~~~Stanley~~~
Get into other people's heads, or try to save myself… Stanley debated the issue with himself as he hovered above the world, an impassable dungeon wall at his back and Nate's base a speck in the distance.
He could finally get into Nate's head with the intrusion skill, assuming Nate didn't have something to block him. Stanley could demand Nate let him in anyway... He'd claimed to be on his side; refusing to let Stanley read his thoughts would be a huge red flag on that front.
It was tempting. To know who he could trust. Absolutely.
Except he already knew without a doubt who to trust. Caffeine.
The pug in his lap wasn't quite napping, but his eyes were closed as he breathed deeply through his nose. Scenting the wind.
Stanley stroked the gray fur that felt as soft as ever and thought about his options. Caffeine had shown no hostility toward Nate, or any of the people Nate sent to be on Stanley's team. In fact, he seemed delighted with them...
That meant they were all trustworthy.
So he didn't need to read their minds.
Then why did it feel so hard to choose?
New Class Skill Gained: Harmonic Meditation (Rare) - Level 1 (Novice)
Knowledge entered his mind after the impulsive decision, and Stanley only cursed a little while flying towards Nate's base. He could trust them. He had to. Because using meditation would leave him vulnerable.
The building was full of people, including every room that he might have used for this. So Stanley followed the golden soul to Zeke's location and settled in there. Nate had put his strongest around the boy, so why not let them protect him too?
Caffeine was thrilled with the development, and Stanley let him go with a bittersweet smile. Then he sat cross-legged on the floor, his hands resting on his knees in the proper position, and activated his new skill.
Darkness enveloped him.
Only it wasn't truly darkness. It was something more. Or less.
Nothingness...
He could feel his body, but it was distant. Almost like he was watching it from far away... His thoughts felt similar.
The skill required that he control the energy flowing through his mind and body in a specific pattern, and it wasn't difficult. Almost like breathing... very... meditative.
There was just one little problem.
The nothingness of the void.
Stanley tried to immerse himself deeper into the trance... tried to ignore the hungry dark surrounding him in here... tried so hard not to feel the maw of oblivion breathing down his neck...
None of it was real. It was just his mind playing tricks. He wasn't dying this time. Lee wasn't dying. He could feel him and Caffeine both more clearly than ever...
Light and sound crashed into him as the skill unraveled, leaving Stanley breathing heavily and staring warily at all the people in the room with him.
Skill Level Up: Harmonic Meditation
Skill Level Up: Harmonic Meditation
Skill Level Up: Harmonic Meditation
Stanley dove right back in. He'd chosen this skill, and he would damn well use it!
The anger drained away along with most of the fear... but not all of it. He stayed longer this time. Ignored the whispering shadows for longer.
Skill Level Up: Harmonic Meditation
He went back in, and this time Stanley stared back into the abyss. I won't let you take this from me! I won't fear you!
That was a terrible idea, and he crashed back to reality almost instantly... cold sweat breaking out over his entire body the moment his skill ended.
Stanley reactivated the skill and tried to use his mental touch to feel the surroundings, to ground himself in the real world... The skill canceled itself the instant he stopped focusing on controlling the energy flow. It required too much concentration... like trying to think two things at once.
But... that was good. Stanley did it again, slower this time.
He failed, of course. But only after a second. So he did it again, and again, and again. Over and over.
This was something he understood. Something he'd done a lot of lately. Training.
Stanley had learned how to push his truck, how to fly, how to fight against the monsters, how to control his weapons, how to feel the world with his thoughts, and how to do all of that at the same time. He could learn this too.
The notifications didn't appear while he was in there... which was nice. Stanley ignored them until...
Harmonic Meditation has reached the Level 10 Threshold. No Evolution Available.
Harmonic Meditation Upgraded to Level 10 (Basic)
He stayed where he was and kept working, with no knowledge of how much time passed. It was a cycle of concentration and peace, followed by fear and anger. But the peace eventually balanced out the fear once he kept it going long enough.
~~~Caffeine~~~
Caffeine was having the best time! So many Friends to play with!
He ran around very fast and played chase with his new Best Dog Friend. Then they played carrying with the Little Humans.
Best Dog Friend had his own Dearest Human and Caffeine agreed that she was the very best of Little Humans. Exactly as wonderful as his own Dearest Humans. Dearest Humans were all the best!
There were a lot of happiness noises and fun screaming from the Little Humans. It was the best!
Caffeine ran back to his Dearest Human a lot. To check on him and comfort him when he smelled like upset and afraid. He wanted Dearest Human to come play. That would make him not sad and very happy, but Dearest Human was busy thinking. So Caffeine only gave him comfort licks when he got extra upset.
Dearest Human would play once he finished thinking, and his thinking did make him less sad...
The Food Humans made lots of wonderful snacks for the Little Humans, and they were the best at sharing! Caffeine ate a lot!
He wanted to run around more in the outside, but the Little Humans weren't supposed to go there, so he had to play inside with them.
Caffeine even got to play a little with Warm Light Human. He made very nice light! It was like the sun on his belly! Caffeine wanted Warm Light to shine on Dearest Human, but he smelled too much like nervous... Some of the Not Dearest Humans also smelled like worried if Warm Light got close to Dearest Human... especially Warm Light's best friend.
She always smelled like frightened... but also like loving and protecting. She was a Good Human. She wanted Warm Light to be happy and safe. Dearest Human had frightened her... that wasn't nice. Caffeine tried to reassure her that Dearest Human was a good human too, but she was still frightened.
So Caffeine played only a little with her and the other Not Dearest Humans that watched Warm Light. They didn't want to chase... they only wanted to watch Warm Light. They wanted to keep Warm Light safe. Caffeine understood. He wanted to keep Dearest Human safe too! They were Good Not Dearest Humans.
~~~Stanley~~~
One of the things that helped most was that he could always feel Caffeine, even while in the void. He knew where the pug was at all times, and could even sense his mood far better with his own emotions suppressed by the skill. It gave him something pleasant to focus on, because Caffeine was having the time of his life roaming through the building.
He didn't notice the other feature until someone approached with Caffeine and then both of them stood beside him. Stanley knew they were there, even though he still hadn't gotten his mental touch to work. It had to be his domain... he just hadn't noticed when Caffeine went running in and out alone.
The newcomer was Jerry. With food. "Stanley, brought you the good stuff. I'll serve my slop to the peasants."
Stanley blinked at the much larger crowd of people filling the dining hall. It was dark outside... How long had he sat here?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Harmonic Meditation (Rare) - Level 20 (Basic)
He'd made some progress, at least, and he felt... okay. Stanley activated his Soul Sight. "Thanks Jerry."
Jerry flinched and shook his head. "Can't believe you doubled down on the scary eyes thing." He handed off a plate and set down a huge bowl piled high, which Caffeine licked clean in two seconds. "Well... at least he got the extra stats?"
Stanley checked.
Status
Name: Caff Caffeine
Race: [Canine(Pug)](F-grade)
Traits: [Good Boy]
Class: Beast Lord (Legendary) - Level 20 (Basic)
Class Skills: Howl of the Beast Lord (Legendary) - Level 5 (Novice)
Attributes:
Strength: 10
Vitality: 10
Dexterity: 10
Perception: 10
Intelligence: 10
Willpower: 10
Soul: ??? [Twin-Soul Bonded(Stanley Cascade)(Lee Cascade)]
Non Class Skills(0/3): [Big Enough] [Strong Enough] [Fast Enough] [Tough Enough]
Buffs: [Bill's Special]
Debuffs:
"He got the stats... or at least the buff," Stanley confirmed. As for his scary eyes... "And I need to level my sight skill."
He swept his gaze over the assembled masses. None of them stood out as rotten... though one was a familiar fire engine red that reminded Stanley of flames...
Tony.
It was a bittersweet reminder. The moron he'd had to punish... and Samantha talking to him later. Stanley could almost hear her voice... "Is Tony behaving?"
Jerry paused mid turn. "Would you believe he got a girlfriend?"
"That seems... unlikely. Though I guess there are plenty of morons still alive?"
"I should rephrase that," Jerry said. "He didn't get shit. I heard she picked him, and that she's stronger than he is... He follows her around like a puppy."
"That's... good?"
"Yeah. At least if he flips out, she can protect herself. Plus, Nate would spank the shit out of him if he tried another stunt like last time."
Stanley smiled at the image those words put in his head. Would Tony prefer that over a hand roasting? It would have to be embarrassing as hell to get a spanking as a grown ass man... but it would be a perfect response for someone throwing a tantrum.
Jerry moved on, and Stanley ate his food until the buff maxed out, then he gave the rest to Caffeine and got back to meditating... which lasted all of ten seconds before someone else entered his personal space. It was Edward.
"Stanley! Hi, Caff! Look what I brought you!" He sat down right next to Stanley and started feeding Caffeine more meat. "Who's a good boy!? You're a good boy!"
Stanley resisted the urge to slide the man away from him and went back into his meditation instead. It was odd. He knew the guy was sitting next to him... could feel it every time he moved... but there was nothing telling him that. He wasn't touching him, but just knew he was there.
Comforting, if nothing else. He couldn't get snuck up on while meditating... though the range on it wasn't very good. Stanley also couldn't actually tell what the guy was doing. He only knew he was there and moving occasionally. So he asked Edward to give him a little stab, just to check if premonition would also still work.
It did. Snapped him right out of meditation and fast enough to punt Edward a few feet away before his stab even landed.
"Thanks," Stanley told the laughing man.
Caffeine was staring back and forth worriedly, but the laughter must have helped because he quickly bounded over to jump on Edward.
Stanley stayed where he was and kept meditating. The crowds bothered him, but they vanished along with everything else when he went to the void. It helped that he knew Premonition would warn him if anyone tried anything... and feeling Caffeine's happiness as he roamed the area helped even more.
People left as the night progressed, until finally, the room was dark and quiet when Stanley next fell out of meditation.
Debuff Removed: [Cerebral Fatigue]
It was a very pleasant surprise that meditation not only didn't increase the debuff, but actually removed it faster.
Stanley had some theories about the debuff itself... and how he kept gaining it. Primary among them was that his attributes were too unbalanced.
Even without the negative physical attributes—thanks to his new source title—there was still a massive gap between physical and mental. He'd thought boosting mind attributes would include things like his actual physical brain, but now suspected it might require more. Like vitality.
There wasn't anything he could do about it now. Other than keep getting stronger. He might even find a solution at E-grade. Hopefully. If not, well, he wouldn't complain about having more power, and his regeneration, plus now meditation, would be enough to deal with the issue.
What he could do was increase his attributes. Two backpacks full of glowing cores sat beside him, light leaking through the seams. Stanley took the cores... and absorbed most of them. He saved the rest for Caffeine, but didn't wake the pug yet.
Caffeine was sleeping in his lap... and someone had given him a little blanket to snuggle beneath. Was it Nate? Edward?
It was such a little gesture... a blanket for Caffeine, but Stanley felt emotion rising at the sight before he dropped quickly back into the void. He'd need to find out who was so thoughtful... since he was the one keeping Caffeine from a warm bed—not that he had a bed here, did he?
He was tempted to go looking for one, for Caffeine's sake, but he didn't want to sleep, didn't want the nightmares... Caffeine still got to sleep on his legs, and now he even had a blanket. Plus, he might sleep better without having to worry about Stanley's nightmares as well.
Sometime later, Stanley opened his eyes slowly, easing out of the trance rather than crashing back to reality as he usually did. Part of that was to improve his control, but the rest was to spite whoever was currently poking him repeatedly... He'd gotten better, if only slightly, at touching the world while meditating. Now he could feel himself, and maybe an inch above his skin...
Harmonic Meditation has reached the Level 25 Threshold. No Evolution Available.
Harmonic Meditation Upgraded to Level 25 (Intermediate)
It was light out, and wouldn't you know it, Edward was the one poking him. "He's awake!"
Stanley slid the man away across the floor and grabbed the bin of meat that Caffeine was staring at very intently. He ate, somewhat disappointed to find that he was starving despite the meditation. It was supposed to reduce his need for food...
On the plus side, Stanley wasn't feeling tired. So that part seemed to have worked.
He switched back and forth between feeding himself and Caffeine, even though he knew the pug had likely eaten already. Nate promised unlimited food, so Caffeine could eat as much as he wanted. Could eat until he threw up... if that was...
Stanley turned his focus to the only people within an otherwise clear half-circle of open space around him. His group. All of them. Huh. He hadn't been sure they would come back after the day before... "Not traumatized enough yesterday?"
"What are you talking about!?" Edward exclaimed. "Yesterday was totally awesome!"
His reaction wasn't unexpected; it was the others Stanley had expected to bail. "Is Nate forcing you to do this?"
They exchanged glances before Serenity spoke. "He isn't forcing anyone. We..."
"We want to do this," Olivia said when the other woman hesitated. "Sure, it's terrifying, but it's not you..."
"It is sometimes," James mumbled.
"It's not you," Olivia stated with a glare at the other man. "It's everything. Monsters that can kill us in a heartbeat... that swarm of wasps... all of us are hanging on by a thread here. The knowledge that at any moment we could face something like that again... that is terrifying."
Serenity jumped back into the conversation. "I think what she's trying to say is that we actually feel safer with you... and Caffeine."
Silas finally chimed in, "We're losing people out there. Even from the big hunting teams. All it takes is one slip up, or an extra monster wandering through that you weren't expecting... Despite all our powers, it isn't always enough."
"Besides, being on your team gets us out of food gathering! We get to hunt all day! Not to mention the flying! And the..."
"Edward's enthusiasm aside," Serenity interrupted. "You're helping us far more than anything we could do for you. We aren't about to abandon such a sweet gig. Hell... I don't know if we've ever been in any real danger since joining you two. It's definitely not helping me level my healing..."
"Something we need to rectify," James said. "All of us, myself included, need to step it up today. Leveling skills is the only way to grow without E-grades to kill, and we'll need that extra power for when we do find them."
Stanley had suspected they'd hit the cap already... and he entertained a brief worry that they would reach E-grade ahead of him. Though the thought wasn't nearly as worrying as the idea of Nate at E-grade...
Sure, his group wasn't that pathetic... not anymore. But... were their weaker abilities part of the reason Nate had picked them? To make them less threatening?
Edward was the most concerning potential threat. Stanley could get a feel for each when he carried them, and Edward was the heaviest. He just wasn't sure what factored into it... So he asked them about their skills and percentage boosts. Though he waited until they were outside and flying closer to the city before doing so.
They told him everything. Which was surprising. It also confirmed his suspicions about Edward. The man not only had the highest boost of all of them—to his strength—but his total boosts to all the attributes were also higher than everyone else. Stanley's theory of their weight in his mind correlated with the total percentage boost once he ran the numbers.
He dropped them off with Caffeine and flew next door. The monsters, something with too many legs and long hair, never rallied outside as he slaughtered them. Though a few zombies shambled closer while he hovered in place.
Stanley would have ignored them, but Caffeine would rip them apart as soon as he popped out to check on him, and he didn't want the pug biting any of those disgusting things. So he killed the coreless zombies. Plus, they might eat some of his cores...
Then he flew to the next lair and slaughtered it as well.
The wasp cores Nate gave him added up to around two thousand dead monsters. More if Nate had held back his one percent. Unfortunately, they were all weak and only boosted a single attribute each. Of course, with those numbers, it still added up to almost thirty attributes across the board—a decent haul.
Almost thirty, because he was back into the diminishing returns after getting above fifty.
Status
Name: Stanley Cascade
Race: [Psychomancer](F-grade Human)
Titles: [Titan Slayer] [F-grade Source]
Traits: [Adaptable](66%) [Source Nexus] [Psycho] [Source Burned]
Class: Psionic (Rare) - Level 50 (Advanced)
Class Skills: Mind Over Matter (Legendary) - Level 50 (Advanced) | Premonition (Epic) - Level 35 (Intermediate) | Accelerated Thought (Rare) - Level 30 (Intermediate) | Harmonic Meditation (Rare) - Level 26 (Intermediate)
Attributes:
Strength: 70(+30%)91
Vitality: 71(+31%)93
Dexterity 70(+30%)91
Wisdom 72(+725%)594
Intelligence 74(+725%)610
Willpower 89(+1625%)1535
Twin-Soul ???(+28%)???
Non-Class Skills 1/3: Soul Sight (Rare) - Level 14 (Basic)
Buff:
Debuff: [Feeble] [Frail] [Hungry]
Yeah... his effective attributes were way off. Assuming it mattered... Nate had said nothing about balancing attributes, but then, the highest range Stanley had heard of was in the area of two or three hundred percent apart.
He just needed to reach E-grade. That was all that mattered now. Him and Caffeine. Which meant it was time to feed the pug.