We are back doing convoys. The army and, to a lesser degree, the Network have lost a lot of fighters, if the emptiness of our base right after the battle was any indication. But we are detectors, albeit no longer active ritualists. I spend my days in a big wheeled armored vehicle on highways. I am powering our detection device. After getting a full set of essences and with Thomas helping to keep me powered, I can run it for hours now.

It is boring work. I don’t drive this vehicle. Frankly, I am no truck driver. I could drive it on a highway while everything goes well. But that is not when you want a good driver. The army does not want a civillian to operate a chain gun on a military vehicle. If the device gets hard to operate and to interpret, you are in a situation you do not want to be in. And obviously, you do not want to risk people with a unique, valuable ability in combat. We still do lootings. And this drives me to a decision. I can no longer evade it. Would my mates save my life if it came to that? Yes, they would.

P: I have found a way to get a better understanding of my racial abilities.

D: How?

P: Well … something close to meditation.

U: Are you going esoteric on us?

T: Restored youth driving to seek distractions?

Thomas is sort of right. Getting a full set of essences gives you excessive energies. I even have started pumping iron in the gyms of various bases.

P: That and getting into a state of knowing that your opportunities are strictly limited.

We have a moment of awkward silence.

U: Be that as it may. What are the results?

P: I think I finally understand One of the three abilities I did not understand.

T: Three? Sorry, I thought you understand two of them. That makes two remaining.

P: There it begins. We, that is at least I, have six racial abilities.

D: Because you have a full set or do we all have more abilities.

P: I think the latter, but can we return to the topic? I think I can loot without a ritual.

D: Great, so we have coins to spare …

U: Darling!

D: Which we will have to responsibly report as savings.

P: There is an additional point. I think I can store loot directly.

U: Let’s make this clear. Nobody can verify what you would have looted.

P: Yes, I think I can even make it conditional and partial.

T: If you can get at least as much out of the monsters as a ritual, nobody would be hurt.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

P: There is that. I think we need to test this. You are good at statistics.

D: We do need to test this. We must understand those powers.

U: We should report it.

D: Do you trust that it won’t get to the Network.

U: No. Test it.

T: I want the first essence you loot.

Ulrike gives him a long look. Then she nods.

--

I am rich. I get coins from looting. After the first two times, which I wrote off as failures, which got me a pat on the shoulder from the convoy commander and a can of diet coke from him, I can make the coins and hopefully the Essences and Awakening Stones go into my vault, while the rest still shows up like usually. So far I am seeing no difference in quantities.

--

This time they let us fight. It real boils down to letting us, because we are useful at this particular task. We are facing one of those tortoise monsters. The rest of the soldiers drives it towards me.

My anti-materiel rifle version of my conjured weapon kills it with one well placed shot.

--

T: You are getting more from the new mode of looting. 14.0% so far. This has three sigmas of significance.

P: Good. I have something for you.

I show him the Essence I have gotten from the tortoise

U: Very well. You seem sad.

P: In this case I killed the monster and deserve the loot. But I am now realizing that I got my powers because so many men - and women, sorry Ulrike, helped – and died – so that I could get loot from monsters I had no chance of overpowering and looting on my own.

U: What do you want to say with that?

P: I need to give back. Not just with this work, but with Essences for people who deserve them. That means you all. I don’t want to give the Network even more stuff.

Ulrike is looking towards the floor.

U: I can see why you feel that way. I have thought about this. You seem to loot the stuff we really need at the time we need it. This country will change a lot.

I cannot tell her. But she may be right anyway.

P: One thing more

I show Thomas a conjured replica of my tricorder’s probe in the color he is familiar.

P: I want to test whether I can talk to somebody else’s racial powers.

T: So you want to probe me before and after I absorb this Essence.

--

Name: Thomas Miller Race:

Human

Current rank: Normal Progress to iron rank: 50% Power: Gun Iron 0 Speed: normal Spirit: Coral Iron 0 Recovery: normal Racial Abilities: [Human Ambition] [Special Attack Affinity] [Share the Nourishment] [Read the Fine Manual] [Essence Gift] [Essence Gift]

P: It has worked. Let me write this down while I still remember it.

T: Good. I am going to find me a nice flat spot for the essence ritual