“So,” Montgomery leaned forward across the table. “How bulletproof are you now?”
Blake sat across from his old friend inside the cookhouse while they ate. Rajesh, Jeff, and Dahteste all perked up at the question, and all eyes fell on Blake. Based on their eager expressions, Blake immediately guessed that a bet was involved. Before he answered, he quickly checked his attributes to refresh his memory.
Attributes - Increased by 72%
Physical Power - 32.7[4]
Physical Stamina - 27.5[1]
Physical Resistance - 27.5[4]
Magic Power - 27.5[4]
Magic Stamina - 27.5[2]
Magic Resistance - 29.2[2]
Over the last week, Blake had been busy in the level three scenarios. He had upgraded his Slayer achievement to the third tier, which increased his attributes by another three percent. In that time, he also replaced his entire set of armor and jewelry.
To his chagrin, the only thing he had not replaced was his spear, as he had yet to find a suitable upgrade. The ability to infuse his weapon with chi was too useful to set aside. It allowed him to bypass most defenses and kill creatures in a single blow.
Lastly, Blake had placed all twelve of his level two attribute points. His desire to round them out led him to place five in Magic Power, five in Magic Stamina, one in Physical Stamina, and one in Physical Resistance. Now, everything but his Physical Power and Magic Resistance were even. Those two attributes were still slightly higher than the rest, but Blake felt it matched his fighting style.
“Well, with my new ring, my Physical Resistance is at thirty-one point five. At this point, I’d say, no gun can kill me. Although,” he added after a moment’s thought. “A fifty caliber sniper rifle would definitely leave a bruise.”
“Holy shit, dude!” Montgomery gushed while Jeff sank his head into his hands. “That’s freakin’ awesome! You should go take back the fire tower. Those feds won’t stand a chance!”
“That is inadvisable,” Rajesh warned dryly.
“Come on,” Montgomery turned to the Indian as Jeff transferred him nano. “What are they gonna do to him? What CAN they do to him?”
“I’d rather not pick a fight with the government,” Blake said softly.
“More to the point,” Dahteste added. “The Feds haven’t done anything to us. What reason would we have to attack them?”
Montgomery cleared his throat and raised a finger. “One, they’re keeping us from the Ursa portal.” He then added a second digit. “Two, Blake says they capture and experiment on anyone they find in the Collective.”
“Allegedly,” Blake corrected. “I never had any direct proof, just hearsay.”
Montgomery rolled his eyes. “What are you, a lawyer?”
Blake snorted and took a bite out of his Lupus Steak.
“I’m just saying, he COULD take them out if he wanted to, not that he should.”
“Actually,” Rajesh stared directly into Montgomery’s eyes. “You suggested exactly that.”
“Whatever,” Montgomery muttered after he was called out.
“We should leave it alone,” Jeff finally spoke up, the first time that evening. After the rare suggestion, the subject was dropped, and everyone resumed their meals.
After a minute of awkward silence, Blake swallowed a large bite of the stringy, but spicy meat, and asked, “So, how are things going with you guys? Are you getting along better?”
Dahteste shrugged and continued to focus on her steak.
“We’re fine,” Montgomery responded between bites.
After those resounding endorsements of Jeff’s leadership, Blake turned to Rajesh to get his opinion.
The Indian hesitated a moment before he replied, “While I do not always agree with Jeff, he is at least a sensible alternative to Montgomery.”
Wow. Coming from Rajesh, that’s almost a ringing endorsement.
“Hey!” Montgomery blurted in outrage. “I’m sensible!”
All three of his teammates turned to stare at the irate man.
Montgomery threw his hands into the air and stood. “Fine! I can tell when I’m not appreciated. I’ll do the sensible thing and head to bed.”
“Finally,” Rajesh sniped. “He does something reasonable.”
Montgomery turned and stalked out of the now expanded cookhouse. A moment later, Dahteste stood and yawned. “It’s actually getting late. I should head back home and get some sleep.”
She went for her utensils and plate, but Blake stopped her. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll get the dishes.”
“Thank you,” the Native replied and then left. A moment later, Jeff joined her with a nod of thanks.
When Blake was finally alone with Rajesh, he asked, “So, what do you really think about Jeff’s leadership?”
Rajesh opened his mouth to respond, but Blake interrupted him. “Remember, I know you.”
The man frowned and then wobbled his head. The half nod, half shake movement was common among Indians. For Rajesh, in particular, it meant that he acknowledged the statement, but did not necessarily agree with it.
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Regardless, he finally admitted, “It has been a challenge. Many times, I have had to hold my tongue to keep from contradicting him.”
Blake smirked. “I can imagine.”
Rajesh opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly paused and shook his head.
I wonder if this is another case of him biting his tongue.
After a moment, the Indian stated, “The benefits of keeping the peace are too great to cast away. I am unlikely to find another team that will accept me, and I do not wish to fight alone as you have. It is far too dangerous.
“You’re right about that,” Blake agreed. “I can only do it because of the crazy amount of achievements I’ve gotten.”
“No one in your past fought alone?”
“Oh, they did, but they also died. A lot. I don’t plan on doing that. It’s why I wanted to wait until I got a full set of gear and all my attributes maxed before I take on the level four Lupus portal.”
“Are you going to do that soon?”
Blake nodded. “Tomorrow morning. The faster I can get that granite, the sooner they can start the faction hall upgrade.”
“What are the advantages of that again?”
“All kinds of stuff.” Blake grinned. “At level four, we can finally build a shield generator and portal room. Plus, we can upgrade the bunkhouse to level three, which adds four more levels, an elevator, AC, and a refrigerator! We can upgrade this cookhouse again, too. It’ll add a walk-in freezer, and upgrade the kitchen.”
Rajesh nodded and leaned in slightly. “What about the portal room? How does that work?”
“Well, once a day, any faction member can pay ten mega-nano and open a portal home from anywhere on Earth.”
“Only on Earth? It does not work from a failed scenario?”
Blake shook his head.
“That is unfortunate. Still, ten million nano-machines is a steep price to pay for convenience. With that cost, I can only imagine it being used in emergencies.”
“More than just that. Remember, in less than two months, there’s going to be monsters everywhere. Sure, it’ll save you if you get surrounded, but once the Payson expansion gets its portal room, we get free, unlimited travel between the two towns.”
“You are right, that is very cost-effective.”
“Damn right it is.”
“Thank you for answering my questions.” Rajesh stood. “I believe I will call it a night as well.”
“Good night,” Blake nodded and gathered their used dishes. He entered the kitchen, hands full, and found his father wiping down the stove top.
“Oh hey Blake,” Peter smiled and then noticed the heavy stack in his arms. “You can set them in the sink over there, and I’ll have my helper wash them in the morning.”
Blake nodded and carefully set the stack down. When he was sure the ceramic cups and plates would not topple and break, he turned to leave.
“Hey Blake,” his father said, his tone serious. “I wanted to thank you for helping your brother.”
He froze in the doorway and smiled. “Happy to help. I’m just glad he’s actually contributing now.”
Peter nodded in agreement as he rinsed the rag beneath the sink. “I haven’t seen him this committed to something since he was addicted to that video game.”
“Well, he’s determined to create his own cure. That’s a big incentive right there. And, you’d be surprised how hard people are willing to work when they feel what they’re doing matters.”
“True,” his father agreed. After a brief pause, he added, “I didn’t hear any yelling and screaming coming from the dining room, does that mean your old friends are getting along now?”
Blake waffled his hand back and forth. “Not really. I think they’re just putting up with each other because it’s better than the alternative.” He frowned. “It’s weird because when I first met up with them in my old timeline, they were already a team and seemed to get together okay. Sure, they argued, but nothing like they did here.”
“That’s because they haven’t gone through the same life-changing events.”
Blake shrugged. “Sure, but they’re still the same people.”
His father sighed and shook his head. He put the rag down and leaned on the counter as he faced his son. “No, they’re not. You said that Montgomery and Jeff both lost their family to the monsters, am I right?”
He nodded.
“That is emotionally scarring and changes a person. Just look at you. You’re a completely different person than you were six months ago.”
“I’m not that different.”
His father burst out laughing. When he finally recovered, Peter said, “Just a few months ago, your mother and I could barely get you to clean your room. All you wanted to do was watch Selftube and play on your console. Your mother and I were actually worried that you and your brother were going to be bums the rest of your lives.”
Blake scowled. “I wasn’t that bad.”
Peter looked him straight in the eyes and disagreed. “Yes. You were. Why do you think we believed you so quick when you said you were from the future?”
“Because of Metal?”
“Sure, that helped,” his father agreed. “But you also talked differently. You took things seriously and didn’t use gen z slang anymore. You even carried yourself differently.”
Blake furrowed his brow as he considered the changes in himself. Before he went back in time, he often daydreamed about what might have been if his family had lived. He imagined himself safe within the walls of a faction town with no pressures placed upon him
Would I have chosen to fight?
He decided that he would not have. His father was right. Without their deaths as a catalyst, he would have never gone off the rails. Most likely, he would have been forced into a non-combat class to contribute and would have remained safe until the faction was overrun by monsters.
Maybe I really don’t know my friends after all.
The thought sobered him and a sense of isolation washed over him.
“I guess you’re right,” Blake admitted.
“Of course I am,” his father grinned. “Now, you should probably head to bed. I’m sure you’ve got a big day of killing monsters tomorrow, and I have to wake up early as well.”
“You could always have someone else do the food prep if you want to sleep in,” Blake suggested.
Peter shook his head. “No, if I’m not involved, I won’t master my class skills. Besides,” he gestured toward the far wall. “We’re getting another shipment of food tomorrow morning, and I need to let them know where to store it.”
Blake glanced at the wall his father intimated. Cans of dry goods were stacked halfway up to the ceiling, and pushed into the room at least three feet.
“Where are you going to store it all? The room looks pretty full already.”
“Well, I want the commonly used items stored here so I can access them. But, your mother had a good suggestion for the rest. There are seven more jail cells in the basement of the faction hall. We figured we could use them for storage since the bunkhouses are going to be filled with people. Unless you plan on putting more people in jail…?”
Blake exhaled loudly. “I sure hope not, but I can’t guarantee anything. If it’s anything like the first time around, there’s going to be a lot of troublemakers.”
“Was there a lot of theft?”
“Less than you think. No, it was mostly people either refusing to work or demanding that they be put in charge. But, I won’t put those types of people in jail, they’ll just be kicked out. We can’t afford to feed them,” he explained.
His father frowned at the statement but did not disagree.
After the conversation dulled, Blake pushed off the wall he had been leaning against and waved. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Peter responded.