New System, Who Dis?

Tuesday, April 9th, 2069

Mining (Evolvable)

(10)

High-F-Rank

As you mine you slowly improve your understanding of minerals, ores, and Crystals. As this Skill grows this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Mining. This Skill is multiplied by the Strength Stat.

Current max level reached until Evolution Condition is reached.

I turned the Mining Skill card over in my hands, reading the final line for what felt like the hundredth time. I had nothing better to do as I waited for my father and Willa to come out of the Snowbird's command tent. I could go check on them as a Specialist who contributed to the bonuses we’d receive, but…

“Still bitter they wouldn’t listen to you?” Smegma said while chuckling. “Pouting about it sure seems productive,” he added, clearly twisting the screws on my mood.

[We could have gotten so much more of a bonus if they’d let me mine the True Gold!] I complained.

“Yeah, and they wouldn’t even let you mine the Graphenite, because why would they waste the one Ore deposit each Pick can mine a day on something that might just be stone!” Smegma faked my second complaint in a very insulting mimicry of my voice.

[Husk you sideways, dip-shit.]

“Whatever gets you off, dumb-dumb.”

[Open the Shop,] I responded dejectedly, feeling like I was going to lose any exchange I had with Smegma in my current mood. It would be nice to look at something else at least.

Demonic Vault 2.0.0.1

Crendalar Five – Abyss Sect’s Wares

Consumables

Weapons

Armor

Miscellaneous

Currency: 45,045 mC (Mana Coins)

Before I started scrolling, I allowed the current Mana Coins total to bring a smile to my face. However, it made my mood sour again almost instantly when I started scrolling Skills. Just like before, every Skill cost astronomical figures. Still, if I kept saving, by the end of the semester I’d be able to get something worth a million I supposed.

The problem was that the million-coin Skills were pretty basic and F-rank—like Aid, or Firestarter…

Wait—how much were some of the Skills I currently held worth?

Recover Skill (Evolvable)

Recovery (1)

Passive

Low-C-Rank (Reduce?)

Super charge natural healing factors. Caution, this Skill will consume nutrients in the body to heal at dizzying speed; if nutrients are not available it will consume body mass to prevent death, leaving the user severely malnourished. This can be offset by [Locked] Stat.

Healing speed can be increased by a factor of [Locked] Stat.

Cost: 250,000,000 mC

“Holy shit,” I said, managing to turn it into an excited whisper at the last second. I’d of course started by reading the price. However, the more I read the wider my eyes grew. First, I hadn’t known of the side effect of the Skill I already possessed, which was slightly disturbing. But second, was the [Locked] Stat in the description. I had only now unlocked Strength and had to wonder if that was a factor for getting information on Stats now.

I looked at the Mining Card and focused on that last line. It also had a line about Stats it hadn’t before. I was about to ask Smegma if that was the reason for the change in description when I thought of a better idea.

Necromancy Skill (Evolvable)

Necromancy (1)

High-C-Rank (Reduce?)

Summon slain creatures to act as your personal troops. Creatures suffer a fifty percent reduction in combat power and lose any Skills they possessed. This debuff can be mitigated by [Locked] Stat. For convenience, summoned creatures are summoned as Shadows to prevent diseases and smells from spreading.

Creature Stats can be increased by a factor of [Locked] Stat.

Cost: 1,000,000,000 mC

Not only had the description changed of the Skill, but so had the price. It took me a moment to find the cause—mostly because I tended to skip over some of the short top lines. Thanks to the upgrade to Demonic Vault a C-rank Card was available. However, this also allowed me to find the ‘reduce’ hyperlink I’d missed on the Recovery Skill.

Necromancy Skill (Evolvable)

Necromancy (1)

High-D-Rank (Increase?)

Summon slain creatures to act as your personal troops. Creatures suffer a fifty percent reduction in combat power and lose any Skills they possessed. This debuff can be mitigated by [Locked] Stat. For convenience, summoned creatures are summoned as Shadows to prevent diseases and smells from spreading.

Creature Stats can be increased by a factor of [Locked] Stat.

Cost: 500,000,000 mC

So, unlocking my Stat Screen was granting me more information? It was either that or the increase to Demonic Vault. Either way, that was definitely good news.

“Right, because this new information lacks the very essence that makes information helpful. How are you going to strategize and plan with this new knowledge that lacks the fundamental piece hellish damned information?” Smegma joked.

[Ahh, but what if I do have a plan.]

“Okay, since I can read your thoughts—I’m going to spoil your big husking reveal. Buying other tools will just be a waste of your Mana Coins.”

[Fine. Since I’m starting to get to know you, and I can basically read your mind right now too, I’m gonna call you out. You just want me to save up and purchase a combat Skill so I can start farming more efficiently…]

“You mean more directly… Okay, that’s a fair assessment, but it doesn’t mean that what I want isn't also what’s best for you.”

[It also doesn’t mean that my plan also isn’t best for both—]

“Husk yeah!” Willa exclaimed as she exited the command structure. Her cheer drew the eye of most of the surrounding Hunters, Miners, Gardeners, and support staff.

We were in a parking lot behind a Precise Superstore. It was large enough that the Portal, all the command trailers, tents and staff cars could easily fit. Additionally, they even had a small section of the parking lot open to the public—so the store could stay open.

It seemed like an unnecessary risk to me, but the Snowbirds had fenced off the Portal with temporary barricades, I supposed. Still, by the crowd, this was either a crazy busy Precise Superstore or the presence of the Hunters and Portal was making it busier.

My dad exited after Willa with a wide smile on his face as well. I stood up, and brushed off my pants, removing some dirt and leaves that clung to them. Willa unsurprisingly was the first to reach me. I didn’t even have to ask for an explanation.

“We’re going to be able to hire back another fifteen of the laid-off Miners!” she squealed. I raised an eyebrow, demanding a bit more. “Oh shut up!” she said and punched me in my arm. “I’m getting to the reason. With today’s bonus and work, Jagger thinks we can be classified as full Specialists—”

“As long as we could guarantee to keep ourselves kitted out!” My dad interrupted, adding in a small but very important caveat. Still, I supposed with the Mining Picks—or my ‘repair mark’ that wasn’t a big worry for them.

“I always said that the biggest issue with our job is that individuals with Mining related Skills rarely have experience and once they do, they won’t work with us anymore!” Willa said excitedly, seeming to relish the fact that she was now the one who had experience and now–through her equipment, those vaunted Mining Skills.

It didn’t take me long to remember the laid off Miner’s looks in that meeting. I guessed that it would be pretty grating to watch as others came into the job with no experience and were treated better in every way.

My dad’s smile grew wider, but what he said changed the topic, “We should get out of here—they’re calling back in the full team to take on the boss. They’ll want the space to plan, and park.”

“Still…” my dad continued before anyone could say anything in response. “I think everyone could go for a beer, don’t you Willa?” Willa’s smile grew larger than my father’s and I chuckled as he added, “I just need to call the boss and make sure that’s okay.”

I knew he wasn’t talking about Jagger.

* * *

My father was only allowed to stay for a single beer, and even though I could tell he wasn’t in need of it—I was told to act as the designated driver. We’d laughed about it on the way home, even as my father enacted his plan to get the remaining ten members of the team their jobs back as well.

“Jarred, I’m telling you that you need to come back and work with me,” my dad was saying. “Come over for dinner tonight and I’ll tell you all about it.” There was a long pause, as my father listened. I could see his face fall slightly and realized that Uncle Jarred was likely not as enthusiastic in his response as my father thought he should be. “Have I ever steered you wrong before?”

I sucked on a tooth even, as I took an advanced left turn and merged onto the highway.

“Okay, that’s fine!” My dad said in response to more conversation I couldn’t hear. “Bring the whole family on Sunday. I can’t wait to see Ella and the kids.”

There were a few more pleasantries about how much I’d grown, and a bit of a hiccup when my dad said I was taking a semester off, but otherwise, it seemed like they caught up with each other in about five minutes of conversation. Uncle Jarred was like Willa and not blood-related, but a very close friend of my father’s. He’d worked at Portals, Portal’s, Portalz in the past but left some time ago. I think I was a teenager at the time.

“You’re sure you can find another Pick for him,” my dad asked.

“Yeah,” I began, but hesitated. “I don’t think he’s going to be willing to go back into the Portal’s though. Wasn’t it the kids and Ella that made him leave in the first place?”

“They’re older now, and from our last beer together, the family is really hurting for money—you know with University coming up…”

I nodded into the silence to show I understood, and I did. Jarred would be a third trustworthy member of our group—and its secret.

Yet as my lie grew, I couldn’t call what I was experiencing a pleasant feeling.

Immediately upon getting home, I shut myself in my room and began going through Demonic Vault again, looking up a few more Skills and their value.

Mining Skill (Evolvable)

Mining (1)

Low-F-Rank

As you mine you slowly improve your understanding of minerals, ores, and Crystals. As this Skill grows this individual will notice improvements to all actions related to Mining. This Skill is multiplied by the Strength Stat.

Cost: 250,000 mC

Mental Fortitude Skill (Evolvable)

Mental Fortitude (1)

High-C-Rank (Reduce?)

Increase your mind’s capacity to remain rational in the direst of situations. Create a barrier from mental attacks. Continue to think of the best solution even when it seems impossible. This Skill will not improve [Locked] Stat, but [Locked] Stat will increase the strength of mental barrier by a factor of [Locked] Stat.

Cost: 2,500,000,000 mC

Since I couldn’t see the description of my A-ranked Mental Fortitude, I wrote the information on the last one down. It was somewhat interesting to see just how much I’d been ‘given’ for free–all because of a purchase of equipment and a choice in a sub-Skill.

“What? You think your dad is going to let you go gather herbs on Monday?” Smegma asked, extremely sarcastically. I could tell he was still trying to persuade me away from my current plan. Still, it wasn’t a gathering type of profession I was thinking about. “Oh, sure, so you’re going to pick up Blacksmithing in your room and think that no one will bat an eyelash?”

That point did make me frown. That was the sticking point to all this. What could I purchase and perform cheaply and covertly? I scanned through the Miscellaneous tools section—pretty sure I was likely missing a great deal of professions due to my lack of knowledge.

So I made a list as I went.

Tamer

Gardener

Tracker

Trapper

Builder

Performer

Musician

Merchant

Blacksmith

Tanner

Cleaner

Poison Expert

Deep Sea Fisherman

Carpenter

…

I stopped after that, not finding anything that I could do without a great deal of expense or time invested. Plus, any non-gathering profession tool was exponentially more expensive to purchase. Still, Smegma had been right—

“Of course, I was, dumb-dumb.”—and I hated to admit that. I couldn’t just switch professions. It would bring on too—

[Wait–] I thought-exclaimed pointedly at Smegma. [I’m a husking genius.]

“I mean I’ll admit that what you just thought of isn’t half bad, but a genius is stretching things.”

[The answer is perfect, though. It even goes along with our current story.]

“Perfect, until you realize that you don’t know anyone you can trust in other trade jobs.”

[Uncle Jarred, Willa, or my father probably do though!]

“At this point why don’t you just start your own group?” Smegma said, his tone joking. “Wait—I wasn’t serious,” he added when his comment sparked my imagination.

Why didn’t I start my own company? To Smegma I intentionally added, [Where would I even start?]

“Maybe your dad knows someone to talk to,” Smegma said, repeating the sentiment I had made earlier but more excitedly and sincerely. “If this works—wait—what about Skill limits?”

Husk!