A nurse dumped another potion down my throat, healing the last patches of broken skin with a fizzle of green light.
“Tell me what happened again,” she snapped, placing both hands on her hips. “You grabbed your shovel and…?”
“My wrist shattered,” I sighed. “Actually, I got this ability which weakens a statistic to make it stronger later, and then I used it on my shovel affinity—”
She wrinkled her nose. “Doesn’t seem like the ability’s much good.”
“Yeah, it seems pretty niche.” I rubbed my healed arm.
Since I had to get Crapshoveler back in my inventory, that meant I had to touch him a second time, hence the damage to my arm. Master Fred had tried to convince me to leave it behind, but frankly, I didn’t want to take that kind of a risk. It was always a good idea to have a shovel on hand.
Speaking of which…
“Hey, where’s Master Fred?” I asked. “He ran off the moment we got here.”
The nurse squirmed. “I-I’m sure the Masters are very busy today.”
“Why?”
She looked away a little too quickly. “Stuff. Things. Nothing a sickly patient needs to know.” She cleared her throat. “Hey, there’s a boy in the other room who’s been calling your name. You should see him.”
“A boy?” I sat up so fast I pulled a muscle. “Ack, ack, wait, Screech is still here?”
“Of course,” the nurse stated, massaging her forehead as she cast another healing ability. “This is the only infirmary in the Academy.”
“So that means—” I tumbled out of bed. “Is Grey here? She’s a thin woman about my size? Doesn’t talk much?”
The nurse frowned. “You’ll have to be more specific. There’s probably twenty patients with that description.”
“She has the complexion of a broken tv?”
“Oh. Her.” The nurse blinked. “You should’ve started with that. I can’t quite tell what she is, but the girl seems distressed, so try and speak with her, would you? And keep those stats low in the hospital!”
Even though I’d had a substantial amount of myself healed, even though staying awake was like swimming in gelatin, I had to see her.
I had too many questions.
{Grind : //1k Str//}
Even before I reached his bed, Screech was out, pushing past his attendant.
“GRIND!” He shouted, launching out of bed and onto my knees like a koala.
I smiled wide, scooping him onto my shoulder. “Hey, are you doing alright?”
“No,” he grumped. The boy wrapped his arms around my neck. “I’m lonely. Where’d you go?”
“I had to go on a mission,” I stated. “And I got really strong.”
“Really?” His eyes twinkled. “Can we fly again?”
I grimaced, checking my ability timer.
112x {WindUp — [winding]: (17:04:00)}
“Well…hey!” I smiled wide. “Let’s go meet a friend of mine!”
“I wanna fly! I wanna fly!” He shouted, banging his fists on my shoulder.
“I would but…” I subtly pointed at the attendant. “These guys won’t let me.”
Screech huffed. “Jerks.”
The attendant raised an eyebrow, shuffling a few papers on his clipboard. He left briskly.
“Hey, where are we going?” Screech asked, squeezing my head tight as we zipped through the cramped hospital hallways, startling nurses and patients alike.
“To see a friend.”
“Who?”
“Someone new.” I smirked. “You wouldn’t believe your eyes.”
“I would too!”
“No you wouldn’t!”
Screech blinked. “Really!?”
We found Grey’s room without much trouble.
This was made rather easy thanks to the nuclear orange light spilling out through the gaps in the frame.
Unlike most of the rooms in the hospital, this one was sealed off, requiring a substantial amount of force just to open the door.
Grey sat on her bed with her head in her hands. Her armor sparked and snapped like a live wire, scoring marks on the empty metal frame of her bed.
When I entered, her head shot up, watching me.
She opened her mouth to speak.
Screech shrieked in delight, clambering down my side. “WOW!”
Grey recoiled, flinging herself away from the little one, but it was in vain, for he’d already grabbed onto her foot.
“PARASITE!” She shouted, condensing mana within her fist.
“Hold on!”
I lunged forward.
Grey twitched and all that energy dissipated in an instant.
Screech laughed, climbing up her side, nuzzling into her stomach. What few bolts of energy that connected with him passed harmlessly through, unable to deal any damage. “You’re warm.”
He fell asleep instantly.
Grey peeled the boy off her with two fingers, leaning as far from him as she possibly could.
She looked at me. “What is this.”
“Another friend of mine,” I whispered. “He lost someone very important very recently. So he’s sad.”
Grey held still. She twirled him around, hunching forward. “I…I don’t…I don’t blow up?”
“No,” I said. “You won’t blow up anymore.”
“Grey blows up.”
“But you don’t have to.”
“Grey does.”
This angle wasn’t working.
“Grey absorbs energy?” I asked.
She nodded slowly. “Grey does.”
“Then Grey blows up?”
She nodded again.
“Why?” I asked.
Grey hesitated. “To kill monsters.”
“Why?”
“Because monsters are dangerous.”
“Who makes you do this?”
“You.”
I smiled. “And why would I want you to kill monsters?”
Grey thought for a moment, lowering the child to the floor. “Because?”
“Grey protects,” I whispered, pushing Screech back into her arms. “You feel lost. This is new for you. But you can protect through more than just fighting.”
Grey held Screech a little closer.
“Protect him,” I asked. “Please.”
She nodded.
“For you to do that, you need to stay alive, okay? You can’t blow up.”
She nodded again. “Yes.”
The hostile orange glow within her skin began to settle, dulling to a healthy silvery sheen.
Screech needed someone to take care of him, and Grey needed a task to do.
I gave myself a high-five.
This was going to work rather nicely.
Now, I just had to work through the actual ethical ramifications of using an ability that can create living beings.
My stomach churned.
Seriously.
What was I going to do about that?
Screech yawned, cracking open his eyes, murmuring something utterly unintelligible. His head lolled to the side and he started drooling on Grey’s armor.
“This boy is…feeble,” Grey said. “Squishy also.”
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“He’s four years old, so that’s pretty normal.”
Grey’s armor noticeably softened around the edges, turning more like foam than real metal.
“I will do this,” Grey said. “I will do this good.”
What would I do if Grey died? Keeping her screen frozen wasn’t too hard, but I could feel it taxing the back of my mind. The moment I lost consciousness, Grey would die.
If that happened—assuming I could avoid her death killing anyone—would I summon another hyper-complex manifestation? Should I?
What if the next summon was different?
What if…
My breath caught in my chest.
Grey gave me a weird look.
What if the summons were random?
If Grey was a truly random personality, generated on a whim by the game, I would never get her back. Ever. In any timeline.
The moment she died, that was it.
My hands twitched. As far as I could tell, only one screen could freeze solid, remaining frozen with no mental effort.
If I unfroze the Bestiary receipt, new slaves would spawn in, undoing all the work I’d already done. Urgot would just build back his business. But Grey would live.
Could I justify letting a hundred people die to protect one fragile life.
No.
I…I’d just have to save them both.
I could do this.
Screech had woken up without me noticing, staring at Grey. He tilted his head.
Grey tilted her head, mimicking his movements.
“This Grey,” I said. “She’s going to take care of you.”
“Okay.” Screech blinked. “Where’s the nest? We do have a nest, don’t we?”
“Something like that,” I said. “It’ll be a lot more comfortable than what you’re used to.”
…
Sharon scowled, pulling the plate of sliced meat closer to himself.
Screech yanked it back.
Our attempts at a big family meal were not going according to plan.
Sharon growled. Screech bristled. Grey sat utterly motionless and silent.
“Settle down,” I grumbled. “I could barely afford that much meat as is. If you spill anything—”
Screech climbed on the table, sniffing the fairy.
“Ugh.” He grabbed his nose. “You smell weird.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Sharon muttered. “Were you raised in a barn?”
Screech blinked. “What’s a barn? I lived in the sky!”
He stretched his arms and ran around the house, making swooshing noises.
“Delightful things, children,” Sharon groaned, cradling his head in his hands. “Grind. I beg you. Tell me they’re not staying with us.”
“It’s just temporary housing,” I said, passing rainbow sprouts to Grey. “Just until I can contact one of the masters and some separate arrangements can get made.”
“Just ask one of the Masters on campus.”
“Yeah, there aren’t any.”
That got his attention. “None?”
“They’re fine,” I said. “The union is invincible as long as Headmaster Xoiae’s still hanging around.”
Sharon cringed. “She left this morning.”
Seriously?
“Then…I guess something must be going on, huh?” I grabbed a portion of the meat for myself. “Maybe there’s some kind of a secret test?”
“Yes, that must be it.” Sharon pulled the plate out of my hands with a grunt. “When I was a child, my father dropped me in the middle of the wilderness.”
Screech glanced back from ontop the couch, where he was hanging upside down. “No wonder.”
“Alright, that’s it!” Sharon shouted, jumping up. “This kid needs to learn some manners—”
Grey kicked the table in half, dropping our meal on the floor. She spun, cracking her heel against Sharon’s forehead, sending him tumbling to the floor where he found himself at the pointy end of a butterknife.
“No.” Grey said. “Grey protects the boy. See?”
She looked at me. “Good?”
“Another nutjob.” Sharon wiped bits of spilled food from his face. “Great.”
“Grind?” Ardenidi barged through the door, stopping dead the moment she laid eyes on us four. “I…uh…what…?
…
“You’re adopting him?” Ardenidi asked, poking Screech on the nose. He giggled. “You’re always going to be away. Who’s going to take care of him?”
“Grey said she’d do it,” I stated. “And she seems pretty strong, so I wouldn’t worry.”
“Grey…as in…her?” Ardenidi asked, glancing at the flickering figure sitting beside her.
“She won’t explode,” I chuckled. “It’s all under control.”
Ardenidi chuckled half-heartedly.
“I mean, she will explode if I go unconscious though,” I stated. “But don’t worry, it’s not a big deal.”
I smiled.
“You haven’t thought this through, have you?” Ardenidi hissed, shaking her head. “Does she even know how to take care of children?”
“Yes,” Grey said. “Give food. Give water. Do not blow them up.”
“She talks weird,” Ardenidi murmured.
“I think she’s still figuring things out.”
“So the traumatized four-year-old is put into the hands of an unstable monster granny. ”Ardenidi grabbed me by the shoulders. “Please, take a moment to rethink what you’re about to do before—”
“I love you Momma Grey,” Screech whispered. He fell asleep.
Grey stared in shock.
“AH!” Ardenidi shouted, throwing her hands in the air. “We can’t have a monster taking care of a player!”
“Why not?” I asked. “A third of the students at the school have some kind of monster servant. This isn’t much different.”
“Remember what happened last time Screech was raised by monsters?”
I opened my mouth.
I closed my mouth.
“He seems happy, doesn’t he?”
There was a knock on the door.
“Grind?” Soise called, stepping into the room. “Hey, are you alright? Master Fred sent only you on a mission, so we were getting worried—”
Sip puffed out his chest. “Besides, we’ve got some good news.”
All four of my party stepped into the room.
Soise squinted.
“Is that Screech?” She whispered.
“I think so,” Toya said. “I don’t recognize the woman in armor. What should we do?”
“He’s sleeping in her lap,” Soise stated. “I’m willing to bet Grind got a new ability.”
I smiled. “Hey guys. That’s Grey. Turns out my aura manifestations can make people? Sometimes? I’ll have to look into it. Oh and she’s going to explode if I fall unconscious.”
The rest of my party just stared.
Soise grabbed fistfuls of her hair. “WHY IS SHE HOLDING CHILDREN!?”
Sharon huffed, extending prismatic wings from his back and fluttering out the window. “I can’t stand all these noisy mortals.”
Catanai frowned. “Did he just—”
“Yeah, he calls people ‘mortals,’” Sip grunted. “It’s a thing.”
“No, I mean he just flew out a fourth story window.”
“Oh yeah,” I started, propping the pieces of the broken table up with a handful of books. “I got a whole bunch of loot from the Stormhaven I killed—”
“YOU KILLED A WHAT!?” Soise screamed.
Toya shuddered. “Look above his name.”
{GRIND}
[Lead]
“Oh yeah,” I said. “I’m Lead now. Surprise.”
Sip laughed casually. “Hey! You just reminded me. I ranked up too!”
{Sip}
[Copper]
“You’ve been Tin this entire time?” Soise asked. “That explains a lot.”
Sip whimpered.
“Anyway…” I started pulling the first few items out from my inventory. “Our money troubles are about to be solved, at least for the immediate future.”
Although I could’ve gone straight to the hospital after my arm broke, it would’ve been a shame to miss so much valuable loot, waiting to be collected after its fall from the clouds.
{Stormvien}
[A type of vine, commonly eaten by Stormhaven to temporarily increase [Resistance] by a substantial margin.]
[Worth : Medium-Low]
~
{Stormhaven Feather}
[A feather from a Stormhaven]
[This item has no current use.]
[Worth : Low]
~
{Apex Stone}
[A rare crystal formed in the heart of a lesser Apex monster]
[This is a Collector-Type item]
[Worth : High]
Everyone looked to Sip.
“Eh,” he shrugged. “Maybe a thousand Qualm for the Stone and some spare change for the rest. It’s not that much.”
“I have about a hundred thousand feathers, fifty thousand Stormvien, and a hundred and twelve Apex Stones.”
Sip started drooling.
“I’m not done quite yet,” I chuckled. “There’s one last thing.”
I set the hefty talon onto the table, denting the wood.
{Stormhaven Clutch}
[A mutated talon with unusual yellow and blue markings]
[This is a Collector-Type item]
[Worth : Extremely High]
“Master Tentezui has been looking all over from these,” Sip whispered. “It’s one of the few second area collectables he doesn’t yet possess.” Sip licked his lips. “The chances are low, not to mention the difficulty of actually taking down a Stormhaven. You might have to take down fifty just to—”
“I have four.”
Sip gawked.
I beamed.
“Hold it, you two,” Soise sighed. “We can’t sell anything to anybody until the Masters return. Who knows how long that’ll take.”
Everyone but me, Grey, and Screech seemed suddenly downcast. They looked to the floor.
“Cheer up,” I said. “Whatever they’re doing, it can’t possibly take long.”
Several pairs of eyes widened.
“Oh, you don’t know,” Soise whispered.
I opened my mouth.
I closed it.
“Know what?”
“The reason they’re gone?”
Catania brought her voice down. “A few days ago, there was an attack.” She cleared her throat. “Grind. Kizota just died.”
The turtle?
“That’s ridiculous.”
Toya nodded with Ardenidi. “We’re serious. Master Fred told us everything. Even Xoiae went to check it out.”
“Kizota is Osmium!” I snapped “You know how crazy that is, right?”
“She was killed in one shot,” Soise snapped back. “Some sort of magical artifact, apparently. We’re supposed to stay here—”
The room shook.
“Guys?” Sip set down his loot. “What was that?”
“Master Fred?” Catania guessed. “But he said he wouldn’t be back until—”
The windows shattered, swelling the room with the sound of screaming.
Yeah, this is going to get wild. It's time for the climax arc of book 2.
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