Tutorial Day 19

  Sleepily, I shoveled some type of meat, eggs and vegetables into the hood, and then my mouth without registering what they were. I’d probably stayed up a bit too late working last night, but at least I’d figured out how my Mortar and Pestle worked. As well as where some of the products in the drawers were from.

  I took a sip of something that resembled coffee but was definitely just a highly concentrated ‘tea.’ It clearly had some sort of caffeine though, because each sip did wonders to rejuvenate my sleepy mind.

  One other lesson was learned this morning. The ‘classroom’ I was currently eating in, was the E-Rank materials room. It was also the classroom I’d seen the girl working in as I made my late-night excursion down here to find containers. The other room, the one I actually took the containers from was the F-Ranked room.

  How did I discover this? Well, this morning I’d tried to put both containers of Powdered Witch Hazel into the drawers of the F-Rank room. Only to be unable to push the second container that held the four cups of powder I’d used Qi to produce into a drawer.

  Amidst Alchemist’s laughter, someone eventually took pity on the hooded figure I was—only after I was on my seventh drawer, though. To uproarious laughter, someone in the room had shouted, “Surely it will fit in the next drawer!”

  When I turned around, someone else who was a bit red in the face, pointed over their shoulder towards the other classroom. I simply blinked stupidly and stood stock still at first, making the helpful but embarrassed individual indicate the door again.

  Thankfully, I’d gotten the message, the second time.

  Now, I was eating in here because it was the last room I’d been in, and also I had no desire to face the people who’d mocked me in the other room. Not that I was particularly embarrassed, but being laughed at wasn’t exactly comfortable, either. Plus, they might even approach me and try to see into my hood.

  Admittedly, I wasn’t fully awake even by the time people started clearing away the food. Even though I’d had seconds and thirds in the form of the tea-coffee, I still didn’t know what I had eaten. Shrugging, I chose to make my way back to my room, and keep working.

  I had some suspicions about some of the events from yesterday. While I couldn’t confirm any of them just yet, the largest one amongst them all, was that the taxing groups had spies that watched where groups went in the mornings, and then the groups chose the best direction to station themselves around midday. So, if I could go out to the Borker Northern section after that, I’d have less of a chance of running into one of the other three Tribes—and if I left late and stayed late, probably even less again.

  That second part wasn’t for certain. But yesterday, there hadn’t been a soul in sight between the Hunting Ground and the Town. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to test the time I came and went further—unless I stayed past ‘dark.’

  The first thing that I would buy when I got out of debt—a Sunstone.

  I was just sitting down with the Mortar and Pestle, to grind some more Witch Hazel when a screen popped up.

  I stared at the screen. What in the hell had just happened?

  I then checked my Tp total on my status screen.

  With one session of Qi grinding Witch Hazel, I’d made nearly sixteen hundred Tp? Wait—I still had food in my stomach and could probably make another batch before letting my Qi slowly replenish from my belly full of breakfast!

  I simply poured the coarse powder straight from the Crucible in order to not waste time and then infused my body with Qi, using my excitement to coax it into my ‘veins’. Sure I understood that my Qi was moving through something besides the physical apparatus in my body, but I didn’t care at the moment what it actually was.

  This time, since I used already fully ground Witch Hazel, I managed to eke out about five cups of the powder—which might equate to five pounds. I hurried back to the classrooms, grabbed a container, rented a second one for a hundred Tp and then rushed the Finely Ground Powder back down to a drawer. I did check to see if anyone was watching the hooded man do all this, but thankfully everyone appeared to be engrossed in their tasks for the day.

  It was slightly disappointing that the new batch of Witch Hazel wasn’t gone by the time I returned to my room—but I guessed that might be because all the students were already busy. Instead of dwelling on it, I put the Witch Hazel Powder into the container, emptying the crucible before I ground some more.

  It took me a single hour to fully fill the container, and I pursed my lips. Should I keep going with the Witch Hazel or switch it up for now? I only had about ten flowers left—so I decided to switch to Moon Grass.

  My next surprise came an hour later, just as I was finishing my last portion that could fit inside the crucible. At first, I didn’t even recognize the sensation. But it was definitely something I associated with Smegma.

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  Was he returning?

  Eventually, I couldn’t hold my breath any longer and exhaled, before checking my Mental Universe. I became both excited and morose.

  A new Skill was forming—which was super exciting. But if Smegma hadn’t returned since I was ported into the Tutorial—and I was getting a new Skill?

  Did that mean he wasn’t coming back?

  * * *

  Friday, May 9th, 2069

  “Dave, I know what you’re asking, but we can’t access Brodie’s accounts when he’s not here. I was never given power of Attorney, nor were his parents,” Mrs Stovall said, her voice slightly frustrated. She took a bite of her breakfast, which they’d begun having here in Brodie’s house as a group.

  Mostly, it was to support Clara and Gary, but it also let them game plan how they might do better for the days to come.

  “There has to be something, though,” Dave responded looking toward Geneva and Kristen.

  “Sorry, but his CashMe is one of the few online platforms we have zero access to,” Kristen said.

  “We’ve since adjusted the link online to another that we control, but donations have somewhat dried up after that initial burst,” Geneva added. “Partially because we don’t have Brodie, who’s kind of the main character in the story we were building.”

  Dave looked to Willa, who shook her head. Jarred wouldn't meet his eyes. Finally, his gaze found Smegma—surely the Demon would have a solution to Jagger’s aggressive expansion—he was sinister and husking, annoying, but also competent. Even if Dave was loath to admit it.

  Smegma opened his mouth to respond.

  Dave held his breath.

  The Demon popped out of the space he’d been in. Both of Brodie’s parents flinched. His mother Clara shrieked and Willa grabbed her shoulder from right beside her.

  Then, like the Demon had just taken a momentary break—he was back. His return was heralded by a massive inhalation—that made it sound like Smegma had been holding his breath. After a moment, Dave realized that he had more red decals than normal.

  What in the hell?

  One of the decals oozed—Smegma was bleeding.

  “What the hell just happened?” Dave shouted, accidentally forgetting to control his volume. What could hurt the incorporeal Demon?

  Smegma’s eyes were wide and wild as he stared around the table, his breathing still coming hard and fast. Everyone stared at him, each one realizing what Dave had noticed before his outburst.

  “Smegma, what happened?” Gary asked, his voice deadly calm, like he was forcing himself to ask something he didn’t want to.

  “Sharp puzzle pieces,” Smegma muttered, his voice breathy and the words senseless to everyone. Willa looked to Jarred and Dave, who both shrugged. Gary looked at Clara—while Mrs. Stovall, Geneva and Kristen kept their eyes trained on Smegma. “Brodie, got a new Skill—but it was like putting together a puzzle at double or maybe even triple the speed it usually comes.”

  “What?” Clara shouted. “Brodie got a new Skill?!”

  Dave could tell that she also had lost volume control, but he didn’t blame her. If what Smegma had just said was true—they finally had at least one definitive answer on the matter. Brodie was definitely alive. Smegma being here, had likely meant he was—but now…

  Now, they could be sure.

  Dave looked at Clara and Gary pleadingly. “Does this mean you two can come back to work?”

  Everyone at the table transferred their gazes to Brodie’s parents. Clara and Gary looked at each other for a split second before Gary snatched Clara into a tight embrace. Clara started to cry and Dave instantly regretted his question.

  It wasn’t the time. Still, they could really use the two veterans. One in the back office and the other in the Mines! Maybe with their help they could recruit more Gatherers to Abyss. Things weren’t totally husked yet, but the signs were pointing to Jagger building up to something.

  Dave coughed politely to draw everyone’s attention back to him. Excitedly, he overrode Clara’s soft sobs—hoping to give her some privacy.

  “Also, I did forget to tell you all about my discovery yesterday!”

  He described his Stats unlocking and was somewhat surprised when Willa and Jarred just gave him confused looks. Eventually the looks became too much, and he asked the obvious question.

  “What?”

  “Well, we both unlocked Strength a few weeks ago,” Jarred answered. “However, I don’t know why you’d have unlocked two stats. Smegma said it might be because you used your Skill differently?”

  Smegma, who had been largely forgotten about in the ensuing conversation, was looking markedly better when Dave turned his attention back to the Demon.

  Smegma tilted his neck back and forth, clearly conveying that it was just theoretical, before he spoke. “I think so. At least, that makes the most sense. Like how you can Shatter rock, or Crystals,” he added pointedly, clearly still upset with how many of the Equipment Specialists were Sharding. “But couldn’t you also Shatter sound waves or wood, water, and so forth.”

  Dave blinked, wishing the Demon had used that analogy sooner. It was like something clicked in his head. He too could Cut other things. Like, sure there were physical things he could Cut—but what about the elemental bonds between water? Like, separate the Hydrogen from the Oxygen?

  Would that work?

  Geneva interrupted his train of thought when she turned to Mrs. Stovall. “With all this talk of Skills, did you discover what yours did yet?”

  Dave tuned back in immediately. Supposedly her Skill was called Chains of Truth, and he was very interested in what it could do.

  “With Willa’s help, I managed to connect my Mana Pool to it, and John volunteered to be my guinea pig. It took a while to figure out what was going on—John says it’s because he’s always so honest with me.” Mrs. Stovall laughed, which confused Dave for a moment, until she clarified. “It forces the person I use it on to tell the Truth. They can’t speak a lie. There are ways around it. Like Illusory Truth and also very intelligent wording—but it actually will give me a huge advantage when applying to become a Judge!”

  Everyone around the table cheered politely, not wanting to seem too eager and excited when one of their numbers was still crying.

  It shocked everyone when Clara said, “Where are we on those Skills that Brodie and you negotiated for?”

  Mrs. Stovall smiled. “Those, at least, can be used at Gary and your discretion as the CEO’s of the company.”

  “I only see four people at this table that still don’t have a second Skill,” Clara retorted fiercely. “I think it’s time we started to really fight back against Jagger! Don’t you all?”

  Dave smiled.

  The first person he looked at was Smegma after the pronouncement and the Demon was also smiling, but he looked terrifying and menacing—so much so, that Dave had to wonder if they’d somehow made a deal with the Devil…