When Hex entered the garage, she saw Adric was hunched over a large workbench against the back wall with his back to her. His broad shoulders flexed as he messed with something in front of him. “I guess he’s tinkering,” She thought with a hint of amusement. Getting her class and surviving the administrator's wrath put Hex in good spirits, or maybe she was coming down from the high of being so terrified it had made her sick; she didn't know which.
Adric straightened and turned as she entered the garage. "Oh good, you're here. I was just about to come to ask you; how do I make my tinker skill activate?”
"With the basic interface, you have to pull up your status window and mentally select it while focusing on what you want to use it on," Hex explained, walking up to the workbench and looking at what had his attention. She saw his pistol or the pieces that made up the weapon neatly laid out on a white cloth.
"Okay then," Adric said, opening his status screen and selecting his new class skill from the menu while focusing on the weapon parts in front of him. A wealth of information entered his mind as soon as he did so. There was also the sensation of energy leaving his body through his eyes, and they started heating up ever so slightly, stinging a little but not to the point of distraction.
As he looked at each of the components of his disassembled pistol, Adric watched as straight, thin lines shot up from them, leading to text that hovered in midair.
Rifled tube (Component Level 37)
Composition: Unknown
Use(s): Barrel for ballistic weapon
Destroy component to create template? Y/N
Magazine (Component Level 22)
Composition: Steel shell, steel spring
Uses: Holds and feeds up to 10 ballistic rounds. Note: Must be manually ejected after final round.
Destroy component to create template? Y/N
Each component Adric looked at fed him information. It took him a minute, but he soon realized his skill was 'learning' the components for future use. After scanning all the components of his pistol, Adric quickly assembled his weapon while keeping the skill active, noting his magic energy was slowly ticking down as he did so. His energy had dropped to fifteen points when the pistol was back together. It was just enough to scan the weapon one final time.
.45 ACP Semi-automatic pistol (Weapon Level 57)
Insufficient tinker level to attempt recreation or modification.
Destroy weapon to create template? Y/N
About that time, Adric's magic energy bottomed out. Unlike in the games and books, he felt nothing, no headache or dizziness. A few seconds later, though, he started to feel fatigued. A quick check showed his physical energy was ticking down. He mentally turned his skill off, and the decrease stopped. Wishing he had timed his little experiment, Adric had to estimate. He figured he had roughly two minutes of being able to use the skill with his magic energy. “Magic energy…never thought I would be using that as a reference during my lifetime, or any lifetime for that matter,” He mused to himself.
Adric went over what he had just learned, speaking aloud so Hex could chime in if she felt inclined, "Okay, it seems like my tinker skill allows me to destroy components to make a template from them for later use…I don't know how to make the components from the template or if it will take more than one component to make the full template." He looked at Hex, who had adopted a contemplative expression.
“It will likely take hundreds of components to create an accurate template using the skill,” Hex confirmed, then added, "But the higher level of your skill and the more hands-on you are about creating something, like your bow, for example, the better the chance will be of creating a complete template." She shrugged, "At least that normally happens for creator and crafter classes."
Adric thought about it and decided how to assign his free points, so he returned to his status screen and started assigning. He felt strong enough, so he skipped strength; he had always trained his body for speed over power. In his line of work, there were very few instances where he had to physically overpower someone. Skipping strength, he put two points into his vitality because his life energy was dangerously low starting out. He was tempted to put all his points into vitality but knew that may haunt him later if he didn't bolster his other stats. The only reason he had survived so far was his speed and agility…and Hex.
Thinking of his speed, Adric put one point into agility and perception. He only chose one point because his race already put one point into each per level, and he didn't want to be too lopsided in those attributes. That left him four free attribute points to distribute. After mulling over the results of his experiment with his tinker skill, he decided to put two points each into his intelligence and wisdom since his primary class skill seemed to burn magic energy quite quickly.
Finish with his decisions, Adric selected 'Yes' when the screen prompted him and felt the uncomfortable feeling of the System doing…something to his body.
Next, he looked at his locked skills, wondering what his three free skill points would net him. The first skill he tried to unlock was his archery because it looked like he would only be able to progress his small arms skill once he could make a gun. The skill required three skill points to unlock the first tier two level, which would be all he had. Holding off on unlocking archery momentarily, Adric checked to see what meditation and deconstruction cost to unlock and was pleased to see they both only cost one skill point. Before deciding, he asked Hex, “Is the skill point only to unlock the tier or for each level?”
"It's for the tier," She replied, "each tier is progressive, though. Tier one is ten levels and will bring you up to what most would consider the maximum level of mastery you can achieve as a non-system user." Hex glanced from him to his bow with a look of approval as she leaned back against the workbench. Running a clawed finger along the smooth surface of the recurve, she continued, "The fact you achieved tier two in archery without System assistance is something to be proud of. And to think you did it with a bow you crafted yourself…” her voice trailed off as she admired the bow.
When it was clear Hex had entirely forgotten about his question, Adric cleared his throat, "Huh? Oh, sorry," Hex blushed and pushed off the workbench like she had been caught doing something she shouldn't. She continued her explanation of skill points and tiers. "As I was saying, the tiers are progressive. Tier two will have twenty levels, tier three thirty, and so on, up to tier five. I don't know anything past that; those memories were erased." She thought briefly before saying, "Oh, and you get a skill point every five levels in your race, too."
Nodding, Adric looked at his options again and decided to unlock his archery ability. He figured combat abilities would serve him best in the early days. As soon as he selected to unlock archery, he received a message.
Congratulations on unlocking the ability ‘Archery’ Tier 2 Level 1. Please choose 2 free skills out of the following options:
Option 1 Rapid Shot: Loose up to four arrows in quick succession, reducing accuracy with each consecutive arrow.
Option 2 Piercing Shot: Charge an arrow with physical or magical energy to produce an armor-piercing arrow.
Option 3 Explosive Arrow: Charge an arrow with magical energy before loosing, and it will explode upon impact with its target.
Option 4 True Shot: Charge your bow and arrow with physical energy and your eyes with magical energy to create a single attack that will not be affected by any outside forces such as friction, wind, or gravity for ten seconds after release.
Adric whistled at the options, thinking, "Now, this is more like it!" He almost immediately decided on his choices. He dismissed Rapid Shot straight away because of its accuracy loss. To him, accuracy was everything, and it was better to take an extra second to guarantee a kill than firing wildly and hoping for the best.
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He also dismissed Piercing Shot because it was likely just True Shot’s prerequisite.
In his opinion, if something traveling without friction didn't pierce armor, then this System's mechanics were flawed. His only worry about True Shot was how much energy it would take to use and the learning curve for shooting arrows without friction or gravity! It would be like firing an arrow in space. After some quick calculating, Adric determined the arrow would travel in a straight line for nearly seven hundred and fifty yards in the ten seconds while the skill was active. He doubted he could hit anything accurately at that distance unless the energy in his eyes improved his vision for the shot, which he assumed would; otherwise, why would the skill need it.
Adric chose Explosive Arrow because it said 'explosive' in the name and True Shot because it sounded awesome and because he didn't know when he would be able to make guns and would probably need a long-range attack sooner rather than later.
As soon as he chose 'Yes,' the knowledge of how to use his new skills flooded his mind, and he smiled in satisfaction. Instinctively, he knew he could only use Explosive Arrow once every three minutes and probably at least twice at full power at his current energy level. True Shot wasn’t as bad at once every minute, with him having enough energy for maybe four shots.
Adric wanted to try his skills immediately but knew there was a lot to do, so he reluctantly dismissed his interface and motioned Hex to follow him to his safe, explaining as they went, "I was about to retrieve some of my gear from my past life when Seraph showed up and told me something was sleeping beneath my home."
When they reached the hole in the floor of the safe, Adric knelt and started to crack the glow sticks as he had been about to before the goddess interrupted. Hex stopped him, this time, with a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait, Adric, did she say a creature was sleeping down there?" Hex asked when he turned to look at her, slightly annoyed. Adric nodded, and Hex growled when she realized what she was smelling. It was a dungeon.
Hex knelt next to Adric and placed one hand on his forearm, getting a confused look. She hovered her other hand over the opening in the floor with her palm facing down. His look of confusion grew when she slowly lowered her hand until it was just about to pass the floor level and into the hole. A message popped up for both of them.
Warning! You are about to enter Hidden Dungeon, Level 50.
If there was any question that the dungeon was way over their abilities, the five red skulls floating over the message dismissed all doubt entirely.
Carefully removing her hand, Hex took a moment to collect herself, then asked, "What could you possibly have kept in there that would warrant level fifty protection?”
"What do you mean protection?" Adric asked, staring at the entrance to his stash in confusion. He had thought Seraph was talking about a rat or something when she said something was sleeping inside. And had forgotten about her saying it had changed.
Hex explained, “What I mean is dungeons are usually spawned when something of value is hidden away in a secret or hard-to-access location. It's one of the ways the System incentivizes exploration. It will create a dungeon around the item or items and spawn a powerful dungeon boss as protection, along with many other dangerous creatures and traps. The level of the dungeon is usually based on the value of the treasure it protects. And the older a dungeon becomes without being cleared, the more powerful it and the treasure grows. So, I’ll ask again. What could you possibly have collected in a pre-system world that warrants a level fifty dungeon on day one?”
“I may have over two hundred pounds of gold and about four times that in silver bars along with thousands of ballistic rounds, plus some explosives and fully automatic weapons," Adric said with a sour look on his face, "and the System took it all and locked it behind a level fifty wall. What the hell!?”
Hex’s amber eyes went wide! But instead of responding, she sucked in a sharp breath and went pale. She whispered "No" and bolted into the garage, taking the stairs two at a time for the exit.
“Adric, help me take this off!” She shouted down the stairs a moment later.
Adric had no idea what was going on, but the panic and fear in Hex's voice spurred him into action. Before he went after her, though, he put the cover back over the hole to the dungeon and locked it back in place. Slipping the key into his pocket, he grabbed his crowbar and followed the panicked fox girl's cries up the stairs to pry off the shield he had nailed to the frame.
“No, no, no! I forgot the wedge! How could I be so stupid?” Hex thought as she watched Adric pry the goblin shield from where he had used it to block the door. High-pitched whines were coming unbidden from her throat, and her tail wagged impatiently making light thumps against the cinderblock wall.
When the heavy wooded shield thumped to the floor, Hex helped Adric move it to one side and opened the door, rushing through it quickly only to stop after a few steps to fumble with the lock to the back sliding-glass door.
Adric grabbed her arm firmly, asking, "What's going on, Hex?"
“My bunker, the entrance to which is in the woods, is a quarter mile from here! I let the door close behind me when I left! The System will turn it into a dungeon if it hasn't already!" Hex could feel her panic rising again as she spoke.
Still holding her arm, Adric's words brought her back to reality, "Okay, I will go with you to check, but there may be more monsters out there, so let's hurry back downstairs and grab some weapons before sprinting into the woods. Your bunker won't be useful to you if you're dead."
Hex stared into his calm grey eyes for a long moment. She knew he was right but wanted to argue that without the equipment in her bunker, they wouldn't have nearly the advantage they would have with it. Finally, she relented and nodded her agreement.
"Good, then let's hurry," Adric said, trotting back toward the basement.
Hex ran after him, and they quickly grabbed their weapons. Hex also took the time to put her vest back on, only now realizing Adric had taken her top off to patch her up.
He caught her looking at the shirt he had put on her and awkwardly explained, “I had to um take off your top…to uh get to the spear wound on your chest and back. Your old top was bloody, so I—”
"I don't care," Hex said, looking at him curiously, "Thank you for saving me."
After only a few minutes, they were ready. Adric had opted for his previous armament; he wasn't about to leave his guns behind just because they wouldn’t improve his small arms skill. But he brought two dozen arrows and his recurve and short bows.
Hex also kept her equipment but added the spark wand to her belt as before. She still wasn't sure how to use it and didn't know if she even needed it for her magic, but she wanted to try regardless.
When they returned to Adric's back door, he caught Hex's arm again and said, "I know we're in a hurry here, but this is where my skills will help you, just like your knowledge helps me. I will need you to do what I say and follow my lead once we enter the trees, okay?"
Hex nodded silently; she would trust him just as he had put his trust in her.
Adric slid open the back door and slipped out. He scanned the area he could see of the lake and forest to each side of his porch. Catching no movement, he looked back to Hex and nodded. She stepped out to stand next to him, making sure not to close the door fully when she exited. She didn't know if the System would run the dungeon protocol over this area again when the rest of the planet was initiated. She knew the part of the home above ground shouldn't become a dungeon, but she wasn't taking a chance.
Adric tapped her arm to get her attention and pointed to the corner of the porch. She nodded, confirming it was the direction of her bunker entrance. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Let’s move to the edge of the porch slowly and check for any movement in the trees. Then, I want you to move down the stairs and sprint across the open area, stopping just inside the tree line. I'll cover you as you run, and when you stop, could you do the same for me? Can you do that?"
Hex didn't understand why they had to go separately but decided to do what he wanted, so she nodded and walked slowly to the edge of the house, scanning the large grassy yard and the surrounding forest once she was at the edge of the porch. She felt Adric slip up behind her and couldn't help but feel comforted by his presence. In the past few hours, the man had been introduced to murderous monsters, an alien species, and a goddess. He had been shot, stabbed, poisoned, and had nearly died from it. Then there was the fact he had saved her life on top of all of that, where many would have just let her die and stolen her stuff. Throughout all of that, she had yet to witness him panic or even lose focus on his task.
As she looked into the trees, the reasoning behind the pathways he had cut into the forest became clear to Hex. The trees' wide lanes would force anyone trying to circle or surround the home to stay back much farther to remain unseen or risk detection as they crossed the open lanes which would leave them open to attack. Hex was starting to become awestruck at Adric’s ability to function under pressure, "I know he said he was an assassin before, but from what I can remember, assassins aren't this in-depth with their planning. They normally case an area for a while, sneak in, stab someone, then leave. Adric may be more than he claims to be…much more.” A tap on her shoulder told Hex it was time to move. A quick glance behind her showed Adric with his recurve in hand, scanning their surroundings. He was motionless except for his eyes, which never stopped moving.
“Okay, let’s do this,” She thought and quickly descended the stairs from his deck. When her feet hit the gravel at the stairway's base, she sprinted across the yard toward her bunker entrance. Just as he had told her to, Hex stopped once she had passed the first trees. She pulled her pistol after checking her surroundings for any creatures lurking nearby. She turned to watch the cleared area for threats as Adric sprinted to her.
“I hope I can shoot like this,” Hex thought as she tried to calm her nerves. Her hands shook, and her breathing ragged just from that short sprint. The realization was dawning on her now. She was just a tiny blip in an infinite multiverse that wanted nothing more than to chew her up and spit her out, snuffing out her light before it ever had a chance to shine. She set her jaw and forced herself to take a deep breath, relaxing a little. She had a partner now, and statistically, teams of two to five usually had the highest survivability ratings during integrations. “We’re going to be okay,” she whispered to calm herself further.
Adric was halfway to her and moving fast when Hex caught motion at the lake's edge from the corner of her eye. As she looked over, three brown animals burst from the water's edge, racing straight for Adric. The beasts were each at least three feet long, not including their tails, and stood half that in height. Their brown fur, flat tails, and giant teeth told Hex they were beavers. But the System had obviously mutated these to be larger and more aggressive. Hex processed all of this in a split second. Before the giant beavers made it five feet, she was already firing at them with her pistol from the cover of the trees, cursing herself for not printing a rifle.
Seeing her shooting toward the lake, Adric adjusted his course slightly to stay out of her line of fire and continued his sprint toward the tree line and cover.
"Well, that didn't take long," He thought as he sprinted, quite literally, for his life. Still, he couldn’t stop the slight smile from gracing his features. This new reality certainly wasn’t boring.