Setting down the barbell, Cathleen Averett gave Vera the side-eye and shouted over the noise, “Why me?”
The training hall they were in was busy. It was the size of a warehouse, and every inch was put to use. Cheering people surrounded training circles which were being used for matches. Rows of gym equipment were clanging while people grunted with effort. People were running on a track that circled the gym along a balcony. Huge skylights, augmented by hanging lamps, provided healthy light. The air was alive with energy. Psyche’s of people pushing their limits reinforced each other. Vera hated it, but recognized that some people enjoyed this type of thing.
Standing in her robes with her palms folded in front of her, Vera replied loudly, “You expressed interest in his training. I have secured a slot for a bodyguard to train alongside him. Nick will be there to aid in his magic training, but I’ll be relying on the army for his physical development. I’d like someone there with his best interests in mind. And Nero specifically asked about you.”
Cathleen chuckled as she drank deeply from her water bottle. She bent over and picked up her towel. As she started walking off toward the lockers, she said over her shoulder, “Wait for me outside. You’re buying me lunch if you want to keep talking.”
Thirty minutes later, Vera was sitting on a bench outside the Center training facility. As she waited for Cathleen, Vera used her link to speed run through paperwork. Over the years, she had put a great deal of effort into growing her pillar of ‘efficiency’. Where most people would have chosen to enhance their strikes, or casting ability, she focused on mental efficiency. When it came to paperwork, she was precision incarnate.
Unfortunately, she finished all the paperwork she currently had available. Her remaining tasks would require her to make some pings. Talking to people was such a bother. Case in point, she was still waiting for Ms Averett to finish getting dressed. As her impatience grew, she decided to start on her contact list.
Luckily, before Vera could open her first connection, Cathleen came strutting out of the training hall doors. Once again dressed in her work robes, she waved to Vera and offered her a smug smile. It was obvious that she had taken her time getting ready.
Vera held in her irritation. Standing up, she waited patiently for Cathleen to complete her victory lap.
“So, I’m ready when you are,” said Cathleen.
Offering the woman a blank look, Vera turned and started off toward the entrance to the Center. Turning her head to Cathleen, she asked, “Have you given any thought to whether you’d like to take the position?”
Walking alongside Vera, Cathleen ignored the question and asked, “What’s the pay?”
Vera responded, “Standing elite guard pay. 3000 valens a week. Standard penalty clauses would apply.”
Ms. Averett replied quickly, “You know that I am very close with many people on the arena circuit. I’ve heard about Mr. Walker’s recent windfall. I think 10 thousand a week is more like it.”
Vera’s patience was at an end. She was not going to waste any more time on this. Stopping abruptly, she said, “That’s Lord Walker, Ms. Averett. The entire point of me asking you to take the job was predicated on you having his best interests in mind. If you plan to play your own game, I have plenty of other pieces I could use.”
Cathleen turned to face Vera, placing her hands on her hips and flashing a wide smile. “Can any of your other options fight as well as I can?”
Not intimidated in the least, Vera replied, “No. But at the moment, I trust them more than I do you. And now that I realize that, I believe we’re done. I apologize for wasting your time.” Offering Cathleen a nod, she started to walk away.
A few paces away, Vera heard Cathleen ask, “Is he as promising as I think he is?”
Turning back to face Cathleen, Vera said, “He learns faster than anyone I’ve ever met. Whether you’re referring to magic, tactical analysis, or politics, his talent is monstrous. His only failing is that he looks for plots everywhere. If he doesn’t trust you, he won’t listen to you. He’ll first look for corroboration before he believes anything you say. Your attitude is a poor fit. He warned me, and I didn’t listen. It almost makes me wonder if he planned it. Putting us at odds in order to give himself breathing room.”
Cathleen cocked her head to the side and asked, “Is he really that sly?”
Vera shook her head and said, “I don’t know. I can’t read him. But based on his winning streak, I’d say yes.”
Cathleen closed the distance so they didn’t have to speak so loudly. “It’s his eyes. I noticed them when you first introduced him. He sees the entire world as a threat,” she said and then crossed her arms and her face turned serious.
“Several days ago, I told him that I work at the Center to help bring out the potential of Oglivarch’s youth. When we spoke, I warned him that he could be a demon or a god, and I would help him find his path. I always keep my word, and training him to meet his potential might be very interesting. I’ll take the job,” she said while staring unblinking into Vera’s eyes.
Vera responded quietly, “Will you put his interests before your own? Will you serve Lord Walker as he walks through the wilds? Can I entrust his safety to you?”
Without breaking her stare, Cathleen said, “I will serve House Walker in duty and faith while the training you mentioned is going on. I will train him as I was trained. After that we will renegotiate. That’s the best I can do.”
Vera nodded. “That’s enough. I’ll send you the details. Training starts tomorrow. I’d tell you to be prepared, but I’ve known you for over 40 years and I’ve never seen you unprepared,” she said.
Cathleen’s mask broke and she smiled. “Alright, enough of this serious talk. Let’s have that lunch you owe me. You can resume plotting the downfall of your enemies in an hour.”
Vera chuckled, and they started walking off together.
Leaning over, Cathleen asked, “So how much did he actually make off that pathetic excuse for an assassination challenge? No one would tell me, they just grimaced and said ‘a lot’.”
Vera couldn’t help it, she started laughing.
-----
Nero was sitting on his meditation mat, trying to go over all the information he had learned since he woke up. It was a lot. He was always a fast reader, but he usually only focused on getting the ‘gist’ of what he read. Maybe it was his increased stats, or his newfound desire to learn. Either way, his retention was nothing short of amazing. It made him wonder if this was what being smart felt like.
Feeling like he was close to leveling, Nero refocused and cleared his mind of anything but his goals. His celebrity status wasn’t important. His gains weren’t important. His wealth wasn’t important. It was all just a means to an end. That end being his mastery of magic.
Nero focused on the spell forms he had learned. They felt etched into his mind. He visualized casting them. He imagined the scenarios where he would use them. He prepared himself for the future. He felt ready.
As the essence in the room swirled, Nero felt his new star coalesce in his soul. His nerves were tingling, and he felt high. ‘This feeling is never going to get old,’ he thought as he opened his identity along with his stats.
Name
Nero Walker
Level
9
Race
Human
Growth
0%
Tier
1
Condition
100%
Age
14
Center
64%
Body
1
Mind
4
Soul
1
Confluence
10
Stars
2
Pillars
0/0
Body
1
Base
Operative
Level Stress
Presence
9
10.8
8.4
Durability
7
8.4
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2.1
Recovery
13
15.6
14.9
Speed
11
13.2
4.1
Adaptability
24
28.8
17.6
Power
8
9.6
0.8
Mind
4
Base
Operative
Level Stress
Weight
26
46.8
1.2
Control
29
52.2
4.6
Field
23
41.4
7.2
Precision
39
70.2
9.1
Endurance
46
82.8
5.6
Focus
48
86.4
2.1
Soul
1
Base
Operative
Level Stress
Size
26
31.2
6.8
Density
101
121.2
1.3
Intensity
76
91.2
1.7
Pressure
23
27.6
8.5
Harmony
3
3.6
47.2
Adaptability
270
324
1.1
It had been a while since Nero had looked at his stats. His level stress would dictate if his base stats went up. While he hadn’t focused on training anything other than magic, he’d been through a lot. At least, he thought he had. According to what Nick and Jennings said, his level stress was still being affected by his recent entry into this world.
Regardless, he needed to use his stars now. There wasn’t enough time to see if a few push-ups would change anything. In fact, Nero could feel the ‘soul bloat’ that Nick had warned him about. It wasn’t debilitating, but it seemed much more difficult to ignore than when he had 3 stars saved up. If this trend continued, he’d have to spend his stars the moment he got them.
Feeling like he had to make a decision, he focused on sending a star into his soul stat. As he felt the stat open, it was like he was pouring from one container into another. His awareness blossomed like a flower. His soul stretched out to feel the world around him. The essence danced across his metaphysical body as he floated. If it weren’t for his body, he might be able to slip free from this plane of existence and rejoin to the souls in the upper planes.
All too soon, the feeling ended, and Nero was returned to his body. His senses were dulled once more. For a moment, reality was a weight he wanted to reject. But cooler heads prevailed, and he looked at his gains. While his body and mind hadn’t changed, his soul stat had grown.
Soul
2
Base
Operative
Level Stress
Size
29
40.6
0
Density
101
141.4
0
Intensity
76
106.4
0
Pressure
27
37.8
0
Harmony
24
33.6
0
Adaptability
270
378
0
It looked like the books were right in one respect, at least as far as Nero could tell. Half of the level stress would be applied to the base, with the amount applied going down the higher a person's base stats. The falloff was supposed to start when base stats reached 20.
It was his stress levels that were way out of the norm. Getting level stress over 10 was considered extremely difficult. People could train for years, and only gain a few points in level stress. Yet, Nero didn’t seem to have any problems doing it. Nero’s mind was still growing fast, and he was growing his body without effort. He knew this was temporary, but Nero was happy with his progress anyway. The numbers made him feel like his work was appreciated by the powers that be.
Taking a deep breath, he sent his last star into his body. His senses came alive, and he felt like he belonged to the world. He felt solid. It was like he became denser. The pores on his skin opened to let the essence sink in. Nero felt the essence shield he kept constantly active turn-off, as if someone had removed the battery. His body had pulled in the essence, and still reached for more.
The feeling faded, and Nero opened his eyes. His stomach roiled and he felt like he was going to puke. Not trusting his legs, he rolled onto his hands and knees, focusing on keeping hold of his dinner. ‘Never again. The moment I get my next star, I’m using it,’ he thought.
It took a few minutes for his stomach to settle, but eventually Nero returned to his seat on the meditation mat. Looking at his body stats, he could see some real growth. Most likely it was due to how low his numbers were to begin with.
Body
2
Base
Operative
Level Stress
Presence
11
15.4
0
Durability
8
11.2
0
Recovery
21
29.4
0
Speed
13
18.2
0
Adaptability
32
44.8
0
Power
8
11.2
0
Without any other ideas, Nero attributed his adaptability and recovery to all the damage he was doing to himself while training his magic. The body was the medium his mind used to create his psychic field. And if there was one thing Nero constantly kept active, it was his psychic field.
Reaching out, Nero practically caused an essence vacuum in the room while creating a new essence shield. Without it, he felt naked. Expecting essence to rush in to fill the void, he was surprised to see the flows just calmly fill the empty space. Thinking about it, Nero decided it made sense. Otherwise mages would use that as a technique to strip the available ambient essence temporarily during combat.
Tired and sore, Nero stood up. He felt gross. His star usage had made him sweat, and he was still feeling the after effects of the changes.
Stripping off his clothes, he forced himself to trudge toward the shower. Under the hot water he repeated his vow that he would henceforth use the stars as soon as he got them. The heat eased his sore joints, and loosened his shoulders. Nero spent some time luxuriating in the above average water pressure.
30 minutes later, he was in bed with freshly brushed teeth and looking forward to a full night’s sleep. He hadn’t set the alarm. The default was fine with him, as he couldn’t be bothered to turn it off.
Staring at the ceiling, he thought about the upcoming day. He had a lot of spells to master, and books to read. If he really buckled down, it was possible that he could level again. Jennings said that his leveling speed wouldn’t start slowing down until after he reached level 10.
As Nero was letting his thoughts run wild, his eyes snapped open when he realized what hitting level 10 meant. Pillars. He was going to get to choose his pillar. ‘How the hell do pillars work again? It had something to do with choosing from options you’ve cultivated or something,’ he thought with a scowl.
Pushing it out of his mind, Nero went to sleep leaving tomorrow’s problems for tomorrow.