The Colonel and Anita took seats next to each other at the table. The three of us remained where we were, trying to work out what was going on.

“Gentlemen, please have a seat and I’ll explain.” While the words themselves weren’t exactly an order, his tone certainly made it one.

With another quick glance between us, we sat across the table from the two of them. I was in the middle, with Brad on my left and Steve on my right. I looked at the Colonel expectantly, sitting straight in my chair as I waited to hear his reasoning for getting rid of us.

He met my eyes. His words were clearly intended mainly for me. “I’m sending you home, but it is not a punishment in any way, and neither is it going to be permanent. I understand the Rift Committee wishes to meet you in person before signing off on you, but please know that I don’t subscribe to those kinds of politics. Everything I have been told is enough for me to know that all three of you,” here he paused to look at Brad and Steve as well, “are owed a great debt of gratitude. And you, Mr. Whitler,” he continued, turning his focus back to me, “are easily the most important asset we have in this fight.”

As his words sank in, I waited for Persuasion to activate, providing me with that little tingle that would let me know he was lying. When the skill remained quiet, however, I leaned back in my chair, a lot of the tension escaping my body along with the relieved breath I released. He was most likely telling the truth. Seeing me relax, the Colonel nodded. “If they fail to see that on their own, I’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure the Committee gives you its formal backing. While it will, of course, need to remain secret, I’ll see to it that there are official records making it difficult for them to suddenly decide to cast you aside.” I wasn’t sure if a Lieutenant Colonel could actually force politicians to do anything, but I took comfort in his words nonetheless.

“Now, as to why you need to leave here as soon as possible,” he said, getting back on track. “Ms. Anders informed me of the plan to set up a clinic for people believed to be infected, and I understand that you are our only way of curing them at present. Since you will need to leave here anyway to be involved with that, I’d like you to do it under the cover of darkness. Once our presence here becomes widely known, the number of protestors and general onlookers will surely increase. To avoid people identifying you and having you connected to this operation, I want you to slip out through the forest tonight and stay at your house. Ms. Anders will work out a way to get you into the clinic and also to your meeting with the Committee members tomorrow.”

He didn’t even wait to see if I agreed before changing his focus. “Officer Saunders, Officer Young. I would like you to accompany Mr. Whitler home and continue your protection duties. With the police force’s official duties here ending, you will be on indefinite loan for this assignment. A Senior Sergeant Tully and her squad will also be tasked with Mr. Whitler’s protection. I will leave it up to you to sort out shift assignments. Remember, discretion is key. We do not want to draw attention to him.”

This again?! I thought exasperatedly. I’d already told Anita I didn’t want or need protection. I knew we’d left it up in the air until we could have more time to discuss the matter, but the Colonel had clearly already decided it was going to happen, and that didn’t sit well with me.

“Sir,” I said, “I don’t want people following me around.” I gestured at his right hand. “You’ve seen how strong I am, and that was me holding back. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”

He looked at me flatly. “Are you invincible now, Mr. Whitler? Do you no longer require sleep?”

“No,” I answered reluctantly, having a fairly good idea of what he was going to say next.

“Then you are vulnerable, no matter how strong you are.” Yep, spot on, I thought unhappily.

“The main reason I’m not assigning some of my soldiers to watch over you is because I was informed of your opposition to the idea of a protective detail.” I glanced quickly at Anita, who gave me a small nod. “My concession is to assign the duty to people you already know and, I’ve been told, feel comfortable with. But that is as far as I’m willing to bend on the matter. And I wouldn’t even be allowing that if I believed there was an active threat against you. This is simply a precautionary step at this stage.”

His tone made it clear he was completely serious. I wisely let the matter go, giving him a reluctant nod. I was waiting for some wise-crack from Steve, but he remained silent. Seems he was being on his best behavior in front of the Colonel.

“He may not be as unwise as he so often makes himself appear,” Cax said in agreement.

“Now,” the Colonel said, “I’d like to visit this dungeon and also see for myself exactly what you are capable of. That will give me a better idea of how to plan our defenses and just what I can ask of you.”

He’d already pushed back his chair and was standing when Brad spoke up. “Sir. There’s one more urgent matter we need to discuss.” The Colonel looked at Brad questioningly. Turning to me, Brad said, “Show him the discs.”

I stared back at him, surprised he’d so quickly given up the powerful items’ existence, but he just gave me an encouraging nod. I turned my gaze onto the Colonel, who was now watching me curiously. I had to admit, he was not what I’d expected. He didn’t mess around and said things clearly, and seemed to be on my side. My lie-detecting skill hadn’t activated a single time, which made me believe he was a trust-worthy person. Still, I had no idea how he would react to the allure of power the Awakening discs represented. Thanks to Brad, though, I realized I didn’t really have a choice now. The Colonel didn’t seem like the type to simply let it go if I said it was nothing important.

I put my hand on the table and summoned one of the Awakening discs into my palm. “With the World Spirit’s help, we got three of these off the bodies of the Void puppets we killed in the dungeon.”

He retook his seat, seeming intrigued by the sudden appearance of the item out of nowhere. “And what is it?”

“This will give someone powers similar to mine.” I explained how they worked, and when I was done, Colonel Rossi sat there quietly with a thoughtful look on his face. I took the chance to nervously glance at Anita.

She was looking at me with an unreadable expression on her face. I felt the need to explain. “I was going to tell you earlier after you stopped recording, but then you mentioned the army and the politicians. I wanted to wait and see how it turned out before telling anyone. I trust you, but I know you have to report back to the government.” She didn’t say anything, and I was worried I may have hurt our relationship by keeping the discs’ existence from her. But then she gave me a small smile.

“I understand. Actually, I think you did the right thing in not mentioning it while I was recording.”

“As do I,” Colonel Rossi added. “Have you given any thought to who to use them on?”

I nodded. “I thought about giving them to Steve and Brad, but they basically refused.”

He looked surprised and asked the officers, “Is that true?”

“Yes, sir,” they both answered together. Then Brad added, “It’s not that we don’t want them, exactly. They should go to people who can provide the most assistance to the fight, though.”

“Very well said.” The Colonel clearly approved. “And I must admit, I’m relieved you don’t want to give them to your friends, Mr. Whitler.”

I smiled at him. “I did actually think about that. But then that would mean they’d have to be involved in this. I don’t want to put them in danger.” They’d probably be pissed at me if they found out I passed them over, but hopefully they would never know.

“I am relieved the reports about you were accurate. You have a good head on your shoulders, son. We’re very fortunate you found the alien artifact instead of some fool.”

“Cax, sir,” I corrected him. “His name is Cax, and he’s not some artifact.”

“My apologies. Now, the question is, who should be gifted with these powers?” It didn’t seem to be a rhetorical question, as he looked around the table at all of us.

Anita was the first to speak, directing a question my way. “If one of the researchers gains powers, will it help them find solutions to the problems they’re working on?”

“What do you think, Cax?” I asked him, speaking aloud for the others’ benefits.

“If they carry out their usual tasks after Awakening, then it is likely they will be offered a class related to that work,” he replied immediately. “Class abilities can be extremely useful, as you know. Also, simply by performing their jobs, it is likely they will gain an equivalent profession for it, which will assist them greatly in achieving the goals they are currently working on. If you learn the Inscription profession and reach a suitably high Tier, you’ll also be able to provide them with specific professions, but that would take some time. Besides, it is likely they can gain a profession that you don’t have the knowledge for in your core. This world operates differently, so it stands to reason there would be different professions available.”

I relayed the information to the others. Anita immediately said, “Then I think Dr. Fadel and Dr. Terrence are good candidates. Dr. Fadel is working on the biological side of researching and curing the Void infection, and Dr. Terrence is working on ways to get our technology operating around all this foreign energy.”

He nodded. “Both are vital areas of research at the moment. However, they are both civilians. I would prefer the discs be used on people capable of defending themselves.”

“As they gain levels, their bodies will naturally become stronger,” I let him know. “And they can increase that by assigning some of the energy to their physical attributes. Although, it would be better for researchers to focus on their mental attributes,” I acknowledged.

“Noted,” the Colonel said. He considered the matter quietly for a minute. “I’m inclined to agree about Dr. Fadel, following a meeting between the two of us, of course. We don’t have anyone skilled in that field in our units. However, there are some talented mechanics and technicians among my soldiers that may be a better option than Dr. Terrence, since they are also trained to take care of themselves. It will require some more thought.”

“That still leaves one disc, and I think it should go to Brad or Steve,” I said, recognizing an opening. I continued quickly to explain my reasoning. “If they’re going to be with me anyway, it will be easy for me to help them get used to their abilities. And it will make them better able to protect me.” I could see Colonel Rossi wasn’t convinced. I really wanted to reward the two officers for all they’d done for me, but more than that, I wanted the power in the hands of someone I trusted.

I decided to bend the truth a little. “And these discs are untested. There’s no way to know if there will be any problems. We should try them out on someone first. And since they’ll be keeping an eye on me, it will be easy for me to watch over them too and heal them if anything goes wrong.” I was positive there wouldn’t be any issues. The World Spirit wouldn’t have given us something that would kill us. But the Colonel didn’t know that.

My warning, as unfounded as it was, must have gotten through to him. Likely with a little help from Persuasion. “Do you think you will be able to gain more of these discs?”

“Yes. They won’t be easy to come by, but the World Spirit made it seem like it may be able to intervene again to get some more for us. And even if it can’t, I’ll be able to make something similar myself eventually.”

“Very well. I’m authorizing you to use one on Officer Saunders. His greater experience and training make him the better candidate. Providing he agrees?” We all looked at Brad. He was frowning at me, but under our combined gazes, he nodded reluctantly. “Excellent. Carry out the procedure as soon as you return home and keep us apprised of the results. If there are no ill effects, I’ll have you use the other two discs tomorrow night.”

Anita addressed the Colonel. “Sir, are you sure you shouldn’t run this by the Committee first? They might be upset if you make such an important decision without consulting them.”

“Let them be upset,” he said dismissively. “I have full operational control, and that clearly covers these discs. The Committee would simply drag the matter out, and we can’t afford to waste time. We’re already playing catch up.”

Anita didn’t argue the point, and, with the matter settled, we all left the tent and made our way to the dungeon. On the way, Colonel Rossi collected several aides to accompany us. On the short walk to the dungeon entrance, I took in all the work that was going on. The entire upper section of the park had large, olive green tents in various stages of completion. They looked much sturdier than the ones Anita’s research team was making use of. Several large vehicles were parked between the tents and the healthy side of the forest.

A trench was being dug along the infected section of the woods, starting several meters in front of the tent hiding the dungeon entrance. It was already being extended in both directions, towards the main road and deeper into the park. Some kind of scaffolding was also being erected in separate sections just behind the trench. There was a lot of work being carried out, but still, there were clearly a lot fewer than the couple of hundred soldiers Anita had mentioned.

We stopped outside the dungeon tent, and the Colonel had one of his aides explain what was being done. “We are going to have two main camps. The one here, and another on the other side of the forest to protect the people living over there. The street that runs along the forest will be blocked off to allow for tents and other equipment to be set up. One lane along the main road will also be closed to traffic, although that side will mainly be protected by roving patrols due to the existing barrier there. We believe that any threats attempting to leave the forest will choose an easier exit point, but we will still maintain strict guard over that side. We will also maintain a presence on the street outside the unaffected section of forest to make sure no one tries to enter. Their job will also be to deal with any infected that try to circle around our camp here.” I realized he was talking about the street near my house. I thought it was unlikely that any Void creatures would go the long way around and bypass the allure of the dungeon here, but I guess it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Our goal come daylight is to make moves to establish a fourth line within the forest itself just outside of the infected area,” he went on. “That will allow us to box in the infected and hopefully prevent them from reaching the general public.”

Brad interrupted, raising a good point. “We were told that only about two hundred soldiers were going to be present. Won’t you be stretched a bit thin trying to watch so many sides?”

The Colonel answered his question. “This is only a portion of the soldiers under my command. Once we get set up and identify any weak points, we will bring in more bodies as needed. Our base is situated just outside the city, so we can have them here in no time.” He gestured for his aide to continue after Brad nodded his understanding.

The man gestured at the scaffolding. “We will have firing platforms set up where marksmen will be situated to take out any threats that appear.”

That was a problem. “Umm, sir?” I said, addressing the Colonel. “If possible, don’t shoot anything on this side. I need the infected to go into the dungeon and for my defenders to kill them. Otherwise, I don’t get any energy from them. I also won’t get items off them.” I stressed the word ‘items’, hoping he would catch my meaning.

“Understood. Where is the access point the infected used during the attack?” Colonel Rossi asked. Steve pointed out the general area and told him how far back it was from the tree line. Nodding, the Colonel told his aides, “That shouldn’t be a problem. Instruct the soldiers to only engage targets that exit the forest.”

“Why not just blow up the infected area?” Steve asked suddenly. “Drop a bomb on the forest and kill off everything.”

The Colonel nodded. “A valid question. All options are on the table, however that one would only be used if we lose complete control of the situation. Our current inclination is to burn down the affected area of forest to both take out the enemy and deny them any cover. However, until I have guarantees that that simply won’t make the problem worse by spreading the infection, we’ll be focusing on containment.”

We all fell silent as we considered such a drastic step. Burning the forest down was bad enough, but bombing it?! I tried to imagine the forest in front of me as a flattened crater, the trees all gone and smoke billowing up. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. I’d played here as a kid so many times, and still came to the park fairly often. To imagine it gone, and in such a violent way, was shocking. I knew that the Void was destroying the forest anyway, slowly infecting it with its insidious energy. But I had hope that we could push it back, that we could reclaim the area it had taken.

With a better understanding of what the plan up here was, and with nothing more to be said, I led the group into the tent and down into the dungeon. I warned everyone not to panic when they saw my defenders, but still, there were surprised exclamations at the sight of the skeletons and hands went to their sidearms. Kerry, from Tully’s squad, was currently keeping watch. She stood straight when she saw the Colonel and everyone else enter. He quickly dismissed her, asking her to wait at the top of the stairs. She made her way up, flashing me a quick smile as she passed by.

Just in case they hadn’t all been told, I made sure to let them know their guns wouldn’t work in here, or within 10 meters of the entrance. And that there was a trap in front of the other entrance where most of the skeletons were gathered, so they should be careful. Then Brad took over, explaining the gear the skeletons had and what they’d done to train them. Multiple questions came about what they were capable of, and about the other defenders they could see. Brad and I answered them all patiently, understanding perfectly how much of a shock all this must be to the professional soldiers. Even I still found the sight of the skeletons and animals that I’d made a little jarring.

“Basically, my defenders should be able to handle anything that comes in here,” I explained once the questions ran out. “And they need to be left alone to do it. The main way I can get stronger is by killing things and taking their energy. I also get the energy for anything killed by my defenders, although it’s only apparently a part of it if I’m not in the vicinity when the intruder is killed. I haven’t experienced that yet. But anyway, every little bit helps.” I wasn’t sure any healthy animals would be coming down from our camp with all the commotion up there now, but I still mentioned it just in case.

“Understood,” Colonel Rossi said. “We’ll have people keep watch with orders not to interfere unless the situation looks like it’s getting out of hand.”

“Thank you. Now, I’ll show you some of what I can do. I’ll start with my Light magic.” I shot a couple of light darts at the wall and conjured a glowing orb. I was surprised to realize my Glowing Orb spell had also benefited from my Light magic reaching Tier II. The spell now summoned two orbs, and the range had more than doubled. I could now move the orbs anywhere within 5 meters of myself or whatever I chose to anchor them to. And the duration had increased, with the orbs now lasting a full hour. I’ll be much better off if I need to go into the forest at night again, I thought happily.

“I can also make a large light and explode it to blind everyone around me, but I don’t think I’ll show you that one.”

“Appreciate that,” Colonel Rossi said drily.

“Now, my Life magic. You already know I can heal people. I upgraded the spell so it also cures diseases and poisons, and it can regrow limbs.” I quickly explained about my mum’s tooth. Judging by the murmured comments, everyone was suitably amazed.

“There are a lot of people who would love to be on the receiving end of that,” one of the Colonel’s aides said.

“And I would love to help them out. But I used the spell on Mum several times, and the tooth still isn’t fully regrown. I’m not sure how long it would take to regrow something like an arm or a leg, but I imagine it wouldn’t be a speedy process.”

Next, I demonstrated my Aura of Recovery spell and explained the benefits it provided. That led nicely into my demonstration of my Spatial magic. When I cast Domain, I noticed a certain level of strain, as though my body was under pressure from all angles, being squeezed slightly. I remembered Cax had told me there was a limit to how many aura spells you could have active at once, and I was pretty sure I was at that limit. The sensation was distracting, but otherwise bearable.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head far back to avoid any complaints of cheating. Then I asked people to move around, accurately pointing out everyone. When I opened my eyes again, I noticed the army personnel were looking at me with a mixture of respect and awe. “Very impressive,” Colonel Rossi told me approvingly. “That will be an invaluable ability in a fight.”

“I still need to get used to using it,” I warned him. “With my eyes open, it makes me dizzy since I’m basically seeing and sensing the same things.”

“Keep working on it. Now, is there anything else to show us? You should really get going soon.”

I left both aura spells running and just made sure not to move too quickly so I wouldn’t become disoriented. The only way to get used to it was to actually keep it going. I gestured at the extra shields and spears lying down against the wall. “Just that I can make things like that out of pure energy. If its magical items, I need to be in the dungeon to do it. The energy levels aren’t strong enough outside. If we can’t get our technology working, I can still provide effective weapons.” I thought it was important they started preparing for that eventuality. “If its regular stuff like pizza or clothes, though, I can make them anywhere. If you give me something, I can destroy it to learn its pattern, and then I can make copies anytime.”

“He’d make one hell of a logistics officer,” I heard someone mutter.

“Very nice,” the Colonel said. “We’ll keep all of that in mind.”

“Then, the last thing I want to talk about is a request. Two, actually.”

He gestured for me to go ahead. “Do you see the rock around the edges of the room? I can have the dungeon maintain alterations like that. I want to add to the defenses in here, without making it too difficult for the infected and Void creatures to gain access. The pull of the dungeon is strong, but I’m afraid that if it’s too dangerous for them to get in, they may fight the temptation and go somewhere else.”

The Colonel gestured at one of his aides who wrote something down. “We’ll have some people look over the room and come up with some ideas for you to try out when you return. I don’t believe there is any rush. While this may not apply to what we’re dealing with here, most forces who suffered the losses I heard described won’t make another attempt so soon.”

“Thank you.” I was relieved to pass that responsibility onto someone else. I was curious what someone skilled in such things could come up with.

“What’s your second request?”

I made my staff appear in my hand to some shocked murmurs from the Colonel’s attendants. “I have a skill to guide me in using this. It helps me with my footwork and shows me how to make various attacks. But I think it would help me more if I had someone to spar with. If there is someone who knows how to use a staff, could you set up some training sessions?”

He readily agreed. “I would be more than happy to help you become better able to defend yourself. Let us look into it.”

With all our business taken care of, we returned to the park and the Colonel said his goodbyes. “Are you sure you can find your way home?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve made the walk many times before.”

“Very well. The soldiers on the other side have orders to let you pass. Wait for them to give you the all clear before exiting the trees. Watch yourselves in there just in case.” He focused in on Brad. “Are you still sure you wish to go ahead with using the disc, Officer Saunders?”

“Sure, sir? Not really. But I’ll do it.”

“Good man. Mr. Whitler, please keep us apprised of Officer Saunders’ condition and progress, and we’ll decide on the other two candidates.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Be safe and good luck tomorrow. See you when you return.” With that, he walked away with his staff to attend to their business.

“I’ll call you tomorrow with the schedule,” Anita told me. “Until then, try to get as much rest as you can. And good luck, Officer Saunders.” She touched his arm gently, the concern clear in her eyes. We were several meters away when she called out. “By the way, Mr. Whitler. There is a present waiting at your house. I hope you enjoy it.”

My mind immediately went to the conversation we’d had in the dungeon prep room as I turned back. “A home theater system?” I asked.

“What? No,” she said, confused. “It’s a whole lot of books, just like you requested.”

“Oh. That’s great, cheers.” And it was. With my Research ability becoming available tomorrow, the added knowledge I could get from the books would hopefully mean better options for research results. But still, I decided to try again for a freebie. “But you did say you’d buy me the home theater system if I could give you a good reason. Well…,” I gestured at Brad and Steve. “Here’s my reason. If there’s going to be a bunch of people crashing at my place, got to keep them happy.”

“Nice try,” she said with a big smile. “But firstly, it’s not your place. It’s your mother’s.”

Ouch, I thought as Steve laughed.

“And second. I believe I said the reason had to be connected to how it would help you save the planet. Making your guests happy doesn’t qualify. Now, goodbye.”

Before I could object, she’d already started to walk away. Laughing again, Steve put his arm around my shoulders and steered me towards another tent I hadn’t been in yet. “Nice try, mate, but you’re not going to win that one. She’s too smart for you.”

Smiling, I teased him, “Look at you, all talkative again. I was starting to think you’d gone mute.” Apart from his question about bombing the place, he’d been unusually restrained.

Brad, following behind us, chuckled. “I’ve got to hand it to the Colonel. I’ve never seen you quiet for so long.”

Steve shrugged. “I’m a sexy beast, not a dumb one. I know when to tone it down.”

Inside the tent were a lot of bags and other assorted goods. “What are we doing in here?” I asked them as they started rummaging around.

“The goal is to remain unnoticed. We can’t exactly do it dressed like this,” Steve replied as he grabbed a large duffel and dropped it in the middle of the tent. They were still in the fresh riot gear I’d created for them.

“We weren’t sure how long we’d be here, so we brought some clothes with us. Plus, we need to get our wallets and stuff,” Brad pointed out as he found his bag and began pulling out some clothes.

I turned around as they began changing, having a bit of a laugh at myself. I’d already gotten so used to having a magical Inventory to store all my stuff in that it hadn’t even occurred to me that they didn’t have their things on them. Of course they wouldn’t keep their phones in their pocket while fighting.

“I thought my Intelligence was getting better, too?” I asked Cax half-jokingly.

“That attribute is more connected to how much information your brain can store,” he told me, “although your memory and other mental faculties are also seeing minor improvements. That will not help you, however, for things that never enter your mind in the first place. Had you wondered where they were keeping their items, then you would have quickly deduced the answer. Being slightly smarter does not mean you suddenly consider every single matter possible.”

After the two officers got changed, they slung their bags over their shoulders. “I can take care of the bags,” I told them. “Just put them on the ground and step back.”

Once they’d moved away, I put my hands on their bags and willed them into my inventory. “Very nice,” Brad said appreciatively.

Steve slapped me on the back. “Cheers, mate. But just so you know, klepto, I’ll be counting the money in my wallet when I get the bag back.”

Walking to the exit, I called back over my shoulder, “Oh, there’ll be some missing, all right. You didn’t think I’d carry your bags for free, did you?”

“Oi!”

I kept winding Steve up until we entered the healthy side of the forest and our conversation naturally fell off. I was looking forward to a change of scene and returning home after what felt like so long.