“I don’t think you should come.” My opinion on this is pretty firm, and I’m in control of who goes through my Portals and who doesn’t. “You don’t need to get mixed up in this. I’ll take you somewhere you can access the Shop.”

Taiwo looks me in the eyes and nods. I can tell part of him wants the adventure, but most of him agrees that it’s too far. It’s not aligned with the awesome life that he’s created for himself, where occasionally he puts himself into danger. When he wants to, in the way he wants to. Not pitting himself against organizations that stretch across multiple galaxies and can send Ascended Class assassins after you.

I open a Portal for Taiwo and he gives me a grin then steps through. No parting words. Do we need them? What could he say with words that he hasn’t said with actions? After I’ve closed it behind him I open my notifications. There are quite a few of the important classification, more than I expected.

I have an existential moment where I consider the fact I’m totally comfortable in the middle of nowhere surrounded by slain enemies and contemplating racing off through the Universe to enact preventative deterrents. What a fucked up life it’s become.

Level Up!

You have reached Level 27 as a Human Sentinel

+4 Aura, +4 Mana

+65 free Attribute points to assign

You have 65 free Attribute points to assign

Would you like to allocate them now?

(Y/N)

You have 2 unallocated Class Skill points

Would you like to allocate them now?

(Y/N)

Skill Synergy Integration Progression Complete

As part of your SMI Evolution, Skills with synergistic properties have completed integration. Class Skill points have been combined and upgraded where relevant.

Further integration changes are possible in future.

Current integration changes:

Sentinel’s Verdict integrated with Fury of the Clan -> Sentinel’s Fury

Environmental Sense integrated with Lesser Detection -> Environmental Sense

Environmental Sense integrated with Danger Sense -> Danger Sense

Wraithstrike integrated with Charge -> Wraithstrike

Wraithstrike integrated with Unbound -> Wraithstrike

Critical Strike integrated with Power Strike -> Critical Strike

Critical Strike integrated with Imbue -> Imbued Strike

Imbued Strike integrated with Penetration -> Imbued Strike

Imbued Strike integrated with Force Projection -> Imbued Strike

Elemental Aegis integrated with Clan Shield -> Elemental Aegis

Strength of the Clan integrated with Guardian’s Blessing -> Guardian’s Blessing

Awesome. Unexpected.

I can feel the power increase in the Skills that have been integrated, taking them further. And it sounds like there may be more integrations in the future. I notice none of the Skills that have integrated are Evolved and now that Fury of the Clan has been integrated with Sentinel's Verdict, Sentinel’s Fury won’t ever be able to be Evolved. It’s lucky I picked Psychic Eruption to put my Class Skill points into, or maybe it’s my Luck at play nudging me the right way.

I drop all the free Attributes into Constitution and the two Class Skill points in Psychic Eruption, taking it closer to an Evolution.

Status Overview

Name

Bronwic Cadimus

Class

Human Sentinel

Race

Human (male)

Level

27

Titles

Exterminator, Overachiever, Powerhouse, Explorer, Bane World Delver, Survivor, Bastion, SSA High Enforcer, Mark of Tenebris (Hidden), Savior of Earth, Dark Mana Tempered

Health

12840

Health Regeneration

280066 /min

Stamina

19260

Stamina Regeneration

280066 /min

Mana

2460

Mana Regeneration

434 /min

Status Conditions

None

Attributes

Strength

500

Perception

1550

Constitution

Stolen novel; please report.

1284

Charisma

570

Agility

500

Luck

1250

Aura

512

Mana

246

SMI Skills and Affinities

Danger Sense

150

Observe

100

Affinities

Dimensional Manipulation, Mana

Survivor Damage Resistance

+20% when under 20% Health

Class Specific SMI Dynamics

Physical regen

Base + Base*AML

Mana regeneration

200%

Personal Weapon

Base damage: 9000

Tech functionality

-25%

Sentinel’s Swords

Max

Mental Resistance

Invulnerable

All Resistances

Variable [Breakdown]

Damage Reduction

80%

Explorer Bonus

+20% XP

Foresight

Variable [Thresholds]

Potion/Buff Penalty

-80% / -90%

Class Skills

Unbreakable

Evolved

Omnipresent

Evolved

Gift of Gaia

Evolved (+30 AML)

Runic Recall

Evolved

Psychic Eruption

8

Regeneration

Max*

Sentinel’s Fury

4*

Greater Regeneration

Max

Greatest Need

3*

Imbued Strike

6*

Guardian’s Blessing

2

Wraithstrike

3*

Elemental Aegis

2*

Echoes of Einherjar

1

Accelerate

1

Guilty as Charged

1

Know Thy Enemy

1

Marked for Glory

1

Wall of the Clan

1

Group Party Chat

1*

Rise Again

1

Instantaneous Inventory

1*

Spells

Minor Healing

1

Danger Sense has almost doubled. My Personal Weapon base damage has gone through the roof now that it’s integrated with other Skills and I can see there’s a breakdown of heaps of Resistances that are being built up as I’m exposed to them. This latest fight with Koarvex bumped my Resistance to electricity up by an entire percent.

One more Level and I’ll be able to Evolve Psychic Eruption… three more Levels to Ascended. I won’t be able to accept my Class Evolution until after the KCT unless I want to make myself ineligible, but let’s see how it goes. If I can make it that far.

I trigger Omnipresent and shift things around in my mind’s eye, seemingly infinite points of light that represent everything I can reach using my Skill. I filter down to Qillathe Syndicate members involved in this attack on me, just to make sure I can still do it, that I’ve captured all of them and I can bring it back at will. Dozens of points of softly glowing red light highlight them and I dismiss everything else, focusing on them. All of them are stationed on one of three different worlds. I wonder if they feel safe. I wonder if they’re already sending someone after me, or my family. Maybe something or someone else on Earth.

If I can possibly do it, I’ll avoid confronting another Ascended until at least after I’ve reached another Level and Evolved Psychic Eruption. I don’t know what it’s going to bring, but hopefully something even more useful. Armies of Mythic Classes and even most Legendary Classes don’t really intimidate me, but there’s something about Ascended Classers that’s just different. The power jump is huge and I’ve encountered them more often than I should have, for sure.

I need to send this message, but there’s someone I need to talk to first. B’esloor. I shift my filters in Omnipresent to find him with a push of will. The pivot is slightly mind bending for a few seconds and then my mind settles. He’s a long, long way away. I trigger a Portal to make sure he’s in a situation I can pop in on and see him in some kind of shop, not the Shop. Advanced technology is everywhere. Not my bag, obviously, but based on what I can see I don’t think there’s any reason to drop in and I manifest the Portal then step through.

A dozen weapons are instantly trained on me and Skills and spells are triggered to shield B’esloor and debuff me, although those mostly wash over me without any effect. Space ripples around me so I reach out with my Affinity. Before I’m transported away somewhere I harden the tendrils of my Affinity and rip apart whatever someone’s creating. A Tauran in the group cries out and grabs his head with massive hands, thumbs wrapped around his horns. I’ve never encountered a Tauran who had Portaling abilities before, usually their minotaur-like builds and culture mean they’re focused on combat.

To their credit, I think, nobody actually attacks me as they wait to see what I’ll do. Suddenly, they stand down and pull up their portable shields so that B’esloor can emerge through them and address me. Guess he must have ordered them with a Skill or some tech. I look around and realize they’re still very much on edge.

“Sorry,” I say, trying to make it sound like a real apology. “Just need a quick chat with B’esloor.”

“Bronwic, what brings you here?” he asks and glances around as if to remind me where I am.

“Assassins. You want a private place to talk, or should we do this right here?”

“Near here,” he says immediately and sweeps out of the shop on his short legs with the whole entourage. I don’t have much choice but to follow the Tauran I accidentally injured who is the last out. As soon as we’re outside B’esloor turns to me.

“You’ve put our transporter out of commission. Why didn’t you just send a message?” he asks with a frown. So much for doing this somewhere else. At least we’re not still in someone’s shop.

“Not too good with technology,” I admit and then dump Koarvex’s body out into the street and gesture at it while alien pedestrians and vehicles whiz by. B’esloor hisses at me, but nobody really slows down or stops to look at us. His entourage closes in to protect us. Or maybe because they’re interested; I see a few of them staring at the body.

B’esloor Inventories Koarvex’s corpse as quickly as he can and looks around like he’s nervous someone might have seen it.

“I thought you said I was unlikely to face any repercussions,” I say to him with a little heat in my voice. “That’s someone who dropped in on me. Ascended Class, by the way.”

“How many of the people fighting with you were slain?” he asks, seeming to actually care what’s gone on.

“Nobody, it was just me and him,” I reply. He looks doubtful but I can see in eyes that if he ever underestimated me in the past, it won’t happen again.

“I can’t know everything that might happen,” he says to me with his voice lowered, looking through his thick brown eyebrows at me in a conspiratorial posture. His guards are looking very nervous and move out in a rough circle to give us some space. Their weapons are out.

“No shit,” I reply. “But that’s not why I’m here.”

I watch as B’esloor starts to relax and then starts to look anxious all in the space of a second. He’s worried, and I wonder if he’s worried about what I might do to him. With my High Enforcer status could I kill him and just walk away? No idea, right now. And that’s the crux of the problem… I don’t have the information I need to make good decisions.

“I want to go after them, B’esloor,” I state flatly, staring him in his dark eyes that know so much more than I do.

“The Qillathe? The whole Syndicate?” he asks to clarify with a bit of surprise. Then again, he’s met me.

“Is the SSA going to care if I clean house? Anyone that was involved in trying to assassinate me,” I inform him. He gets a far off look in his eyes and a few of his guards move him into a more sheltered spot closer to the buildings while the rest keep up a perimeter. I follow B’esloor and nobody tries to stop me.

“Get it done before the KCT officially starts,” he says with firmness and then puts a gnarled, clawed hand on my arm. His skin looks like tough, old leather with short wisps of white hair emerging. “Bronwic, if you don’t get yourself killed you’ve got a very good shot at winning the KCT. A very good shot. I’m not going to go into the whys of doing it quickly. Just… look, trust me, ok? Anything you’re going to do, get it done now.”

I can tell that’s all I’m going to get out of him and so I pivot my forearm to grasp his. There’s a big mismatch in our sizes but he grasps my arm with his wiry one and I’m surprised how strong it is.

“Take care, Bronwic.”

“Never,” I reply and open a Portal to my first stop on the Qillathe Syndicate train.