Light from the window shines directly in my eyes, waking me up. Stretching, I look over to see Colt is already awake, manipulating a small tendril of wood, practicing his control over his nature magic. After acquiring his new royal guard stag gauntlets, he observed their effects and was able to acquire his own Geokinesis skill as well as apply it to nature.

The geomancy effect on the gauntlets is still far stronger for compacting earth, but he’s learning. With a bit of practice wearing the gauntlets, I was also able to acquire Geokinesis. Colt’s natural skill with it is far higher than mine, however. I’ve mostly just managed to levitate some rocks.

We’ve been practicing for about two weeks now together. Time has become a bit harder to determine as each day passes. We think it’s been about 17 to 19 days since The Construct came, but we’re not entirely positive.

In that time, while training with Colt and hunting the occasional monster in the forest, we’ve gained 46 Sparks and 1 more Glint from some drops. Personally, I managed to level up twice, and Colt did three times.

My Fledgling Anchorist Talent is level 12 now, both our Fledgling Alchemist levels are 10 now, the milestone reward for both of us ended up being a Perk called Catalytic Blood, which gave a +1 attunement per level bonus alongside the normal one time reward of the same stat.

This perk made our blood enhance the effect any potion we added it too. The breakthrough to level 10 came when we finally experimented with the fleetchute and made stamina potions. At level 5 of Fledgling Alchemist, Colt was given a different perk than me, however, he received one called Witch’s Heart, which gave him another +1 Attunement per level bonus.

He’s apparently extremely poison resistant now as well as having additional magical properties to his blood that we haven’t discovered yet aside from some random extraneous properties popping up in potions he catalyzes with his blood.

For example, one health potion he made also seemed to give a low-level iron skin effect. Alchemy may have bored Colt in the beginning, but I can tell he’s really taken to it. He’s having fun experimenting with all the possibilities.

While using the gauntlets as melee weapons and not just punching stones at me, Colt gained the Fledgling Gauntleteer Talent, he’s level 3 in it already. We both leveled up extensively in the Fledgling Mage Talent.

I’m level 5 in it now, and Colt is level 8. The perk I gained gave +1 Willpower, it’s called Shaper’s Mind. With it, I can understand magic as a whole better. My spell efficiency improved as I noted some flaws in my composition, and I was able to make more mana-based skills.

The Skills menu seems to list them all under Mana Manipulation, rather than as their own unique skills. Colt’s perk increased his Willpower, it’s called Sound Mind.

Miraculously, he’s able to keep calm in most situations now, his anxiety still affects him to some extents, but he’s able to remain in control better. With all of our training, we finally feel strong enough to take on the goblins.

First things first though, time for a situation check. ‘Status’

Status:

Lucas Creo

Age: 22

Race: Human

Status: None

Level: 7

Exp: 54/1026

HP: 270/270 (0.9 HP/min regeneration)

MP: 375/375 (1.05 MP/min regeneration)

Strength: 21

Endurance: 18

Dexterity: 16

Intelligence: 16

Attunement: 21

Willpower: 16

Charisma: 11

Insight: 21

Stat points: 25

The increases in my Endurance stat have allowed me to increase the number of knots I can add to my movement from 5 to 8. Colt and I had to set aside a kitchen knife as our finger prick knife, we were dulling all our knives on our skin with our heightened endurance.

Now we just have to use a vaguely concerning dull knife and press harder. Next up, a check of my progress. ‘Talents’

Talents:

Fledgling Alchemist (10/50) - Applicable stats: Dexterity, Intelligence, Attunement, and Insight

Fledgling Anchorist (12/50) - Applicable stats: Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, and Willpower

Fledgling Chef (2/50) - Applicable stats: Dexterity, Endurance, Charisma, and Insight

Fledgling Mage (5/50) - Applicable stats: Intelligence, Attunement, Willpower, Insight

One thing that is a definite benefit of The Construct is that progress is completely tangible. You put in the effort, you receive results by way of notifications. ‘Perks’

Perks:

Ballasted Body

Description: The weight in your body now works like ballasts! You may add or subtract weight from any part of your body to another area. If no weight is moved, your natural stability is greatly increased. Strength increased by 1, +1 Strength per level up.

Branching Mana

Description: Mana has burned you, but you survived this ordeal and are stronger for it. MP pool increased by 10, +10 total mana per level up.

Catalytic Blood

Description: Magic runs in your blood. Your blood now acts as a strong catalyst to enhance reactions of all kinds. Attunement increased by 1, +1 Attunement per level up.

Porcine Nose

Description: Your olfactory sense is greatly enhanced, you can now easily distinguish individual smells and have a unique talent for finding alchemical ingredients. Higher Insight levels will allow for distinguishing of positive and negative benefit ingredients. Insight increased by 1, + 1 Insight per level up.

Shaper’s Mind

Description: Your mind has been expanded. Your innate understanding of how everything comes together has been enhanced. With time and practice, the world is putty in your hands. Willpower increased by 1, +1 Willpower per level up.

Every perk has its role. They all help me in different ways. It’s strange, however, that Colt and I don’t always receive the same Perk for a talent milestone. Oh well. ‘Skills’

Skills:

Devastating Impact - (Level 9) - Empower your blows with the force of mana. Dramatically increase the weight behind your attacks and improve crushing power. Cost: 20 MP

Geokinesis - (Level 2) - Control the earth around you. With the power of one’s mind and will, the earth can be shaped. Cost scales with quantity and complexity.

Mana Manipulation (Level 7) - The innate control of the mystical energy, Mana. With one’s mind and will, this energy can be shaped to any specific need. This skill governs all subskills under it in terms of control, growth, and strength.

Mana Bolt (Level 5) - A ball of mana with explosive power. Cost: 5 MP Mana Bubble (Level 4) - An augmented form of Mana Shield that covers the entire body in a bubble of mana. Decreased overall protective force but grants full body coverage. Initial Cost: 10 MP Sustained Cost: 3 MP per 5 seconds. MP costs scale with force sustained. Mana Bullet (Level 4) - A mana bolt condensed into a small area giving it higher stopping power. Cost: 5 MP Mana Dart (Level 6) - A mana bolt condensed, thinned, and pointed at one end. Lowered impact damage but increased piercing. Cost: 3 MP Mana Shield (Level 8) - Mana condensed into a flat disc. Able to be moved with force of will. Initial Cost: 7 MP Sustained Cost: 1 MP per 5 seconds. MP costs scale with force sustained.

Meditation (Level 5) - Allows one to go into a state of serene calm that increases mana regeneration by 0.3/min. Cannot perform any other actions while meditating.

Plot Course - (Level 7) - Allows the user to set beacons at set intervals, plotting their course to their destination. Moving towards a beacon grants a quick burst of speed. Only the user of this Skill may see the beacons. Cost: 7 MP

All my practice sparring with Colt helped me get used to using Plot Course during a fight. He had a hard time keeping up with me at some points as I dashed around him. The total number of beacons I can use increased from 5 to 6 with the level ups and the cost is better too.

Colt was able to learn Meditate fairly easily, we both used it to supplement potion use at times. Too many mana potions altogether start to wear on the mana vessels. All my Mana Manipulation skills have improved as well.

Colt’s rate of improvement with earth and nature skills is staggering. He was able to develop several more skills such as Terrafist, Earthen Wall, Earthen Shell, Stone Spire, Thornfist, and Piercing Thorn. His control of an area when all of these skills culminate is legitimately terrifying.

Lastly, we did some hunting for more food. We were sick of volley stag steak, even if Colt is an amazing cook, so we found other food sources. A nearby river had some edible fish, one was a Cryocarp.

They weren’t too hard to kill, but they had a spiky layer of ice on their backs that they could fire icicles from. The unfortunate part is only the biggest ones ever gave more than two “meals” worth of meat packaged in the preservation paper, as we’ve come to call it. It’s unfortunately not reusable either.

The glyph doesn’t begin glowing again even if we re-fold the paper perfectly; the magic is broken. At one point a large bird which had floating streams of water flowing from its feathers attacked us. It had at least a 9-foot wingspan.

We were able to kill it together, but it was a hard-won battle. We gained a new item drop from it though, a feather-shaped ring called the Aquifer Ring. At a mana cost, we were able to use it to pull potable water up from the ground. While the well definitely beats it in terms of convenience and lack of mana cost, it was nice to receive another item drop anyway.

The stream hawk nearly drowned Colt, while he was on land. He declared that I have to keep the ring, it would be too much of a reminder for him. The bird also supplied some rather tasty meat, which Colt violently tenderized. We also hunted some other avians known as Dire Pheasants, they were equal parts evil and delicious.

Now it’s time for our plan to come to fruition. Colt and I each stock up on potions. I take 4 health potions, 3 mana potions, 2 stamina potions, and plastic containers with clusterspring sauce and fried zingpods.

Colt took one less health potion and one more mana potion, he uses more spells than I do. We used Colt’s blood to catalyze these potions, so each of them has a random extraneous effect as well due to his Witch’s Heart.

My anchor has duct tape wrapped around the side with the hairline fracture in the metal, I don’t want to risk it breaking. Even when sparring I use that side sparingly. The symmetrical sides have made using the other side a non-issue anyway. Colt equips his stag gauntlets and we’re out the back door and into the forest.

Colt’s confidence in this environment has increased over the past two weeks of hunting in here, but today he’s shaking a bit, despite his Sound Mind perk. The idea of facing the goblins again scares him, but it’s the only way to conquer his nightmares.

After a trek through the forest, we arrive at what we’ve slowly discovered to be a small goblin encampment. It’s only about a 3-minute walk from the field I first found Colt in, so we know this is the same group of goblins that assaulted and tortured him.

Colt flexes and stares at his slightly paler hand. Even 2 weeks in the sunlight hasn’t totally made his freshly regrown hand dark enough to match his farmer’s tan. In his eyes, rage burns bright. The same seething fury I felt the night I found him burns in my stomach.

We approach the camp as quietly as possible, we planned on waiting until tonight but couldn’t stand a minute longer after preparing this morning.

Just before we reach the camp, a horn blows near us. Every goblin in the camp turns their pitch black eyes on us. A shudder runs down my spine. “Not ideal Colt, but I think we can handle this.”

Swallowing, Colt grins nervously. “Let’s show these bitches who’s boss.” We dash at the crowd of goblins. My anchor cleaves through a group of 5 in a single Devastating Impact, the force of the swing knocking back several more nearby.

Several goblins take a swing at me with their weapons, but a few added Knots to my movement help me avoid their hits. Plotting a Course, I set up several beacons around the group of goblins I’m handling. Dashing from place to place, I only take a few superficial cuts. My enhanced Endurance is making it difficult for the goblin’s shoddy weapons to pierce my skin.

With a glance over to Colt, his eyes are still burning, and he’s leaving nothing in his wake but gore and broken stone. Several Stone Spires have impaled goblins while many more have simply been gored by his stag gauntlets.

Spotting a goblin archer take aim at Colt, I project a Mana Shield in front of him just before the arrow is fired, it blocks the first shot and cracks a bit, but this alerts Colt of the attacker. Suddenly, thorny vines shoot up from the ground around the makeshift tower the goblin is standing on. They wrap around him, piercing his skin.

Returning to my fight, I face off against a larger goblin with a mace. He swings it heavily at me while I dodge to the side.

Just as I land, I feel a searing pain erupt across my left side. Looking to the source of the pain, I see a goblin fire mage, holding another fireball, a toothy smile on his face.

“Two can play at this game”

Summoning my mana, I fire a Mana Dart directly at the goblin’s heart. It’s too fast for him to react much, but he manages to avoid fatal damage from the spell piercing his heart. Ducking behind a tree, he’s out of sight and I’m forced to deal with the large goblin once more.

He takes a normal swing from my anchor in the side without even flinching. The swing of his mace sends me tumbling across the ground. Feeling my HP drop drastically from this hit, I uncap a healing potion and down two doses immediately. The unsteadiness in my head fades along with the pain in my side. Standing up, I Plot my Course around to the back of the goblin.

Dodging a thrown fireball while I run to his back, I hear Colt call out. “LUCAS HELP!” Cursing, I look to him and see the mob of goblins overrunning him. Panic sets in as I see my friend’s eyes fill with fear.

A tug on my mana pool accompanied by the sensation of a shifting tide is the last thing I feel before I’m approaching him at high speed, propelled on a large wake of water. The wave of water flushes over the goblins, distracting them for a moment. Adding 8 Knots to my arms, I cleave the group around Colt with a Devastating Impact, blowing the bodies away.

The bones in my arms groan in protest to the force but hold. Pulling Colt up, we stand back to back. He takes the time I bought him to down an entire mana potion.

“Mage to my left Colt, in the trees”

“I see him, I’ll handle it.” Colt raises his hand, and with a green glow, a slab of stone erupts from the ground, pinning the goblin mage’s head into a tree before crushing it.

Shivering as I see Colt’s unbound rage, I charge the large goblin once more. My Plotted Course is still tagged to him, so I run around his side at high speed. Firing Mana Bullets at his knees as I approach his back, he staggers somewhat as his legs buckle.

A small shift of the earth with Geokinesis ruins the remnants of his stability and he falls to the ground. Jumping into the air, my anchor comes down while I add 5 Knots to my arms as well as Ballast most of my weight to them “DEVASTATING IMPACT!” An explosion of force erupts under me, fracturing the ground as the large goblin is crushed.

Chest heaving, I look over to see Colt has finished off the last few goblins. Only a few have escaped into the forest. Stepping off of the hulking form of the goblin, I fall to the ground and slowly begin to laugh.

Colt joins in, we continue, becoming louder and louder, until all of the pent-up emotions we’ve been holding in are released. “WE DID IT!” We both yell to each other and no one at all. The Construct confirms our triumph.

Level up! For developing new skills with your anchor and compounding your force, your Talent: Fledgling Anchorist has reached (13/50)!

Level up! For continuing to refine your mystical arts, your Talent: Fledgling Mage has reached (6/50)!

Skill: Devastating Blow has leveled up, reaching level 10!

Skill: Geokinesis has leveled up, reaching level 3!

Skill: Plot Course has leveled up, reaching level 8!

Skill: Mana Manipulation and subskills Mana Bullet, Mana Dart, and Mana Shield have leveled up, reaching levels 8, 5, 7, and 9!

Through the virtuous act of saving a friend, you have unlocked the Skill: Crashing Wake from the Anchorist Talent!

Conditions Acquired: Broken ribs, 3rd Degree Burns, Concussion.

Conditions Cured: Broken ribs, 3rd Degree Burns, Concussion.

Goblin tribe defeated! 2176 XP awarded!

Goblin tribe dropped items: 87 Sparks, 5 Glints, Mystery Meat x17, low quality iron shortsword x7, low quality iron axe x5, low quality iron spear x8, low quality iron dagger x14, Basics of Fire (Spell Tome), Goblin Warlord Greatmace.

Level up! You have achieved level 8, you are awarded 5 unallocated stat points, +10 MP, +1 Strength, +1 Endurance, +1 Attunement, +1 Willpower, and +1 Insight. 1204/1238 remaining to level 9.

Feeling the flood of power a level up fills me with only improves the elation I feel over conquering the goblin tribe. Taking a dose of a healing potion to soothe my remaining wounds, I check my status one last time before we walk back home. ‘Status’

Status:

Lucas Creo

Age: 22

Race: Human

Status: None

Level: 8

Exp: 1204/1238

HP: 285/285 (0.95 HP/min regeneration)

MP: 112/400 (1.1 MP/min regeneration)

Strength: 22

Endurance: 19

Dexterity: 16

Intelligence: 16

Attunement: 22

Willpower: 17

Charisma: 11

Insight: 22

Stat points: 30

Smiling at my gains, Colt and I gather up what we think we should take from the pile of loot. The weapons are all low quality, but we each take one of the best swords we can find, an axe to try and chop firewood with, and a dagger, our kitchen knives are getting dull.

We blatantly ignore the existence of the mystery meat, refusing to even go near it. We both eye the Basics of Fire tome, planning to devour its contents when we get home. The Goblin Warlord Greatmace is huge, we decide to come back for it later when we aren’t carrying so much on us.

Stepping back into the forest, we see a volley stag off in the distance. Tired from our fight, we take a longer route to return home, stepping into somewhat unfamiliar territory. As we step over a large fallen tree, the ground shifts under us, breaking open. We fall down a chute and land on what appears to be a cobblestone path. The Construct alerts us of our new situation.

Secret Dungeon Entrance Found. You have now entered the Grand Harbor Dungeon.

“Colt, we should have taken the mystery meat.”