinz's focus was.
"It's best that you all stick to the same things." Róisín spoke with finality but Heinz could see her trembling hands.
He nodded to her. She hadn't spent much time with them but she could see the issue. The only way they made it through this was working as a group.
"Here." Rosa said and grabbed Heinz's hand.
User I38-3NA5 - Fighter-R
Transfer 1 (2-1T) Credit to User I38-3JO2?
Heinz blinked the message away and frowned at Rosa. He pointed a finger to the sky and splayed his five fingers. Rosa pursed her lips and Heinz felt a new message appear.
User I38-3NA5 - Fighter-R
Transfer 6 (7-1T) Credits to User I38-3JO2?
Heinz pushed acceptance to the message and sighed. The tax would take its toll quickly. Giving 5 credits to Shane would cost him 2.
Rosa let his hand go and walked over to Shane. She waited until Shane held his hand out and grabbed it. A second later she dropped it and stepped away.
"Thank you." Shane grunted at the two of them. Heinz nodded and Rosa sniffed.
Heinz took one last glance at the final noticeboard before they entered the shop zone.
Name
Effect
Price
Cultivator threshold
Credit transfer
Allow ability to transfer credits
5
0
Identify
Identifies other users' system information.
15
0
Message
Send system messages
30
1
It was odd that no new Cultivator options had appeared after crossing the second threshold. Given that the Reclaimer options were available, someone had to have made it.