“That is good to hear, Jack. Now, I would appreciate it if you stopped whatever that was and we can move on."

  Jack’s eyes darted from side to side. He looked at Monty for moral support, trying to think of a way to politely explain that he had no idea how to do that.

  "Can I be honest, sir? Overseer? Sorry, what should I call you?" Jack asked, squeezing his knees hard enough to stop them from shaking.

  Brandt’s eyes narrowed.

  "You may call me Overseer for now. And yes, you should always be honest with me, Jack."

  "Okay, thanks, Overseer. Umm... I am not exactly sure how to turn it off? I have no mana circulating at the moment. This is just a passive protection. It seems to have a visual effect that was unexpected," Jack said, hoping his 'technically the truth' statement wouldn’t set off the giant man.

  Brandt looked between Monty and Turrel, who both meekly nodded. A smile lit up one side of his face. Jack felt a shiver run down his spine.

  "Protection, you say? A passive barrier... Hmm. Let me test it." Brandt reached out a hand, positioning his massive middle finger as if he were going to flick Jack's shoulder.

  "Oh... umm... haha, sure," Jack replied. He had no idea what to expect from the man who had just admitted to almost killing him five minutes ago.

  Brandt flicked.

  Jack wasn't sure what he was expecting, but a "simple flick" was not it. Granted, the finger was almost the size of Jack's entire hand. He felt the force impact his shoulder like a heavy book being dropped, and there was a slight spark as the barrier rippled.

  "Are you sure that is a barrier? It barely reacted. I was expecting some sort of pushback," Brandt mused.

  Jack thought about it, and the reason came to mind instantly. The skill description specifically mentioned resistance to Slashing and Piercing damage. A finger flick was definitely Blunt force.

  He looked around for help, but no one was offering any. Monty was slowly approaching, but he looked like he was walking through molasses. Jack knew he was meant to keep the details of his ability to a minimum, but he couldn’t see another option. He could only hope that a partial truth would be a fair middle ground and a fair trade for not getting killed.

  "I think it is more of a... stabby defence? Based on the description, anyway."

  "Hmm... Hahaha! Monty has taught you well in this case, I think, Jack. I won’t pry further, but I will test the stabbing part."

  Brandt pointed his index finger straight at Jack and winked. Jack felt mana flow from a crystal tucked somewhere under the giant's silk shirt. The mana moved into Brandt's body, condensing at his fingertip.

  A moment later, a metallic cap formed over the end of his finger, tapering down to a fine, needle-like point. With a speed that Jack did not expect from a man of his size, Brandt jabbed the finger into Jack's shoulder.

  Clink.

  As the needle made contact, the barrier lit up, shining much brighter this time. Jack felt a rushing sensation, as if the layer of mana over his skin was flooding towards the point of impact. He felt a slight tingle, more of a bruised feeling than sharp pain.

  Overseer Brandt pulled his finger back and stared at the tip, then looked back at Jack's shoulder. There was no mark on the skin.

  "Hmmm... that is... actually a little impressive. It seems dimmer than before, though," Brandt noted, his brows furrowing.

  Without warning, he jabbed the finger at Jack again. And again.

  Clink. Clink.

  Jack felt the pull twice more. Each time the mana settled, the skin felt a little lighter, a little thinner. He could feel the charge was almost half gone already.

  "Interesting. It must store a charge and automatically apply it... I have equipment that does similar things but... it seems like quite a waste of mana," Brandt mumbled to himself, the needle dissolving back into nothingness.

  Jack thought to himself that all of these powerful people seemed way too interested in the mechanics of these skills and abilities. Feeling like a lab rat was becoming a common occurrence.

  "Enough. I believe you now," Brandt said, waving his hand. "Still, I would advise that you find a way to empty it before you meet other potentially powerful people. Not everyone will be as forgiving as me."

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  He looked over at Monty as he stood up, the couch shaking slightly with the movement.

  "Now, Montarg! I know why you are here, but... there are some complications. So I have to consider exactly the best way to proceed. I do not envisage you getting a meeting with the leadership here anytime soon," Brandt said as he made his way to the nearest bar.

  Monty stepped up, his calm demeanor finally cracking.

  "Brandt, come on now! You know how I feel about this. Please, help me out here. People will be dying! This is a Tier 3 break. There is no way they will be able to contain this without casualties for an extended period of time."

  "Montarg, please. Do not mistake my leniency with Jack for weakness. Do not overstep," Brandt snapped, his voice dropping that dangerous octave again. "I am here to discuss the situation and carry out my duty as Overseer as much as I am to fulfill my curiosity."

  Monty held himself still, his muscles tense and his hands shaking slightly at his sides. He bit his tongue, refraining from speaking.

  "Do not think so little of me, Montarg," Brandt sighed, walking over to the bar. "Not all of us agree with doing nothing in situations like this. We have rules and structure. But... as the man in charge here, I have a little wiggle room as to how I interpret things."

  "For instance," Brandt continued, pouring himself a drink, "I am allowed to maintain an on-planet residence. Within a certain distance of that residence, I am able to exert a little more... direct influence. To ensure that I am able to protect myself and my staff, of course."

  He ran a massive finger along the rim of the glass and smiled a shark-like smile.

  "I took a liking to what you might call their capital city, which just happens to be the most populated location." He took a sip. "Strange coincidence that the day the largest of the portals spawned in that city was the same day I settled on the location of my new residence. And would you believe it was directly below said portal?"

  His gaze settled on Monty, and the tension in the room snapped, replaced by a sudden, heavy silence.

  "I for one will never take pleasure in seeing my charges dying from avoidable circumstances."

  Monty walked over and nodded, the anger draining out of him. He whispered something to Brandt—Jack couldn't hear what it was, but the gratitude was obvious.

  "Thank you, Overseer Brandt. I apologise... you know how sensitive this situation is for me." Monty poured himself a drink, his hands steady once more.

  Jack was a little too worried to move, so he looked to Turrel for support. The scholar was staring intently at the two men.

  "I understand, friend. I do," Brandt said, swirling his glass. "My hands are tied, however. I am doing as much as I can. Luckily, this world is fairly concentrated when it comes to population centres. There are only three main locations; most of the surface is uninhabited."

  Glancing around, Brandt scratched his head. His gaze settled on Jack for a moment, and he started to tap his fingers on the bar.

  "There are some things we can’t discuss here. My talk about pride extends to the locals as well. You can’t talk with their leadership at the moment because they are not available. They have taken it upon themselves to personally attempt to close the rift."

  Brandt scoffed. "Long-lived races tend to defer decisions rather than instill interim leaders. There is no one left for you to present your offer to."

  Monty's shoulders slumped. He downed his drink in one go.

  "Still, I am sure we can work something out," Brandt said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "We have one of the greatest minds the universe has to offer with us. If a workaround can be found, I am sure Master Turrel will be able to help."

  He pointed his glass at Jack.

  "And besides... it might be nice for Jack to see what a new world looks like, don't you think?"

  Monty perked up slightly at the mention of a workaround, but paused, looking at Jack with a questioning gaze.

  Jack, remembering their previous discussion about his safety and the option of staying on board, quickly nodded. He doubted he could be much less safe down there than he was up here.

  “Okay, Brandt, I think that might be a good plan,” Monty said, turning back to the older man. “I do have a level of responsibility for Jack, however. How bad is the break? What are we looking at?”

  Brandt tilted his head slightly, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek in thought.

  “It could be much worse. They are doing fairly well at containment for now. They have had this rift under control for decades, so they have worked out how to deal with most of the dangers. However, the breach rate of the evolved ursine variety is likely to cause issues soon.”

  Brandt paused as Monty stepped closer, engrossed and waiting for more detail while staring up at the man.

  “Heh, heh, heh.” Brandt chuckled. “Yes, you were always a stickler for details, weren't you? The normal ursine are being dealt with, no problem. The evolved variety have thickened hides and some sort of ice crystal barrier ability. Only one Tier 3 evolution has breached so far, and it had a breath-type ability as well. It was dealt with.”

  He scratched his face while Monty stared at him expectantly.

  “What about the Tier 3 riftspawn? Are they appearing yet? Any breaches? What type of creature are they? Do we know if the Guardian has evolved yet?” Monty rattled off his questions rapidly.

  “No, they haven't breached yet. I have yet to confirm the details, but reports from inside the rift are that they believe the Tier 3 spawn are of the elemental variety. As for the Guardian… nothing yet, but I have some suspicions.”

  Brandt downed his drink and stared appreciatively at the empty glass. “Enough interrogation here. Come, you can read the reports yourself.”

  Monty looked at Turrel and Jack. “Are you two ready to go now?”

  Jack couldn't think of any reason why not; it seemed that Monty’s initial estimate that they might get whisked away was correct. He nodded, seeing Turrel doing the same.

  “Okay then, let's go.”

  Monty headed to the door as everyone followed. Brandt waited for Jack to pass him before joining them on the way out. He hunched over, leaning in to whisper to Jack as they walked.

  “I am interested in seeing what it is that makes you so special, Jack.”

  Jack laughed awkwardly as they all filed out of the room and headed to the transporter room. His luck just kept getting better and better.