System Scribe Academy Book 1 - Chapters 91,92,93,94,95

Chapter 91

Undead Problems

Shopping with Tenalia was fun. She didn’t want much, but couldn’t wait for Ethan to get his ass in gear to make a functional dimensional storage bag. He couldn’t object when she requested a relatively expensive Small Dimensional Storage Sack. Ten cubic feet was nothing to turn one’s nose up at, but the 15k price tag was enough to make the scribe reflexively pull back his coins. But the puppet was too cute and too insistent that she would make that amount back in a night.

It didn’t hurt that when it came time to negotiate for the price of 3 Mana Crystals, Tenalia talked the dealer down to the low price of 3k per crystal, somehow leaving them with money left over. When a discussion sprang up between them as they walked the streets of Feyhammer House City, they went over all the materials that would shoot up in price at Rank 2. Ethan was, after all, incredibly under-geared for anything other than academic and anomaly work.

“Last stop,” Ethan announced, turning an unexpected corner as he got lost in the bowels of the city yet again. If not for the wooden signs hanging on posts, finding a Gate would be hopeless. “Some cities are better than others, huh?”

“Hold your tongue. The crafters here are sublime.”

Riding atop Ethan’s head, Tenalia surveyed for enemies as they approached the Gate. Despite her warnings, they weren’t attacked by a large group of “dragons that could bite his head off as easily as sneezing.” Instead, they only got to experience the disorientating effects of traveling through the portal, landing firmly on the hallowed grounds of Luminarum House City. As always, it was a stunning sight filled with charity, good will, and a bunch of healers that appeared to be quite busy.

The pace at which they moved made it easy to find their way to their first stop. It wasn’t the church dedicated to Hallow, but the one for the Lady of Light. Ethan politely excused himself while Tenalia went in, feigning a bathroom break to avoid an awkward conversation with the intimidating god.

“If I don’t go in, she can’t hurt me!” Ethan declared to absolutely no one. Instead, he checked out the poor-quality street food. It wasn’t worth buying, especially when compared to the monster meat in the Silver City, but the atmosphere of Luminarum was infectious. It was like Gale House on crack, cranked up to 11, riding a skateboard.

These people took charity seriously, and it showed. This wasn’t Ethan’s house, but he was happy to lend his Clean Surface spell to the cause. At first, he got some odd looks, but that soon faded when the locals saw the effect of the spell. After that, they welcomed his magic alongside them, asking him to target some stubborn stains that had settled in on the white bricks of a squat home.

When Tenalia finally returned, she was in a somber mood. Ethan let her stew as they headed for Hallow’s church. To his surprise, the clerics there recognized him, likely by description or the name on his badge, and led him into the back cloister. To his utter shock, both patients were up and moving around. Not only that, they were fighting. It took him a moment to realize it, but they were simply training. The clash of steel echoing through the quiet halls was a bit much to take in, but they were clearly doing better.

“There he is.” Zeal’s voice rumbled through the open cloister as a smile spread across his wide features. His fur was still pure white, but there was a shine in his eyes that wasn’t there before. “Our savior.”

The tiny woman, coming up to Ethan’s waist, shook her head. “Yeah. Inflate his ego. That always works.”

Zeal crossed the distance between them. He wore simple clothes a cleric in the church might wear. The sword he clutched in his hand was made from wood and marked all along the length from another sword. The scribe was momentarily confused when he reached out a hand to shake, but eventually took it and cracked a smile.

“I see you’re doing better.” Ethan studied both of them, detecting the faint energy of Death. It wasn’t pure Death magic, but that cousin Nultan had talked about. Perhaps a kind of Undeath energy. “Energetic enough to train, huh?”

“Hah! Alive or undead, I’m always ready for a good fight.” Zeal flexed, but winced a second later. “Oof. My back.”

Solace shook her head. She had a much more subdued look on her face. “We’re unsure of the details, but whatever happened stripped our systems. We’re currently classless.”

“Yeah, but the High Priest said it’d fade.” Zeal seemed to say the words more for himself than for his companion. “We’ll get new systems eventually.”

“Don’t count on it. And we’re here by the grace of Hallow, of all people. The new one, which I’ll remind you we don’t know.”

“Come on, babe,” Zeal objected. “You’re cramping my style here. I’m trying to impress this little dude by acting all tough.”

“Your character slipped. Again.”

Zeal cleared his throat. “Ha-ha! Sorry about that.” He bowed deeply, his entire demeanor shifted from one side to the other in a breath. “We just wanted to thank you. According to my information, your puppet was just as much of a hero!”

Ethan looked down to the puppet, who had her head cast toward the ground. He frowned seeing her like that, unsure what he could do to cheer her up. Her mood had shifted right after she visited the church, which wasn’t good. Had the Lady of Light talked to her? Was the information… unfavorable? The scribe shook the thoughts away for now, focusing on something concerning. Zeal spoke in a familiar way. Kinda like…

“You guys are from Earth.” Ethan realized it in an instant. The cadence, the word usage, everything. The system was interpreting what they were saying on this planet, but it kept idiosyncratic speech, apparently. “What the hell?”

“Oh! A fellow Earthling!” Zeal boomed. “Brother! What year did you die?”

Ethan dug through his memories, shocked to find some information missing. What year was he born in? 2030? Or was it 2020? He shook the thought away, remembering only that he was born in a year ending with 0. “I remember I died in Boston. There were a lot of monsters.”

“My goodness!” Zeal couldn’t contain his excitement, dancing on the spot. “The Battle of the Rift! We were there! All the Warriors of the Shard were. Unfortunately, we’re the reason Earth was ultimately destroyed.”

“Wasn’t our fault,” Solace objected. “Elrin made the call.”

“Let’s not toss blame around. From what I understand, we’ve been in stasis for nearly 400 years. And time is moving at a much more reasonable rate.” Zeal thought for a moment, eventually nodding. “When did you get reincarnated here?”

“A few months ago.”

“So, Earth has been destroyed for about 410 years, thereabouts anyway. Not the most fun of facts, but interesting!”

“Yeah, that’s something else.” Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. At first, he thought it was that he had forgotten when he was born. But after clearing his mind, he realized that wasn’t it. He withdrew his pen from his soul and held it out, gaining a curious look from both Zeal and Solance. “I’m going to take a look at your systems. Or… lack of systems.”

“Is that something you can do?” Zeal asked.

Ethan smiled to himself. “Its one of the things I’m actually kinda good at. I’m a System Scribe. I fix systems.”

“This is going to be interesting.” Solace folded her arms, the faintest of smiles crossing her face.

Ethan took one last deep breath and focused on Zeal. Immediately, he was hit with a lot of information. His bracelet zapped him harder than normal, soaking in the confusing mixture of sigils he didn’t recognize. The most interesting thing about the way their systems were represented through the array, was that it was shattered completely. It was a complete mess, and a full rewrite was necessary. He dug a bit deeper, finding that the lattice ran at least 10 layers, and finally found a single sigil at the bottom that was functional.

The scribe drew his mouth into a tight line. “Your system is completely destroyed. Your old system, that is. I’m not familiar with the language of the system that got seeded in its place, but I’m growing familiar with that kind of energy.”

“Undeath, right?” Solace asked, her face returning to a neutral appearance and her tone going flat. “Yeah, we’re not sure what to think about that.”

“What this world sends our way, we’ll deal with it.” Zeal puffed his chest out. “Remember. Undead doesn’t mean evil. Say it with me.”

Zeal locked his eyes onto Solace. He refused to let her get away with not saying the mantra. Eventually, she released a heavy sigh.

“Undead doesn’t mean evil,” they said in unison.

“That’s the spirit!” Zeal slapped Solace on the back. She nearly face-planted into the stone pavers on the ground, but Tenalia caught her at the last moment. “Whoops! Sorry! I’m not used to you not having a system.”

Solace glared at him, for a long time, eventually stomping off.

“Anyway, get to work, magic man!”

Ethan gave him a flat look, but got to work anyway.  Only fifteen minutes into the project, the bracelet complained about low storage and had to free up some space to store everything. The scribe had neglected it for a few days, and started cycling mana right away. More storage blocks were needed. But this wasn’t a problem he could solve in an afternoon.

“Let me see if I can explain this in a way you’ll understand.” Ethan had to think for a few long minutes to come up with an analogy that would work. “Your system is a building. Someone just performed an unscheduled demolition on that building. Your new system is sitting under the rubble. I don’t know how to remove the rubble.”

Zeal nodded thoughtfully, giving him the thumbs-up. “I’ve got faith in you.”

Which was the least helpful thing to say. Ethan had never deconstructed a system, no matter how broken it was. He could change an existing system, but those changes were minute compared to the total size of it. Not to mention, he had never seen a full system like this before. It was like looking at the most complex spell array he had ever seen. Instead of complaining about it, he approached it like he would any other problem.

“How do you eat an elephant?” Ethan asked with a sigh.

“One bite at a time! I love Earth sayings!” Zeal shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll have a seat over there while I go over this information. I’m not going to promise a solution, but I’ll do everything I can.”

Another hearty thumbs-up, and Ethan was sitting on an uncomfortable stone bench. It didn’t take long for the bracelet to share its opinion.

“To deconstruct something so complex, this unit suspects you’ll need to increase your overall rank. I estimate this system is at least Rank 15, which presents quite a few problems.”

“Quite a few, huh?” Ethan asked. “We’re talking about interacting with a rank I didn’t know was possible. Add to how completely destroyed their systems are… Okay, maybe they’ll heal over time. The Grand System should, in theory, correct this mistake. But how long would it take? A decade? Century?”

“This unit will take constant readings of the two undead, generating a projection for how long it will take. But, there might be another way.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Perhaps the best solution isn’t to remove the fragments manually. Using your analogy of the destroyed building, what if the seed planted beneath the rubble were a tree? Would it not push the rubble away, given time?”

Ethan rubbed his chin, thinking about that. The “tree” in this scenario could sprout clowns as leaves and bloom flowers made of chocolate for all he knew. There were too many unknowns, but that made a kind of sense. He just had to answer one question to know if it would work: were there any examples of a person who had removed their old system by using a new one?

“We’ve got some work to do.” Ethan stood, wincing as he spotted Tenalia. She still seemed so dejected. “Come on, Tenalia. I’ve got a very important job for you. We’ll be helping these fine people.”

“Oh, you’re leaving?” Zeal asked. “We were going to make tea…”

Chapter 92

Agility Ring

The week was so damn busy, Ethan didn’t have time to breathe. All his plans to “take it easy” went out the window when faced with Zeal and Solace. Tenalia wasn’t about to talk about her problems, but whatever bothered her at the church had vanished. She was back to her old self by Friday. But, the torpor she found herself afflicted by was enough to delay her dungeon runs.

Even Barry was bogged down. When he left the cottage in the morning, it marked yet another day that he didn’t notice the shack in the backyard. Which was great, since Ethan had absolutely no time to complete the rune. He had focused almost entirely on the undead, counting on next week’s break to see him through his studies. What he had learned was that there were legends of people gaining new systems and pushing out the old.

It boiled down to a simple concept: when one system was layered atop the other, the Grand System was forced to rebalance things. Ethan was only moderately confident this would work, and wouldn’t water the seed yet. Not only was he busy with classes, but Headmaster Vesper was up his ass about his job. He had been “invited” to the headmaster’s office to discuss a “0% success rate” at fixing spells and abilities. Now his weekend was to be dedicated to sorting through that pile of information, and coming up with solutions.

At first, this had bothered Ethan. He felt as though his agency had been torn away from him. He was being forced to do what the headmaster wanted him to do. It was only when he changed his perspective when he realized what this was. Not only did he have free access to stuff within the academy world, but this would help him with the undead. A deeper understanding of class- and system-based concepts would make the next step easier.

At least Array Foundations 1, Mana Control Foundations 1, and Anomalous Materials had been easy peasy. Now came the hard part.

“What’s first on the docket?” Ethan asked, walking with Tenalia as he approached his favorite park overlooking the bay.

“Looks like a fireball spell,” Tenalia said. She held the tablet at blocky arm’s length, reading over the entries. It was always odd to see her using invisible fingers to manipulate things. “They think the range of the Fire Beam spell isn’t far enough.”

“Bracelet, pull that up for me,” Ethan commanded. The Fire Beam spell was one she had held onto, since it was the basis for his System Beam spell. Soon enough, the bracelet produced the array and a description of the spell.

[Fire Beam]

Emulated Rank 2 Spell (X-13)

Description:

Create a beam of fire, blasting your opponent with intense heat. The heat is concentrated at the end-point of the beam.

Effect:

Create a fire beam.

As a Rank 2 spell, it was a lattice array. Which was a fancy way of saying that the spell had two layers. The bracelet had already layered them to match the scribe’s vision, allowing him to spot any imperfections in the circles. Once he had checked that everything was lined up perfectly, he worked with the bracelet to identify any sigils that weren’t working correctly.

“I’ll be damned,” Ethan said, pointing at a sigil. “There’s actually a problem with the range.”

“Did you doubt the report?”

“Yeah, why are you doubting the magic tablet?” Tenalia asked. “It knows all.”

“Because all the information in that thing is spurious at best. That thing is basically just a mage’s wishlist.”

Ethan thought he would’ve been able to spot this problem with ease. But it had taken them about an hour to go through everything. His thought was that he had created the System Beam spell, which was based on the Fire Beam spell derived from the Flamethrower anomaly. The problem was that he had ignored the fact that his System Sigils were a more perfect interpretation of the X-13 spell. He had fixed the problem without realizing it.

“Looks like the section for ‘range’ isn’t getting enough energy.” Tenalia nodded along as she traced her fingerless hand over the shapes. “Do we just change it?”

Ethan began the arduous work of tracing the projected image. He couldn’t imagine doing this on a Rank 2 spell without the bracelet’s help. “Yep. We add some energy siphons from the main part of the array. But then we need to balance the main array so it gets the right amount of mana without overloading. Damn, this one is a pain.”

An hour passed before Ethan had the lattice traced in the air with his mana, complete with his additions. It took a few iterations to get it just right so the Grand System accepted his changes. But when it finally did, he felt the familiar rush energy flooding through his body. This time, it was much more potent than what he felt when fixing a normal anomaly. This was, after all, a Rank 2 spell. The system message appeared moments later.

[Spell Change Accepted]

You have discovered a flaw recognized by the Grand System. Your proposed changes are acceptable and have been applied. Please continue finding issue with all supported systems.

Reward:

Greatly increased breadth and depth of one Attribute Ring of your choice.

500 coins.

“Oh, thank God.” Ethan sagged on the spot, falling back on the bench. A pulse from his Vigor Ring cleaned away the sweat. Once he had recovered from that fatigue, he licked his lips with anticipation. He could feel how close his Agility Ring was to ranking up. This would push him over the edge. As it was his first physical attribute to get to Rank 2, he was eager to test it out.

First, Ethan tested his baseline agility. Since that attribute affected everything related to how fast he was on his feet, he jumped, ran, and dashed around until he was satisfied with the information. He then sat on the ground, applying the energy he had been gifted by the Grand System. After blinking only once, his muscles went into intense spasms. Focusing on the concept of depth, he had created the second layer to his Agility Ring.

Although nearby mages came over to check on Ethan, Tenalia shooed them away, explaining the situation. Compared to how the Mind Ring felt, his Agility Ring wasn’t all too bad. There were a few very uncomfortable moments when it felt like a spectral hand wrapped around his tendons and muscles, massaging them with intense magical power. When that faded, he rested on the grassy ground as his mind adjusted to the strange feeling pulsing through his entire body.

“Feels like my muscles aren’t my own.” Ethan gazed at the sky as he reflected on the sensation. “Walking is going to be hard at first.”

“I’ll train you,” Tenalia offered. “No need to worry, my steed.”

[Agility Ring]

Rank 1 Agility [2 Slots] (System Leap)

Rank 2 Agility [1 Slot] (Empty)

The entry for his new Rank 2 ring was as expected. Ethan was getting the hang of how this stuff worked, and was confident that not only could he get all his rings to Rank 2, but he could control the effects after ranking up. In some ways, he figured he was at an advantage compared to other systems. The Grand System’s class allowed him to experience the increased attributes one at a time. He couldn’t imagine what the other rank-up experiences were like.

“Up, soldier!” Tenalia barked her order, smacking a stick against her helmet.

Ethan was slow to get to his feet, steading himself on a bench as he rose. Tenalia was nearby, offering spectral hands if he needed them. But the scribe took it slow, taking a few tentative steps. That’s when he realized how much of a difference a rank meant for his attributes. Everything about the way he moved forward was different. It was smooth, as though even the way he placed his foot on the ground was more elegant. He tested running, changing directions quickly, and jumping.

Taking each action on its own, he could see something like a 50% increase. Ethan’s mind instantly went to the undead. How fast would someone move at Rank 15? He was already superhuman in the way he moved. Not just his speed, but the way he could move through the air and do weird flips his old Earth-based body could never hope to achieve. He decided that, as a man who loved to run away from a fight, this was the perfect attribute for him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t charge you for my instruction.” Tenalia was as smug as ever, parading around the park in her fancy armor. “Let us go for a run.”

The puppet took off with little warning, dashing down an alley almost faster than Ethan could react. The scribe did his best to keep up, knowing that she was holding back. They jumped over crowds, navigating with grace through tight passages, and eventually did some sick parkour up the side of a building. Before long, both had their legs hanging over the edge of the roof.

“So, did you want to talk about it?” Ethan asked.

Tenalia hesitated, her disembodied voice catching in a nonexistent throat.

“My lady spurned me.”

Ethan gritted his teeth. This was a seriously sensitive topic. Tenalia was a Primal Spirit, but she still had feelings. Jumping in and claiming that the puppet didn’t need the Lady of Light was a bad move. He tried to logic his way through the problem, but came up empty. It was a good thing he didn’t have to think of anything to say.

Tenalia continued. “You may see me as something base. I understand what I am. This form is suitable for something like me. A spirit without a purpose, plucked from Voidspace and given consciousness in a mortal realm.” She paused for long, tense moments that made Ethan slightly worried about her mental state. “My people, the people my essence is derived from, couldn’t exist without the Lady of Light. They were brought from the forests in the Kuzanite tradition, and fought the monsters of the world in her light. They are nothing without her.”

“That must feel horrible.”

Tenalia shook her head. “She shunned them before. Cast her light elsewhere and left them to fight for themselves.” Eventually, she thrust her wooden chest outward, the domed surface of her chest plate shining in the fading sunlight. “They didn’t stop following her then. It is in my nature to follow the example of the Kuzanite elves. Her approval doesn’t matter. So long as I keep her in my heart, my purpose is served.”

Those were some deep words from the puppet. And some amazingly strong convictions. Ethan had been worried there was something the Lady said to her that would send her down a self-destructive path. Being an individual while following the life of a concept must’ve been confusing. Perhaps it was her time with him, or just time spent in a mortal world, but she had found a compass and was following it.

“I’m proud of you.” Ethan said, patting her on the helmet. “They told me you were a Primal Spirit. A few times, actually. To me, you just seemed like a person who needed a path forward. Not only did you find a way to move, but you cut your path through the jungle. You’re doing everything us goofy mortals have to do, and you’re doing it better than most.”

Tenalia’s helmet clunked against Ethan’s shoulder. “Do you think so?”

“Yup. Now, let’s go get some food. I’m absolutely starving.”

“Fine. But you’re eating monster meat for dinner. How do you expect to grow more powerful if you don’t eat monster meat?”

Ethan smiled, agreeing to the terms of the puppet’s statement. They headed off, not for the dining hall in Gale House, but for the Silver City. What was the point of having a money-making companion if they didn’t spend that money?

Chapter 93

Absurdly Expansive Workshop

Ethan expected at least a week off before things got crazy. Although all he had were theories shared with Barry and even Amelia, they weren't entirely sure what was going to happen. He spent most of his Saturday working on Barry's shack, finally putting in the effort required to get the entire thing together. Unexpectedly, adding two more crystals to the mix made things significantly more difficult. Malfunctions cropped up at every turn, reminding the scribe he wasn’t a crafter, and had no business meddling with this kind of stuff.

Of course, that wouldn’t stop him.

Tenalia had departed that morning. Apparently, their talk was enough to get her back on track, and she was eager to run the poison dungeon. Although Ethan wanted to go with her, there was no way he would survive in such conditions. Instead, he remained behind to work not only on the shack but also on a few more spell patches for Headmaster Vesper. Perhaps if he gained enough favor with that man, he could gain some insight into what was coming. During his breaks from working on the shack, the scribe selected two spells to patch and began working on them right away.

Although he had been mostly neglecting it, Ethan had put enough extra mana into the bracelet to increase its processing power and its memory. It was up to 20 Memory Blocks, four rank 1 processors, and four rank 2 processors. That provided some serious computing power for debugging the issue with the Spatial Expansion sigil.

"That should do it. I think we've patched all the issues, and it's not even nighttime.” Ethan laughed to himself as he mounted the metal plate to the interior wall of the shack. He picked a central spot, hoping that would even everything out. "Let's turn this baby on.”

Unlike the smaller version Ethan had installed in his house, this one was designed to take the 5x5 interior space and expand it out to something absurd. 100x100 was obscenely large, and he didn't even know if Barry needed that much space. His testing in the yard showed that the room he had created could handle a space even larger than that, but pushing it too far would mean a potential for power failures. The scribe couldn't imagine all of Barry's valuable tools and equipment slamming into the center of the room, destroying a lot of hard work.

With a bit too much hesitation, Ethan injected the activation sigil with a tiny flash of mana. He barely had time to blink before he had a sick feeling in his stomach. The space he currently inhabited expanded out, covering far more space than it should have and stretching the walls in a flicker before they were fixed and regained their tiled pattern.

"This is trippy," Ethan said, listening to the sound of his voice echo through the warehouse-sized space. “Echo!”

"Stability of the spatial distortion is high. Potential for power failure is extremely low. This unit believes the likelihood this space will remain stable is extremely high. Excellent work.”

"Not bad at all. Looks like the walls and ceiling were integrated properly along with the floor. It created more vertical space than I had expected, but that's fine. Each one of these planks looks like it's properly tiled instead of being stretched. I'd say this is our best spatial expansion yet."

“Indeed it is. Perhaps concepts of dimensionality are open to you.”

“Maybe, but that seems difficult. I’d like to see how quickly we could get 2 spells patched. I want to avoid the abilities, since that means I have to find someone using it to emulate it properly.”

“Understood. Summoning information on the first spell.”

[Lesser Tornado]

Emulated Rank 2 Spell (X-13)

Description:

Summon a tornado on your target’s location. This wind-aligned attack will remain on that target until either the mana runs out, or the spell expires.

Effect:

Summon a tornado.

Ethan couldn't help but frown as he looked at the description of the spell. This was the perfect one to test because it directly contradicted the text provided by the system. The report on this tablet stated that this spell, once cast on a target, would not remain on that target. Yet the system claimed it would, which meant that somewhere in the array there was an issue with the targeting logic. The problem was, there was no way he could test the spell within the academy. He was just as likely to destroy some buildings and get another firm talking-to from the headmaster. Instead of practicing in his usual space, his backyard or a park, he proceeded to the nearest gate, arriving in a random adventuring town to the north and deciding to put his new agility through the paces.

Since Ethan had created another ring for his agility, he was faster and more nimble. That also gave him access to a rank 2 slot, and he picked the perfect ability. It was called Weightless Agility, and the description claimed that gravity would have less impact on him, allowing him to jump higher and further. Combined with System Leap in his Rank 1 Agility Ring, he couldn’t wait to see the results.

Ethan didn't know exactly what flying would feel like, but he imagined it was something similar to what he was experiencing. He had taken off from the gate itself, angling a path northward with no real direction. When he kicked off against the ground, the system leap ability had activated, giving him the speed and force from the spell. Then it combined with the Rank 2 version of Weightless Agility, and he shot far into the sky. The speed at which he traveled was absurd, and he saw the landscape whipping by below.  

After covering a few miles and doing his best to ensure the area wasn't infested with monsters, Ethan got to work on the lesser tornado spell with quite a bit of effort. He emulated a Rank 2 version of the X-13 mage system and cast the spell on a target. As expected, a small tornado sprang up, the dust kicking up to reveal the shape of the air-based attack. It went all over the place, zipping through the trees to strip them of leaves before vanishing when it ran out of mana.

Once he had confirmed the spell was faulty, Ethan and the bracelet got to work on fixing it. It took an hour or so for them to get the sigils just right. Even compared to the last spell they had fixed, they were getting more efficient. Before the afternoon devolved into late afternoon, he gained a burst of energy for his rings and a sack filled with coins.

“Next!” Ethan shouted, his voice echoing through the empty landscape.

“Producing array and description of the next spell.”

[Lesser Arcane Trap]

Emulated Rank 1 Spell (X-13)

Description:

Create a trap on the ground within 100 paces. This trap will be invisible to everyone but the caster. When an entity you designate as an enemy steps on the trap, arcane spikes will shoot from the ground, dealing damage.

Effect:

Create an Arcane Trap.

This was the other low-hanging fruit for the day. It was another spell that contradicted the description. Ethan didn't even bother releasing his emulation on the X-13 system. Instead, he formed the spell in his soul and confirmed that the trap wasn't visible to the person who cast it. So this was another case where the report from the mages lined up with reality. Perhaps they were more honest than he gave them credit for.

Ethan solved this one even faster, finding a disconnect between an Illusion sigil and the Target sigil. It only took him 30 minutes, but that was no surprise. This was a Rank 1 spell, and the scribe was now punching in the realm of Rank 2 stuff. Throughout his time in the academy, he hadn’t realized how much Rank 1 was just magic with training wheels. Getting into the complexities of Rank 2 and even Rank 3 stuff was mind-boggling, and he couldn’t imagine doing any of it without Skynet at his side.

“That’ll do for the day.” Ethan stretched. “We’ll do a few more tomorrow morning and attack the headmaster.”

“Would you like this unit to create a battle plan?”

“No.” Ethan paused. Clicking his tongue a few times. “Yeah, make a few battle plans. You know. For science.”

“For science.”

Ethan headed directly for Gale House, arriving back at the cottage before night fell. He had stopped at the dining hall and got some stuff to go. When he entered his house, Barry was sitting on the couch, drumming his fingers on his knees before looking up in anticipation.  

"So can I finally look at it?"

“Look at what?” Ethan asked, popping a grape-like thing in his mouth. It tasted like a mix between kiwis and a lemon. Sour, but not too sour.

"The workshop you've been secretly creating in the backyard." Barry tried real hard not to roll his eyes, but it was impossible to resist.

Ethan smacked himself in the face. Of course, Barry knew he was working on a workshop. The man wasn't an idiot. He might have been a meathead, but he wasn't stupid. "Yeah, I don't know why I thought you were unaware of what I was working on, but let's go take a look at it." 

Barry tried to dash out the back door before Ethan had a chance. The man was naturally strong and fairly agile for his size, but he didn't have Rank 2 Agility. The scribe slipped around him, dashing into the backyard and reaching the shack well before his companion. He stood, arms crossed, as he awaited his friend.  

"So, this is your new workshop. You're not dumb enough to think I didn't do something special inside, and you've probably already figured out that I used Spatial magic to make it bigger. But how much bigger do you think I made it?"

"Come on, the suspense is killing me. Do you know how hard it was to resist looking in that shack for a week?" 

Ethan smiled as he pulled the handle, opening the door to reveal the spacious interior. If one were standing outside the shack, looking in, their mind would have trouble figuring out why there was an entire warehouse behind the door of the tiny shack. 

Barry took a few tentative steps inside, his mouth hanging open the entire time. “This is a damn warehouse! How did you fit so much space in here?!”

“Spatial magic, duh.” Ethan watched as his friend marveled at the interior. “There’s an extractor fan on the far side, if you want to put a forge. I think you can put some metal plating on the walls, or hangers. Not sure how that works if the space shrinks, but we’re fairly certain the rune will hold forever.”

Ethan might’ve had Rank 2 Agility, but he could do nothing as Barry swept him into a massive bear hug. “You have no idea how much this is going to help me. I’m gonna have to scrape together some serious coin to fill this place out, but… Damn!”

"Tenalia said something about funding your supplies. I don't know how serious she was about it, but she's embarking on a pretty lucrative money-making scheme right now.”

Barry swallowed hard, his eyes still dragging across the warehouse. “I don’t deserve this, man. There are hundreds of talented crafters. Why do I get the good stuff?”

Ethan shrugged. He didn’t have a suitable answer for that. If he dug deep, he knew it would be something like economic destabilization. He didn’t want to mess with the local economy too much, as it felt like it went against the ideals of his position with the Grand System. He came up with a simpler answer.

“Because you’re my friend.”

The pair spent hours in the warehouse. Barry apparently had a plan for each place, including workshops, artifices, machines, and even a testing area he planned to shield with magic. Ethan was just happy to see that somebody would get use out of his spatial magic. Perhaps he could offer his talents to other people, but he already had enough attention on him as it was.

“Yeah, just one problem,” Barry said, pointing to the front door. “It's gonna be hard to move my tank through there.”

Chapter 94

Spared No Expense

Ethan wasn't good at being manipulative. He didn't enjoy exploiting people's fears, desires, and all that stuff. He felt as though he was more like the people in Luminarum House who valued charity and oneness above everything else. But he also really wanted to know what was going to happen over the coming months. With only a week to prepare for them, he wasn't sure if he had the resolve to wait that long. That's why, the morning after giving Barry a tour of his new workshop, he busted out four more Rank 1 spell patches.

Then he scheduled a meeting with Headmaster Vesper.

Taking his time walking through the streets of Gale House, Ethan was struck by the curious behavior of his puppet companion. She had returned sometime in the night, and the entire morning seemed very satisfied with herself. Although she hadn't said much, the leather bag that dangled from her hip seemed suspiciously heavy. Even if it was a dimensional storage pouch, the scribe couldn't help but wonder if he was just imagining that new weight.

"So how did the dungeon go last night? Were you right about the poison not affecting you since you don't breathe?"

"Yes, I went through the dungeon. I cleared it out and harvested all the delicious reagents that were hiding on the bottom floor. I avoided the boss entirely, of course. Draining away the power of the monsters would only weaken the dungeon, and of course, I intend to flood the market." 

“Are you going to tell me how much you made?”

“No.”

“Is it a lot?”

“Oh, yes.”

And that's all the puppet would say on the matter. Ethan dropped the topic. He knew that Tenalia had spoken to Barry that morning, telling him to give her a budget to outfit his warehouse. The scribe also knew that the prospective budget was insanely high. The last piece of information he had obtained was that Tenalia’s reaction had been completely nonplussed. The phrase “spare no expense” was tossed around a few times, from what he had remembered.

Although Headmaster Cassius Vesper was the headmaster of Gale House, he found his office in Barg City. Ethan didn't care much for the city. It was like a cheaper version of the Silver City, even though it floated on an island overlooking all the other houses in the academy. He found his way to the headmaster's office and was made to wait in a spacious waiting room. With the addition of his puppet, he took a few more stairs than normal, which was good. Maybe they were just looking at his staff, which always stood upright and was currently in the middle of the room, unmoving.

“You need to get a better staff,” Tenalia complained. “A staff that just kinda… stands up? That’s unimpressive.”

“I need a lot of gear.” Ethan idly chatted as he read through some stored books on his bracelet. “But that’s why I outfitted you. You’re the fighter.”

“Ah, and what a fighter I am.”

Eventually, Ethan was called into one of the back offices to speak with Headmaster Vesper. He moved through the familiar halls, finding them too tight for his liking, but eventually entered the headmaster's office and took a seat. Vesper was busy with some paperwork and hardly looked up. When he finally did, the expression on his face was a mix of anxiety and excitement.  

"You're actually doing it," Headmaster Vesper said, clasping his hands together after allowing his pen to tumble to the surface of the table. "You're fixing the spells. I mean, I read your reports through the network, but I didn't really believe it until I cast those spells that you... What was the word you used? Patched."

"Hopefully I've fixed the spells to your satisfaction. You'll have to let me know if there are any issues, but the grant system only accepts certain changes. It's not clear to me why it made any mistakes, but I'm happy to fix them."

This was the bit of manipulation that Ethan didn’t like. He needed to butter up the headmaster to get the information he wanted about the coming months. He also wanted favor for selecting classes next semester. He would lead with the second idea and hint at the first one to get what he needed.

"Well, you'll see no complaints from me. These are problems with the spells that we've known about for quite some time. It's been such a problem that people stopped cataloguing them.” Vesper shuffled through some papers, making sure to conceal some, which very well might have had information about the events to come. "But did you call this meeting for me just to talk about the spells? Do you need more, or is there a problem with the tablet I gave you?"

"I have some questions about my next semester. I know it might be a bit early to ask about it, but I'm unsure what I can take. I don't believe that the standard track is appropriate for me at this point. Would you agree?"

Vesper leaned back in his chair, probing at the topknot he had his hair in above his head. "You don't think the standard foundation root is right for you? Did you want to switch to academics?"

“That’s not it. Gale House has been nothing but good to me, and I really love it here. But I’m more interested in esoteric magic. Weird stuff on the fringes of what people understand. I’m sure you’ve heard, but I have access to Gravity, and Spatial magic. I don’t know how good you are at spying on me, I don’t mind being spied on, but I can also create Death, Necromantic, and aligned Healing magic.”

Vesper swallowed hard, going pale. “Not that you would cast Death magic, right?”

Ethan shook his head. “I haven’t touched it. I learned my lesson with Spatial magic.”

Nodding a few times and humming to himself, Vesper stood. “I expected you to advance quickly. You, Barry, and Amelia are all going down different tracks, but we knew you three would advance too fast.”

“The problem is, I just don’t know where I fit in the academy. I’m everything and nothing all at once. I can be a support mage, a fighter, a thief… all of that stuff. But what I want to be is a scribe. I want to test everyone else’s powers to make them better.”

The last bit about not knowing where he fit in the Academy was meant to lead to a discussion about the coming months. Ethan had planted the seed. Now he just needed to figure out what kind of other classes he could take at Gale House.

"I have no problem opening some restricted classes to you. I don't have a full list of what's going to be provided next semester, but I'll guarantee you a seat in anything you want so long as it's within your skill set. From the reports I've received, classes like Mana Control Foundations 1 are almost useless for you. On the other hand, Array Foundations 1 has expanded your abilities quite far.”

“Exactly.”

“I have a solution. How about you trial some classes next semester?” Vesper asked, a look of excitement flashing across his face. “That leaves some homework for you to do. Figure out what areas you want to improve in, and we’ll make it happen. Within reason, of course. Some advanced classes are too much for you. Especially foundations classes.”

That was actually perfect, and Ethan got too excited. “That’s awesome. I’d really like that, Headmaster Vesper.”

“Oh, you’re so formal.” Vesper said, waving a lazy hand. “I’m sure you’ll do fine during the…”

Ethan leaned forward and Vesper didn’t miss the predatory gaze. “During the what?”

Falling into his seat, Headmaster Vesper narrowed his eyes at Ethan. It seemed as though he was considering what he would divulge. Maybe the buttering-up process had worked, or perhaps the Headmaster was always willing to share this information. Whatever the case, Ethan needed to know.

“How much information have you gathered so far?” Vesper asked. He noted the look of confusion spreading across Ethan’s face and laughed. “That’s part of the fun. Assessing if students can gather information is important. We expect them to figure some of it out, so come on. Let’s hear the theories.”

With no other course of action, Ethan explained the theory he and Barry had come up with. They had settled on the idea of wide-scale trials that students could participate in based on their desired specialization. When he finished explaining everything Vesper laughed again.

“Excellent work. Good to see your education hasn’t been wasted.”

“How close was I?” Ethan asked.

Vesper gestured between himself and Ethan, gaining a much more serious look on his face. "We have a ‌working relationship, don't we? This isn't the standard position between headmaster and student. So, as a professional courtesy, I would ask that you keep this information within your circle. Barry can know, but don’t tell Amelia. As an academic, she needs this experience.”

No manipulation was required here. Ethan still had trouble understanding his position within the academy structure. He was in the classes, right there with the other students, but he was also in a different world. That world brought him into the fold of those at the professor level, giving him a peak behind the curtain. And of course that’s the way it was. His class and his system were unique. He was valuable.

“You can pick whatever role you want in the coming tide.” Vesper took on a serious tone, regarding Ethan with a steely gaze. “But perhaps some information would be more useful. This planet, Tal’vengar, is a hub. We’re between three sectors, representing three unique systems. A part of the Grand System’s natural energy generation protocols involves the generation of monsters. These monsters are typically released as dungeons, towers, labyrinths, random spawns, special spawns, and so on. How do you think that affects a Nexus Planet?”

“It gets more power.” Ethan could only think of an array. In this example, the sigil in the middle could act as a nexus of power for the rest of the arrangement.

“A lot more energy. The anomalies you’re dealing with are likely a result of this excess power, meaning there’s something wrong with the planet. You know the men in red and black as our benefactors, but they’re not the true owners of this world. They’re stewards. The true owner is dead. Mostly dead, anyway. Dead enough that, for all purposes, he’s not coming back anytime soon.” Vesper’s tone grew more serious as he went on. This was no longer a student getting a tip for an upcoming exam. This was a warning about Ethan’s job as a System Scribe. “The only good news is that we can vent that energy.”

“You generate a monster wave. Like a dungeon break?” Ethan asked.

“A very controlled version of a dungeon break. And many of them. Each city will summon heroes to defend it. Sections of each city will be designated as danger zones. The inside will be completely safe, and all the Gates will still function perfectly. But those outer regions will be under constant assault.”

Ethan thought that was a bit extreme, but this was a strange world. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t college back on Earth. This was a training ground. “What about the towns outside of the cities?”

“That’s unfortunate, but most of them will be destroyed.” Vesper shrugged. He produced a wry chuckle at Ethan’s horrified reaction. “What do you think the administrators and logistics people are for? After the trials is when their work starts. They’ll rebuild everything as it was before. Everyone outside of the cities will be evacuated before the waves. There are some cities out there large enough to defend themselves, and we typically don’t get monsters above Rank 3.”

This was a lot to take in. So the test was a coordinated monster attack. Ethan’s first thought was to react negatively. People having their homes smashed sucked a lot, but this wasn’t a normal planet. They weren’t on Erradon, after all. The more he thought about it, the more he approved of this move. Everyone was safe, and they got their stuff back at the end of the trial. He still had questions, though.

“What’s your opinion of this?” Ethan asked. “Honestly, my first reaction is to see this as a cruel act against the civilian population.”

“Indeed, it is very unfair. Yet, the people here know why it happens. They know that without the monster waves, every planet in all three sectors would experience the same thing.” Vesper took a second to let that settle into Ethan’s mind. “Instead of one world of people having to move their lives for a few months, twenty worlds would experience this without end. Make no mistake, Ethan, every single person we evacuate is given a great life. Food, shelter, and a very generous stipend. You know what else we offer?”

“What?”

“Relocation and compensation, if they want it. To any planet in all three sectors, with the full blessing of the leading deity and the local authorities of that sector. That means full system integration whenever they want it, so long as they’re civilian. Anyone born on this planet can stay for as long as they want. They stay because they support what our original benefactor has done for this region of the universe. They believe in what we’re doing here for the betterment of the universe, and they’re happy to uproot their lives a few times a year.”

That was the thing that put Ethan’s mind at ease, and he appreciated how Headmaster Vesper wasn’t treating him like an idiot. These were logical concerns a person would have about such an insane thing. A worldwide monster wave was hard to imagine. With four academies taking part, that was a massive number of people to consider. Vesper wouldn’t lie about something like this. It’d be easy enough to check.

Ethan identified the problem he had from the start. He was looking at the local population of civilians like he would view people from Earth. The image of a culture being wiped out multiple times a year was frightening. But these weren’t people from Earth. They had been born on a Nexus Planet, and must’ve been happy to be part of the system. Since they could leave at any time with any planet as their choice, that meant life here was good.

The compensation must’ve been great.

“I have only one question for you,” Vesper said. “Do you believe in what this Nexus World stands for?”

Chapter 95

Battle Scholar’s Attire

The information of what was to come settled into Ethan’s mind. He wouldn’t fool himself. He was excited about what was to come. His conversation with Vesper had gone on for some time after the reveal, and the headmaster did everything to put his mind at ease. As a System Scribe, and a valuable member of the academy, he could pick what he wanted to do for the trials. But he was encouraged to take his classes seriously to give himself a better chance of getting into some weird classes next semester.

The monster situation would take place over the course of six entire months. It would take a while for things to ramp up, and the end bit where the monsters attacked the cities would only happen in the last leg. This gave people a chance to practice scouting, rescue, surveillance, and other such skills. The entire thing would be monitored by high-ranking adventurers, typically alumni, that organized the entire thing.

Watching a Rank 10+ person fight was apparently a sigh to behold.

Even with all this information, Ethan couldn’t figure out what to do with himself. The events would start the following week, as he had expected, giving him time to sort himself out. He needed to figure out where he stood in the trials. More than likely, he would do a bit of everything. Same as always.

From what Ethan could glean from other students, advancing from Rank 1 to 2 within the first semester was rare, but it happened. Some people just skyrocketed in power, typically thanks to a unique function of their class. He wasn’t a proper Rank 2 yet, but was well on his way. By his estimation, he could get another attribute ring to Rank 2 before the monsters even appeared. The ones he had left were Strength, Dexterity, Vigor, and Endurance.

Most likely, he would target Endurance first. After that, Dexterity. Then he’d have to pick between Strength and Vigor, neither of which he looked forward to. Ethan still did some exercise with Barry, but the man was a monster. There was simply no way he could keep up with everything. Considering the idea that Barry would also advance, growing physically stronger, was a frightening thought.

“What’s on the agenda?” Tenalia asked, breaking Ethan from his thoughts.

But he didn’t even need to answer. He saw the cottage’s door ajar and heard the gentle flow of conversation from Finn, who always spoke in a too-loud volume. “Guess we’re having a chat with the Anomalous Materials Group.”

“Yes, but we need to plot a course after that. Tactics and strategy are vital to success.”

Ethan poked his head in the door, smiling to himself. Finn, Luna, and Nyx stood in his overly large living area. They were looking at the metal plate on the wall, marveling at the runework there. For him, it wasn’t that impressive. He had borrowed the power to make it, and doubted he could make anything truly impressive. The vital sigil had been created by a Primal Time God, so it wasn’t all his work.

“Did I forget about a party I planned?” Ethan asked.

Nyx squeaked, dashing behind her sister and clutching at the woman’s robes. Luna turned, giggling as she patted her sister on the head. “Avalara told us you had a meeting with Headmaster Vesper, so we decided to wait.”

“Big man!” Finn shouted, pumping his fist for some reason. “Glad you changed out of those bloody robes. Luna, you wanna do the talking? I suck at talking.”

“For someone who sucks, you sure do talk a lot.” Nyx’s voice peeped from behind Luna, gaining a giggle from everyone.

Luna cleared her throat. “Between us, we know a few talented crafters.”

“Genius crafters. The best in all nearby sectors,” Fin corrected.

“Am I talking, or are you talking?”

“Sorry.”

Luna cleared her throat once again. “Celestial mana is impossible for most people to conjure. But we worked with some very talented people to make you a gift.”

Finn swung a pack around from his back, pulling a few items out and placing them on the ground. It was an outfit. Robes, pants, gloves, and boots. Each item looked as though it was meant to go together and the appearance was somewhere between the martial robes Luna wore and the standard academy robes from Gale House. The body section was layered with blue and black cloth that caught the light, revealing it was infused with potent mana. That section came complete with a shin-length skirted part and a cloak with a hood. The boots had deep treads and were made from sturdy leather, same as the gloves.

“These robes were woven from Daemonweave and infused with Pure mana, which is a close cousin to Celestial mana. The crafter adapted them to be a set and sealed them so they would bind to your soul when you wore them.”

“That means they’ll adapt to your system right away,” Finn added.

“Only an idiot would think you were anything but the next big thing for the Anomalous Materials group.” Luna’s tone grew serious. The joking ceased, and she leveled her gaze at him. “As your superiors, we’re responsible for your success. With your adaptive system, we wanted to create a set of armor that reflected that concept. These robes are lightweight, but the Daemonweave can take a serious hit. The self-repair rune is one of the best I’ve seen in my life. You’ll be mobile and protected at the same time.”

Finn only waited a breath before making another comment. “Come on, rookie. Pick your jaw up off the floor and put it on! I wanna see if our money went to the right place.”

Ethan was actually speechless. He looked at the items on the ground, only able to blink slowly and stare with his mouth agape. “I…”

“Yeah, you can accept it. Now put it on!” Finn shouted, grabbing Ethan by the shoulders and shoving him toward the bedroom. He marched in behind the scribe, throwing the items on the bed before marching out.

Ethan didn’t hesitate after that. The quality of the material was absurd, and it bristled with magic. This was the secret project Finn and Luna had been sneaking around to do. As he removed his robes, picking up his new robes, he felt the quality of the material. The Daemonweave was absurdly soft, but somehow sturdy. He slipped it on, feeling the impossibly soft material press against his body. The boots and gloves fit perfectly, and even before he left the room he appreciated how it looked.

The robes were made from a deep blue material with details in black and gold. But he didn’t have too much time to appreciate them. A system message appeared a moment later.

[Item Adaptation]

Adapting item [Unnamed Set] to your system…

Detected Pure mana (functional analog)...

Item adapted.

Finn and Luna had predicted that the Pure mana was close enough to Celestial mana and they were right. Ethan resisted the urge to inspect the item, heading out into the living room instead. That’s when he was cat-called by Finn. Nyx laughed.

The magic of the robes and pants made them form-fitting, but the thick material wasn’t skin-tight. Ethan liked the way the pants went over the boots at the top, which would be great for trudging through dirty environments. It was also deceptively cool, seeming to provide the perfect temperature.

“So, did it adapt?” Luna asked. “Can you inspect the set?”

“Let me check,” Ethan said, looking down at his torso and willing the effect to appear.

[Battle Scholar’s Attire]

Epic Ranking Attire

Description:

A set of combat robes, cloak, pants, gloves, and boots made from Daemonweave and perfect for a traveling scholar who gets in too much trouble. This set has an affinity with Pure alignment mana, granting bonuses to all spells and abilities of that alignment.

Effect:

Intense self-repair

Intense self-regeneration

Intense thermal regulation

Moderate pierce, slash resistance

“Damn, these are nice.” Ethan appreciated the look of the set once more. Luna gave him a look, and he took it to mean she wanted to know the stats. So, he read them aloud for her to hear.

“So, Pure mana is really close to Celestial mana. Think of it as a refined form. Although the description mentioned Pure mana specifically, your mana might count. Try casting something.”

Ethan held his hand out, summoning layered system plates with his Lesser System Barrier spell. He didn’t notice it at first, but if he focused he felt a change. The mana flowing from his soul and into the spell was different. Although it took him a few minutes, he realized that the quantity he normally spent was reduced. Not only that, but the shield itself seemed more potent.

“Very impressive,” Ethan said, spreading his hand wider. More plates appeared, creating a semi-circle barrier that covered most of the room. A moment later, he bid the plates to vanish. He gave Finn and Luna a look. “Come on, guys. This is too nice.”

“Too bad, you already put it on.” Finn puffed his chest out. “Now you can’t return it.”

“Ya gotta keep it,” Nyx said, only poking her head out from behind Luna. But something caught her eye. During the entire exchange Tenalia had been observing silently. The young cultivator bravely exited the shadow of Luna, approaching the puppet with caution. “Can I play with it?”

“Only if you wish to improve your combat and tactics.” Tenalia spoke and Nyx jumped back.

Luna giggled. “Can your puppet behave?”

“Yeah. Mostly because I know your sister is already training,” Ethan laughed, shifting on the spot. The robes might’ve been comfortable, but they’d take some getting used to.

“Come on,” Nyx said, taking Tenalia by the arm and leading her outside.

Ethan only waited a moment before bringing it up. “So, we’re getting attacked by monsters?”

Luna and Finn shared a look.

“Not that you’re supposed to know, but… yeah.” Luna shot him a discerning look. “Did you figure it out on your own, or did someone tell you?”

“Barry and I collected information. But Headmaster Vesper told me the extent of it.”

“Now that the secret is out.” Finn cracked his knuckles. “Your semester at the academy, until this point, has been a warmup. The next half-year is where you truly learn your place in this world.”

Luna nodded in agreement. “You can make extreme progress during the waves. If you treat the training with the seriousness it deserves, you’ll shoot up in power. I’ve seen cultivators go through a single trail and leave the academy the next semester. Even if you offer your services as a support class.”

“Speaking of, have you decided which role you’ll fill?” Finn asked.

“All of them. Well, a good number of them. I’ve always had an interest in Support magic, so I’ll focus on that. But my goal is to catalogue as many abilities and spells as I can.” Ethan thought about that for a moment. “And I have something, but I’m keeping that one a secret for now.”

“Leaning toward academics, huh?” Finn asked.

“Not even a little. I’m leaning toward being a System Scribe.”

Luna nodded as though she got it. “You’re more like a researcher. Or… a scholar?”

Finn laughed politely.

“Going into the field can be very dangerous, especially if you make your way to other planets,” Luna said. “Combat, defensive or offensive, is just as important as your ability to collect information and do research. That’s a noble path, and likely the best fit for your class.”

“How does that translate to the trail coming up?”

“Perhaps you could study the monsters,” Finn suggested. “Tactics? Strategy?”

Tenalia’s helmeted head popped through the door. “Did someone say tactics?”

“Yeah, that might fit perfectly with my puppet. Anything to get her fired up, y’know?”

Finn stretched, seeming to have dropped out of the conversation. He yawned lazily. “Anyway, are you guys hungry? I want to parade our new star member around town.”

“Yeah, I’m starving. Let’s go, mascot,” Luna said, nodding toward the door.

Ethan watched his companions go, taking a bit too long to appreciate his new armor before catching up.