The land yacht was making steady progress back to Greenstone, Teddy had driven them straight-line out of the desert and they had intercepted a road through the delta, the roads now being the quickest way back. They had to keep slowing down to pass other vehicles as theirs was so large. They also got quite a lot of attention with such a luxury vehicle.
They had stopped when their prisoner had woken up, he had easily broken the bonds that Lucy had put on him and all four Mitchells had gone below decks to soundly beat him up as he tried to escape. At no point had he tried to reason with his captors even when they tried to negotiate, all they could do in the end was overwhelm him four on one. His efforts to escape had only mildly damaged the room he was in, the repairs would be fairly simple once he was out.
They had rotated drivers once they hit the road, taking it in turns to trundle down the main supply route to Greenstone. When he was relieved from driving Teddy went to meditate on the front of the cruiser, resting on the padded benches with the wind in his face. He knew he was close to the edge of bronze rank and was rewarded with a few notifications.
Ability [Hands of the Reaper] (Dark) has reached Iron 9 (100%).
Ability [Hands of the Reaper] (Dark) has reached Bronze 0 (00%).
Ability [Hands of the Reaper] (Dark) has gained a new effect.
Base cost of ability [Hands of the Reaper] (Dark) has changed from [Low] to [Varies].
Ability: [Hands of the Reaper] (Dark)
Special attack (poison, constriction, execute)
Base cost: Varies
Cool-down: Low
Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%)
Effect (iron): The user can summon the hands of the Reaper from nearby shadows, these will attack a single target attempting to pin them in place. Targets will suffer [poison] and [constrict] damage when under the effect. For a High mana cost can be used as an execute ability. The Hands of the Reaper will pull the victim out of existence with transcendent damage that escalates with the amount of damage already inflicted on the target.
Effect (bronze): The user can target multiple enemies with the hands of the Reaper for an increased mana cost. Cost varies per enemy targeted becoming increasingly higher.
This wasn’t the only ability that had ranked up. His Dimensional Warrior had ranked to bronze allowing him to summon multiple iron rank warriors or one bronze rank warrior. His winged feet power had ranked to allow one mid air step every two seconds and water walking for a per-step mana cost. Unleash the Void’s description simply said ‘darker beasts’ which was chilling to read considering how disturbing what creatures already came out, a little scared but also a little excited; Teddy couldn’t wait to see what it would look like.
His joy at seeing multiple powers cross the final threshold to bronze was short lived as he read the end of the next notification.
All [Dark Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 0].
Linked attribute [Recovery] has increased from [Iron 9] to [Bronze 0].
All [Swift Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 0].
Linked attribute [Speed] has increased from [Iron 9] to [Bronze 0].
All [Dimension Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 0].
Linked attribute [Power] has increased from [Iron 9] to [Bronze 0].
All [Void Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 0].
Linked attribute [Spirit] has increased from [Iron 9] to [Bronze 0].
Progress to Bronze rank: 100% (4/4 essences complete).
All your attributes have reached bronze rank: ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ????.
??? ???? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ??????.
??? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?????????.
???? ???? ?????? ???? ????????: Progress to silver rank: 00%.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
He staggered a little in his seated position as all four of his attributes crossed the bronze threshold and the sensory input was overwhelming.
“What the hell?” Teddy said out loud from the front.
Lucy who had been driving quickly steered the land yacht off the road and came to a stop, hurrying around the front.
“What’s going on? I saw you put the notification up and was about to kick your ass off the boat so you didn’t get foul goo everywhere.” Lucy asked, the others quickly joining them.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting all my essence powers to level up but they have. They all levelled to bronze but I haven’t!” Teddy put his personal information up on the interface for everyone to see.
Theodore Mitchell
Race: Outworlder
Current rank: Iron
Progression to bronze rank 100% (4/4 essences complete)
Attributes
[Power] (Dimension): [Bronze 0]
[Speed] (Swift): [Bronze 0]
[Spirit] (Void): [Bronze 0]
[Recovery] (Dark): [Bronze 0]
They all looked at him, expecting the tell-tale bronze light to start shining out of him and followed by the worst smelling gloop they had ever encountered but it didn’t come.
“So everything about you is bronze rank but you are absolutely still iron rank?” James asked.
“Yeah, I feel amazing! Not quite as good as when we got Iron rank but having all four attributes at bronze is insane.”
He looked around the delta, he could feel the extra strength in his muscles and could feel how much faster he was instinctually. He turned to Lucy, as did James and Kyra.
“What?!” She exclaimed at the attention.
“Well, you’re our magic expert, what’s happening to me? Why aren’t I bronze rank?”
“I have no idea! Most people don’t get an easy system like ours that details how far through their advancement they are, they only have an instinctual understanding. Everything I know says you should be bronze rank now, I don’t know what else you would need to do to cross the threshold. Maybe meditate more? We’ll have to ask the magic society in Greenstone when we get there.”
“Right, well you get behind the wheel and I’ll see if I can work this out with meditation.”
Lucy gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder before heading back to the wheel. Teddy didn’t last long meditating before he realised it wasn’t going to get him anywhere, he got up and nudged Lucy out of the captain’s chair, he opened the throttle a little, using his increased reflexes, and his driving gloves to weave around the traffic a little more than was strictly polite.
When they got close enough to see the city Teddy started steering off-course, taking a road that lead to the coast and not to the city.
“Err bro? Where are you going?”
“Well the adventure society has its own docks right?”
“Yeah I think it does.”
“And we have a bronze ranker in custody we need to get to the adventure society campus without causing a big fuss.”
“Yeah, I was wondering how we were going to do that.”
“Well I figured a little like this.”
Teddy manipulated a few levers and the wheels either side separated, lowering the hull to almost touch the floor, he then snatched the levers back quickly and the wheels contracted in, the whole vessel jumped off the ground, it sailed over the trees at the end of the road and over the short beach. As it was airborne its wheels folded in on themselves, flattening and absorbing into the hull. Teddy stroked the roof of the drivers compartment backwards and the crystal canopy covering them started rapidly unfolding to encapsulate the top of the yacht.
The now sleek yacht smashed down into the sea sending a huge crashing wave up, the boat struck with such force that it dived down, completely submerging before popping back out and forwards like a cork.
Teddy stroked the canopy forwards and it retracted, opening to the sunny sky above, they were now powering forwards through the water sending up spray on either side from the bow.
“Wow, that was. This is. Damn this is cool.” James stuttered out.
The two girls soon climbed the stairs at the back of the boat, they were both wearing large sun hats and wearing sarongs, they removed them to show colourful bikinis and they lounged on the large padded benches, soaking up the sun.
“I love our life now.” James said, moving to sit with his wife.
“Humph, didn’t take them long to get back into the cruise life again.” Teddy said, curving their course to enter the city from the sea.
The girls managed to convince James to go below decks and make them a round of their favourite cocktails, when he returned with the drinks he had to remind them that they had a dangerous prisoner downstairs when they complained that they tasted alcohol free.
Teddy slowed down as they entered the shadow of the city, he guessed his way correctly into the right dock and they saw three men stood at an open berth, all looking out expectantly. Two of the men were huge warrior types, firmly extending bronze rank auras at the boat making it clear Teddy was to head towards them. The poor man in the middle looked decidedly uncomfortable as if he didn’t really want to be there.
“‘Lo the dock, we aren’t expected. What can we do for you?” Teddy called from a short distance.
Even though the two men were bronze rank the team on board were armed to bear, including a bear being present. Koda and Lucky were on the prow of the boat with visible hackles raised and teeth bared in silent snarls. The two girls had got up from their lounging, still only in bikinis but Kyra was armed with diamond shield and sword and Lucy had a double rune ring ready to go. It was almost hard to tell that James was shirtless with all the thick black hair but he was wearing nothing but a pair of passable imitation board-shorts and his vambrace with a throwing snake peeking out the top. As negotiator Teddy remained unarmed.
“Peace Mitchells, we were sent by our lord Hero.” Said one of the big men.
“And what does the god Hero want with us now?”
“To help, we know of your prisoner and have come to take him to the adventure society holding cells.”
“Oh yeh? And who is the man with you?”
The big warrior turned to the small man and when he seemed reluctant to speak he stepped back and the man relaxed.
“I’m Gill, I’m with the harbourmaster, I’m also an adventure society functionary, these gentlemen politely asked me to come along to show their honourable intentions.”
“How’s that then?”
“Well it’s reasonable to assume you brought the prisoner here for due justice, they are strangers and you are handing them over to them, having an impartial witness here makes sure they will do as they say they will.”
“Ok, well can we see some badges then?”
All three on the dock showed adventure society badges, the smaller man in the middle had the correct markings for a low level functionary.
[Checks out guys, anyone not happy with this?]
[Seems a bit too convenient but can’t find anything to argue against.] Lucy chipped in.
With the other two nodding along Teddy acquiesced.
“Gentlemen, welcome aboard.”
Teddy opened a sliding panel that hadn’t been visible before and took out a wide roll of flexible blue crystal, he threw it at the dock keeping hold of one end, when it hit the dock it snapped rigid forming a gangplank that angled up to the top deck.
The three men came on board, the smaller man stayed on the top deck with the girls who had put away their weapons while the boys took the two men downstairs. They came back up shortly with one of them carrying the still unconscious man over his shoulder.
“I was just saying to your wives that this vessel is a work of art, even without going below deck I can see that you having something quite unique and special here. But we agreed that it needs a name, I will put it down that the berth is the ‘Mitchells’ but please let me know when you have a name!”
He walked off the ship with the other men and the prisoner, the two couples watched them walk away into the marina. Once they were left alone the Mitchells all looked at each other.
“To the Schooner?”