Alex once again woke to the sound of Monster Birds shrieking outside and the room smelling like whatever mushroom powder Gravewhistle had smoked out of a snail shell before they called it for the night. Emilio's giant vibrating body was pressed against him. He had been an incredible pillow after such a busy day and night. Somewhere in the room, another snore crashed out. It had been going on for a couple hours, and it had the unmistakable and criminally loud gurgle of someone with sleep apnea. Alex peeked his eyes open.
Petal Gravewhistle was fast asleep in one of the cat condos, crammed into the top level platform that he had deemed the 'watchtower,' and snored. One muscular arm dangled off the side and the other was curled around a juicebox he'd scrounged from somewhere. Before bed, he'd declared with full ceremony that he would stand vigil throughout the night. 'I shall remain alert under the moon's embrace, scanning for those who would disturb your rest!'. It appeared that Gravewhistle had failed his duty. The Garden Gnome had even refused to elaborate on their 'late night operations,'.
Alex sat up, groaned, stretched, and felt every muscle creak in satisfaction. Emilio let out a sleepy mmrph, and lifted one paw to hide his eyes. The cat couldn't possibly be bothered with the idea of morning. Alex felt great, better than great. After the fries, three aggressively long showers to rid himself of the sludge impurities, tossing his sexy pants in the double bagged trash, and Emilio curling up beside him, he had passed out instantly.
What a wonder a really good night's rest could do. His body felt a bit sore, but also stronger and more limber. His Core? Like a polished piece of fruit, all clean, more refined, and juicy with Essence. Ready for a cross country Skill fest. The fact that Britanii definitely had a death vendetta against him didn't bother him nearly as much as it should. He had a date tonight and no real plans till then. Stretching his neck, he waited for it.
3…2…1.
DING!
DING!
DING!
Oh hell yeah, Alex thought as he climbed out of bed to grab some food and review his System upgrades.
As he walked by in his boxers, the shitty hardwood floor in his room creaked. From the cat condo, Petal Gravewhistle exploded awake. He shouted at full volume. "I WASN'T FLIRTING WITH HER, MARZIPAN, I SWEAR!" One leg kicked out and almost launched him from the perch. The juicebox flew onto the floor as the garden gnome looked around and was surprised to learn he wasn't dreaming any longer.
"Got it covered, Gravewhistle. You can go back to bed now." Alex walked by the embarrassed warrior. Petal blinked and saw it was just Alex and not one of Petal's wives.
"Alex! Ah. You're awake…I was just-uh-monitoring the ambient…uh…" Alex just gave him a thumbs up without turning around and tramped out of his room. Petal sighed and slowly sank back into the cat hammock. Alex streamed past the haunted bookshelf, down the stairs, and entered the kitchen to find something to shove in his mouth. He grabbed the box of Fruit Bloops from the top of the dented fridge, found a half full bag of vitamin D and Essence fortified milk in the stuffed fridge, and gave it a sniff. Good enough. He poured a bowl, slurped delicious sugar, and pulled up the first System gain.
[New Skill! Burrow Sense - Level 1]
It was his first skill in over two years, which was awesome, but also frustrating, because the System never really explained what the heck Skills actually did. Titles came with descriptions. They were snarky or weirdly emotional, but at least they gave you something. Skills just showed up like fun coupons. Some were pretty obvious, like [Running], [Dancing], even [Punching], but others like [Burrow Sense] could mean anything. Skills could also mean different things for different people. The only real way to learn what they did was to try them out or dig through the terrifyingly unregulated internet where other people had already done the face planting for you. That was the plan this time.
When Alex had received [Phantom Step], he'd tested it raw, and had clipped his hip and knocked himself unconscious on a very grumpy birch tree. Afterward, he scoured the forums and found a few threads. Most Skills that people shared started the same way for everyone, but they shifted and branched through leveling. No one really knew if it was vibes, affinity, or something else. People argued about Skills all the time, and anyone with real answers kept that shit on lock. Either way, [Burrow Sense] was his now, and even though it sounded fine, he wanted to check out the threads before accidentally launching himself into the Earth's crust or something. Or not. Alex was already itching to shoot a little Essence into the Skill and just test the damn thing. He was pretty sure that this was from the Carrot Cardinal Core finally settling in his Core, however. Cultivating didn't guarantee Skills or Core growth, but the Don Badger had come through with an amazing tip.
Thanks Don, sorry about your uh…pigeons. Burrowing bird though? Maybe I can sense little animal burrows or something?
He pulled up the next notifications while grinning around a mouthful of Fruit Bloops.
[Running] - Level 6 -> Level 7
[Illusory Copy] Level 1 -> Level 2
Oh hell yeah. He's only been sprinting around the city for a couple days. From the deliveries, feeling a newly minted Dungeon Boss who used to make him carry her shoes. Clearly, the System had noticed. Running at level seven would definitely help. But [Illusory Copy] really made him light up.
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Already? Fricken sweet!
The Skill let him out a more handsome clone of himself, and at Level 1 it had already been good enough to confuse a whole Clan. Now?...He was getting the itch to go test it out right now. His body felt damn good from the cardio and gains, and he was practically buzzing from the Core polish and juiced up blood sugar from the cereal.
Screw it. I know it's Monday…buuuuuuut, he thought as he reached a decision.
Alex downed the rest of the bowl of Bloops like a giant cup and slammed open the cabinet. From behind a mug that said "#1 Familiar Owner" that was someone's in the house, he pulled out a cracked glass and pulled out a red tin of instant coffee that was a couple years old. It hadn't changed much in the post system world. Crystalized energy was probably good enough. He scooped in two giant spoons, filled the rest with cold tap water, gave it a little shake to at least start dissolving it, and knocked it back in a giant gulp.
He jogged loudly back up the stairs with caffeinated and sugar laden blood. Passing the ikea bookshelf, it shot out a bookmark with Golem on it at his head like a little dart. It missed, and the damn shelf practically deflated from the attempt.
"Still mad about the Stink Scrub, huh?" The bookshelf groaned softly.
Back in his room, the lighting had shifted to midmorning. Petal Gravewhistle was no longer in his 'watchtower'. Instead, he was tucked in like a little porcelain burrito on the edge of the mattress, snoring peacefully beside Emilio, who was now using Alex's pillow like a person. The cat lifted his head, blinked with menace, and stared angrily at Alex. The message was pretty clear. Alex took it as 'you dare to disturb my peace?"
Alex tiptoed around the bed and sorted through his laundry chair. He slipped into a pair of paint-splattered basketball shorts, a white shirt that said "Honest Ed is my Emergency Contact", and made sure to tie his red converse tight. They were objectively terrible running shoes, and Alex was already thinking about buying a new, better pair next week.
He checked his phone and completely forgot about checking the forums about his new Skill. Alex was too excited and wanted to get moving. Mary was probably already at Jemin's with the boys, working through the tips and whatever Relics or projects. No message from Britanii, which was surprising. Maybe she was biding her time, or playing hard to get. But there were two messages from Mary.
Mary: good luck tn. wear a black shirt and protection 😉 time to sell some shit
Mary: god. His ass? alex. Sooo firm. DO NOT REPLY PHONE READS MESSAGES OUT LOUD. but dat ass
Alex snorted and shot Snu a message.
Alex: pick you up at 6!!! 😁EXCITED
He immediately regretted not thinking that one through. What's done is done. He didn't think she would cancel over a little misstep though, and he was stoked to take her out. He gave Emilio a pat on his little head, earning a huff and a meaty tail smacking the mattress. Petal rolled over and continued snoring. Then Alex took off, jogged down the stairs two at a time, too excited to check the news or the forums.
Alex stepped outside into the kind of summer morning that made you forget the world was full of Monsters, Clans, and murderous exes. The sun was warm but not aggressive, the sky was clear, and the air smelled like blooming flowers and concrete. The streets were quiet. A perk of having a free monday. A few monster birds circled overhead and swooped to yell obscenities at each other. A red cardinal dive bombed a blue jay and just missed him.
All I have to do today was go for a run and take a Dungeon cutie out on a date. Life could be worse.
"Guess I'm a runner now," he said and gave his shoulders an approximation of a stretch next to his car. Who even stretches for runs, anyways? "Never thought I'd do this just for the hell of it."
He took a breath, threw on his new Wookie Green Day album on his [Audio Player] and mapped out his route. Up to Casa Loma, loop through St. Clair, then swing back down Avenue. That should be easy enough, and give him enough time to test out his Skills. The title track kicked in with a little D minor. With a final volume tweak, Alex launched forward.
Alex ran up St. George Street. His Core had that post Stink Scrub polish. Every breath felt easier, and his legs didn't just feel strong. They felt sculpted, fluid, with no grinding ache. Just graceful, fun movement. He could feel the Running level up. He was gliding instead of pounding the floor, and he swore his Core absorbed the little shock and fed it back into each push. Little course corrections, a subtle muscle flex.
His zipped past an old lady hauling a rattling rolly cart piled with cans. A squad of non Familiar chihuahuas waddled after her, all teeth and trembles and lolling tongues. Then he darted around a bed of day lilies that were aggressively leaning. One of the flowers brushed his arm and gave a little mwah as he passed. The music thumped in his skill, and fresh summer air slid across his face.
It was amazing. If [Running] felt like this, his delivery runs were going to be insane. He'd be smooth and efficient. Since he wasn't sprinting, [Blazing Hot] didn't activate, but he didn't mind. This was nice.
First up, let's test out Illusory Copy. What does Level 2 do?
As he started up the stairs of Casa Loma, he activated [Illusory Copy] and a perfect copy of himself appeared next to him. The bastard even had professional running shoes, well fitted shorts, and a sweat wicking shirt that was freshly laundered. The copy looked like he belonged in a fitness ad. Without a word the clone took off, sprinting up the steps with polished ease and perfect form. Alex glared as it passed him. Sure, it was him that sent the copy sprinting. Didn't mean he had to like it.
As he mentally poked at the edges of [Illusory Copy], something inside his Core unfolded. Like a latch had just come undone.
Oh.
Oh.
That is going to be insanely useful.
.
.
.
Wait. This is a fucking cheat!
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