Chapter 6: Adaptation

"Eh?!"

"You heard me," she reiterated. "I want to help you in your missions."

"You know you don't have to."

"You made it clear that I don't have to, but I want to."

"If you don't mind me asking, why?"

Reia smiled. "When I was young, I used to listen to stories of the war with Hastur and his demon army. My favourite stories always revolved around the six heroes who defeated Hastur. I would always take the time to listen about their feats during the war. After listening to these stories, I wanted to become someone that fought to protect others. Circumstances changed those dreams."

"Circumstances?"

"I was raised in an orphanage with my two sisters. We're not related by blood, but we were family nonetheless. We were never adopted and once we were sixteen, we had to get jobs to take care of ourselves. Tala worked at the city's library. It was her dream job. When not working, she would always have her cute little nose in a book about magic. The job was also good to her considering her shyness around new people."

Reia finished her omelette and savoured the last bite.

"Sylmae worked at a Hunter's shop selling gear to adventurers, hunters and soldiers. She was the responsible one. She planned our finances that eventually allowed us to get our own home instead of sleeping in a tent or bathing at the bathhouse."

"And you were a blacksmith?"

"Uh, more of a blacksmith apprentice," she admitted. "I felt like being near weapons and armour was as close to being an adventurer as I could be at the time."

"That's quite admirable of you."

"Ey?" she squealed at the sudden compliment.

"You delayed your dreams for the sake of your sisters. That's very selfless."

Reia rubbed the back of her head while chuckling. "I never really thought of it that way. We're family so we should stick together. Oh..." That line brought back the thought of being a whole world away from her sisters.

"Family is important," Tom stated. "We'll find them."

Reia smiled again.

"Alright, Reia. If you're willing to risk your life to protect others, you can join me in my missions."

"Yes!" Reia cheered.

"Now there are going to be some rules that must be followed for our missions."

Reia nodded.

"We need to stick together while we are on a mission. No going solo."

"Right!"

"While on mission, we cannot refer to each other by our real names."

"Wait, why?"

"When I started this business with protecting people, I didn't want anyone to know who I was because I don't like attention. I don't want to read my name in the newspapers or have reporters gather outside my property asking more questions than I could answer. I'm really thankful for the 'Obscure Identity' ability of my cloak."

"Reporter? Newspapers?"

Tom thought quickly of a way to explain the concept for Reia. "Do you have criers in your world? People who yell out news and such to inform people in towns and cities."

Reia nodded.

"Reporters are people who research news and events and report it to the people. Newspapers are basically just that. News on paper for people to read. It gets delivered to people's homes."

"That sounds really convenient and useful."

"Helps create a more connected world. As I was saying before, I wanted to stay out of the public eye. My alter ego is just a mask for people to focus on instead of me. Maybe in a year's time, I won't care about my identity. If everyone has access to the SYSTEM, I probably won't be as under scrutiny as I would now. This doesn't mean I'm leaving my people in the dark about what is happening now. I've been translating two books from Xoth. One about its history and one that acts as a bestiary. I'm also working on a third book that gives tips and tricks for dealing with the SYSTEM."

"So you don't care if your people don't know what you've done for them?"

"Not one bit. I'll stick to being a background character, thank you very much. Now, reasons for disguising your identity is more complicated. As far as the people of this world are concerned, anything that is not from Earth are dangerous and an enemy. I have a skill called 'Disguise' which I will need to use on you when we leave my home at any time, so you can blend in with my people. Your name is fairly unique. I doubt anyone can put two and two together if I call you by your name on a mission or in public life, but I don't want to risk it. I can see the government being sent in to detain you and me to interrogate us. I'd rather avoid that."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"We need to earn my world's trust. It will be slow but I think we can do it. Till then, we'll need code names."

"Code names?"

"An alternate name to use on mission. You... Hmm... Aurora."

"Aurora?"

"Your skin kinda reminds me of the Aurora Borealis. They're these beautiful lights that appear in the northern night skies."

"B-Beautiful?"

Tom felt so stupid for his naming convention. "U-Uh, if you don't like the name. We could-"

"No, no," she interrupted him. "I like it. What about your name?"

"Well... The majority of my magic is focused on lightning attacks. How about Thunder?"

Reia laughed and said, "Makes sense."

"Finally, while we are on mission, I'll need you to follow my orders. We need cohesion on the battlefield to ensure the success of the mission."

"You can count on me."

"Good, good. I'll be honest, I don't have much combat experience. But if we work together to hone our skills, we can become stronger than any enemy we may face."

"I look forward to learning, teacher," she teased.

'Teacher!' The word forced Tom to remember an extremely important skill he had. Tom slapped the counter. "I completely forgot about my Teacher skill!"

"Teacher skill?"

"I can instantly teach a skill to you. And I have just the skill to teach you. Do you have the Book Learning skill?"

"I've never heard of it," Reia replied.

"It allows you to gain skills and knowledge instantly from books. It would be the best skill to teach you first. You want it?"

"The way you described it, of course!"

Tom pointed his hand towards Reia and said, "Teach Book Learning."

Notice Skill failed. Your rank in Teacher is too low to teach this skill. You can only teach D-C rank skills. At Intermediate rank you can teach D-A, and at Master you can teach D-SS.

"Shit," he blurted out.

"What happened?"

"My skill level is too low to teach you Book Learning. It will only allow D to C rank skills at the moment. Hmm..."

"Perhaps if you look at my status and skills, it'll help you out," Reia suggested.

"Are you okay with that?" Tom knew he was being hypocritical being concerned with Reia's privacy. He had, at this point, identified dozens of other people's status without concern over their privacy. With Reia, Tom he wanted to build trust with her since they were going to do missions together.

"It's okay. You showed me yours, I should show you mine. Show Full Status."

Status Name Reia Zyer Level 2 Experience 105/125 Class - Race Naga Alignment Good Currency Canadian $0.00 Xoth 0 platinum 0 gold 89 silver 74 copper Title Unknown Buffs - - Debuffs - - Health 430 Health Regeneration/min 2.1 Mana 130 Mana Regeneration/min 1.2 Stamina 350 Stamina Regeneration/min 1.5 Fame 0 Infamy 0 Strength 43 Intelligence 13 Wisdom 12 Perception 23 Endurance 35 Vitality 21 Agility 15 Luck 50 Unallocated Points 0

Resistances Physical 15% Disease 100% Fire 15% Plant 15% Ice 15% Earth 15% Lightning 15% Water 15% Wind 15% Spirit 15% Light 15% Darkness 50%

Skills Identify Beginner Level 7 Weapon Repair Intermediate Level 6 Armour Repair Intermediate Level 3 Weapon Crafting Beginner Level 9 Armour Crafting Beginner Level 10 Accessory Crafting Intermediate Level 1 Spear Skill Beginner Level 6 Clothing Reform Intermediate Level 5 Ice Spike Beginner Level 2 Wind Shield Beginner Level 1 Wind Blade Beginner Level 2 Weapon Repair Type Passive Rank C Level Intermediate Level 6 (43%) You are able to repair the durability of weapons. The higher your level, the more durability you can repair. At Intermediate tier, you have a chance to add buffs to weapons that have repaired. Armour Repair Type Passive Rank C Level Intermediate Level 3 (36%) You are able to repair the durability of armour. The higher your level, the more durability you can repair. At Intermediate tier, you have a chance to add buffs to armour that you have repaired. Weapon Crafting Type Passive Rank C Level Beginner Level 9 (67%) You are able to create weapons. Your skill, varying ore and materials will change the durability, buffs and strength of your weapon. Armour Crafting Type Passive Rank C Level Beginner Level 10 (88%) You are able to create armour. Your skill, varying ore and materials will change the durability, buffs and strength of your armour. Accessory Crafting Type Passive Rank C Level Intermediate Level 1 (54%) You are able to create accessories. Your skill, varying ore and materials will change the durability, buffs and strength of your accessories. Spear Skill Type Passive Rank C Level Beginner 6 (42%) You are skilled in the style of the spear. This skill is strong in medium range combat, but weak in close range or long range. Levelling this skill will unlock new related skills. Clothing Reform Type Activate Mana Required 15 Rank D Level Intermediate 5 (14%) You are able to use your magic to change clothing to fit different body types. Levelling this skill will allow you to reform armour and eventually S-tier armour. Ice Spike Type Activate Mana Required 20 Rank B Level Beginner 2 (8%) You are able to launch spikes of ice as an attack. Increasing this skill's level can unlock new related skills. Wind Shield Type Activate Mana Required 60 per minute Rank B Level Beginner 1 (0%) You are able to surround yourself with wind, reducing incoming damage. Increasing this skill's level will allow a chance that your attacker will suffer wind damage from their attacks, and can unlock new related skills. Wind Blade Type Activate Mana Required 20 Rank B Level Beginner 2 (13%) You are able to launch wind blades as an attack. Increasing this skill's level can unlock new related skills.

"Holy shit," Tom muttered.

"You've noticed?" Reia said nervously.

"Yeah... I've noticed. Your stats and resistances are insane. How are they this good?"

"I honestly don't know," Reia replied while shrugging. "When we become of age, at sixteen, our base stats become finalized. My stats along with Tala and Syl were abnormally high. When we tried to talk to our orphanage caretaker about our stats, they would shut down any conversation about it and even warned us not to mention it to anyone ever."

"Suspicious. And also there's that unknown title."

"Tala and Syl both have that title as well. The SYSTEM won't provide any information about it."

"A question. How many unallocated stats did you get when you levelled up?"

"Five. I put them all towards Strength."

"Hmm... Considering how high your stats are, I would have held off using those points."

"Why's that?"

"You have a good amount of skill in the spear, but I'm guessing you've killed somewhere around ten to fifteen creatures to raise your level. Right?"

Reia nodded. "Giant snails. They're slow, but are extremely dangerous with their poisonous slime."

"So long as you play it safe, you should use the first several levels to figure out your combat style and what stats would be the most important to you in the future. Seeing your stats, I can see you going down the warrior path." Tom paused in his thoughts. "I just realized something. Does your experience amount reset every time you level?"

"No..."

"The amount of experience needed to go from level one to two is one hundred. If your experience stays, that means it takes twenty-five to go from two to three."

"That limit increases every level by twenty-five percent," Reia added. "So we were taught."

"Why is the threshold to level two so much bigger than say going from two to three or to the several levels after?"

"I never paid much attention in class," Reia admitted embarrassment. "From what I understood, reaching level two is breaking your natural limit. Most people never leave level one. You have to work to break your natural limit. My two sisters are still level one because they are content with their lives and don't see any point in risking themselves. When I came back at level two, they gave me an earful."

"I guess that makes sense." Tom crossed his arms and nodded. "Still a weird way for the levelling system to work." He then went quiet to think on what he had just learned.

"Tom?"

Jutted out of thought he muttered, "Oh, uh, sorry. My mind just wandered off. It seems like the mystery of your status won't be solved today. Heh. We got severely off track from my original topic of my Teacher skill. According to my skill, I can only teach you one skill that is either rank D or C. I think the best skill to teach you would be Heal. It's rank C and it would be useful for both of use to have the Heal skill. Even if you don't seem to use magic much."

"Makes sense."

Tom got up from his chair and aimed his right palm towards her. "Teach Heal."

Notice Skill successful. Reia now knows Heal.

Tom saw a screen appear in front of Reia. Reia jumped back a bit and smiled.

"It worked!" she cheered.

Notice Teacher has reached Beginner Level 2. Teacher Type Activate Rank S Level Beginner 2 (43%) You can grant one of your skills to someone else. Currently limited to two skills per person. Increasing your skill level will allow you to grant more skills to each person.

"It seems I can teach you another skill. Have you tried using any other weapons than your spear? At this point, it seems that I have only four other skills I can possibly teach you. Two of them are weapon skills."

"I've only really had the opportunity with my spear."

"As a pure warrior, it might be beneficial for more than one weapon skill. For versatility."

"If I can be made into a greater warrior, I'll do anything."

Tom aimed his palm and said, "Teach Club Skill."

Notice Skill successful. Reia now knows Club Skill. Notice Teacher has reached Beginner Level 3. Teacher Type Activate Rank S Level Beginner 3 (25%) You can grant one of your skills to someone else. Currently limited to three skills per person. Increasing your skill level will allow you to grant more skills to each person.

"I might be able to teach you two more skills. I can teach you Sword Skill, Purify or Persuasion. What would you like? At this point there's no real reason to hold back on being reserved on using the two. I need to be Intermediate rank to teach you any of my better skills. This sucks as I really wanted to teach you Language Comprehension."

"Why that skill?"

"Well, so you will have the freedom to interact with the world," Tom admitted. "If you are unable to understand any language in my world, you'll have to rely on me to do or get anything."

Reia laughed. She was touched by the concern he was paying to her well-being. "You're very sweet. It's okay. I don't mind relying on you." Her smile grew from ear to ear. "So long as you don't mind relying on me for our missions."

Tom smiled. He admired how charming she was. "Deal."

"As for those three skills, I'll take Sword Skill and Persuasion. Those seem like good skills."

"Alright then. Teach Sword Skill."

Notice Skill successful. Reia now knows Sword Skill. Notice Teacher has reached Beginner Level 4.

"Teach Persuasion."

Notice Skill successful. Reia now knows Persuasion.

"You are now a force to be reckoned with."

"Thank you so much, Tom!" Reia was giddy with excitement after the skills she learned. "It usually takes a lot of work and learning to even unlock a skill."

Reia spun on her stool for fun. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Today, we are going to go shopping. You're going to need clothing and hygiene products. Maybe some grocery shopping as well. I've been eating out too much lately. I really should cook more and level up that skill."

"If anything else you cook tastes half as good as that omelette, I'll lend you my full support in helping you level up your cook skill."

The two shared a good laugh.

Reia jumped off of her stool. "So I'll get to see a human city?"

"You sure will. Just a few rules while we're out. You cannot use any magic while we're out. You'll also being wearing a magical disguise that I'll apply to you. At my current skill level it'll last for eight hours or until it is dispelled. You'll also need to change your clothes."

Reia was wearing rough leather pants and a brown strapless leather vest. To say it stood out was an understatement.

"I have some spare clothes you can wear, but I'll need to apply your disguise first. You ready?"

Reia nodded.

"Alright. Disguise."

Reia's wings and tail shrank into her back as her skin changed colour. Her eyes morphed in shape and colour. Her slit pupils became round and her green eyes darkened to be less florescent. Reia's hair changed colour from blue to black.

'I think she looked better before,' he thought. 'Why is that my first thought?!'

"Did it work?" she asked.

"Yup. There's a full length mirror in the hallway. Come on."

Reia took a few steps before she fell forward to the floor. Tom rushed to her.

Offering her a hand to get up he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she groaned. "I lost my balance."

Tom helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry I didn't think of it. Without your wings and tail, you won't have your original balance. Lean against this counter. I'll grab something for you. I'll just be a minute."

Tom ran off as soon as Reia balanced herself on the counter edge. Without her wings and tail she felt very front heavy. She struggled to stand. Reia didn't have to wait long for Tom to come back. He held a metal cane in hand.

"Here, use this," he said as he handed her the cane. "It won't make things perfect, but it'll stop you from falling over."

Reia took the cane and stood up while using it. Tom was right, she still felt like she was being pulled forward, but the cane helped her from falling over.

"You good?" he asked her.

"Yeah, this works. I feel silly though, using a cane."

"I know," Tom admitted. "But this is just for when we go out in public. While you're here or on mission with me, no disguise. I'll get some clothes for you to wear and then we can head out. The drive will take about twenty minutes. In that time, I'm going to give you a crash course of this world."

VVVVV

Madrid, Spain...

Despite the attack the day before, the damage done to Madrid was minimal. Police were all over the streets to keep order in the frightened city. Hazmat teams were brought in to gather the remains of the slime bodies. The acidic properties of the bodies was lower than what it was while they were alive, but still toxic enough to slowly eat away at the pavement.

In the shadows of an alley, an ancient being watched the hazmat crew gather the remains of the Monstrous Slime. His rage boiling inside as he watched the aftermath of his failed attempt to cause panic in the world. The man in the white cloak had foiled the slime invasion.

The being's sickly hand touched the wall of the alley. He scratched his claws down the wall, cutting away at the stucco. The slime invasion was meant to destroy this city and renew the world's fear. Instead, the invasion was stopped and people were more hopeful.

'I will see this world fall into despair.'

A newspaper blew into the alley and landed by its feet. The being bent over and picked up the newspaper. The front page was about the monster attack on Madrid being thwarted. In a small section, in the corner of the front page, was an article about a terrorist attack on a federal building in France.

The shadowy being smiled as an idea came to him.

'If Kara can change events in her favour, so can we.'

VVVVV

The drive to the mall was productive and energetic. Tom was able to go over mannerisms and behaviour of humans in the West. He also had some time to go over how science and technology has contributed to the world as a whole. Reia listened very intently while struggling to avoid gazing out the window of such a fast-moving vehicle. It was incredible to see how fast they were moving on the road.

'This is faster than I could possibly fly,' she thought as they drove down, what Tom called, highways. 'Why are they called highways if they're not high off the ground?'

Reia saw many vehicles as they drove. All of them different from one another. The vehicle they were driving operated like magic to her. It moved without making a sound and so smoothly. A horse carriage would be bouncing all over the place. Tom explained to her that the car used an electric motor to turn the wheels and suspension to stop it from rocking all over the place. Reia couldn't understand everything that Tom explained of the station wagon, but she understood enough to get an idea.

On occasion Reia saw homes and small locations on the side of the highway. Tom called them gas stations; a place where gas powered cars go to refuel. Before long, large buildings appeared over the horizon. Reia's eyes widened upon seeing many large buildings.

"Welcome to Willow," Tom said.

"I've never seen such large buildings," Reia exclaimed.

"I'll take you to Toronto some day. If this wows you, Toronto will blow your mind. Now we're going to be going to the Sunrise Mall to get your things."

"Mall?"

"Think of it as an indoor marketplace. This mall in particular has hundreds of stores."

Reia moved all around her seat as she took in the sights of the city. There was so much colour and imagery around the city that it was hard for her eyes not to wander.

Tom drove into the parking lot of the mall and quickly found a parking spot. The initial panic from the monster attack over a week ago had settled down and many people got back to their lives. Tom and Reia stepped out of the car and entered the mall.

"There's so many people," Reia gasped.

The inside was large and filled with many stores and hundreds of people. Tom guided Reia through the mall towards a casual woman's clothing store. The selection of clothing was overwhelming to her. Even the biggest clothing store in Skysign was a small fraction of the size of the store they were standing in.

A saleswoman approached them and said something that Reia couldn't understand. Tom replied in the same language.

"What did she say?" Reia asked Tom.

"She was asking if we needed help and I said yes. I told her that you're from out of the country and the airport lost your suitcase. She's going to show us some of the latest fashion. She's just needs to take some of your measurements."

"Okay..."

The saleswoman returned with a tape measure and got Reia's various measurements. It was quick and the saleswoman smiled as she waved for the two to follow her. The saleswoman presented several shirts.

Reia loved the look of the shirts and was impressed with how they were put together. The material felt so nice to the skin. 'Not even nobles could get clothing this nice.'

"You like these shirts?"

"Yes, I do," Reia replied. "I've never seen such lovely shirts."

Tom picked up the shirts from their racks and draped them over his left arm.

"You have a very lovely friend there," the saleswoman said to Tom.

"Y-Yeah," he replied. Tom was thankful Reia couldn't understand what they were saying to each other.

"I've never heard her language before. Where about is she from?"

"Turkey," Tom lied.

"Ah," she said. "Now we have pants over here. How long will she be staying here?"

"Uh, for the immediate future," Tom said.

"Is she here to study?"

'That is an excellent explanation,' Tom thought.

"Yeah. She's very smart and will be taking up an ESL course to eventually go into... cultural studies."

"Very kind of you to act as a sponsor host for her. Now if she is going to be here in the long term, she's going to need shorts with her pants. We have a variety of jeans and pants that will fit comfortably. We haven't gotten a full selection of shorts yet. Our selection of shorts will come in in a couple of weeks."

"What you have here is fine for now." Tom looked over to Reia and switched languages again. "What do you think of these pants and shorts?"

"Honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed," Reia replied. "These clothing are better than anything we have back on Xoth. Are you really okay paying for all this?"

"It's fine," Tom said. "We don't have to worry about money. So please go nuts. I insist."

"Then... all of them are great."

"Then we'll take it all." Tom picked the pants and shorts up and piled them on top of his left arm. It was starting to look ridiculous with how much clothing he had piled on his one arm.

"Sir, are you okay holding all that?" the saleswoman asked.

"I'm good," Tom quickly replied. In all honestly, with his strength as high as it is, the mound of clothes on his arm were almost weightless.

"Alright. If you two follow me, I can take you both to the changing room."

Tom and Reia followed her again.

"Where are we going?" Reia asked.

"To the changing room where you can try on these clothes."

"Oh."

The changing rooms were in a small hallway with three doors on both sides. Reia was lead into the second room on the right and took the clothes that Tom was holding. Reia closed the door behind her and locked it. Tom walked back out of the hallway and sat down at one of the chairs outside of the hallway. He leaned back in the chair and rested his right leg over his left. The saleswoman sat down near him.

"Does she speak any English?"

"Not a word," Tom replied. "I'm translating for her for the time being."

"That's nice of you. So when did you two meet?"

"Oh, fairly recently," Tom answered. "We kinda... ran into each other."

"Very kind of you to take her in so soon after so she could get an education."

Tom shrugged.

"So are you two dating?"

Tom sat forward and planted his feet on the ground. "Eh? Uh, no."

"Really? I thought you were, seeing the way she looks at you."

"Looks at me?"

"Oh, you haven't noticed? I guess she's really good at hiding it then. Well, trust me. If you're not dating her, you should ask her out."

"She's going to be living with me a long time. I'd hate to make things awkward between us if she says no or things don't work out."

"Hun, sometimes in life you have to take risks."

Tom looked at his feet. "I-I'll think about it."

"Tom?" Reia tapped him on his shoulder.

Tom shot up to his feet in surprise. He turned around and saw Reia holding her clothes.

"The clothes fit and-" she then noticed that Tom seemed very fidgety. "What were you two talking about?"

"N-Nothing. Just talking about current events and such."

"Is that so?" she said incredulously. Reia knew something intimate was said between the two. She could hear their tones back at the changing rooms. Reia felt like he needed to be taught a lesson for his white lie. Nothing serious. Just something to make him squirm. "Oh, Tom, there's something else I need."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I do need, um, you know... undergarments," she whispered to him.

"Oh, oh! Right." Tom switched over to English and said to the saleswoman. "She also needs underwear."

"Right this way, sir," the saleswoman said.

They reached the underwear section. Reia went down the aisle and marvelled at the selection. 'Humans have such varying tastes. So many selections for just undergarments.' She saw several she liked. 'This may be the right time to teach Tom a lesson.'

"Tooooom," she called to him.

"Yes?"

"I can't seem to decide. What do you think?" Reia pulled out several bras and panties of different colours and styles. "There's this green one with a floral pattern." She held the combination in front of her. "There's this black set with white edges." Reia held it up in front of her. "And there's this white set."

By this time Tom's face was very red. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of his chest. Reia noticed the colour of his face and smiled. This was what she wanted.

"What do you think, Tom?" she feigned innocence.

Tom took a moment before answering, "the green one."

"I was thinking the same thing. Thank you, Tom. You were very helpful."

The saleswoman watched the scene and didn't need to understand the language to understand what the woman was trying to achieve. She struggled not to burst out laughing at the man's bashfulness.

Reia grabbed several of the green style underwear and some socks and passed it to the still red Tom.

Tom grabbed the clothing and said, "I think we're done here."

"Then we can take your clothes to the register," the saleswoman said.

The three went over to the cash register where the saleswoman scanned the items through and placed them into large plastic bags. Tom paid for the clothes and picked up the bags.

Tom walked out of the store with Reia by his side. He was thankful that experience was over with.

"What's next?" Reia asked.

"Uh, shoes and hygiene products. After that we'll need to get some protective pads to give you some armour in our missions. And finally we need to get some groceries."

Before Reia could say anything the television screens that hung from the ceiling of the mall had large text that scrawled across that said, "CBC Breaking News."

An older man appeared on the screen. "I am Premal Bhan with CBC news. Breaking news. Footage, from both civilian and security sources, of the monster attack that occurred yesterday in Madrid, Spain, has been spreading across the web."

In the corner of the screen, some footage started playing that depicted Tom in his white cloak.

'Oh, fuck,' Tom yelled in his thoughts.

"According to Officer Vega, the policeman on the scene, this cloaked individual was responsible for killing the slimes, as he called them, and saving the city."

Footage played of Tom setting fire to the street killing dozens of slimes.

"The officer also made mention that the individual displayed supernatural powers such as shooting lightning from his hands and instantly healing."

Footage played of an interview with Vega the police officer. His voice was dubbed over in English.

"This cloaked man saved my life and regrew my leg on the spot. He fought so hard to protect our city and nearly died. I was honoured to help him defeat the giant slime. I drove a gasoline truck into the monster, but he finished it off. If he wasn't there, we would have lost the city."

The screen switched back to Bhan. "As of this moment, no information has come forward as to who the man in the cloak is or how he was capable of his abilities. The man is currently wanted for questioning by the UN and various nations."

"Tom, is that you?" Reia asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I was really hoping to keep my activities quiet a bit longer. I guess that would prove to be impossible in this day and age when everyone has a camera on them."

"You really are incredible."

"A-Ah," he stuttered.

"I mean it," she affirmed. "Taking on that many slimes would be considered suicide to most veteran adventurers. And I've never heard of a single person take on a Monstrous Slime by themselves. You really are a hero."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Tom wasn't used to anyone heaping praise on him. For most of his life, he had been fine with blending into the background. "I appreciate it. I really do. Now let's find you some good shoes to wear on our mission."

VVVVV

In a dark warehouse, many soldiers were moving supplies, weapons and other equipment. A banner on the wall depicted a bird made of fire. The symbol of the Phoenix organization. The organization was anarchic in its goals. Its members believed the world was rotten and needed to be completely burned to the ground before it could truly flourish.

The world must be turned into ashes before it can rise.

Due to the inclusive nature of the group's goal, it has attracted members from around the world. Religious extremists, anti-government individuals, anti-wealth, anti-capitalist, anti-communist. Its large member base has made this organization the largest terrorist threat in modern history. The group's resources, network and member base has put it on par with a nation.

In the center of the warehouse was a large computer set-up. Sitting at the desk was the organization's leader, Rika Darma. She was born in a town that was devastated with corruption and poverty. Growing up, Rika watched as people that were meant to act their protectors shook down her town for money, arresting people on false pretences and killing innocents. She grew up hating these people and eventually the government that supported these types of people.

At first, her organization was small and just focused on attacking her own government. As it grew, her sights broadened as she saw the same kind of corruption in other countries. Soon, the whole world appeared just as rotten to her.

In the legend of the phoenix, when this firebird reaches the end of its life, it burns itself out and turns into ash. From those ashes it is reborn anew. In Darma's eyes, this was the only way to save the world. Burn it to the ground and let it rise from the ashes of its predecessor.

Rika breathed out and saw her breath in the air. The temperature in the warehouse was quickly dropping. Despite the number of soldiers in the building, it was getting quieter. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up. She stood up from her desk and scanned the area.

The others in the warehouse began to notice that something was amiss. The lights on the far side of the warehouse began to go out one by one, leaving a thick shadow wall in its place. The soldiers gathered their weapons and aimed into the shadows.

Rika had pulled out her pistol at this point. 'How could anyone find us here?'

"Hello," a inhuman voice greeted them. The voice seemed to echo throughout the area.

"Who are you?" Rika demanded.

"A potential ally," the being answered. "I have learned so much about your organization and I must say... I'm quite impressed."

"Ma'am, what are our orders?" one of the soldiers asked her.

"Hold your fire," she said. "If you want to discuss working with us, step out of the shadows. I would also like to know how you found us?"

"Very well," the being answered. A slithering noise could be heard moving towards them. "It wasn't very hard to find you. This world seems so obsessed with information that it doesn't realize how it could be used against them."

The being came out of the shadows, revealing it to be an eight-foot creature dressed in a black robe. It had no legs. Instead, it had a snake-shaped shadow in its place. The robe was opened only to reveal a void of darkness that seemed to draw in any light exposed to it. Its arms were long and slender with clawed hands. The face of the creature was similar in appearance to a large dog skull with bits of flesh sticking to it. It eyes were black orbs. Blacker than an empty night sky.

"Oh, god..." one of the soldiers muttered.

"Kill it!" Rika ordered.

The soldiers opened fire on the horrible creature only for it to explode into a mist-like shadow that flew through the air. The bullets went right through the monster as it approached. The lights in the warehouse died as the shadow passed under them. The shadow grabbed the guns out of the soldiers' hands and pushed them away.

All the lights in the warehouse at this point had died, leaving only the soft glow of the computer monitors to illuminate the area around Rika. She was shaking at this point. Rika aimed the pistol into the darkness waiting for it to appear. She couldn't hear anything. Not her soldiers, not the creature, not even her own breathing.

The shadow creature erupted from below her and lifted her clear off of the ground. Her gun was tossed aside and the creature held her by her shoulders. Rika stared into the creature's eyes and felt herself being sucked into them. Its hands were cold as ice further sending chills down her back.

"I'm not here to kill you," it said. "As I said before, I am a potential ally. You and my master have the same goal in mind. To burn this world to the ground so a new one can rise in its place. Isn't that what you want?"

Rika nodded.

"Good. All I ask is that you work more towards your goal. In turn, I will give you power. Power like him." The creature nodded its head towards the computers. Rika looked at the monitors to see the image of the man in the white cloak. "That man represents the world you wish to see burnt to the ground. Until he is dead, you will never achieve your goal. Now answer me. Do you want power?"

"Wh-Who are you?" she asked in a stutter.

The creature bared its teeth before answering, "I am Mordiggian."

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Status Name Thomas "Tom" Everett Level 17 Experience 4360/4530 Class Warrior Race Human Alignment Good Currency Canadian $10,693,104.01 Xoth 0 platinum 1 gold 12 silver 10 copper Title Clever One, Determined, Giant Slayer, Vaccinated, One Of The First, Sole Survivor, Generous Healer Buffs Agent of Kara 2x experience Bestiary of Xoth +10% damage towards the creatures of Xoth Brief History of Xoth +10% persuasion chance and friendliness towards the inhabitants of Xoth Debuffs - - Health 970 Health Regeneration/min 9.1 Mana 760 Mana Regeneration/min 8.7 Stamina 940 Stamina Regeneration/min 6.6 Fame 700 Infamy 0 Strength 97 Intelligence 76 Wisdom 87 Perception 50 Endurance 94 Vitality 91 Agility 66 Luck 74 Unallocated Points 0

Resistances Physical 30% Disease 55% Fire 30% Plant 30% Ice 30% Earth 30% Lightning 30% Water 30% Wind 30% Spirit 30% Light 30% Darkness 30%

Skills Identify Intermediate Level 2 Persuasion Beginner Level 5 Language Comprehension Master Level 10 Book Learning Master Level 10 Teacher Beginner Level 4 Nonchalant Master Level 10 Lightning Strike Beginner Level 4 Lightning Enchant Beginner Level 4 Lightning Shield Beginner Level 6 Heal Beginner Level 5 Purify Beginner Level 10 Sword Skill Beginner Level 1 Disguise Beginner Level 6 Prayer Master Level 10 Hero's Call Master Level 10 Fast Travel Master Level 10 Loot Collector Beginner Level 4 Magical Repair Beginner Level 3 Tactician Beginner Level 6 Cook Beginner Level 2 Mixed Martial Artist Beginner Level 1 Club Skill Beginner Level 2 Trap Master Beginner Level 4 Unbreakable Beginner Level 2 Fireball Beginner Level 1 Fire Enchant Beginner Level 1

Status Name Reia Zyer Level 2 Experience 105/125 Class - Race Naga Alignment Good Currency Canadian $0.00 Xoth 0 platinum 0 gold 89 silver 74 copper Title Unknown Buffs - - Debuffs - - Health 430 Health Regeneration/min 2.1 Mana 130 Mana Regeneration/min 1.2 Stamina 350 Stamina Regeneration/min 1.5 Fame 0 Infamy 0 Strength 43 Intelligence 13 Wisdom 12 Perception 23 Endurance 35 Vitality 21 Agility 15 Luck 50 Unallocated Points 0

Resistances Physical 15% Disease 100% Fire 15% Plant 15% Ice 15% Earth 15% Lightning 15% Water 15% Wind 15% Spirit 15% Light 15% Darkness 50%

Skills Identify Beginner Level 7 Weapon Repair Intermediate Level 6 Armour Repair Intermediate Level 3 Weapon Crafting Beginner Level 9 Armour Crafting Beginner Level 10 Accessory Crafting Intermediate Level 1 Spear Skill Beginner Level 6 Clothing Reform Intermediate Level 5 Ice Spike Beginner Level 2 Wind Shield Beginner Level 1 Wind Blade Beginner Level 2 Heal Beginner Level 1 Club Skill Beginner Level 1 Sword Skill Beginner Level 1 Persuasion Beginner Level 1

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Author's note: Should I continue putting the main characters' stats at the bottom of each chapter, or just do it once in a while?