“I’m so sick of volley stag meat.” Planting my face on the table, I groan after eating lunch.

“Well I like eating them, they tried to eat me. If you really want something different, why not go to one of the Construct shops?” Becky scoffs.

“The what?” Colt snaps his head as I sit up.

“The shops! You know like in those games. I played Pokemon once you know. Where do you think we spend this?” Becky takes out a silver coin, one of the Glints she got from the volley stag kills I assume.

“We’ve been a bit too busy focusing on surviving to really process much. I guess I just collected the coins out of gaming instinct and never questioned them past that.” Shrugging, my mind is filled with ideas of what to use our amassed wealth for.

“As far as I know, they’re located in towns. They just kinda popped up in empty spaces or abandoned stores.” Becky leans back in her chair nonchalantly and twirls her hair around a finger.

“...Let’s all go to Portland then.” I give Colt a look, willing him to just go along with me. He gives me a questioning one in return but seems to decide he’ll just ask me about it later.

Becky’s expression shifts slightly to one of confusion and a hint of fear. “Why Portland? I’m sure there’s a town close to here, even if you do live in bumfuck nowhere. What about Rangeley?”

“...I’m not letting this turn into a stupid drama tv show moment where I don’t tell you the truth and then it gets out later and you’re mad at me.” Becky quirks an eyebrow at me.

“Okay…” She’s clearly trying to keep her face neutral but I can tell she’s curious now. I spend the next quarter of an hour explaining everything I know about The Construct and The Restruct to her.

Just as I’m finishing my explanation, a certain snarky fae interrupts us. “Colton! What in the name of the king is this abomination!?”

Pasivier walks into the kitchen holding Lil P, who is currently stabbing at his hand with a trowel-arm.

“Oh, that’s Lil P! He’s a gardening golem!” Colt gives Pasvier a taunting grin.

“Yes, I’m aware Colt, I can Inspect as well. But why does it look like me?” Pasivier glares at Colt.

“I thought it would be funny, to be honest. Why, do you not like it?”

“No.” His hand begins to close to crush Lil P. Vines fire out and snatch the golem away. Colt takes Lil P and coddles it like a child.

“How dare you try to hurt Lil P. I forbid you from doing so ever again!” His voice is slightly offended but mostly joking. However, a strange force shudders through the room and Pasivier’s eyes widen.

The pompous Fae pales significantly and leaves the room, muttering that he won’t do it again. Colt stares at him, an eyebrow quirked.

“That was weird. I was mostly teasing, I could just reshape Lil P as long as he didn’t crush the core.” Becky and I are staring at Colt, mouths slightly agape. He looks to us.

“What?”

“You just… Commanded him or something. How?” Stepping closer, I place a hand on his shoulder when his face gains a spot of fear.

“I don’t know… Let’s just… Plan for Portland, okay?” Colt shakes his head a bit, looking confused.

“Okay, can you get a few things ready for me? Let Becky go through my mom’s stuff and pick out any clothes she needs. I have something I want to go get.” He nods and Becky shrugs.

“I brought a few outfits in my bag, I’ll just need to wash them.” Nodding to her, I use my Hydrokinesis to fill a bucket with water from the well.

After that, I dash off into the forest quick. Going as quickly as I can while staying vigilant for any monsters, I reach my destination in minutes. My eyes scan the area, searching.

Spotting the item in question, I walk over to it. Hefting it up, I finally inspect the piece we left behind what feels like forever ago. With my Strength level, it’s not too heavy in my hand.

Goblin Warlord Greatmace

Quality: Low

Traits: Durable

Description: A large mace that is more realistically a studded slab of metal. It was the weapon of choice of a goblin warlord. It is highly durable due to being made of dark steel.

Storing it away in my hold, I make the trek back to the house, avoiding any monsters on the way. On my way, I even notice a few slimes.

‘Tempting, but I don’t think I want to take on anything without Colt to help out.’ Moving on, I make it to my backyard uneventfully.

Walking back into the house, Colt already has a pile of clothes for me. Placing them into my hold, I smile at him and give him a quick peck on the lips as thanks.

“So, what did you grab from the forest?” Curiosity infuses his voice. Grinning at him, I pull the mace out of my hold.

“Tadaa! Remember that we left it behind forever ago? I want to test if I can sell Construct items to the shop and this seemed like the perfect choice.” Colt’s expression darkens slightly at being reminded of the goblins.

Frowning, I pull him into a hug. “Don’t worry, no goblin is of any issue to you anymore. We proved that, remember?”

He gives me a weak smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Ahem.” Becky is standing in the doorway. We both blush furiously and break apart.

“Oh uh, B-Becky! H-Hi! We were j-just um-” Colt is stammering, at a loss for an explanation.

Becky glares at us. “You didn’t exactly make it hidden that you two are dating. I don’t care, so don’t worry about it. Let’s just get going.” She scoffs.

Shrugging at Colt, I store away the mace once more after Becky stares at it for a second. Beginning to walk out the door to go tell Ilmarinen we’re leaving, Colt places a hand on my shoulder.

“Wait. Lucas, I want to go back to my house quick. ...Will you come with me?” He looks very uncomfortable asking me.

Smiling, I stride forward. “Of course I will. Becky, we’ll be right back! Sorry to keep you waiting so long!” Before she can complain, we’re out the door.

Colt’s property isn’t too far from where I live, but we avoid the main road. Just knowing the vague direction, we head through the forest, trying our best at a straight line towards his house.

It takes us longer than we’d like as we’re avoiding any monster encounters, using our perception Skills to detect them before they see us and sneaking around them. We’re trying to focus on fighting monsters a bit less if we can help it to gather more perks for future levels.

In about an hour, we can see Colt’s family farm through the treeline. His hands are shaking as we begin to walk onto the property. I grab his hand in mine and smile at him.

“I’m here, you’ll be okay.” His face is a mix of scared and worried.

“Thank you, Lucas.” His voice is barely a whisper, but he gives my hand a squeeze.

Looking around the farm, it’s clear that some fights have occurred. The crops are in varying states of destruction, and some of the farming machinery is broken. The plants all look different as well, but I ignore gathering any for now.

Approaching his house, it’s a classic farmhouse style painted red. Tentatively, I open the door. No one is home and it’s dark inside.

Using Candlelight, I create a small flame for us to see by. We move up to Colt’s room where he retrieves some clothes, his hands are still trembling.

He sheepishly hands the clothes to me, I smile comfortingly and store them away in my hold.

“Everything is fine, your dad isn’t here.” I rub his back soothingly with one hand. He nods to me slightly.

“Yeah, but neither is my mom, I’m worried.” His eyes are shiny with tears.

Pulling him close, I hug him and let him cry for a minute. “It’ll be okay, I’m sure she’s fine. Your mom is a tough lady.”

He hiccups and nods once more. “Yeah, y-you’re right. She’s f-fine.” He slips his hand into mine once more and we walk downstairs.

As we walk out the door, a shout echoes across the field.

“You’re a faggot, son!?” My heart drops, Colt’s face droops. Colt looks just like his father pre-Fae transformation.

His dad walks up to us quickly, his face red with fury. “So you’re a fag and you dye your hair now?! I thought I raised you better.” He pushes Colt so that he stumbles. I move to step in front of him, anger building.

Colt reaches a hand out and stops me. “I’ve got this, Lucas.” He looks to his dad, fury in his eyes.

“Where’s mom?” My anger dies a little, seeing Colt’s only care being about his mom, not the verbal abuse of his dad.

“Like you deserve to know. And you.” His dad turns to me.

“You corrupted my son, didn’t you! You turned him into a fag!” He moves to shove me and I let him.

The air shudders around us. The area around Colt’s dad solidifies. “Don’t you dare put a single finger on my boyfriend.”

His dad spills out into a string of expletives and slurs as Colt tries to say anything that will calm him down. Colt frowns and shakes his head. He gives me a small, awkward smile and turns back to his dad, raising his voice.

“Where. Is. Mom?” The wild green magick around his body pops and sparks with his anger.

His dad spits at him. “Gone. She left two days ago! I didn’t chase after that cheating whore!”

That was the wrong answer.

The air ripples with power. Cracks and splits sound out from the ground as a massive spire of nature shoots out directly towards Colt’s dad. It stops just shy of smashing into him.

His dad is white as a sheet, he looks to Colt once more, fear apparent in his eyes.

“Mom was never anything but faithful to you! And you didn’t even deserve it! You can’t hurt me anymore. And in this world? You won’t amount to anything.” Colt releases the hold on his dad, dropping him to the ground.

“Let’s go, Lucas.” He grabs my hand as my jaw is agape and drags me off.

“We’ll find my mom ourselves.” His dad doesn’t even attempt to chase after us.

We walk for a bit in silence, but after a few minutes of walking into the forest, he drops to his knees, placing his face in his hands. His entire body is shaking violently.

“Oh god Lucas, that was so scary.” Pulling him close and hushing him, I rub his back as he cries once more.

“That was so brave of you, standing up to your dad like that finally. I’m proud of you.” Smiling, I give him a quick kiss. He smiles back but then frowns once more.

“Thanks. But now we’re not any closer to knowing where my mom is.” He hiccups again, recovering from the breakdown.

“Where could she have gone do you think? Maybe we can try to narrow down a potential location.” Colt turns to me, looking deep in thought for a moment.

“Maybe your Porcine Nose can detect her? He said she only left two days ago.” I shake my head.

“It only works for magical ingredients, unfortunately… I found Becky with it because I smelled her bubblegum, actually.” His eyes drop.

“Right. Well, she did have friends in the Portland area actually, maybe she went there? We were going to head there anyway…” Patting his back, I help him up.

“Yeah, and if anything maybe we can find someone with some kind of detection ability. Oh, let's tell Ilmarinen and Pasivier about her, maybe they can find her!” Nodding in agreement, we continue walking.

“Definitely a good idea, they’ll be able to check around this area much more easily than us, and we can ask people in Portland.”

It’s a shorter trip back to my house, we know where most of the monsters are on our way. Becky looks pissed when we return.

“The fuck took you both so long? Let’s get going.” She’s tapping her foot on my porch impatiently.

“Sorry Becky, just one more second, I need to tell Ilmarinen something!” I run to his house quickly, and inform him of the situation. He agrees to take some time to look for her after grumbling about orders in need of filling.

Colt already contacted Pasivier through his purple gem on our trip back.

Becky’s hair is floating upward, mana crackling through it when I return. I gulp. Colt keeps looking between her and the ground.

“Hi, Becky… Let’s get going now?” She snaps a bubblegum bubble and her face returns to her typical impassive look.

“Fine. Colt owes me an extra delish dinner tonight though for making me wait.” She glares at him.

“Of course Becky, I’d be happy to!” He gives her a big smile, clearly hoping to appease.

“Good, let’s go.” We walk off together, I grab Colt’s hand and smile at him.

“Our next big adventure! Portland!” Stifling myself from whooping so as not to attract any monsters, we step into the forest.

Becky leads the way, she made the trip to here. It’s pretty easy to follow her path from point to point anyway, she cleaved down many trees during fights on her way.

We follow the same tactic of avoiding any routes we detect with monsters present. My hair stands up on end as a fast-moving creature enters my field of detection. It cleaves down any trees in its path.

A loud bray is our last warning as I tell Colt and Becky to prepare. Becky takes out her scissors and Colt’s hands gain the now-familiar wild green glow of his magick.

Unclasping Argo, he chirps excitedly. “Argo armed and ready for combat!”

Suddenly, an absolutely massive… moose breaks through the line of trees. ‘Inspect’

Ferroose

Traits: Metallokinesis

Description: This moose has become attuned with the element of metal. Its fur and antlers have fully integrated this element. Due to its control over the metals, it can shift its horns into deadly blades, and its hooves work as heavy clubs. This breed of moose covets rarer metals and is able to detect them from large distances.

Looking down at Argo, I acknowledge that I’m a huge source of a rare metal. The metal coat of the moose gleams in the sunlight as it brays loudly at us, charging me.

It’s shockingly fast for something so large. Holding up Argo, I catch the first hit from the metallic fauna head on. I’m sent flying through the air from the force of the hit. The moose has a lot more weight to throw around than I do.

Entangling vines wrap around the legs of the moose, but the metal hairs on its body shift into blades and immediately cut through the bindings.

Becky scoffs at Colt’s attempt and her hair wraps around the moose’s legs instead. It stares at her, realizing it can’t easily cut away her Magic Locks. The moose then decides to ignore her binding and run at me again, dragging Becky with it by her hair.

She screams before her scissors flash and cut through the hair, releasing her from being dragged across the ground.

Activating Tide Shield and Storm’s Rage, I Plot a Course to the side, using Crashing Wake to increase my speed as I dodge the next charge from the moose.

It swings its head out to the side, antlers becoming dangerous scythes as it does. A Batten Down catches the attack, blocking the force for me.

With its head so close, I swing and Argo clangs against its neck harmlessly despite being empowered by Devastating Impact and quite a few Knots.

Switching up elements, I fire a Flame Swathe, causing the moose to go berserk as its metal coating becomes heavily heated up.

As it swings again, a wall of earth blocks the attack but shatters. Colt grins at me from several yards away.

In a blur, Becky appears above the ferroose. “Let’s go for a close Trim!” Her blades flash across the moose at lightning speed. Its protective metal hairs are instantly gone in large patches.

An antler shaped like a club bats Becky out of the air, making her cry out and sending her to the ground. As the moose moves to stomp on her, compressed air catches its foot, blocking the blow. Becky’s hair grabs on to a nearby tree and pulls her out of the way.

Using a Watery Grave, I entrench the moose in knee-high water, impeding its movements further. While it’s slowed, Colt runs in with a Fae Thorn and stabs it into one of the uncovered parts of the moose.

“Realm of Nettles: Insidious Poison!” He pumps Wild Magick into the poison, making it work faster.

With the moose’s movements slowed, we can more easily maneuver around it. Slamming empowered Devastating Impacts into the uncovered parts while blocking return blows, the beast takes heavy damage.

It catches me with several smaller hits here or there, but with my enhanced stats I’m able to avoid most of the damage now.

Becky dashes in and out at high speed, clipping away more of the armored hair that the moose keeps restoring with its metallokinesis. She also scores some large cuts across its abdomen. Silvery metal blood pours out from its wounds.

Colt continues to corral the moose with vines and earth, stabbing into it when he can but mostly focusing on crowd control.

Eventually, we spot our moment when Colt has the large metal antlers entangled in a large mass of vines and roots and I have my anchor hooked around its back leg, pulling it off balance.

Becky leaps high into the air, her hair twirling around her. “Twinblade Flourish!” She spirals down at the neck of the moose, her Magic Locks twirling around, cutting in and assisting her scissor blades with cleaving through the neck of the large beast.

She lands on the ground as the head of the ferroose drops to the ground, breathing heavily and covered in blood.

“This is nasty. Lucas, clean me.” With a quick use of Hydrokinesis, I run water over her and clean her of blood as best as I can. She cleaves away any hair that has blood on it and immediately regrows it.

Level up! For combining your Talents of the anchor with the Talents and skills of your group, your Talent: Adept Anchorist has reached (3/50)!

Level up! For intelligently choosing the correct elements to use against a combatant, your Talent: Fledgling Mage has reached (30/50)!

For reaching your sixth Talent milestone in Fledgling Mage, you have been awarded applicable stat points to Intelligence, Attunement, Willpower, Insight and + 180 XP. In addition, you have been granted the Perk: Elemental Dominion

Skill level ups have occurred, check the Skills menu for further details!

Ferroose defeated! 1249 XP awarded!

Ferroose dropped: Ferroglove.

Level up! You have achieved level 18, you are awarded 5 unallocated stat points, +80 MP, +0.7 HP regen, +2.6 MP regen, +32 Strength, +46 Endurance, +11 Dexterity, +30 Intelligence, +40 Attunement, +15 Willpower, +3 Charisma, and +19 Insight. 623/4965 remaining until level 19.

For reaching your second stat milestone in Strength, you have unlocked the ability to utilize three Equipment Loadouts! Check your Equip menu within the Status menu for further information.

For reaching your second stat milestone in Attunement, you have unlocked the ability to gain affinities! Check your Affinities menu for further information.

Power floods through me at the massive gains my level ups give me now. My body feels stronger, my mind sharper, my magic more fluid, my soul sings.

‘Perks’

Elemental Dominion

Description: The elements are yours to behold. All “kinesis” Skills become “mancy” Skills from now on, granting you the ability to spontaneously generate the element at a mana cost. Any Skills that already allowed for spontaneous generation will allow for an additional effect for the element. All subskills merge into the main Skill and their strengths become entirely dependant on the main Skill’s level. Intelligence increased by 1, Willpower increased by 2. +1 Intelligence and +2 Willpower per level up.

With a mental thought, I bring up specifically what used to be my Kinesis Skills.

Skills:

Geomancy - (Level 13) - With the power of one’s mind and will, earth can be created and controlled.

Hydromancy - (Level 35) - With the power of one’s mind and will, water can be created and controlled.

Pyromancy - (Level 25) - With the power of one’s mind and will, fire can be created, controlled, and increased in intensity.

Collecting the loot from the moose, I inspect the Ferroglove.

Ferroglove

Quality: Medium

Traits: Ferrokinesis

Description: This glove allows the user to control small amounts of metal at a time. The form of the metal can be shifted from liquid and solid with extra mana.

Deciding I’ll practice with the glove later, I store it in my hold for now.

‘Last but not least, status.’

Status:

Lucas Creo

Age: 22

Race: Human

Status:

Level: 18

Exp: 623/4965

HP: 2786/3045 (13.15 HP/min regeneration)

MP: 2057/3150 (18.30 MP/min regeneration)

Strength: 158

Endurance: 203

Dexterity: 101

Intelligence: 133

Attunement: 184

Willpower: 111

Charisma: 19

Insight: 123

Stat points: 15

‘Just a few more stat points and I can get the 150 intelligence bonus. Nice.’

Deciding to first check my new Affinities, I open the menu for it.

Affinities:

Low Earth Affinity: 18/100

Low Fire Affinity: 35/100

Low Water Affinity: 68/100

Tapping each of the affinities, it looks like they affect damage, MP efficiency, and control of the elements accordingly.

Switching to my Equip menu, it looks like I have three numbered entries now that swap me between different loadouts of weapons, armor, accessories, and any other miscellaneous category.

Curious, I mentally choose the “2” option. All of my clothes, as well as Argo and my earring, disappear off my body. Flushing, I cover the important bits as Colt gapes and Becky shields her eyes.

“Sorry!” Choosing the “1” option quickly, my clothes and Argo reappear. My face is hot with embarrassment.

“That was far more than I needed to see today, Lucas. Thanks.” Becky is glaring at me, but also blushing furiously.

Colt is at a loss for words but looks somewhat smug.

Argo is simply confused. “Lucas! I was here but not! What happened?”

“Sorry, Argo! I have 150 Strength now so I unlocked Equipment Loadouts, guess they make you go… Somewhere? What was it like?” As far as I can tell, Argo goes into deep thought at this.

“It was like not here!” Facepalming, I give up on trying to gain any further explanation.

“Whatever. One final test. I promise this one won’t end up with me nude.” Becky gives me a suspicious look.

Lifting my hand up, water generates in a ball above my palm. The mana cost is pretty high. It’s definitely still more efficient to pull up groundwater when I can.

“Finally got -mancy Skills, Lucas? Took you long enough.” Colt is grinning at me, clearly pleased that he’s been able to do it for far longer.

“Yeah, whatever.” Sticking my tongue out at him, I fake pout. He goes to give me a hug before Becky clears her throat.

“Let’s get going, lovebirds. We have a lot more running to do.” She cocks her head toward the direction we were traveling before the fight.

“Coming!” Grinning at Colt, I drag him along by his hand. We’re off again, on to Portland.