Grace finally released Paige from the hug and then smacked her in the back of the head. "What were you thinking?"
Paige rubbed at the back of her head.
Levi swooped in and gave Paige a hug from the front. "Hey, I'm sorry. I was cold to you and an asshole, and you didn't deserve it. I know I keep screwing up, and I'm sorry. I'm trying to be better."
'Oy, bitch, you never answered. You better still have your Beastfriend class!'
Crows caws rang out, admonishing the lone crow, but also Paige for trying to change her class.
Paige was overwhelmed by it all. "STOP!" Paige blew a stray strand of hair from her face and stepped back from Levi. "Stop."
Everyone went silent and stared at her in anticipation.
Paige raised her hands defensively. "I still have my class. Mr. Stowe set me straight."
"Three cheers for Master Stowe!" Grumpy began, but Paige cut him short.
"Shut it." Paige gathered herself. After a second, she realized why everyone was gathered and her irritation was replaced by guilt for being so mean to everyone. "Thank you for all being here, but it was a little overwhelming to have you all bombard me like that. And I still have my class. And now that I don't feel so overwhlemed... you guys being here means a whole lot to me." Paige looked around the group, and her eyes finally caught sight of Mama-cat. "Mama-cat!" Paige rushed forward, smiling wildly.
The bobcat stared up at her with an unblinking gaze for a long moment, then flicked an ear. 'I have failed you in your raising. The morning after tomorrow, you will meet me here. I must correct your failures.'
Paige tensed. Her blood ran cold under Mama-cat's gaze. "Yes, Mama-cat."
Mama-cat's gaze drifted to Levi. After a moment, she blinked, flicked an ear, and looked back to Paige. 'Bring your mate. We will see if he is worthy of you. If he isn't... he will wish he was.'
"Yes, Mama-cat." Paige answered. For once, she was scared of what Mama-cat was planning on teaching.
----
After they'd had dinner, Joe, Paige, and Levi sat around the fire in silence.
Grace had gone inside, stating that the three of them needed to talk and clear the air. Iara, who had joined them for dinner, decided to follow Grace's example and had excused herself, too.
But none of the three spoke after they'd gotten their privacy. They all just watched the fire. Levi picked at his nails with his dagger. Joe kept poking at the fire with a long stick, stirring the embers and occasionally adding fresh kindling. Paige just stared into the fire.
Even the crows remained silent.
Levi was considering breaking the silence, when a voice came from the shadows.
"Guess it ain't the same without me and Maddy, huh? Not going to lie, I think I'd have lost my shit if I'd have walked up and you were all just bullshitting and carrying on like the good old days."
Levi froze, jaw clenching tight. He wanted to jump up and punch David, but he knew if he lost his temper that it was likely to spiral into a fight to the death, with where both of their minds were at in that moment. Levi quickly sheathed his dagger in his boot, just to remove the temptation or any kind of interpretation David could make about it being in his hand.
Paige stood, but she seemed more tensed to run away than fight.
Joe slowly sat up straight, but he didn't show any sign of alarm. "David. You here to curse and blame everyone all over again?"
David stepped out from the shadows. "No." His face looked thin, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He somehow looked far worse, worn more thin, than when Levi had seen him last, just hours before.
David moved forward slowly, as if exhausted, and took a seat. "No. But I'm still angry at all of you. Part of me hates you so much. I think I maybe always will. But I know it isn't right." He hung his head between his legs, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He stayed like that as he continued speaking. "I meant every word I said to all of you. It felt good... or at least it eased the pain for a moment... to say what I had to say. Then... I was just there with her."
Levi watched David closely. He wondered what would come next, what nastiness David could say or do. Then he saw the first tears fall to the ground between David's feet.
"I hate you guys so much. And that only makes losing Maddy so much worse. I hate what I said, and I still had to say it. Losing her... it... I feel empty. And I lost you guys because I lost her... because I can't not be angry with you. I can't not hold on to that." The tears kept falling into the dirt.
No one said anything. Levi knew there was no right thing to say. He wasn't sure what Paige and Joe were thinking, but he was glad they stayed silent. David was a powder keg. The wrong thing could set him off. Levi didn't want to think about how bad things could go if that happened. He didn't want to hurt David. No matter what David had said, he was a friend--one that was hurting. That aside, Levi wasn't sure there was a whole lot he could do, given his own weakened state, if a fight did break out.
Joe slowly got up. With calm, steady movements, he approached David. He crouched slowly at David's side and placed his hand on David's shoulder. "David, I believe you when you say you aren't here to hurt anyone or cause problems, but do you care to tell me why you're here. What is it you came to say?"
David finally looked up at Joe. He stared at him for a moment before looking between Levi and Paige. The glare David gave them didn't seem quite as hateful to Levi as it was when he'd spoken to David earlier, yet there was somerhing else in it that Levi couldn't place. David's face almost seemed to hold a resolve that Levi couldn't understand.
After a moment, David straightened, sitting up tall. "I came because I had to tell you personally. I didn't want any of you to get the wrong idea." David looked around, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "I-I can't... I can't bury... I can't just give up on her. I'm going to bring her back."
"David..." Joe squeezed David's shoulder. "Brother... she's gone."
David tried to shrug off hid hand, but Joe grip remained firm. "No! No. There's a way to bring her back. The white buffalo said someone had the authority to do it. It can be done."
"Who?" Joe asked. His eyes narrowed on David, but they looked more sad than convinced.
David stared at Joe, mouth open for a moment, before yelling, "Does it matter who? It can be done!"
"Who?" Joe asked firmly, gripping David's shoulder tighter.
"The buffalo called it the 'One Above All' or something like that." David mumbled.
Joe released his shoulder and stood. He looked down at David with pity for a moment, then turned away. Levi waited for Joe to say something, but he didn't. David's head sank back down between his knees.
"David... do you mean the system or the entity?" Levi asked.
David shook his head, but didn't look up. "No, I asked. Something else."
"So... you're going looking for some mysterious God-like... something... hoping you can bring her back?" Paige asked. Her face was confused for a moment before it tightened into sadness, and a tear she had been holding back leaked from the corner of her eye. "David... I..."
David's head snapped up in a glare. "I know it is a longshot, at best. Maybe a fairy tale. I don't care. I have to try. I can't just let her go."
Joe let out a long sigh. "David, we're burying her tomorrow."
"No you aren't." David answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
Joe turned back to David in a snap. "David... yes, yes we are. I know it is hard, but-"
David's face turned dark again. "No, no you aren't. I already took her body and hid it."
Joe glared down at David. "David... it's only been a few hours... her body is still pretty close by. We'll find her. But she needs to be buried. Don't start acting like this. Please."
"You think so, huh? Funny thing about the time dilation inside that portal... I spent days making sure she was hidden away in a safe place. Yet, here I am, a few hours later, having this lovely conversation with you."
Joe maintained his glare at David, but didn't say anything else. His fist tightened for a second, but then relaxed. Then it clenched again, and he raised it slightly, his entire arm tensing. Then he spun away from David. "Fuck. David. She deserves to be put to rest," Joe said in a growl.
"She deserves to be alive!" David yelled back. He sprung to his feet. "I just thought... you all deserved to know... as her friends, that I took her and why." David's gaze locked onto Paige for a second. "And don't you dare try to accuse me of doing weird shit again. I'll keep her body safe until I find a way to bring her back. I'll either bring her back or I'll die trying. I just thought she'd want me to tell her friends. So I'm telling you." David stayed tense for a long few seconds, then turned to leave.
Joe turned back to David as if he was going to say something, but his mouth just opened for second, then he closed it and just watched David walk away.
"David!" Levi yelled.
David spun on Levi, nostrils flaring. His lips stayed tight and he waited to hear what Levi had to say.
"I would hate me, too. You were right. I'd be fucking furious. I can't even imagine... I'm even mad at myself. And I'll spend the rest of my life mad at myself. But... Maddy was my friend. Truly. I'll never forget her. So I'll search, too, everywhere I go, for a way to bring her back. If I find one, I'll light a huge bonfire in the realms, right next to the portal. Check for that from time to time. Until that day... you better stay alive and make sure her body is safe... okay." Levi was somewhat surprised David let him get the words out instead of interrupting him again.
"Me too..." Paige's quiet voice said through tears. Levi didn't know when she had started crying.
David looked between Levi and Paige. For just a second, Levi was sure David's face softened just a little. Then it hardened into determination and he gave a single nod. "I'll keep watch for that fire. And if you find a way to bring her back before I do... I might actually forgive you." Then David spun and disappeared into the night.
----
Levi felt an odd mixture of anguish and peace with things as he made his way to his old camp. He wished he could change things, make different decisions, never fight that troll... anything so that Joe didn't lose his arm and Maddy didn't die. But both of those things had happened. He couldn't undo them.
But Levi had to keep living. He couldn't just give up.
Levi let out a long sigh.
"What are you thinking?" Paige's voice pulled Levi from his thoughts.
Levi thought about saying 'nothing,' then he looked down between him and Paige, where they held hands, fingers interlocked. She hadn't let go since they'd left Grace's cabin. Neither had he.
"I was thinking... ugh. How do I put it into words?" Levi started.
"You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want..." Paige's words were more gentle than Levi had ever heard them.
"No, no. I want to answer. Just trying to think of the words. Give me a second to put it together." Levi squeezed Paige's hand and continued walking in silence for a couple of minutes. He considered how to put his thoughts into what he wanted to say to Paige. It took him all of that time to realize that he should just talk.
"I'm pretty sure bringing Maddy back is impossible. I think David has lost his fucking mind. But David's desperate hope and determination made me realize something... I can't give up. We have to keep moving forward. Even when it seems impossible and pointless. Even if you stop moving forward, everything else just keeps moving. Nothing can change the past and the future isn't going to wait on us to move with it."
Paige leaned into Levi's arm and squeezed his hand tighter. "That's kind of sad and kind of cliché..." Paige let out a couple of subdued sobs against Levi's shoulder. "But you're right."
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"Are you okay?" Levi asked.
"I will be."
"Are you sure you want to spend the night with me tonight?" Levi gave her a concerned glance.
Paige straightened, her body going stiff. She didn't let go off his hand, but she did put some distance between them. "You know, you really are an idiot about this stuff, sometimes. Especially for someone as old as you are."
Levi looked away in embarrassment, but Paige just jerked him back toward her, and leaned her head into his shoulder. "Yes. I'm sure. After everything that's happened I just want to cuddle up with you for a while. Maybe more. But cuddling first." After a couple seconds, Paige squeezed his arm tighter and groaned. "Definitely more... but cuddling after."
Levi laughed. Then he leaned over and kissed her head as they continued walking hand in hand, never knowing how much that just fanned the flames.
-----
Levi woke before Paige.
He crawled from beneath the blankets and quickly got dressed. He had lost track of time, especially with the time dilation inside the portal, the Realms. It was near mid November, and the first real cold had hit East Texas.
Levi made sure Paige was covered before stoking the fire and adding wood. It was close enough that she'd feel some warmth, and it would be there when she woke.
Then Levi settled himself next to the fire, facing it and away from Paige. He dreaded what he was about to see, but he'd put it off far too long.
Pulling up his notifications, one was flashing in his vision, preventing him from reading the rest.
QUEST COMPLETED - Free The Great White Bison
Accept Quest Rewards? Y/N
It was the first time Levi had been forced to acknowledge a notification. He wasn't sure why it was making him accept, but that notification wasn't what truly worried him, so he quickly accepted 'yes mentally to dismiss the notification.
15780 Experience Gained for Contributions in the QUEST - Free The Great White Bison.
One(1) 'Gear Upgrade Crystal Awarded' for Completion of the QUEST - Free The Great White Bison.
A small lavender crystal materialized in front of Levi. Levi stared at it for a while. He was going to use it. Even if he felt some guilt that Maddy had died during the quest, he was definitely still going to use it. He needed to be stronger. But he wasn't going through his notifications for the rewards. He was facing the consequences.
So he left the crystal where it lay. He'd pick it up later. He dove into the rest of his notifications.
As he suspected, he was bombarded with warnings and skill revocations
WARNING: You are attempting to tamper with a system mechanic. Permanent damage to skills and abilites may occur. Please desist.
WARNING: You have tampered with a skill. This may result in permanent loss and other negative consequences.
Skill revocation after skill revocation filled his list of notifications. Levi had known it was coming. Still, seeing it all laid out in front of him caused his stomach to hurt. And he hadn't even looked at his status page, yet.
Then he saw something interesting.
The resources Mana and Stamina have been consolidated into a single resource. Your total new resource pool is now the sum of your two former resource pools. This new resource be may used to perform many of the same Skills and Abilities that required your previous resources. However, not all Skills and Abilites will function as they did before with this new resource.
Name This New Resource? Y/N.
Levi almost selected No, but didn't want to accidentally give that decision to the system and end up with a shit name that didn’t fit.
After selecting Yes, he realized he didn't actually have a good name for the new resource either. It took him another ten minutes to come up with a name. He didn't want to go with Qi or Ki, like some martial arts stuff. Levi also knew 'magic, rage, or power were not only terrible but also bad representations of what the new energy was.
In the end, he chose 'Go.' It was simple. And in a way, it almost sounded like it could be from some martial arts related mysticism or ancient religion. It sounded kind of cool. Yet, it was just 'Go...' As in go-go juice. It was simply the energy he used to do things.
After choosing 'Go' as the name for the new energy, he moved on to the next notification and was immediately disappointed.
Class debuff 'Parched Soul of the Sage' is no longer compatible with your resource pools. System corrections applied. Modified debuff assigned.
Due to your Insatiable nature, you are compelled to learn new things, have enriching experiences, and explore the world.
Perpetual debuff applied 'Parched Soul of the Sage.' This is a Unique variation of the Parched Soul Debuff. This debuff cannot be removed.
Parched Soul - You lose a stacking 2.5% 'Go' regeneration every hour. When 'Go' regeneration reaches 0%, 'Go' may only be restored with Skills Abilites, or meditation.
Learning or upgrading a Spell, Skill, or Ability resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 12 hours.
Leveling your Class resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 24 hours.
An Enriching Experience resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 36 hours.
Witnessing a Wonder resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 72 hours.
Discovering Hidden stats, mechanics, or information resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 120 hours.
--
Levi had really hoped the merge of his mana and stamina would turn out to be a nice little way out of the debuff, but he wasn't actually surprised that it hadn't turned out that way. The system seemed pretty determined to keep him bent over the barrel.
But, the new mechanic of restoring his 'Go' with Abilities or Skills was interesting. Maybe he could do something with that. He had no idea what, but it was a little bit of hope.The mention of meditation was new, too, and he'd have to figure out how that worked. On the other hand, the lack of any mention of potions seemed to hint that he'd no longer be able to restore 'Go' with potions at all. Depending on how the new resource functioned, that could possibly be a problem. But one thing was certain, the new resource had different rules.
After going through all the notifications, the only thing of any interest was that he'd gained two more levels.
Deciding to finally bite the bullet and see exactly how much damage had been done, Levi finally pulled up his status page
----
Name: Levi Jimmer O'Hare
Age: 31
Class: The Insatiable Sage
Level: 15
Experience to next level: 1359/7800
Base stats:
Physical Strength = 9
Physical Proficiency = 10
Mental Strength = 8
Mental Proficiency = 8
Spiritual Strength = 9
Spiritual Proficiency = 9
Skills:
Martial Technique Tai Chi Chuan
Skill Subset - Perfect Form
Abilities:
My Will Made Steel - The Sage may summon a weapon that takes on the properties Willed into it. Resources will be consumed according to the properties imbued into the weapon. Resource consumption increases as more Willpower is exerted. Warning: This ability has no safety limitations, and the Sage may cause himself serious harm or death if Willpower applied overdraws on available resources.
----
It felt like starting over again when Levi saw he'd lost almost every skill. And he knew he'd cut through every single profession skill before he'd even started sacrificing his class skills. Still, if he'd had to choose what to keep, it would definitely be his Tai Chi and his new sword Ability. That was an incredible win.
What really shocked him was that he'd gained a total of five stat points. He knew he'd gained only two from the new levels, so that meant three came from going into his battle trance and sacrificing his skills. His stats were now much higher than his level reflected, and with the way his Core upgrade seemed to make those stats count for even more, he felt like he was a beast. It made him want to experiment with sacrificing skills again in the future, and he would, but considering how high the cost was and that he'd probably run into diminishing returns, Levi wasn't expecting much.
He was hopeful about his next core upgrade. He wanted to know how much that would increase the potency of his stats. He needed to think up some accurate test to measure how much it improved his performance. Levi thought back to when he'd chased the crow through the woods the day before. Even without access to resources, he had moved faster than a normal human by a lot, but at the time it had felt slow. His perception had changed.
He needed to figure out how to use his new resource, Go. Even if he didn't have skills to use with it, he knew from his experience sparring that those skills began with learning to manipulate the energy. He could still use it to boost himself, too. It just wouldn't be as easy as triggering a Skill and letting it take over. It would be work.
More importantly, that's how he'd made all of his skills in the first place.
Levi really needed a good spar without using his resources or skills. He needed to find his new baseline. He neeeded to understand his is improved body and how it affected his stats. How inflated his stats had become had really made Levi lose any sense of how strong he'd actually become.
Unfortunately, all of Levi's inflated stats seemed to be centered on the Spiritual and Mental categories. Other than improving his resource regeneration, Levi hadn't seen any obvious effects. That was precisely why Levi was sure the only way he'd be able to learn anything was to spar or train without his boosting abilities. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a fight without them, but now he had no choice.
Levi suddenly realized that might actually be a good thing. It was funny, but maybe being stripped of his skills and taking a closer look at everything was exactly what he needed.
Locking in that mindset, Levi closed his status page and let out a deep sigh of relief. Everything would be just fine. He looked at Paige, who was still sleeping deeply in their combined bedroll.
'Actuallly, everything is pretty awesome,' Levi thought.
He considered climbing back into the bedroll with her, but he was afraid he'd end up waking her. He'd wait until she started stirring, and then he'd climb in.
Finally, Levi looked at his upgrade crystal from completing his quest. He wondered what piece of gear would be beat to upgrade. One by one, he reread the desceiptions of his starting gear.
----
Tunic of The Insatiable Sage - A linen tunic designed to be loose and flexible without an excess of fabric. -10% to stamina expenditure.
Trousers and Leg Bindings of The Insatiable Sage - Linen trousers designed to be loose and flexible. Accompanied by light and flexible leather lower leg bindings. -5% stamina expenditure. +5% balance and footing.
Supple Boots of The Insatiable Sage - Extremely flexible and light, lace-up leather boots. Stitch down. +5% balance and footing. +20% noise reduction while sneaking.
Shin Bracers of The Insatiable Sage - Hard leather shin bracers designed to absorb impacts and turn away blades. +10% damage reduction when executing blocks. +5% effectiveness to deflecting attacks.
Forearm Bracers of The Insatiable Sage - Hard leather forearm bracers designed to absorb impacts and turn away blades. +5% damage reduction when executing blocks. +10% effectiveness to deflecting attacks.
Small Boot Dagger of The Insatiable Sage - A double-edged dagger with a 4" grip and a 5" blade for utility purposes. Balanced for throwing. Indestructible.
Silk Sash of The Insatiable Sage - This sash is made of fine and sturdy silk. Promotes the learning of Skills and Abilities.
Heavy Cloak of The Insatiable Sage - A heavy cloak of mixed materials, capable of covering the entire body. This cloak is waterproof. This cloak greatly retains heat and keeps out cold. This cloak may be used to create a small A-frame tent.
----
Looking at his gear, Levi realized how his tunic had literally ceased to be useful. Stamina reduction did nothing for him if he didn't even have stamina. He'd have to upgrade the tunic one way or another, even if it meant replacing it. The problem was, he wasn't sure if using the upgrade crystal would actually even help. There was a good chance that using the upgrade crystal would change the Stamina reduction to Go reduction, especially if the system was operating in fairness. However, there was always the chance that the system would do a far more linear upgrade, and he'd be wasting the upgrade crystal if he tried to use it. It was a huge gamble.
The same was true of his trousers and leg bindings, with the -5% to stamina expenditure, but to a lesser degree. The bonus wasn't as large and the bonus to balance and footing would still provide some function until he found a suitable upgrade. These he dismissed as something he definitely wouldn't use the upgrade crystal on.
Levi thought he could probably upgrade the cloak and maybe add some stat modifiers, but he'd regret that decision when summer came back around. East Texas was hot and humid. He didn't want to invest in something he'd be miserable wearing for almost half the year. He immediately ruled the cloak out as well.
His boots were good for balance and stealthing, leaning more for stealth. Yet Levi had never actually utilized, practiced, or tried to learn a skill for stealth. He felt like it would be a waste to upgrade them when he wasn't really utilizing the bonus they gave anyway. He kept them in the back of his mind, not completely ruling them out for a future upgrade crystal, but he was definitely not upgrading them with the upgrade crystal he'd just earned.
Both his shin and forearm bracers seemed like great options. Based on the wording, he was pretty sure the deflecting and blocking bonuses applied when he used his sword Ability. But, like his tunic, he considered how the system may implement balance if he were to upgrade either of them. With his tunic, he figured it would work in his favor. However, if the system wanted to limit how effective the bonus was when using his bracers, it could specify the bonuses would only apply when using his braces to block or deflect. Levi really didn't want to risk that. He planned on using his sword a lot.
Levi loved his boot dagger, but that was definitely out of the competition, too. It was more for utility and novelty than it was ever meant to be a weapon. If he hadn't gotten his sword he might have considered it, but the truth was that he'd probably be using the dagger less and less in combat, now, and never in any capacity where it needed to be powerful.
And then there was his sash. It said it promoted the learning of Skills and Abilities. Levi needed that. But it irked him that there was no value placed on the supposed bonus. He had no way of knowing exactly how much it had helped, and if he was being honest, Skills had been pretty easy to pick up. Yet, he'd only been able to gain one Ability, and he was certain he'd cheated the system to get it. There was no way of really knowing how upgrading that piece of gear would even change the effects he was already unclear about. Maybe if he understood more about how to legitimately develop Abilities it would be a good pick, but definitely not while that was entirely unclear.
Levi briefly considered his meditation book, The Essence of You: Why What's at Your Core May Be All You Need. He was pretty sure he couldn't use the crystal on something that wasn't considered gear. More importantly, though, his meditation journey and his biggest advancements with that meditation had been completely off script. Even if he did upgrade the book, it seemed the journey was deeply personal, and the basics only put your feet on the path. He was pretty sure that even if he could upgrade the book, it wouldn't be as useful as it was at first and he could find his own way now that his feet were on that path.
That left only one thing worth considering, the gamble. Levi debated hanging on to the upgrade token and waiting for when he got more appropriate gear. In a way, that was the safer move, because at least he'd know he was upgrading something that was already useful for him. On the other hand, even if his resources no longer matched his tunic's bonus, the tunic had definitely been made for Levi personally. It was officially the Tunic of The Insatiable Sage. It may as well say Levi O'Hare's tunic.
In the end, Levi did the only thing that seemed worth doing, and used the upgrade crystal on his tunic. And gamble or not, it was a good bet. When he saw the adjustment to the tunic's description, Levi knew he'd won that bet.
---
Tailored Tunic of The Insatiable Sage - A linen tunic designed to be loose and flexible without an excess of fabric. -12.5% to Go expenditure.
---
At a glance, it didn't look like a huge upgrade, but it definitely was. His tunic had previously gave his stamina a boost, and not his mana. With his mana and stamina consolidated into Go, the new -12.5% to Go expenditure was a 150% boost in the effectiveness.
Levi fell back on his back and laughed. For once, his overthinking had actually paid off.
"What's going on?" Paige mumbled, stirring awake at his laughter.
Levi jerked upright. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. Just used my upgrade crystal. It went well. You know what you're going to use yours on?"
"Used it on my daggers, when going to pee last night." Paige rolled over and pulled Levi's cloak over herself. "I'm going back to sleep."