I crack my neck as Jumble's healing potion wars with the discomfort of the spell. The discomfort gives way to soothing warmth, albeit way too intense to be calming. It's almost like an adrenaline rush combined with standing right next to a late-night bonfire. But all the sensations pale in comparison to the possibility of a fifth spell I can actually use in combat.

"Shelby?" Jumble pats my arm. "Are you okay?"

I respond with a grin. "Better than okay. Give me ten seconds to check this out, then we'll go check on Euro."

Jumble raises an eyebrow. "Check what out? What did the drawing give you?"

"A brand new spell." I say and pull out my Class Card. "Infusion."

"Ooh, I hope it's useful."

It will be. I swipe over to my spells, press on the brand new infusion spell, and pause. Is it worth reading what it does before I make it coinbound? A quick check shows that Shellborn Aggregate is off cooldown, so… yeah, let's just do that. It's not like I wouldn't instantly make it coinbound anyway.

Shellborn Aggregate Activated.

Infusion forcibly evolved to: Coinbound Infusion.

…

Use a Worth coin as a base to begin creating an Infusion. While creating an Infusion, the coin can absorb magic up to a limit based on its Worth. Upon reaching maximum capacity or forcefully ending the infusion, the coin switches to a ready mode. Using this ready mode on a compatible object infuses it with the spell inside, amplifying or adding effects based on the stored magic.

…

Halsia Deity Effect: Spells can be infused into other coinbound spells.

…

Evolution Requirement 1/2: Store and release 10,000 Worth worth of magic.

2/2: Store and release a single spell worth at least 500 Worth 5 times.

Progress: 0/10,000, 0/5.

I stare at the evolution requirements that seem just a little steeper than what the other coinbound spells need. But… now I have five coinbound spells. Once they're all ready to evolve, Shellborn Aggregate will evolve too. The hardest one to achieve will definitely be relocation, since I have no idea how I'm supposed to find out how the system teleports us to Earth and back, so… actually, maybe I need another spell.

But if this one's as good as it sounds on paper, then my firepower just got upped more than a few notches.

"So? How is it?" Jumble starts to lean in to look, but catches herself. "Um, can I see?"

I don't see why not, so I gesture for her to lean in. She beams with far more happiness than this deserves and presses close to me so she can get a good look. I watch her face shifts from elation to furrowed eyebrows while her eyes trail down the relatively short description.

She tilts her head to the side and looks up at me. "It sounds like a really powerful spell, but, um, what's a 'Halsia'? And why do you have their gods' blessing?"

"It's a… long story." I laugh and send away my Card. "I'll say this right now; I don't have their gods' blessing. I am their god. Her god, actually, since there's only one of her. That I know of."

Jumble stares at me blankly. "Are you making fun of me?"

I shake my head. "Ask Pearl; she'll confirm it.

"No… no." Jumble turns her disbelief into a smile. "I believe you. Promise you'll tell me the story when we're all done? A-and when we have the time, I mean."

"Yeah, of course." I say as I pat her head. "When we get back to the towers and we're sure the quest isn't going to advance on us, I'll make some time to tell you the story. Now, can you let go of my arm so we can go see Euro?"

Jumble looks down at her arms locked around mine. "You can walk like this."

I shrug. "Suit yourself."

With a clingy paindne on my arm I walk over to my shield. Euro stands on the other side of it, looking around the room with a frown etched onto their face. I tap on the shield to dispel it, which has the side effect of getting Euro to notice me.

"Find anything?" I step through and ask.

They shake their head. "Whatever's in here isn't obvious to me. Did the completion notification say what we're supposed to do?"

"Just that we all have to be in here to progress." Jumble says, her Class Card already in hand. "So it should be progressing… oh, wait, it says we need the construct's core to trigger this. Did you see anything like a core?"

I shake my head. "There was a little too much going on for me to notice. You two–"

"We'll go with you." Euro interrupts. "If it attacks again, we'll protect you this time."

Jumble nods in agreement. "That sounds good! Let's get to looking."

I sigh because there's no point in arguing. My awareness twitches at movement out in the living room, and my blood almost freezes. There's no way. I didn't just kill it, I turned it into a spell and a book of names. How the hell can it come back from that, unless… shit, was the thing's mind stored somewhere else?

…Wait, we were supposed to finish the quest before that one personality attacked. And unless I'm completely wrong, there wasn't a core anywhere in sight. So… what's the deal? Was the subquest a trap this entire time? I pull out my Class Card to check, and sure enough, the message is pretty much exactly like Jumble said. Except for one tiny thing.

The part about the construct's core is on another line. With a small dividing scratch between it and the main paragraph. Meaning it got sent after the rest of it. An adjustment to the clear condition on the fly.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Only the quest itself could do that.

"The quest doesn't want us to leave." I say with a grimace. "Get ready for another fight."

Jumble and Euro share a look, then both nod. They ready themselves with spells and skills as I summon a few spells of my own. Not infusion, though; not until I have a second to safely test it. I feel at my awareness and carefully make my way to the edge of the newly opened, completely empty room. Plastic shifts and squirms in a way that very much suggests things are still alive in there. I take a deep breath, close my coins between my fingers, and step out.

Plastic meets my eyes. The entire deluge that I shoved out of the construct twitches and burbles like air bubbles on an otherwise still lake. Jumble starts whispering words that lance straight into my brain as Euro slinks to the far side of the room. Apparently it was wishful thinking to hope that killing the construct would be enough.

"Wait!"

I blink as a brand new voice cracks the air. It sounds like it's coming from inside the mass of plastic, but it's definitely not sparky's voice. In fact, it sounds… gruff. I raise my guard while lowering my coins as a sign of good faith.

"Thank you! You know how hard it is to get people to actually listen to you when you're… you're… huh." The voice pauses. "Just me talking here. Haven't felt this alone in… way too long. You three, stop what you're doing and give… me… a sec here. Not used to any of this."

The plastic shifts, revealing the head of a paindne with annoyed eyes and a resting scowl that paints him as perpetually frustrated. Two meaty arms reach out of the stuff as he grunts and pulls himself free, tumbling down the mountain of plastic as he mutters obscenities. The guy's face is so flat it looks like he ran into a door in an old cartoon, and he's only wearing a pair of pants.

Because there's a massive scar covering his entire back.

I reluctantly flex my fingers. "You're the one who got slashed."

"Slashed, hacked, and absolutely betrayed–that's me." The guy grins and thumps a fist against his chest. "And I'm… actually here. Full brain activity, no system screaming in my head, and no other voices talkin' over me like they own the place because the system prefers letting murderous bastards have the controls."

Jumble narrows her eyes at the… construct? I honestly don't know if that's the right word to describe this guy any more. Sure, he's made of plastic, but it seems like he has a fully functional paindne brain trapped inside of him. She taps my shoulder and traces a finger down my back in an attempt to leave a message that I'm not getting at all.

"Class Card." I whisper.

"Right!" She whispers back. "My bad!"

The kind-of-construct watches us with a strange expression. "You know, it feels like I know a little too much about the pair of yas. But it's all wrapped up in a blur that I don't even want to start to unravel. Mostly because what I remember the most is begging you to kill me–kill us, I guess, but now I'm standing here on legs that only belong to me. How'd you manage this miracle?"

I can't do anything but shrug. "I just tried to isolate sparky. Apparently that meant I ripped you free from the construct. Unless, of course, you're just bullshitting me right now."

"Wish I could tell you I'm telling the truth. But after so long being the system's… lapdog… I don't know what the truth is any more." The kind-of-construct shudders. "If I'm not actually free of it, then I need you to do to me what you did to that bastard. Because I. Am. NEVER going back to serving that thing."

My notifications ding and I pull out my Class Card to read Jumble's message. 'If I touch him, I'll be able to tell if he's still connected to anything."

I give her a nod. "Do it."

The kind-of-construct freezes up. "Hold on there a second, do what? What do you know that I don't?"

Jumble takes a step towards him. "As of right now, I don't know anything. If you let me touch you, I'll know more. Will you let me do that?"

He trembles in fear, glancing down at his plasticy grey body as if it'll implode at any moment. Slowly he steels himself with nods and muttered reassurances, then looks away and holds out his arm like a kid readying himself for a needle he really doesn't want to get. Jumble gently touches his wrist, which gets an audible whimper out of him as he squeezes his eyes shut.

"You're a… closed system." Jumble says in disbelief. "Unless you open yourself up to outside forces, there's nothing acting on you right now."

His eyes widen as he snaps to look at Jumble, then to me. "I'm… free? I'm alive?"

Jumble grimaces. "Technically…"

"No, no technically! I'm alive! I'm free!" He pats himself down with a giddy laugh. "It can't make me do anything anymore! I don't have to kill anyone else!"

"But you're stuck here." I point out. "And…"

He shakes his head vigorously. "One step at a time. There's a way into this place, so there's gotta be a way out. Oh, and since you need your own way out–here's the trinket you're looking for. It's what the system used to let us into this place."

A hand sinks into his chest, roots around for a second, then emerges with a small grey key that's sharpened to a point. He hands it to Jumble without another word, then heartily pats her on the shoulder with a wide grin.

"I thought it was supposed to be a core." Jumble notes as she inspects the key.

The kind-of-construct raises an eyebrow. "We don't have cores; we're grey all the way through. I can make you a sphere of plastic, though, if that doesn't do it for you."

"We'll try this first, thanks." I motion for Jumble and Euro to head back into the room. "You'll know real soon if it doesn't work."

"I'm sure I will." He laughs. "Once we're all sorted, we'll come find you. It'll probably take a few weeks, so keep your lights on and your messenger open!"

I nod and step back into the room. Euro follows, and finally Jumble crosses the threshold. Instantly the room blossoms with light, revealing an outline of a doorway that looks a hell of a lot like the one in our room with doors. Before I can say anything Jumble presses the key to the outline and turns it, digging a tiny divot into the material to go along with dozens of other little divots.

It swings open wide, revealing a very familiar sight; a room with doors in it. But not my room with doors. This one is much larger, has dozens more doors than ours, and has an almost sterile atmosphere to it. Like a waiting room at a morgue.

"Where is this?" Euro murmurs and steps through.

Jumble shakes her head. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before."

My awareness twitches just as I step through. Multiple more heads burst through the plastic, each different and unique. I whip around as Pearl starts to say something, but the door slams shut behind me the moment I'm fully through.

"Shelby?" Jumble asks. "Did something happen?"

I'm not sure if I should smile or frown. "It isn't just that one guy."

Jumble tilts her head, then makes an 'o' with her mouth as understanding hits her. We stand silently in the sterile clearing, each divot-studded door around us humming quietly with an undertone of magic. I take a deep breath through my nose and look around, my awareness picking up absolutely nothing from any of the doors but the one behind us.

"Put the key back in." I say. "Something tells me we shouldn't be in here right now."

"Agreed." Euro nods.

"I guess I'm outnumbered." Jumble chuckles. "Good thing, too, because this place gives me the willies. So much for our goodbye. Do you think they'll be happy to–"

The door swings open, but this time, a construct turns to greet us. Our construct. In our room with doors. It looks between me and Jumble a few times, then to Euro exactly once. A shit-eating grin spreads across its lips.

"Welcome back." It says smoothly. "Things must have gone far better than you expected."

Subquest Clear.

Messenger function permanently unlocked.

Rewards available at the top of your tower.

…

And of course you just had to go and finish it in a way that means I can't rerun it.

Boo.

–From the quest, in case you've forgotten about me.

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