For several seconds, Leo could only stare at the messages. He never had the time to do proper research on the gods behind the Labors, so he didn’t even know if having their attention was a good or bad thing for him.
“It must seem strange, for the gods to have shown such interest in you.” A voice from behind drew Leo’s attention, and when he turned his head to look, he found that the dark void around him had changed. In the space of a second, he found himself in a building, a large dimly lit bedroom to be precise, and after a moment to process this sudden change, he realized he’d been here before. The voice, too, he recognized. He was back in the seer’s abode, with the seer herself laying on the bed in the same way she did last time. “It’s not uncommon when someone overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds. An E and D-rank contributing so heavily to the shift of a world’s rating is virtually unheard of."
“...Why am I here again?” He asked. From what he remembered, maybe she thought about taking over his body while he passed out.
“Your mind is here. Your body is likely being carried away to sleep the rest of the night and then some.” The Seer answered. “Color me impressed that you managed to last as long as you did, using that much mana with so little Will. As for the reason you are here- you might have experienced it before, but your mind could hardly stand the attention of one deific being, much less six. Regardless, the gods have extended their gaze to you, and risked rending your mind asunder. Even if you did not come out of the experience completely crazed, as you are now there would have been lasting consequences.”
Leo swallowed hard. Her words sent him back to the very start of this to begin with. The blaring sound like a thousand trumpets going off in his ears at once, the message that popped up telling him that his rank was too low to interface with the divine. “Thanks, then?”
“Consider it a debt repaid for lending me your eyes.” The Seer replied. “Now, while I have you, would you care to answer a couple of questions for me?” Without waiting for him to actually answer, she continued. “The one who dealt the final blow to the matriarch, the one using a sword, who was he? You seemed to recognize him before you collapsed.”
Leo’s eyes went wide at that. Layne always seemed like a secretive guy, so Leo didn’t know if he wanted to go around telling people about him, especially someone with such an apparently wide reach as the Seer. Still, as the one currently keeping his mind away from the dangerous influence of the gods watching him, he wasn’t sure he wanted to completely refuse to answer. “I don’t know all that much about him myself. We just happen to train under the same swordmaster for a couple of weeks.” He told her. Not a lie, but definitely not all that he knew about him, either.
“In case you’re wondering, I did already Appraise him.” She added. “His abilities and status are veiled in a way that even I can’t see through. The only effects that can fully block my Appraisals are that of deities and the greatest of Outsiders. Someone -and certainly not a D-rank-, can’t simply receive that kind of veil. Surely you have some kind of information.”
Of course she couldn’t be satisfied with the basic info. Having seen that veil for himself, however, he did think it strange. “Well, I know he was supposed to be in Dumatha fighting the Eldritch Titan. He left days in advance, I have no idea how he got back so fast.”
“For a D rank, that is unusual.” The Seer confirmed. “Anything else?”
“Well, I know he’s from my world.” Leo said with a shrug.” I doubt that’s the reason he has that veil, though. I don’t have anything similar, I don’t think.”
“You certainly do not.” The Seer confirmed. “He must have some sort of benefactor. But why would they favor a D rank so heavily, unless he possesses some special ability or bloodline…” She trailed off, murmuring to herself and seemingly forgetting that Leo stood there. He couldn’t blame her, he also ruminated on all of the oddities he observed about Layne. That his stat window was veiled in the way that it was. That he came to Okin looking to learn the final, secret technique of an apparently already rare sword form. That he almost casually tossed Leo a phone that cost more credits than he had any business having. Still, even with all that, the strangest thing was that he made it back to Normouth despite leaving for the eldritch Titan, and damn near dealt the killing blow to the matriarch from what Leo saw. Though he had no earthly idea how things might have come to pass that way, Leo would have to thank him for that later.
One curiosity after another. Since the Seer had him here, and seemed amenable to conversation, Leo decided to strike up a question. “Layne aside, did you get what you wanted out of sharing my vision?”
She glanced back up at him, as if remembering that she left him standing there while getting lost in her own mutterings. “I suppose so. I wished to see the status of the city during the attack, assuming one would take place to begin with. There are many merits in being able to report its status to others with expediency, but I am glad to be the first to report that the darkling invasion of the city was thwarted.” She explained, then sighed. “I only wanted to observe, but in the help I gave you, I might have exposed myself to unwanted attention.”
As she spoke, some movement in the corner of Leo’s eye drew his attention. One of the notifications about the gods watching him had disappeared. It caused him to wonder if that was the attention she meant, but didn’t think that quite fit. “Do you mean from Outsiders?”
“Indeed. Though they cannot interfere directly in most cases, they guide their followers and minions in much the same way as the gods do with quests, oftentimes in a much more direct fashion.” She glanced up, looking around at the room they were both in. “I’ll likely have to abandon this manor, but keeping one on-planet makes my job so much easier.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Leo said, almost without thinking, and the question did bring a bemused smile to the Seer’s face.
“As an…well, I suspect you’ll be about of D rank once you make use of all that karma? No. There isn’t much you could do to help me.” She said, “Though, I much thought the same of your prospects against the matriarch when it first appeared. You may yet surprise me.” She shrugged, then waved the statement off. “Whatever the case, I have a question for you. That kitsune, do you plan to work with her?”
That caught him by surprise, and he didn’t have an immediate answer. “It wasn’t in my plans, but she did seem pretty interested in my friend, rather than me.”
“You are a Mixer. It is not a common calling, and as I’m sure you’ve experienced yourself, it is not easy to function without a steady stream of materials. Most that I’ve seen will join a guild or fall under a powerful sponsor or patron. An active Laborer of her rank would make for a boon if she directly funded your creations, some of which can prove imminently useful to someone like her. I suspect she will want to bring you under her employ if she has taken an interest in one of your companions, as well, even if she doesn’t have an immediate use for you.”
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
“She does seem the manipulative type.” Leo said with a nod. He could only imagine what would have happened to Normouth if things went her way, with most of the available Laborers having left for Dumatha. When things came to it, even she couldn’t adequately fight the matriarch without help since it was so much of a bad match for her, and matched her in rank. “She didn’t seem to like you very much, either. Are you saying I should avoid working with her if she comes looking for me?”
“She has her reasons, and many of her opinions aren’t particularly wrong, but as you have observed, the amount of care she has for the lives of others is…questionable. Do as you like, her aid will likely be a great boon to you, but make sure you are aware of everything you are getting out of any arrangements you make with her.”
“Thanks for the advice.” Leo said. Two more notifications regarding the gods disappeared, drawing Leo’s attention for a brief moment. “Again, I really feel like I need to repay you somehow.”
“There may yet be an elixir or two I would have you make, but not now. Not as you are.” The Seer waved that statement off as well. “As things are now, your involvement in my affairs will only bring you ruin. You barely survived a Heroic B-Rank quest. I will not be responsible for you attempting to push your luck.”
That got Leo curious. It seemed like she had the knowledge that something was going to happen to her in the future, but given that she just flat out refused to let him get involved, he doubted she’d explain to him if he asked. “Still, thanks all the same.” He said. Two more boxes disappeared, leaving him with only one. “I guess the gods are losing interest.”
“They have likely finished viewing the recent past alongside the present.” The Seer explained. “And have taken their time to memorize your face, and your soul before they leave. They’ll be quicker to come should you continue to make waves. I’ve already mentioned this, but for your sake, do endeavor to raise your Will if you actually want to interact with the divine. Once the last one leaves, I’ll leave you to your true slumber.”
“Yet more advice.” Leo murmured. “Well, while I still have you, do you think you could tell me where I should spend my Karma? I want to be able to put my best foot forward with the amount that I’ve just gained, and no one I’ve talked to really has an answer.”
The Seer took a long look at him. During which, the final notification for the gaze of a deity fell away, and Leo half thought that she wouldn’t answer and would just send him off from her silence. Another notification appeared at the corner of his vision, but the Seer began talking before he could focus on it. “I’ve known a few Mixers in my time. Some of them simply resolved themselves to raise Intellect and leave it at that. The others were more of a mix. I cannot say for certain, but having shared your vision during the fight with the matriarch, I can say that the power you unleashed with that potion you created was highly unusual. I’d sooner see an E rank faint from strain than successfully cast a C Rank spell, much less multiple times by taking mana potions. Your highest attribute- aside from Luck, which is irrelevant here make no mistake- is Intuition. I will not tell you to focus solely on it, but it might behoove you to investigate the link between Intuition and the power of that potion you were able to wield.”
He wasn’t expecting a detailed guide, or even much of anything, but she’d given him a lead he could follow. He supposed he’d have to ask Zumra about it later. “I’ll do that. Thank you agai-”
“Your constant gratitude has gotten grating.” The Seer cut him off, and waved her hand once more. This time, Leo noted a shift in the air. The room around him was beginning to fade, as the void from before tore at the edges and gradually began to fill his vision. “All the same, do not squander my advice, boy. It is not given often.”
He tried to speak, but no words came out. As the world faded to black around him he managed to get one final glance at the last notification that appeared.
The Gods have granted you a Boon for your Labor! (+5 to Luck)
Name:
Leonell Bolden
Stats
Title
Equalizer
Fortitude: E (0/10)
Class
Mixer
Reflex: E (0/10)
Element
-
Intellect: E (0/10)
Total Rank
E
Intuition: D- (0/10)
Status
Health 56% Mana 0%
Will: E (0/10)
Skills
Combine, Auto-Loot, Appraise, Storage
Luck: D (5/10)
Skill: Combine
Mix different raw materials into a new item. You choose the shape of the form. Final form is affected by rank and element of materials.
Store Combine results into a mental guidebook that grows based on Intellect rank.
Skill: Auto-Loot (Mixer)
Automatically separates mixable materials from slain creatures. If the [Storage] skill is active, automatically places loot into storage space.
Skill: Appraise (Mixer)
Look at a creature or material and gain information on them. Information includes: Rank, Element, Class, Statuses, Titles. May have difficulty appraising creatures of higher rank, or creatures hidden by another skill or effect. Skill affect boosted by Intuition Rank.
Skill: Storage (Mixer)
Creates an inter-dimensional storage space that only you can access. Storage increases with Total Rank