The meal with Tessa's family didn't go as poorly as Greg would have thought, or at least he didn't think it had. Fredrick started the meal basically interrogating Greg, but since Greg's life before the apocalypse was honestly pretty boring and he hadn't had much time to actually do anything afterwards, it didn't particularly go anywhere. After explaining his weird family situation and what he'd been doing with the ferals, the only thing Greg really had to talk about were the various books, games, and movies he'd enjoyed. That or his weird mental issues, but he figured Fredrick didn't need any more reasons not to like him. So once that well ran dry, Greg started asking questions about him. Apparently before everything went down, Fredrick had been some kind of big shot executive running the branch office of some multinational corporation in the city. When the apocalypse started, he was at work, along with Patrick who was interning at the time, and together they'd managed to clear out the ferals and organize the remaining employees into the early foundation of the Downtown Clan safe zone. Eventually Tessa had joined them, but despite their efforts, they'd never managed to figure out what happened to his wife and youngest daughter, who'd been at home and at school when everything happened. The conversation had soured a bit after that, but Patrick had pivoted into talking about some of the early challenges they'd faced developing the safe zone and things had smoothed out until the meal ended.
“So… that went well, right?” Greg asked Tessa as they headed back to the base to wait for the others to return, after making a quick stop to pick up some mana pills.
“Surprisingly, I think it did.” Tessa agreed. “I wouldn't say my dad likes you, but he at least seems to accept you? Which is better than any of my other boyfriends have done.”
Greg paused. “So you're saying I'm winning?”
Tessa snorted. “Yes Greg, you're winning. But if you weren't beating my previous boyfriends, there wouldn't be much point in dating you, now would there?”
“Hm, fair.” Greg muttered. “Not much point in dating someone worse than you dated before. Unless they died, I guess… or they broke up with you? Though I suppose there's something to be said for being better suited, even if they're lacking in objective qualities… like, a falcon is objectively better than a chicken, but if I'm choosing what to eat, I'm going for the chicken.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Greg, the only thing that really matters is that I'm with you, and I'm not with them. As long as that's the case, you're winning by default.”
Greg cocked his head. “Am I though? I mean, I'm not exactly an expert on this stuff, but it seems to me like relationships are more of a stamina competition than a race. Like, it isn't about staying ahead, it's about keeping it going. Like an egg toss. It doesn't matter if you're ahead because the ultimate goal is to keep going as long as possible.”
Tessa frowned. “But then you're still winning, because the ultimate goal is to keep going, and everyone else has already stopped, right? So maybe it's more like king of the hill? It doesn't matter how long you have it, just that you have it once everything is over.”
Greg scratched his head. “Is over marriage or death?”
“Death?” Tessa answered hesitantly. “I think marriage is more like fortifying your position…”
“Would that make having kids like hiring guards?” Greg asked.
Tessa smirked. “Sure, but if you abuse them they might turn on you.”
“Oof, betrayed by my own men!” Greg groaned, clutching his chest as Tessa giggled. “Though on that note, I think it becomes more about what you do with the position, rather than simply holding it… if everyone involved is miserable, then there's not much point to it, is there? More like a management game in that sense.”
Tessa sighed. “Okay, as much as I'm enjoying these analogies, I don't think you're going to find a perfect example out there. Let's just say you're winning and leave it at that.”
Greg paused, then smiled. “I think it's more appropriate to say we're winning. After all, it's a co-op, not a single player.”
Tessa flushed slightly. “Yeah… we're definitely winning.”
“So…” Greg began as they arrived at the base, slipping his arm around Tessa's waist and pulling her close. “What should we do now?”
Tessa bit her lip nervously. “I think- I think I should figure out how to use these mana pills, and you should get to the reading the Archmage assigned you. As much as I would love to- spend time together, we have things we need to get done and unlike you I actually get tired.”
Greg sighed, letting go of her waist. “Yeah, you're right.”
“That being said…” Tessa muttered, grabbing his hand. “There's no reason we can't cuddle while we do our research, right?”
Greg grinned. “Absolutely none at all.”
*
Once he and Tessa got comfortable, Greg started on the Archmage's assigned reading, delving right into the nature of mana. Greg already knew mana could create effects based on the intents people put into it from his conversation with Lapodala, but apparently that wasn't reserved just for people. Mana would take on any intent it was exposed to, no matter the source, which was why it reacted so poorly with technology. By being exposed to electricity and wires in the electronics, the mana would take on the intent of electricity and wires, allowing the electricity to travel through it, shorting out the device.
Similarly, mana absorbed into a living being would take on the intent of the living being, but because the living being could think, it would also absorb the intent of the living being's thoughts. This was how mutations happened. The mana would take thoughts like ‘I want to be faster’ or ‘I need thicker skin’ and make them reality. The key to strengthening yourself was to direct those thoughts as you absorbed mana, keeping your mind focused on how you wanted to change. The more clear your focus, the better. This was also why it was important to stay well fed, as your body would naturally draw in mana to fill its needs, and unless you were capable of focusing your mind throughout the entire day, that mana would take on random intents in the process.
“I can't tell if I'm going to be insanely good or insanely bad at this.” Greg muttered.
“At what?” Tessa asked.
“Staying focused while I absorb mana.” Greg explained with a sigh. “On the one hand, I can get so engrossed in a book that the rest of the world might as well not exist as far as I'm concerned. On the other… Well, it sounds boring.”
Tessa frowned. “Well… at least the consequences aren't too bad if you mess up? You can always revert back to normal. Plus, you have to focus on the actual absorption process, so that should keep your focus, right?”
“Absorption process?” Greg cocked his head. “I haven't gotten to that part yet.”
“Basically you need to guide the mana into your body as you imbue it with the right intent.” Tessa explained. “There's not much point in telling the mana to make you stronger if you just let it sit in your spleen. You need to guide it to your muscles.”
“What's wrong with a strong spleen?” Greg snickered, then paused. “Actually, what is a spleen?”
“I- don't know.” Tessa frowned. “I'm not even sure it's an actual organ… but either way, I'm sure you want it to be durable, but it doesn't really matter if it's strong, right?”
“Durable, strong, same thing.” Greg waved dismissively. “Or at least, there's not much point in being strong without being durable. Broken bones and whatnot.”
“Hm.” Tessa grunted noncommittally. “I suppose it depends on how you think about it.”
Greg paused. “Huh… shit, I think that's all it depends on. If you see strength as just how much force you can exert, then that's all the mana will effect, while if you see it as a combination of durability and force, then that's what it will effect, though probably to a lesser degree than it would if you just thought of it as force.” He frowned. “Man, trying to do anything with intelligence is going to be a bitch, huh? Like, what even is intelligence? Memory? Processing speed? Creativity? Logic? Comprehension?”
Tessa's expression twisted. “This- ugh, this is definitely one of those things that's incredibly simple on the surface but the deeper you go, the more complicated it gets.”
“Yeah.” Greg sighed. “We should probably get back to it.”
Tessa grunted in agreement and the two of them refocused on their reading. Greg's reading continued into what he and Tessa had just talked about, going over the importance of guiding the mana and making sure you used the right intent. It added that the mana would cover any gaps in understanding you had, but mana would be wasted in the process, so the better you understood what the mana was doing, the more mana would go to what you actually wanted it to do. This then transitioned into spells, which followed a similar process. The better you understood something, the less the mana would have to fill in on its own, creating a stronger effect.
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“So, this entire system just revolves around knowing things.” Greg muttered. “The better you understand what you're doing, the more effective it is.”
“I guess that's why you need the Archmage?” Tessa pointed out. “Is that the entire point of all the reading she gave you?”
“I mean, it seems like it's the entire point of mana in general.” Greg shrugged. “You're essentially transferring thought into reality, and fuzzy thoughts turn into fuzzy reality, while clear thoughts turn into clear reality. That's like… foundational. I think she just doesn't want to deal with the stuff I can learn on my own so she can focus on what only she can teach me.”
“I suppose…” Tessa agreed tentatively. “Are you done then?”
“Basically.” Greg nodded, skimming through the last little bit of the reading the Archmage had wanted him to get through, which was just going over the stuff on imagery he'd learned from Lapodala. “You?”
“Mhmm.” Tessa smiled. “And the others still aren't back yet~” She hummed, swinging into his lap.
“I think I'm getting better at picking up on your signals.” Greg grinned, his hands sliding up her legs.
“I think my signals are getting less subtle.” Tessa rolled her eyes, leaning in to kiss him as his hands reached her hips, pausing for a moment before sliding a bit further.
“We're back!” Victor exclaimed as he practically kicked in the door and walked in, pausing as he noticed the two of them. “Hey, no hanky panky in public spaces! I don't want to worry about finding weird stains on the couch!”
“Yeah!” Tina agreed as Tessa quickly slid off Greg's lap, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at them as she hovered next to Victor, before glancing over at him. “What's hanky panky?”
“Do not answer that.” Brittany growled as she stomped in after them. “If you fill her head with one more ridiculous idea, I will turn your bedroom into a freaking rave for the next week!”
Victor clicked his tongue. “Fine.” Then he grinned. “The truth is better anyway.”
Brittany scowled at him. “Don't tell her that either.”
“Well someone has to tell her something.” Victor shrugged.
Brittany rolled her eyes, turning to Tina. “Hanky panky is something two people who care about each other do together.” She glanced at Greg and Tessa. “In private.”
“Technically it was private until you guys showed up.” Greg pointed out. “And we were about to move.”
“Sure you were.” Victor snickered. “I'm sure you were about to do a lot of moving. Back and forth and back and forth and- Oop!” He ducked as Tessa chucked one of the couch pillows at him. “Ha! Missed- gah!” He stumbled as Greg turned the pillow to smoke and used it to give him a solid whap on the back of his head. “Brittany, how could you betray me like this?!?” Victor moaned pitifully as he collapsed pathetically to the floor.
“Don't look at me, look at your best friend over there!” Brittany protested, gesturing to Greg, before pausing. “And how did I end up on your side in all of this?!?”
Victor cocked his head. “Guilt by association?”
Brittany glared down at him for a moment, before walking over to one of the couches and sitting down. “Well now you're on your own.”
“Did you check for stains first?” Victor grinned as he got up.
“We didn't do anything!” Tessa growled, flushing as Brittany froze and glanced at the couch warily. “We'd literally just started kissing when you walked in!”
“Uh-huh.” Victor smirked, making a show of checking his own couch before sitting down. “So, how'd you hit me?”
“Smoke based telekinesis.” Greg explained. “And we really didn't do anything, and even if we had, I wouldn't leave any evidence. I mean-” He dissolved the couch under Victor into smoke, Victor letting out a curse as he fell, remaking it above him so it landed on him. “-and boom, it's clean.”
“Joke's on you, I'm a masochist! All you're doing is turning me on!” Victor shouted from under the couch.
Greg blinked. “Are you really?”
“No. Please stop hurting me.” Victor groaned in defeat.
“Who's hurting who?” Casey asked as the other group arrived, pausing as she noticed the legs sticking out from under the couch. “Who's under the couch?”
“Hi Casey!” Victor greeted her, sticking a hand up over the back of the couch. “Burn Greg for me! He's being mean!”
“And what did you do to make Greg be mean?” Casey rolled her eyes, smirking slightly as she walked over and sat on the couch Victor was under, causing him to let out another groan.
“Why do my friends hate me?!?” Victor complained, before pausing. “Oh, right, they're my friends. Duh.”
Casey scowled, hopping a little on the couch. “Hate is not a part of being friends with someone!”
“Then why are you hurting me!” Victor retorted.
“Because you suck!” Casey growled, bouncing on the couch a few more times.
“Is that normal?” Sarah asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, they're always like that.” Carlos chuckled. “Though usually Victor is smart enough to disappear before Casey can trap him.”
“I was ambushed!” Victor complained. “He took the couch out from under me and trapped me with it!”
“Alright, enough.” Tessa announced. “Get off him and let him up.”
Casey huffed, giving the couch one last bounce before getting up, Greg turning it to smoke so Victor could get up, turning to Meredith as he did. “A little healing? For an old friend?” Meredith just snorted, crossing her arms and ignoring him.
“I gotcha, buddy.” Greg announced, figuring he'd probably picked up Meredith's DNA at some point and focusing on transforming into her, nodding in satisfaction as the itching began.
“Not your- whoa.” Victor froze, along with everyone else as they watched Greg transform into a spitting image of Meredith and shoot a healing beam at Victor, before transforming back into himself. “Okay, since when can you do that?!?”
Greg frowned. “Since always? I transform all the time.”
“Not- why can you use Meredith's ability?!?” Victor asked.
“Oh, my natural mana changes to match whatever form I'm in.” Greg explained, waving dismissively. “Didn't I already tell you about that earlier? After the challenge? I could have sworn something was said about my other form having a heat ability.”
Casey threw up her hands in exasperation. “And how the hell were we supposed to know that meant you could copy the power of anyone you transform into?!?”
Greg raised a finger, then paused, dropping it and shrugging. “Fair. But yeah, I can do that. Neat, huh?”
“Not sure neat is the right word for it…” Victor muttered. “The phrase ‘complete and utter bullshit’ comes to mind.”
Carlos snorted. “Honestly. It's like every time I see you you pull some new form of bullshit out your ass.” Carlos paused, going over it in his head. “Yup, literally every time I see you.”
Greg scratched his head. “I do seem to be getting more and more ridiculous pretty quickly… I doubt I have much more in me, though. Like, how much worse can I get?”
“Greg, you're literally about to be personally trained by an Archmage.” Tessa sighed. “If you don't get more ridiculous, then all this magic crap is complete and utter bullshit.”
Greg blinked. “Well… shit, that's a good point.”
Tessa shook her head. “Alright, enough of that. Victor, Brittany, what did you two learn?”
Victor nodded. “Alright, so, there are four main factions forming at the moment. The first is made up of people like your dad, who I'm calling the nationalists, forming little governments to organize people. The second are the ones opposed to the first group, the anarchists, who think the only organization we need is the one naturally granted by personal power. They aren't exactly grouping up, but there are a few with enough strength that we should keep an eye on them. The third group I'm calling the cultists, which as the name implies, are the people forming religions around the old gods of Earth, the aliens, or a mix of both. And finally, there are the isolationists, which is the group we fall into, people who basically don't want to deal with any of this and just focus on getting stronger.”
“Thankfully, as far as we can tell, almost everyone is focused on the forest.” Brittany added. “The mountainous zone isn't exactly hospitable without the right powers to smooth things out, so anyone looking to group up is avoiding it, and the anarchists need people to actually be anarchists too, so they followed everyone else. I'm not sure how long that will be the case, but for now, we shouldn't have to deal with any of it.”
“That's pretty much what we found too.” Carlos agreed. “We mostly just walked around the area by the platform where the aliens gave their speech, seeing who was recruiting, which was pretty much all nationalists and cultists. They aren't exactly offering much besides the safety of being in a group, though.”
“It's only been a day, so that's to be expected.” Tessa commented. “According to my brother, the main conflict is going to be over who controls the development challenges. Apparently they not only teach you how to make things, but provide the resources you need to actually do so, so the more you control, the more you can produce. Otherwise you're stuck buying from the aliens.”
“So, I'm thinking we should give things a week or so to settle.” Brittany suggested. “Let the groups fight things out for a bit while we focus on getting stronger, sending me, Victor, and Tina out to keep tabs on things every now and then.”
“Well, we are isolationists.” Greg replied. “I figured staying out of things was pretty much a given. The only question is what we need to do to make sure no one tries to pull us into things.”
“Oh, they can try. We just need to make sure they don't succeed.” Victor chuckled. “Which, I believe, means getting as strong as possible so that when trouble comes knocking, we can just give them the finger and tell them to fuck off. And until then, we hide and stay out of the way as much as possible.”
“We should move our base fairly often.” Meredith added. “We need to complete challenges, so it's going to be impossible to keep people from noticing us, and there will definitely be those who can track us back here. Which means we either need to make this place unassailable, with multiple exits so no one can trap us inside, or we need to move regularly to keep the amount of people who know where we are as low as possible.”
Greg cocked his head. “I might be able to do something about fortifying this place… and I can definitely get us multiple exits, though it might take me a while.”
“It'd be up to you, since either way we'd be depending on you and your smoke.” Tessa pointed out.
Greg considered it for a moment. “I think I'd rather focus on building up a single location than move all the time, but I want to talk to the Archmage about it before I fully commit to the idea.”
Tessa nodded. “Good idea. Anyone else have any thoughts?” They all shook their heads. “Alright, then that's it for now. Hopefully we'll have a better idea of what we need to do tomorrow.”