Seeing as Logan had had much more sleep than the others, he volunteered to take the night watch. There was quite a bit of muttering from the agents and the weight of Malcolm Specter's gaze was upon him for a long time. But for all his hardness and naturally low need for sleep, Logan could see his father was tired. Logan promised to give them six hours. His father raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing
Once everyone was asleep on the ground, Logan went to the corpse of the snake. He had to admit one thing. Whatever opinions he might have regarding his father’s goons, they were efficient if nothing else. All of the meat they had cut, cooked and it had been wolfed down. The skins were strung on sticks with cut strings from ties and sleeves. The washed bones were in a neat pile next to the skins.
Logan picked up the skull. It was heavy and studded with two rows of two inch teeth as well as two larger fangs protruding over the jaw. The fangs had the same dark blue edges as the scythes of those faceless, clickity bastards.
“These two frontal fangs could make up for pretty good knives. They’re a solid five inches long. These smaller ones… I don’t know.”
[Reconfiguring Neural Matrix… 21% Completion]
[After observation it is reasonably to hypothesize that you can fuse materials with your abilities]
“Huh… You do have a point there, Tumor. Changing the shape of something dramatically will likely cost a lot of Numa.”
Logan glanced at the curled up spine and ribs. If he would transmute the ribs into straight bone sticks, they could be used for building…
It’s hard to determine what’s more valuable. I got a limited amount of Numa to work with. We got water. We need food and shelter. Definitely shelter.
“Making axes and knives would be useful. I know folk used to make needles and fishing hooks out of bones in the old days. Wait, why didn’t they ever make nails?
[Nails are too brittle a material to fasten heavy objects, such as wooden or metal objects.]
“Right… But wait! Aren’t these bullet-proof bones?”
Logan wiggled one of the thin sharp teeth out of the skull’s jaw. It came off easily. Logan bent it and it snapped in half.
Huh… I guess it's the Numa that makes stuff hardier. Wait, if I were killed, would I have a crystal inside my head?”
Logan decided to never find out, and instead produced an [E-grade Numa Crystal] from his pocket. Then he detached the long fangs from the skull.
“Give me a model for a knife, Tumor. Something simple and close to the original shape.”
The AI produced a red floating hologram, or rather, hallucination in front of Logan. After some discussion about optimizing shape for durability and the length of the tang, Logan got to work.
I want to see the look on father’s face after he sees this arsenal of tools.
Logan sat there working amidst sounds of softly crackling fire, snores and wheezes and the chirps and distant screeches of the jungle. After two knives, four fish hooks, four needles made of bone and a stone axe head, two crude stone knives and two stone hammerheads for shits and giggles, He leveled up.
[Sub-class Level Up!]
[Transmutation level 8]
[Attribute Level Up!]
[Focus: 6]
[Efficiency: 6]
Logan looked at the chunk of crystal in his hand. It still had a potent glow to it.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
[E-grade Numa Crystal, 63%]
It felt really nice to look at the little pile of tools he had made. And it hadn’t even used that much charge. Logan considered enchanting the axe head with durability and sharpness, but decided against wasting Numa on that. But he sure would waste Numa on something.
Man, I’m getting fired up. This is fun. What else can I make? I want to make something for Frey.
Logan looked at the snakeskin pieces. They were definitely not dry, but Logan could magic them into usable hides. Freya was rocking a frayed summer dress. Not exactly ideal for a survival situation.
It took Logan quite a while to fashion the garments for Freya. Mainly because he prompted Tumor for several designs and made it consider endless variations almost to the point where it sounded slightly miffed.
When Logan had finally settled on a design (straight simple skirt that would need to be cinched. Preferably with a belt stolen from a goon. Preferably from Balmer
While fashioning the leather with [Transmutation] didn’t cost much Numa at all, Logan spared no expenses when it came to [Enchanting]. Both items received enhanced sturdiness, durability, water and fire resistance, and even a flexibility enchantment on the skirt, so that it would be easier to crouch and run with it. That particular enchantment took a chunk of Numa, but it also leveled Logan up.
[Sub-class Level Up!]
[Enchantment level 12]
[Attribute Level Up!]
[Control: 9]
[Potency: 8]
Logan had been keeping watch for over five hours now. The sun was starting to get up and the forest was slowly becoming more alive, with the monkeys, birds and who knows what waking up. As Logan was carefully laying the new clothes next to lightly snoring Freya, he heard rustling nearby. Something definitely larger than a squirrel was approaching.
Logan took two quick paces to his scythe-rang and readied himself. He only relaxed again when he heard a woman’s voice.
“Thank cocks, we actually found back.”
Thank… cocks?
*
In front of Logan stood three people. A woman with a mess of red hair, wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt with the words ‘Bad Bitch’. She was looking him up and down and smiling mischievously. To her side was a goon Logan recognized. Simmons, his father’s primary bodyguard. Logan had never seen him without sunglasses. It felt strange to look at those gray blue eyes. The towering agent gave Logan a passing glance and walked off. The third person was a teenager. Thin, diminutive, hunched. He gave Logan a strained smile and a hurried wave.
They had all been carrying berries, mushrooms and even two of those squirrel-like monkeys Logan had seen.
“Ohhoh,” the woman said, extending a hand. “And who’s this handsome piece of meat?”
“That’s my man, Kat,” Freya said from behind Logan. She came up to him and grabbed his arm possessively.
“Uhhuh,” the redhead said, clearly unimpressed. She walked past them and whispered in Logan’s ear. “We’ll see for how long.”
Logan let out a polite cough in surprise.
“What was that?” Freya asked, taking a step towards Kat.
Kat turned her head as she sauntered off. “I’ll go take a wash in the pond. Good luck, blondie.”
“I hope a snake eats her,” Freya muttered to herself.
“Making new friends?” Logan asked.
Freya groaned and leaned against Logan. “She’s a bitch.”
“You’re grumpy.”
“Didn’t get much sleep,” she muttered. “I miss coffee. And you.”
“I’m here,” Logan reminded.
“Yeah, but I mean. I miss you,” Freya said emphatically and looked up at Logan with those smoldering blue eyes.
“Oh,” Logan said, his blood starting to pump faster. “Wait, you little tease. Are you trying to win one over that girl right now?”
“Maybe,” she said, biting her lip. Her hand snaked down from his chest. “Is it working?”
Logan grabbed her hand. “Yes, it’s working you lunatic. And no, not when my father is sleeping three yards away.”
“Wouldn’t that make it more—”
Logan pressed a finger at her lips. She tried to nibble at it. Logan sighed. “You’re insane. Let’s take your mind somewhere else. Come here.”
Logan grabbed Freya’s hand and brought her back to where she had slept. On the ground were the black and blue snakeskin garments. Freya knelt and picked the skirt up.
“You… made this?” She said in disbelief. “For me?”
“You like it?” Logan asked.
Freya was about to break into a great, big smile, before Malcolm Specter walked in on their moment and fixed his hawk stare on his son.
*
“I killed the snake! I provided the tools to get the meat and hides! I found the Numa! I am the one who can use it!”
“You, you, you, you!” Malcolm growled. “That is all you ever think about! Look at the situation we are in? Did you think this was a good time to use valuable resources to pamper your girl?”
“Only after I made a bunch of to—”
“IRRESPONSIBLE!” Malcolm Specter bellowed. “I cannot believe I let you keep this valuable resource!”
“We wouldn’t have any of it if I hadn’t—”
“Had not what?” Malcolm loomed over him, shouting at his face. “Stumbled upon it? You are nothing if not lucky. Hardly make you any less a fool. You do not know what we need. No planning, no forethought. First thing you made was a pretty dress for your girl? Ridiculous!”
The bone and stone tools lay forgotten on the ground behind Logan, as he tried to keep his cool despite his father’s spittle flying on his face. Logan closed his eyes and bit on his lip so hard he tasted blood. Malcolm Specter went on for a while.
“I am in charge. And for good reason,” Malcolm announced, pointing his finger at Logan’s face. “Next time you consult me first. Get out of my sight.”
“Fuck. You,” Logan said quietly and stomped off.