The Dragon had been almost amused about the contract before entering the Instance I had designed. Yet I could not help but thank my own intuition when he went in.

  Time was purposely confused in there. Unlike in the compound and the surrounding frozen wastes.

  A single minute might have been ten or twenty or even an hour. A single second might be a whole day. A day might have been an eternity or no time at all and so on and so on.

  Such methods were not very smart, as far as I knew. Just like all others forms of degraded reality, they carried the inherent risk of conjuring one or more anomalies.

  If it was something as banal as the ghosts in Dusty’s world that had so frightened Charlie or the singing flowers in the field then so much the better. However, I of all people knew very well that such meagre shows of power were deceptive at best. Tickling the already inflated hubris that old masters like the Dragon felt.

  I also knew full well that powers that had any influence on the veil or reality were not often practiced in the wider Labyrinth. At least not in polite circles and certainly not before reaching the 3rd Tier.

  Those few Telepaths that dabbled here and there on conjuring Intruders would oftentimes find themselves influenced or dead. If they were lucky.

  There were worse fates than death out there, as those who came under possession soon realized. A relatively tame and benevolent Intruder, like say… Cherub, might simply grab hold of someone and squeeze them in order to fulfil their intrinsic desires, such as cleansing the world of gnomes or whatever else they might be inclined to do. Others, like Mittens, would absolutely revel in the slaughter they caused.

  For these ones, the prime material worlds were a playground to be exploited. A place where they could experience a semblance of life without all the chaotic afflictions that tore the world beyond the veil asunder at irregular intervals.

  I had known the risks and I had still chosen to design the Instance in that manner. Partly because I’d made more or less certain that the only Intruders with access were my own and partly because the weakened veil would also improve the effects of Psy. All Psy.

  The Dragon might have claimed that he had practiced in all the right ways, as instructed by all the right people. Yet I could not help but wonder if any of those had ever exposed him to the raw stuff of the immaterial.

  ‘He certainly didn’t seem all too bothered by the Intruders I sent at him the first time we met. But that was a different time. When he was all Enhancer and nothing else. When he could wrangle the very Psy around him and force his own signature and his own mind on it. Transferring it through his body and tainting it with his colors.’

  The Dragon had now agreed to be a Telepath and nothing but. I had expected he would have had a much different experience than what he was used to or what he was expecting.

  Looking at him now, it was clear that I was right.

  The building was huge. Beyond huge. About the size of six Costco stores put together. With three aboveground floors, two belowground basement floors and nine different lines that snaked all the way around a bunch of poles and colored stripes. Some of the lines went up to higher floors and some went down to lower floors. Some were more or less straight while others went around in a zig-zag patterns so that more people were squeezed into less space.

  All of them were filled to bursting.

  The people there packed together in ways that would make sardines thankful for all the room they had to work with in the canneries.

  The Dragon had looked bemused upon seeing the spectacle. That was some hours ago though. Right now, the novelty had very clearly worn off.

  “Excuse me sir, do you know how much longer this line is going to take?” Hazimon asked the man in front of him.

  “Haaa! What the (Gnome) are you talking about? Are ya looking to pick a fight punk? Huh!? Are ya looking down on me just cause I’m bald!?”

  Hazimon looked startled. Confused at the hostility.

  “Wh-what? No. I’m just asking because we’ve been in the line for hours and it hasn’t…”

  “Nobody calls me a baldy and gets away with it!” The man roared. Effortlessly flicking off one of his sandals, picking it up and smacking Hazimon with it.

  Of course, the master wasted no time in knocking him to the ground and kicking his teeth in, but that was when the security guards came along.

  “Sir. I’m sorry to inform you that fighting in the DMV is forbidden. Please leave for an hour and start again from the back of the line.”

  Hazimon stared at them. Then at the man on the floor. Then he sighed.

  “All right. I’m sorry. I’ll be back soon.”

  I nodded to myself from the training room.

  That had been the right call to make. Because the Intruders would have started coming over if he’d tried to make a fight of it.

  On my side, it was two minutes before he was back in roughly the same spot in the queue. On his side, it was close to eight and a half hours.

  Yet the Dragon did not seem irritated. Instead, he sported an expression that could only be called mild befuddlement.

  “He still hasn’t gotten it.” I murmured. “He’s reading the people around him and he’s already experienced it once, but he’s too old and too proud. He thinks this is just a minor inconvenience.”

  He would learn. Sooner or later. He would break and start seeing the world as a Telepath. The only question was how long it would take.

  Case in point, the Dragon managed to keep his mouth shut for another 12 hours. Despite the line going from a few steps every 10 minutes, to a single step every 2 hours the closer he got.

  His body was calm and still, but I could see that his mind had already started working, even without being able to read his thoughts.

  [Social Hunter IV] was starting to become even more accustomed to his mannerisms. Or what few tells he still had.

  Where a normal human might have been tapping their foot incessantly, the Dragon kept his stance steady and unmoving. Where a normal human might have been sighing and looking at their watch, the Dragon kept his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes ever forwards. Where a normal human might have been slouching or seeking places to lean on after standing for so long, the Dragon’s posture remained straight as an arrow and steady as a mountain. Making it so that his body came across as domineering and powerful compared to all those around him.

  However, his right eye had a tendency to twitch ever few minutes. The veins underneath his scaly skin throbbing ever so slightly while the soft crests along his head fluttered.

  It was starting to happen with more regularity the longer he stayed in the line and it only got worse when the woman in front of him took off her shoes.

  Hazimon’s nose holes twitched at the same time as his gills. His mouth opening for a fraction of a second in a mix of disbelief, disgust and indignation.

  Then she began to massage her weary feet. Groaning as the tension left her and cursing obscenities under her breath. So foul was her language that a few of the people in other queues with children reddened and dragged their offspring away from the colossal building.

  The dragon tried to ignore all of this, but then the woman took off her socks and a fresh new horror wafted through the air.

  That seemed to set him off.

  I didn’t blame him.

  I’d specifically designed the smell to be atrocious.

  “Excuse me madam.” He began again. “Pardon me for saying this but I don’t believe this behaviour is polite.”

  “Haaaa!?” She shouted. Turning around with a red, furious face. “What the (Gnome) did you say to me you walking sushi dish!? Are ya looking for a fight!?”

  The old master put his clawed hands up in a placating gesture.

  “Not at all madam. I was just commenting that perhaps we should all be considerate of each other while wai…”

  She slapped him.

  The master Enhancer did not respond. Instead taking a deep breath through his mouth tube and steadying himself once more.

  “All I meant is that we are all tired and waiting and…”

  “Huuuuu!? Ya think you’re better than me or something!? Ya think ya should get to skip the line cause you’re a fish freak!?”

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  She slapped him.

  Hazimon still did not fight back.

  “No. Madam. Please listen…”

  She slapped him.

  “I won’t stand for this kind of disrespect!” She turned around. “Manager! I need to speak to a manager! MANAGER!”

  Security came up once more.

  “What seems to be the issue ma’am?”

  She whirled and pointed at the Dragon.

  “This thing has been harassing me! It keeps bringing up my feet in front of everyone else!”

  Hazimon was so stunned he couldn’t find the words to talk back.

  She slapped him.

  “All right. All right. Fighting is not allowed here. Both of you out.”

  Hazimon’s eyes snapped to the guard.

  “What!? Both of us!? I didn’t touch her!?”

  “Freak! He’s talking about touching me!” She bellowed. Her voice carrying all over the building. Echoing and bouncing off the walls and ceiling so that the accusation came back within a few seconds.

  That caused people who were standing around them to start whispering. Some in defense of the master and some who hadn’t seen the event in defense of the woman.

  Not content with that, she slapped him.

  Then the guards muscled both of them out the door. Her kicking and screaming and him looking absolutely stunned.

  Then, because he was kicked out of the line a second time, he now had to get in line to enter the buildings. And he was further horrified when he saw that the new line went all the way around the outside of the building.

  Twice.

  Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but notice the sudden jerking of his head as he was dragged towards one of the food courts adjacent to the mega-DMV.

  “He’s finally got a level.” I said aloud. Nodding to myself all the while. “I expected as much. The whole idea of low-Tier Telepathy is expanding your range and dealing with new thoughts and emotions. In a way, it’s a test of how empathetic you can be, while still separating the signals you get from yourself.”

  I leaned back.

  “Ah. I remember those early days in the Labyrinth. The thing that fueled me was getting to the surface and getting out. While saving as many people as possible.”

  I recalled that I also listened to the last thoughts of a lot of people when I had first been bitten by a centipede. Hearing their final thoughts as they died.

  That had been a unique kind of misery, but it had propelled me to push harder and harder. To develop more quickly while still being suppressed.

  I could tell that the Dragon was getting to know that kind of misery firsthand now and that it had earned him a level. Maybe two.

  “And it’s only the beginning.” I muttered again.

  Then I stopped. Noting how I was going all “Hehehehe…” At the sight of someone else’s suffering.

  “Wait a second. Am I a sadist?”

  I shook my head.

  “Nah. That’s ridiculous. I’m always helping people. This is helping too. Kinda. This is what he needs to work out his problems.”

  I took a break and went through my storage ring to get my mind off of the Instance. Pulling out a glass of orange juice I’d gotten from the Warehouse. As a gift of course. Because someone had stolen all my Tokens.

  ‘Ah. This is nice.’ I thought while leaning back on one of the chairs. ‘I’d stopped enjoying a lot of simple things after getting those three Tier 10 Shifter abilities. But I can feel pleasure again after getting [Social Hunter IV]. Is it because I can feel human pleasures when I’m trying to pass off as a human?’

  It would take more experimenting on my part to confirm it, but I was more or less sure that was right.

  I mean, the Drake was a cruel ugly monster who revelled in causing suffering wherever he went, but even he knew to enjoy himself. Even he had hobbies beyond saving people all the time and proving that he was a good person. I should remember that.

  Being connected to others didn’t just mean taking in their suffering. It also meant taking in their joys and their pleasures as well.

  ‘But I have been focusing a lot on the suffering.’ I mused. ‘Though my own world was constantly under the threat of monsters and corrupt armies and governments. Makes sense that I would want to fix that. I wonder how much Earth has changed since the last time I was there. I mean, I did see that everything would be more or less okay when I saw the futures that were coming up, but I wonder how I would personally feel as a regular, normal person? I wonder how my actions have changed the little things like getting up in the morning and eating breakfast or going for groceries? I didn’t focus too much on that aspect of living. Perhaps that was a mistake.’

  I decided to take a quick nap before going back to the Instance.

  When I did return, I saw that the Dragon had now found out that he needed to stock up on food like the others. It didn’t matter how disciplined you were or how much you could fast. A Telepath was still a relatively normal person from a physical sense and hunger was very much on the table.

  Looking at how his rage was painted on his face and how his ribs were now sticking out, it was obvious that he had been forced to leave the queue after nearly starving.

  “Excuse me sir, may I take your place in the line?” He asked the next person.

  The obese man looked like he was about to fight, but his eyes widened at the last second.

  “Well… I…”

  “Please sir.” The Dragon insisted. Flexing [Entrancing Gaze], [Alluring Presence] and [Hum of Harmony]. Feeling the extra kick from how degraded the veil of reality was.

  “I… I guess that’s fine.” The obese man spoke softly. “Please, go on.”

  “You have my eternal gratitude.” Hazimon assured him. Quickly taking the spot and doing the exact same thing on the next person.

  He repeated that two more times, until he found someone who wasn’t quite as receptive.

  That was when he used [Friendship].

  “Please Steve. Think this through. We’ve been friends forever and I really need to get this done.” He said with a pleading tone.

  “Won’t you do this one thing for me? This one time?”

  Steve stammered, but eventually relented.

  The second that he did so, the Dragon began using his [Alluring Presence] trick on the next person. No doubt familiar with the backlash that would come when [Friendship] ran its course.

  By the time it did, Hazimon was twenty spots further on the line and he wasted no time using [Enrage] on another bulky man as Steve skipped the queue to come swinging.

  The bulky man decked Steve in the jaw and the two fell on the ground fighting until security came by and took both of them to the very back of the line.

  Hazimon didn’t even look behind him and kept working the next person before him.

  Three hours later, he was back inside the building. As soon as he stepped through, he started reading all the people around him. Learning their vulnerabilities and their insecurities before moving on to exploiting them with ruthless efficiency.

  ‘Man, he isn’t even hesitating.’ I noticed. ‘Though he has obviously spent some time down there. I wonder how long it’s been on his side?’

  It had obviously been enough that he’d gained six or so levels. But not long enough that he realized that he could skip most of the line by using [Hide] and [Faint Presence] before sprinting towards the finish and then top that off by using [Fog Memory] to keep the new people around him from complaining.

  “He could also use [Fear] and [Confusion] to scour the lines of the weak-minded people. Or use any of the puppet abilities on those with pets. Oh well. Maybe he hasn’t got enough levels yet.”

  A few more hours passed. During which the old master went about the business of using [Drunkenness] and [Message] to start fights between the people who could shrug off his charms.

  All the while, he maintained a more loose, more hunched posture. As if he were ready to strike at the drop of a hat.

  But this seemed like the last attempt. At least to him.

  He made it all the way over the counter. His hands shaking a little bit while his legs wobbled.

  “Hello sir.” He began. “Can I please get my driver’s license?”

  The old man behind the desk looked up from his book. Then his gaze went up and down. Savouring the form of the Dragon before him.

  “And where is form 21-A?”

  Hazimon blinked.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You should be.” The man snorted. “You need form 21-A to get your license.”

  He pointed at one of the straighter lines.

  “You can get the form on that queue. But only after you fill out form 39-G and form 42-D and use them to start an application. The application takes a few hours and after that you need to take all those forms and fill out a quiz. After which you’ll need to go back to line 39 and get a copy of form 39-B and 39-C. After you fill out your family’s history, you’ll need to get that stamped. You can get that done on line 2. Or line 3, depending on how your taxes were filed last year.”

  He gave Hazimon a condescending stare.

  “I don’t suppose you remembered to bring your T4s and your notice of assessment from the government?”

  “I… I… Ah…Um…I… Hum… I…”

  “Sir, please clean up your drool. Otherwise, I will be forced to have you removed from the premises for property damage, as our janitor will need to clean it up. Also, please wipe those tears. Sadness is unproductive.”

  The Dragon did not listen.

  He started crying.

  Then he was removed and had to make his way to the front of the other line. Then he had to make his way back to the first line to get his hand stamped so he could start the process all over again.

  ‘The effort did give him at least 10 more levels though.’ I noted. ‘At least. All his abilities are much more powerful and he seems to have increased his range even further.’

  I withdrew another orange juice from my ring and took a sip.

  “I wonder if he’ll realize what he has to do to pass the test?”

  He didn’t. And he only realized after hopelessly failing the test. After waiting in line for another two days on his end.

  Then he spent another two hours sitting on one of the benches in the food court outside. Apparently not catching on to the fact that he was supposed to use [Review Memory] alongside [Sense Thoughts] to slowly get all the answers from the people in line over the course of his waiting.

  The testing room was purposely made to block off those abilities, so he wouldn’t be able to cheat once he got there. The higher his level on those, the bigger his range and the more efficient his memory reading would become. Which he would need, because the ones who had the right answers were all very hard to read.

  Alas, the Dragon spent another three weeks brute-forcing his way through the test before he caught on. Something I found rather amusing.

  “All those years alive as an absolute menace and the idea of cheating never once occurred to him.” I snickered.

  “Guess near immortality isn’t all it’s cracked out to be.”

  I leaned back on my chair once more.

  “Also, he could have used [Precognition] and [Premonition] at the same time to sus out the right answers from the wrong ones, but that didn’t occur to him either.”

  I paused for a second.

  “Wait, could it be that he’s a bit of an airhead?”

  That possibility seemed more likely by the second, as the Dragon actually broke down in tears after getting the test right for the first time.

  By that point, he’d managed to claw his way to level 40 or so by my count, so those could have been tears of joy as well.

  ‘Not bloody likely.’ I chided myself. ‘The man looks like he’s ready to strangle everyone around him.’

  Alas, he did not figure out the right way to cheat. And that came to bite him after the second test. And of course, once he failed that, the answers for the first test changed and he no longer got the scores back to check his work.

  Then the Dragon spent a whole week crying to himself on the food court benches.

  After that though, there was a transformation.

  He started rushing past the earlier lines using [Hide] and exploiting [Fear] and [Phobia] and [Enrage] alongside [Drunkenness] to start all kinds of fights not linked to himself.

  “He’s made a breakthrough.” I observed. “He’s in the zone now. Tier 2 for sure. With two combined abilities.”

  Just like that, he passed the first test and the second and the third. He got all the forms signed and stamped within a single day and then came back to the original desk.

  Smiling triumphantly like a man coming home from war and seeing his wife and newborn child for the first time.

  “I did it.” He gasped as he slammed the forms down. “I finally did it. Good Gozo I did it. I filled out all the forms.”

  “You did sir.” The man agreed.

  Then the clerk donned a smile of his own.

  “Unfortunately, these forms need to be filled out…”

  He waited and smacked his lips. Loudly. Reveling in the Dragon’s expression.

  “In T-R-I-P-L-I-C-A-T-E.”

  He went on to shred the forms.

  “Please make your way back to the start of the line and be sure to complete tests 4 and 5 in waiting rooms A-4 and A-5 so that you can get those forms copied and then deposit one for the copies in desk 39 before making your way back with the other two copies. Thank you and have a wonderful day.”