(Nathan)

  “Pants?” Meekan asked, looking at Nathan with narrowed eyes and a mischievous smile.

  It was too early, and he was too tired to deal with her antiathan waved a hand and sighed. ‘He’s going to make me use it.’ His stomach ed. Doing this on a full stomach was a terrible idea. ‘Ugh, don’t vomit.’ Closing his eyes, he focused on keeping his food down.

  “Let’s get this over with.” Nathan leaned away from Meekan to retrieve the glyph from his pocket.

  “You’re about to unlock a new power. Why aren’t you excited?” Dorian asked. He was excited enough for the both of them.

  Nathan knew how odd his aust have seemed. Unlog a new ability was exg for everyohat was normal, how he should have felt. But he wasn’t normal. He couldn’t just ignore his fear and self-doubt.

  ‘I’m an abomination. I don’t want to feed what’s inside of me,’ was the answer he wao give. Instead, he said a silent prayer and crushed the glyph in his hand. Glyphs weren’t fragile, but they were magical and respoo a person’s i.

  [Physi orb]: Physi framework initializing.

  ‘Oh thank the Mother.’

  [Physi orb]: Maing new ability with Swift influence.

  [Physi orb]: New ability [Metabolize] unlocked.

  Speed up natural healing and healing over time effects that restore health.

  [Physi orb]: One open ability slot remaining.

  Relieved, Nathan wiped the sweat off his brow. As his ability slots filled, every lyph activated had a higher likelihood of creating another restricted power. ‘It’s only a matter of time.’ He was gd that time wasn’t today.

  Nathan barely had time to catch his breath before Dorian leaned in, eyes gleaming. “I see the power in your eyes. You should do another. I know you have at least one more tucked away.” He wrung his hands in anticipation

  Nathan reized that look—addi. He didn’t know the proper protocol to handle an addi to power. It was so ong adventurers; uded even. Few saw it for the symptom it was.

  “Oh, that’s a shame,” Meekan said.

  Both brothers looked at her, but Nathan was the first to ask, “What do you mean?”

  Meekan clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. “Shouldn’t you be heading back to the hospital about now? You know, to take care of that extended tract you picked up.” She raised her eyebrows.

  [Lawful orb]: Lie detected.

  [Polygraph] was his Lawful orb passive. It alerted him wheing a lie, but he didn’t to tell she was lying. She’d been his best friend for as long as he could remember, and except for Dorian, was the closest thing he had to family.

  ‘What’s she pying at?’ He narrowed his eyes at Meekan, trying to figure out her ahey both knew he had no such tract. She always looked out for him, but it surprised him she’d use su obvious lie. It was risky, with little to gain and much to lose—just like most lies. He worried that Dorian would keep his word and stay by his side until he filled out his entire powerset. Caught between calling her out oing along, he chose what he always did—to trust her.

  To the uninitiated, it might appear Meekan was a victim of her mischievous kitsuage, but he knew better. Meekan didn’t take risks; it wasn’t a risk when she already khe oute.

  “Sorry, Nathan,” Dorian said, using his first name—something he only did when he was serious, in trouble, or both. “Look at the time.” The unstoppable elf quickly stood up from the table and tapped his wrist, which, suspiciously, cked a eter. His eyes were fixed on something, or someone, approag behind Nathan.

  Following Dorian’s gaze, Nathan turned around to see ooked the juggernaut. The guild architect stood in the doorway to the dining hall. Only a couple inches short of the unstoppable elf, Wedge wore a scowl that only Dorian could bring out.

  His attempt to hide his massive body by dug low was ical. “Real proud of you making strides toward your adventuring lise, brood luck with the new ability, tract, and all that.” Dorian quickly scooped up his dirty dishes, gng nervously toward Wedge, and made a beeline for the colle tub he exit furthest from the architect.

  “Dorian!” Wedge bellowed across the dining hall as the unstoppable elf made his escape. The heavy lithkai stomped after him, both shields g together on his back with every step.

  Nathan turo Meekan. “We both know I don’t have any active tracts at the hospital.”

  “I know.” She gave him a pyful smile, fshing sharp teeth that were both intimidating and devious. “But maybe there is aended tract waiting for you at the hospital.” She shrugged casually, as if she didn’t already know the answer. But Nathan knew better.

  His wful orb remained silent. She had a way of getting around his polygraph ability, speaking in a mahat couldn’t be true or false until it happened. Meekan also had arick up her sleeve that Nathan was aware of, but that was a secret the Nightshade guild had sworn to protect.

  “What do you know?” Nathan looked at her suspiciously.

  “More than I’m willing to tell you.” Meekan ed her arms around him in a side hug and gave him a sisterly pe the cheek. “Now off you go. I o prepare for dinner.”

  “It’s not even midday. What are we having for dinner?” Nathan watched her as she got up.

  “You’re asking the wrong question, my dear Nathan,” she said with a smirk.

  ‘Why ’t she speak pinly?’ Nathan wasn’t fond of riddles, unlike his adoptive sister. With a resigned sigh, he picked up after himself and dropped the dishes off before heading back to work. It wasn’t like he’d get much sleep with a giant hole in the wall, anyway.

  Nathan arrived at the hospital after a peaceful m stroll through town, the crisp air waking him up. Sabath, a middle-aged elf and the medical administrator for the day shift, sat behind the ter. Though he wasn’t the only one w today, Sabath was Nathan’s favorite. He had been on duty when Natha just seven ho.

  “Did you even sleep?” Sabath asked, not looking up from his tablet. He was fond of puzzles and had access to them on his modified tablet.

  Nathan signed himself in oaff stoablet. “My brother’s back.” He waited for Sabath to hand him a summoning stone.

  “Ah,” Sabath nodded. “You could always use a physi pod.”

  ‘He’d never fihere.’ The pods were bcked-out, soundproof cots, and popur with traveling physis. They would stop by, plete a medical tract or two, a up before heading off to their destination. Sihan lived so close, just outside Dartmouth at Nightshade, he rarely had a reason to use them.

  Sabath pced a summoning stone in Nathan’s hand, and he slipped it into his pocket. It would vibrate and chime if an emergency arose, and if Nathan wasn’t busy, he could activate the stoo teleport directly to the se.

  Sabath handed Nathan his own tablet for rec mediotes during rounds. Rounds were ongoing tracts that rewarded pleted medical tasks at specific thresholds. Any unfinished work rolled into the round, ensuring no wasted effort. The system enced menders and physis to focus on patients, not the clock.

  Shifts were always voluntary and flexible, just how everyone liked it. Menders could drop in for a couple of hours, help out, and earn partial or pleted tracts. Or they could be like Nathan, spending the entire day at the hospital helping patients—and avoiding their brothers. The system worked well, with the local guild subsidizing any overflow. Nightshade handled all emergency medical tracts from Dartmouth hospital.

  His versation with Meekan pyed in his mind again, and curiosity got to him. He stepped back up to the ter and asked, “What do you have for open tracts?”

  Sabath looked up, clearly more ied in the ued question than his puzzles. “No rounds today?” He knew Nathan preferred rounds sihey allowed him to help as many people as needed, uhe more limited scope of open tracts.

  Nathahem for other menders, who preferred cherry-pig tracts to maximize their lootboxes. “No, I’m still doing rounds.”

  Sabath lifted his brows, a small smirk f. “Feeling especially mendy today, are we?”

  “Just looking for something to keep me busy until Dorian’s team picks up another extended tract.”

  “Alright, but take it easy. You won’t be helping anyone if you burn yourself out.” Sabath gave him a ed ghen flicked through the menus on his tablet. “Ah, here’s one. Just came in st night…” He paused, sing the details. “Looks like your kind of tract: too much work for not enough lootboxes.”

  “Uh-huh…” Natha Sabath have his fun. It was the medical attendant’s way of saying he appreciated his work. “What’s it for?”

  “I’m staring at Dartmouth’s very first refugee tract.”

  “Refugee tract?” Nathaed, his brow furrowing. “In Dartmouth? How’d a refugee get all the way out here?” They were squarely in the middle of nowhere. The wate wasn’t even on this ti, and he had no idea how long the journey from the astralport would be.

  Sabath nodded. “I knht? First one I’ve ever seen. You want it?”

  ‘How does Meekan always know?’ Nathan shook his head slightly. He already khe answer, but that didn’t make it any less uny. “Does a galizine bask in the sun? Yes, I’ll take it.” He pulled out his League card and ha to the medical attendant.

  Sabath tapped the er of the card to his tablet and gave it back to Nathan. “It’s all yood luck, and Mother lend you her patience.”

  Nathan didn’t uand. “What do you mean?”

  Sabath shrugged. “Marlin, fristration, said this guy was nothing but trouble.”

  “I don’t know any Marlins,” Nathan said, which wasn’t surprising. He rarely ied with the League of Adventurers’ non-medical staff.

  Sabath waved a hand dismissively. “Marlin’s on the night shift. I wouldn’t worry too much, though. You know how dramatic they all are.”

  “Sabath, you know I’m on the night shift tht?” Nathan often worked night and day shifts when he could.

  Sabath gave him a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head. “Good luck.”

  Nathan arted a shift without at least one mug of mahat would be irresponsible. Heading off toward the staff break room, he was half tempted to swing by the physi pods to grab a quiap, but his refugee had already been waiting all night.

  Delighted, he found a freshly brewed pot of mana-tea waiting for him iaff break room. ‘Mother, bless this kind soul.’ The name of the beverage was misleading. Teically, it was a mundane drink with no magical qualities. However, after partaking in just one mugful of the dark and bitter ar, you could feel its effects: awareness, energy, and focus.

  While the dark drink was teically a stimunt with an addictive nature, he didn’t care. It offered him the ability to better treat his patients for longer periods of time, and he sidered the minor cost of the addi a worthy trade.

  Grabbing a mug from the et, he picked up the pot and poured himself a mugful of liquid energy. With a steady hand, he brought the overfull mug to his lips. Some people preferred their mana-tea with cream or sweetener, and arguments still persisted over whether it was best served hot or chilled.

  Nathan closed his eyes, enjoying the nutty aroma, and relished the scalding hot, bitter beverage as he took the first sip. Pain and disfort were tools he used to keep himself sharp and focused. Now that he roperly awake, it was time to take a look at the tract he just picked up.

  Using his League card, he pulled up the tract. A mental overy, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes as he nursed his elixir and began skimming the details.

  The least importaail sat at the top of the list: three on lootboxes, followed by a plus sign. The plus sign indicated they’d add more lootboxes for any ued plexities, which was on for tracts like this.

  “Extended tract.” That was important; only members of a team could handle more thaended tract at a time. He tinued reading. “Refugee status. To provide food, clothing, and shelter.” His League card tracked all expenses spent on the tract, and he could che with tract Services at any time to get reimbursed. But that wasn’t a —Nightshade provided these services for free.

  “Evaluate, providing medical aal health care.” This was the reason only physis and menders could take refugee tracts. “Introdud ie into local s, information, and rules.” The easiest of all the tasks; anyone able to travel to other worlds was usually familiar with post-astral civilization.

  “Arrange for perma housing and occupational pt.” This was usually what took the lo and why the tract had the exteag. He took another sip; not as hot as the first, but just as bitter. The tract looked routiil he got to the personal informatioion.

  “Human? Never heard of that race before.” Pulling out his medical tablet, he accessed the League racial records. He frowned, seeing there wasn’t anything more about them in the archives. He was curious how alien their anatomy might be.

  “Dyn,” he said out loud. The pronunciation seemed simple enough.

  “Current loerts’ Circle? That ’t be right.” He’d expected to find his refugee waiting at the League of Adventurers’ Hall door. While accessing a person’s live signal was illegal and a gross invasion of privacy, the system would still share relevant information for tracts. The poor man must’ve spent the night in, or around, the Merts’ Circle.