We left Traham shortly after dawn the next morning, with me collecting the pistol and Aethercrest from Gerad shortly after dawn. I took a minute to analyze the gun with my new ability.

Aethertech Pistol: A custom designed pistol that duplicates the effects of the Air Bullet spell through the use of aether charged magazines. Damage Rating: 3, Durability: 100/100, Ammunition: Special.

I was curious about the damage rating and examined both my companions’ weapons to make a comparison.

Military Issue Hand and a Half Sword: A basic military issue sword. Damage Rating: 2/3. Durability: 95/100.

Military Issue Recurve Bow: A basic military issue bow. Damage Rating: 3, Durability: 98/100, Ammunition: Arrows.

“Did either of you learn anything about the damage rating on weapons? I got an analysis core at the store yesterday and it is listed as a property of all our weapons,” I asked the others as we began to travel west from the city.

Richard replied, “I talked with Jared and Andre about it. It’s a base modifier for your offensive ability to the damage a weapon deals. There are more modifiers based on how you use a weapon, where you hit, and passive abilities.”

“So, lots of numbers and calculations that don’t mean a lot to us?” Lily asked in a dry tone.

I grinned and said, “Basically. I was just trying to get a handle on the guns damage output. It has the same damage rating as your bow.”

Richard commented, “Sounds a little weak for a pistol.”

I shook my head, “Not really. There were a number of comparisons done over decades that showed that the stopping power wasn’t much different, only the type of wounds inflicted. Pistols and rifles were more of an improvement over crossbows, which work in much the same way. Bows take more training to become competent with, while guns and crossbows are easy in comparison.”

Lily nodded, “Yeah, but you can also make a basic bow if you have a sharp knife and decent wood.”

I nodded, “Right, but as far as the numbers go they sound right to me. I just wish I knew how the modifier worked. I hate not having all the pieces to a puzzle.”

My two companions just laughed as I used my core analysis ability on the Air Bullet spell to see how it compared.

Evolving Magic: Air Bullet (5 AP) – A ranged magical attack aimed with the casters finger that inflicts physical damage on a target. Evolving Magic: These spells are changed based to reflect other linked cores abilities.

I had the core attached to my crest on a line that didn’t link directly to my fire magic. I wanted to see the difference between the ability and the pistol before I saw the combinations occurred. I hadn’t had the chance to test how the linked abilities worked yet. Now that we were on the way though I asked, “So what is the job?”

Lily answered readily enough, “It’s a monster extermination job. There is a large area in the forest to the west with that miasma in it. Corrupted animals come out of it on a fairly regular basis so the kingdom offers a bounty through the guild to cull them. Occasionally though they get a monster that wanders out as well, those are considered more difficult but are worth a larger reward.”

“How do they keep track of kills then? I could understand getting something off the wolves but the corrupted aether creatures don’t leave bodies. Unless there is something you’re not sharing with me?” I asked.

Lily let loose a peal of laughter as Richard grumbled then handed over some numus to her and I scowled, the pieces falling into place, before saying, “You two bet that I would ask that question didn’t you?”

Richard explained while Lily laughed, “Yes. She bet that you would ask about the kill tracking while I figured you had already found out. As to how it is done, anyone group or individual that registers with the guild can either pay a fee or have the cost deducted for an artificer device that tracks jobs. They couldn’t explain how it worked other than the fact that it records kills made by a party. It doesn’t differentiate between corrupted or non-corrupted creatures for its recording.”

Lily pulled out a small device from a belt pouch that looked something like one of the old smart phones. It was about three inches wide by six inches long and constructed much like the core analyzer Gerad had, but of steel and crystal. When she tapped the screen it even acted like a smart phone or tablet computer with two icons listed on it. One icon represented a kill log while the other looked like an application designed to track guild jobs, comparing them against the kill log when that was the task.

“What did it cost, and did they say who made it?” I asked

Lily shook her head, “The cost was a thousand numus. The guild will take up to half the job pay until we pay that back. As to the maker, the person I talked to had no idea. They had a few dozen in a box under the counter though so I’m guessing they aren’t uncommon.”

“Someone probably stocked up when they heard we were in town,” Richard commented.

Lily handed me the device and I found that the controls were like most touch screen devices used in the twenty-first century on Earth. The juxtaposition of a cell phone in a medieval society made my head heart, but also made me wonder if there were other applications this device could run. Something like a guild chat or messaging system? I would need to look into it more when we got back to town. For now though I examined the details of the job. It was a standard game mission of kill ten corrupted animals. The major difference was that the details were listed as at least ten, with a base reward of one hundred numus. Each additional corrupted animal would be paid for depending on the type of creature; boars and bears were worth more than wolves while monsters like the gremlins were worth even more. The kill log turned out to be more of a bestiary that listed the analyze information on a target as well as the number of kills.

I handed the device back to Lily and asked, “That doesn’t seem like a large payout, and you don’t seem like the type to go for the easy job. What’s the angle?”

She smiled, very much like a cat with cream, and said, “The miasma has to have a source, and the soldiers can’t seem to go into the areas with it.”

I got it; honestly I wasn’t sure why I didn’t see the connection when she mentioned the miasma initially. In the cavern the miasma was pushed out of the crystal when it was cleansed. I suspected the areas with the miasma were supposed to be this games version of a dungeon, and if we got paid a larger amount for killing the monsters created by corrupted aether the payout for the job could be significant. I clarified, “So the plan is to head into the miasma and hunt the beasts, then precede further to get some monsters?”

“Huh, that’s the same distinction the guild guy used; but basically yes,” Lily said.

It took us about an hour to get to the section of forest where we started seeing hints of the miasma. What surprised me was the small two storied building that reminded me of a hunters lodge set up off the main road at the head of the path that traveled into the woods. It was of a sturdy wooden log and mortared stone construction, and I could smell food cooking and see smoke coming from a chimney. There was a sign hanging above the front door proclaiming the building ‘The Hungry Wolf.’ Upon opening the door we found what looked like a combination of general store and restaurant, similar to old Earth truck stops, on the bottom floor with a set of stairs roped off in the back. The food smell was coming from what I assumed was the kitchen behind an area with a few tables. A well muscled middle aged man dressed much like our group, but standing behind a counter in the store area, called out, “Welcome travelers, come to hunt the Wildwood have you?”

Lily greeted the man in turn, “That is the plan. We didn’t expect to see a store out here though.”

The man chuckled, “My wife and I opened the place after we retired from the guild jobs. We do a regular business for the hunters that come into the woods hunting the corrupted beasties.”

Lily smiled and said, “Having a place to restock and get a hot meal while you’re out hunting must be nice.”

“Most think so, plus we can get a message to the city quickly enough if the beasts get rowdy. They have been a mite more aggressive the past few days and we were hoping the guild would send people by. So what can I get for you before you go in,” the man said.

Lily looked at us and I said, “I think we have everything we need right now. We hadn’t expected this place so stocked up before we left Traham.”

“Well we are here if you need to restock, also we can buy any of the hides and meat you get from the beasts out here,” he replied.

We took a few minutes to browse through the selection of goods offered, mostly ammunition and food with a smattering of leather goods mixed in, before we headed back outside and into the woods. The miasma wasn’t as thick at the forests edge as it was in the cavern and I suspected it had to reach a higher density before it affected people with Aethercrests based on the fact that this was a regular hunting area.

I heard growling from our left and said while turning and drawing my pistol, “We have our first customers.”

I saw a pair of the corrupted wolves similar to the ones we encountered on the way to Traham from the cavern. Focusing on them for a moment caused my Analyze to activate showing me information on them which I relayed to the group.

Corrupted Forest Wolf (Corruption Level 2) – This wolf has been altered by corrupted aether, causing it to become more aggressive. Special Abilities: Iron Jaws, Pack Tactics.

I didn’t hesitate and squeezed the trigger on my pistol. Instead of the expected bang and recoil I instead felt a very minor amount of recoil, and heard a sound similar to if I had a silencer equipped. The wolf on the left caught the shot in the chest and collapsed dead; while the one on the right leapt for me only to be intercepted by a Richard’s fist as he stepped past me and punched it in the snout. The beast yelped in pain as it landed and began to circle the three of us.

Lily commented, “I’m surprised you didn’t lead with your sword there.”

Richard kept an eye on the circling wolf as he responded, “I’m trying to get an idea of how much damage these things can take.”

I chuckled and said, “Sounds like something I would say.”

The swordsman shrugged and responded, “Maybe so, but it’s still good to know how hard you need to hit something. That Pack Tactics ability makes me think they will be harder to deal with in large groups. Part of how I fight groups is by getting my opponents to tangle themselves up with each other, it doesn’t work if they are skilled at working together.”

Having seen him dance among the gremlins back at the cavern I could believe it. Analyzing the wolf again I said, “Lightly injured from that strike, but the Iron Jaws ability is grayed out.”

Richard nodded and I almost jumped a bit as his eyes turned red for a moment as a faint red aura surrounded him. It didn’t take a genius to understand that he had just activated his Rage ability. When the wolf tried to dart forward and bite him again he kneed the beast in its already injured muzzle. I calmly, oh so very calmly, said, “Severely injured, likely from repeat strikes to the injured location in addition to the boost from Rage.”

Nodding Richard swung his sword and finished the wolf off in a clean strike before I saw the aura fade and he said, “I can see why the old man said people pay less attention to their defenses with that ability.”

Lily looked concerned and asked, “Will it be a problem?”

He shook his head and said, “Nothing I’m not familiar with. The trick to fury like that is to direct it where it is needed.”

He seemed to be staring off into space for a moment before he gave a dry laugh and said, “Apparently turning the ability off isn’t supposed to be as easy as I just made it. The ability evolved to Controlled Rage. It’s one of the upgrade options I had considered picking up when I had the advancement points.”

“Expensive?” I asked.

He nodded and said, “It would have cost five hundred points. It says it negates some of the defense penalty and allows me to turn the ability off when there are no more perceived enemies.”

“It seems odd to me that we can upgrade abilities without spending the points on them,” Lily said.

I shook my head and explained some of what Gerad had told me, “What I was told was you can upgrade passive abilities by meeting certain conditions. The conditions vary depending on the passive ability. Toughness for example can be upgraded by being hit a lot but still surviving. The only example Gerad had was that of a soldier who had six arrows in him managing to defeat a group of bandits, and then marching for two hours back to his base camp carrying his injured partner.”

Richard whistled and said, “Now that’s a man I would love to meet.”

I grinned and said, “I believe his name is Adam Caladus.”

Both my companions laughed and I continued, “I’m willing to bet that most would have trouble meeting the requirements for upgrading Rage like you did, it would be good to look into the passive upgrade options beforehand and use the points on abilities we can’t upgrade naturally.”

Lily nodded, “Sounds good, but how about we discuss this after some hunting. I figure we find the thicker miasma before we take a break for lunch back at the Hungry Wolf, and kill every corrupted beast on the way.”

No one had any objections to the plan so we set off deeper into the forest.

It took us two hours before we found where the miasma started to thicken. We had surpassed the required ten kills for the job in half of that as they seemed more interested in hunting us. I was able to test my evolving magic during that time though and found out some interesting aspects of it. First and foremost was the fact that I had to choose the combination for each evolving magic, but I could adjust it if I had time. Right now I had my Fire spell unmodified, but my Aetherial Weapon was instead a Flame weapon; and my Air Bullet was left unmodified due to the fact that Flame Weapon did affect the gun by changing it into a Fire Bullet. It would probably be better if I had more elemental options, but these would do for now. As I stepped into the area of the thicker miasma I saw a notification appear in my vision.

Well shit, sometimes I hate when I am right; that meant this was the equivalent of a dungeon then. Since the NPCs couldn’t enter the areas with miasma that meant these were intended for the players. I looked over to Lily and could tell by the look in her eyes that she was getting the same notification, while Richard looked like a kid in a candy store.

Lily smiled and said, “I thought that might be the case. First timers usually get extra bonuses.”

I cocked my head at her in question and she continued, “Those that challenge things first usually get a bonus reward. I’m not sure how to explain it clearer due to the restrictions.”

I thought I understood what she was saying when I thought about the extra notice. We were basically going to get bonus experience for doing this ‘dungeon’ before anyone else did. Which was likely Lily’s idea in the first place. She really was trying to hit as many birds with one stone as she could. The question now was, how do we clear the dungeon.

Spoiler: Character Sheet at End of Chapter Eight Name: Michael Wolfe Class: Freelancer Cores: Hybrid Summon (White), Analysis (Pale Blue), Offensive (Orange), Strength 6 Offense 6 Agility 7 Defense 6 Vitality 6 Spirit 6 Willpower 6 Aether Pool 120 Luck 5 Advancement Pool 426 Skills Firearms (4C), Abilities Evolving Summon: Phoenix, Evolving Magic: Fire, Evolving Magic (Reserved): Aetherial Weapon (Flame Weapon), Evolving Magic: Air Bullet, Magic: Wind Shield, Magic: Heal, Action: Flurry, Channeled Action: Core Analysis, Channeled Action: Crest Analysis, Evolving Magic: Infuse Core Traits Lucky Break; Spirit Caller, Analyze, Channeling