[Would you like to absorb the crystal for permanent use? Or would you like peripheral use only?]
A prickling sensation rushed through Logan. It was a surge of optimism followed by a feeling of something that was too good to be true. It was the same rush of feelings he’d have after receiving a scam offer—someone would tell him that he’d won a trip, only for him to realize it was a telemarketer.
Logan didn’t trust this.
According to what Asthea had told him, he’d been interacting with just one of many System AI minion copies. A copy that had gone rogue, murderous. That meant that this time, he was dealing with yet another minion. Although he was convinced that the original System had purged the glitchy as fuck AI minion, Logan had no illusions that he hadn’t been handed off to another copy after it finished correcting the problem.
If this was yet another System copy, what if it also had a glitch? For all he knew, it could be a more insidious minion—treating him with respect on the face of it but creating more tricky situations than the last. On top of that, someone had programmed the System; it hadn’t originated from a vacuum. Whoever programmed it would have inserted their own unique quirks and rules. Logan suspected that it had something to do with Ernie’s ‘Sky People’ or another advanced society within the Collective.
So far, this version hadn’t gone out of its way to insult him; no more saucy messages, but just because someone wasn’t insulting you didn’t mean that they didn’t have sinister motives.
Logan didn’t think he’d ever trust the System.
Not after what he’d been through.
But if it were being an accommodating fucker, he would take every advantage he could.
“What does peripheral use mean?”
[Would you like to absorb the crystal for permanent use? Or would you like peripheral use only?]
Ah, man. There was nothing worse than getting your hopes up and then having them deflate like a balloon. It was the same shit from last time. He’d ask the System a question, and it would repeat a simulated question repeatedly.
So, no conversation with the System.
It would be up to Logan to take clues from its wording and then make an educated guess. If he absorbed the crystal for permanent use, that had to mean that it would be like the communication crystal. It would absorb and then turn into a static skill.
That would trigger the ten-skill limit cap.
But this ‘peripheral’ wording made him think that it would allow him to use the crystal without absorbing it, hence not creating a skill and triggering the skill limit. Logan could also see problems with that, though. If the crystal didn’t dissolve into his body, it could be stolen. It was just like the True Grit Rings—until he’d completed the set, the Silverdagger Clan or anyone else could have taken them from Logan.
He also had to wonder if his decision was final. If he chose peripheral use, could he make the crystal into a permanent skill at a later date? He was betting not. The worse part was that the crystal description was vague. It was A grade which meant it had to be good shit, but he had no way to weigh that against his other skills.
Logan pulled up his skills for a final review:
* Idiot’s Paradox Lv. 28
* Idiot’s Inspect Lv. 10
* Deepwater Explorer Lv. 3
* Regenerate Lv. 12
* Mimicry Armour Lv. 2
* Undead Stamina
* Foresight
* Lodestone Creationist Lv. 1
* Liche Devourer Lv. 1
* Life Fabricator Lv. 1
Fuck. Once again, all of them were valuable. [Lodestone Creationist] was the only skill he was uncertain about… since the System had locked the description. Locking a skill, he could understand, but why had the System locked the description? When he’d picked his new class, [Fabled Creation], one of the features listed empire building. Since [Liche Devourer] and [Life Fabricator] made no mention of it, he had to assume that [Lodestone Creationist] was an empire building skill.
He also had a suspicion. The only reason he’d received his original [Life Cycle] skill was due to Eleanor. Eleanor had died because Logan had made a horrible decision. By letting a rabid squirrel escape and thinking that he was smart by not following the System’s tune. That decision had resulted in her death and his resolution to change. As soon as Logan had buried Eleanor next to the willow tree, he’d received access to the lodestone and the Tree Fridge.
He had a suspicion that [Lodestone Creationist] would only become available once he reached another threshold. The problem was he had no idea what.
And yet, that meant it was potentially valuable. As valuable as [Foresight]. There was no way he was getting rid of that skill to absorb the portal crystal.
He wished he had someone he could trust that he could give the crystal to. Someone who didn’t have ten skills. Someone who…
Logan looked at Ernie.
Someone he could trust.
Logan’s eyes widened. Holy shit, could there be a loophole to the skill limit? For whatever reason, Ernie could see Logan’s skills, skills like [Life Cycle Master]. He had to assume it gave him the ability to view Logan’s stat sheet. Logan had inherited skills from Ernie, first when they bonded, then when Ernie had turned into a Liche.
But Ernie didn’t have access to all his skills. He should. It was a shitty deal that he didn’t but… this might work. It could be a way for them to use the full benefits of the portal crystal without triggering Logan’s skill limit.
And for all he knew, animals didn’t have the same skill limit as humans.
Ernie saw him looking and made his way over, dancing over snake corpses with a twisted moue of distaste. At first, Logan hadn’t noticed a difference between regular Ernie and undead Ernie, but it was there. Minor, and difficult to see, a squint and you’d miss it difference. Whereas before, Ernie’s skin had been vibrant and it had automatically mirrored everything around him, now, he had to work hard at replicating the same effect. If he wasn’t concentrating, his skin turned pale and lifeless like a walking corpse.
“Logan looks serious!” he said, jumping over a pile of snake corpses. “What’s going on?”
“How many skills do you have now?”
One of Ernie’s tentacles twitched. “Many many! For I am mighty, and I rival all.”
“Has the System given you a skill limit?”
Ernie’s eyes gleamed. “Pah! As if it would dare.” And then he glanced up at the sky and ducked his head with a guilty wince. When nothing happened, he gave the sky another look of relief and puffed with pride.
“I do,” said Logan. “Ten at most, which means I’m at my limit. You know we need to get to Hope’s End, and luckily enough the System gave me this as a reward when I exited the trial dungeon.” Logan crouched down and held out the crystal. “It’s a portal generation crystal. I think this’ll allow us to jump from one place to the next. And yet if I absorb it, I’ll lose a skill.”
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Ernie looked greedy when he saw it, but then a shutter closed over his eyes. “Ernie rivals all, but he hasn’t yet built a big enough army to challenge the queen serpent. That portal was nasty! And right in front of her lair.”
“Nah, it’s not the same. I don’t want to go back to the cave either. I think this one will let us go anywhere we want. At least I’m hoping.”
Ernie brightened. “Oooh, could I transport my army?”
Ernie’s army was composed of freshwater, zombie fish. There was a limited place to transport them. But then again, Ernie was an octopus and octopuses were supposed to live in the ocean. “Let’s just concentrate on us first,” Logan hedged.
Ernie reached for the crystal with one of his tentacles, then hesitated. “What do I do?”
Logan shrugged. “I’m not sure, to be honest. Hold it and tell the System that you want to absorb it for continuous use.”
Ernie snatched the crystal like it was a kernel of gold, wrapping his tentacles around it as if he were sheltering a baby. He glanced up at the sky and then his gaze became far away, that same look everyone got when they were reading their System messages.
Gasping, he held out a tentacle, balancing the portal crystal on a suction cup. With one blink, the crystal dissolved and disappeared.
And even better than he hoped, because Ernie had received the skill, so did Logan.
Ding!
[You have been granted the skill, Portal Generation! This rare skill allows you to create a portal that will transport you to any location you can picture in your mind or with the relevant longitude and latitude calculations. Karma and KarmaCoin costs are dependant upon distance requirements. Activation limit: Once per 24 hours.]
[Error!]
[User has exceeded the allowable skill limit! Only 10 skills allowed!]
Fuck. Logan’s stomach sank and his adrenaline surged. He’d thought he’d found a way to bypass this!
[Remove one #!@!]
[#!Error!#]
[Skill is from a#242Error!]
[….]
[Adjusting for anomaly….]
[Skill is from a bonded companion!]
[Skill limit voided.]
Logan held his breath, tension like a coiled spring making cold sweat break out on his body. He looked up at the sky, his arms tucked close to his sides, bracing for the worst. But ten seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty, and still—nothing.
“Ernie,” said Logan, his voice layered with tension. “Do you still have that skill?”
“Yes yes yes!” said Ernie in excitement, his tentacles dancing. “It’s a mighty, mighty skill! Now I can be a god of slaughter, appearing and pouncing on top of enemies! A jumping octopus god!”
Logan licked his lips and pulled up his skills:
* Idiot’s Paradox Lv. 28
* Idiot’s Inspect Lv. 10
* Deepwater Explorer Lv. 3
* Regenerate Lv. 12
* Mimicry Armour Lv. 2
* Undead Stamina
* Foresight
* Lodestone Creationist Lv. 1
* Liche Devourer Lv. 1
* Life Fabricator Lv. 1
* Portal Generation
Holy crap, it had worked! Logan had found a loophole. As long as Ernie gained the skill, Logan would too, and if that skill came from his bonded companion, he could bypass the skill limit.
But he wasn’t holding his breath. The System had implemented a patch the last time he’d figured out a glitch. Back in the serpent’s lair, he’d thrown the undead larvae into his spatial collar, using it as a weapon, but that hadn’t lasted long before the System took the wind underneath his sails.
It was also puzzling. Surely bonding with an animal wasn’t so rare that the System had never encountered this problem before? Or was it just that Logan had more skills than normal? It was yet another mystery that he was betting would remain a mystery until the answer came at him… like a kick to the head.
And yet even with that warning blasting through his mind like a neon sign, he couldn’t help feeling satisfaction. He’d managed to obtain a skill that could take him to Lara, and he’d done it without losing one of his other skills. Not to mention that Ernie had also obtained a valuable skill that would let him escape dicey situations. [Portal Generation] would have been a life saver back in the queen serpent’s lair.
Although based on the description of the skill, he’d have to be careful.
[This rare skill allows you to create a portal that will transport you to any location you can picture in your mind or with the relevant longitude and latitude calculations. Karma and KarmaCoin costs are dependant upon distance requirements. Activation limit: Once per 24 hours.]
If it cost both KarmaCoin and Karma to activate, it might be a skyrocketing cost the farther the portal sent him.
Wait a minute.
“Ernie, do you have KarmaCoin?”
Ernie’s eyes became faraway as he studied his stat sheet. He bobbed his head. “Yes! I have 302,600!”
“…That’s the same as mine.”
Jumping onto Logan’s back, Ernie crawled into the pouch, his voice muffled. “That’s right! And it’s mine!”
“What.”
“What’s yours is mine, yes?” Ernie poked Logan on the back of the head. “Yes?”
He sighed. Back in the serpent’s lair, the Karma pool requirement had been too high, way above Logan’s reservoir. He would have died if Ernie hadn’t funneled his Karma to Logan through their bond.
Fair was fair.
“Just don’t activate the portal unless you have a reason. I need that KarmaCoin to buy items.” Logan craned his neck and gave Ernie a serious look. “Plus, we don’t know how much Karma this thing requires. Be cautious. No sending yourself to the ocean until we know it’s something that we can both afford.”
Ernie’s voice was dreamy. “So many potential minions in the ocean.”
Logan held back a grimace. Ernie had been a crazy murderous octopus before, but now that he was a Liche, it was even worse. His appetite for minions was like nothing else.
Scrubbing a hand through his hair, Logan scanned the island to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything, then reformed his facemask before focusing on his new skill.
This one didn’t seem to give him any trouble, since as soon as he focused on it, the System accommodated him.
[…Please enter your destination.]
Huh. That was easy enough. The description of the skill said he could enter a longitude and latitude destination or that he could picture the destination in his mind. That made him think that it wouldn’t work unless he’d been to the place before. As for longitude and latitude calculations, Logan had no clue. The internet or a book would sure come in handy now.
Closing his eyes, Logan pictured Richton’s Tomb. It was a remote beach destination on the Okanagan Lake on the outskirts of Hope’s End. Not everyone knew about it, which made it more secluded, and it was also difficult to find. You’d either follow a long, winding hiking path or a steep, heart-attack hill. Once you were past the rocky path, a straight, dirt trail looped around the shore and eventually led to a beach alcove.
Logan had taken the kids there many times, since you could also go swimming once you’d finished your long hike.
Lara had picked the spot for a reason. Hopefully, everyone else would be struggling in the city. Who would think to go to a deserted, remote beach?
Fixing the image of Richton’s Tomb in his mind, Logan opened his eyes.
[Destination confirmed!]
[The activation cost is 2000 Karma, 50,000 KarmaCoin, plus a 10 percent processing fee.]
[Karma payment in progress!]
[KarmaCoin accepted.]
[Karma pool drain in process!]
Fucking hell! He only had 2,028 Karma in total! With the 10 percent processing fee, he’d need Ernie to survive this.
“Ernie, I need you!”
“Ernie to the rescue!” Jumping out of Logan’s pouch and crawling over his shoulder, he made a panicked, urgent sound. “Skin, Logan! I need skin!”
[Karma at dangerously low levels!]
[Karma critical.]
Logan already felt his airways becoming restricted as if a belt were tightening around his neck. And his facemask and full armour was deployed, blocking Ernie from direct touch.
With a gasp, Logan let the armour around his chest dissolve so that Ernie could latch onto his shoulder with a tentacle.
[Karma transfer in effect! Karma funnelled from your bonded companion!]
[Portal activated!]
A boom slammed through the air. Unlike the underwater portal, this one wasn’t a sphere, it just… was. Like a black hole, a doorway to another world. It was wide enough for Logan to walk through, the height a few inches above his head.
Ernie made a sound of pain, but luckily enough the portal had only needed a couple hundred Karma before it satisfied the cost.
“That was unpleasant,” muttered Logan. “You all right?”
“Ugh! Portals are nasty! Bad memories,” said Ernie as he crawled back into the pouch.
The System wanted that much just to go a few miles? Logan winced, imagining his dwindling KarmaCoin. Worst of all, there’d been no way to stop it. Holy shit, imagine if he’d asked to go to Seattle! They’d be dead!
Was there no way to cancel the skill if you didn’t want to be robbed and suffocated from a dwindling Karma pool?
Scowling, Logan studied the portal.
It had an aura that was off the charts, and a smell wafted through the air like burnt hair. Looking through the shimmering hole, Logan could make out land on the other side, land that looked distinctly like Richton’s Tomb.
Tension was surging, but at the same time, despite his frustration, he also felt relief. He was one step closer to finding Lara and the kids, once step closer to getting them to safety and back to the cabin so he could tackle the Save Humanity Quest, and ultimately, save Lara and over six billion people.
“Here goes nothing,” said Logan as he rushed into the portal. “Hold on, Ernie!”