Logan was loath to let go one of the three [E-grade Numa Crystals] that the beetle-fiends dropped. But he figured the goons could use it if they ended up in a squeeze against the Levespawn skulking around. Although now they wouldn’t have to go hunt. They could just carry two and a half giant insect monsters back to camp and eat those. They tasted like shit though…

The D-grade construct was dim and spent. Logan had taken the large carapaces from the beetle-fiends’ backs and made shields for the agents. They had a weight reducing [Enchantment] as well as some extra durability magicked in.

It had pumped Logan’s Efficiency to 9 and Focus to 8. No sub-class level ups though. The gains had slowed down slightly, but it was fine.

Logan could definitely feel a difference in everything he did. He was spending so much less Numa than at the start of this ridiculous adventure and his designs were sharper and [Enchantments] stronger. Not that he had been pushing the limit in the last one’s case. The shields and spears he had donned the agents with held very conservative enchantments.

Regardless, the initially frosty or downright hostile agents were warming up. It seemed it wasn’t Freya alone who appreciated gifts. Logan didn’t mind. At least he kept leveling up.

The agents stayed for a while out of gratitude and willingness to test out new equipment. They actually found another group of those scuttling and gurgling black beetle-fiends. Logan stayed back and let the agents fight. He couldn’t throw his weapon without risking hitting an ally. And besides, the goons were clearly having fun.

One of them did get a nasty stab wound on his thigh, but he assured he could limp back to the base with the gatherers. Logan didn’t say anything when the goons took two of the four [E-grade Numa Crystals] that they had just obtained. If it weren’t for his categorical dislike of the goons, he might have even admitted it was fair that they left them with two. After the exciting battle, the agents decided to head back with the beetle corpses and intel.

“Either of you have skills?” Logan asked Balmer and Kat after the agents had left.

“I’ve got two! I’m a level 3 [Brawler]” Kat announced.

“Yeah?” Logan said.

“I got [Power Strike] and [Tough Skin].”

“Sounds good to me,” Logan said and lobbed one of the [E-grade Numa Crystals] at Kat. She caught it with the hand that wasn’t chitin-gloved.

Logan pointed at Kat’s pants. “You can put it in your pocket. It will work as long as you’re touching it I think.”

“Work how?”

“I don’t know. I just say what skill I want to use and trust the Numa to figure out the rest.”

Balmer scoffed. “Can’t believe you don’t know more by now.”

“Uhhuh,” Logan said. “Care to share your great wealth of knowledge?”

“Give me one, and I’ll figure out everything needed to know in two hours.”

A nasty side of Logan wanted to hold the Numa crystal over Balmer’s head. He didn’t ask the fool of a goon to join in on this little escapade. In fact, Logan would prefer he’d have Malcolm Specter take a damn step back with his watchdogs.

But while Balmer was a tool, he had run out of bullets in the last fight with the beetle-fiends and Logan preferred the goon would do something else than hide behind his back in the next fight.

“What’s your class?” Logan asked as he lobbed a crystal to Balmer. It wasn’t a nice throw. “[Firemaking Tool]?”

“Funny,” Balmer said, but didn’t offer anything else.

“First time you don’t even try for a comeback,” Logan said as they checked another room.

“What can I say,” Balmer muttered through his teeth. His tone oddly defensive. “I’m getting tired of your shit.”

“Boys,” Kat said from the front of their line. “Play nice.”

“Wait a minute,” Logan said, his smirk spreading into a malevolent grin. “You don’t have a class, do you?”

“Oh, honey,” Kat said, turning to grin at Balmer. “Don’t worry about it. A lot of boys have their growth spurts later.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Assholes,” Balmer muttered.

Logan and Kat shared a laugh about it, but then Logan grew serious. “Yeah we’re not going further without you picking something. Let’s check this room.”

The room was fortunately empty. It had been quiet after the agents had left, which was fine by Logan. He thought he had heard some distant gurgling and scuttling, but it could have been his mind playing tricks.

[It was.]

Thanks, Tumor…

Logan, holding the tail of their troupe ushered Kat and Balmer in. It was actually not the kind of a room the others had been. This one was structured like an amphitheater or a lecture hall. The whole room was made of steps downwards upon which benches were carved as well as tables of stone, which hovered in the air in front and above the benches. The tables were white marble and as thin as paper. Some of them no longer held an enchantment and they had fallen and crumbled.

Down at the bottom of the room was a giant round floating table upon a dais. Whatever the hell had been going on here, it was not akin to earth.

How are these tables still floating? Are the blue LED-ropes powering them?

“Woah,” Kat said under her breath. She took a seat by one of the benches and knocked on the white floating marble. The sound reverberated a deep and rich bass which filled the room. It was somehow soothing.

They gawked at the room and inspected it, but found nothing else that was out of the ordinary. There was a lot of dust on the floor, and Logan suspected a thousand years ago that dust had been books and tomes.

Logan also took a seat at a bench and put his feet on the floating white marble. Like a distant gong, the sound vibrated through his legs to his body. It clearly had a soothing effect.

“I think I should bang your head on these marble sheets,” Logan said to Balmer who was still standing. “Might be therapeutic for both of us.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Balmer muttered.

“Just sit your ass down and choose a class,” Logan said.

*

They passed the waterskin for a while as they sat around. Every time you took a sip, you had to contribute to Balmer’s class question. Despite his top of the class nonsense and all sorts of ego, that idiot was indecisive.

Logan had taken a proper swig from the waterskin and gone down the stairs to have another look at the strange room.

“You got [Marksmanship] from handling a gun, right?” Kat asked, idly tapping a finger on the floating marble.

“Yeah, level 7,” Balmer said, squatting on one of the steps.

“So pick [Archer],” Kat said.

“Logan is already a ranged attacker.”

Logan perked an ear at that as he knelt to inspect under the big table on the dais. “Surely you’re not suggesting this isn’t a one time thing, Balmer?”

“Daddy’s baby deer is going to need protection in the future,” Balmer said.

“That’d be much more irritating, if it wasn’t me who saved you from those bugs,” Logan said.

Kat sniggered. “He does have a point.”

“You just agree to everything he says,” Balmer snapped.

“I have my reasons,” Kat said, a little colder this time.

“You really think you got a chance with him?” Balmer let out a cold laugh. “I don’t know what the Beckstein girl sees in this spoiled little brat, but she’s ten times the woman you are.”

“The hell do you think you know about me?” Kat barked, snapping up from her lounging.

“You’re just like the Little Prince here,” Balmer said. “Do what you want. Take what you want. Say what you want. Selfish and arrogant.”

Logan was feeling the heat build up. He didn’t really care if they bickered, but they needed to work together. “You’re really good at making new friends, Balmer.”

The young goon snarled. Logan shrugged mentally. He thought he saw something blue move in the corner of his vision. He turned and saw one of those small little bugs. He crept towards it slowly to get a better look. At first Logan had thought these were the baby beetle-fiends. But this was a different kind of insect altogether.

They were like grasshoppers with spindly legs and long butts which glowed with the blue hue of Numa. The little thing noticed Logan and skittered away into the shadows.

“You sure you don’t have an [Asshole] class in your recommendations,” Kat asked, glaring at Balmer, arms crossed.

“I’m sure you got it as one of your sub-classes, under the class [Massive Bitch],” Balmer retorted.

“Look,” Logan said patiently as he looked for the little lightbulb-grasshopper in the corners. “Not that I ever get tired of your cringe comebacks, Balmer. But maybe we should get back to the class choice.”

“I don’t know what’s the most optimal and useful,” Balmer said and sighed.

“Stop thinking like my father’s lackey for once in your life,” Logan said. Oh there was another blue bug. Slowly Logan crept closer sliding his hand towards the bug. “What do you want to pick?”

“I… Nothing,” Balmer said defensively. “I’ll pick what’s most optimal.”

“Good grief,” Logan muttered under his breath. The bug was coming closer, zigging and zagging curiously towards his hand.

From the sound of Kat’s voice she wanted to say something scathing, but she controlled herself. “What are your recommended options again?”

“That shouldn’t matter,” Balmer said.

Kat sighed. “Just indulge me.”

“[Sentryman], [Scout], [Phantom].”

“All of those sound like they’ll be light on their feet,” Kat said with a lopsided smile.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Balmer asked.

“Touchy,” Kat said.

“Pick [Phantom],” Logan said. The bug skittered away and Logan cussed to himself.

“Why?” Balmer asked.

Logan shrugged. He saw where the bug went. He was going to try something else. “Sounds the coolest.”

“What kind of a basis is that?”

“We really need to start moving soon, you idiot,” Logan said. He picked a Numa crystal from his pocket and held it on an open palm. The little insect in the corner immediately stopped and turned. “Which of those classes resembles most what you wanted to do as a child when you grow up.”

“I wanted to become an agent or a spy.”

“Living the dream, huh…” Logan muttered to himself. The bug came on Logan’s hand and tentatively touched the crystal with its spindly legs.

“I agree with Logan,” Kat said. “Pick [Phantom].”

“Why?”

“Sounds the coolest.”

“I hate you both.”

Balmer demanded them to go over the pros and cons of each of the class options in excruciating detail. Logan tuned out quickly, but Kat indulged the goon for some reason.

Logan was engrossed in something else entirely. The glowing insect was doing something with the Numa crystal in Logan’s hand. It was feeding off of it. The crystal’s blue light faded ever so slightly, and the insect’s butt became a brighter glow.

Well, aren’t you an interesting little thing.

Logan tried to bring up a text window or something by looking at the bug, but nothing happened. Well something happened.

[Reconfiguring Neural Matrix… 44% Completion]