Chương 72: George's Run (VII)

You Call This a Progression Fantasy? selected. You will be given five menus of five stats each. You may select one stat from each menu. If you do not want to choose a stat in a given menu, you may say "Pass." However, you will lose your opportunity to unlock one stat for each time you pass. Each stat you choose will unlock immediately and be upgraded to level 50. Stat Menu One 1. Canny—Shrewdness and instincts when reading situations and opponents. 2.

Agility—Enhances physical speed, balance, reflexes, and movement. 3. Wisdom—Increases mana reserve. Governs judgment and insight. 4. Uptime—Mental alertness and fleetness of thought. 5. Luck—Tilts probabilities in your favor. >>That is more limited than I thought it'd be, but at least we get descriptions this time. >>There is no choice here. Get agility. >>I suspect canny, wisdom, and uptime will all go through the roof when your ridiculous ability activates anyway.

>>If you are going to be moving at four, eight, or sixteen when your time dilation kicks in, you're going to need to juice up your agility. >>Plus, then you'll be able to touch your toes.

"Fine." George selected agility. New Stat! Agility unlocked—level 50 Just as when he unlocked the strength stat, George felt a wave of relief pass through his body. His muscles loosened, his posture realigned, and even standing felt sharper, more deliberate. He lifted his arm to his side and could sense a poise that hadn't existed previously. He raised his arm exactly as high as he meant to and no farther.

He tested a step forward and the motion felt alien in its control—heel, roll, toe, balance, all without wasted motion. Every subtle shift of his weight was precise and economical in a way that felt entirely new. Stat Menu Two 1. Durability—Resistance to damage, strain, and pain. 2. Tether—Existential anchor coefficient. 3. Primacy—Grants natural authority and presence. 4. Dapper—Heightens charm and perception of affability. 5. Animas—Strengthens spirit. Awakens inner life.

"I know what durability is but those others seem sort of opaque," George said. >>Not dying is always going to be a higher priority than you looking dapper or awakening your inner life. Sorry, George. Maybe we'll get you a cravat and do a psilocybin retreat when this trial is over.

"Do you know anything about what an existential anchor coefficient is?" George said. >>Not a damn clue. >>I don't even know enough about it to cleverly craft it into mildly demeaning banter. George selected durability. New Stat! Durability unlocked—level 50 The rush of unlocking the durability stat was more subtle and harder to describe than agility or strength. This feeling was deeper and slower—like stone settling into place.

His skin prickled as if a second hide had been drawn over him, not thicker, but harder to breach. The core of himself seemed more… solid. Stat Menu Three 1. Resonance—Increases your ability to amplify subspace connections in the world around you. 2. Schism—Splits focus, form, or force; act in the here and there at once. WARNING: May lead to existential dissolve. 3. Gumption—Increase boldness, nerve, and initiative. 4. Grit—Hardens resolve against exhaustion, pain, or despair. 5. Numinosity—Affinity for the divine.

WARNING: High levels may capture the attention of gods. >>Wow. I didn't know stats could have warnings. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.

"What is the deal with gods?" George said.

"Jane was a priestess of that night god." >>I have a feeling that whole question is one of those "leave well enough alone" topics. >>So… grit or what? I'm not interested in existential dissolve. >>Getting an upgrade on strength, grit, and durability could make you sorta tanky, which, as an inhabitant of your body, I would appreciate. New Stat! Grit unlocked—level 50 When his grit stat unlocked, he didn't feel it in his body. He felt it in his mind.

He felt like his determination had been heated, hammered smooth, and sharpened to a point. If level 50 was a peak human level in any stat, jumping 50 points in this stat in only a moment was a revelation. A swirl of feelings rose up in him and Cassie and Max were at the center of it. At the thought of them, his resolve hardened further. If there were only two resets left in this challenge, he would push each run as far as it could possibly go—and then push farther. Stat Menu Four 1.

Fluidity—Enhances the ease and adaptability of motion 2. Confluence—Harmonize with environmental kelsior tides 3. Liminality—Heightens awareness of reality thresholds 4. Constitution—Boosts overall hardiness of body and health, making you more resistant to fatigue and injury. 5. Grip—Increases the agility of your hands. >>Don't worry about hand agility… >>Just let me get into that other arm! >>I want it, George. >>Just think what we could accomplish. Knitting beanies. The Hand Jive. Infinite pullups.

Snapping necks like celery sticks.

"Stay focused, Nod." >>Whatever. >>One day…your left hand WILL BE MINE [evil laugh].

"So… constitution, right?" >>Yes. New Stat! Constitution unlocked—level 50 When the constitution stat unlocked, George's bodily health and vitality jumped through the roof. He drew in a deep breath and oxygen poured into his lungs and was hungrily forced into his bloodstream. Minor chronic injuries he hadn't noticed corrected themselves and his bones became denser. His vision sharpened. Abnormal, pre-cancerous cells dissolved. He could feel his body recalibrating and refreshing itself.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Stat Menu Five 1. Perception—Sharpens awareness and expands attention to detail. 2. Bloom—Increases likelihood of regenerative pulses. 3. Mental Fortitude—Increases the resistance to mental attack and influence. 4. Water Affinity—Deepens connection to the element of water. 5. Charisma—Amplifies presence, persuasion, and likeability.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" George said. >>Well, hopefully, you aren't thinking about increasing your charisma stat. >>You just need to cut your losses on that one, my friend. >>However, if you have been paying attention at all, you're thinking about getting that mental fortitude stat. Because—though Cassie has won a cute-kid-sister place in my affections—that girl is scary as hell.

"I'm pretty sure we're safe from Cassie, but apparently there are three whole guilds out there dedicated to teaching telepaths how to mess with people's minds. No thanks," George said. New Stat! Mental Fortitude unlocked—level 50 George felt an electric buzz in his mind that flickered briefly and then passed, almost like a static shock that radiated into the recesses of his mind. For some reason, he tasted metal. >>Well, that all went surprisingly well. >>I've said it before, but I'll say it again.

That legendary quest power is fire. George raised his voice and said, "My next pick is the visit from the dreamweaver weaponwright." Visit from the Dreamweaver Weaponwright selected. Without any further warning, a large mahogany desk popped into existence in front of him. George swerved the jet ski to avoid hitting it. A small, gray creature was perched on a tall stool behind the desk. < Gnostic Gnome, Dreamweaver Weaponwright> The gnome had a round head, large ears, and bulbous, protruding eyes.

Its face was streaked with soot stains and it wore thick safety goggles that were currently pushed up on top of its bald head. It chewed the stub of a squat cigar and rolled its large eyes toward George, as if it was unsurprised by its sudden appearance in the hallway. As soon as the gnome appeared, the desk started to slide down the hallway. In the span of a few seconds, the desk had already slid out of arm's reach.

The gnome rolled its eyes back to the desk and watched as it picked up speed on its descent down the long ramp of the hallway. At a certain speed, its momentum crossed a threshold and its acceleration was turned into a loud, bumpy roll. The contents of the desk were flung toward the ceiling and walls in an amazingly loud racket as the desk's legs snapped off and the whole thing went careening into the pit.

The desk had been strewn with archaic devices: gleaming barrels, jagged blades, twisted coils of wire, and vials of mysterious substances. Now everything was clattering down the ramp of the hallway. Next, the gnome's tall stool tipped forward, depositing the creature on its feet beside George. The stool clattered to the ground and noisily followed the desk down the slope. The gnome turned to face George, took a long suck at his cigar, and then blew the smoke out and said, "Well? What can I do for you?"

The gnome cast another look down the hall, but only the stool remained in the hall and as he watched, it also tumbled into the mouth of the pit. The room was completely silent now. George dismounted from the jet ski and minimized it, drawing the tiny dolphin into his hand.

"Are you the weaponwright?" George said. The gnome nodded.

"How is this supposed to work?" The creature stared at George for a long beat and then said, "You give me the offerings and make them into a weapon that takes its traits from the offerings," the gnome said.

"There is a chaos god involved. It doesn't take long." The gnome produced a black velvet bag and held it up to George.

"I give you things and you make a weapon out of them? What kind of weapon?" George said.

"You don't get to choose. It just happens."

"So it is random?"

"Not random. Chaotic. It's magic."

"What should I choose?" George asked.

"I honestly don't care," the gnome said.

"Let's get this over with." George put his hand in his pocket and felt the Mentis token.

"Will I get the items back?"

"Yes," the gnome said.

"You will get the items back as a weapon." >>What do you think, Nod? >>The sling for sure. Maybe we'll get a better ranged weapon out of it. George unwound the long leather strap from his waist and dropped it into the bag. He remembered the needle that he had stuck the waistband of his former sweatpants and kept with him throughout the trial. He took it out and held it up.

"What do I get if I add the needle?" The gnome sighed.

"Everybody wants to know outcomes, but that isn't part of the deal. The gnostic gnomes are a quaternary affiliate of Ghosar, one of the lesser chaos gods of the divine center. I've done this a lot. If I told you exactly what to expect, that would almost guarantee you wouldn't get that outcome." The gnome shrugged.

"Ghosar is like that." George dropped the needle into the bag. He withdrew the Mentis token from his pocket.

"Let me see that," the gnome said, taking it out of his hand.

"That is a genuine aperture token from the Collegium Mentis—and a high-ranking one. Where did you get this?" the gnome said.

"A friend gave it to me," George answered.

"If your friend can get you another one, you should add the token to the bag. It could have, uh—" he glanced at the ceiling to indicate the god, "…Positive effects." George was about to add it to the bag, when the gnome added in a low voice, "But put your blood on it first."

"My blood?" George said.

"Yes, definitely," the gnome winked at him.

"More of those 'positive effects.'" >>I'm on it. One of Nod's claw's once again popped out of George's hand and stabbed his opposite wrist.

"Ow!" George shouted and the gnome looked at him strangely. George held the token to the small wound as it welled blood. When the token was smeared with his blood, he dropped it in the bag. The gnome shook the bag again and puffed on the cigar.

"Just three things…?" >>We could give him some of the armor, but I think we've burned that bridge as much as we should. What if whatever the chaos god does to it wakes up the shard in your hand? That would be bad news. >>I don't think we should give him the dolphin keychain. Having a means of fast travel is too valuable in here. >>Well, maybe with this stuff we'll get a brain needler that lets you tether into people and control their minds.

"I guess that's all we—" George stopped the thought as an idea occurred to him. He reached into his pocket and removed the tiny nodling spider that was curled into a ball at the bottom of the pocket. >>You said these things aren't really alive, right? Just capable robots. >>George Brandiss! >>You are not offering our progeny to become ingredients in a dark god's science experiment! >>But it's just a mindless machine, right? You're the one who said we need every edge we can get. What is the counter argument?

>>We'd lose our scout, for one thing! >>But we might get something better. >>Also, there is your parenting resume to consider. You've turned over a new leaf! Don't go back to your evil ways. >>This is worse than locking your child in your apartment while you go to work all day. >>The nodling isn't my child. >>But Max is. George dropped the spider into the bag and cinched the drawstrings shut so Nod couldn't tell it to crawl out.

"That's it, then?" the gnome asked. George nodded.

"Very well," the gnome said.

"Then open the bag and withdraw your new weapon."

"What? You didn't even do anything." George reached for the bag.

"I'm not the one doing it," the creature said.

"Hurry up. I don't get paid extra for these sidebar gigs." George opened the mouth of the bag and looked inside. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel a heavy weight at the bottom. He reached inside and took out a dense ball that looked like a tight coil of dark red metallic cable. <Reticulated Utility Appendage Construct>"What is it?" The gnome took it with both hands and held it up to his eyes, turning it around and looking at it from all sides. It was about the size of a bowling ball.

"Hmm. Not bad," the gnome said.

"The Mentis token and your blood have produced a mind bond with you. You'll be able to give it mental commands. It is not sentient but it will draw on your mentation to give it a base rationality that will make it capable of adaptive reactions to its environment. The needle has contributed to its offensive capability. The node spider drone and the sling have given it its form."

"But what does it do?" George said.

"I'm sure you will figure it out. Good luck." Then the gnome disappeared as quickly as it had come. When the gnome vanished, the dark red ball dropped to the ground with a thud and began to roll to the pit. George cast draw on it and it reversed course and rose into the air toward him. Before it reached his hand, a single crimson tentacle uncoiled itself from the mass and wrapped around his forearm. The tentacle was tipped with a sharp needle point that laid itself flat against his armor with a soft click.

It was all George could do not to jerk his hand away. The thing just hung on his arm and didn't make any other movements. >>The ball has a tail! >>Do you think that is the appendage in "reticulated utility appendage construct"? Then more arms began to slowly unfurl from the ball. They peeled back one by one like dark snakes. Some hung toward the ground. Others tightened their grip around George's arm.

One raised itself toward George's head and held its needle tip a foot from his face, gently wavering back and forth. >>Easy there, buddy. Your pulse is racing. I don't think we are in danger. This is supposed to be our weapon. Let's figure it out. Without warning, all the tentacle arms spread out wide is if they were stretching. There was a solid core at the point where all the arms met, much as there had been with the nodling, only bigger.

The arms moved in a coordinated, fluid motion, and climbed onto George's chest, sliding down his torso to wrap around his waist. The tentacles interlocked and braided themselves together and then went still. >>Dude. >>It's your sling belt. It remembers its old spot.

"Yeah," George whispered.

"But now my sling belt has snake arms tipped with needles and can move by itself!" >>The gnome said you are supposed to be able to control it with your mind. So…make it do something.

"Um… hey, little guy. Would you, like, get off me?" George said. The arms immediately unwound themselves from his waist, curled into a ball, and dropped to the ground. The ball began to roll and two arms shot out and braced it against the ever-steepening slope. George bent close to it and said, "What can you do?" The ball didn't move. >>Maybe you need to teach it tricks? You know… sit, stay, roll over. George held his hand above the little red ball and said, "Come."

The arms snapped open and it leapt straight upward at George's hand. The arms reached out and wrapped George's hand, forming a dense, tight ball around his fist. George shook his hand, but the ball wouldn't budge.

"Let go," George said. The tentacles opened again and resumed their posture of hanging from George's arm, some drooping toward the ground. Once again, one tentacle floated up toward George's face, its needle tip just inches from his face.

"Don't do that," George said. The tentacle pulled back and coiled around the center core. >>So it follows instructions, but we still don't know what it does.

"Be a belt again," George told the metal spider creature that was apparently his new weapon. It reached toward him and wrapped itself around his waist again, snugging itself around his middle and interlocking its arms around him.