The Graveyard

Granite City

Jut and Brick left the Graveyard for the final time just after noon. They were covered in awful once again. They were pleasantly surprised and majorly depressed when they were told the Safe Zone was officially clear of dead bodies. It was a relief to have helped put those who died to rest, but it was also a reminder of the over a million people who had been subsumed into the Safe Zone's dungeon.

Just before they were finished, they were told their teammates had been through the process and their urns were available for pick up. They received three Mana Orbs that reminded Jut of Skill Orbs filled with ashes. They each received smaller orbs that held a small of the ashes as a keep sake.

The new information popups Jut received whenever he focused on anything was taking him a while to adjust to.

Whenever Jut focused on a person, an information tag would pop up. If he had been told their name before, their name would show up. If not, it read what Race they were. The pop up even said what rank they were. Most of the people he saw were Human, Normal Rank.

Jut examined the Urn that contained Jonny's remains. He was tasked with holding on to Jonny and Larry's urns while Brick held onto Randy's. They were going to spread them at their main training site as soon as the Lock Down was over. The Information Popup appeared.

Normal Rank Urn Remains: Jonathan Baxter

Jut sighed and placed the two urns into his inventory once more through the pouch opening at his hip. He called up his inventory window and tabbed over to his new Spacial Armory tab.

Like his inventory, the Spacial Armory contained squares for items to be stored. Yet, it had far fewer squares and three smaller tabs, one labeled Armor, one labeled Under Layer, and the last called Spare Under Layer.

The Armor tab had his new leather armor already set, but many of the slots were open.

Head: Empty Ears: N/A Shoulders: Empty Neck: Empty Chest: Leather Jerkin, Normal Rank Back: Empty Hands: Leather Gloves, Normal Rank Wrists: Empty Belt: Empty Legs: Leather Leggings, Normal Rank Feet: Leather Boots, Normal Rank Ring Right: Empty Ring Left: Empty Right Hand Weapon: Short Sword, Normal Rank Left Hand Weapon: None

Jut had contemplated placing his club into his left hand weapon slot but wanted to learn the sword a bit first. He was nervous he would handicap his ability if he tried to make things too complicated too quickly.

The Underlayer tabs had far less equipment squares.

Chest: Pre-System Shirt (Ruined) Legs: Pre-System Blue Jeans (Ruined) Small Clothes: Pre-System Boxers Feet: Pre-System Socks

The spare Underlayer was identical, only nothing was ruined. There was a change button on each tab that he didn't already have equipped. Jut clicked the button on his spare mentally. His t-shirt and jeans instantly changed from a ruined mess, covered in gore, to a fresh outfit in a flash of blue mana. It made him sigh in contentment as he felt the fresh clothes settle onto him.

Jut noticed Brick change his clothing as well, telling him the soldier had also picked up the armory recently. Brick gave Jut a thumbs up and they made their way to the System Shop.

"I'm so glad that task is over." Brick said with a sigh. "If I have to carry any more corpses, it will be too soon."

Jut agreed silently as they walked into the shop. Unlike his first trip, there were actually people shopping this time. A few were in the aisles, looking over items. A few more were at the desks, perusing the wares virtually. Taking two closely situated interface pads, they each began to do the same.

"I am glad to see you, Jut Zoak." Said a flat monotone voice. Behind the desk Jut had stepped up to, the System Store Operator Bot appeared. "I can see you have Ranked up. Congratulations are in order."

Jut smiled. "Hey there, Operator Bot guy. I did. Thanks. How's business been? Picking up recently, I hope?"

Above the Bot, a new window popped up.

System Store Operator Bot, Unit 4X74

"Oh. Yes. Many Beings have been through today. It was an excellent change of pace. What may I help you find today?" the Operator Bot said as cordially as its monotone voice would allow.

"I know I was only able to get one Skill Orb for a copper coin, but do you have more? For purchase at regular price, I mean?"

"Indeed. The Shop usually gets an influx of Skill Orbs from those entombed at the Graveyard just after a Lock Down. This Store has had a larger influx of Orbs than is normal, so the prices are discounted."

The purchase menu appeared with the Operator's words. It was the exact same list as before. Somewhere near the end of the shop's inventory was a line of Skill Orbs of every color, from the cosmic color of the random Orbs to the white of General Orbs.

What made Jut's stomach flop was the quantity listings under each Orb. They all read nine hundred and ninety-nine plus. While Jut hadn't expected less, it still hurt knowing that so many people died without letting the System aid them.

The prices were a shock too. Even though each was listed at one gold piece, there was a fifty that was crossed out with the words "On Sale" next to them.

Fifty gold for a Skill? Jut was incredulous. That was, until he realized that it made sense. Getting access to a life altering skill really shouldn't be something obtained so easily.

Jut purchased one Orb of each color. He thought about it and bought an extra three of each Orb. He wasn't planning on acquiring twenty-four Skills, however. He knew of at least three people who wouldn't have access to many coins that could probably use the boost.

Jut looked over and explained what he had just done to Brick. Brick nodded, looking back at his own window.

"That's a great idea. I know a few people too. Maybe this could help them out." Brick said, purchasing extra Orbs himself.

Jut went back to his window and began to look at gear. He was easily able to fill every slot on his Armor tab except for the neck, wrist and ring slots, so he did. The only piece that wasn't leather was the back piece. It was a Dog Fur Cloak. The furry side was black and brown. It reminded him of Gunther and morbidly, it didn't make him sad. It made him proud to match his pet. Besides, he was pretty sure it had come from a Monster.

Jut also purchased a few different weapons, including a club, another short sword, a set of daggers and even a wand. The wand was a plain, wooden stick about seven inches long. The information popup was pretty useful too.

Item: Stone Wand Damage: Magical - Affinity Based Rank: Normal Rarity: Common Quality: Average Description: A Wand made from Stone Ore. Deals Magical damage in the form of an energy bast. Magic type based on the users Magical Affinity. Created By: Human, Normal Rank in Granite City.

Jut would try and give most of the weapons away. The better armed people were, the better chance they would have to survive. At least, that's what he hoped.

All together, Jut spent nearly fifty gold pieces. As he was sitting on what felt like a small fortune, he was fine with that. He considered all of it to be ill-gotten gains anyway.

While Jut waited for Brick to finish shopping, he looked at all of his other new features briefly, swearing to himself he would do so more properly later.

The mini map was so cool. It could fade away or sit in the top right of his vision without limiting what he could see too much. It showed the Shop and the area adjacent to it. He was represented by a small, green triangle. Everyone else, including the Operator Bot, showed up as a grey dot. Brick, being the only exception as Jut's party member, was a blue dot.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Jut examined the full map. It only showed the Safe Zone. According to Brick, he could see anywhere he had traveled before on the map in color, while anywhere he hadn't been was blacked out. Yet, when zooming the map out to examine his home town to the North, there was nothing but blackness. What did that mean? This worried Jut a bit, enough so that he closed the Map entirely.

The Communication System was its own Menu button. When the window popped up, it only listed Brick's name with text, voice, and video communication options. I can't send a message to anyone else? Jut thought.

You didn't pick the Contact List. It must go off your party list. Maybe test it out if you two part ways later?

That would make sense. Good guess, Alex. I'll do that.

As if discussing the soldier made him appear, Brick joined him by the door.

"I want to make a few stops on the way to the dungeon to drop off these Orbs before I forget. Wanna come? Or meet up at the Dungeon later?" Brick asked.

"How about we meet at the Dungeon in two hours. I want to do the same thing but it will take us forever if we both have people we want to see that are in different areas of the Zone, you know?" Jut said.

"Perfect. Catch you later, Jut." Brick said, sticking his hand up for a high five.

Jut smirked before slapping his hand to Bricks. "I thought you said high fives are lame."

"Still are, but you don't think so." Brick said before walking off, waving briefly.

Is this the meaning of friendship? Saying or doing things you may not be impressed with because it makes those around you happy?

Jut smiled and waved back to Brick before heading towards the center of the Zone. It is. At least to a certain extent.

I see. I have much to learn it seems.

Alex's window disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and Jut just shrugged. Alex was still usually quiet so the question had caught him off guard. He wondered what upgrades they had received when he ranked up, but Alex had told him they weren't ready to discuss it. They even went as far as to ask Jut to not look into their Lore and that they would tell him when they were ready. Jut was going to respect the request.

As Jut walked, the medical tents coming into view, an unfamiliar, feminine voice called out to him.

"Kye, is that you?"

Jut turned to voice. He saw a Latina woman running over to him. She had short, black hair and was wearing a very frilly dress. Jut also felt a sensation that he only felt around Brick. He soon saw why when he examined her.

Human - Stone Rank

She was the first other Stone Ranker he had seen since they left the penthouse. The woman was pretty and she seemed very familiar, but he couldn't place her face.

"It is. Yeah. But who are you?"

The smile the Latina was wearing faded. "Oh, come on, Kye. You don't remember me? After all we've been through together?" The disappointment in her tone was offset by the seductive gesture she made, accenting her cleavage and butt in the process.

Somehow, the display gave him the image of a Latino man stocking shelves and teasing him.

"Marvin? Holy hell. I had no idea. You look...good." Jut said, taking a single step back involuntarily.

"It's Marrin now. I'm glad to see you do recognize me." Marrin said, placing a hand on his wrist. "Do you like the change? I was surprised the System grew in my hair so well."

"Yeah. It fits you better than before. As long as it makes you happy, I'm glad for you. Did you choose a title bonus Race?"

"Nah. I wasn't given a Human option in the title ones. They were both some type of animal. While it might suit you well..." Marrin said, brushing the scaling on his cheek. "I've only ever wanted to be a Human woman."

Jut felt himself blush a bit at the compliment. Despite Marrin being fully female now, however, Jut noticed his attraction to her was the same as it was before her shift. In other words, he respected her, thought she was pretty, but had no interest in her more than that of a co-worker or friend.

"Thanks, Marrin. We should totally go hunting sometime, like old times."

Marrin gave him a dazzling smile. "Oh, I would love that. I'm going to go now. Places to be, you know. I'll send you a message on the Communication Feature later."

"Real quick, Marrin. Have you seen Dan recently?" Jut asked before she could walk off.

Marrin looked thoughtful. "I've seen him, yeah, but not since the Lock Down. If I see him, I'll tell him you're looking for him." Then she waved at Jut and walked off.

Jut contemplated the idea of dating in this new world. Would he care if the next person he dated, if he ever did date again, was a dude before the System? His Lore and instinct told him that Marrin was likely able to get pregnant now, so would it make a difference? His musings ended unanswered as he entered the Healing tent.

Isabelle's two assistants were in the middle of a conversation. Jut had met them briefly a few times in passing.

"After today, I am unable to be a Healing Aid. As I didn't get a Healing Skill, they want to kick me out and use me else where." the olive skinned Fiona said sadly.

Patrick placed his hand on her shoulder in support. "That's dumb. When do you have to go?"

Fiona shrugged. "Once Isabelle returns to duty."

Patrick scoffed. "I don't see that happening. She's a wreck."

"I'm actually looking for Isabelle. Know when she'll be in or where she is?" Jut asked, interjecting himself into the conversation.

Patrick had the decency to look embarrassed being caught talking down on a co-worker.

"I'm sorry, Jut. We don't know. She hasn't come back here since before the Rally." Fiona said shifting about. "She isn't in her room either. I checked. Healers were given rooms in the fiftieth floor range."

Jut sighed and looked at Patrick. "What kinds of skills do you have?"

Patrick looked confused but answered. "I have a healing spell. It's similar to Isabelle's. I also have a crafting skill and three general skills, all of which seem to be things like walking and other task related passives. Why do you ask?"

"You only received general skills from your three random orbs?" Jut asked, also confused.

"Oh, I haven't competed that quest just yet. I'm short around a hundred Chips." Patrick rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I'm not much of a fighter..." He was cut off as Jut shoved a purple and a red orb into the man's hands.

Jut turned and looked at Fiona, a green orb already in his hands. Fiona was staring at it longingly. "What type of skills do you have?"

"One Damage skill, three general Skills, an Aura Skill, and two Guardian Skills." Fiona answered quickly.

Jut gave her red and green orbs. "Here. Take these." He said firmly, pressing the orbs into her hands.

Both Fiona and Patrick looked at each other in disbelief and then at Jut in confusion and doubt.

"We can't take these from you." Patrick said, shaking his head regretfully.

Fiona looked like she was thinking of running with the green orb and using it once she got away. Then her face resolved into one of resignation.

"He's right. Why would you offer us these?" Fiona asked, looking between Jut and the healing orb.

Jut smiled and waved his hands in front of him. "Please, take them. I can get more if I need them. As to why? Well, we need stronger people." His looked turned serious as he continued. "We need to avoid another night like that one." Jut pointed into the past.

Both of the healing aids drooped at his words. Jut didn't leave them like that for long.

"And if sharing some life saving skills now helps us avoid one like it from happening in the future, or at least helps ease the losses, then I am all for it. Please, use the orbs. Then use the resulting skills to help the other survivors and we're even." Jut said kindly.

Fiona was nearly crying as she absorbed the green orb immediately. After she did, she hugged Jut firmly who froze up at the contact.

"I swear it. Thank you, Jut." Fiona said before breaking the hug.

"Yeah. Thanks, man. We will do the best we can." Patrick added hastily, giving Jut a firm hand shake. He looked relieved when Jut didn't seem to want a hug from him too.

Jut took the gratitude well and left them behind to do their work, Fiona dying to try out her new Skill.

On his way to the North and East, Jut found a familiar face behind a rations table.

"Derrick, my man." Jut said and stuck a hand out to the burly, black man.

"Hey, hey, that's my line. Kyle, I mean, it's Jut now, right? How's it going? I'm glad to see that you made it." Derrick said, giving Jut a firm hand shake and first bump.

"Same here, Derrick. I heard you were alive. I apologize for not stopping by to see you sooner."

"As long as you keep coming back safe, it's no big deal to me." Derrick said with a reassuring smile. "What's on your agenda for the day?"

"Well, the hunters were told that many of the non-hunters weren't getting Mana Chips anymore, so I wanted to stop by and visit a few of the ones I knew and see if they needed any specific Skill Orbs." Jut said, leaning into his comment to ask the question. "What Skills do you got, Boss?"

Derrick smiled, both hands up. "I have not used a Skill Orb yet."

"What? Why not?" Jut asked in as polite of tone as possible. Derrick's answer was what he had expected.

"I don't want to fight and kill, Monsters or people." Derrick shook his head.

Jut nodded. "That was my guess. Did you not use your General Skill Orbs from the Wave Survival quest? None of those have given me a combat skill yet."

"What kind of Skills do they give?" Derrick asked, pulling out a white, general Orb. Jut read his general Skills' descriptions out loud and Derrick nodded, his eyes wide. "Those sound mighty useful..." He hesitated for a long moment. "I don't know, Jut. I'm not sure I want to do this stuff. I was never into that RPG hoopla."

Jut was already shaking his head. "I understand, Derrick, but you need to embrace this System." This time it was Jut's turn to hesitate. Derrick saw his look and waited.

Jut remembered a story he had heard years ago. He remembered the details of the same when he was eating with Ophelia but didn't ask about it then. He had already asked her about many topics under the moniker of "Friendship" and felt that personal questions about her history and life were a little rude if she didn't lead the conversation that way herself. Her time as a Goddess had never been on the table. He just hoped she wouldn't mind him doing this.

"Do you remember the tale you told me about the Goddess Hoax?" Jut asked.

Derrick nodded, intrigued now. "Yeah. I was seven years old. A woman appeared in the sky outside my parents car as we were driving. She warned us this whole mess was coming. What about her?"

Jut kept his expression neutral. "Remind me what she looked like?"

Derrick put his hand to his chin, remembering. "Her skin was cosmic, much like these here Skill Orbs. Her hair was pure moon light and her eyes were burning suns."

Jut wanted to be very careful here. He didn't want people to believe he was special. Even being a Champion, he still didn't believe it himself. Ophelia's explanation of his job description didn't make sound like he was either.

"Her name is Ophelia. I've met her. I know she would want you to use the System. I also know there are ways to do so in a non-combat capacity. I chose combat and would feel much safer if I knew people like you were backing me up and waiting for people like me to return."

Derrick, being a social master, latched onto the end first. "You're sure? Did she tell you all that?"

It was Derrick's instant belief in Jut that made him the best man Jut knew. Without question, he at least believed Jut believed what he was saying, and that was enough. He would tell Derrick everything.

"No. She did tell me her goal is to help us thrive within the System. But the Non-Combat thing, I learned that when I Ascended last night. It made me choose just that, Combat or Non-Combat."

Derrick's voice was a harsh whisper. "You completed the Ascension quest." Then Derrick, in a unconscious gesture, touched his own cheek at the same place Jut had scales. His expression turned curious. "You're not human anymore then." It was a statement.

Jut shook his head. "I am not." Then he explained his race. Derrick was grinning by the end.

"Well, even if you are a nerd still, I'm glad you're still you. What Skill Orbs do I need? I don't trust the Random ones." Derrick asked.

Jut pulled out three of his Professional Skill Orbs and three general Skill Orbs. "I have exactly what you need."

"Can I trade my quest Orbs to you for them? I won't use them." Derrick asked, pulling his eight Orbs out from a bag at his feet. Four were Random, three were General, and one was Support purple.

Jut dragged the four Randoms into his inventory. "That one is a support combat skill." Jut said, pointing to the purple Orb. "I understand you don't want to fight, but a support class is usually one who buffs the party, making them stronger, or they debuff the enemy, making them weaker. If the same holds true in the System, the Skill might cause low to no damage and you never know when a good buff will save your life. Please, at least consider using it. If you don't, pass it on to someone who needs it. I have plenty."

Derrick looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "I will consider it."

"Well, I need to keep going. I want to stop by the orphanage next." Jut said.

Derrick placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jut. I'm a bit ashamed to ask this, but would you stay with me and watch me do this System stuff? I'm still a bit nervous and you seem to know the ropes."

Jut stepped over to a chair nearby and sat down immediately. "Of course. I would be honored." Even if he didn't find the new Skills fascinating in the end, he would still stay. This was the only thing Derrick had ever truly asked of him. He would not say no.