I sit down at the breakfast table, with Chloe seated beside me as always. Three days have passed since I first awakened the power of this trait that seems to be called [Seraphina Overlimit]. Since then, however, I’ve had no success at reawakening it. Lindsey hasn’t been willing to fight against me again, nor do I think I’ll be able to tap into that power again so easily, even if we do have another sparring match ‘to the death’.

  Still, the information I’ve gathered about this Unique Trait is invaluable. Knowing that I have only fifty-four seconds— scaling two seconds per level, I assume— means I have to be decisive when that power finally is unleashed. No taunting, no scanning for weaknesses, no finesse. No mercy. Just pure, raw, unbridled power.

  Worse still, once my Overlimit trait expires, my [Ether] promptly drops to zero, a consequence of my normal [Ether] being flooded out and replaced by that strange violet energy that floods my body. There’s none of the normal pain that usually accompanies [Ether] strain, but I am almost completely incapacitated until my [Ether] fully recharges, a process that takes almost an hour, even with the [Flawed Ring of Regeneration] equipped.

  This, in turn, only solidifies my earlier decision to work to gather allies and work together to confront the System and whatever malevolence lurks behind it. The power of 「The Anomaly」— and it disgusts me to say this— is the equivalent of a tactical nuke on the battlefield. Wanton destruction in a single explosive burst, capable of leveling even a fortified target. But ineffective without a wide array of support.

  More than anything, my visions of my past life have made one thing clear. While I am a crafter by choice, determined to solve every mystery and unravel every secret I can about the System, these glyphs, and the principles of Ethertech, I am a weapon. One who belongs on the front lines, fighting and growing stronger through combat. This has been my plan from the beginning, so it’s good to see that more recent insights have supported my earlier decision rather than necessitated a change in course.

  “Do you have something you want to share with me?” Chloe asks. She looks at me with those expectant eyes, smiling at me with such serenity and sincerity that I wither before her yet again.

  “Just musing about my abilities and my role in all of this,” I say.

  “Oh?”

  Chloe’s hand slips into what must be its favorite place in all the cosmos, right between my upper thighs, eliciting exactly the response she expects and desires. She’s respected my desire to take things slowly to this point. But damn if she hasn’t taken more than a few opportunities to let her hands not-so-’accidentally’ graze various places along my body, feeling up any opportunity to advance our relationship further in the physical sense. And she’s always so coy about it, giving subtle winks and nudges while maintaining the barest veneer of plausible deniability. Hell, at this point, I’m half-surprised that she hasn’t orchestrated an elaborate situation for her to experience a well-timed wardrobe malfunction.

  Worse, I’m not even sure I’d be upset if she did.

  “Sorry, I’ll tell you once we’re not surrounded by so many people.”

  She smiles at me and returns to her breakfast. Lots of English muffins, piled high with marmalade, and with a side of lots and lots of berries. Strawberries and blueberries and raspberries and grapes, which I believe are botanically berries as well, even if they aren’t actually named as such. I eat more than is entirely healthy for me, knowing that this is the last day I’ll be eating such delicious fresh food for the next several days.

  Lindsey, Chloe, and I are going to do a patrol around the city, just the three of us. With no leads left on where the Order of the Wilds is headquartered, nor any further attacks by encroaching monsters since the last one, neither of us has seen any actual combat in nearly a week. I’ve crafted another six [Crude Rings of Regeneration] for the people here over these past three days, but Lindsey and I are in total agreement on at least one thing. We both want to be back out there, fighting, using our Skills on the battlefield.

  Though our paths to this point have been different, we’ve both been trained for exactly times like this, where our strength and training can be put to doing the most good for the most people. And Chloe? She’s made it quite clear that she’ll not be leaving my side again, except through death. And if Nyx wants to claim her, she’ll do so over my dead body.

  We make our final preparations for departure just after breakfast. Enough hardtack rations to survive for two days in the wilds? Check. Water filtration systems and enough canteens and other storage for water? Got it. Three days worth of clothes, including an extra six pairs of socks? Absolutely. Pots and pans and other utensils? Split between the three of our packs. Tents and sleeping bags? Weapons and armor? Long-distance radio to allow us to keep in contact with headquarters? Biodegradable sanitation wipes? We check through our entire list and make sure we have it all and as many spares as we can carry before we take off.

  As soon as we do, we’re stopped by Kristil, who comes running after us.

  “Hey, wait up!” she says. “I’m coming with you!”

  Lindsey and I give each other a nod. The two of us turn to Chloe, who nods as well. Lindsey turns to Kristil and offers her hand.

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  “It’s going to be rough going out there, and we’re going to put you to work on the front lines and with our nightly camp. And if you find it too harsh, we won’t be able to guarantee your safety on your way back here. Just want to make absolutely sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before you jump aboard.”

  She nods slightly, her eyes full of resolve. “Those damned bastards took my cousin from me. And I will make sure they’re made to pay for that. I get it. It’s going to be hard. I’m going to be fighting for my life, and it’s going to be hot and sticky and I’m going to hate life more than I can describe. But I will keep pushing forward. Caroline might not be here with us, but she’s still here with me.” She points to her heart. “And I want to carry on the legacy she started.”

  “Well, alright then,” Lindsey says. “Looks like you’re already equipped and ready to go.”

  And we’re off not a minute later. I’d forgotten just how ugly the summer— technically late spring, astronomically speaking— really is when you’re outdoors and without access to that most wondrous of inventions, second only to the toilet. But our resolve is hardened, and we pass through the morning and into the afternoon without complaint.

  About an hour after lunch, however, I get assailed from above by a semisolid mass of white goop. It doesn’t do more than about fifty damage, but it smells absolutely fetid, and I fear that’s exactly what it is.

  “Ah, shit!” I mutter under my breath as I reach into my pouch for a sanitary wipe. I don’t get the chance to clean the literal excrement out of my hair before a trio of giant birds— pterodactyls, perhaps— divebombs us.

  Chloe taps me with her [Angelic Blessing] before making her way over to the nearest tree, looking to find a bit of cover. Kristil channels lightning through both of her hands, violet sparks crackling as electricity arcs between her fingertips. Lindsey’s bow is drawn in the blink of an eye, a [Light-Tipped Arrow] already nocked and at the ready. And I activate the glyphs in my left arm, opening the muzzle in my index finger and readying an [Ether Bullet Barrage].

  The three of us each focus our sights on the closest bird. I fire my attack first, six [Ether Bullets] into the sky. But these conniving creatures are crafty, using the sun’s glare to obscure their advances. Kristil’s attacks fly errantly toward the sky, while my [Ethersight] lets me catch their descent in the periphery of my vision. And Lindsey seems to have a Skill that makes her completely immune to the tactic altogether, her attack hitting the first giant chicken clean in the center of the wing.

  Her attacks fail to ground the beast, which averts its dive at the last second and glides just over our head as it spins around toward Chloe. Absolutely not— you are not hurting my Chloe! I race forward, firing a full [Ether Bullet Barrage] toward the creature, empowered further by the glyph of [Impulse] to help match its velocity. And yet, despite this, I miss my target! At least the evasive maneuvers it takes to avoid my attack also prevent it from laying a single talon upon Chloe, who looks briefly dazed, but physically unharmed.

  Kristil’s [Lightning Surge] flares out toward the last creature, and strangely enough, the erratic nature of its trajectory helps her land a glancing blow upon its hindquarters. I follow up with a bolt of [Lightning] from my [Glyphcasting], Manifesting it with but a thought. My attack likewise connects, but seems to deal less damage than hers. I attribute the discrepancy to her Skills and the fact I’m only using a single glyph in my array.

  The three winged beasts break off their attacks, hovering about two hundred feet off the ground. My [Ether Bullets] can reach that distance, but not with enough speed and accuracy to land a blow. And I don’t trust my ability to predict how they’ll dodge or whatever other defenses they might be able to conjure.

  Instead we enter a waiting game. One which will favor me, though these creatures don’t realize it yet. Lindsey draws her arrow and readies an attack, while I begin to set up the [Glyphcasting] array, this time without drawing on the power of Manifestation. With lightning already proving effective, I use that and a [Repulsion] glyph as the central two of the formation. After that, I decide on my ever-trusty [Impulse] glyph as the third and final element of the array, hoping that the extra speed will make up for the decreased accuracy.

  The monsters wait and wait. I wonder briefly if this is how they hunt prey too strong to immediately overwhelm. Just fly overhead, taking turns being on watch, and then as soon as their would-be meal is assaulted or takes time to rest, strike with furious intensity. It reminds me of how early hominids were said to be persistence hunters, chasing the animals of the savannah until they literally collapsed of exhaustion and dehydration. Now we seem to be victims of our own evolutionary success.

  Or we would be, if not for our heightened intellect and strategic acumen. The moment Chloe sits down and feigns weakness, they strike. Lindsey grabs her and pulls her away from the center of the blast, while KristiI channels more lightning of her own to augment our joint attack. The creatures realize too late the ruse we played upon their instincts, and before long, all three are fried to a golden brown and delicious crisp. At least, I hope they’re delicious, considering they’re likely to be the centerpiece of tonight’s evening meal.

  No System notifications await us, which suggests that the creatures are merely paralyzed, rather than killed. I briefly consider doing the dirty deed myself, but hand Kristil my [Lightning-Sheathed Dagger] and allow her to take two of the three coups de grace, knowing that the System seems to give a bit of extra Experience to those who score the finishing blow. With her being the lowest level of the four of us so far as I am aware, and considering the harsh scaling factor at play, this seems best for our overall team performance. I take the last bird myself, my [Touched by the Multiverse] giving me a little extra oomph for the trouble.

  [Your party has slain three Great Plains Pterosaurs (Level 26, 26, 27). You have been awarded a boosted 3,900 Experience.]

  [Level: 27; Experience: 169,395; To Next: 5,280]

  [Current Stats: [Health]: 2,552 / 2,598 ; [Ether]: 894 / 1,657]

  [Current Stats: [Strength]: 30 (25); [Speed]: 30 (25); [Vitality]: 79 (63); [Mind]: 106 (85)]

  [Your [Glyphcasting (Rank IX) has upgraded to [Glyphcasting (Rank X)].]

  The four of us nod and get to work, cleaning and dressing our meal for tonight.