Waking up that morning Jonny felt good and almost giddy for all the points he was about to get from the Zoo, not only that but one of the ideas he had floating around in his head before getting to sleep could be helped finding out what exactly happened to the animals when they where upgraded.
Noticing that it was even earlier in the day than yesterday he got up and took a long hot shower relaxing and taking his time before coming out deciding to be lazy as he got dressed he headed through the portals to help himself to the buffet.
As he passed the first portal he stopped dead noticing all the people, not just the ones who filled the bunks that already existed but the ones in the make shift ones that looked like folding tables with people sleeping on-top and underneath them.
The gray haze around them all made his eyes ake there was so meany that it almost looked like the world was glitching.
"holy fuck..." He whispered then getting a thought pulled up his phone and sent out his bird to record what ever those strange symbols where that he saw every time he used the right mana vision on them.
Seeing the little woodpecker fly out and start pecking above the head of the first body Jonny smirked the thoughts from yesterday coming back.
'what if that woodpecker was pecking with a steel beak?'
Thinking about that and what other animals that mite make for good summons or elementals, he shook off the creepy gray shapes and headed to go eat noticing that the door to the hotel room was propped open with the sliding lock.
Figuring it was for all the foot traffic that clearly had been taking place Jonny made sure to keep it open.
While eating Jonny continued to read the Gamer zipping though it nearly faster then he could scroll and click the next, it was strange Jonny thought he was just skimming. the pages just blurring, but remembering it he could see every part of every page he checked his memory with the page he found it 100%.
Exited he doubled down reading so much he started to forget to eat his fork just hanging in the air mouth open and ready for the next bite.
Not only did the Gamer give him good ideas but he actually enjoyed reading it. It was a little papery at times but for the most part it was an enjoyable read.
Eating the best he could, he kept at it reading the whole thing before finally getting to the part were it just left off mid fight.
"but... where's the rest?" Jonny said out loud googling if something happened to the author and found that's just how that website worked releasing weekly or monthly.
Letting out a long sigh Jonny got up and headed to the Zoo. Unsurprisingly Drew, Mike, Jason, and even Luke were already there.
"About time." Luke said shaking his head arms crossed.
"Come on I was just here." Jonny checked the time "...3 hours ago."
"we were about to txt you." Jason said.
"Enough." Drew said. "Lets get to it, quest said you need to write down what happened to the animals. So we need to find out if you all can write on different animals and get all the points or if you have to fight over them. If that is the case we'll figure something out."
Drew pulled out his little box getting another cigarette filling the area with the smell of rain. "now lets get started."
That was a bigger task then they had thought, the combined efforts of Drew's network and hidden zoos pet shops and aquariums meant there was well over 2 thousand animals to register.
Drew looked at the seemingly endless hallway of animals and checked his phone for a moment then shaking his head. "hell boys I think we bit off more then we can chew with this one, it mite be better not to take all these points. save some for the others if you know what I mean."
"what? why? ...how many are there?" Mike asked at first upset then seeing just how far the hallway went.
"list said 2500, at last count with more on the way as soon as the others wake up." Drew said taking a long drag of his rain stick.
"damn..." jonny muttered.
"...It would make sense to just take what we need and share out the rest." Jason said
Luke frowned "yeah but we got the quest points are ours. Fuck those other guys."
Drew gave Luke a light glare taking a long drag. "and just what would you spend all those points on anyway big man?"
"well..." Luke flinched and tried to think "...what couldn't we bye?"
"Son its criminals like you that make better criminals think they deserve government jobs." Drew said shaking his head. "take the money and run is that it boy? Talk like that is how you end up with your own men gunning you down and leaving the corpse for the pigs. No we'll just figure out how many points we need to get started and save the rest for the others.
Im sure at least one of them is going to get a power that needs points more then your dumb ass."
Luke looked angry for a moment then really saw the look in Drew's eyes and heard the threat for what it was, He paled looking at his feet. "right, guess that's why I don't give orders."
"Damn right." Drew said looking at them all. "now we still got some time so why don't you boys look and see how many points you need to get what you want most right now."
"um... is it ok if I talk to Mike while I look up my stuff?" Jonny asked feeling like a school kid again, looking from Drew to Mike.
Drew gave a little nod and Mike looked confused but exited. "Finally acknowledging my expertise? Good thing I already worked out what I want and how much it is."
"cool..." Jonny said flatly nearly regretting this choice already, they stepped aside so they could talk.
"Well first I need to ask whats the limits of your power?" Mike asked the fangs sticking into his lower lips as he grinned.
"well... I don't know iv mostly focused on mana and learning this magic stuff so iv not relay tried it." Jonny said. "I mean I did kill a few rats by dropping blocks of air onto them."
"like you made the air super heavy?" Mike asked excitedly.
"well... I don't think so." Jonny said then held up a hand moving the golden sparkles into a cube above his hand letting it float there. "I can make it float or drop like its solid."
Mike looked at Jonnys hand moving his head this way and that looking closely and even putting is face right up to it squinting. "i cant see anything. Your doing it now right?"
"yeah..." Jonny thought for a second. "Hey Drew can I get you to puff out for a second?"
Drew nodded letting out a long greenish stream of smoke. Jonny used the mana distance power to make the sparkles solidify the smoke moving it into a cube shape like water poring into a cup, before moving it to his hand.
Thinking ahead he pulled out a small crystal and put the smoke into it before making more of it using his power to catch the new smoke in a box.
"OK now you can see it right?"
"Yeah..." Mike said staring again. "can i?" he asked already reaching out for it.
Jonny nodded and Mike picked up the cube of smoke looking at it from different angles and squeezing it lightly, before bouncing it off of his palm. "Is so light but oddly strong like holding an ice cube. Go ahead and make it heavy."
The cube that was drifting up like a balloon dropped like wood back onto Mike's palm, the corner hitting first making it roll. He fumbled with it before getting a hold of it again. "Well that's a relief... I kinda thought it would cut me, If the edges and point are as sharp as a single smoke particle id be in big trouble."
"hell I didn't even think of that." Jonny said watching the man play with the cube.
"i thought it wouldn't sense it didn't before it dropped but still its odd..." He said tossing it lightly in one hand. "OK... so..." Mike was clearly lost in thought unsure where to begin. "well from what it seams like... this power should be able to be used to do nearly anything... The big questions being how long do they last? how much can you solidify at a time? how complex an object can you make? whats the range of textures can you make? What is the strongest you can make them? What counts as an element? and if you can tern air into stone, can you turn stone into air? or at the very least liquid?"
"its elemental solidification and that means to make it solid so id say turning into air or liquids unless I buy the power to do the opposite." Jonny said a little lost in the questions. "and i'll be honest you said that to fast the only other one I caught was how long, last I checked it was half an hour."
"well if you could some how make it permanent then you should be able to make something then forget about it. You still wouldn't be able to make any more then you used to but you could upgrade that too" Mike said lost in his own little world "and if these powers work the way I think they do then to make them stronger or more complex you just need to work hard and train up, like using your power to make a box and a hammer then smash the box with your hammer until they both break and texture is just another word for complex"
"...cool." Jonny said not sure if Mike could even hear him at this point, instead searching for the price for to make his solidification last forever. 20 points to make permanent or until he dismisses it. 10 to make it last as long as he concentrates, or 5 to make it last a day before dissipating.
"20 points for permanent isn't bad... I think." Jonny muttered then looked up how much to move the solid elements around a little, seeing major power versions for 25 but the weaker type he wanted was just 5 points. He didn't think he needed them to move as fast as bullets or be able to lift houses when he moved them.
It was only 3 points to change the colors of the things he turned solid, and only one point per basic skill like acting and magician tricks.
Adding it altogether with the 16 points he already had he just needed 14 more points.
"let me interrupt for a moment." Drew said Jonny and the rest of them looking up at him expectantly. "you mite remember that Iv got a quest to smoke and every one gives me a point. So I wont take any points from this quest..." taking a long drag as if to make a point he finished off his cigarette putting the but into the little box before making another one to start smoking. "Also as you've seen I have found a way to put some upgrades into the crystals I am working on getting the points up for more powers that I think would be useful to give to everyone, such as an inventory power, a way to send items to each other through emails if that works out the way I think it should." he glanced at Mike "That should mean a lot of things latter, but for now I just wanted to say don't bother buying an inventory, bag of holding or similar, a cell phone power, a way to boost skill or physical gain, size shifting powers, or transportation powers, unless your going to buy big ones."
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Jonny thought that was a strange list of things not to buy but he figured Drew knew what he was doing, so he just nodded the others giving muttered agreements.
"Its to bad you cant just copy points into crystals and hand them out." Mike said.
The rest of the guys looked shocked at Mike glancing between him and Drew who looked annoyed. "i said we shouldn't even bring it up so we cant get there hopes up."
"Shit right sorry my bad." Mike said looking down.
"we tried it yesterday but apparently points are something else, not something that can just be put in the stones" Drew said taking a drag off his cigarette. "i will also be working on a few other things but for now I think that will cover it."
With that statement the only other things Jonny was going to buy, an inventory, portals of his own, and maybe a way to learn things quicker Jonny bout the lower level things the warm glowing tingle filling up his mind and body for a moment, left Jonny with just 6 points left so that would be 14 animals to write down.
"...so what dose that feel like for you?" Mike asked looking at Jonny. "cus that looked sparkly as hell."
"sparkly?" Jonny frowned.
"yeah" Luke said "like a gay glitter disco ball."
"the hell?" Jonny looked at the others who nodded.
"golden sparkly lights." Jason said.
"...well its warm in a hot bath kinda way." Jonny said sheepishly "and yeah feels tingly."
Luke and after a moment Mike started laughing at him Drew and even Jason smiling a little.
"well... what happens to you guys?" Jonny asked a half smile on his face.
That seamed to make them stop laughing but Luke still grinned. "Its the feeling of cocking a gun as you put it into a guys face that satisfying little click all over my body."
They all looked at him for a second Jonny was suddenly and coldly reminded that he worked with criminals that everyone except maybe Mike was guilty of at the very least second degree murder.
"I just get this cold fogy feeling that sort of fades away." Mike said with a half shrug but Jonny thought he saw the mans eyes go blank for a second.
"I... feel like i'm fake, like i'm not a person but something that's moving that shouldn't be." Jason said softly "like pinocchio or something."
They looked to Drew who looked back smoke leaking off of his cigarette. "...like i'm smoking but with my hole body."
"what dose it mean?" Mike asked thoughtfully.
"mean why dose it have to mean anything?" Luke asked angrily.
"I think..." Jonny said "its like our mana affiliation... When I looked at the animals, it looked like the mana was trying to find a foot hold, like seeing what worked best for the animal. I wasn't sure before but if i'm right then we'll see it in these monsters when they get done."
They thought about that for a minute each comparing there powers to what it felt like to spend points.
"Finally saying something smart." Drew said with a grin. "now lets get a count how many points do you boys need to get started?"
"10" Mike said
"15" Jason said
"14" Jonny said.
"Im good." Luke said giving every one a shrug when they looked at him. "i got a quest getting me buff, I got all Kinds of crazy powers, and Drew's handing out stuff like candy I think im covered."
"right... well then I guess theres no need for you to be here is there?" Drew said.
Luke shrugged. "no Boss just said I should be here so I am."
"right well il tell him what happened so you can go." Drew said
"duce." Luke said showing a peace sign with his fingers before walking out.
"That being said i'm out too." Drew said. "if im not getting points I'll just read about what monsters we got latter after everyone's reports are turned in."
He used the ring to make a portal and walked out closing it behind him.
"...Man I miss that ring." Jonny said with a shake of his head. "hope he figures out how to give everyone portals."
"close..." Mike said then looked mad at himself.
"what do you mean?" Jonny asked Jason also looked interested.
"im not supposed to talk about it..." Mike muttered then looked up with a little smile. "but Drew was asking about useful things from video games we should try and get, and lets just say fast travel was at the top of the list."
"That would be nice." Jonny said even a non gamer like him knew about fast travel.
"what is that?" Jason asked.
"geeze way to be a cliche." Mike said shaking his head.
"what are you talking about?" Jason asked sharply clearly trying to stay calm.
"Every time there is more then one guy in a room in a book or movie and some one sees something even a little bit obscure one of them has got to ask so they can explain it to the audience." Mike said smugly grinning.
"This isn't a movie." Jason said calmly as if trying to explain to a crazy person that yes that is a ledge not the flying ship deck on the other side of that step. "I am just someone who dose not play video games and dosn't know how they work."
"sure man... cus any of this seams real." Mike said shaking his head grinning. "anyway it should be about time for the monsters to be done "cookin" what are you exited to see?"
Jason looked at Mike for a long moment that same light tinge of fear in his eyes.
"Fast travel is like teleport but only where you've e ben before but the game doesn't call it that. It clam's its you just walking there but you don't have to be there for it." Jonny said softly to Jason.
"like he didn't know." Mike muttered shaking his head.
"Whatever." Jason said looking around. "im exited to see what the bears and cats turn into-" he was cut off as a text pop up appeared before him. After reading for a moment he got a wide smile on his face composed a text of his own and hurried off down the hallway.
"the hell was that?" Mike asked
"Not sure..." Jonny checked his own phone. "But its time to start the quest so I guess we'll figure it out latter."
"...right." Mike said looking around at the animals. "guess i'll go this way." He said heading off the opp direction that Jason ran off to.
Jonny turned to the nearest cage and nearly threw up, inside was a large elk, or what had ben one but now was a zombie of a deer, its skull was visible through the thin skin remaining, the horns writhed and dripped larva and brown gunk, as the empty eye sockets looked at Jonny through the force field between them. Large brown lumps lay heavy on its matted ash gray fur, its body writhing like a sack of snakes.
Jonny forced back the bile in his throat using his mana vision to try and see what the hell happened to this deer.
He expected to see it consumed by death mana making it into this zombie thing, but the truth was almost more disgusting. The deer was indeed dead but inside of it was filled with life mana, not inside the deer's own bones or flesh, but inside the parasites that riddled its brain, stomach, and all over its back. They seamed to have changed in order to take over and ride the deer's body controlling it just as well as the deer had.
Jonny took down the notes for the disgusting beast hoping that mana wouldn't turn every animal into disgusting monsters.
He nearly turned the settings on the cage to the max heat settings so it would be burned to ash. The only resin he stopped himself was the thought that if they could get some one smart enough in here to do experiments on it they mite be able to stop it from happening to any other animals.
Turning to look at the next cage he saw a large brown pig seemingly happily rolling around in a large pile of muck, the mud filled the force field wall at least a foot deep as jonny watched he could see mud coming off the pig like sweat.
"well... at least it doesn't look evil." jonny muttered looking and seeing that indeed the mana infused into the pig was mud, and oddly the mud was still a little bit part of the pig it mite even be able to control it a little bit.
After taking the notes on the pig Jonny headed to the wall of smaller animals and bugs so he could take down a lot of them all at once.
There were a spider that seamed to be fused with plants weaving vine webs, a tank that he thought was empty until the black spot appeared and the tank shifted showing that it was fulled with an octopus that had absorbed and became the water around it its camouflage upgrading to invisibility.
There was a bright light like a light bulb glowing on a stick using his mana vision Jonny saw it was in fact a chameleon with powerful light mana, a hermit crab with a glowing red shell bubbling a cracking with the heat of the sudden magma mana it was fused with, another spider that spun webs of crystal that made Jonny txt drew about just in case it was more important than the others.
A newt that seamed normal until looked at with mana vision and he saw that it was bound with a strange life energy that his woodpecker told him was regeneration mana.
An armadillo that was clearly made of stone full of earth mana, one mouse had fused with an ember glow from beneath blackened fur and glowing eyes, a hamster that looked like exactly like stuffed animal in a way some mite find cute but Jonny found disturbing it was fused with cloud mana, a bird that was fused with metal mana and seamed to look like a robot, a purple snake with glowing cracks that seamed to be fused with a mana Jonny could only think of as void a strange corrosive air that tried to suck in everything and consume it.
The last one in the little tanks was a frog that seamed to have a pattern of clouds slowly drifting across it, a spot on its back glowing bright. Looking with his mana vision Jonny saw it was infused with whether mana.
Jonny shook his head accepting the final point that he needed in order to buy the permanent solidification frowning at how vague a hell "mana" was. He also started to wonder if there wasn't a better word for it then mana for what the strange energy matter that everything was now made of.
Walking down the Zoo hall Jonny decided that if there was a word he wasn't smart enough to know it. Glancing in a cage he saw Jason petting a wild cat while Drew looked over them.
"...whats going on guys?" Jonny asked eyes flicking through mana vision wondering what the cat had gotten. He just stared when he saw that mana was flowing between Jason and the cat from the hand that was petting it, a line of mana stretching out even when he had moved away from the large cat.
"Oh... I found a hidden quest." Jason said glancing at Drew who was watching Jonnys face.
"what do you see?" Drew asked interrupting.
"The mana is flowing through both of them, like there connected... is this some sort of familiar bond?" Jonny asked taking his best guess.
"Beast taming looks like." Drew said nodding his head. "a hidden quest, if you pet an animal at least once a day while it is changing then you bond with it."
"dose it change what mana type there supposed to be as well?" Jonny asked noting that the mana flowing between them was metal mana.
"Well... how could we tell?" Drew asked looking thoughtfully down at the big cat.
"good point..." Jonny said "unless the system told you when the quest was completed."
"It didn't." Drew and Jason said at the same time.
"ok... then I guess that we need to take some one els and have them do the same thing... take 5 rats and have them get pet by the same guy every day then if they come up with the same power and bonded then yeah if not then no?" Jonny offered feeling like it was a bit of a stretch.
"you volunteering?" Drew asked.
"well... how would you even tell?" Jonny asked. "mine is solidification so what would that make an animal become? the easiest would be Jason or if we get a guy who gets fire or something..." Jonny shuddered "and maybe we should make sure Mike doesn't get any pets."
Jason winced as Drew nodded
"that sounds terrifying." Jason said
"don't worry iv got a project for him anyway." Drew said then seamed to remember something. "iv got project for both of you as well. There's something strange going on in a town in Louisiana, I got a driver heading there now in one of the RVs it'll take 2 days till it gets there so you've got free time until then to train up then im sending you through the portal to go check it out."
"ok...." Jonny said thinking of what Mike had said about making his solid things stronger, and he also had an idea about manna candles. "what do you mean weird?"
"Im looking into it for now just know the town has ben cut off by some strange glowing wall of some sort." Drew said "so I think there's some big portal poring out mana and monsters, so it will be a sign of things to come in the world."
That left a cold pit in the pit of Jonny's gut. "...Right." He said "well i'm going to go get started on my game plan of making my solid elements stronger so maybe I can be a walking tank and not be killed in the first 5 minutes of a magic fight."
"good idea" Jason said with a nod.
Drew lit a cigarette mind clearly on distant things. "Yeah you do that."
With that pep talk Jonny turned and headed back to his own home to start training.