Chapter 19 - Parents

“So, that was unexpected,” Kai said as he stepped over to the chests.

“Yeah, I had hoped to avoid the attention of any gods for as long as was feasibly possible. But I suppose having the attention of a god smart enough not to mess with the system itself might not be so bad.”

“You think Alicia will be okay?” Kai asked as he looked back to see her stunned, holding her stone and shards to her chest reverently.

“Yeah, that’s what generally happens when someone at our level encounters a god of that calibre. I’m sure she will come around when we start opening up the chests.”

“I got to go first last time, so I think we should make it a tradition,” Kai said as he crouched down and put his hands on the lid of the closest ornate chest.

The lid didn’t budge.

Syl just smiled as she drifted over to his side, “That’s what you get for not being a gentleman and letting the lady go first.”

“Ahem,” Alicia coughed, “On Alea it’s considered unladylike to go ahead of the man…”

“Alicia! I asked you not to tell him stuff like that. You just ruined hours of fun, you know that, right? Syl said, reaching down to shoo Kai away from her chest.

“So you're telling me, the guy who struggles with social interactions, that everything I thought was socially acceptable probably isn't,” Kai said as he felt a headache coming on.

“I wouldn't worry about it too much; you grew up in a household run by women, so you’ll be fine. At a base level, women are just as varied and predictably unpredictable as men. It’s just cultural and social expectations that confuse things. Act the way you feel you should act; who knows, you might start a new trend of strong, independent men.”

“That sounds… troubling. I mean, Earth had its problems with toxic masculinity and overzealous feminism,” he sighed. “I didn’t think I would be worrying about that in a new magical world.”

“It’s not so bad; women tend to like strong, independent men. Men that coast by on their looks, never levelling up outside of being carried through rifts and dungeons by others, are just vapid. Most don’t bother becoming adventurers… you’re different.”

“Alicia, we come from two very different worlds…” Kai said, not sure if he would have an easy ride or struggle to break the glass ceiling in the future.

“I know, Syl’s explained a lot.”

“Not to me,” Kai said as he shuffled along to the ornate chest on the opposite side. “Syl, how about we both open our chests at the same time? That way we’re equals.”

“But I want to watch you open yours.” Syl said, forcing a big fake pout.

Kai rolled his eyes as he gave her a gesture to go ahead.

Grinning, she leaned down and touched the lid; just like last time, a moment passed before the lid broke its seal and swung open.

She reached in but quickly withdrew her hand, newfound frustration on her face.

“What is it? What did you get?” Kai asked as he abandoned his chest in curiosity and came closer to stand by Alicia, where they could both look around her to see in the chest.

“I got a dungeon achievement about killing the terror.”

“So no surprise there. What else?”

“And a soulbound greater runic regeneration ring… only I can’t pick it up. It’s a physical object. And I don’t think looting it and wearing it inside the domain will do me any good, as I don’t have a physical body to actually regenerate.”

“That’s such a waste,” Kai said as he reached around her and picked up the little black ring. “We’ll just have to keep the good stuff for when you do have a body. How did you actually feel about being a golem or an automaton for a while?

“Erm, Kai?”

He turned to see Syl and Alicia both looking at him in obvious confusion; he asked, “What did I do this time?”

“Syl said that ring was soul-“

“Hang on, Alicia; let’s see if he can figure it out.”

Now Kai was confused, so he decided to experiment.

Removing a glove and picking the pinky finger on his left hand, he popped the ring on. At first he thought it wouldn't fit any of his fingers; the ring was too slender, clearly designed for Syl’s more feminine hand. But the ring expanded and slipped over the knuckles of his finger easily.

Seeing the ring resize itself, he quickly moved it to his middle finger and grinned.

As the ring settled in place, it flashed with amber runes that slipped off the metal to race off his and up his arm. He shivered as he felt the creepy runes race to cover his whole body, the feeling only fading when they seemed to reach every inch of him.

Alicia gasped, “But you said it was soul bound.”

“You are forgetting everything that can be shared between us will be. Didn’t expect this, though. And I still don’t think he has figured it out exactly.”

“That was a lot of context clues; I shouldn't be able to use someone else’s soulbound item. I’m not stupid; I know that much.”

“Alicia can you please demonstrate what really had you confused by taking my ring from Kai?

Kai held out his hand to Alicia, who dutifully reached over and tugged on the ring so hard he pulled him off balance.

“Hey, be gentle!”

“That’s what he said,” Syl scoffed.

Kai just gave Syl an Oh, really? look as Alicia tugged on the ring again, much gentler this time.

“I cannot take it off; it is bound to Syl and apparently you. What Syl was trying to teach you is you normally cannot even pick up items that are soulbound to other people.”

He fingered his soul ring, twisting it on his finger. “I thought that was part of the stuck enchantment.”

“No, that just means even you can’t remove the ring from your ring finger for too long. If Alicia tried to take your soul ring, she couldn’t unless you were actually giving it to her.” Sly explained.

“Syl, you could have just told him,” she said as she tugged unenthusiastically at the ring.

“But how else am I going to get you two to hold hands?”

Alicia looked down to where she had her fingers still wrapped around the ring on Kai's middle finger; she couldn't have jumped back faster.

Kai looked at the simple black metal ring. “So do you think this thing will actually work for me?”

“Seems like it.

“This is not fair.”

“Says the girl with the stone that will make whatever she wants into a growth item tailored just for her. If it helps, think of it as me putting my equipment on my faithful meat suit.”

Alicia pouted, not entirely satisfied.

Seeing the pout, Syl sighed, “Just wait till we open the other chests; I have a feeling Atheos may have flexed a little too much divine energy.”

Kai walked back over to his ornate chest and cupped the lid, “With your permission, milady.”

“Such a gentleman. You may proceed, meat suit.” Syl said in an authoritative tone.

Shaking his head, Kai lifted the lid.

Dungeon achievement unlocked.

Impossible Slayer.

You have shown a lack of judgement and yet succeeded in killing that which should have been impossible for you to kill before it should be killed.

(A new path is available to you; the patron of the dungeon has high expectations; do not disappoint them.)

“That was anticlimactic.”

“You do realise achievements are just acknowledgements. They typically don’t do much, if anything, at all. Just a system-verified proof you did something. Titles are similar. Earning traits is the one we should focus on, as they’re like passive skills.” Syl explained as she and Alicia peered over his shoulder.

With the achievement out of the way, he looked into the chest to see another simple black ring. Examining it, he asked, “Do item effects stack?”

Greater Runic Regeneration Ring. ( Soul Bound )

This ring grants the wearer constant greater runic regeneration. Greater runic regeneration will automatically heal the physical injuries of the wearer, providing they have available mana to fuel the runes. Available mana can come from any source.

“Depends entirely on the item's effects.”

Kai looked over to Alicia, “It’s a shame I can’t give this to Alicia.”

“Apparently you can,” Syl said as she pointed to her runic ring that was already sitting on one of his fingers. “We would just need to bind your souls together.”

Kai narrowed his eyes as he watched Alicia's own widen significantly.

“You’re saying that that’s possible?”

“Unfortunately no, you used an obscene amount of sys… of your rewards to anchor my soul to yours,” Syl looked at her friend and smiled, “Though someday we might be able to find another way to replicate it if things actually work out.”

Alicia for her part, didn’t say anything; she did, however, look like she was thinking about it.

He didn’t know how he felt about having his soul bound to two others and how it made him feel. At the time it was a matter of saving Syl’s life.

But with Alicia that wasn’t even a consideration.

Still, he looked at the second runic regeneration ring as he slipped it on, the runes once again flooding over his body before disappearing. Being soul bound to others certainly had its perks.

He looked over to Syl as she hunched over her second chest.

He couldn’t help but appreciate her beauty, her form, her piercing eyes and her fiery orange hair as it fell down around her face as she peered inside the chest. She was frustratingly perfect. Smart, beautiful, charismatic and confident. Everything he was not. Sure, she was also impulsive at times, loved teasing him and confused the shit out of him constantly. But she made him want to be better, to try harder, to fix what he knew was broken.

Yeah, it wasn’t so bad being bound to someone like that. Maybe one day she wouldn’t terrify him so much.

He looked at Alicia standing by Syl’s side; she chewed her lip, deep in thought.

Kai fiddled with his soul ring again. His brain coming up short when he tried to figure out how he felt about Alicia. No, how he felt about Syl and Alicia.

“I got another good soulbound item, but I don’t think you’ll like this one as much as the rings.” Syl said as she looked up from her second reward chest, giving him an evil grin.

A survival kit appeared before Alicia, who, to her credit, grabbed the unsuspected pack easily.

“Alicia have you ever pierced someone's ears?”

Alicia shook her head, but Kai didn’t like the smile that appeared in the corners of her lips as she looked over Syl's shoulder to see what item Syl had got.

“It seems you were right about the dungeon answering our needs, Kai. Drinking all those potions got me a pair of earrings that enhance passive mana absorption.”

“Please be studs,” Kai whispered, fearing a pair of dangly monstrosities.

Ten minutes and a couple of heals later, Alicia had used a needle from the survival kit to pierce Kai's ears.

On each lobe, Kai now sported a black gemstone stud that flashed different colours from deep reds right the way through the spectrum to deep purples depending on how the light caught them.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“How do I look?” Kai asked as he brushed his hair back behind his ears.

Syl grinned as Alicia nodded appreciatively.

“Handsome as always, when they catch the light, the flare of colour really draws the eye,” Syl said.

“And Alicia, you’re certain this isn’t some obscure social faux pas? People won’t think I’m into goblins or some nonsense like that. ”

“You worry too much,” Syl tsked.

“Syl is right; men wear a lot of accessories to attract attention. And when it is also an item with effects as good as this… well, no one would begrudge you for sense over fashion.” Alicia blushed a little, “You’ll look good if you add a few more. Doesn’t have to be functional.”

“Yeah, you’ll have to pick out a good earring for Alicia eventually, so pay attention to what she likes.

Alicia turned a shade of red that rose to the tips of her ears.

Kai didn’t know what that was about; when he gave her a quizzical look, Alicia just turned her head so he left it alone.

He glanced at Syl hoping she would elaborate but she was grinning to herself so he decided he would definitely leave well alone.

Kai had actually had his ears pierced before he had changed race so the impromptu piercing wasn’t something he actually worried about. Only, because of his race change and his subsequent stat gains, he was a whole lot more durable now, so Alicia had struggled with the little steel needle from the survival kit.

Despite the heals cast by Syl, his earlobes still throbbed. Why the studs didn’t magically adhere like how the rings adjusted to fit, he didn’t know. His best guess was that one modified the body while the other modified the item.

He called up the item description.

Earrings of greater mana absorption. ( Soulbound, Sylph )

These earrings passively absorb the mana that exists all around the bearer.

The stronger the concentration of mana, the stronger the absorption of mana.

He thumbed one of the earrings; after fighting the rune bear, he knew more mana was something he would never turn down.

“What else did you get? Atheos said she would improve our rewards. These earrings can’t be it.”

“A couple of skill books. But looking at what I got, I think Atheos checked our prior conversations and threw us a divine bone. Need to see what you got to be certain.”

Kai shrugged and put his hands on his plain chest.

Sufficient energy found to improve

He dismissed the notification and opened the lid to see a cuff and three thick books awaited him.

Cuff of Greater Mana Storage. ( Soulbound )

This cuff enhances the bearer's mana storage.

He slipped the cuff onto his wrist and watched as it shrank to lie completely flat against his skin. Couldn’t even feel it was there when he rotated his hand as the metal seemed to flex and shift with his movements.

“Yeah, so constantly depleting my mana pool affected my reward. Not sure I need more mana, but I guess it won't hurt. Just need to figure out how it enhances my mana storage.”

He checked the skill books: “I got Basic Conjuration, Basic Infused strike and, of all things, Advanced Party Systems.”

Syl let out a breath, “I would complain about someone listening in on our private conversations whilst we were in the dungeon.”

“But it would be hypocritical of you considering what your day job used to be?”

“Yes, that.” Syl said as she scowled at him.

“So what did you get?”

“Just what we need to make your earlier plan work. Mana mark, mana sight, and sense share.” Syl said as her chest dissipated into motes of light beside her.

She drifted over to his side and scrutinised his skill books, her lips curling slightly. “Kai, why don’t you get comfortable and meet us at the house? I’m curious what Alicia is going to use her stone on and the three of us should learn these skills before we decide what we're doing next.”

“The three of us?” Kai asked, confused

“Yes, it appears Atheos was quite generous.” Syl said before promptly disappearing in a burst of flame.

A second later, Alicia vanished without Syl's dramatic flair.

Kai entered his domain a minute later to find Syl and Alicia already sitting out on the deck waiting for him.

Things hadn’t changed much since the last time he was in here but he could have sworn the forest in the distance wasn’t there the last time.

It also looked like Alicia had time to practice her archery, as an archery range had been set up off to the side.

“… yes, I’m sure. Examine them yourself if you don’t believe me.” Syl was saying as he approached.

“But why would a god be so generous?”

“Lots of reasons. The dungeon is designed to help her find promising followers. But with myself and Kai, things are a little more complicated. But that also means we’re interesting. So my best guess is she wants us to think of her favourably.”

“I guess that makes some sense; you are both High’vei and your situation is certainly unique.”

“There’s a whole lot more to it than that. We are probably the most interesting thing Atheos has seen in millennia, and she saw potential in you too so you're also coming along for the ride.”

“But this whole skill set, for all three of us? It seems a bit much.”

“Not just us; it will also include anyone who joins us. Though we will probably want to be certain of whoever we give these skills to, the uses are still limited.”

Kai shuffled in his seat as he listened to their discussion. “Is someone going to fill me in?”

Syl slid one of the skill books his way. “Learn it; you’ll understand.”

Kai opened the cover to Advanced Party Systems, reading it like any other skill book. The pages flipped by on their own, faster and faster, until the back cover closed with a thwump.

The book, however, didn’t disappear as he expected and he got no notification of a skill gain; instead, he got a system message.

New System Action Set Unlocked.

Advanced Party Systems.

Syl smiled as he got another notification.

Sylph has invited you to her party; Do you accept?

He mentally accepted and the next thing he knew, a little readout appeared in his vision showing Syl's health, mana and stamina. When he focused on the information, it grew more detailed, even going so far as to list her mental state and constitution.

She, despite her outward appearance, was apparently elated

“Alicia’s turn,” Syl said as the book slid across the table to sit in front of the wide-eyed el’vei girl.

“But-“

“Alicia I will tell Kai all about how sensitive your ears can be if you don’t stop hesitating.”

The book was open and the pages turning before Syl had even finished her sentence.

Again the book remained after Alicia had learnt the new system actions and a moment later her information appeared just below Syls.

Kai checked and it told him she was embarrassed.

You have been promoted to party leader.

A looting and dismantling ability that is tied to a storage ability has been detected. Would you like to designate this as the main method of looting for all party members within range?

He accepted.

Looting is currently set to desire; any party member may loot items they desire so long as they are within range of the item with the looting ability.

“I just shared my looting ability with the party.”

“We know; we got notified.”

“Weren’t we in a party already?” Kai asked.

“Yes, and no. The party we were in before wasn't backed up by anything. It was how we entered the dungeon as a team and that’s about it. Now our personal systems are sharing information. Let us do some things we couldn’t do before.”

“Like what?”

“Well, there’s the automatic sharing of our condition, but we should also be able to tell where each other is so long as our systems are within a certain range of each other.

Kai looked at the readouts. “Is this always going to be visible? I can see it getting annoying at times.”

“It's part of your personal system; you should be able to do whatever you want with it, move it about, hide it. The moment I decided to ignore it, it just dissipated for me. It should come back when I want it.”

At Syl's prompting, the readouts for Syl and Alicia just faded until he realised they were fading and it caught his attention so they came back again.

After he finally got the information to fade from view and come back when he wanted it to, Kai asked if there was anything else.

“So, you know how we have been communicating using our connection.” Syl said.

Kai nodded; that had been useful many a time.

“There is a party chat, sort of like a party-wide telepathy,” Syl made a point of putting her hand over her mouth, ‘means we don’t have to cut Alicia out of your naughty conversations about her.’

To her credit, Alicia just shook her head, not buying into Syl’s little game.

“What about the other skill books? Please tell me they’re all multiuse.”

“They are.” Syl said as she pushed them all over to him, “I’ve already consumed them.”

Kai got reading, picking up all the new skills eagerly. Passing each book on to Alicia once he was done.

“You know I remember a certain someone saying skill books were rare, but we are drowning in them. How many uses will they have?”

“They started with six each. But you need to realise, if we hadn’t killed a certain bear we weren't supposed to kill, we wouldn’t have gained the attention of a god and we wouldn’t have anything like this. So reset your expectations to what I tried to teach you earlier.”

Kai checked Syl’s state in the party interface. “I know you're as happy about this as I am.”

“Be careful, Kai. You don’t know what other information that interface might share. Could get you into a lot of trouble with the two of us if you're not careful.”

“What do you mean?” Kai asked as he checked to see if Syl’s mental state had changed to frisky.

“I know you think we look good in our tight leathers.” She teased.

Getting an idea of what Syl was eluding to, Kai asked rhetorically, “I’m screwed, aren't I?”

Syl nodded, her grin letting him know she had a whole new avenue of teasing.

“Why?” Alicia asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him confused.

“Because he thinks we’re both outrageously beautiful and now you also have an inside track to what he might be thinking.”

Alicia grinned at Syl, “Yes, I see how that might be problematic for him.”

“So, any ideas what you are going to use your growth stone on, Alicia?” Kai asked, hoping to change the topic as quickly as he could.

Alicia shrank in her seat. “I have been giving it some thought; I think my main weapon would be best.”

“What's the problem?”

“I cannot decide.”

she got up and disappeared into the house. Returning a moment later, she had three bows with her.

The short bow she had entered the dungeon with, the compound bow Kai had given her, and one of his recurve bows.

Syl stored away the skill books as Alicia placed the bows out on the table and sighed as she looked at them.

“The short bow has some sentimental value; it’s basic but it was made for me. Its size makes it good for tight spaces, but it also has limited power and range.”

She pushed the short bow aside and touched the recurve bow.

“This is more what I am used to.” She looked up at him, “Alicia said you wouldn’t mind so I have been practicing with it. Its basic bare-bow design means there is not much that can go wrong with it. I can get more power and range, but its increased size could be detrimental in close quarters.”

“So the short bow excels where this does not and vice versa,” Kai said, summarising Alicia's points before thinking it through for her, “You know, if I am not mistaken, the party interface should let you access the storage; it's letting you loot. You could do what I do with melee weapons: store the bow in situations using it would be too cumbersome.”

“She will be able to store whatever she makes a growth item anyway,” Syl said. “What's the problem with the compound bow?”

“Nothing, it actually is the best of both worlds. The design allows for a bow that can shoot as far and as powerfully as the recurve with the size of the short bow.”

Alicia stroked the compound bow fondly. “It is actually so much easier to perform my power shot with it. I can draw the bow fully and charge the arrow with as much mana as I like because I am not fighting the full tension of the bow.”

“So, what's the problem?” Kai asked, repeating his question.

“I am a little lost as to how it would react to becoming a growth item, how the technology involved would react.”

Syl laughed as she walked over to stand beside Alicia. “That depends entirely on you. If the growth stone you had just changed it into was any old growth item, that concern might be valid. But what Atheos gave you will make a growth item that will suit you exactly. Its growth will follow your own. As you grow stronger, so will the bow's draw weight. As you gain more skills that use the bow, the more it will adapt to your skill set.”

Alicia pulled out her growth stone and nodded.

Touching the stone to the bow, it disappeared from her hand. The bow, however, did nothing.

“I suspected more,” Kai said as he leaned in to look at the bow, trying to see if anything had changed.

“Give it a second…” Syl said as they all waited for something to happen.

The bowl rose off the table and shattered into motes of light that whirled around each other above the table.

Alicia's short bow skidded along the table before it jumped and it too broke apart, consumed in the maelstrom.

“What's happening?”

“I think it’s absorbing material to make the change into a growth item.” Syl said as the recurve bow got pulled in.

The torrent of light grew stronger as it started to suck in the atmosphere around it, kicking up a gale as it created a vacuum.

Backing off, Kai asked, “How much material does it need?” as the table itself got sucked in.

“I don’t know, but that table wasn’t actually a table. It was part of your domain.”

“Should I be worried there is a maelstrom sucking in parts of my domain?”

“It shouldn’t be able to do that… unless you’re willing, I mean we’re willing.” Syl said, looking up at his core in the sky overhead.

“It’s a bow, right? Let's feed it bows.” Kai said as he started summoning the bows he had left in his storage.

Tossing them in one by one, they were consumed eagerly.

“Not that one!” Alicia squeaked when he summoned the other compound bow. “I still want to take that and have it reverse engineered.”

Kai stored the bow, but the maelstrom was still hungry.

Out of real bows from his storage, Kai decided to conjure some instead.

Syl saw what he was doing and frowned, her eyes flicking from him to the sky above as he tossed them in.

A moment later, Syl came up to his side and put her hand on his arm to stop him.

The motes of light started to come together, compacting and combining into the shape of a bow the likes of which he hadn’t seen before.

It floated in the air, just waiting to be picked up

It was similar to the compound bow it had been before. Except the metal skeletal frame had been replaced with wood that twisted and curled around itself. The crisscrossing stings too were gone, in their place a faint gossamer thread that could only be seen where it caught the light. The only place the string had any substance was where you would knock your arrows and draw the bow back.

Alicia approached slowly, tracing her finger along the bow's riser, her golden eyes glinting as she appreciated her new weapon.

“Shall we go try it out?” Syl said as she started towards the archery range.

Alicia was right behind her.

They didn’t even have to wait, as the moment they got to the range, Alica set up and drew an arrow.

The arrow she fired shot off, hitting the furthest target dead centre. She fired off another three arrows in rapid succession, all hitting impressivly close to the first.

She then paused her barrage. Alicia had another arrow drawn but she held the shot much longer than he expected. It was then the arrow started to glow and wisps of visible energy started to leak from it.

Kai realised his new skill, mana sight, was working.

Alicia released the shot and it zipped off like one of his mana bolts. The moment it hit its target, it exploded, sending debris flying in every direction.

Kai whistled appriativly.

“It's perfect,” she said as he held it out in front of her for him to get a good look at it.

Curious, he examined it.

Alicia's Soul Bow. ( Soul Bound, Alicia )

This bow was a gift from an astral traveler.

Enhanced within the soulspace of another this bow murmers bears a juvinile spirit.

It's intent, purpose and power's remain undefined.

“If we ever get the chance to make a growth item again in the future, make sure we do it in here. Because i think we just made Alicia a living weapon,” Kai murmered.

“You know the two of you will have to give your child good name right.” Syl said.

"Oh dont you dare. If im it's parent then so are you. Don't think i've not realised this place is a merger of the two of us!" Kai cried.

----------------------------------------

Thanric stood on the deck overlooking the dungeon entrance, waiting for some sign everything was okay.

For the first time in his life he had witnessed a god descend on his world. The power fell on the dungeon out of nowhere, closing it down so none could enter.

He worried about the people still within. His limited experience with the gods of the multiverse so far told him they could be less than forgiving.

Alicia was his ward, his chosen apprentice… Sietra would have his balls if anything happened to her and he would gladly give them.

Then there was the boy Kai, so much rested on his shoulders and he didn’t even know it.

The houses had already contacted him about Kai and the control over the wonder. Their best people were already on the way. Thanric had told them to turn around, saying that sending their best would attract unwanted attention.

He was sure the boy would listen to reason and form a contract with the houses to manage the wonder as originally planned. That way he could maintain a degree of anonymity.

He had also reached out to some of his old contacts, hoping they were still around and could send suitable applicants his way as soon as possible. If Alicia was intent on forming a party with Kai, then he had to accelerate his plans to get her a well-rounded team that she could trust. He just wished he knew what role Kai would fill.

Finally, Thanric relaxed as the team came out of the dungeon. They were the first to come out since the god had locked the place down. He didn’t recognise the group, two of their members injured, but that was common for this particular dungeon.

With that group returning, he at least knew the people inside hadn’t met an untimely end and would return eventually.

“You know I’m planning on tearing it down the moment everyone is out.” A woman behind him said.

Thanric turned to see a woman that was a complete hole to his senses approaching him.

“They triggered my trials, so I came to investigate. It should only take them a little over a week to complete the dungeon.” She smiled, “Could I convince you to tell me what you know about Kai, Syl and your daughter? What are your plans?

Thanric felt his knees go weak; his daughter? No wonder Sietra had pushed her on him.