Chapter 35

After we moved the expendable supplies over and got people started on their chosen professions, a sense of purpose began to take root in the camp. The crafting tables buzzed with activity as settlers eagerly experimented with their newfound skills. Laughter and chatter filled the air, replacing the tension that had once gripped Galene. A little purpose had gone a long way to giving people some semblance of control over their lives.

The majority of the arguing had died down as people gathered supplies or took their turns trying out various professions. Even those with system-granted professions joined in, demonstrating their skills and taking on apprentices eager to learn. The excitement was infectious, transforming the atmosphere into one of collaboration and discovery.

Eventually, John wandered over, a wide-eyed look on his face as he took in the scene. The complaints that had once occupied his attention had quieted, replaced by the cheerful sounds of community building. He stood at the edge of the gathering, watching as people moved from station to station, observing others as they tried their hands at different crafts to see which ones resonated with them.

Amidst the flurry of activity, settlers brought over food and drink samples made from the recipe books on the new chef’s station, filling the air with delicious aromas.

“Oh, Felix dear! Try this!” Susan exclaimed, suddenly appearing beside him with a cup of something steaming. She thrust it into Felix’s hands, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Felix hesitated for a moment, then took a cautious sip. His face lit up with surprise and delight. “This is amazing! What is it?” he asked, looking at Susan with newfound appreciation.

“It’s a spiced berry tea!” she replied, beaming. “I’ve been experimenting with some of the ingredients we found. It has a few herbs mixed in, and it should give you a boost in stamina.”

Felix’s eyes widened as he felt the warmth spread through him. “Wait, it gives a buff?” he asked, curiosity piqued.

“Just a small one,” Susan said with a wink. “For a little while, it should enhance your focus and energy. I figured we could use something comforting and useful after everything that’s happened.”

“More of this, please!” Felix declared, holding out his cup as if to encourage a refill.

As Susan poured him another cup, the atmosphere continued to shift, filled with laughter and friendly banter as people began to share their creations, fostering an environment of warmth and togetherness.

I smiled as I slipped away with Byte, feeling a sense of purpose blossom within me. All these professions being explored around the camp reminded me that I, too, had a profession I needed to learn. I had been so focused on the immediate turmoil that I had almost forgotten my own path.

But with only one vial of nanobots, uncertainty gnawed at me. I didn't know if more than one person could attune to it. The thought weighed heavily on my mind. If I was meant to use them for Bio-Augmentation, would that mean only I could benefit from their power? Would it set me even further apart from the others?

Byte followed closely at my side, his mechanical purrs comforting as I made my way toward a quieter part of the camp. I needed to think, to focus on the potential that lay ahead. The vial of nanobots held promise, but I was unsure of how to proceed.

“Let’s find a spot to set up,” I murmured to Byte, who beeped in response, seemingly understanding my intent. We wandered until we found a secluded area near a cluster of trees, far enough from the bustling activity but close enough to hear the sounds of life in the camp.

Sitting down, I carefully retrieved the vial of nanobots. The tiny, shimmering particles inside seemed to pulse with energy, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder. What could these nanobots do? How could they enhance my abilities?

Out of habit I identified them again.

Vial of Nano-bots

This Vial grants one user the profession of Bio-Augmentor. This will give the user the ability t̶͍̥̬̒͌͛̓̉͘͠ơ̷̼̗̲͚̈̈́͑̆̓͒̓͝ ̶̢̡̛͎̈̃̌̂͋̚̚ą̵̘̼̐̾̂̎ͅû̴̧̡̱̦̰͉̋̉͒͗͘g̷̛̘͓̠̞̖̤̖̊̄͗̆m̷̢̧̫͙͖̺̤̉̈́͊e̴͙͉̗̐̋͘n̶̡̤͓͔͔͖̔͜͝ţ̶̛̭̟̹̮̖̝̳͂̽̈́͐̅̆͒̕͜ ̸̨̙̳̣̫̜̑͜m̶̨̯̫̘͈̱͓̏̒̒͑̀̓̕͘ͅͅa̵̺͌̽ć̸̡̧̠̹̠͑͆̀͐̾h̷͇̪̟̏́̏͑͝ȉ̸̢̦̹͙̯̜̹̲ṇ̵̢̧̲̯̥̫̤̌͂̓̆̍͂̚͝ͅẻ̵̮̙̣͂́͂̑̑̄̓̚ś̸̨̹̬̙̻̜͇͔͚̀ ̵̼̆͆͝ẘ̷͔̟̣̠̙͋̈̽̚i̶̭̝̮̹̿͌͌̈́̇͆̆ͅͅt̸̳̠́̍͑̒͌͝͝ͅẖ̴̡̠̻̮̺́̓͆̃̀̒͝ ̷͔̞̠͚̖͈͊̆l̷̙̱͕̥͚̈́͜͝i̴̡̜̱̘͈̘̱͍̐̔̋͋̏̓̃̽̚v̷͕̫̣̭̙͂̽̄̌̇̄̓̑ỉ̵̦͙͎̱̪̮̪̘̎͂̆̊n̷̢̢̰̭̭͖̲̅̉̈́̕g̷̪͓͌̒̂́ ̶̭̆f̴̛͓͖͕̙̼͇̓̈́̄̂́̆̈́l̷͖̗̯̪̣̗̜̇e̶͔͖͇̻̰͔͎͗̈́s̵̜̯̖̻̦̗̀̇̿́ẖ̵͚͚̂̃͐.̷̖̆̆̀̕

The inspection didn’t work quite right, I rubbed at my eyes and the glitching of the words didn’t change.

“Maura!” Felix’s voice broke through my concentration, pulling me back to the present. I opened my eyes to find him standing a few paces away, concern etched on his face.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice laced with worry. “I saw you over here and didn’t want you to be alone.”

“Felix check this out.” I held the vial out for him to identify. His eyebrows knit together as confusion overtook his worry. He rubbed at his eyes as well and then looked at me one eyebrow raised in question.

“Well, what the heck is that?” He asked expectantly.

“These are the nanobots Abzx left the note about. Said they would grant me a profession.”

“Were they always so… glitchy?” He ask cautiously. “I mean they are glitchy for you too, right?”

I nodded and turned the vial over in my hand. “I can’t remember if I identified them before but I would definitely remember it looking like this.”

Just then, a loud explosion from back at the camp shook the very ground we were standing on and was followed by a loud, “Whoops, sorry!” The noise reminded me of the gunshot from earlier and I winced lunging to catch the vial as it slipped from my grip.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

In that split second, the vial shattered against the ground, sending shards of glass flying. I felt a sharp pain slice through my palm as a shard embedded in it a gasp escaping my lips. The nanobots tumbled out and immediately surged toward the cut on my hand.

A strange sensation enveloped me as the nanobots rushed into the wound. It was like a jolt of electricity, followed by a warm, tingling rush that spread through my entire body. I could feel the nanobots merging with my essence, a connection forming that was both exhilarating and unsettling.

“Maura!” Felix shouted, his voice filled with alarm as he knelt beside me, eyes wide. “What just happened?”

“I… I don’t know.” I gasped, trying to make sense of the sensation. The world around me seemed to fade for a moment, replaced by vivid flashes of light and color as the nanobots integrated into my system.

Suddenly, notifications flooded my vision, and the familiar chime echoed in my mind:

Alert: Profession Granted

You have been granted the profession of Bio-A̴̡̤̥͚̯̠͔͖̝̾͊̒͝ǘ̸̗͇̌ģ̸̺̖̹̰͈̩̄̈́̈̓́͐͂̚mentor!

A rush of information flooded through me—knowledge of the profession, skills, and abilities began to take shape. My head throbbed as the new insights filled my mind, overwhelming me. For a moment, I thought my head was going to explode. Fireworks danced in my vision, blinding and chaotic, and I fell to my knees, grasping my head in a desperate attempt to steady myself.

“Maura!” Felix exclaimed, dropping to my side as concern etched deeper lines into his face. “What’s happening? Are you okay?”

“I—” I struggled to speak, but the flood of knowledge was relentless, washing over me in waves. Each new piece of information felt like a jolt of electricity, sparking sensations I had never experienced before. I could feel the power of the nanobots coursing through me, but the sheer volume of it was almost too much to bear.

“Breathe, Maura,” Felix urged, his hand resting gently on my back. “Just breathe. Focus on my voice.”

I nodded, trying to pull my thoughts together. “I… I think I’m okay. Just a lot to take in.”

Slowly, I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, letting Felix’s calming presence anchor me. The firework display in my vision began to dim, and I focused on the essence of the Bio-Augmentor profession that was settling within me. With each breath, I felt the knowledge become more coherent, more manageable.

As the initial shock wore off, snippets of information surfaced. The pain in my head began to subside, replaced by a burgeoning sense of clarity. I opened my eyes and looked at Felix, who was inches from my face, watching me intently.

His green healing magic glowed softly on my cut palm, and I realized in that moment that he was once again holding my hand. When he noticed what had happened, he quickly pulled away. “You should be all healed up now,” he said, avoiding my gaze. “Please stop fainting on me. You’re going to give me blood pressure issues.” He managed a half-hearted laugh as he stood up and took a step back, creating space between us.

Byte looked back and forth between us, beeping and whistling questioningly, as if trying to gauge the mood. I could sense his concern, even in his mechanical way.

“It's okay, Byte,” I reassured him, forcing a smile to ease the tension. “I’m alright now. Just a little overwhelmed.”

“Yeah, it’s going around,” Felix replied, still avoiding my gaze. “I think I’m going to head back over to the crafting area now. I’d really like to try my hand at making a few more potions before I hit the hay.”

Without further pleasantries, Felix turned and practically speed-walked away, leaving Byte and me sitting in the grass under the tree. I watched him go, a mix of hurt and confusion swirling in my mind.

The sudden distance was tangible, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. I understood that Felix was dealing with his own emotions, but I suddenly wished he were here with me.

“Byte, do you think I scared him?” I asked, glancing down at my robotic companion. His expressive eyes blinked at me, and he tilted his head as if pondering my question.

“Beep!” he responded, nudging my leg with his body, offering what I took as a gesture of support.

I chuckled softly, appreciating his attempt to comfort me. “Yeah, I guess it was a lot to take in.” I leaned back against the tree, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The vibrant sounds of the camp buzzed around me, but in this moment, I felt oddly isolated.

We sat together for a while, the soft rustle of leaves above and the distant chatter of my fellow settlers creating a comforting backdrop. I was determined to find a way to use the nanobots effectively, and an idea for how to accomplish that was beginning to take shape in my mind.

In the quiet peacefulness of the moment, a stark contrast to the tumultuous days that had preceded it, I felt my eyes begin to droop. The weight of my eyelids became too heavy to resist, and I slipped into a deep sleep.

**

I was awakened several hours later by Byte nudging me gently. Night had fallen, and fireflies danced across the field, their soft glow punctuating the darkness. The night sky was awash with more stars than I’d ever seen in my life, and my breath was taken away by their brilliance.

A familiar melodic voice broke through the tranquil atmosphere, pulling me from my awe. “Maura. We need to talk.” It was Abzx, standing at the edge of the treeline, their ethereal presence shimmering softly in the moonlight.

I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I focused on them. “Abzx? Is everything alright?”

They stepped closer, their form shifting slightly with each movement. “There are important matters we must discuss. Did you find the class change globe?”

“Yeah. I found the globe. I also got your letter. The vial of nanobots was weird though. What was going on with that Identify?”

Abzx paused, confusion crossing their features. “You found what where? We did not leave any nanobots or a letter behind.”

I blinked, taken aback. “But the note was right there, along with the vial! It said the nanobots were meant for me to use.”

“A vial of nanobots?” Abzx repeated trying to understand.

“Yes you left a vial of nanobots and a letter in the vault that said it would grant me the profession of Bio-Augmentor.”

Abzx stood very still a moment appearing to be lost in thought. “Can I see this letter and the vial?”

I felt the color drain from my face. “The letter vanished. And the vial of nanobots shattered. I was granted the profession though, even with the glitchy Identify over it.

Abzx appeared to be identifying me and blinked softly as they were in deep thought. “I do not have any records of nano bots or a Bio-Augmentor profession. These things do not exist in the multiverse.”

“Who could’ve done this. What does that mean?” I asked anxiety rising to the surface and reflecting in my voices pitch.

“I am unsure. There is no one currently who could create something that could change the system in this way. I must investigate.” Abzx turned to leave.

“Wait. Don’t leave what am I supposed to do?”

They paused, turning back to me. “Continue to be cautious. Use the abilities you’ve gained sparingly until we understand more. I will be monitoring the situation closely. Should anything arise, I will intervene.”

“But how will I know who to trust?” I asked, the weight of the unknown pressing down on me.

“Trust in yourself, Maura,” Abzx replied with a reassuring nod. “You have a strong sense of judgment. Use it. Observe those around you, and remember, not everyone who offers help has pure intentions. For now, I must take my leave and investigate who else might be involved in this tutorial instance. It's possible other initiates or entities have been affected.”

With a final nod, they stepped back, their form beginning to fade into the darkness of the forest. “I will return with more information as soon as I can. Stay strong, Maura.”

As Abzx vanished, leaving me alone under the starlit sky, the reality of the situation settled in. I was potentially equipped with a profession that didn’t exist, given by someone or something with unknown motives. The camp was quiet around me, a stark contrast to the turmoil I felt inside.

Byte beeped softly at my side, sensing my distress. I reached down to pat his head, finding a small measure of comfort in his presence. “We’ve got a lot to figure out, buddy,” I murmured, gazing out over the camp. Whatever this situation was—whatever forces were behind it—I was determined to uncover the truth.

A smile began to tug at the corners of my lips as a thought crossed my mind. If this profession never existed before, it meant there were no established rules, no limitations on what it could entail or what I could achieve with it.