Tom and Alex walked into the Council Chambers early in the morning. They had stayed up through most of the night workshopping the battle plan to the background of a Lord of the Rings marathon. For research purposes, of course. Regardless, they both had bags under their eyes at this point.

Alex walked to a table that someone had set up with snacks and a coffee machine. She immediately got herself a cup, choked it down like a shot of vodka, and then got herself a second cup before returning to her beanbag.

“You really need to cut back on the coffee, Alex.”

“Not if you want me to keep working. It’s the real breakfast of champions. And project planners, as it happens."

Tom rolled his eyes but got up to get himself a cup. He didn't make it halfway before someone interrupted him.

"Hey Tom," a familiar voice called out to him.

Tom turned to find Skippy standing there in his human form, covered in his prismatic Snow Leopard jacket with a longsword strapped to his waist.

"Skippy?! You're you again." Tom said as he gave his friend a hug.

"Nope, stop, no touching," Skippy said as he tried and failed to squirm out of Tom's grasp.

"You're level 1 again, aren't you?" Tom asked as he held his friend there.

"Yes, now let go before I kick you in the balls," Skippy said.

Tom dropped his friend, knowing that he wasn't bluffing.

"How did your fan-girls handle the real you?" Tom asked.

Skippy gave him the biggest shit-eating grin. "I lost the furry girls. But I think I can get some groupies." he cheered.

"I hate you so much," Alex said. "Seriously? I'm still a virgin. How did you get laid?"

Skippy shot her a smile.

"Easy, I went out there and did something instead of sitting in my room masturbating like a bitch."

"Oh yeah, I've forgotten how much of an asshole you normally are," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"So, what's your new class?" Tom asked, activating [Thirst for Knowledge] out of habit.

Name: Skippy (Andrew Sawyer)

Race: Beastial Human

Type: Humanoid / Beast

Titles: Beta-tester, First, Awoken Myths

Level: 1

Class: Assassin 1

Bloodline: Bloodline of Ratatoskr

Personal skills: Ratatskers Pocket, Storyteller, Pursuit Hunter, Mapping, System Wiki, Blades, Meditation, Soul Strike, Swagger, Mirage step, Gymnast Grace, Feather Steps, Focus, Perfect Strike, Phantom Shift, Stealth Attack

Regicide skills: Assassination, Backstab, Sneak Attack, Hidden Strike, Active Camouflage

"Dude. Da fuck are you doing with your status?" Tom asked, looking at the mess that was Skippy's personal skill list.

Skippy shrugged. "I only kept the useful stuff. Everything else was sundered so I could have more skill points."

Tom rolled his eyes.

"Actually, I was hoping I could ask you for a favour," Skippy said.

"What is it," Tom asked.

"I want to come with you today when you go out to recruit people," Skippy said.

"Really?" Tom asked, confused. "I would have thought you would be diving through any and every settlement you could get your hands on to regain your levels or staying in bed with your girlfriend all day."

"I thought about that," Skippy admitted. "Especially the second option. But I think I'm going to need your [Soul Forge] thing if I want to be ready in time for tomorrow."

Tom felt his eyebrows rise up into his hairline.

"You're going to try to power level to level 20 in a day?" Alex asked, dumbfounded.

"What she said," Tom followed up.

"Oh, I'm going to do much more than hit level 20," Skippy said with an evil grin plastered on his face.

"Im going to become a fucking monster. Now stop screwing around and help me. I want to fuse a couple of these skills today. So I can buy some more and fuse them." Skippy ordered

"I guess I'm keeping watch, then," Alex said. But at the first sign of soul damage I'm separating you two with lighting, got it?!" she stated.

Tom rolled his eyes, but they got to work.

Tom entered Skippy's soul space. The first thing he noticed was how weird it was. Skippy's soul space wasn't like his with its three nebulas, or Abaddons, who had one big nebula dominating the space. Instead, Skippy had one tiny nebula and a crap ton of stars bouncing around his soul like a pinball machine.

"Christ, this can't be healthy," Tom muttered.

"Well fuck you too," Skippy said snarkily, his voice echoing from inside the soul space.

Tom paused.

"How are we talking here?" Tom asked.

There was a long pause.

"This isn't normal?" Skippy asked.

"No, I couldn't hear Abaddon's thoughts or anyone else's." Tom pointed out.

"Did any of them have [Meditation] or have the skill high enough to enter the soul space?" Skippy asked.

Tom paused as [Wisdom of Akashic Records] quickly informed him that, no, they didn't.

"No, so I guess that's one mystery solved," Tom said. "Anyway, what do you want me to fuse?"

"These two, these two, and these five," Skippy said, pointing despite the fact that both of them were disembodied minds in his soul.

Despite that, Tom could tell what Skippy was pointing at and compiled. The moment he started, he noticed something odd. The negative space around the skills that indicated how far each skill could grow seemed to have been maxed out. The skills all but begged for him to combine them.

DING!!!

Skill Fusion Detected

[Swagger] - Historic + [Feather Steps] - Rare + [Gymnasts Grace] - Lesser → [Thieves Swaggering Grace] - Mythic

[Thieves Swaggering Grace] - Level 22: This skill is a staple of all thieves, allowing you to move through the world unnoticed while maintaining your footing and balance even in situations where you need to dodge attacks. This skill grants +3% per skill level to your Evasion, footwork, Balance, and Stealth Mastery. Reduce your weight by 0.33% per skill level. Enemies facing you have a 0.5% chance to be intimidated and a 1% chance to be taunted per skill level.

Tom was pretty sure Skippy only fused these two to create more space in his soul. The fusion didn't even add anything new. It just freed up a new slot. Still, though, Tom could feel something different in the negative space. It hadn't gotten any smaller, but the feeling of being in the negative space was less intense. Something to study.

DING!!!

Skill Fusion Detected

[Hidden Strike] + [Assassination] + [Backstab] + [Sneak Attack] + [Stealth Attack] → [Unseen Blow] - Legendary

[Unseen Blow] - Level: 1: There are many ways to assassinate someone, and many methods have been created to survive assassination. To that, you say good luck surviving being turned into meat paste.

When attacking from sneak or stealth, your total damage is increased by 15% per skill level. This skill only works on a direct melee attack launched from sneak or stealth.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Are you … are you making a boss breaker build?" Tom asked.

"Technically, I am making a boss breaker assassin." Skippy snickered.

"[Regicide]?" Tom asked.

"Kingslayer," Skippy agreed cheerily.

Tom would have paled if he wasn't a disembodied thought in his friend's soul. Bossbreakers could dish out a truly stupid amount of damage with the right setup up, and the [Regicide] class fits the mould pretty well. Skippy would only get one hit in, but unless Skippy missed, one hit would still splatter most targets.

"I feel stupid for mentioning this. But you realize you're going to need to solo a boss to unlock that evolution, right?" Tom asked.

"Right, because one-shoting a boss with [Unseen Blow] will be so hard," Skipp said sarcastically. I just bought the rest of the skills I need. Fuse them all up, please."

DING!!!

Skill Fusion Detected

[Phantom Shift] - Uncommon + [Active Camouflage] - Uncommon + [Sneak] - Lesser → [Reapers Cloak] - Historic

[Reaper's Cloak] - Historic: No one has ever seen the Grim Reaper, and yet people die every day, though tens of thousands of them are completely unseen and untouchable to all. And this skill allows you to tap into that ability. +1.25% to Sneak and Stealth Mastery per skill level. You can become invisible, intangible or both. Each effect costs 100 mana per minute to maintain.

<[Soul Forge] has Reached Level 31>

"How are you so busted at level 1?" Tom asked.

"It's your fault," Skippy said.

"How?" Tom asked, confused.

"Dude, you just combined uncommon, low-level skills into a Historic. You shouldn't be able to do that. I was expecting to unlock one of its lesser evolutions and then work my way up to this one. But you just jumped the gun. Not that I'm complaining. It's a lot less work for me." Skippy pointed out.

Tom blinked metaphorically. He had almost forgotten how impossible what he was doing was. He was having too much time having fun. Skippy couldn't see his soul like he could. If skippy wanted to fuse his skills, he was limited to mashing them together and hoping for the best. But Tom could see. He could see how the skills were supposed to go together, and he could actually manipulate them.

He could take some random smuck and give him … well, he probably couldn't do a legendary class, but Mythic should be possible. That could cause problems, though. Maybe it was a good idea to keep this a secret, just in case. Tom exited Skippy's soul space as the rest of the council arrived.

Alex immediately came over.

"Are you guys ok?" she asked. Mostly looking at Tom.

"It's perfect," Skippy said. "It's just what I wanted. High-tier stealth, high damage and a basic sword skill."

If any of the noobs knew how coveted [I am the Sword] was, they would spit blood upon hearing Skippy's words. Or maybe they would just kick him in the nads.

"Yeah, but that was weird," Tom muttered. "Did you get any other notifications?"

"Hmm, oh yeah, my [Build Yourself Back Up] buff got used up a little. Why? Was that you?" Skippy asked.

"Interesting," Tom muttered. "The negative space around your skills seemed bigger than I was expecting, but as I helped you out, it seemed to shri--"

Unfortunately, they couldn't continue the conversation as Abaddon walked in.

"Skippy!!" Abaddon cheered as he scooped up Skippy in a literal bone-crushing bear hug.

"Let me down, you lug." Skippy choked out as he immediately started to kick Abaddon.

That got a round of chuckles as people watched skippy try and fail to get out of Abaddon's grip.

"Alright, then, let's get to it," Tom said as everyone slowly took their seats. "We already talked a lot about what we're doing, and we're going to have another meeting tonight before we attack at dawn tomorrow. But let's do a quick review of everyone's tasks before we move out."

That's when Tom remembered. He had forgotten to get himself a cup of coffee. He was just going to get one when Major Adams intercepted him.

"Tom, could we talk?" The Major asked.

"Sure, Major, what can I do for you?" Tom asked.

The Major looked uncomfortable. That was not a feeling he normally associated with the very British firefighter.

"There’s been talk, Tom. Serious talk. Brindly and some of the other city councillors are talking about the possibility of removing you from Hopkins."

Tom frowned as his magic fizzled around his hands. "Do they want to die? Seriously, I'm trying to avoid running around killing people. Hell, if it weren’t for us, half of them would still be wandering around and getting eaten by wolves. Because of us, they all have settlements in which to live in."

Adams nodded slightly, acknowledging the point. "Hey, hey, you're preaching to the choir. However, the other settlements don't have the special rooms that Hopkins has. So, a lot of them are wondering why you're in here while their settlements aren't as nice. On top of that, they see you as... a kid. Eighteen, barely old enough to vote. And having a kid dictate terms to them can't be helping their pride, " Adams admitted

Tom bristled. "So, what? Do they want to toss me aside because they want to feel special? We’re facing a goblin horde, and this is what they want to talk about."

Adams hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "They think you’re blowing it out of proportion or just making it up."

Tom clenched his fists, his voice rising. "Making it up? Are they blind or just stupid? The bodies piling up, the reports from survivors—what more proof do they need? Do they need to be attacked by the goblins?"

Adams raised a hand, trying to calm him down. "Look, I get it. But have you seen the other settlements?"

"No, why would I care? Hopkins is my responsibility; the other settlements aren't." Tom said.

Adams massaged the bridge of his nose. "Tom, the other settlements are little better than refugee camps. Hopkins might be a bit overcrowded, but objectively speaking, it's practically a hotel in comparison. The [Storage] skill alone lets people move furniture and supplies into Hopkins faster than anyone else. Not to mention everything else you've been doing for your guild. Right now, they see Hopkins as a castle while they’re stuck in shacks. They see what they don’t have—and they’re blaming you for taking the special loot from each settlement."

"Well, you're welcome to clear the settlements without us." Tom scoffed.

"Tom, this is serious."

Tom scoffed. "What are they going to do as Major? Kick me out of my house so they can squat in it? Or are they planning on straight up griefing me?"

"I have no idea what griefing is," he admitted with a sigh

"Attack me, rob me, mess with my stuff and blowing up Hopkins would all be considered griefing," Tom said.

"Then no. No one is going to grieve you. Yet, but I felt the need to warn you about it before it got out of hand," Adams stated. They're already planning on 'surveying' Hopkins later today while we're out."

"And this is the first I'm hearing of it?" Tom asked coldly.

"I only learned of this this morning," Adams protested. "They're withholding support for the attack on the goblins until they see Hopkins and speak with you. Thorn is bringing a drone. I'm hoping that we can get some shots of the goblin compound to really drive home how important all this is."

Tom paced, his anger barely contained. "Fine. I’ll deal with them later. Too much shit to do today. I'll talk to Luke and Travis about keeping an eye on them."

He already had a few ideas on how he could 'convince' them to support this attack.

You may skip to the next chapter.

Name: Skippy

(Andrew Owens)

Race: Beastial Human

Type: Humanoid / Beast

LVL: 1

SubRace: Squirrel

Age 18

Health: 20

Stamina: 20

Mana: 0

Health Regen: 0.4 per min

Stamina Regen: 0.4 per min

Mana Regen: 0.2 per min

Titles: Beta-Tester, First, Awoken Myths

Immune

None

Resistances

Physical 15%, Elemental 15%, Magical 15%, Vitality 15%, Mind 15%, Soul 15%, Crit 30%, Poison 30%, Disease 30%, Insta-Death 30%

Weakness

None

Bane

Manslayer, Beastslayer

Classes: Assassin 1

Total

STR: 0

AGIL: 12

DEX: 3

CON: 2

END: 0

PER: 5

INT: 0

WILL: 0

SPIRIT: 2

EGO: 0

CHA: 0 +10%

LCK: 8

Base

STR: 0

AGIL: 12

DEX: 3

CON: 2

END: 0

PER: 5

INT: 0

WILL: 0

SPIRIT: 2

EGO: 0

CHA: 0 +10%

LCK: 8

Personal: +4 AGIL +4 PER +3 DEX +3 LCK

Racial: +3 AGIL +2 CON +2 SPIRIT +1 PER

Bloodline: +5 AGIL +5 LCK

Bloodline:

[Bloodline of Ratatoskr] - Legendary: The Blood of the Legendary Squirrel who runs up and down the length of the world tree carrying insults from the dragon Nidhogg at the roots to the great eagle at the top of the tree.

* [Ratatoskr's Tongue] - Level 10

* [Ratatoskr Instincts] - Level 30

* [Ratatoskr Vicious Mockery] - Level 30

* [Nidhogg's Gift] - Level 16

* [Ascending Yggdrasil] - Level 26

* [Aura of the Divine Beast] - Level 20

* [Defiant Regeneration] - Level 25

* [Raid Boss Physiology] - Level 28 >> Level 30

* +5 to AGIL per level

* +5 to LCK per level

Skill Slots: 14/60: Skill Points: 0

Personal Skills

* [Storyteller] - Level N/A

* [Rataskurs Pocket] - Level 24

* [Mapping] - Level 20

* [System Wiki] - Level 10

* [Blades] - Level 31

* [Sneak] - Level 18

* [Meditation] - Level 22

* [Thiefs Swaggering Grace] - Level 22

* [Perfect Strike] - Level 20

* [Soul Strike] - Level 20

* [Mirage Step] - Level 25

* [Focus] - Level 9

Assassin 2/6

* [Unseen Blow] - Level 2

* [Reapers Cloak] - Level 1