“For the past 10 years I have interviewed countless Awakened about their life stories including the histories of their worlds. At first, the similarities were amusing, causing me to define the stories into archetypes. At the time, similarities in mythical figures were considered coincidental. Then, it became alarming. The data I have collected suggests that the worlds of Awakened stem from a single point of origin. This leaves me with a single question that haunts my every moment. If that origin is not here, then where are we?”

-Quote from ‘The Wall of Origin,’ a mysterious carving

-

Quinn led their group through the city and past the great walls encircling it. Into the forest they went, along a small trail to a large metal shed, carved with runes and embedded with several Cores that shone with a faint glow. The luminescence was most obvious where the light cast the Cores into the shade. Snowflake was deep in thought following along while oblivious to his surroundings.

Up to this point, he had taken it for granted that he was Awakened. He came here from another world and had a Unique Skill, which is what he thought the requirements were. Now, however, he was having second thoughts. Or, thought. Specifically that thought was this: If Magic hadn’t dragged me to that strange place with the book, would I have ever discovered it for myself?

After the second time Snowflake stumbled, Nevasca made it a point to guide him. Her long, flexible tail looped around his waist, tugging him this way and that with the gentlest of motions. She did her best to keep him on track and support him when he stumbled. Lost in thought, he didn’t notice.

Snowflake knew the answer to his question. That was the issue. He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed again. The morality of being not quite Awakened and not quite Native was something he never thought he would have to consider. There was no doubt in his mind that he was a real person, as real as anyone else here. But… did that mean he had sacrificed not only Magic but millions of actual people just like him just to come here?

Snowflake had never admitted it before, but he was now forced to face a certain truth about himself. Part of him had been relieved when he found out that his former world was fictional. Sure, the pain he had endured was cheapened by that fact. However, cheapening the pain made it easier to discount and burn away into the emotion consuming flame he kept in his Soulspace. The lives lost along the way did not mean as much when they were part of some cosmic fiction and not a tragic reality of life.

Now he was being forced to re-examine his logic and feelings. It was less than pleasant. Thankfully, their arrival at the rune-scripted shed distracted him from his dark thoughts.

Quinn, by some unseen method, deactivated the runic lock on the shed and flung open the double doors. She ducked inside. When she returned she was pushing a strange machine. The machine was made of metal with a singular Core embedded in a dense rune script that covered its frame. There were four major parts to it aside from the frame that held it together; the runes, a seat, handlebars with grips at the end, and four strange devices as complex as the rest of the machine combined.

Broken from his impending existential crisis, Snowflake examined the machine. The seat was long and flat, which he thought was odd. However, he recognized the four strange devices as a variation from something he saw in the Dungeon’s Armory. They were almost exactly like the treads from a ‘tank.’ Upon closer inspection, he saw that the treads connected to the frame of the device in a way that incorporated thick coils of metal.

“This,” Quinn said. “Is a machine built from designs found in the Armory. Normally, we would not have dispensation to use these. However, our destination is quite far and Angosin was able to get us special permission.”

“Who?” Bonehammer was at Quinn’s side in a flash, their hands ran along the contours of the machine. If the concept of ‘enthrallment’ could be embodied by a singular expression, then Bonehammer was wearing it.

“Angosin is the Guildmaster’s right hand man.” Quinn frowned at Bonehammer, but did not scold them for their close examination of the machine. “These were based off of a piece of equipment called an All-Terrain Vehicles, or ATV. So, that is what we call them. They are fairly intuitive to operate. Funnel Source into the ATV’s Core to accelerate, pull this lever to stop or slow, and turn the handles in the direction you want to go. Everyone go ahead and grab one from the hangar.”

“How does it work?” Snowflake and Bonehammer echoed each other, their voices overlapping. Ra’hel seemed more preoccupied with how she was going to sit on it than how it operated.

“It takes the Source you put in and converts it into kinetic energy. The kinetic energy makes it move.”

Snowflake saw something wrong with the explanation in an instant.

“If we are putting the Source in, then why does it need a Core?”

Bonehammer had their own concerns.

“The enchantment seems too dense for something that simple.”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Quinn cut off the questions with a scowl. She whipped up a small gust with her wings before half-raising them. Her tone leaked irritation. “We have places to be and goblins to kill. Maybe if you can figure it out yourself you can earn the [Enchanter] Class. [Magictech Engineer] if you’re lucky. Ra’hel, I have a trailer for you. There is one for your pet as well, Snowflake.”

“Trailer?” Ra’hel’s up lip curled up to reveal her teeth. She raised herself up on her tail, becoming much taller than usual.

As Ra’hel reared up to loom over Quinn, who still had her wings flared, Snowflake had the sensation of a cobra facing down a grounded eagle. The air grew thick with tension.

“You’re welcome to slither there instead.” Quinn did not back down from the looming lamia. “Unless you can fly or somehow transform your tail into legs.”

Ra’hel hissed at Quinn and began to sway.

“It is demeaning. I can ride one of these just as well as anyone else. I am no pet.”

Sensing that he had a few minutes before the transportation issues were resolved, Snowflake sat down and slipped into his Soulspace. He still needed to review his gains from last night’s training session.

[[Body Enhancer] level up! Level 5]

[Skill learned: [Unarmed Combat-Basic]]

[Skill learned: [Power Strike]]

[Skill obtained: [Lesser Grit]]

[Skill obtained: [Lesser Toughness]]

Ethereal in his Soulspace, Snowflake couldn’t feel the grin stretch across his face. He knew it was there though. It had to be, because he was ecstatic. Four new Skills! Was it normal to level this fast or had he finally found the niche where he belonged? All this time spent pursuing magic and apparently he was a gifted warrior. Who knew?

[Unarmed Combat-Basic] must have been a direct result of Honey’s intensive training program. He wondered how it worked. It seemed like he already had basic unarmed combat skills, how was a Skill any different? Was it just System acknowledgement of something he could already do? Maybe. One way to find out.

[Power Strike] was similar to [Unarmed Combat-Basic] in that it was also a result of training that may or may not be System acknowledgement of something he could already do. If Snowflake had to guess, it was the System’s name for how he could deliver a burst of kinetic energy on impact. He planned to experiment with the Skill to see how it was different than the cantrip.

Unlike the learned Skills, the obtained Skills were much more vague and confusing. The nomenclate of ‘lesser’ implied the existence of a standard version, perhaps even a ‘greater.’ However, both ‘grit’ and ‘toughness’ seemed like things that were ill-defined at best. How did having lesser of either of those two things benefit him in anyway? Would he even notice the difference?

Snowflake assumed he would. After all, [Adaptability] claimed that Aspects, Skills, and Classes that changed him would have a more pronounced effect. [Sturdy Bones] was a great example of that. He had no idea how the Skill would alter someone else, but from Honey’s reaction he assumed that he was getting a phenomenal Skill to effect ratio from it. Her guesses had included Skills like [Physique: Iron Body], [Enduring Frame], and [Dull Pain]. She had been surprised that he could shrug off blows that would have broken his bones a day before with a Skill as simple as [Sturdy Bones].

After pestering Honey about the Skills she guessed, Snowflake learned that if he didn’t obtain or learn a physique Skill through the normal leveling process, there was a good chance he would consolidate three separate body enhancing Skills into a physique. According to Honey, the chances of consolidation were higher at capstone levels. He was half way to level 10 and if [Rapid Recovery] counted as a body enhancing Skill then with a bit of luck, he would get his first physique Skill soon.

For a moment, Snowflake was lost in the world of Skills and levels. He was excited to see what heights his [Body Enhancer] Class would let him achieve. If he looked at it a certain way, then he supposed it was a certain type of magic. Sure, there was a distinct lack of swords forged of light or riding the wind into battle, wreathed in lightning. And, if he was honest, it still didn’t excite him as much as becoming a [Summoner] did. That said, he relished feeling like he was growing stronger. He craved strength and all the things it-

An incessant shaking ripped him from his Soulspace and out into the world at large. Snowflake jerked in surprise when he found himself hoisted into the air. Strong arms wrapped around his chest, holding him firm with his arms pinned to his side, despite his newfound strength. An odd sound filled the air and an uneasy feeling bloomed in his chest. He squirmed on reflex, only to be struck by an errant thought.

Whoever was holding him in the air was surprisingly soft for how strong they were.

“Hey there, Bunny,” a sultry, feminine voice sighed into his ear. “Sorry to wake your beauty sleep, but we are heading out and I’m riding with you.”

That made him pause. The voice was familiar… But the nickname was not.

“Bunny?”

“Mmmm,” the person holding him managed to make their grunt of agreement sound sensual. “Do you like it? Before you answer, could you call off your little pet?”

Pet? Pet…. Nevasca! All of the sudden, the odd noise and the uneasy feeling made sense. Nevasca was hissing at his captor and on the verge of attacking. He twisted to get a better look, just to notice Ra’hel was the one holding him. She placed him with care on the seat of one of the ATV’s, looping her lower half around him. Relieved, and a little embarrassed, Snowflake sent feelings of calm reassurance through his bond to Nevasca.

“Sorry, I was just checking my Soulspace. What did I miss?”

“You and I,” Ra’hel said, resting her chin on Snowflake’s shoulder as she continued to twist her coils around him. She adjusted her arms so that they were looped under his and around his waist, pulling him closer to her. “Are going to ride together and haul your pet in the trailer. I’m a bit heavy, but I trust you to be my big, strong anchor. Can you do that for me, Bunny?”

Now that she mentioned it, the coils of her body looped over his lap were quite heavy. On instinct he had been cycling chemical energy through his limbs to reinforce himself. If he stopped now he would be in trouble.

“Enough of that,” Quinn said from where she straddled her own ATV. “This is an assessment, not a casual outing. Snowflake, get your companion on your trailer and let’s get a move on.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Do not call me ma’am.”

“Yes sir.”

“I will hurt you, Snowflake.”

Ra’hel whispered into Snowflake’s ear, in a tone too low to carry.

“I think she likes you.”

Snowflake waited for Quinn to turn away and start leading them through a rough-cut trail in the forest before he replied. With little prompting, Nevesca hopped into the trailer and curled into a ball. She sent mixed signals of relief and grumpiness through their bond. The grumpiness was no surprise as she was a grouchy kitty.

Snowflake poured Source into the runescript on the machine through the handles. This causing the ATV to jerk forward in rough bursts of motion, at first. After a few seconds, he found the proper trickle of power to keep it running smooth. It took a few additional tries to adjust his Source output to match the speed Quinn was leading them at. The ATV powered over brush and fallen logs with ease.

“That’s funny, she said the same thing about you,” he said to Ra’hel, half turning his head so she could hear him better.

“Oh I like you plenty, Bunny,” Ra’hel said, giving him a tight squeeze. Source poured into him from where her hands rested on his body, helping him compensate for the power needed to haul both of them and Nevasca. “But probably not in the way you think. Don’t think about it too much, mkay? Sometimes flirting is just harmless fun.”

Snowflake jerked to avoid clipping a tree with the ATV. Refocused on following Quinn, he mentally rolled his eyes and responded in a dry monotone.

“Says the girl so beautiful it could be weaponized.”

Ra’hel started to giggle, then to chuckle, and then it turned into full blown laughter After a few minutes she started to gasp for air.

“Oh. Whew. That was too hilarious, Bunny. I could just eat you up.”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

Much to Nevasca’s vocal displeasure, Ra’hel playfully nipped Snowflake’s shoulder. At least, he hoped it was playful. He couldn’t see her expression, but her voice was full of laughter as she responded to his banter.

“Mmm, we’ll see.”

As they sped through the forest, powering through the obstacles in their way, their conversation turned from ‘harmless flirting’ to talk about Source and its uses. Snowflake recounted Quinn’s explanation of both the [Bullet] and [Modified Railgun] spell. Ra’hel was, in Snowflake’s opinion, suitably impressed by the use of electric and kinetic energy to propel high speed projectiles. In exchange, Ra’hel explained how she had been drawing kinetic energy from water to create ice, as well as her theory that gravitational energy was another type of energy they could manipulate.

Conversation trailed off as Snowflake split his attention between driving and all the possibilities that this new information entailed. Just in terms of his Class, if he could find a way to steal Source from someone with each strike, he could fight and heal continuously. Oh! Or if he could create a timed decrease in gravitational pull, once he mastered the [Bullet] spell, he could launch heavy projectiles that would return to their original mass before impact. Or-

“We’re here,” Ra’hel said, giving Snowflake a squeeze and shake with her lower half to jolt him from his musings. He reached out to squeeze the slow down lever, rolling the ATV to halt in an enclosed little glade.

Entangling himself from Ra’hel’s coils, a task he suspected she made harder than it had to be on purpose, he checked on Nevasca. She was none the worse for wear. In fact, due to their bond he knew she enjoyed the ride through the forest, even if she acted like she had been abandoned for hours.

“Alright, every come here.” Quinn gathered them to center of the glade. She traced a horizontal circle of light in the air, surrounding it with an x, a square, a squiggle, and three stars. “Your mission is to exterminate this village. Each of you will be assigned a symbol and a position. The stars represent the [Assassins] who are here to eliminate the high level threats.”

Snowflake frowned at that.

“Exterminate?”

“Yes. By now all of you should know how levels work here.” Quinn’s stare was piercing as she met their eyes one by one. There was a hint of sorrow there, but it was dwarfed by the steel core of determination radiating from her gaze. “Any goblins you let escape will multiply and come back stronger and more dangerous. Higher level. All the goblins must die, just like pests. Welcome to the Guild.”