Chương 12: 179. Emergency Potato

Alex flipped to a fresh page in his notebook and continued his work. The blue ballpoint pen scribbled furiously, his handwriting slowly devolving to its earlier, pre-integration, messy state. The Elven ritual had consumed most of his evening, and it had been a while since he'd felt so stuck with his mentor's personality.

"No, brat. Stop doing the center like that. I'm telling you, it's meant to look like this." Overlapping illusions appeared in his vision to point out exactly where Alex had gone wrong.

"You're making a similar motion to Empower, but this is a different tree. The outer portion is shaped like it's derived from the Amplify Rune, but the layered center core is what doesn't make sense to me. It's almost like it comes from the primal version of Creation." As he talked, the old spirit gradually went from conversing with Alex to mumbling to himself. Alex moved on to another sketch, below the apparent failure.

"Like this?"

"Yeah, that's closer to it. Hmm…" There was a long enough pause that Alex briefly wondered if Maelis had fallen asleep.

"No, I didn't."

"Right." Alex sighed and set down his pen while rubbing his face.

"Explain these trees to me. You've mentioned them a few times now."

"Mmm… all runes come from the Prime rune, but they're normally classified by trees that group clusters of similar formation. Those trees can change in minor ways or different groupings depending on the planet's or race's understanding of the magic, but don't waste your brain space on that yet." The amount of knowledge Maelis had was so tantalizing to Alex, he had to force himself to push the thoughts aside. A knock sounded at his door, and his stomach twisted in anticipation.

The wards of his office were already down, so he called for Edwin to enter.

"Master Moore, I acquired a lead on one of the skills you wished for me to procure." Alex rubbed his forehead.

"That's great, which one was it?"

"A skill for enhanced memory recall."

"Hmm, that one isn't really as important." He thought about it for a moment.

"See if you can't get it, but if they're asking for an outrageous price, don't worry about it. When I hit C Rank, I don't think memory is going to be much of a problem anymore. The two important ones are the ones for increased learning capabilities, pattern recognition, and any that are more analytical in nature."

"Very well, sir," Edwin said.

"Hey, while you're here. I have something for you." Edwin stopped and looked back at him with interest. Alex waved him over and reached into the desk drawer.

"I went to walk the property earlier with Craig and Duke, and part of that was scouting the house for a larger warding system. Having the office protected was the primary concern, but with all of us leaving again, I want to make sure that the people here have some sort of safety fallback." He placed a heavy, round stone on the desk about the size of two fists side by side.

"More wards, Master Moore?"

"Just in case." He smiled up at the butler as he lifted the rune-etched stone.

"I'm calling it the emergency potato. This will really be a last line of defense for you guys. It's not as complex as the one set up around the office—I'm just not good at making one with exempt runes the size of the house. So, this one's got more power, but once you activate it, there's no getting out. Not until someone either breaks it or it runs out of juice." Edwin gave a slight shake of his head before tucking the stone into his spatial pouch.

"Impressive, sir. In the event something does go wrong, what would you like the protocol to be?"

"Well, none of us should be in Rifts for extended periods of time, this time. I think we all might be dipping in and out of them, but for the most part, I plan to be testing what's happening outside of the Rifts. If something serious happens, like you get attacked or a powerful group tries to do something to you or the house, pull as many people to the house as you can and activate the controlstone. As soon as you do, call me and the rest of the team.

I'm hoping the barrier will last and give us time to make it back."

"How long will the sanctuary last?"

"If they're not broken, the Mana Stones I integrated into the anchor stones should give you about a week of protection. But again, there's no getting in or out. That means you'll need to make sure you have enough provisions for whoever is here to last that long." The old butler nodded.

"Not a problem, sir. I've already begun to build a reserve of dry foods and rations, and with the greenhouses beginning their first rotation soon, I hope we can add to that."

"Great. Also, I'd really like to give Craig a little something. I know he said he didn't want payment, but I can already tell that having him and Duke around is going to be a huge boon. He got the spinners set up without a problem, and apparently, Duke naturally got a digging skill when trying to help make a tunnel for the spinners. Craig has plans to expand on it and create a cavern under the back woods, so that they can be more comfortable." Edwin raised an eyebrow, and his mustache twitched.

"Of course, sir. I'll look into the matter and work out something with Mr. Hume."

"Awesome," He glanced over his shoulder in time to see a black sedan pulling into the round section of the drive. He let out a sigh.

"Will you go bring Jake in?" Edwin bowed and placed both arms behind his back before silently moving from the room. A couple of anxious minutes passed where Alex stood, sat, and stood again before Edwin crossed the threshold of the office and motioned for his brother to enter.

"Dude," Jake said with wide eyes. Alex was standing in front of his desk and gave his brother a smile.

"Hey."

"What the hell?"

"Yeah," Alex said, scratching his neck.

"No. Like… what the hell!" Jake laughed and looked around.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm gonna need a little more than that! When you said you were living outside of the safe zone, I was expecting some sort of shack in the woods," Jake said in bewilderment.

"It's turned into a little more than that."

"You don't say," his brother said with a thick layer of good-natured sarcasm.

"Now I get why you didn't want to come see us in the safe zone. You've got some luxury here, bro!"

"Eh," Alex said, unsure of how honest to be.

"It's not that. Honestly, I just don't think I want to see Mom and Dad for a bit." He shifted his weight and looked at the ceiling. Jake's smile fell some, and after a moment he nodded.

"I get that. Alex… I know I already said it, but I really am sorry." Alex looked at Jake and saw his brother's eyes flick from side to side. This is part of why I didn't want him here. Does he think I'm looking down on him? Is he going to change how he acts because of all this?

"Does it matter?" Maelis's voice almost startled Alex, but it did keep things in perspective.

"It's all right. I meant it when I said I felt like I was growing past a lot of the family stuff. The exit might have been dramatic, but I feel like you can probably understand now, right? After seeing all of the Rifts and monsters, and how much everything is changing, Mom and Dad's nonsense just seemed so…"

"Small," Jake offered.

"Small. Exactly." Alex shrugged.

"I do get it. It's been pretty shocking to me how much they seem to be stuck in their ways, even with the sheer scale of what's happening. Seeing them at the house, it's almost like they expect it to end any day now and just go back to normal life." There was an awkward pause before both Maelis and Jake spoke simultaneously.

"So, how was the training rotation?"

"Is his trait as absurd as yours?"

"It was good," Alex said noncommittally.

"We got a lot stronger as a team. There are some small areas for us to all round out in the next month or so." He has something that unlocks a new stat for him. Charisma. He's always been really sociable, and people love him. It feels fitting.

"Dangerous." That was **all that Maelis said. Alex perked up at that.

"That's good," Jake said.

"The whole Continental Event has really shaken things up. I was worried about the state of things in DC there for a bit."

"Mhm, I bet. Edwin filled me in on some of what happened over the last month. Sounds tense."

"Yeah, but the Hunters that came out of the rotation early to help were so strong, no one could really cause too much harm. We've made pretty big strides since then." Alex nodded, feeling a bit bored with the small talk.

"So, I wanted to chat with you. I had a meeting with the director earlier, since it was a bit of an emergency, but normally I think my communications with the HA will be going through you." Why do you say that?

"Charisma and social class builds are always dangerous. It's one of those classes that repeatedly grows too strong and can create some extreme egos. They get more used to controlling and manipulating people than any other set of class." More than a warrior? Can't a warrior just force people to do what they want?

"Sure, but there's always someone stronger to keep them in check or bounce their head off a wall. These social types need to be clever and pretty intuitive from day one. It makes for a really dangerous opponent. Be careful," Maelis said. Jake drew his attention again with his response.

"That should be pretty easy. Especially with me being back in Jersey. I have connections for most things you could want to do."

"Okay, great. I don't know if there should be some sort of chain of command. It doesn't feel right that I'm just having regular conversations with the director of the organization." Jake laughed a bit nervously.

"Yeah, they might want to set that up. But… to be honest, I think they're going to want to keep that line of communication open for you. Ya know, with the whole Integration Champion and everything." Alex tried not to wince. Let's talk more later. With only one mind, it's a pain to hop back and forth. Maelis merely grunted in response.

"You know about that?" he asked Jake. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Most everyone does at this point," his brother confirmed.

"Should I be worried about that?"

"Why should you?" Jake asked.

"I don't know. In case someone tries to come attack me or something."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Jake asked. That response reminded Alex that even though Jake was living in the world of Awakened, he was still essentially working a corporate job. Alex's mind immediately went to the fact that someone had attempted to kidnap him less than 24 hours before. Instead, he threw out a more obvious answer.

"People are always trying to test their power, right? What if they want to challenge me to test themselves? What if they come and they're jealous of what I have? A little less sinister, but what if a ton of people start showing up, thinking I can help solve all of their problems?"

"Hmm, maybe. I didn't think about that. Do you want the Association to do something?"

"Not really, maybe just don't spread around who I am? I had some trouble getting into the safe zone yesterday, but it seemed like it got cleared up."

"Well, I'm sure the fact that people can't scan you makes them uncomfortable around there. They either think you have a high level, which is true, or that you have some expensive and powerful item to mask your read-out." Alex shrugged.

"It's not an item, so I can't really turn it off. I just need to make sure that my ID is good and gets me in and out if I need to."

"Fair enough, I can check on that. Anything else?" He thought about it for a moment.

"No, not from the HA. But, I might want to ask something from you, if it's not an issue." Jake's eyebrows climbed in surprise.

"Go ahead, what is it?"

"Your introduction to Craig was great. I've asked him and Duke to come here and live on the property with me. If you have other connections or people with useful skills that you wouldn't mind passing my way, I could really use them."

"Ah, you want my help as a recruiter?"

"If it doesn't interfere with your normal job."

"Are you forming a guild here?"

"No, nothing like that. But, I mean, it's turning into something. My focus is just my friends and me, but it seems like more and more is coming together around that. I've given Edwin a list of people to keep an eye out for, but if you take a look at the list and have any recommendations, I'd welcome the help." Jake nodded.

"I'd be happy to take a look at the list."

"Awesome. Thank you, I appreciate it." Alex looked at his brother and gave a genuine, if slightly sad, smile as his mind wandered to Eura's parting note.

"I- I'm glad you're here, Jake." Jake gave him a curious look, and his eyebrows came together in a slightly incredulous expression.

"Of course. I'm happy to be here." Looking past Jake, Alex gave Edwin a small wave into the room.

"Jake, I've got something I need to do, so this will have to be a short visit. Edwin can show you around the house and property if you're interested, and feel free to hang out. Mark, Sam, and Sarah are around here somewhere if you want to say hey, too."

"Oh—yeah, of course. No worries. Right." Jake's features shifted as he turned, giving Edwin a winning smile.

"Hello, again." Edwin raised his arm at the waist.

"If you'd follow me, Mr. Moore."

"Uh, Edwin. Show him the hiring list, too. He might have a lead on some of those positions."

"Of course, sir." Jake raised an eyebrow when Edwin turned to leave the room. The somewhat impressed and mocking arm movement he made to imitate Edwin almost made Alex laugh out loud. It reminded him of his early thoughts of the butler. After they'd left, Alex looked around the office and packed up some of his belongings. If things went well with Valtherion, he planned to leave tomorrow. He felt antsy and anxious to get moving and continue his progression.

He activated the wards of the office before walking to the workshop. It was his first time seeing the new space that Edwin had made for Val. It was actually in the back closet of the workshop, which was more like a small room, meant for housing tall storage shelves and replacement equipment. As he entered the workspace, he saw that the door to the closet had been removed, and all of the hardware and shelving that had previously occupied the room were also removed.

In their place, several oversized beanbag chairs had been thrown in to cover the floor in a foot of plush cushioning. Additionally, some hanging shelves had been installed to hold items. All three of the clones looked up from what they were working on, and Warrior seemed to have a guilty look on his face. Alex ignored the other versions of himself for the time being, focusing on his bond.

"Wow," Alex said, dragging out the word. His companion lifted his head as he placed both hands on the door frame and leaned in to get a better look at the room.

"Edwin really hooked you up, huh, buddy?"

"I like it," Valtherion confirmed.

"I bet you do," he laughed.

"This is awesome. Way better than the cat tree, huh?"

"It is low, but it is comfortable. I like it," he said again.

"Fair enough. Maybe we'll see if we can put the next one on the roof or something, what do you think?"

"That would be very nice." Alex looked at the mana leaking from the beanbags and the items all around him.

"What's in the bean bag chairs?"

"My Mana Stones. Mark called it my hoard." Alex chuckled.

"That's another reference to you being a dragon. Remember that?"

"Roar," Valtherion said with a nod, the word coming out with absolutely no inflection or growl behind it. He facepalmed.

"Yeah. Roar, buddy. I'm going to give you the item to start your evolution now, but while I'm gone, I want you to start watching some movies. You've gotta see what dragons do, okay?"

"Watch movies?"

"Yeah, it's easy. Mark will show you. You just sit and watch the screen."

"That sounds boring."

"It's actually a lot of fun. Bring your favorite snack, and time will fly by."

"Mana," Val said confidently.

"Yes, exactly," He reached out and scratched the top of Val's head. His companion closed his eyes as he rubbed his palm back and forth on his snout.

"I'm expecting some pretty big changes from your evolution here. Make sure you keep training while I'm gone, okay? I'll be back in a few weeks, and you can always reach out to me through our bond."

"I will get stronger," his companion confirmed.

"Good. And look after Edwin for me while I'm gone, okay? He is doing a lot for us, and we want to make sure to take care of him."

"I will watch him." Something felt wrong about just giving him the item and walking away, so instead, Alex gently pushed his companion's head to the side and wiggled his way onto one of the beanbags. They talked and relaxed for almost an hour. Valtherion wrapped his long tail around Alex's shoulder and rested his head on his stomach. He'd grown so much lately, his head had just enough weight to restrict his breathing. Alex didn't mind in the least.

Soon, though, he started to hear concerning noises and flashes of mana from the clones in the main section of the workshop. The hour of doing nothing and relaxing with Val felt good and refreshed his outlook on things. They'd made great progress in the last few months, and just like he'd consolidated his gains, it was now time for his bond to do the same.

"Okay, bud. You're up." He removed the Veiled Oculus from his bracer and held it out for Valtherion. The amphitpere gently took it from his hand before greedily devouring the monster item. Just as before, his eyes grew heavy, and the already lethargic beast quickly became sleepy. A single, floating golden mote appeared in the air overhead and drifted through the small closet space. Alex smiled down at Val and gave his head one last pat before moving to the main section of the workshop.

The fractured clones stopped what they were doing and approached him.

"How's it going?" Scout asked.

"Good, he's starting the evolution."

"How long do you think it'll take this time?" Mage questioned.

"No idea. Maybe a few days if it's like the last one. But my guess would be longer, since he's got more power." Alex looked around at the space and the mess the clones had made.

"Man, the little noodle is going to hit the next rank before us, again." Alex shrugged.

"I think that's going to be a trend. The last few levels of a rank are going to be hard for me to get, but he just gets to eat an item and close the gap."

"I guess the trade-off is that we need to have that powerful item," Mage offered.

"I guess… What- what the hell are you guys doing in here?" Alex asked. He knew he could check his memories and find out, but it felt odd to do so when the others were standing right in front of him.

"Check it out," Warrior said before pulling on his mana. Alex could see the mana moving through his left eye and was impressed as he recognized a new spell circle. Once the spell was cast, it flashed into existence for a moment around the warrior's feet before his clone moved. Both of Alex's eyes went wide as he saw a version of himself move in a blur of speed well past what should have been possible.

"It works then?" He asked in excitement.

"It does," Mage said with a huge smile.

"They've been doing this nonstop for the last day and a half," Scout said tiredly.

"There's a lot of adjusting to get used to," Warrior said as he came back over at normal speed.

"But Maelis was right, the rune worked exactly how we hoped."

"Of course I was right," The spirit said with a sniff. Alex rolled his eyes, and Mage spoke up.

"He said he knew he would be right, didn't he?" All of them laughed at the haughty mentor's predictability, and Scout even pretended to grumble in anticipation of Maelis's reaction. The timing and tone were spot on, almost overlapping with the grumpy rune mage's consciousness in his head. This caused Alex to laugh harder and Maelis to ask when he could return to the void for sleep. When they calmed down, Alex felt his sense of excitement building.

This is what he'd been pushing so hard for in those final months in the Rift. He was home, his magic was advancing, he had a mission to go on, and his friends were safe and growing as well.

"So, what's the plan?" Warrior asked.

"I'll finish packing tonight and make sure everyone has what they need from me. I'd like to leave early tomorrow."

"What about us?" Mage asked.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll dismiss all of you in the morning to absorb the magical and physical muscle memory, now that we have the physical bodies. I'm excited to see how much of your training transfers over to me. Also, I'll work with Lin in the morning to create a few masks from the mana spinner silk for all three of you, then you can at least move around and not confuse people."

"Before I head out, I'll make sure to resummon all three of you. You'll be coming with me. Without Valtherion to search for Rifts, we're going to need to spread out and search for the mana ourselves. We don't need to be too efficient, and we have a lot to practice between Rift sightings.

"Sounds good," Scout said. The other two nodded in agreement.

"Show me some of the other spells, while we've got some time?" Alex asked Mage. The fractured clone walked to a table and grabbed a notebook. He held it out for Alex to inspect while beginning to explain his findings.

"So if you look here. These are the ones I feel that will be useful. None quite as good as that swift spell is going to be, but this one here…"

Mage's List of Spells: SPARK: Alteration – Electrifies what passes through it, briefly. Wand bolt and thrown objects work. Can pass a few charged attacks before the circle fades. Trap – Sparks erupt the moment someone crosses the spell base's circle. Causes a short stun or jolt. Circle remains hidden for ~60 seconds or until triggered. Area – Lightning arcs rapidly across a surface in a burst, like a flash-fry carpet. Only lasts 1–2 seconds. Directional – Sends an arc of lightning in a line.

Quick discharge, mostly useful for quick damage or stunning. Targeted – Painfully shocks the target, creating a focused, full-body taser effect. NOTE: Do not cast on self... BARRIER: Alteration – Varying results. Dangerous. Do not try until further testing is done. Trap – When triggered, erects a thin, curved wall of force. Could be good for stalling or pinning in place. Remains for a few seconds once activated. Don't see too many uses for this, except maybe stopping an object in motion.

Area – Creates a shallow, shimmering shield across the circular area of the spell base. Lasts for ~4 seconds. Great at stopping a few attacks, but covers a smaller surface area. Directional – Puts up a curved or flat wall in one direction for ~2 seconds. Strong, and covers almost the entire body, but very short-lived. Targeted – Forms a brief shell around the target's body. Might be good in theory, but often breaks when you move after it's created.

Can see a future where this is great, but for now it doesn't seem worth it. BREEZE: Alteration – Imbues an object with a burst of wind as it passes through. Throwing a rock tends to send it in odd directions, but something like a mana bolt has enough momentum to create a stronger projectile. Test with some arrows? Trap – When triggered, releases a whoosh that knocks back or unbalances targets. Might be effective vs.

small enemies or unstable footing, but I see most normal enemies barely even being distracted by this. Area – Localized burst of swirling wind. May blow away light projectiles, dust, or cause minor disorientation. NOTE: Not strong enough to stop arrows… Directional – Fires a focused gust; pushes enemies or objects, but the force dissipates quickly with distance. Most effective at closer ranges. Targeted – A burst of wind or gust on the target's body, usually non-harmful.

Could knock a small item out of someone's hand? Maybe? ANCHOR: Alteration – Adds heavy resistance to movement to what passes through it. Tested with swords and arrows and it works on both. Weapon swings became slower or armor becomes harder to move in. Short duration. Trap – Locks down the first person to step in. Seems much stronger than alteration. Less like weight, and more like being locked in place once crossing the threshold.

Area – Everyone in the zone feels a similar effect to trap, though maybe a little less potent and doesn't last as long. Directional – Needs more testing. Hard to predict effects. Has the potential to be very strong, if consistency is managed. Targeted – Almost identical to trap, though making smaller circles does allow you to use it on more specific areas of the body. This seems the most reliable version of the spell and something to be added to the main kit. CLEANSE: NOTE: Maelis was right about Cleanse.

For now, it doesn't seem to do anything with weak poison curing, just outer or surface level cleaning. Alteration – Wipes surface grime or mundane filth from what passes through it. Could be used to clear blood, dirt, etc. No magical cure properties. NOTE: Does not get rid of plain water… Trap – On trigger, emits a flash of mana that works similar to alteration, just on the full body. This came with a somewhat pleasant feeling. Area – Gentle cleansing pulse. Visually satisfying to watch the ripple of mana move out.

Not as potent as Trap or Alteration when it comes to cleaning. Directional – Little to no effect. Caused dirt and grime to shift or move from surfaces, though Area seemed to do this better in most aspects. Targeted – Briefly scours the outer layer of the body. Itches. Do not use on self. NOTE: Caused almost immediate bowel movement… SWIFT: Alteration – Enhances an object's speed when it passes through. This could be endlessly useful in combat. Tested on wand bolts, arrows, and thrown objects.

Seems to take better effect on things with weight (meaning the arrow worked better than the mana bolt), but still applies to what passes through it. Trap – The person triggering it gets a sudden speed burst. Only lasts ~2 seconds, but could see it being potentially useful for allies or throwing off an opponent. NOTE: Do not use on allies until practiced… Area – Rather than increasing speed noticeably, made everyone in the area feel lighter and as if they could move faster. Directional – Needs more testing.

Effect was indeterminable. Targeted – The most reliable effect. Boosts the target's movement for ~3 seconds. Causes a heart rate spike, but no immediate harm. This will become a core part of the kit and even everyday life. Extensive testing done and more needed.