Fight. Level. Survive.

Chapter 7 - Testing 1 2 3

Mason wasn't scared of needles. He just didn't particularly like them. Then again, does anyone actually like needles? Well, maybe there were groups of weirdos that enjoy getting stabbed but to each their own.

Vivenya and Mayry had disappeared into the back room, leaving Mason alone, sat at a hardwood table in the dimly lit alchemist's shop. He sat there, contemplating whether he should make a break for it while he still could. The table he sat at was made of a rich, dark wood that seemed to glow in the flickering light of the candles that dotted the room. Its surface was a chaotic jumble of jars, vials, and other oddities, each one carefully arranged to maximise available space.

Mason couldn't help but be intrigued by the assortment of strange objects on the table. Some of the jars were filled with strange, glowing liquids that seemed to pulse with peculiar energy. Others contained powders and crystals that sparkled in the candlelight. But there were also items that made Mason uneasy, like the twisted roots of a plant that looked as if they were still alive, or the pale, shrivelled remains of an animal he couldn't identify.

Despite his unease, Mason couldn't tear his eyes away from the table. He wondered what Vivenya and Mayry were doing in the back-room and whether he really wanted to be involved. But before he could make up his mind, the two women reappeared, interrupting his thoughts and foiling any escape attempt he might have made.

The two women emerged, each carrying an object with them. In Mayry’s hands was a block of black wood with what Mason assumed to be runes etched into it. It had a thin tube wrapped around it, ending in a needle.

Viv, however, held a very simple pair of glasses. Oddly, Mason found the glasses felt much more ominous than the block of wood due to their simplicity.

They utilised what was left of the remaining space on the table and placed their instruments down.

Looking over the 2 objects, Mason said nervously, “I am not taking any tests until you tell me how it works and what it is testing for.”

Mayry pulled something from her back pocket and placed it on the table. It looked to be a stone with a single rune carved into it. Staring at the rune, Mason somehow knew it meant family, his universal translator skill at work, no doubt.

“There are 3 tests,” Mayry said, suddenly sounding more like a lecturer. Pointing to the block of wood, she continued, “The first is a simple medical checkup test. We insert the needle, and a tiny pulse of magic moves from the block into the needle and throughout your body. It will tell anyone touching the block if you have any injuries, illnesses, curses or afflictions.” Seemingly finished speaking, she muttered under her breath, “it will also tell us if you have any mental deficiencies.”

His slightly heightened perception was able to hear her whispers perfectly. Slightly outraged, he shot her a glare, “You think I’m crazy?”

“No, no, not at all,” Mayry replied, all the while nodding at Viv.

“You know I can see you nodding, right?”

“Of course, you can. Hush now.” She said in the most condescending voice mason had ever heard.

Vivenya walked over to him and expertly pushed the needle into his arm. He waited a moment, expecting to feel something, but just felt a slight itch.

Mayry and Viv both had their hand placed on the block.

“Well”, Viv declared, “You seem to be in perfect health! You seemed to of had a recent concussion, but it looks like it has healed well.”

Mayry, Mason noticed, looked slightly disappointed.

Looking at her, Mason asked, “Did you want me to be insane or something?”

"Well, it's better than the alternative," she said, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "you being from another world is going to cause all sorts of problems. I was just holding out hope that you were just a little touched in the head.” As an afterthought, she added, “and don't ask questions about what I'm about to say; I'll explain everything later."

Only half-hearing her due to her proximity, goosebumps shot through his body as he caught the scent of roses and wild berries.

"Oh, wait," Viv said, her hand still on the block. "your heart rate just jumped significantly just now, and..." She looked up and saw Mayry's head next to his. "never mind, that makes sense."

Viv came over and removed the needle, noticing that the pinprick the needle had made disappeared immediately; she noted, “Enhanced regeneration, that’s a good one to have.”

Mason’s face showed confusion for a moment before he forced it away.

Mayry lifted her head and resumed her lecture. "The second test measures the amount of Random Magic in your system. This will give us an idea of how much contact you've had with Random Magic and what traces it may have left behind. It should also give us an idea of what abilities you have."

Not understanding in the slightest, Mason took the age-old strategy of smiling and nodding. Viv slid the glasses onto her face and looked at him but immediately took them off again, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. She tried again but could not move her mouth in the necessary way to formulate words. She just passed the glasses to Mayry without saying a word.

Mayry gave her an odd look but took the glasses and put them on. She stared at Mason for a while, finally saying, "Wow." Finally recovering enough to speak, Viv said, "That's impossible. It looks like it's still inside him, like it's part of him."

Mayry, also snapping out of her daze, spoke up worriedly. "Viv, please, I need you not to talk about this to anyone. I will tell you everything once we figure out what's going on. Okay?"

"Yeah, of course. But I want an explanation eventually. The glasses showed too much for me to make sense of your abilities. Would you mind telling me what you can do?" Viv asked.

Shooting a look at Mayry and seeing a slight nod, Mason replied, "Yeah, I have looting and storage powers..." Before he could continue, Viv interrupted. "Wow, looting and storage are usually considered a single power as they always appear together. But to have regeneration as well is incredibly lucky!"

"Well, actually..." Mason started, intending to explain his system interface, magic bolts, and stats. But he trailed off as Mayry shook her head at him almost imperceptibly. “…actually yeah, I am very lucky.”

Trying to sound as calm as she could, Mayry introduced the final test, all traces of her lecturer persona gone. “The last test will show us if you have any inherent family magic. I am almost certain this will come up blank, but who knows at this point.”

Mayry took Mason’s hand in hers, turned it over, and used a needle to prick his finger. Mason tried to pull it away, but Mayry’s Iron grip prevented him from withdrawing. She squeezed a few drops of blood onto the stone with the family rune.

The stone flashed red, and Mayry looked at him somewhat smugly, “See, just as a thought, nothing at all.”

Looking back to Mayry for more information, Mason asked, “Does that mean I can never have a Family Magic ability then?”

Viv jumped in before Mayry could answer, “No, not necessarily. Marrying into a family with Family Magic would mean you would gain a weaker version of that magic. For example, If you were to marry our lovely Mayry, you would gain control of maybe 1 or 2 elements, fire and water or air and nature where, as Mayry has control of all 4.”

Mayry's trademark pink shade intensified as she replied, "Yes, it's possible, but it's not easy to marry into a family with Family Magic. There's a lot of politics involved, and it's nearly impossible if you have nothing to offer in return." She shot Vivenya a death glare for bringing up the topic, then continued, "To succeed, you would have to be incredibly powerful or incredibly rich. Thankfully, you are neither."

Mason chuckled, "Relax! I didn't even say anything." He then added with a playful grin, "And what makes you think I'd want to marry you anyway?"

Mayry's eyes widened, and her pink face shifted to a fiery red. "You would be the luckiest man in the world if you were married to me," she retorted before catching both Mason's and Viv's grins. "Oh, shut up, both of you.” Trying to steer the conversation elsewhere, she suggested, "We should get going.“

Mason, turning to Viv, said, “Actually, there was one other thing I wanted to ask about. Would you be interested in buying these?” He pulled out the Drake hide and Attackat Whiskers from his inventory, holding them up to show Viv.

Looking them both over, she pointed to the hide and said, “you'll want to show that to an armourer if you want to sell it or get use out of it, but it’s useless to me.“

“Those, however, I will take; I will give 3 Bronze for the lot.” Her oddly professional tone sounded weird coming from the mouth of a 13-year-old, but he accepted nevertheless.

She added thoughtfully, handing over the coins and taking the whiskers, “If you’re looking to make some extra coin, there is a cave a couple of miles down the road recently infested by Stone-Eater Spiders. I’m guessing you can handle yourself in a fight. Their venom is a really useful ingredient in all sorts of potions. I’ll give you 5 bronze coins for every spider you bring me.”

Not really knowing how much that was, he just smiled and nodded.

*DING*

Quest Accepted! Exterminate Exterminate!

You have been tasked with clearing out a cave full of giant stone-eater spiders, good luck! Those things fucking suck!

Reward - 5 Bronze coins per spider

After getting the quest, he wanted to excuse himself as soon as possible so he could have the money chat with Mayry and see if he was being ripped off. “Amazing, it was a pleasure to meet you, I will drop off any spider I kill over the next few days, but I need to find an Inn and have a bath as soon as possible.” He turned to leave but had to wait at the door for Mayry to hug Viv and say her goodbyes.

Finally, outside, he noticed immediately that it was dark out. He looked towards the bookstore longingly only to see that it had closed for the day. Vowing to come back tomorrow, he turned to Mayry and asked, “Do you happen to know any decent inns that I can afford?”

“You said you had two silver, right?” she replied, chuckling to herself, “yeah, whether you can afford it won’t be a problem.” She motioned for him to follow as she walked towards a grand-looking building. The Inn was one of the tallest buildings he had seen in the town, although that wasn't saying much. It was made from the same glowing red bricks as most other buildings he had seen. As they approached the entrance, he saw that there were runes etched in the doorway, but before he could get a good look, Mayry stopped him.

“You should go in first and book a room. It will draw too much attention if we book a room together. Just ask for the nicest room they have and book it for the next month, make sure the room has privacy wards. I’ll come find your room later.”

Not entirely sure he got everything she said, he smiled and nodded.

She gave him an uncertain look and said reassuringly, “You’ll be fine, just don’t draw attention to yourself.”

Being an avid reader, he knew all about sod’s law. He gulped and entered the Inn.