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On Monday and Tuesday, Peter hunted monsters to gain two levels and trained with Regina's father, using the Campus facilities. It was his initiative to ask the couple to stay for longer and both Regina and her parents were enthused by the idea, Marius being on leave for the month.
The training was intense but different from what Peter had learned from Redroar. The Barbarian was all about unleashing overwhelming violence, and Marius was about killing efficiently by cutting arteries or hitting vitals while avoiding being hit. His anatomical knowledge was au pair with a medic.
Peter was sure he could win at least some of their spars by using his skills, but the soldier's technique and situational logic were an order of magnitude higher. And he could only shiver thinking what a coordinated team of Mariuses could do.
So, when Regina proposed to bring her father for the next challenge, Peter agreed. They spoke with Melinda, and Marius was added to the expedition as an auxiliary security person.
Some changes in the rules were making their life easier. Students were allowed to form parties and go forage or hunt on their own for longer distances, as long they stayed within the safe zone marked on a map they received. And even better, they were allowed to stay the Thursdays too, if they wanted. A smaller group of security and teachers ensured the camp’s safety.
Before the hour set for leaving the camp arrived, Peter beckoned Kostel. The plump guard approached sheepishly, fidgeting his meaty fingers.
"Hope you're not mad at me, man," Kostel said. "It's better without that annoying voice in our heads."
"No problem. I kept some of my powers," Peter tried to lie convincingly without shifting his eyes away.
"You did? Me too! Which—"
"Now listen… Do you want to earn fifty ounces of gold?"
"S-sure," Kostel said, looking around before lowering his voice. "You don't want me to kill someone, right?"
"No, just use your chief of security perks. Me and the new hire will do some monster hunting, starting tonight. I want you to cover for us if someone asks our whereabouts. Say you sent us on patrol, whatever."
"OK," Kostel said, forwarding his hand.
"What do you want?" Peter frowned.
"The money?"
"It's the half you never gave me from the reward," Peter sneered. "You get to keep it."
"B-but—"
"Or you rather want Melinda to find out it was me who saved the day?"
"Fine," the guard groaned. "Can't you add a little bonus, though?" he continued in an imploring voice. "An ounce or something? She has expensive tastes… the restaurant bills are killing me.”
“You already spent all that money on restaurants?”
“No, man, I sent some home, for my... err... old parents.”
"Fine. An ounce per every night you cover for us."
"Great, thanks!" Kostel beamed, rushing to shake Peter's hand.
Ten minutes later, the group left the camp. It consisted of Peter, Regina, Marius, Naomi, and Ariana, with Shredder coming too because there was no one left in the camp to take care of him. They walked and arrived at the rendezvous point half an hour before the deadline.
"We're early," Peter said. "That'll allow me to put you up to speed."
"I'm all ears," Regina's father nodded. "So… Monster hunting on your own for an extra buck, right?"
"It's a bit more complicated, papa," Regina said.
"We're going to a place that can build constructs out of nanites… and it looks real. There are challenges, and if they are cleared, there are great rewards."
"Hm…" Marius pondered, grabbing his chin. "Is this thing… risky? I don't want you to be in danger, sweetie," he told Regina.
"It is," she confessed. "But we don't have much choice."
"The Cultivators will increase the difficulty of their training very soon," Peter said. "By doing this, we will be better prepared and geared to face whatever they throw at us next."
Marius frowned. "And by difficult you mean—"
"Two hundred and fifty students, all Colleges combined, died during their first trip here. So, more difficult than that," Peter said.
"Zero point one percent of the whole population," Naomi said.
"That's ten times worse than in the army, little bug," Marius said to Regina, which meant he had considered her enlisting. "Is it worth it?"
"It is," she said two simple words.
"Then I'll make sure you follow your dream," Marius said.
"Then be prepared, things are about to get weird," Peter said. "In a few minutes, a few… allies from a parallel Earth will join us. They’re on the... shorter side. About five feet tall, maax.”
“Like... what was the word... little persons?”
“Nope. On that Earth, Napoleon unleashed a virus that killed every person taller than him and provoked mutations that made everyone except the French shorter. A century later, Hitler exterminated half the French and conquered the US. Their hundred-dollar bill has Adolf on it."
Maybe he was shorter on Earth-Two.
"Is this a prank?" Marius looked around.
"I know it sounds crazy, but it's real. You'll meet my doppelganger, and Jack's."
How do you know?
William? Peter asked because the werewolf was the only person not present with a System.
How the heck did you manage to sneak him through floor two?
"There was a change…" Peter said to Marius. "Jack is not coming, the Rougarou will take his place." "You sure this is your… vocation?" Marius asked Regina again, waving his finger around. "Absolutely," she insisted on the word. "Woof!" Shredder barked, sniffing the air. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "They're here," Ariana said. Two silhouettes riding a small hovercraft appeared from behind a dune, the doppelganger and the werewolf, who was wearing a pair of shorts as a sole vestment. William was almost twice as tall as Peter Two. I hope Marius won’t throw some bad jokes. "Hi," the werewolf said after Peter Two cut the engine. "I'm Will. Sorry I'm staying in my werewolf form, but changing to human is draining my Mana a lot." "OK, this will be difficult, we’ll need a lot of trips," Peter said. “Who’s going first? I propose someone with fighting abilities.” "No need," his double said. "That bead I used remembers locations, I'll make us a portal. Just a second, to pick the Mage class." Like the previous week, Peter Two injected himself with the class shot. Marius looked confused but Peter decided that the man would eventually catch up with the avalanche of information by himself. Soon, a portal appeared and after passing through it, they arrived in the depths, near the shrine. It was only a ruin now, with the stones lying horizontally on the ground. "The next challenge is further South, right?" Peter from Two asked. "So the notification said. I'll scout," Peter said. "You take the crown, sweetie," he extracted the monster-repelling item from the storage. "Queens should have crowns," he winked. "Let me know when you find it, and I'll make a portal," the double forwarded the glass bead he used the week before. "This place is so creepy," Marius grimaced. Peter Warped southward. He didn't have the patience for more explaining, and there was work to do. He advanced a few miles, in several jumps, inspecting the landscape. Only one thing looked out of the ordinary, a patch of light on the ocean's floor. When he approached, he got a notification: Select a type of challenge to proceed: Haunted Graveyard, Arena, or School. He retreated and the message disappeared. A minute later, they were all looking at the bright spot. "It asks us what type of challenge we want. One must be about fighting zombies, the other about a Combat Arena—" "Works with me," Marius said. "But it might make us fight each other. And the last choice is a school. The latter must be the safer option." "OK," Marius said."I'm perfectly fine with a safe choice. It's always better when I don't have to use my skills, believe me." "Good. We choose the School Challenge," Peter said toward the light. School Challenge confirmed. The team is now evaluated. Peter Hillden: Charisma 50. Accepted. I hope I won’t regret the nine points I invested in it... "I see a blue text, is this normal?" Marius asked. Marius Gallant: estimated Intelligence: 62, estimated Charisma 56. Accepted What? Marius's smarter and more charismatic than I am? Impossible! This is a malfunction, right? Peter was honestly disappointed in the scanning. Regina Gallant: Charisma 60, Intelligence 50. Accepted. That's my girl. Ariana Brunner: Intelligence 56. Accepted. Naomi Smith: Intelligence 75. Accepted. William Ding-Dong: Charisma 51. Accepted. What kind of name is that? Shredder the Warg. Charisma 90. Accepted. Pups are charismatic… who would've thought? Calculating Challenge. Please wait. "You think it'll build a school here?" Ariana asked. "It did build a Minoan town and a megalithic Nazi shrine last time," Regina said. "What?" Marius exclaimed. The patch of light grew, enveloped them, and all of a sudden, they were in another place. ---------------------------------------- They had arrived in a hotel room, a penthouse more precisely, with amazing views. The building was built on tall concrete pylons, as large as the ones on drilling platforms, stuck in a majestic river, which flowed underneath before falling into the ocean below in a waterfall at least a thousand feet high. Behind and to the right and left of the hotel was a town, sitting on a plateau overlooking the sea. Other similar waterfalls interrupted the urban landscape here and there. There were several moons in the sky, or maybe planetoids. Two had disappeared beyond the horizon just after they arrived, but another had appeared. All except one were covered in cities, forests, mountains, and seas, all visible to the naked eye. The exception had a megalopolis over all its surface. Peter sat on a bed's edge, his head between his hands, looking into nothingness. Regina was massaging his shoulders, trying to raise his morale. It didn't help. The notification they received ten minutes prior still haunted him. School Challenge issued. Type: Field Trip. Thematic: Heist. You have been transported into a luxury hotel on Floor Six, in the main town the Residential Planet. The room has been paid for the rest of the week. Quest: On the top floor of the highest building in town are the plans for the Culling. Steal or copy the plans before Friday evening (Floor Three Camp time) and discuss them with your group. Rewards: Bespoke. Your performance will be evaluated and awarded accordingly. The rewards will increase dramatically if you execute the heist in the flashiest manner while at the same time keeping a low profile. Failure to complete the objective within the deadline will mark you as ineligible for the final tier challenge. Warning: This is NOT a simulation. Proceed with caution. Designated Team Leader: Marius Gallant. Obey his orders or be disqualified. I should have known nothing is simple within the fog. We have to brief him without my double finding out about you. "Pete, you're familiarized with this place, right?" Peter asked. "Only with the administrative planet," the doppelganger pointed at the mega city. "But I do know a little about how things go around." "Take someone and scout the area. Meanwhile, I'll brief Marius about the… whole situation." "It's due time," Marius said. He was resting on a couch, looking relaxed. "I'll come," William, the werewolf, said. "Just a sec…" Under their eyes, the beast was replaced by a handsome dark-haired man in his late twenties, with golden-brown skin and curly hair. Because all he had on him were the shorts, Peter had to give him some clothes. Soon afterward, the werewolf and Peter Two left the room. "He looks somehow familiar," Marius frowned. "I have seen him before, but I can't point my finger where exactly." Who the hell is Helene? Peter asked, starting to feel dizzy. Fuck… "So?" Marius asked. "You better don't hide anything from me, or I’ll waterboard you." ---------------------------------------- Thirty minutes later, after the story was told, Marius sighed and rose from the couch, staring at the planets, arms crossed. "Any good reason you didn't tell me how big the danger is?" he asked Regina. "Technically, I'm not in danger anymore since Peter helped me develop my core and the System stabilized my class…" "Still…" Marius shook his head. "You know I'm meant to be here for you, sweet cheeks." "Yes, papa, but… I didn't know you were Special Forces. I thought you dealt with security cameras and access badges." "He's Special Special Forces," Peter said. "Hey, take it easy! There are too many people around!" Marius protested. "Does Maman know?" Regina gasped. "Only that I'm Special Forces, not Special Special. That's classified," Marius walked his eyes around, frowning to warn the youngsters to keep their mouths shut. "Woof!" Shredder barked. "The System asked if you want a class," Peter relayed a message. "I'll think about it… I think I like better the multiclass injection stuff your doppelganger uses. Question: who among you brought their phones? Hands up." Everybody raised their right hand. Shredder barked, shaking his head. "Good boy. This is a special operation. No phones. Turn them off, take the battery out, and put them in there," Marius took a laundry sack from the closet. After the items were in, he tied the sack and gave it to Peter, who put them into his spatial storage. "Noooo…." Ariana wailed. "I feel alone… " Marius ignored her joke. "We have two bedrooms, each with a bath, and a large living room, with an open kitchen and a smaller cloakroom. Regina and Peter will take the upstairs bedroom, you girls, the one downstairs. Shorty and the werewolf will sleep on the couches here, I'll take the balcony," he pointed at a chaise lounge on the terrace. "Woof!" "Take your pick and sleep with whoever you want," Marius leaned forward to pet the warg. "We're back," Peter from Two announced, opening the door. William waved his hand, following the short man into the room. As soon he was inside, he undressed until only his shorts remained and switched back into his beast form. "What have you found out?" Marius asked. "Little I didn't know already. The Sixth Floor is a cluster of planetoids where the lower Cultivator classes live and work. That's the Town's center," Peter Two pointed to the Megalopolis, "and this is the commercial hub. The rest are like suburbs. "The population is almoost normal, most in the first two or three stages of Cultivation. No one is hurrying their Cultivation here. We can blend in with not much effort. There are visitors from alien planets that come through special portals." "Our target is the Central Bank, and that will be tough to infiltrate. There’s a lot of security." “I'll be the one to decide that," Marius said, rising. "Time to do some scouting on my own. You kids stay put." "There's a giant pool downstairs," William said. "Can—" "Stay within the hotel," Marius said curtly and left.