Eli shifted uncomfortably against the hard cushion of his train seat while he watched the skyline blur past them as the train rumbled toward the station close to Little Anchor. Roman sat beside him while he fiddled with a watch in his lap that shimmered with arcane light. They had chatted a bit, but the air still felt thick with tension between them.
Nora had taken the other seat beside Eli where she typed up a storm on her phone rapid fire while she tapped her foot in time to whatever music she had playing over her headphones. He had tried striking a conversation with her a few times, but she had been rather terse with him. Apparently, she didn't care as much about them keeping their sudden appearance a secret so much as the fact that it could cost them victory at the Tri-Delve Cup. Meanwhile, Dorian was off flirting with what seemed to be a crowd of older women commuting to or through Little Anchor after working in Anchora city.
Eli felt sorry for Herbert.
In the beginning, he had been jealous of the man. Herbert was a year older than him, had lived in a world with superpowers his whole life, and seemed like no one had ever bullied him. He had an understanding family that seemed to actually support and trust him. Not to mention a badass older sister. Herbert even had a girlfriend, although it remained to be seen how Hazel was handling the whole situation. They'd been avoiding each other ever since he confessed the truth of his origins.
Yet, no one had truly noticed that Eli wasn't Herbert. Everyone had been suspicious, but only Maeve actually figured it out immediately. And once it was clear who Eli was, they didn't seem to care too much. Granted, Maeve had been upset ever since then, and Hazel hadn't talked to him after the revelation of his origins.
But Nora and Dorian didn't seem to care unless they 'couldn't pull their weight'.
Unless if that was just a trick. It wouldn't surprise him if this was a way for them to further test both of them. Both Hazel and Maeve had clarified that shapeshifters weren't a threat in the way he would have originally expected, but that didn't mean people didn't think they were lying about swapping with their counterparts.
People could easily believe they came from another dimension or somewhere else, but he wouldn’t be surprised if they all thought they had killed and taken Herbert and Romulus’s place.
Eli half suspected that was why Maeve had forced him to train against her most of Wednesday. If someone had taken Lana's place and couldn't handle fighting him at the level, he suspected Lana was at, then he'd doubt they could have handled her superhuman strength or whatever new tricks she had cooked up in the past week he had been gone.
"I don't know how I didn't notice you weren't him from how much you think alone." Nora put her phone away with a scoff. "Herbert has a thought and he just acts on it, but you seem to sit and think constantly."
"Nah, Eli's pretty reckless." Roman chimed in. "He's a trouble magnet. Back home, he rushed in to an active terrorist situation just because his family was there."
"I was worried! And it wasn't that bad."
"Dude, you lost your arm. How is that not bad?"
"What's a 'terrorist situation'?" Nora interrupted before they got carried away. Eli and Roman turned to stare at the small woman incredulously.
"You... you don't know what terrorism is?"
"No? That's why I asked?" Nora crossed her arms defensively.
"It's when people or organizations kill or hurt a lot of people because of some agenda or because their feelings got hurt or something. Do they really not have that here?" Roman leaned across Eli to frown at her.
"I suppose we do, but the spawn do that for us." She shrugged. "Most people also have powersets to make them more durable or whatever. Pre-Initialization children are in the most danger, but they can still use enchantments in their clothing and other items to protect them. We all learn how to defend ourselves with our powers and whatever else, too."
"That's... odd." Eli grimaced at her. "Wouldn't that be like handing everyone guns and expecting them to use them responsibly?"
"If our guns are in any way shape or form like yours, then no. Guns only have one purpose and that's to kill. I'm not sure what your world was like, but learning how to use our powers isn't like a gun at all. Powers are deeply personal to who someone is. Since I was a child, I have always enjoyed listening to music, dancing to it and playing it. I never thought about becoming a Delver or anything like that. I only wanted to explore the world of music, you know? I decided to Initialize early and got a Sound perk first, then a year later a Control perk. Those perks became Audiokinesis, and I loved it." She scrunched her nose in distaste. "Why would I tarnish that by equating that beauty of sound to a weapon?"
"Because powers are dangerous? You could hurt or kill someone with sound. I watched you destroy tons of goblins and trolls when we delved the Crucible last week." Eli pointed out.
"So what? Do you look at a painter's hands and their Pictomancy and think about how they could punch you in the face? Choke you out? Obsess over how they could drown or poison you with paints and dye? My mother was a Pictomancer, and she used a Dream summoning circle to conjure a Sinful Boar to show me how it was necessary to be able to defend ourselves. She used her power to paint fire on its flanks and burned it alive. Used it to poison its blood. Crush its eyes with fluid and choke its lungs."
She paused while she teared up a little and looked away.
Eli and Roman glanced at each other. She had a few points, but powers *were* dangerous. Hadn't that been thoroughly proven by how their world had handled their arrival? But in this dimension, their society had adapted to powers and became tempered by them. Theirs hadn't gotten the chance. Eli decided to look into this world's laws and history a bit more to see how they handled those changes. It would be helpful once they got home.
"Anyway. My mother would have punched you in the throat if you told her that her art was the equivalent of a gun. She used to make the most stunning murals and portraits in Wendsvale."
"I'd love to see one. Do you have any pictures of them?" Eli said gently while Roman nodded beside him. He didn't miss how she referred to her mom in the past tense. Although, he was pretty sure he remembered her mentioning that she wanted to win money so both of her parents could go on vacation. He didn't want to stumble into asking about that though.
"Nope." Nora sighed shakily. "She hated people taking pictures of her art. Always said it defeated the whole point and well..."
"What happened to her?" Roman asked gently while Eli winced.
"She died giving birth to my little brother."
"Oh. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Roman's grimace was more of a cringe than Eli's at that.
"I know I don't." Nora snorted with a bark of laughter. "Why'd you ask if you didn't want to hear?"
"It's not that..." Roman started before he trailed off under Nora's stern glare.
"We just don't want you dredging up painful memories." Eli finished for his friend.
"Fair enough." She took a deep, steadying breath before she spoke. "Mom got sick around the same time she got pregnant. I don't know if you know, but since children don't have powers or systems of their own, it can be really dangerous to use powers on them. Everyone told her to accept healing or even wellness enchantments, but she refused. Said that she wasn't going to hurt, or Savior forbid, kill her baby over a little cold. It was a hard pregnancy. I remember leaving for school with her lying on the couch, then coming back home seeing she hadn't moved at all. Dad was always working to pay for her medicine, which is more expensive than going to the doctor or even a nurse and having them heal you. She died in labor and that was that.”
"I'm sorry, that's horrible." Roman said, while Eli looked away. How would he have handled it if Mom had died giving birth to the twins? He would've only been two, but still. His whole life would have changed.
"Thanks, Robo-Obvious." Nora shook her head with a dry chuckle.
"My younger brother, Theo, almost died from cancer." Roman admitted carefully. "I don't know what it's like to lose a family member or anything, but I watched him waste away in his bed or in hospitals for years. Every hospital visit stole more of who he was away from him. Until I was sure he was going to die. Then two months ago everything changed, and he Initialized with healing powers. Literally saved by a miracle." Roman's voice caught in his chest.
Eli patted him on his back while he winced at the reminder of everything his friend had gone through. He hadn't realized Theo had been doing so poorly this last year after he had abandoned Roman and Scott to Tom's abuse and bullying.
He hoped Scott was doing okay. Maybe he'd be able to check on him after they made it back, but first, he needed to make it a point to be there more for his friends here.
"I'm glad he healed and is better. I bet he's waiting for you already... and that Les will be excited to meet him. Anyway, it's not like Mom is gone. She painted herself into a few portraits around the house. Dad even has a locket with her picture in it. She can interact with him through it and her other paintings.” Nora sagged into the back of her own uncomfortable cushioned seat.
"She painted herself into a portrait?" Eli asked once she paused.
"Oh yeah. Both of my parents are or were huge enchanters. Dad grows his own wood and does his own woodwork and he grew her easels from nothing. She mixed some of her blood into her paint, used her hair in her brushes, and she literally painted parts of who she was into it. Made it so it has her personality and its own memories and everything until it was almost her. But it's not. It's just pretty wood with a picture that moves and talks."
Conversation slowed to a halt after that.
Nora typed the rest of the train ride away on her phone while Roman kept working on his watch.
Eli spent his own time practicing with Refinery's Alteration on a copy of wood he had laid out on his workshop table in Warlock's Sanctum. Long enough had passed after their conversation when he swapped out Stellavoltaic Nullspace for Refinery's Alteration that the cooldown had expired, so he'd be ready to swap them when they went delving.
The wood was rough and uneven with a splintering grain. He had copied it out of the plywood from his box springs to his mattress and teleported it into the workshop in Warlock’s Sanctum. Using Refinery's Alteration felt strange. It was an empty power until he gave it his target and then it lit up his mind with the possibilities of what the material could become. Each wooden fiber was eager for change.
Eli willed the rectangle of wood to smooth itself out and it suddenly was as if he had sanded it for hours. It felt stronger, more durable, but that simple alteration had trimmed the number of alterations he could make. As if the more he changed it from its base state, the less he could alter it. He spent the rest of the train ride guiding the block of wood into the shape of a polished knife.
Refinery's Alteration let him change the shape, color, and physical properties of the wood as long as he didn't change it too much. Once it was blade-like the alterations took longer and the grain of the wood resisted his efforts to change it. Until he stored, then made a copy of the knife again and it reset the number of changes he could make. Six cycles of alterations later, he had a razor-sharp wooden knife dyed an all consuming black.
All before he weaved enchantments through its structure.
Eli stored and copied it again.
Warlock's Sanctum let him copy and teleport the enchantments he had already created into the blade while Refinery's Alteration let him sink the enchantments even deeper. Durability tightened the wooden fibers until its tang was sturdier than a concrete block. Sharpness honed the edge until it felt like it could cut through iron or steel. Flexibility and self-repair seeped into the core so that it bend rather than break, heal itself rather shatter.
Finally, kinetic and thermal energy conversion enchantments sealed the outside of the blade so it'd store all gathered energy into its internal storage of light and radiance.
Refinery's Alteration flashed through it one last time as light shimmered through the polished handle perfect for his grip and up the flat blade to the tip. An inner light glowed from the knife as the blade soaked up all the enchantments until it was left transformed from the combination. He couldn't wait to try it out in battle or use it with the spider bracelet. Next time, he wanted to practice doing the same things with a new suit of armor and improving his base set of materials.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Metal squealed as the train pulled into its final stop as the electric signs flashed 'LITTLE ANCHOR'. Nora leaned against Eli while he slid against Roman who glanced around owlishly at the sudden stop. Arcane energy crackled across the surface of the watch he'd been building with enchantments far too powerful for Eli's evo-0 Warlock's Sanctum to crack.
Nora pushed herself away from Eli as she stood to lead their charge out of the train onto the train platform.
While they walked, Eli switched out Refinery's Alteration for Stellavoltaic Nullspace. Space unfolded around him as if it were a puppy welcoming him back home after he'd been away. Relief bloomed at the sensation of his starspace field stretching all around them.
"Alright. We're about thirty minutes away if we walk. It doesn't look like Little Anchor has that many high-speed lanes for us to run there. Want to head over there and portal us there, Eli?" Nora glanced at him hopefully after she checked her phone.
"I really don't want my powers being noticed here." He shook his head. "We could probably make it work for getting back, but I don't know this area, so I don't feel comfortable with it yet. Plus, I'd like to hear more about Delver's Dive."
"Same." Roman commented while he continued to fiddle with his watch. His new Magitech Fabrication seemed to escalate the more he tweaked and rebuilt the watch. Its enchantments resembled powertech less and less as it became more fantastical, more dreamlike.
"Fine. We'll walk then." She sighed while she waved Dorian down, who finally left the new group of ladies he'd been talking to.
"We going?" He asked, while everyone nodded.
"They want to know more about DD while we walk."
"Oh, it's fucking sick. So, they'll give you System-interfaced bands that will help them assign point values for the different powers you have. If you have stats, it'll deduct your basic balance after you get your starter points for the run, but otherwise you basically get to buy the right to use what you already have, get a new power or perks, or you can even buy equipment. Then you head into the dungeon alone while you face different challenges. Each spawn you kill or other player you knock out will net you a certain amount of points, which you can use to either buy the use of your powers through the band, or get new perks, powers, or equipment through it too. You can also use the wristband to gamble points or money each round."
"They're going to monitor what our powers are?" Eli grimaced at the thought of being observed by whatever place this was. Maeve had made it pretty clear the government oversaw dungeons, so he was pretty wary about letting another government have more information about him and his powers than they should.
"Barely. That'd violate a half dozen laws." Nora snorted derisively. "Each band's interface enchantment is only a middleman while it passes the point values back and forth. All private information remains private. Even your power and perk purchases are distilled to the most basic information. My Body of Sound will be seen as a body stat with a Control power. It helps keep the gambling interesting too and they use their enchantments to obscure the broadcasts too."
"So we'll have to fight without our powers?" Roman asked.
"At first, if you don't want to use your starter points to buy any powers you already have or get a new one. Using an evo-0 power costs 50 points, while an evo-1 power would be worth 100. Having a stat will start you at a negative 200 for each one, since it counts as evo-2, but stats really help your gambling odds if you catch anyone's attention. Do you two have anything in your stats, by the way?"
"I have a power in my body stat." Eli answered, while Roman winced.
"I have nothing, but I'm getting fairly close."
"Hm, alright. We'll split up in duos again, then. Nora and I both have two stats slotted, so we'll start at a negative 400 points each. But we'll be able to fight stronger enemies off the bat so it'll be easier for us to get some real points." Dorian said as they drew closer to a massive stadium full of billboard sized televisions showing people fighting each other or spawn.
"We'll run a two person team format, if you guys don’t want to try it alone, so you'll need to purchase the other's assistance after your first tutorial round where you'll get a lot of extra points. Use or save them." Nora added as they led the way to the checkpoint at the doors, where two security guards scanned people in and gave them a wristband of some kind. "Also, if you choose to fight, it'll launch you in straight away, so be ready for it."
Whenever the guards spoke to someone, a curtain of Dream blocked out all access to the conversation the guards had while inside the obscurity. After a bit, it'd fall, and they'd clasp a white, red, green, blue, or black wristband on their wrist and let them through. Nora and Dorian were waved through first and then it was Eli's turn.
Dream scythed through the space around him, separating him from everything in the outside world except for the security guard closing in next to him.
"Hello, welcome to Delver's Dive. Is this your first time here?" asked the uniformed man while he waved an enchanted wand over Eli's body while it beeped.
"Yeah, it is."
"Okay. And are you interested in participating today or are you spectating?" He ran the wand over Eli's body in a couple more passes after turning the dial above the handle on the wand each time. Mostly it was silent, but sometimes it beeped.
"I'm here to delve in a duo." Eli answered while his simple nervousness sharpened into anxiety. What were they searching for?
"Excellent! It looks like you have a Control-Enhancement power in your Body stat and only one evo-1 power, is that correct?" Eli nodded. "Great, so you qualify for a green wristband. It'll be your guide and interface with the Delver's Dive system and the Auction and Gambling center. Keep all fighting in the Delve or fighting areas, and under no circumstances attack someone with a white wristband. They are spectators only. Understood?"
"Makes sense to me." Eli smiled faintly while the man stared at him for a second before he nodded and unwrapped a green wristband that he tightened over Eli's left hand. It was a tacky green waxy paper like what the arcades and concerts used in his home dimension.
The guard opened the door into the dim lobby of the stadium.
"Ask your wristband about setting up your delve partner. Good luck and enjoy your stay." The man's voice echoed strangely behind him the instant Eli stepped through the Dream distortion field and found himself in a sprawling hotel lobby with plush red carpet and flowing marble pillars with circular staircases leading up to a looming balcony.
A harsh buzz sawed at his left wrist while his System status screen opened under its own volition.
Eli confirmed the prompt with a wince as Dream and space enchantments whisked him away into another place. He was in a small room like a closet where it deposited him into a gaudy chair. A holographic guide appeared in the air.
"Hi! Delver's Dive is a place where we take the dangers of Delving seriously. While you are safe from imminent death while facing our summoned or Dream constructed spawn and dungeon floors, we caution you to be careful when fighting another sapient being. When you entered you were assigned a wristband correlated to your status as a player today with a single stat, or Green. Would you like to hear what each color means?"
"Yes, please." Eli said awkward to thank what could either be a robot or weird Dream-construct AI, but it felt weirder not to. He'd seen enough 'creation kills humanity' stories to not be at least a little polite.
"White is for spectators and the non-player areas of the stadium. Those areas will only be accessible to you if you lose or decide to stop playing at the end of a floor. Every other color is for players who meet various power evolution requirements. Red is for someone who has no stats or only has powers at Evolution 1 or lower. It looks like your chosen teammate, Roman Anders, has a red band. You are currently a Green band since you have a power in your Body stat and while you don't have any powers currently at Evolution 2, you have in the past. Blue is for someone who either has two stats or a power at Evolution 3. Black is for someone who has all of theirs powers in their stats and/or meet other requirements Delver's Dive is not at liberty to explain to someone without a black wristband."
Eli nodded while he digested the deluge of information. It was pretty clear that the different colors were like game difficulty almost, but most importantly, that black also stood for people with Class Powers. He couldn't wait to come back either here or to this dimension once he got all of his stats filled. After all, he'd be able to travel cross-dimensionally, so he might as well plan out his destinations.
"Each wristband also starts with a set amount of Game Points or GP. Red gets 50, Green 100, Blue 1,000, and Black 10,000 GP respectively. After you make your purchases you'll be charged for the cost and use of your stat power. You can use these points to unlock the use of your different powers whether they meet the Evolution rank of your color or are lower or use them to buy equipment, unlock the use of your own gear, or buy perks or powers to use. You currently have 100GP. Would you like to make any purchases before you start your delve?"
Game Points: 100 GP [Stats: Body: Light (Photon Shot) [Cost: -200 GP] Mind: None Will: None ] [Equipped Power List: Slot One -- Stellavoltaic Nullspace Ev. 0/Lv. 5 (Maxed) (Suppressed) [Cost: 50 GP] Perks Equipped: [Blight] [Cost: 10 GP] Slot Two -- Lumencloud Transfiguration Ev. 1/Lv. 2 (Suppressed) [Cost: 100 GP] Slot Three -- Warlock's Sanctum Ev. 0/Lv. 5 (Maxed) (Suppressed) [Cost: 50 GP] ] [Unequipped Powers: Refinery's Alteration Ev. 0/Lv. 2 [Cost: 50 GP] ] [[Equipped Enchanted Gear: Eightfold Spiderlegs Bracelet (Suppressed) [Cost: 200 GP] Inferior Lumencloud Clothes (Suppressed) [Cost: 50 GP] ] [[Shop - Powers]] [[Shop - Perks]] [[Shop - Equipment]]> Eli ogled the various costs listed for each of his powers and his enchanted equipment. He felt each of his powers, but the suppression felt like a leaden weight numbing them down. Only Body of Light was free from the effects. If this weren't a game, he would immediately buy Stellavoltaic Nullspace and Warlock's Sanctum. He would struggle, but it would keep his build mostly intact until he paid off his debt of 200 GP. But it was a game and he saw a perfect opportunity to train Body of Light. If he wanted to evolve it, he needed to push it as far as he could so it would upgrade into something better. Besides, how often would get the chance to push himself and his skills with the opportunity to walk away with money, perks, or new powers? Especially since this gave him the perfect chance to build an auxiliary light, cloud, and space power. Broad strokes of an idea crystallized while he ignored the [Equipment] and [Powers] lists and opened the [Perks] list with a widening smile. There was no point in bothering with the powers they had. It was time to build a new power from scratch. Before he went too much farther, he bought Stellavoltaic Nullspace since teleportation and starlightning were a huge part of his build. Cutting out too much of it would hamstring him in a fight far more than he wanted for a challenge. [Inferior Perks - 5 GP each] [Common Perks - 10 GP each] [Uncommon Perks - 15 GP each] [Rare Perks - 20 GP each] [Search Perks] Lines of text scrolled across his vision rapid fire while he read and searched through his narrowing list of desired perks. The Eightfold Spiderlegs Bracelet had given him an inkling of an idea for how to push Photon Shot forward, as well what he might like out of a future power. A few minutes of reading later, he finally had his shopping list ready for the new power he would create, but he'd use each of the perks to help him train and push Body of Light both harder and farther. [Inferior Perks: Glow - 5 GP ] [Common Perks: Double - 10 GP Reflect - 10 GP Control Light - 10 GP Control Water - 10 GP Control Air - 10 GP ] [Uncommon Perks: Cloud - 15 GP Amplify - 15 GP ] [Rare Perks: Mirage - 20 GP Warp - 20 GP Shroud - 20 GP ]> Perfect. There was a limit of 15 on how many perks and powers someone could have. He had been worried he'd set up an unrealistic plan with too many perks, but this was doable. All he would have to do was create and merge whatever power these perks made multiple times, but it'd be possible. He just had to win enough that he could buy them all, use them to train Body of Light, and then he'd have an excellent auxiliary power that would boost his other powers and possibly do more. He imagined something that would perfectly sync and amplify anything he could do with light, cloud, or space. It'd be useful both before he got Lumencloud Transfiguration and his spatial powers ready to go into stats and afterward. Eli checked over his updated game status with a beaming smile as he equipped his new collection of perks where he wanted them. [Use of: Stellavoltaic Nullspace (-50 GP) Perk: Glow (-5 GP) Perk: Double (-10 GP) Perk: Reflect (-10 GP) Perk: Control Light (-10 GP) Perk: Amplify (-15 GP) Game Point Balance: 0 GP Applying Stat Debt (-200 GP) Game Point Balance: -200 GP ] [Stats: Body: Light (Photon Shot) Perks Equipped: [Glow] [Reflect] [Double] Mind: None Will: None ] [Equipped Power List: Slot One -- Stellavoltaic Nullspace Ev. 0/Lv. 5 (Maxed) Perks Equipped: [Amplify] [Control Light] Slot Two -- N/A Slot Three -- N/A ] [Unequipped Power List: Warlock's Sanctum Ev. 0/Lv. 5 (Maxed) (Suppressed) [Cost: 50 GP] Lumencloud Transfiguration Ev. 1/Lv. 2 (Suppressed) [Cost: 100 GP] Refinery's Alteration Ev. 0/Lv. 2 [Cost: 50 GP] ] [Unequipped Perks: Blight [Cost: 10 GP] ] [Equipped Enchanted Gear: Eightfold Spiderlegs Bracelet (Suppressed) [Cost: 200 GP] Inferior Lumencloud Clothes (Suppressed) [Cost: 50 GP] ]>