After stretching, I completed my report. I hesitated about the part about being swallowed. I had knowledge about purging poison from my body. It wasn’t obvious at first, but as I thought back to that moment I had been swallowed, I realized that I hadn’t survived the Ancestral Spirit on my own. Mes had helped me out, I was sure of that. I hadn’t even told my father about being swallowed.
I just wrote that I had gone into a blood rage, defeated the Snake Ancestral Spirit. That was the only lie I included in my report. Any issues could be attributed to the blood rage. Once the report was filled out, I let my father read it as I went to lie down and rest.
‘Avatar,’ I mentally thought. Mes appeared with a wooden skewer with a roasted snake on it.
‘User Mittens. Very well done. Even I am a tiny bit impressed. You handled yourself admirably.’ Mes said as they ate the snake and floated about.
‘You helped me?’ I asked.
‘Indeed. I can make an emergency purchase on your behalf to save your life. With how much experience was on the line, I could do some creative accounting if you will. So it all worked out in the end. Why don’t you call up your combat log and take a look,’ Mes suggested.
‘Combat Log,’ I mentally thought.
17 Duck Cultists (Low): 1,381 EXP
9 Duck Cultists (Mid): 908 EXP
1 Duck Cultist Leader (High): 133 EXP
1 Apostate (Boss): 3,782
Purge Poison (T2): -10,000 EXP
1 Mid-Partial Ancestral Spirit (Boss): 14,581 EXP
1 Apostate (Boss): 2,987
TOTAL: 13,772 EXP
‘I grouped the ducks together by how they were rated since they were all part of a single fight. No need to make things messy. As for Bloodtooth, he counted as your kill. Even though he sacrificed himself to the Ancestral Spirit, that was his body. I got his soul.’
‘I purchased Purge Poison for you when you were swallowed. You kept the worst out yourself by not breathing any in. Good job keeping your head there. Otherwise, you would have died for sure. You managed to kill the portion of the Ancestral Spirt that manifested. Very well done there. Lots of energy for EXP.’ Mes happily ate his snake skewer. That was a bit disturbing.
‘It was a fairly weak descent of the Ancestral Spirit. About halfway manifested and wasn’t fully attuned to the creature calling it. But what it did have was a good bit of energy I was able to grab up, once you damaged it enough, forcing it to disincorporate.’
I took a moment to process all that information. The fact that an Ancestral Spirit was worth that much was surprising. Also, that Mes had acted to save my life. ‘Isn’t Poison Resistance a better skill?’
‘It is and is a tier three skill and costs a hundred thousand EXP. The tier one is Detect Poison and wouldn’t do you any good. That was why I went with the tier two version for ten thousand experience. Purge Poison allowed your body to expel the poison.’
‘I kind of know how to do it, but not really. It isn’t like my other skills.’ I was wondering why this was.
‘It is a non-physical skill. While you can gain control of it, it would burden your mind. Like your heartbeat. The vast majority of the skill has been regulated to your body processes. The skill improves as your body adapts to purge a wider range of poisons.’
‘So, I level the skill by taking poison?’ I asked.
‘That is one way. A dangerous way. It is Purge Poison, not Poison Resistance. You notice your body is sore and weak, that is from the poison being expelled through your sweat, since most of it was absorbed through your skin and fur. Anything you ingest will have to get expelled another-‘
‘I got it.’ I mentally replied and Mes chuckled as they continued to nibble on their snake skewer.
‘Anyways, you did good. Your debt is almost paid off. You are alive and your skills improved quite a bit. Why don’t you take a look?’ Mes suggested.
‘Interface,’ I thought. The floating screen changed.
Experience: -449 EXP (+13,772 EXP)
Features: Interface, Avatar, Skill Attunement
T1 Skills: Movement (91/100) +8, Balance (69/100) +11, Listening (57/100) +3, Breathing (44/100) +13, Smell (23/100) +2
T2 Skills: Danger Sense (49/100) +8, Purge Poison (23/100) +22
T3 Skills: Claw Combat (62/100) +7
My eyes went wide at how much I had improved in so many areas. Also, the fact that my debt was just about gone. Another mission and it should be in the positive, allowing me to purchase my own skills for once.
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Looking everything over I felt a sense of contentment and peace that had been eluding me since I had woken up. Movement was almost maxed out, but I had no doubt the last nine levels in the skill would be a pain to get. Claw Combat had also made progress as well.
Ignoring how sore I felt, everything felt like it was a part of me. That last fight, I had pushed myself in ways, I hadn’t thought possible. From that leap down the stairs, fighting outnumbered, and adjusting my orientation mid-air as the Snake Ancestral Spirit swallowed me.
‘Thanks Mes,’ I mentally said. They had saved my life and it just wasn’t just getting the Purge Poison skill for me mid-fight. They had helped me out quite a bit with all the other skills and guidance.
‘You are my User, Mittens. That means I look out for you. Don’t worry, we are going to have a great time killing lots of other creatures, spirits, and all sorts of things. This is just the beginning, just you watch.’
Mes disappeared, and I closed the Interface screen. Looking at the numbers wouldn’t make them go up anymore. I would just need to keep doing what I was doing and everything would work out. As I lay in my bed, I wasn’t tired enough to sleep, but I didn’t feel like moving anymore.
A bit of stretching had been all that I had been up to do. I drifted off thinking of snakes and how I would kill them all.
When I woke up, I could feel the gentle thrum of the boat. I heard my father sleeping nearby. After using the bathroom, I went back to the front of the container and sat at the table, while having a glass of water. Mousethief came over and sat down with me.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“I knew the mission was dangerous and I still let it happen. I didn’t think there would be an issue with your father there,” he said with a slight sigh.
“Did you know how dangerous?” I asked.
“I just knew it wouldn’t be a couple of ducks. But a High Apostate was more than I expecting,” he replied.
“There was one in the city where you picked me up,” I replied.
“A weak one. Bastet is on a completely other level. She can stalemate and escape from any of the Master Assassins. Even a Paladin would struggle to stop her from escaping, let alone killing her,” Mousethief said with a sigh.
“It is fine. I signed up for this. Danger is part of the job,” I replied.
“Really? I was worried you would be mad.”
“As long as you work with me, I will work with you. This double mission, was quite useful and an experience,” I said. There were other things I could say, but that seemed like the right word to use. Experience, and I wasn’t just talking about Mes and the Interface either. I had learned a lot about field work.
“I am glad to hear that. Well buckle up Mittens, it is only going to one hard mission after another then,” he replied.
“How are you doing it?” I asked. Mousethief looked to the back of the container, and I could hear my father still sleeping.
“Mes is incredibly powerful Mittens. It can manipulate probability and events,” Mousethief said nervously. I frowned at this.
“Really? How?” I asked.
“That is a very good question, Mittens. I never got an answer and I don’t plan to. But anything that powerful, is very dangerous. It can manipulate the outcome of events.”
‘Avatar.’ Mes appeared before me. ‘Is what Mousethief said true?’ I asked.
‘Of course. I wouldn’t be a proper Multi-versal Energy System without the ability to manipulate non-energetic events and to passively monitor wide swaths of this reality.’ My brain tried to process all of that.
“They confirmed it, right?” Mousethief asked and I nodded. “You can’t retire with Mes, Mittens. You will keep fighting and fighting. You might be a curious cat and want to know what is at the end of it all, but I prefer to live in comfort and not have to worry about all of that.”
‘The past User is correct. I am a weapon system. I will not be content being put on a shelf and forgotten.’
‘But I didn’t use you for years! Why didn’t you activate sooner?’ I remembered blood falling on the stone, but I just didn’t understand the details of why Mes was the way they were if they were so powerful.
‘User Mittens. I don’t control everything. But I can nudge events in my favor. Like you pulling a claw at that time. Since it was the most optimal time for me to reveal myself. I won’t deny it.’
‘And my mother?’ I asked.
‘Could perceive the event happening where she died, but there was nothing I could do without revealing myself. Which would result in everyone’s deaths regardless.’
“Mittens, Mes…is not made by a creature or anything we know about. It is alien. And is trouble. I have skills that allow me to know which missions have the highest payouts. They tend to be the more dangerous ones. Also, some information skills.” I shook my head trying to process this all. “What I am saying, is that any skill we have is a skill that Mes has to have.”
‘He is correct. They are tied into passively scanning and probability calculations. It isn’t always exact, since other energy events can cause divergent readings. The future is always in flux and ever changing.’
‘And how I almost died?’ I asked.
‘You didn’t die and I assisted you. But that is a risk. If you die, then I will arrange to fall into the hands of another creature to take me up as a User. But until then, my loyalty remains with you.’
‘And whatever or whoever made you, that you can’t tell me about,’ I angrily replied mentally.
‘I was created by a turnip.’ My mind went blank at that.
‘What?!’
‘There is no optimal word in your language to describe my creation or my creators. That means a turnip is just as a good description as any other. While there are privilege levels, I can promise you one thing. I don’t have a stake in your war against the snakes. You win, I don’t have to find another user. You lose, you were too weak and not destined for the future.’
‘I…I need to think about all of this,’ I mentally replied. Mes gave me a nod and disappeared.
“Good talk?” Mousethief asked me. I let out a soft groan.
“No. I am coming to a lot of realizations. One of them is that I don’t understand Mes in the slightest, except they want me to kill and get stronger,” I replied. “Do you know what would happen if I didn’t kill creatures?” I asked.
“Bad luck. Situations would tilt against you. It is hard to say exactly how Mes would interfere, but they would. That was why I gave them up. Peaceful life, remember. If you don’t like it, just find a creature to pass Mes onto. If you do, then does it really matter right now?”
“You’re right, but I still don’t like it,” I bitterly replied.
“No one likes to be manipulated and not feel in control. Welcome to being an adult, Mittens,” Mousethief said with his usual cheeky grin. What an annoying mouse.