A Soul Reaping Lightbearer

Don't own any of this. The bulk being Shirtaloon's work.

Chapter 11: Making the Grade & A Detective's Outcome

The mangrove swamp was wet and hot, the air full of tiny bugs. The mangroves were large and dense, shrouding the areas within in darkness. Passage through the swamp was either by shallow boat, or along Bridge Road -an extended chain of low, flat bridges, spanning the distance between sporadic patches of solid ground. Most of the construction in the delta was either mudbrick or yellow desert stone, but Bridge Road was built from the region's signature green stone. It reminded Jason of the impossible bridge that carried the Mistrun River over the massive gorge on its way down the delta. He wondered if it had the same, mysterious constructor.

They were crossing Bridge Road in their wagon, which Vincent drew to a stop at a seemingly random point in the middle of the swamp. He turned back to address the adventurer candidates in the back.

"Underdeveloped areas like this can be some of the most dangerous in the delta," Vincent explained. "There's a lot of territory for monsters to go unnoticed until they hit the berserk stage. You won't need to deal with that today, though. We have two sets of monsters in this area: one single monster and one pack."

Vincent dropped down off the wagon and the group clambered out the back. After half a week, even the more spoiled members of the group had stopped complaining about the basic transport. Vincent gathered the group together on the side of the bridge.

"When you get a monster notice," Vincent continued, "whether from a notice board or the Adventure Society directly, it has three pieces of information, so long as that information is known. The name of the monster, or a description. The number of monsters, and the approximate location."

He panned a stern eye across the group.

"What I am about to tell you is the most important thing you will learn during this assessment. It is the single greatest contributing factor to adventurer death, bar none. It's a simple thing, but if you disregard it, there's a very good chance you will die. If you routinely disregard it, your death is inevitable."

Vincent held the notice in his hand up for all to see.

"This information is not reliable. It usually comes from local residents, with limited understanding of monsters and who run the moment they see them. They may well recognize monsters common to their area, but monsters are misidentified on a regular basis. Descriptions are wrong. Numbers are vastly inflated or grossly underestimated. People even get the place they saw them wrong."

He waved the notice in their faces.

"Do not trust these notices. Prepare as best you can, not the best you can be bothered, and always be ready for everything to go horribly wrong. Most importantly, do not hesitate to run for the hills if something seems wrong. If you have any ideas about the dignity of an adventurer, or a noble, or whatever, then throw those ideas away or they will kill you. Your first duty as an adventurer is to come back alive. You can always come back with more people to kill the monster later."

Vincent took a cleansing breath.

"It is the responsibility of an adventurer to understand what they are walking into, as best they can. In this case, our monster is a bark lurker. I know Kurosaki warned you about it, Asano. Are you prepared?"

"I am," Jason answered assuredly.

"Then you're ready to go?"

"Yes."

"According to the notice," Vincent added, "there should only be one somewhere in the vicinity of bridge marker sixteen."

He pointed to a stone marker on the side of the bridge, on which the number 16 was inscribed.

"As that is all the notice says, that is all the information you're getting. As I have just explained, however, that information is not reliable. Out in unclaimed territory, where the report was made by someone who fled off at first glance, there is every chance it is wrong. That said, notices are fairly accurate. Which is why you have to avoid becoming complacent."

Vincent held something out for Jason to take. It was a crystal, like the one floating over Vincent's head.

"A recording crystal?"

Vincent shook his head, "A far-sight crystal. As long as it's active, we can see through it from here. It has a maximum range, but the monster should be well within it."

"How does it work?"

"Just toss it in the air."

He did as instructed and the crystal moved over Jason's head. In front of Vincent an image appeared, showing the perspective from Jason's crystal. The image looked a lot like the interface screens that appeared for Jason's ability. Vincent adjusted the image with a flick of his hand, panning back for a wider view.

"Off I go, then," Jason said, walking to the edge of the bridge. His black and red armor forming around him as he dropped off, drifting gently down to the water. He started walking above the surface of the water, his footfalls not causing so much as a ripple.

Standing above the water, he concentrated on the auras around him, testing out his aura growth instead of just using his tactical map. The strongest were on the bridge, Vincent's bronze rank aura and the iron rank auras of the others. He moved his focus to the weaker auras around him. The swamp was teeming with life, inundating Jason with normal-rank auras. Animals were sensitive to auras and avoided him, even the ones that would normally view a human as potential prey.

Jason moved further from the bridge, still concentrating on the auras. He was looking for an aura dead zone, knowing the ordinary animals would give the unnatural monster a wide berth. He was out of sight of the bridge when he found what he was looking for. The normal auras were avoiding something, much as they avoided Jason himself. He wasn't close enough to pinpoint the source, as his aura sense was still limited.

Thus, he pulled up his tactical map and found the red dot giving its exact location. Which was only a couple of meters off from his estimation.

Jason walked over to the mangroves at the edge of the water. He picked a spot where trees weren't too tightly packed, but still provided enough cover. From his inventory he took out a slab of meat, something looted from a monster several days ago. He wedged it in between the mangrove roots, just under the surface.

The night before, Jason and Ichigo had pored over the monster archive entry for bark lurkers, looking for the best approach. What they had come up with was baiting the creature out with meat. Its ability to sense auras was weak, a trait common to humanoid monsters. Its sense of smell, on the other hand, was excellent, especially in water. Using monster meat made it less likely to attract normal creatures.

Jason waited, well away from the bait. He stood stock still in the shadows of another set of mangroves, his aura retracted as best he could and his sealed knife form of his Asauchi in one hand, a potion that restores mana and stamina in the other. He sensed the monster beneath the dark water before he spotted the ripples on the water as something large moved within it. He could see the monster barely broach the surface of the water; if it wasn't moving, he would have mistaken it for a log. It moved slowly at first, before splashing wildly as it lunged onto the submerged bait.

It rose up out of the water, lifting the meat up in triumph as it let out a wild roar. It looked like a giant wearing armor made of swamp logs, water pouring off the pocked and craggy shell. Jason pointed his knife's point at the bark lurker, focusing on it as he activated his Ravenous Arc Field.

A boundary field of light appeared in a fifteen-meter radius around the monster, it acting as the epicenter. Colors of red, blue and yellow started flowing out of the roaring monster, whose victorious howl turned into pain and rage as its life, mana and stamina were devoured by the field of arc energy. The electrical currents causing pain and inhibiting its movement as its muscles spasmed.

Jason meanwhile downed the potion to restore his nearly depleted mana and stamina, having learned the hard way how much his boundary field took out of him. With his climbing mana and stamina, he looped his left point finger into the ring of his Asauchi and chanted.

"Reap our prey and protect the pact, Seitoshi Okami-tachi."

The combat knife glowed and shifted into two dual pistols with black and green energy blades curving down from the barrel past the grip. With the shikai released, Jason aimed and fired a barrage of rounds at the hulking monster.

The transcendent damage of his Asauchi weapon allowed the round to easily punch through the logs and into the bark lurker's flesh. The monster wheeled on him, wading sluggishly towards the source of its pain. It was twice Jason's height, but it was waist deep in water, leaving them face to face. The slow creature was impeded all the more by having to wade through the swamp. Jason knew it would move faster if it swam underneath, but it was too enraged and too stupid to think tactically.

Jason's back was up against the trees and the monster thought it had him as it lurched forward with a sudden burst of speed. Jason blinked away in flash of purple energy. The monster crashed into the space he had just vanished from, becoming entangled in the trees, momentarily stunning it.

Jason appeared just to the monster's side and struck out with a palm thrust, activating his Energy Drain ability. Lifeforce, mana and stamina streamed out of the monster, into Jason's fist that pulled it into his chest, restoring his own reserves. As he pulled his right pistol from its holster he slashed with the reversed twin's elongated energy blade.

The toxic energy of his weapons' ravenous death effect stacking, adding more greenish black roots to spread through the creature. Slowly devouring its life force as skin started to darken and crack.

The trees were little impediment to the monster's strength, whole root systems wrenched from the water as it thrashed about. It failed to find its attacker. Jason had leapt backwards to create significant distance between him and the raging monster. He needed to keep it inside the field he'd created, thus he made sure to stay within its sight, luring it back towards the center of the boundary.

It was weakening by the second as the field kept eating away at it, Seitoshi Okami-tachi acuminating damage with every shot he continued to fire into it. The ignorant monster thrashed helplessly as it chased the elusive Jason, wrangling it inside the very field that was hurting it.

His aura effect from soul bonding with his familiar merged with the effect of the field to create larger serpentine lightning dragon that rained down on it. Each arm long serpent sped out of the very localized storm that was too low in the sky to be natural to bite into the bark lurker. They caused further pain and taking out larger portions of its health, mana and stamina.

Added with the rain pouring down, the electrical arc energy was making the bark lurker cease up. Its muscles locking into place from the stunning effect.

Gordon had taken control of three small siva nanite robot dog constructs he'd created with his go to combo of genesis abilities and siva integration racial ability. They had sharp bladed surfaces, razor sharp claws, a chainsaw for a tail and a mounted machine gun on their backs that fired siva nanite rounds. Nanites that were breaking down the physical mass of the monster. He'd modeled them after the robot wolf in Metal Gear Rising: Revengence game.

Gordon had them circling outside the troll's reach by pouncing along tree roots and branched as the continuously fired rounds.

The bark lurker was just staggering about while mindlessly and uselessly trying to swipe at its numerous targets. Chunks of its swamp log armor fell away, revealing cracked bleeding skin with the black tendrils that glowed an eerie green running throughout its body. Other areas were being wholly eroded away from red and black particles to reveal bone and muscle.

Jason ended things by raising his right hand, pistol holstered, at the bark lurker with powerful lightning surging around it. Then with a push he used his Hiryugekizoku Shintenraiho ability, a massive lightning cannon twice the thickness of Jason's arm fired out in a blinding line from his hand. It slammed into the giant creature's head, exploding in a blinding roar of light and sound.

Once the debris cleared and the light spots faded from the onlookers' vision, it revealed a headless bark lurker. Its head had been blasted into nothing but some charred chunks that were launched everywhere. It wobbled a step further before falling face first towards the water, but it burst into a cloud of black and red nanites before hitting the surface. With its complete annihilation it was automatically looted into his inventory.

Jason returned his Seitoshi Okami-tachi back to its sealed form and dismissed the ravenous arc field before turning back towards the bridge. The candidates gathered there watched Jason, as the rain stopped with the dissolution of the storm clouds his aura produced, walking lightly on the air above the water. His racial armor dripping from the wet and causing ripples to form with each droplet to strike the surface.


With the bark lurker dealt with, the group completed the crossing of Bridge Road and mangroves gave way to marshland. Once again, they were riding atop the embankment roads that were the main thoroughfares of the delta. Sitting in the back of the wagon, Jason looked out at the sun getting low over the wetlands, golden light shimmering on the water. The hour was fairly late, the summer causing the sun to linger in the sky.

Jason took out a sapphire marble tablet from his inventory, the image of a bird etched into it in gold.

"What's that?" Ichigo asked.

"Probably best I don't say," Jason told him. "You know, Ichigo, my experiences here have been trying in ways I never thought possible. I've had some rough moments."

He looked out again at the sun setting over the wetlands.

"Some good ones, too. Whatever complaints I may have had, this has proven to be the fresh start I desperately needed."

"Shut up, Asano," Mobley sneered. "No one wants to hear your winsome prattling. Just because you're a lot older than us doesn't make you profound."

Ichigo was about to say something, but Jason waved him down with a gesture. Jason looked at Mobley with a look that spoke of experiences filled with crushing hardships and death, but didn't say anything. Yet, it unnerved the young noble to the point that he looked away fearfully. Jason just shook his head as he returned the tablet to his inventory. These young, barely adults were still naïve to the harsh realities of life. They'd either learn the hard way or die along this dangerous path they've chosen.

Vincent pulled the wagon to a halt at a junction where two embankment roads crossed one another.

"There's a good size town beyond the marsh," he told them, turning to look at the group sitting together in the wagon. "There's a dedicated accommodation for adventurers on the road, so you can expect the nicest night you'll have during this trip. Before that, though, there's one last notice for the day."

He panned his eyes slowly over the group. Ichigo and the three others who had already passed, Jason and the young woman who could still go either way. His gaze stopped at Mobley, the one member who had ostensibly failed.

"I won't lie, Vincent continued. "This is a rough one. I'm willing to let any or all of you participate; you can sort that out amongst you. Mobley, you make a good showing here, and I'm willing to reconsider your position."

Mobley had been sullenly slumped in the wagon since his encounter with the rune tortoise that morning. Between Jason's healing and potions he had healed, but his hair was still largely burned away. On hearing Vincent's offer his head jerked up, hope lighting up his eyes.

"What's the monster?" Ichigo asked.

"Trap weavers," Vincent answered simply.

Ichigo and some of the others took on serious expressions, recognizing the monster by name. The others waited for the explanation, but Mobley was the first to speak.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" he asked wildly. "Did someone put you up to this? It was the Kilgane family, wasn't it? They paid you to make sure I didn't come back."

The other candidates went as still as the suddenly frozen expression on Vincent's face. There was a long period of icy silence before Vincent spoke with an added edge to his tone. "Mr. Mobley, I am willing to take that accusation in the manner I believe it was made, which is to say, thoughtlessly. So long as I have your apology, I am willing to consider it an outburst made in a moment of surprise, that we can put behind us and speak no more about."

Mobley visibly gulped. Jason could hear something dangerous lurking behind Vincent's words as if his controlled enunciation was trying to keep it from getting loose. Suddenly the man with the outrageous moustache didn't seem silly at all.

"You have my apology, sir," Mobley quickly and sincerely said.

"Good," Vincent accepted. "Mr. Kurosaki, please inform the members of our group who are not aware as to the nature of trap weavers."

"Perhaps we should disembark from the wagon first," Ichigo suggested.

"Good idea, Mr. Kurosaki."

Leaving the tense air of the wagon seemed like an escape. The marshland was vast, reeds and copses of trees punctuating expanses of water. The air was heavy, wet and warm, even as the sun ducked out of sight. The sky was a mixture of dark blue and orange-gold, reflected on the still mirror of marsh water.

"Instructor Trenslow," Ichigo started. "When you were collecting notices, I didn't see one for trap weavers."

"It came from the Adventure Society directly," Vincent explained. "They have provided the location of the nest."

"Sir," Ichigo replied with a deadly seriousness, "trap weavers are dangerous, and this half-light will favor them strongly. Perhaps it would be best to come back in the morning."

"I asked you to inform the group of what trap weavers are, Mr. Kurosaki," Vincent chided. "I did not ask your opinion on how I conduct this field assessment."

"Sorry, sir," Ichigo apologized. "Trap weavers are a kind of giant spider. Their main body is around the size of a man's torso, but they stand as tall as a man with their long legs. They can produce webs that are very strong and hard to see in certain light conditions, which is why they are most active during the predawn and twilight hours. The webs can be used to create traps that can ensnare a person or directly attack and entangle. They are highly stealthy and can hide their aura better than most monsters."

Ichigo gave Vincent an uncertain glance as he kept talking.

"Trap weavers roam in search of prey but return to a nest, usually in environments with water and dense trees. They use their webs to create traps that make invading their nests extremely difficult. This is especially true at the cusp of daylight where their webs are the hardest to spot."

Ichigo's face went hard.

"Trap weavers usually spawn in groups, at least two or three and as many as twelve or thirteen. There have been some occurrences of higher numbers, although I'm not sure of the record."

"Nineteen," Vincent provided. "Outside of a monster surge. No one's conducted the size of swarms during a surge, for they spawn by the dozens."

"Using environmental and numerical advantages," Ichigo continued his explanation, "trap weavers are responsible for more iron rank adventurer deaths than any other monster in the Greenstone region. There is a standing advisory that they should be dealt with in groups, during daylight."

"Very comprehensive, Mr. Kurosaki," Vincent commented.

"I'm not done, sir," Ichigo firmly insisted. "Instructor Trenslow has asked us to decide for ourselves which of us will deal with the trap weavers. I strongly recommend we choose no one. Fighting these creatures, especially now, is a danger I don't feel to be appropriate. There is a strong likelihood of some of us dying too quickly for Instructor Trenslow to intervene."

"I didn't ask for that, Mr. Kurosaki," Vincent scolded.

"With respect, Instructor Trenslow," Ichigo shot back with a hard scowl, "you instructed us to decide for ourselves who will participate. This is my contribution to that discussion."

Vincent looked at Ichigo, his expression unreadable.

"What about you, Mr. Asano?" Vincent asked.

Jason gave Vincent a long, assessing look before he responded, "Probably best I don't say anything either way."

Ichigo looked at Jason, about to speak, but stopped at a slight shake of the head from Jason. Confusion crossed Ichigo's face, but he stayed silent.

The other candidates who had already passed the assessment joined Ichigo in declining, leaving Mobley and the young woman who, like Jason, was yet to pass or fail. They looked at each other and also declined.

Ichigo turned to Vincent and told him, "There's our group's decision. We choose no one."

"Very well," Vincent replied, his face betraying nothing. "Then I guess you should all get back in the wagon."


As promised, the town at which the group rested for the night had a large building for adventurers, with a common room, dining hall, and bedrooms enough for a dozen people. It was situated on the edge of a pond, with a covered terrace. They didn't arrive until after dark, and most of the group were gathered in the common room.

Jason explored the sizeable kitchen, but the cupboards and cooler box had no food, only crockery and cutlery. Jason made a salad with ingredients from the market towns they had passed through. He left a stack of bowls and forks next to the big salad bowl, filling two and taking a fork for each.

He made his way through the common room, where the other candidates were discussing the day's events. In the end, Jason had killed both monsters, aside from the trap weavers they had left alone. He had no interest in the circle of unwelcomed looks, instead making his way out to the terrace. The night was lit by a bright pair of moons, shining high over the surrounding wetlands.

There was patio furniture on the terrace, Vincent casually reclined as he looked out into the night. Jason put a bowl and fork down on the table next to him, before taking a seat himself. He pulled a couple of glasses from his inventory, along with a bottle. He poured a little bit of blue liquid into each glass.

"I think you'll like this," Jason said. "It has a fresh, crisp flavor that should go nicely with the salad."

"Thank you," Vincent replied.

"It was no trouble," Jason waved him off. "I find making delicious food people can enjoy soothing. I just wish this establishment had what I need to make some really delicious sandwiches."

"That does sound rather appetizing," Vincent commented, then nodded at the door Jason had emerged from, "What are they doing in there?"

"Talking about the trap weavers," Jason answered. "Ichigo's idea, of course."

"He's a diligent young man," Vincent agreed. "Have they figured it out, yet?"

"That we were never meant to fight them. They might get there, they might not. The rest are more interested in leeching onto the Kurosaki clan's leg."

"You haven't given them much of a chance," Vincent pointed out. "He seems to value your judgement."

"Yeah, I think his mother wants him to learn from me."

"What?"

"Ichigo is an honest, straightforward young man with unquestionable morality," Jason explained. "He has a hard time seeing the vast ocean of grey that exists between the black and white he sees the world through."

"Mr. Kurosaki does seem to have difficulty understanding the harsher necessities of reality," Vincent conceded.

"He also has little to no skill in the political arena," Jason added. "I'm no master like Kurosaki Masaki but I'm proficient enough to navigate it successfully."

"Like the way you handled Thadwick Mercer."

"Yes. Ichigo would have just kept to the high ground and tried to reason with him, but people like Thadwick can't be reasoned with. They truly believe themselves to be better than everyone else and have the birthright to as much power as they want. Also, with Ichigo's crush on Nimarie, one of Thadwick's protectors, it could have turned bad."

"I know the one," Vincent replied, "she was one of the few that actually passed. A remarkable young lady with a bright future in the Adventure Society... so long as she can manage to get out from under Thadwick Mercer."

"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Ichigo is highly interested in her and Thadwick has tried on several occasions to bed her with no success. Though, from what Nimarie has told us, a few times his mother has had to intervein when he tried applying political pressure to make her. So, all it'd have taken was a crude, suggestive remark about her for Ichigo to possibly turn violent."

"I wish I could say a noble would know better," Vincent remarked with a frown, "but Thadwick lacks the basic decorum and common sense one would expect from a rodent. Let alone one of high society."

Jason laughed, "So true. In my youth, around Ichigo's age, I'd have mocked him as the spoiled little boy that he is and created an enemy for no other reason than trying to prove how smart I was."

"Isn't that what you did by manipulating him?" Vincent asked.

"Of course," Jason answered. "Though, only to those that are smart enough to see it and have the discretion not to mention it to Thadwick. The way I did it actually endeared him to me, not that I want to be friends with people like that man-child, but he at least won't use his family's resources to come after me. I also raised my own standing in the local society politics, but not so loudly to be hammered back down."

"So, it was all a ploy to climb the political rungs."

"Yes. Though, I'd prefer to not be noticed by the powerful until I actually have power."

"Then why the ploy? If you want to stay unnoticed you should have just left it to young Mr. Kurosaki."

Jason sighed before he explained, "What do people see when they look at me from a societal viewpoint? Some unknown bloke going to social events with the Kurosaki, a friend of their young scion and an overaged upcoming adventurer being trained by Kaname Remore. Who also so happens to be friends with him as well."

"So, you're surrounded by and connected to powerful people," Vincent replied.

"Exactly. I was never going to stay unnoticed by the powers of this region and I don't want to just be seen as some hanger-on that can be used by those powers to get in with the Kurosaki clan and Remore family. I have to demonstrate that I'm not some hapless fool hanging on to power, but a capable political mind that's connected to power."

"And the difference is?"

"One can be messed with if the gains are good enough while the other would only bring down more trouble than it's worth. I'd rather be the amicable person that can navigate the politics safely that people won't attack due to the powerful connections I've made, than the loudmouth playing above his level, angering the Thadwicks of the world into doing rash, idiotic things that'd leave me dead or worse."

"That would be the prudent choice," Vincent agreed.

"I'd like to say it was a decision made through insight and intelligence, but the truth is that I had to learn that particular lesson the hard way. Note the scar."

"I assumed as much," Vincent admitted. "Soul scars are rare and only appear due to events that mark your very soul, changing a person on a fundamental level. It'd have been odd if you hadn't learned anything from receiving it."

"Yup," Jason chuckled. "I'm all about the hard learned lessons."

"Thank you, in any case, for not interfering when I told you to go after the trap weavers," Vincent said. "Pointing out what I was doing would have been easy points for you, socially speaking."

"No worries," Jason waved his thanks off. "It's a lesson that they should learn for themselves. It'll land with more meaning that way."

"You know why I haven't passed you yet, don't you?"

"I don't care what you tell us. You won't pass or fail anyone until the assessment is over."

"True enough," Vincent confirmed, "although I don't see Ichigo dropping down this time. He did well, taking leadership today. He had a similar chance last month and second-guessed himself into silence."

"So, am I close to passing like Ichigo or do I need to show you more?"

"If you have more to show, then you should decide whether you should show it or not," Vincent answered, his expression giving nothing away.

"That's not an answer," Jason pointed out.

"It's the only one you'll get until the assessment is over," Vincent stated firmly.

The door from the common room burst open.

"Jason," Ichigo exclaimed, striding out onto the terrace. "We were never meant to fight the trap weavers; we were meant to refuse! The whole thing was a test of leadership and judgement."

Jason just gave Ichigo a soft smile and a pointed look that said, "Took you long enough to figure that out."


The adventurer accommodation had a dozen bedrooms, with three bathrooms shared between them. Jason found the bathrooms strange in their familiarity, tiled surfaces and magical plumbing. Jason was fresh out of the shower, with a towel around his waist. He was standing over a basin and spat out the foamy mouth rejuvenator. This world had its own version of toothpaste but had a magical variance that auto cleaned them more thoroughly than a dentist. A foamy liquid that worked like mouth wash but cleaned, flossed and repaired enamel all at once.

It also left his mouth nice and minty.

With his Siva Integration racial gift, he no longer needed to shave as his facial hair only grew how and when he wanted it to. That has saved him a lot of time on personal grooming.

"Suu!" Ichigo's voice yelled from the hall outside. It was followed by shadowy tendrils that flowed from underneath the bathroom door. They converged into a small black dragon that flew up and perched atop Jason's head, trilling triumphantly at its reflection in the mirror above the basin.

"Sorry," Ichigo apologized from the now open door.

"No worries," Jason waved his worry off. "Just so long as she doesn't leave any surprises up there."

"I'm still having difficulty in getting her to behave," Ichigo replied, standing outside the bathroom door.

"She's a baby, right?" Jason asked, getting a nod as an answer. "Then it's just a matter of time as she grows up past this faze. Children are always a bit mischievous and push against the boundaries adults put up. I know I was a right terror as a toddler clean through my teen years."

Ichigo smiled for a moment before horror started to dawn on his handsome face, "I hope it doesn't take Suu that long to get past her mischievous faze."

Jason smiled forlornly as he looked at the young man. In the midst of a monster-hunting expedition, it was easy to forget that his fellow candidates were all eighteen or nineteen years old. Jason was over a decade their senior, and forgot how ignorant he was at that age, yet so assure of how he knew everything. Ichigo was thankfully humbler than he was at nineteen. Jason was also intimately aware of what it was going to be like for them to grow up killing and dying at that age.

I'd break quite a number of them.


In the final days of the field assessment, some of the candidates began to realize the results weren't as decided as Vincent may have implied. Recognizing that coasting on what they thought was a done deal wasn't the best strategy, there was increased competition for each new monster they went after. Jason would spend most of his time meditating to consolidate his gains and would only push forward when dealing with groups of fast-moving monsters, having already showed how he could handle the larger, more durable monsters.

One such group were monsters called margolls. The dog-headed humanoid monsters were a familiar beast he'd been pitted against several times in the mirage chamber. Thus, he knew plenty about them.

Despite their appearance, they were not very dangerous individually, at least to a fully trained and equipped adventurer. The problem was that they always appeared in groups. As many as a dozen could appear at once, and they were highly aggressive, even for monsters. They were one of the monsters most dreaded by normal people. Every resident of the delta heard stories of a margoll pack descending on a farm or ranch or even attacking villages.

Ichigo had taken on the first group of margolls they'd run across. He didn't use any of his abilities beside using his Asauchi. Mowing them down with his proficient swordsmanship and martial skills. Jason had done similar against sand-cutters, the grasshopper-mantis monster he'd faced in the mirage chamber, but in fewer numbers, using just his sealed Seitoshi Okami-tachi combat knife and martial skills.

It was on the last day that Jason was able to get a shot at such a group of margolls. The group of candidates was assembling around the wagon when another wagon came bolting into town, drawn by four heidels that were panting from how hard they'd been driven.

"Is it just me," Vincent commented, "or do those look like some people in need of an adventurer? Everyone form up!"

Vincent approached as the driver pulled up the wagon.

"You need some assistance?" he asked.

A bedraggled driver glanced back into the wagon before dropping down, looking over Vincent. Most people, whether in Greenstone or the delta, wore loose-fitting, breathable clothes because of the heat. Adventurers, at least while on the job, wore more fitted outfits, often with overt protective properties. They carried arrays of weapons and other useful gear. This was also true for the candidates, making their occupation obvious. To dispel any doubt, Vincent wore his brooch bearing the Adventure Society emblem.

The driver explained that his family had escaped their nearby farm after a pack of margolls arrived. The only reason they got away was that the margolls were caught up slaughtering their herd, giving the farmer time to load his family in the wagon and flee. This would make the fourth group of margolls the group had encountered in three days.

"Margolls again," Mobley muttered. "Do you think it's a sign the monster surge is starting?"

"Possibly," Ichigo answered, "but not likely. There hasn't been an increase in overall activity or a sharp rise in pack numbers. The first sign is usually when solitary monsters start appearing in groups."

After getting the details from the farmer, Vincent addressed the group, "We're looking at a large pack, somewhere around ten to twelve margolls. Asano, I know you've been pushing for a shot at a margoll pack, but do think you can handle that many?"

"Yes," Jason confidently stated. "I have a bit more to show you."

By time the wagon turned off the embankment road and down a slope towards the farm, Jason was itching to begin. He was the first to vault out the back of the wagon.

Vincent had stopped the wagon on the outskirts of the farm. In the distance they could see a clutch of mudbrick farm buildings, past fields of a low, leafy crop. Vincent, still in the driving seat of the wagon, tossed Jason a far-sight crystal.

"We'll watch from here," Vincent stated. Margolls had poor vision and aura sense, but their sense of smell and hearing were highly sensitive. The group would see everything through the crystal without interfering with Jason's fight.

As Jason marched away without pause, conjuring his Protection of the Titan armor, Ichigo followed. He maintained enough distance that he wouldn't interfere either but still could if necessary.

Jason neared the farm's largest building, a big, square barn having confirmed that was where all the margolls had converged. As he did, a margoll came wandering out, chewing on the remains of what, to Jason, looked like the family dog. Somehow, the idea of a dog-headed monster eating a dog made it even more disgusting. The monster sniffed the air, then turned to Jason, dropping its meal on the dirt.

Jason had never been this close to a real margoll before. It had the face of a pit bull and the body of a power lifter, with sickle-like hands. Its arms were drenched up to the elbows in blood, as was its mouth. It threw its head back, letting out a wild howl.

The margoll's howl called more, who emerged from in and around the building to join it. As they assembled, Jason and the first one remained where they stood, gazes locked. Jason was the first to move, walking closer to the wall of the barn.

That first step was like a starter's pistol, the monsters lunging into a sprint. Jason kept walking casually and drawing his sealed Asauchi from his hip as the creatures closed the distance, pounding over the dirt. When they were almost upon him, he blinked away.

He appeared behind the monsters in flash of purple void light. In the brief but crucial moment of confusion, Jason stabbed into the side of the margoll's neck in front of him, slicing outward and severing its major artery, nearly decapitating it.

The creatures were already wheeling on Jason, so when the blade cut through the major artery, blood sprayed over the others.

You have defeated [Margoll].

He kicked the dead monster forwards as it burst into a cloud of siva nanites thanks to his Virulent Outbreak ability. The microscopic machines devoured all physical material, including flesh, the exception being Jason and his allies. The margolls unfortunately were fair game, the closest ones staggering away with dog-like yelps of misery as their furry skin and eyeballs were eaten away.

The group of margolls was large enough that those furthest from Jason weren't disabled, although they were scattered and distracted. Jason moved right into their midst, making full use of his martial skills in the chaos.

To better show off his competency and because he figured out that Vincent wanted to see him fight when his preferred fighting strategy failed, Jason didn't use his Seitoshi Okami-tachi's released form, using his martial abilities while wielding its sealed form with the occasional energy drain palm thrust or omnificence to create traps or walls to corral them. He'd even conjured four blade wolves from before to attack along the edges of the battle, killing or turning them back into the fray.

Jason's normal strategy was to maintain his distance, raining down damage with his guns and key up opportunities to land draining attacks to replenish his mana and stamina. Then once the target/targets were primed and ready he'd finish them with one of his big special attacks. Now he was showing what he'd do if for some reason he couldn't use his shikai and direct damage abilities, being forced to get up close and personal.

His combat knife form still did transcendent damage and sliced through margoll flesh with ease. An elbow strike or kick tripping up nearby margolls into their fellow. Dissolving one felled margoll after another and knocking them into groups of them, the nanite cloud growing with each death.

Jason danced through the chaos, teleporting about when needed, blade flashing, elbows, palm thrusts and feet lashing out. Steadily dropping their numbers off one by one. They'd retaliate with their claws, a few being stopped by his mana shield, the few times they looked like they'd drop it, he used his Amulet of Salvation's accumulated instances of light-forged shield to restore it to full strength.

Ichigo watched as Jason walked back. Behind him, a siva cloud of over a dozen monsters drifted into the sky and dissipated into nothingness. It rose up from his body as the blood of his enemies dissolved away. The blade wolves bounding up to Jason before breaking down into red and black particle and sunk into his flesh.


The sky grew darker as the wagon passed through cut-down flatland around the Old City wall and through the city gate. After the sprawling delta, everything felt pushed together in Old City, from the narrow streets to the buildings crammed against one another. The wagon rolled on up through Broadstreet Boulevard which, in spite of the name, would barely pass as a laneway on the Island. Stalls were packed away and storefronts were closing with the setting sun. Jason noted Jory's clinic as they passed it by.

The Boradstreet Bridge was the same one Jason crossed on his first day in Greenstone, the wagon getting waved straight into the rich people lane. The pace picked up on the wide Island streets and the wagon soon pulled up at the Adventure Society's marshalling yard.

The sun was completely gone by the time they arrived, but Jason's mood had lightened. He hopped free of the wagon feeling good of his chances of passing the assessment.

"And here we are," Vincent said as the candidates decamped from the wagon. "Results of the assessment can be collected from administration individually as of tomorrow afternoon. If you wish to challenge or query the results, you may do so with administration at the time you collect them."

The marshalling yard was thoroughly illuminated by magic lamps, and a small crowd was awaiting their arrival. The other group had apparently just arrived as well, already being greeted by waiting family. Ichigo spied his mother, fending off several would-be social climbers, and headed in her direction. Jason spotted Kaname standing next to her but also noticed Thadwick Mercer. From their body language, he guessed Thadwick was being met by a household servant rather than a family member.

Jason walked in that direction, calling out Thadwick's name like he was an old friend.

"Huh? Oh! Asano, here to congratulate me on passing the assessment?" Thadwick asked in a tone of smug happiness.

"Of course," Jason enthused, "though the results won't be revealed until tomorrow afternoon, but I'm sure you passed with flying colors, mate."

Thadwick preened at the praise before he asked, "And how'd you do?"

"I'm fairly confident that both me and Ichigo passed. Thanks for asking."

"Good," Thadwick rejoiced. "Perhaps you and Kurosaki could accompany me on a contract sometime."

"It'd be a pleasure," Jason replied with a fake smile. "Unfortunately, I'm not quite up to snuff to be going on contracts you and Ichigo will be taking yet. I'm going to be focusing on some solo contracts to round out my abilities and become stronger so that one day I can be at your level."

Thadwick eat up the praise all the more and Jason just kept up the façade until he left after exchanging a few more niceties with him.

Jason turned in the direction of Kaname, Ichigo and Masaki. Vincent had already moved to join them, and they were all looking in the direction of Jason's encounter with Thadwick.

"Masaki!" he called out with a wave as he approached. He flashed Ichigo a genuine grin, and the young man returned it with his own that every young noble girl would kill over.

"Nicely done with Young Master Mercer," Masaki complimented with a smile. "I do hope you you're paying attention, Ichigo, dear."

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"Jason," Kaname suspiciously asked, "what are you up to?"

"Oh, dear Mr. Remore," Masaki shook her head in disappointment. "I'd expected you to have seen through his ploy."

"I think I might have missed something," Ichigo stated in confusion.

"Same here," Kaname said unhappily.

Masaki sighed, giving Jason a sympathetic look, "You're wasted in this city, you know that?"

"I do," Jason agreed, shaking his head with mock sadness. "But you can't control where some lunatic cultist summons you to."

"What?" Vincent blurted out, completely lost.

"Will you please just explain why you're friends with the likes of Thadwick Mercer?" Kaname asked. "It's not like you, Jason."

"And stop weirdly flirting with my mother," Ichigo added grumpily.

"Hey," Jason let out with a little hurt. "I'd never do that to you Ichigo. A mate never messes with another mate's mum."

"We're getting off topic," Kaname chided.

"Ichigo, dear, Mr. Remore," Masaki started to explain. "You have to remember that Jason wasn't born on top of the pile like you two. Yet, he finds himself in the company of those that are and can't fade into the background. Nor can he stand in such company until he's advanced and built up a reputation. Thus, he has to make his own place in society carefully, which is why he's playing around with poor Thadwick."

"So, you're manipulating him again," Ichigo accused.

"Of course," Jason admitted. "Thadwick is the type of entitled, arrogant self-important person that I could never be friends with. But he has the political power of the Mercer family behind him and that's something I can benefit from while preventing him from being my enemy."

"I don't think it's right to pretend to be someone's friend just to use their family name," Ichigo stated disapprovingly.

"It is," Kaname agreed.

"Yup," Jason agreed to their dumbfounded expressions. "I'm not pretending to be his friend. I'm just being amicable and friendly. People like Thadwick don't have friends, they have subordinates and servants. To people like him, everyone is beneath them and friendship can't be formed in such an environment. It's why I'm friends with you and Kaname. You're both superior in status and power but don't treat people like they are less than you."

That eased Ichigo and Kaname as they conceded Jason's point.

"Honestly," Jason continued, "this isn't about Thadwick. It's about all these nice people here. The people who saw me being friendly with a member of the Mercer family, then wander here to where I'm on a first name basis with Kurosaki Masaki herself. Where does that put me, in their eyes?"

"Right at the top," Kaname realized. "But why bother? You're already appearing in high social circles."

"As an adjunct to you," Jason told him. "What I just did showed that I'm more than just some hanger-on. I'm in the good graces of the Mercers and a close friend of the Kurosaki clan. People will have to take me seriously just for that simple fact."

"So," Ichigo concluded, "you're using our families' names to elevate yourself."

"Now you're getting it, dear," Masaki said happily.

"I'm fairly certain I'm not," Ichigo frowned. "How is that different than what he was doing before?"

"Dear boy," she explained to him. "This isn't about climbing the social ladder, it's about displaying how well-connected Jason is to the local powers. Anyone wanting to move against him, either for a political plot or a personal vendetta will have to consider angering the two most power families in Greenstone."

"So, we're his shield from reprisal," Ichigo guessed. "As long as he doesn't go antagonizing people he shouldn't."

Masaki sighed, "Sometimes I think you are a little too much your father's son. Just by being associated with Mr. Remore, Jason became a target for plots to get closer to him and reprisal for any grudges they don't have the power to direct at the Remores. But now Jason isn't some mere iron rank hanger-on that can be stepped on but a close tie to the local powers."

"I am also now in debt to the Kurosaki clan," Jason added with a knowing smile at Masaki, who returned it with one of her own.

"How?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"Your mum could have rebuffed me, making me look like an overeager sycophant that overplayed his hand," Jason explain as Masaki gave out a wary sigh at her son's lack of political understanding. "By playing along, I now owe her and by extension the Kurosaki clan for the protection. Which is why I'm so adamant on joining the Adventure Society. The power, opportunity and getting to help people is all good and well, but the protection it offers is what I really need right now."

"Huh?" Ichigo said, not understanding as he had been taught all his life about the dangers of being an Adventurer.

"The Adventure Society is the most powerful organization in the world," Kaname explained, understanding in his tone as he knew about Jason's insecurity. "Diamond rankers and even gods won't risk making an enemy of it. Killing an adventurer, no matter their rank, will bring down the Adventure Society's full might upon them. The Adventure Society is the strongest shield one can have in this world so long as you're willing to put in the work required to be an adventurer."

"Come along, everyone; I have a carriage waiting and dinner prepared," Masaki said, while slapping her hands together so as to move them along. "You will join us, won't you, Mr. Trenslow?"

"It would be an honor, Lady Kurosaki."


Jason hadn't been allowed entry to the Adventure Society trade hall, but he had seen it from the outside. It was a huge complex of buildings just off the loop line station, with several annexed structures connecting off a massive central building.

It was a huge bazaar restricted to members of the Adventure Society, along with traders who received dispensation to operate there. It was where adventurers could trade away any valuables, sell off old equipment and buy gear and supplies for their adventures. Jason's acceptance to the Adventure Society had been confirmed but he was yet to receive his badge. His access to the trade hall was granted with a temporary permit he had been given along with the results of his assessment.

Inside the main hall, Gary led the way as they merged into a crowd as packed as any Old City street market. It was a vast, open room, three stories high, with two mezzanine levels. Light poured in from a series of skylights that made up the bulk of the ceiling.

The ground level was a boisterous mix of stalls, ranging from the semipermanent to the very temporary. Some were just an open tent with a few items laid out on a table. Others were essentially full stores, constructed from artfully dyed and woven reed panels, complete with signage. Most fell somewhere in between, but all were swarmed with people almost shoulder to shoulder.

"I didn't realize there were this many adventurers," Jason commented, speaking loudly over the din of people.

"A lot of them aren't active adventurers," Gary explained. "Mostly they're essence users from the aristocratic and wealthy families who joined the society for the benefits. Like the right to come here."

"But they had to pass the field assessment, right?"

"Not all field assessments are alike," Gary informed. "Just ask Kaname if you want to hear him complain for an hour. The problem is worse here than in most places."

"What about monster surges?" Jason asked. "They have to front up for those, right?"

"They do," Gary confirmed, "but most places have what's called a reserve program."

"Meaning they get to stand at the back, away from any danger," Jason supplied coldly.

"That's the one."

Gary led him to the side of the hall, where arcades led towards other buildings in the complex, but instead of leaving the main hall, they took one of the broad stairways leading up.

"The main floor is all iron rank stuff," Gary explained. "Next floor up is bronze."

The second and third floor were mezzanine levels. Gary didn't pause at the second, leading them up to the third.

"The third floor is silver rank?" Jason guessed.

"No, there isn't the market for it here," Gary said. "Apparently there's only forty or so silver rankers in the whole city, and they aren't very active. The magic level here is too low, so silver-rank monsters are rare. Any silver rankers here permanently are semi-retired at best. People like Kurosaki Masaki and Thalia Mercer are only here in anticipation of the monster surge."

"So, what is the third floor for?" Jason asked.

"Brokerages. Most adventurers can't be bothered with the trouble of renting a stall and waiting around for people to buy whatever random pile of loot they have. Brokers buy almost anything of value and sort it for more effective sale. For a percentage, of course."

"That's fair enough."

"Brokers also organize the auctions," Gary continued. "In a smaller city like this, they'll usually hold on to the valuable stuff, like essences and awakening stones. Then the brokers will work together to hold a big auction event. Those Nightfang daggers I made from that familiar you looted and, once we finish that shield, they'll sell at auction."

The most valuable item Jason looted during the field assessment was the shell of the rune tortoise. Finding an intact one was rare and lucrative, as they could be turned into magical shields. Gary and Farrah were going to work on it together, then split the profits three ways with Jason. The daggers would be split between just Gary and him and would sell for even more being bronze rank.

"Most brokers also do money-changing services," Gary kept on going. "If you want to split a coin, say bronze down to iron, they'll do that for free. If you go the other way, they charge ten percent. That's standard everywhere, so if they ask for more, just go somewhere else."

Gary led them into a brokerage office, where they were greeted by a receptionist. They were quickly led into a room where they were met by an item assessor, who would value the items so they could get paid. They just had to put out everything on a table for the assessor to go over.

Jason put out the various items he had looted from monsters. There was bark-lurker hide, various extracts and a variety of loose quintessence gems. On Gary's advice, Jason kept certain items, but most of it was cleared out of Jason's increasing inventory. The stuff he didn't need and would only clutter the sky of his soul vault. Jason had a strange moment as he took out the magical robes he had taken from Landemere Vane.

Landemere was the very first person Jason met in his new world and the first one he killed in it. It had been a little more than two months, but he felt like a different person from the lost man in the Vane family basement. He'd regained a sense of self assurance and was finally starting to really live again. Despite the rocky, bloody start, Jason was more of a person than he was before arriving in Pallimustus.

"Something wrong?" Gary asked, and Jason realized he was staring into space, the robes held in his hands. The blood had long since been cleaned off them.

"Just lost in contemplation," Jason replied, putting the folded robes on the table. "A lot has happened since I got those robes."

"Hopefully for the better," Gary chortled, "we were caged and set to be sacrificed in a blood ritual."

"Yup," Jason smiled back. "I feel alive again for the first time in over a year, and I owe it to you, Farrah and Kaname. Thank you."

Gary scratched the back of head his awkwardly before he managed to mutter out, "Uh, you're welcome. Besides, you saved our lives so, it was the least we could do."

With fresh coins added to the currency counter in his inventory, they headed back downstairs and into the main hall. Making their way through the throng as they looked at the goods on offer, Jason spotted a familiar face. Jory's stand wasn't one of the permanent stalls, but it was one of the larger ones. At the front was a glass counter lined with colorful bottles and vails, behind which stood Jory himself. Most of the stall was storage space, hidden behind a curtain. While Jory was selling a woman a bottle of perfume, Jason perused the chalkboard besides the counter listing the available products.

"Crystal wash," he read out loud.

"Seriously?" Jory asked, as his customer rejoined the crowd. "I can only make so much of it, and there are other people who want to buy it. People who don't get the friend's discount."

"You realize I had to trudge through a bog marsh, right? To protect the poor, innocent people of the delta?"

Jory groaned before yielding, "I can give you one crate, but that's it for the week."

"Twelve bottles?" Jason whined. "I can't get by on twelve bottles."

"You do know about showers and baths, right?"

"Yeah," Jason admitted, "but when I'm out adventuring, I won't always have that conveyance available to me. I've spent weeks without them and I'm not going to again with the miracle that is crystal wash."

"You've gone weeks without bathing," Gary replied in disgust, his nose wrinkling as if he could smell it. "That sounds very nasty and terrible."

"Yes, it was and thus, I need a large stockpile of crystal wash, so I won't have to relive it."

"Well, if you want more," Jory pointed out, "I'm not the only alchemist here."

"What about those assistants you were talking about hiring from the Alchemy Association?" Jason asked.

"Expanding my operations isn't something I can do on a whim, you know. I have a lot of demands on my time."

"I thought that was why you wanted the assistants," Jason pointed out. "Someone to take over the grunt work."

They paused for Jory to sell an adventurer a bundle of potions.

"It isn't that simple," Jory retorted, resuming their conversation. "If I'm going to do it properly, I need to put together a whole new facility. Extra space, new equipment. Wages for the assistants. You know the kind of margins I work under."

"That's fair," Jason conceded. "Have you considered investors?"

"You offering?" Jory asked.

Jason held up a hand, three gold coins stacked between his thumb and forefinger.

"Something like this get you started?"

The basic coin of the realm was the lesser spirit coin. Iron coins were worth a hundred lesser coins, used by bulk traders, adventurers and other members of the wealthy elite. After that, it was ten iron to the bronze, ten bronze to the silver and ten silver to the gold. The gold spirit coins in Jason's hand was worth three hundred thousand units of the basic currency.

"You're not serious?" Jory exclaimed in awe, to which Jason placed the coins down on the counter.

Jory hesitantly picked them up, peering at them nestled in his palm. "Do you know how many people I can help with this kind of money?" he asked in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter how many people you help," Jason replied. "What matters is if this gets me another crate of crystal wash."


"I still can't believe you gave him all that money," Gary said as they made their way through the crowd.

"It's an investment."

"In what? That guy spends all his money on helping sick poor people."

"But imagine a world where everyone gave money for things like that."

Gary thought it over for a moment.

"Then there'd be more healthy poor people?"

Jason allowed himself to be led by Gary's expertise as they looked at various goods for sale. They checked out large stalls selling armor and weapons in job lots and small stalls with expensive, handcrafted work. The main hall was only the beginning of the grand bazaar. Side corridors led to sprawling arcades lined with boutique shops. Jason spotted one with a sign so long it threatened to encroach on the abutting storefront.

GILBERT'S RESILIENT ATTIRE FOR THE DISCERNING GENTLEMAN

Jason walked inside, which was a large open space lined with armor of the lighter variety Jason preferred, largely cloth and leather. Most of the wares were draped over mannequins to demonstrate the hang of the garb. Several customers were perusing the wares, along with the proprietor in a flock coat that bulged heavily in the middle. Jason recognized the middle-aged man's paunchy frame and balding head.

"Bert," Jason exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed, I am, sir. Gilbert, of Gilbert's Resilient Attire for the Discerning Gentleman. For fine men as yourselves, however, I invite and appeal upon you to call me Bert. I take it from the glint of recognition in your eye that you are familiar with one of my brothers? Please tell me it isn't Filbert, of Filbert's Fine Leather Emporium."

"Uh, no," Jason answered. "I'm Jason and this is Gary."

Gary waved vaguely from where he was already inspecting the merchandise.

"I've met Bertram, Albert and Herbert, but no Filbert," Jason informed. "You're quintuplets?"

"Actually, it's octuplets," Gilbert corrected.

"There's eight of you?"

"Indeed, there are," Gilbert confirmed. "There's Robert, who sells fruit with Herbert, but on the Island instead of Old City."

"Selling the same fruit, but charging three times as much?" Jason chortled.

"I knew you for a gentleman of discernment," Gilbert replied. "There's also Hubert, but we don't really talk about him. Got caught up with a criminal element. That just leaves Bertrand. He's the handsome one."

"You aren't all identical?"

"No, we are."

Jason was about to inquire further when Gary jostled his arm.

"There's some quality stuff here," Gary informed. "Take a look at this."

"Ah," Gilbert chimed in. "Trap weaver silk, alchemically treated for maximum resiliency. Leather panels carefully placed to provide additional protection without compromising flexibility. The magic is integrated right down to the weaving pattern of the cloth. Tricky and laborious work, but the results speak for themselves. It also allows for the loose, flowing design, which is quite unusual with protective wear."

Just as Gilbert said, the armor was almost a robe, in shifting shades of dark grey. The more fitted parts around the torso, arms and legs had black leather panels, but the layered garment was also draped with flowing cloth. It was a strange combination of tactical armor from Jason's world and some kind of wizard robe. Jason was immediately taken with it.

"There's a famous fictional story of warrior mystics where I come from," Jason mused. "They dress like this. I don't suppose there are swords with a blade made of light to match?"

"Not in this city," Gary answered. "I've seen some gold-rank weapons like that."

"Huh," Jason replied. "That actually is kind of neat. I have to start ranking up."

"You're a long, long way from gold rank," Gary chortled. "You should keep your eyes on what's in front of you, for now."

Gilbert smelled a sale and continued his spiel, "The mix of shades and the flowing line are of value to clients who value stealth. While not assisted by magic, the drape of the fabric breaks up the lines of the body, making it harder to recognize in the dark."

"That does actually work," Gary confirmed.

Jason reached out to run his fingers over the cloth, which felt smooth and sleek.

Item: [Trap Weaver Battle Robe] (iron rank, epic)

A full body armor, carefully handcrafted from silk and leather of trap weavers (armor, cloth/leather).

Effect: Repairs damage over time. Extensive damage may require external repair.

Effect: Absorbs blood to prevent leaving a blood trail.

Effect: Increases resistance to bleed and poison effects.

Effect: Resistant to adhesive substances and abilities with adhesive effects.

Effect: Adapts fit to the wearer, within a certain range.

"Well?" asked Gary, familiar with Jason's ability to examine items.

"I like it... But I conjure my own armor, so I don't really need it."

"True," Gary conceded, "but it does show remarkable craftsmanship, and they might be able to make what you are looking for."

"I guarantee you, sir," Gilbert interjected, "I am capable of meet nearly all your attire needs. Failing that, I can recommend a craftsperson that will be able met your needs."

"Well, what I'm looking for is an under-armor, light weight like this piece here but can be worn under everyday robes and my heavy armor," Jason explained. "I want it to at least enhance my mana shield and conjured armor. Both of which are racial abilities not from my essences."

"I could make something like that," Gary added, "but between my own projects that are already in the works and adventuring I wouldn't be able to get to it for quite some time. Plus, I don't know all the local suppliers that could provide all the necessary materials."

Gilbert silently thought for a moment before he responded, "I could fashion what you're asking for, but I'll need to examine your abilities thoroughly to discern what materials I'd need. It would also take some time to craft with a considerable amount of my personal efforts. That will make it a rather costly commission."

"No worries there, mate," Jason replied. "I got plenty of coin to spend and when it comes to keeping me alive, I'm more than willing to spend as much as it takes."

"No better words have spoken in my establishment," Gilbert applauded happily.

"I can also supply the list of materials I made for the amulet that does pretty much the same thing," Gary added.

"That would be most helpful, sir. Now come with me to the back and I can take your measurements and imprints of the magical properties of your abilities. From there we can begin working out the price."

After figuring the specifics -including the function and makeup of his amulet, Gary helping to figure out the cost, the lykonid haggled a reasonable price for the finished product. Though, with a few contingencies in case certain materials had to be altered or completely exchanged. Jason also gave Gilbert the freedom to make further enhancements or add effects that'd work well with his powers. Both Gary and Gilbert seeming satisfied with where the number landed. The price was in bronze coins, unusual for iron-rank equipment, but Jason had no issue for the quality of Gilbert's work and as Gary confided in him that it'd have cost him roughly the same to make.

They left Gilbert's Resilient Attire For the Discerning Gentleman, making their way through the crowds in the direction of the exit, but Jason stopped when he spotted a stall.

"What is it?" Gary asked.

It was a large stall selling recording crystals. Jason's eyes fell on a box of crystals being sold in bulk, which he pointed out to the bored-looking woman behind the counter.

"How much?"


Someone stopped Erika Asano outside the cafe.

"I just bought your new cookbook!" the enthused fan happily informed.

"Thank you. I hope you enjoy it," Erika kindly replied with a smile.

"I was sorry to hear about you brother."

"That's kind of you."

She took a selfie with the fan before going inside, making her way into a secluded booth in the back. She sat down opposite a man who looked like he had slept in his suit several days in a row. He smelled like had also been skipping showers in all that time but was only minutes past his last drink. He had bloodshot eyes and a scraggly beard.

"Hello, Detective," she greeted, voice and face filled with concern.

"Not anymore," Adam corrected.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hate to think that I pushed you to-"

"You didn't push me into anything," he refuted. "I walked into this with my eyes wide open."

"What do you have?" Erika asked with restrained hope. "You didn't sound optimistic over the phone."

Adam took a battered folder from the satchel on the seat next to him, placing it on the table. Then he pulled out a flash drive from his pocket and placed it on top of the folder.

"I've taken this as far as I can," he explained. "I've been chewing my way around the outside, but there's no way into the middle. It's like there's a giant hole at the center of all this and nothing can get close to it."

"What are you saying?" Erika asked.

"This is as far as it goes," Adam stated resolutely, patting the folder. "This is everything I have. There are some photos in there of the space where your brother's apartment should be. I shouldn't have those, so be careful where you flash them around. Or don't; I don't care."

"There's nowhere else to take the investigation?" Erika pleaded.

"I've put together enough of the puzzle to see that there's one very big secret here and I promise you that neither you nor I will be able to crack it. I know it's connected to all those terrorist-readiness drills the military are doing. I know someone is influencing government bodies at an incredibly high level and I know there is some kind of operation working completely in the dark. I don't know if it's some kind of off-the-books intelligence program or what, but they have a ridiculous amount of pull.

"Your brother was one of our country's best special forces agents with most of his file redacted. But I'd found that he'd done a lot of black ops work against very powerful, very nasty organizations. Illegal weapons dealers, human traffickers and terrorists being amongst the many such people that'd have a grudge against him. Lt. Jason Asano has made plenty of dangerous enemies, but if it was simple payback the government wouldn't be so aggressively keeping it quiet. I assume it might be some sort of new weapon that made the very odd explosion that destroyed your brother's apartment. No residue, scorch marks or debris of any kind was found. If it can get through all our security screens and procedures, I could see various governments fighting some sort of shadow war for it. One that your brother was a casualty of."

Adam sighed, "But that's just conjecture. I have no proof and trying to dig any further wouldn't produce any."

A waitress came by, and Erika ordered tea and Adam some coffee.

"So, what now?" Erika asked after the waitress walked away.

"Now I go spend my rent money on bourbon. This is the end of the road, Mrs. Asano. There's a secret here a lot bigger than you and me. The only thing I kept out of this folder is a number of deaths I'm pretty sure happened to keep that secret. I won't let you go poking around and get killed too."

"Are you in danger?" she asked, concern heavy in her tone.

Adam let out a bitter laugh, "Frankly, I'm amazed I'm still alive. I was advised to leave this alone multiple times. Then I was told, then I was fired. Don't make my mistake. I know you don't have answers for what happened to your brother, but you need to find a way to let this go."

"You're telling me to walk away after having thrown everything into this?" she asked.

"Mrs. Asano, not everyone who told me to back off had something to hide. They knew what keeping at this would cost me, and they were right. Just look at me. I don't have anyone. You have family. I know he was your brother, but would he want your family to get hurt chasing down answers when he's already dead?"

Erika's face scrunched with unwillingness, but she gave a slight nod, "I don't like this."

"The people behind this don't want you to like it," Adam replied. "They want you to shut up and stop poking into this or they'll kill you."

"Are you seriously suggesting I would be murdered by some conspiracy group? That's absurd."

"Mrs. Asano, those deaths I mentioned weren't murders. They were car accidents, house fires and suicides."

"Which could be exactly what they seem to be," she argued.

"Suicide will be how they do you, by the way. Celebrity chef kills herself after brother's tragic death in a gas explosion barely a year after her adopted son died of cancer. Friends say she became erratic in the months following her brother's death, obsessed with conspiracy theories after dealing with so much loss and heartache. She was known to associate with disgraced former detective..."

The return of the waitress with their drinks forestalled Erika's response.

"Do you really expect me to believe any of this?" she asked once the waitress was out of earshot.

"I barely believe it," Adam admitted with a wry, weary smile. "But remember, you were the one who found me. We both knew this thing stunk from the start. But don't make any mistakes. You have people that can still get hurt."

He placed a hand on the folder, "This is almost everything I've been able to put together, from copies of police reports, military files -don't ask how I got them- to my own personal notes. You can take it, but I'm asking you not to. Go home and look after the rest of your family. They've lost enough; they don't need to lose you too."

"Detective... Mr. Cosgrove. I did come to you. As such, I can't help but feel responsible for the circumstances you find yourself in."

"My life may be a complete wreck chasing this down, Mrs. Asano, but I know who put me where I am, and it wasn't you."

She looked at the folder and flash drive under his hand for a long time before standing up without touching them.

"I'll take your advice, Mr. Cosgrove. I know we probably won't meet again, but do not hesitate to contact me if you ever need something. I appreciate how much you've sacrificed looking for the truth about my brother."

"It was never about you or your brother for me, Mrs. Asano," he declared with a resolved, hardened stare.

Erika gave him a sad, soft smile, "I appreciate it, nonetheless."

She took out some money, leaving it next to her untouched tea, "For the drinks."


"Hello," Jason said, waving at the crystal floating in front of him. "I'm not sure if -or when- you'll be seeing this, but I didn't die, or whatever you think happened to me. You probably know that, since the only way you're likely to see this is if I give it to you."

He let out a disgruntled groan.

"Maybe I should have scripted this. Oh, well. Where should I start? It's been about two months since I arrived here. Where is here? That's complicated. I've made some friends. I just got a new job, although I haven't started yet. They're meant to be sending my ID over today. The application process involved a week-long test of my capabilities, which I got back from a couple of days ago."

He took a deep breath.

"I suppose I should start with complicated question of where I am. Right now, as you can see, I'm in an expensive hotel suite. It isn't actually mine; that's across the hall. This one belongs to some of those friends I mentioned. They went three-bedroom, which came with this nice, open living area."

Jason had purchased recording crystals that gave him a lot of control about how they moved. He got up and led it out to the balcony, where he panned it over the ocean view.

"Nice, right? One of my new friends is kind of a big deal, so he got the best room in the house. We're on an artificial island, which considering the size, is mindboggling. At some point I'll do a tour video. The subways here are amazing."

"Jason," Farrah's voice called out from inside. "Who are you talking to?"

Jason went back inside. Although he hadn't been out on a job yet, having passed muster with the Adventure Society prompted Kaname to declare Jason ready to guide his own training. Although he and the others would provide occasional guidance, the hours of intensive oversight were a thing of the past, leaving the others with more time for their own pursuits. Farrah and Gary had been working on the rune tortoise shield they were going to sell off, while Kaname was preparing to expand his family's interests into Greenstone.

"I'm talking to my family," Jason answered her. "I've decided to make a record of my time here. Something I can show them, if I ever get back home. Family, this is Farrah and Gary."

"Er, hello," Farrah said, giving the awkward, home-movie wave that apparently transcended realities.

"Hey!" Gary said, waving enthusiastically. "Hello, Jason's family!"

"Planning for when you get home?" Farrah asked. "That's a bit premature considering you can't make that journey until you hit diamond rank."

"So says the information from the Abidan but I'm not wildly trusting of authority figures," Jason replied, deactivating the crystal. He took a carousel out of his inventory, full of recording crystals away in an empty slot and returned the carousel to his inventory.

"You do realize the Adventure Society you just joined is a world-spanning organization, right?" Farrah pointed out. "A global authority."

"Yup," Jason answered. "I didn't join because I trust their authority. I joined for the protection it can give and how relaxed they are on ordering me around. Their rules are fair and not nearly as strict as the ADF from my world."

"That's your world's version of the Adventure Society?" Farrah asked.

"Kind of," he explained, "but they aren't a global authority. Just my home country of Australia. Every nation has their own military force that acts as their defensive and offensive power against other nations. We don't have monsters on Earth, so we look at each other as rivals for natural resources and territory."

"That's weird," Gary commented.

"There are a few skirmishes between nations now and again," Farrah informed. "But they rarely last as diamond rankers' step in and the amount of damage they can cause when they clash forces the conflict to end. Gods and the Adventure Society push both sides to end their conflict to lessen the damage and focus on handling the existential threat monsters pose to people."

"Hmm, like a United Nations with actual power," Jason mused. "Or is it just the common threat of monsters that give the Adventure Society its pull."

"The Adventure Society also has the largest number of powerful essence users, offering up wealth and power single nations can't or won't offer," Gary supplied.

"Wow, I almost wish monsters were a thing in my world," Jason replied. "Maybe nations would stop killing each other over petty reason like religion and ethnicity."

"Many would argue that killing over their religion isn't petty," Farrah stated. "I'm not one of them."

"Knew there was a reason I liked you Farrah," Jason replied with a smile.

"I thought it was because of her lava powers," Gary mused.

"True," Jason admitted, "her powers are awesome."

"I figured it was because of my stunningly good looks and brilliant mind," Farrah mock pouted, crossing her arms and turning her head.

"It definitely wasn't for her modesty," Gary chortled.

"What you call modesty," Farrah replied with her head raised high and a mock haughty tone," I call a lack of confidence."

They all broke out in laughter.

Their revery was broken by a knock on the door and Gary let Vincent in. They all sat down in the lounge area and Jason put out a tray of snacks he took from his inventory.

"You just had those ready?" Gary asked, picking up a candied grape.

"Turns out my storage space maintains freshness and temperature," Jason informed. "Which is lucky because I had that tyrannical pheasant meat in there for over two months."

"You mean the meat I had the other day?" Gary asked warily.

"That's the one," Jason confirmed unabashedly.

"Is that why you didn't want any? Were you testing it out on me?" Gary asked/accused.

"It wouldn't affect me," Jason replied simply, "I'm poison resistant."

"But I'm not," Gary groused.

"You're Bronze rank," Jason defended. "It'd have been fine. If you're worried about the food I make, you don't need to eat any of these snacks."

Gary looked at the candied grape in his fingers, then put it in his mouth, "We don't have to go that far," he mumbled out.

Vincent watched the exchange with raised eyebrow and asked, "Are you two finished?"

"You sound like Kaname," Gary mused.

"I don't think Kaname could pull off that moustache," Jason stated.

Jason liked Vincent; he was a very serious man with a very outrageous moustache.

"There's been a slight problem with your society badge," Vincent jumped straight to the point.

After receiving confirmation that he had passed the assessment, Jason had undergone the final process of becoming an Adventure Society member. Each member had a badge that served various functions beyond proof of membership. It let members claim adventure notices and allowed the society to track members in case they went missing. It also let the society know immediately when a member died.

Badges were managed by the Adventure Society's Member Logistics Department, of which Vincent was one of the chief officials. In addition to the assessment and induction of new members, their responsibilities included the dispensation and monitoring of membership badges.

Although the badges were managed by the Adventure Society, it was the Magic Society that created them. Jason had been sent to the Magic Society so they could take an aura imprint from which to make his badge. It was a simple process, just standing in the middle of a magic circle for about a minute.

"Every time a badge is made," Vincent started to explain, "it's paired with a tracking stone. It tells us if your alive or dead and lets us find you if you go missing or die. Yours doesn't work; the stone can't track your aura imprint."

"I've seen this before," Farrah chimed in. "Some people have abilities that block magical tracking."

"That was the Magic Society's assessment as well," Vincent agreed.

Farrah gestured at Jason, "He has a racial ability that gives him immunity to identification and tracking effects. I recorded it myself but promised not to release data until Jason gives me the okay."

Vincent nodded, "That's fine. Just as long as we know there isn't someone messing with our membership systems."

"So, what does that mean about getting my badge?" Jason asked.

"There's not much we can do," Vincent answered. "Your badge will still work fine for your adventuring activities. It just means we can't track you if you go missing, or find your body if you die alone."

"I can live with that," Jason replied calmly. "I'd long accepted the possibility of my corpse rotting away in the middle of nowhere. It was apart of my last job... no wait. My last job was selling office supplies. I mean the one before that."

Gary chortled while Farrah suppressed a grin and shook her head.

Vincent simply ignored the banter and plucked an object out of thin air. Many essence users had abilities to store objects in dimensional spaces, like Jason's inventory, or Farrah's bottomless stone chest. Vincent handed a square, leather object to Jason. It was a badge wallet, which Jason flipped open to see the badge inside. It was circular medallion made of iron, embosses with a sword and rod crossed over a shield -the emblem of the Adventure Society.

"Congratulations," Vincent said professionally, "As of this moment you are officially a member in good standing of the Adventure Society. That badge represents your membership, and the authority that represents."

"What kind of authority?" Jason asked, flipping open the wallet like a TV cop flashing his badge.

"It's more like having a certain level of prestige that comes from membership," Vincent explained, "the actual authority comes from the contract you are carrying out. A common example is when the city puts out a contract to capture a wanted criminal. Whoever is assigned that contract has the power to investigate and arrest bestowed by the city, but only so long as they are on that contract. However, you don't have the rank to take on a contract like that."

"I have a rank?"

"Your rank can be seen on your medallion," Vincent informed. "One-star, iron rank."

Jason looked down at his new badge. On the iron medallion, underneath the Adventure Society emblem was a single star.

"The ranking system of the Adventure Society has two parts," Vincent explained. "The first element is not assessed at all, being a reflection of your rank as an essence user. You're iron rank, so you are an iron rank member."

"Simple enough," Jason replied.

"The second part is not an assessment of your power, but your judgement. That's the star ranking and is wholly determined by the Adventure Society. Everyone begins at one star, with the maximum number of stars being three. The number of stars determines the kind of contracts you can take. One star contracts are pure monster hunts with no complicated elements to deal with."

"What's your star ranking?" Jason asked curiously.

"Society officials operate outside the rating system," Vincent answered. "It helps us to work with members, irrespective of their rank."

"Makes sense," Jason nodded. "If you've got a two-star official running an operation with three-star members, they might start taking things into their own hands."

"Precisely," Vincent confirmed.

"So, what about you two?" Jason asked Farrah and Gary.

"Two start," Farrah answered first. "Kaname as well. We were kind of hoping to get bumped up to three after the Vane contract, but that didn't work out."

"Kaname gave an honest report," Gary clarified. "We didn't come out looking great."

"Ironically, you did," Vincent said to Jason. "I saw that report."

"I don't suppose that counts for my promotion chances?"

"Not directly," Vincent replied, "but it may be taken into account in the future. Once other achievements have the society considering you for promotion. Achievements made while actually a member."

"So, what do two and three stars actually represent?" Jason asked.

"In short," Vincent explained, "two and three stars represent a level of confidence in your judgement on the part of the Adventure Society. Two stars means the society recognizes your ability to undertake at least some level of actual, unsupervised responsibility. You'll be able to take different kinds of contracts, such as investigating potentially dangerous situations or unknown phenomena. It also means you can lead small expeditions of one-star members."

"We never got to two star at iron rank," Gary commented. "In the high-magic areas there isn't a lot of chance to shine. You spend the whole time following more powerful adventurers so as not to die."

"Three stars is much the same as two, but more so," Vincent continued.

"Three stars means they trust you to handle yourself when things get political," Farrah cut in.

"That's a fair assessment," Vincent agreed. "Three star members are expected to anticipate and manage consequences at a higher level than other adventurers."

"How do you go for promotion?" Jason asked.

"You can apply," Vincent supplied, "usually on the back of some accomplishment. The society prefers to choose for themselves, however. When they think you're operating at a higher level than your current rank, they'll do an assessment. We don't like to see useful assets wasting themselves on work any idiot could do."

"I think he's talking about you," Farrah mused while pointedly staring at Gary.

"You're not any higher rank than I am," Gary shot back.

"There is one important thing to be aware of," Vincent added, ignoring the pair. "The stringency with which promotions are considered scales upward with power. What is good enough for two stars at iron rank is not the same as bronze or silver rank, where the stakes are higher. As such, you can expect to drop a star rank each time you tier up in power. Unless you're still one-star, of course. No one really expects anything from you if you're stuck at that level."

"He's still talking about you," Farrah prodded Gary once again.

"I have two stars," Gary groused defensively. "We're the same rank."

"So, what now?" Jason asked.

"That's easy," Gary happily changed track, "you're an adventurer now. Go to the jobs hall, get a contract and have some damn adventures."


Adam ambled along wearily through the bottle shop. Standing in front of the bourbon he preferred to drown himself in was a woman dressed in an exquisite suit. She was looking right at him, stirring his fuzzy memory until it clicked.

{About bloody damn time,} he thought to himself. {My livers been taken a beating keeping up the drunken, sad-sack ploy.}

"You're one of them," he groused. "You were there, when Lt. Asano's apartment was erased from existence."

"I was there, yes, although we never met. You have a good eye and a sharp memory, Mr. Cosgrove. It's what makes you a good investigator."

Adam snorted, "Being a good investigator is about legwork and persistence. You can shove that Sherlock Holmes crap up your arse."

He moved forward to take a bottle and she moved to interpose herself between him and the liquid relief.

"Lady, if you think I won't kick your arse right here, then you're underestimating how little I've got left to lose."

Adam drew a sharp breath as the woman's presence seemed to swell until it felt like she was towering over him, despite not having moved. He suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed, by the effect of her aura. It wasn't a fraction as overwhelming as Robert's aura, the man that'd showed him the truth. He fought through the feeling by drawing upon the wellspring of rage that'd been simmering deep inside him for months, grabbing the front of the woman's suit with both hands. As he had a part to play, a part where he was still in the dark and angry. Which he was despite his new understandings, this lady and her organization ruined his life. Her own hands gripped his forearms like a pair of industrial clamps, pulling his hands off her with a mechanical inexorability.

"Jesus, lady. Are you a frigging terminator?"

"Mr. Cosgrove, I'm here to offer you the same thing you have been chasing since this all began. The things that destroyed your life. The secret you've been circling without being able to see."

"Are you kidding me?" he snarled.

"We've been watching your efforts, Mr. Cosgrove. You are a dogged and determined investigator who looks beyond the obvious and is unflinching when others lack resolve."

"And look where that has gotten me," he growled out, his eyes darkening.

"Mr. Cosgrove, come work for us. All the answers you've been looking for are just the beginning of what you'll receive."

"You want me to work for you?" he asked, incredulously. "After everything you've done, you expect me to throw in with you?"

"Mr. Cosgrove, your life is not in a good position right now," she kept pushing her pitch.

"Because of you, you wretched harpy," Adam bellowed.

"We can make amends and more," she offered simply, her voice never once changing from its professional, emotionless tone.

"And if I tell you to shove it up your arse?"

"Then you can drink yourself to death, oblivious to the truths of this world," she stated nonplussed. "You don't have the credibility to cause us any problems. Convincing Erika Asano to let it go the way you did was a smart move. Giving her just a nibble of the hidden lie, one you impressively saw through, was brilliantly done. But you were wrong, though; it wouldn't have been suicide," she grinned coldly.

Adam's rage was roiling over but he had a part to play, unknowing to the woman before him, he already knew the truth. Thus, he slumped in defeat and capitulation, his balled-up fists going limp.

"What do I have to do?"

The woman grinned triumphally, self-satisfied glee in her eyes, "Everything you're told to do, Mr. Cosgrove. I'm glad you saw reason. Now, go home, sober up and you'll receive a text of a location and time for your induction."

Adam kept his lips firmly pressed together as if he'd swallowed a lemon, having to sell the forced capitulation and nodded, "Yes, ma'am."


Adam was consumed in infinite darkness once closing his apartment door, taking him back to the first time he was introduced to the hidden magical world. A stupidly handsome black American man had brought into a dimensional space of his own creation. Some sort of essence ability he had that'd prevent the Network agents watching him from sensing any change as an eerily perfect copy of him went about his daily routine.

Robert, no last name, had revealed the whole truth to him first, saying if he tried telling anyone, he wouldn't have to do anything. The Network or Cabal would kill him.

It'd sounded ridiculous but it was the only explanation that made sense with the displays Robert had performed. Even letting Adam shoot him in the eye at point-blank range to no effect, causing the round to ricochet into his hand. Then he instantly healed a bullet wound in seconds with a magic potion. Robert even teleported him to the other side of the world in the blink of eye through a portal and showed him a dimensional space filled with monsters and magic.

Adam had learned that there were three hidden Hegemons of the magical world: The Network, Cabal and the EOA (Engineers of Ascension). The Cabal being the oldest, composed of numerous magical creatures of myth. Such as vampires, werewolves, sirens and numerous other species of magical nature. They were the most fractious, often divided amongst species but had a firm grip on old money the world over.

The Network was considered new magic to the Cabal as half a millennium ago essence magic became far more prevalent. It'd been rare and weak for centuries before but upon the appearance of a man called the Founder it'd grown in both quantity and quality. The Founder created numerous hidden magic societies all over world in every human culture that existed over a two-century period. He'd also created a world-spanning infrastructure called the Grid to detect dimensional incursions, the reason for his creation of the Network.

The incursions were temporary miniature physical, magical worlds that held monsters. Very dangerous creatures made of unstable magic that upon degrading would go feral and attack/kill anything they could. But it was also filled with magical materials unavailable in their magically barren world. Such as essences and awakening stone that were what made humans into magical warriors.

The real problem was that if they failed to destroy the Anchor Dimensional Entity (ADE) before the dimensional space dissolved, the monsters would be expelled into their world. For centuries the Network entered them and destroyed the monsters while harvesting the valuable materials. Around the 20th century each respective secret magic society discovered one another and their shared purpose and founding.

The weakest and newest group was the EOA that Robert worked for. They use more esoteric and inventive forms of magic to create magic warriors. All about democratizing magic for all instead of the tightly held essence magic of the Network that keeps it strictly in their control. Or so they seemed, as that was what they were originally, and maintained on the surface to the other hegemonic powers.

The truth was that the EOA leadership had been replaced a century ago by a former Network agent. A man that saw the truth of the Networks' hierarchy and the Founder's real purpose for creating the Network and the Grid. A man that has infiltrated all the Hegemonic powers and was working towards protecting the peoples of the world as the Cabal and Network simply kept trying to keep their hands on the reins as the world tilted to destruction.

The Network was literally keeping their soldiers weak so as to maintain superiority/control despite the need for their proper teachings and resources as the incursions become stronger and more frequent. Having forced the bulk of the Network agents, including the tactical teams that fight monsters to advance through monster core usage. All while keeping non-core usage methods secret to such a degree that when individuals learn how to grow stronger and advance without them, they either bring them into the fold of the ruling families, adding new blood or outright kill them.

Most Network branches all over the world have stable dimensional spaces rich in magic where old ruling families lived with an abundance of resources. Resources they claimed they didn't have enough of for the entire Network. Having to allocate what they could to barely keep pace with the ever-growing threats to the world.

Only the massive nations of the USA and China has spread the proper essence teachings and resources through their ranks. Largely to handle the increase incursion rates over their large spread territories and gain dominance over the other Network branches. They made sure only those that were completely loyal received the best training and essences. Other large countries like India that were heavily populated, unlike Australia where most of the land was uninhabited, simply upped their recruitment numbers and opened their vast stores of essences, awakening stones and monster cores.

The powers meant to protect the world were more concerned with maintaining their control and feeding their greed than doing their job. Getting fat with power while keeping their boots on the necks of their own soldiers to keep them weak and underfoot. And they would continue to do so even as the world literally fell apart around them.

Robert was one of the EOA's top recruiters and assassins that helped spread the hidden true EOA's agenda. Getting people like Adam into the Network to subvert their control and authority. While silently removing any threats to their secret falling into the hands of the Network and Cabal's leadership. Many grunts and mid-level leaders in charge of them belonged to the EOA. Not out of power or loyalty but for the cause of protecting the people of their respective countries and communities.

The Cabal was too fractious and weak to handle what the EOA top leadership called the Threshold Event. When the issue would become too vast for the current Network to contain and millions of people would die. The EOA had brought in private organizations and businesses to secretly build the necessary infrastructure to lessen the projected casualties. New technologies integrated with magic that'd make secured cities, specially defended farming and medical facilities to feed a pinned down world society, and a massive transportation network to move rural populations to those protected cities.

Adam looked at Robert lounging in a chair, dressed in his typical black dress shirt, the top few buttons undone and no tie, with black slacks and dress shoes. Then there was the watch on his left wrist that was much larger than a typical watch. Its band was roughly three inches thick and wide shaped like an octagon made of some sort of silver that shimmered gold. Its face had various runes weaved throughout it.

Robert's brown eyes held and ageless depth that swallowed up anything that gazed into them. A cold harshness of a worn, heavily experienced soldier/killer expressed in them.

"You did well," Robert stated in his smooth, clam voice.

"It was harder than I thought it'd be," Adam admitted. "I wanted to punch her in her annoyingly arrogant face."

"Miranda is the product of the Network's control systems and nepotism," Robert explained. "Her family has received many benefits and unearned influence as one of the regulatory families of the Royal Eustianilla family. Though, I will admit, she is quite the bitch."

"Miranda?"

"Of course she didn't give her name," Robert scoffed. "Make sure not to call her by her name until she gives it. She might be entitled and less capable than most, but I doubt she'd miss a 'nobody' knowing her name without giving it."

"Understood. Play dumb, not too dumb but capable. Get as close as I can to her and learn as much as I can about the Eustianilla."

"Yes," Robert confirmed. "Despite the lower station and power of the Australian branches, we've had extreme difficulty in unearthing their strongholds. Don't push. Take it slow and earn Miranda's trust. We're playing the long game here."

Adam didn't look particularly happy with the idea of getting chummy with such a foul woman but nodded his understanding. Besides, once he uncovered enough, she'd be removed from the board. Along with the powers that gave her the authority to ruin his and many others lives.

As it turned out, she'd been the one that killed the last hope for Tyler Asano, his previous client's adopted son/nephew. They'd ran across one of the Network's secret clinics that healed those that modern medical science couldn't save. Miranda had declined the child's application on the basis that Jason Asano, his father had a history of disobedience and unfit to join their tactical teams.

One of many individuals she had deemed unworthy of their 'limited' resources. Having Gladys -their only known category three healer- kept out of the loop and assigned to healing some politician's third bout of AIDS around the time.

Adam hoped he'd be there when they finally killed her.