CONGRATULATIONS! You have finished the System Assignment: Transcendence through Challenge 1. You have been given 1 attribute point to spend on an Interface Attribute of your choice. You have completed your first System Assignment, when you have completed 4 more you will be promoted to Standing Level 2.

I smiled savagely as I read the Interface message. My first step to power had been taken and soon enough more steps would be taken until I towered over the universe once more. I obviously would have to be careful in my choice of which attribute to increase. To inform my decision properly I would have to open the one element of the NVR that I had so far neglected to look at. The Warlock functions had been spared for now, firstly because I wanted to look at those in privacy and secondly because I was concerned about what I might see. Obviously, I was not *afraid* of what I might see there, I am far too composed and experienced to let something as simple as personal failings impact my emotional state.

"Open: Interface Grimoire," I say solemnly as I feel pangs of emotion flow through me for but a moment before they are squashed. Pointless feelings don't matter here, what matters is reclaiming what I have lost. Looking at my Grimoire is my second step to regaining power. I clench my right hand as a slight trembling go through it and then the Grimoire appears before me.

Spells

Rituals

Blueprints

Recipes

Principles

Eldritch Servant(1)

Lesser Summoning

Ritual Circle

Lesser Mana Brew

Summoning

Grasping Hands(1)

Containment Room

Lesser Ward

Infernal Poison

Containment

Lesser Dominate(1)

Lesser Binding

Collar of Obedience

Elixir of Slavery

[LOCKED]

Sublimate Tool(1)

Permanent Brand

Alarm Ward

Amphibia Gell

[LOCKED]

Lesser Absorption(1)

Patron Communication

Runes of Empowerment

[LOCKED]

Transform Hand(1)

Encrypt Message Mana Amplifier [LOCKED]

Lesser Limitbreak(1)

Morbid Deception [LOCKED]

Jam Technology(1)

Patron Spell

Lesser Geomancy [LOCKED]

I stare at the Grimoire in utter bewilderment for several seconds, the fake breeze of the illusory Courtyard is the only sound that can be heard except for my pumping heart. Various undignified emotions pulsate through me and I can feel my heart rate increase as I fall to my knees and scream, "ONLY LESSER MAGIC!?" I sit there and just stare emptily at the disappointing information in the Grimoire. I had expected it to be a sorry sight, but this was far beyond my wildest nightmares. My magic which previously could make mountains tremble had been reduced to the levels of a mere neophyte.

After having been seated on my knees for several minutes just staring at this pitiful summation of my current magical capabilities. I finally rose up to my feet after muttering, "Such an emotional display is unbecoming of me. Time to move on and leave such wasteful thoughts behind." My situation was direr than I had expected, but with some reflection, I had to conclude that it could have been significantly worse. A mere neophyte would probably have only learned a few spells and rituals, whereas I had significantly more at my disposal. I had eight spells and rituals, along with several blueprints, recipes, and lastly a few principles.

Spells and rituals are magic forms learned by rote, they are singular expressions of magic that any competent magic-user can learn. Recipes and blueprints I infer from context refer to alchemical brews on one end and formulas for enchanting and ward-craft. These are more dependant on materials and external forces rather than the magic of the creator. Principles are what separates a lesser mage from a greater one, they give mages access to magic casting without recipes or rote learning. It lets one create rather than merely learn from established sources, they are the truest form of magic.

Before I could test any of these I would have to extract more knowledge of how my magic has been changed by the system. I try to force the information out of the NVR through mental effort, but such a task seems beyond me at present. Which is why I adopt a more direct approach. "NVR, I Thy Master command thee: Reveal thine secrets to me!" I once more slip into a more formal language when dealing with mystical matters, purely out of habit this time rather than a conscious decision like it had been with Mara.

HELP(Spells): Spells are a form of codified magic that is cast using Instinct + spellcraft in most circumstances. They are quick bursts of magic that have short to moderate lasting effects.

HELP(Rituals): Rituals are a form of codified magic that is cast using Control + Ritual Magic. These are long formulas executed to have long-lasting to permanent effects.

HELP(BluePrints): Blueprints are designs of different magical constructs, ranging from wards to enchanted items and magical engineering. A properly constructed blueprint design is meant to be permanent/semi-permanent until the magic has been depleted.

HELP(Recipies): Recipies are formulas for magical concoctions if performed correctly these concoctions are always successfully created. Unlike improvised alchemical formula which can have unknown side effects.

HELP(Principles): Principles are the truest form of magic which allows the wielder to improvise spells and rituals using said Principles. Principles are best explained as a concept mastered by the mage to the point that their understanding of them is near perfect.

I only now noted that the messages pertaining to my grimoire seemed to be purple rather than Blue. I archived this most curious detail somewhere back in my mind, as I had to turn to more pressing concerns. Based on the message I could infer that the more stable elements of magic i.e. spells and rituals where based on a singular attribute. Because they work in a uniform way. Weird as the choice of attributes may seem, I decided to ignore that and just accept that the NVR has irreversibly altered my relationship with magic.

Beyond that, I had to lament that there was almost nothing useful in this system "Help" section. I already knew or had guessed all of this and honestly, the system could have provided me with more helpful information than these nuggets. At the same time, I realize that this might have to do with my pitiful Insight attribute, with more insight into the NVR who knows what knowledge I could gleam. After all, if my nanites had all be subsumed in eldritch mana they might contain deeper secrets of magic than any warlock or eldritch entity had been able to learn before.

The few morsels of relevant detail that the system had presented to me, however, made the decision for which attribute I would increase, a simple one. I spoke out with what I imagined would be a commanding tone, "NVR increase my Instinct attribute". I preferred rituals to the crude magic of spell-casting, but since it seemed I have been consigned the life of the outlaw then survival would have to be my first priority. Spells as simple as they are the best tool for immediate survival, as ritual magic requires time and resources to be properly wielded.

At first, I felt nothing after having issued my command but in a few seconds, I felt my "flesh" quiver and the entire world crumble around me. This lasted for only a moment at which point everything returned to what passed for normal within this illusory world. Yet, I could feel it was different from before my command. The weariness that I had not been aware of experiencing had been drained from me, I felt more comfortable standing in this illusory world than before and I could feel my headache receding. "So, this is how it feels to increase my Instinct for this interface. I wonder what it will be like when I increase a less esoteric attribute?" I have long since lost any compunction when it comes to talking to myself, it is a useful way to conceptualize thoughts.

ATTENTION: Your physical shape is being stimulated, VIRTUAL PROJECTION CANCELATION ENGAGED

I only managed to blink before I suddenly found myself once more in the common room of the Incredulous. "No, I never left," I berated myself with an angry mutter and my attention turned to yet another strange sight. In front of me, a large golem-like body stood with an octopus sticking out from the top of it where the head would be on it. Two tentacles fell down the front of the golem, like a child's braids. The grey almost parchment-like skin of the octopus is contrasted by two bulbous orange eyes looking at me intently.

"I must say it is truly fascinating to meet you Mr. Glyphnax". A strange voice reverberates out from the golem body in a similar manner to Mara. "Where are my manners, my name is Morgera. I am an uplift from a species known as Octopuses. We are sea creatures from the same planets as the humans, the species Captain Torran and Namatha is off." He stretches out his arm towards me and I accept the handshake without giving it much thought. The golem hand is truly massive compared to my own, but not larger than the average Ogres hand would be.

With a sudden start, I realize that there must be many different animal species on different planets. This is why this Morgera decided to explain it as well as to inform what humans are. This, of course, is obvious now that I consider it, but this thought had not yet crossed my mind. I stop my train of thought from spiraling out of control and I let Morgera help me up to my feet. "Thank you...Morgera. I am Glyphnax an...uplift as people in this galaxy seems to call me." I gesture broadly to indicate the entire world and its strangeness.

A strange chortle sound that I realize must be some kind of laugh, comes from Morgera before he replies. "Trust me that this among the least insulting names you can hear. Now, I am the medical officer on the ship, in other words, it is my duty to patch up the crew when we get injured physically. In a lot of ways, I am Ms. Namatha's physical counterpart when it comes to medicine. "And you're mine when it comes to building stuffs Morgie," Tlokbur exclaims as she re-enters the room carrying several metallic devices in her tentacles, which my NVR identifies as power-armor maintenance tools and a universal scanner.

I look back to Morgera or rather it's golem body and with enough focus on my part, the words "Power-Armor" appear floating above him. My hand goes up to my temple and I harrumph in annoyance at the growing headache I get as a result of my efforts. The Octopus on its end blink and pats my shoulder sympathetically, "I understand your annoyance. The NVR is a harsh beast to deal with for those of us who lived without it in our formative years." Tlokbur plops the tools down and mutters in what I suspect she believes is a quiet and subtle voice while sitting down next to us, "Stupid Morgie getting into trouble, and he says I am reckless. Your face is reckless ya goober!"

Morgera gives me a look that clearly is meant to convey that I am not to acknowledge...whatever that was. Tlokbur in the meantime starts bringing up her tools and starts tinkering with the Power-Armor that Morgera is in. "Soooo, are you gonna tell me why your PA is busted?" Tlokbur asks innocently while working, Morgera's two front tentacles flail for a second before he speaks in a flustered tone. "Well, I was just informing our guest Mr. Glyphnax about my position on this ship and why I am piloting this construct," He stops at Tlokbur smacks his enormous head with one of her tentacles. "I am sure Glyphie can wait, can't you Glyphie dear?" Tlokbur turns her massive frame and stares at me in a way that makes it clear that I better wait.

I don't fear this...plant engineer but I know better than to provoke people without cause. Obviously, me nodding enthusiastically and indicating that she can continue, is nothing more than clever tactics on my end. She turns and in a deceptively cheerful tone says, "See! Glyphie says it's fiiiiine so now why is your PA busted?" Morgera's tentacles go limp for a second before he states, "I had an unfortunate run-in while making my way back to the ship. Some citizens on the station objected to my presence. I informed them politely that I had every right to wander here, they objected in the crudest manner. Mrs. Two-Shoes took offense to this and told me to go ahead while she talked with said citizens."

Tlokbur seems very incensed by this and my social antennas are developed enough for me to pick up on the poorly disguised subtext of the conversation. Clearly, this Morgera tended to get into dangerous situations when out in public, Tlokbur as the engineer maintaining the armor would be most incensed at the wasted time and effort she had to put into repairing and maintaining it as a result of that. Therefore Morgera was afraid of incurring her wrath because she held power over him.

Tlokbur rather than smacking or harming Morgera, as I had expected she would, instead reached out with one of her tentacles and patted him gently on his big Octopus head. "Sorry to hear that man, Mareh is totally going to straighten that out. You don't need to keep it quiet if bad stuff happens to you Morgie." She resumes tinkering with the power-armor while I stare uncomprehendingly at this display. What is her game here? Is she trying to mold this octopus into being dependant on her, or does she play a deeper game of social intrigue that I am yet to understand?

Namatha steps into the room from a side entrance, dressed in a red dress with strange purple lights seemingly woven into it. I note how humans in the galactic community must be less conservative than the ones from my world if going by the way they clothed themselves at least. On her back dangles a metallic stick with a weird bend to it that my NVR describes as a crowbar. She claps her hands gently together upon seeing the three of us who are in the room. "Excellent, y'all are here and hopefully ready to go out sooner rather than later. Mary messaged me to inform us that she is still out handling...a problem. We can meet her while showing Glyphnax here, his first taste of the galactic community."

Tlokbur perks up from where she is seated on the ground and waves a tentacle in front of Namatha. "Nuuuuh, Glyphie is a nbie so you should be more considerate about pronouns." Clearly, the NVR is less adept at translating than what I was lead to believe, as I could not decipher what the term "nbie" meant. Namatha, however, seems familiar with the term as she does not miss a beat when responding. "Oh I apologize, what do you prefer then Glyphnax?" This was a difficult question to answer because I was barely aware of what they wanted to get clarified, or rather it was of so little interest to me that I had not really bothered to register it. "I am completely neutral on the subject," I say with a casual shrug as I hope to return the conversation to more relevant topics.

I sense that I am being watched by the three beings in the room, but thankfully Morgera ahems thoughtfully and returns the conservation to something relevant. "Now, Mr. Glyphnax as a fellow uplift I feel that I should inform you about what you might face outside." I scoff internally at being compared with some kind of modified Octopus as if a mere altered animal could ever hope to be my equal. "People not belonging to species who have been recognized as fully interstellar can face discrimination from certain members of the galactic community." Morgera's artificial voice managed to convey that he clearly felt nervous about bringing this topic up.

The others watched me carefully which I presumed was for the purposes of gauging my reaction to this information. I decided to remain neutral seeming on the surface as they could not learn much from it, therefore my reaction was to merely sigh in mild annoyance to the news. Bigots are seemingly an unavoidable aspect of every universe, they have their uses when trying to cause decay within a culture or disrupt an enemy nation. A nation divided or even better ruled by idiotic bigots is laughably easy to topple or subvert. I take great pride in not succumbing to the flaws of lesser beings and actually judging members of other species just because of their blood.

Eventually, the annoying stares of the glorified Octopus and the Human got me to respond verbally, as they seemed unhappy with my nonverbal response. "I am confident I can handle whatever these malcontents want to throw at me. I pride myself on being rather adaptable in the face of adversity." I respond with some needed gusto to help convince these inferiors to accept my competence. Namatha gives me an enigmatic smile and a slight head tilt rather than responding, while Morgera does some kind of shrug approximation with his tentacles. Neither of these reactions warrants my attention as much as Tlokbur's does. I do not hear what she says except the word "Softie" can be clearly heard as she mutters to herself.

I give the gigantic plant entity a fierce scowl meant to convey my disapproval of such disrespect, but it only leads to Tlokbur continuing to make strange sounds and quietly muttering while tinkering. Before I can force a confrontation with Tlokbur I curb my annoyance with her. I need the crew to help ensure my pact with Mara is stable. When I have secured a position within the crew, then I can begin to dole out much-deserved retaliation. Torran decides to make this the time for his entrance.

"Hullo people, are we ready to conquer the station?" Torran winks as he passes me and looks over to Morgera. "Man Doc I hope Mary repaid the dickwads who messed up your suit." Morgera lifts up his massive golem hands and flaps his tentacles in annoyance. "As I have said many times to you Captain Torran, I am not a Doctor. My medicinal skills are merely ancillary benefits that come with my scientific education. Which I remind you were not fully finished." Torran just rolls his eyes around in his skulls and grins at the Octopus. "Sure thing Doc," Torran claps his hands together and looks at the assembled crew. "We should probably plan out our foray into the station a bit, for the benefit of our guest and all."

Tlokbur speaks up as well in response to that "Yeah! What are we doing on this station anyway?". She also finishes tinkering with the Power-Armor that Morgera is piloting, with a few casual flourishes of her tentacles added for what I presume is dramatic effect. Torran takes on a more serious demeanor after the question was asked. "Well, we are here for a few things. First, we need to get Glyph here out to see what the galactic community is like. I hope you, Tlokbur and the Doc can be his chaperones while we are out. Secondly, I and Namatha are checking out a job offer which hopefully should give us all something to do. Thirdly, I have a date after that with a lovely man called Jacob which I hope to not miss out on." Torran nods seriously after having explained the main purposes of our visit.

I want to object to the notion that I would need chaperones under any circumstances, but logically this would be a good opportunity to curry favor with the crew. Therefore, I try to give a winning smile to everyone, "Sounds like an interesting opportunity for me. I thank you for wanting to accompany me outside." I address the last bit of the comment to Morgera and Tlokbur with a respectful nod. Tlokbur lifts one of the fingers on her tentacles up in what I suppose is a type of salute, The Octopus actually salutes me with one of his tentacles.

Thankfully, not much time is spent on small talk after that, as we all are eager to leave the confines of the ship. Namatha and the Captain leave first, while Tlokbur and Morgera help me find some extra clothing beyond my simple jumpsuit. I angrily refuse any of their suggestions about wearing shoes or socks, as they are the prisoner's chains of the clothing world. I add a simple sweater and trouser to my sartorial arsenal for this occasion, I angrily lament the lack of a proper cape or cloak among the available clothing on the ship.

As we are in the process of leaving, the visage of Mara appears on a screen near the exit to the landing ramp. She has once again become green-colored rather than the purple she was after her ascension. "Query: Is the crew expected to be long away from the ship?" Tlokbur takes it upon herself to respond to Mara. "Oh hai Mara, Nah we are not going to be that long I think." Mara dips her head within the confines of the screen and asks, "Insistent Query: And our preliminary crewmember will be with you upon your return, correct?" I bristle at this pointless question and respond before the others could, "Of course I will return, now we have important things to do. We will see you upon our return." I walk through the door and past the screens before she can continue to waste our time.

But with that foolishness out of the way, the trio of me, the engineer and the scientist walk down the landing ramp of the Incredulous, and my entire world view is once again shattered by what I see. We step into a large concourse filled with strange metallic constructs, which I realize must all be starships. I count at least two-hundred of them with just a cursory glance around the massive chamber. They all are marvels of engineering beyond almost anything I have ever seen before, and my NVR works hard to name all the strange technological marvels attached to them.

I also get to look at the Incredulous itself from the outside, it is three stories tall and seems to be composed of three half-circles all connected to a sausage-shaped core in the middle of the half circles. Morgera's massive metallic hand clamps down my shoulder and squeezes me. "It is an overwhelming sight, right? I know the feeling of seeing wonders like these for the first time." I wrench my shoulder out of his grip with an annoyed grunt, I do not approve of being suddenly touched in that kind of manner. If I had less self-control, that overblown Mollusc would have been scorched jelly on the ground by now.

Morgera holds up both metallic hands in an apologetic gesture and bows solemnly before me. "I apologize Mr. Glyphnax, I understand that might have been overly familiar." I grudgingly accept the apology and Tlokbur seems to have no patience with the miniature dispute we just had. "Come, onnnnnn peeps, we have a station to wander through." None of us seem capable of refusing the harbinger of doom that is named Tlokbur, so soon enough we are all wandering resolutely through the area which I am informed is called a landing bay.

We reach a pair of automatic doors who slide open with a woosh to let us pass through them and into a metallic corridor. The sheer amount of metal used to construct all of these things are more shocking to me than the amazing technology, which may seem strange. But I remember just how little metal was available for such decadent constructions such as these back in my world. My thoughts about the abundance of metal are quieted completely when we step out of the corridor.

"WEEEEEEELLLLCOME TRAVELERS, TO BASERIA STATION. Every spacer's home and hearth away from home" I feel rather than hear reverberate through me. The next thing that takes up my attention is the sheer amount of flashing multicolored light that I spot, as we step into what must be a public square like area on the station. I see thousands of signs floating in the air with all sorts of colors shining out of them, the public area has thousands of people from all sorts of species wandering around, I see everything from humans to strange creatures that seem to be composed of several mushrooms. That in addition to altered animals like dogs who have become bipedal and fully clothed people.

I literally stand there slack-jawed at the sheer amount of alien impression that I am forced to process. The closest comparison I can draw on is a public market place in one of the great capital cities of my world, Like Torarium and Yortaka Rur. Not even a city populated by magic users would have such a garish display of lights, as I see now on this station. Tlokbur pokes me gently with a tentacle, "Better move this to a less overwhelming space. I will message Mareh to meet us at the...Torn Scroll. It is an establishment that caters to Uplifts, so this should work out well." Tlokbur wraps two of her tentacles around my arm and Morgeras arm and drags us both towards a strange elevator. She stomps purposefully through the crowds of people in our way as we walk onto the slick, white surface of the elevator.

The elevator moves up through this market area as if someone had cast a levitation spell on it. There seems to be nothing that tethers it to the ground but I have seen platforms similar to this before. Therefore, I manage to keep myself completely composed through the ascent. I get a wonderful opportunity to observe the crowds as I get more perspective on the situation. The clear majority of people wandering through the halls seem to be humans, I can also spot several creatures similar to lizardmen, but they lack tails have horns sticking out from their foreheads. Beyond that, they are almost identical. These two exceptions aside there does not seem to be any noticeable trends among the gathered people.

When the elevator stops at one of the platforms that are higher up in the station, Tlokbur continues the dragging routine as she marches through the corridors, past several establishments with glowing signs that look worthy of investigating. But Tlokbur is relentless in her march and we all eventually end up outside of a room within the station. The glowing sign here is significantly more muted than the ones outside of the other establishments, which immediately makes me more inclined to approve of this one. The sign takes the form of a floating scroll that has been halfway opened and halfway torn down the middle.

Is written in an elegant and truly refined script. Morgera gently undoes the grip of iron that Tlokbur has fastened around his arm and says. "We seem to have arrived here, and all in good time thanks to your hard work Miss Tlokbur." Tlokbur releases me before I would have to try and work against her iron grip. Being dragged through the station in such a manner was undignifying and humiliating, but I weathered it and hopefully, I can reap some benefit from this exercise.

We step into the establishment and for a moment I almost wonder if I have gone home. The entire interior behind the metallic doors of the Torn Scroll looks like it was ripped out from any tavern or inn back in my world. A human-focused Tavern for sure, but I had frequented such establishments back in my younger days, while I was disguised mind you. Stepping onto the floor was very comfortable because I could feel the comforting touch of polished wood under my bare feet, my talons no longer clacked as much as they did on the metallic floor of the station itself.

The main room of the Torn Scroll was filled with older wooden tables with stuffy chairs and wooden benches for people to sit on, a minstrel with a lute stood on an elevated platform and played their tunes. I note offhandedly that the minstrel is some kind of calcified slime creature that had taken a humanoid form. The tavern was served with a colorful cast of Barmaids of seemingly all genders.

There were a few deviations from what I knew beyond the broad menagerie of species that represented the clientele and employees of the establishment. The porcelain plates and glass cups and ceramic tankards were all too high quality and fine for a simple Inn. The foodstuffs served was in some cases wholly alien to me and humans in general. People's clothing also wildly deviated from the sartorial trends of my world, whereas others seem to badly imitate them. I note that humans are the ones who seem to costume themselves as people from my world, yet doing so in a sloppy or inaccurate manner.

"What, what is this place Tlokbur?" I ask absently as my gaze traces the room to take in all the strange but at the same time welcome and familiar details. Tlokbur steps up ahead of myself and Morgera who seems nonplussed by the sights inside. "It's a sort of neo-pre-industrial tavern that was made by some greedy humans to capitalize on uplift nostalgia. Thankfully, they got bought out by the local station support group for Uplifts. As places to visit goes I thought it would be the least jarring for ya." Tlokbur said as she marched over to a set of unoccupied tables and she lowered herself to the floor while I took a seat and Morgera got a reinforced chair to sit as well.

"If this is an uplift establishment, then why do I see several humans here?" I ask casually as one of the barmaids: a lizard creature wandering on three legs and with four arms and long spiked spines down her elongated neck starts approaching our table. Morgera takes it upon himself to reply as he adjusts his Power-Armor to lean forward until it touches the table. "You see Mr. Glyphnax a lot of humans tend to be...overly fascinated with pre uplift cultures. They fetishize them you mean," Tlokbur puffs up in angrily and the black bow on her venus flytrap mouth wobbles.

Ahhhhhh I realize what they mean, these Humans clearly have the social upper hand here, and some of them find it amusing to imitate the lower class species. I had seen such mockery through my old scrying orb back in my glory days, Nobles imitating the peasantry and or species they considered to be lesser forms of life. Some even believed such displays to be respectful towards the cultures they oh so crudely imitated. I understand the impulse, mocking ones lessers can be a gratifying experience, but it is such a short-lived and uncouth pleasure that I have never indulged in it much.

A strangely saccharine sounding voice comes out of the approaching barmaid as she gets close to our table. "Welcome, welcome to the Torn Scroll. How can I help you today?" The mundanity of this interaction made me ignore the proceeding conversation between Morgera, Tlokbur, and the Barmaid, as I spent the time observing the room instead. The rest of the patrons seemed to enjoy themselves enough at this place, I noticed a divide between most of the strange creatures here and the humans. The strange creatures clearly felt some kind of deep nostalgia or connection to this place, or at least what this establishment represented. The humans, on the other hand, were loud, boisterous and seemed to treat the tavern as a novelty.

"And what do you want Mr.?" A poke to my side from Tlokbur rapidly jolted me out of my reconnaissance observations and I turn to look at the Barmaid. I am about to answer when I suddenly stop, I can't reveal that I know of animals that clearly would not live on my "homeworld". Therefore, I give the waitress an innocent smile and say. "I am sorry Miss, but I am...very recently uplifted. I am not sure any of the food I know would be on the menu." The lizard-creature bares their teeth in an approximation of a smile. "Oh, we can help with that. Are your kind carnivorous, herbivores or omnivores? Any preferences for any specific diets?"

"My species are omnivores, but personally I prefer to be carnivorous," I state hesitantly as I am loathed to give people information about me in this situation. The barmaid smiles to me and suddenly her eyes glow for a few seconds. "I will be back with your meals and drinks soon." She then moves away from the tables and I turn to look at Tlokbur. "Why did her eyes glow like that?" Tlokbur on her end is looking at a booklet of some kind and she snorts. "Oh, she used a system skill of some kind. Probably a path skill that lets her predict which meal you would enjoy the most."

Her offhand mentioning of this ability belies the true implications of it, I am able to see them in spite of that. So, I am stunned in my seat as I begin to ponder the implications of a simple Barmaid having actual power. If even the lowliest people in society can use special system skills that let them do improbable or even impossible things. Dominating such a world would be incredibly difficult as everyone would have the potential to wield true power. This makes me wonder who would design such a system and for what purpose would the powerful tolerate it.

This strange world must have the affluent, nobility and other brokers of mundane power. Why would they allow a widespread system where true power could become accessible to the masses? Even minor and seemingly mundane abilities like being able to predict what food would fit a tavern patron could grow into powers, that would be a threat to the established rulers of this world. Who knows if a soldier could get the system to help predict battles, if powerful enough could a soldier will certain outcomes to become reality?

Oracles and other seers have been able to do such things when they have become powerful enough. Their foresight having grown in strength to the point that they could will certain fates to become true. If the system had enforced conformity on its users and left outsiders without its powers, then I would expect it to be puppeteered by the powerful while giving the illusion of power to the pawns of the world. But the existence of the outlaw edition throws that conclusion into question. Why would the established powers reward their opponents by giving them unique avenues of power, designed to help them succeed and grow better at their chosen life path?

Once again Tlokbur poked me with a tentacle and I angrily twist my head to look at her. AGAIN my deep ruminations had been interrupted by mundane concerns. "Hey, Glyphie is there anything that troubles you?" Tlokbur asks innocently in response to my angry glare. I siiiiiigh deeply, remembering that my future as a Warlock is depending on the goodwill of the crew. "I was just pondering things Tlokbur. Do Not Worry," I smile and nod before glancing over Tlokburs massive frame to look into the establishment again.

At which point the doors open to reveal a human woman stepping through. I sense a flicker of movement from the others at my table in response to the arrival of this human. She is truly a strange-looking human, as she saunters in dressed in dark clothing and with several elongated devices hanging from her belt and on her back. Her face has many white lines that I presume are faded scars, but strangest of all half her face and half of her head is covered in a blue tattoo of a spider web with a spider hanging from it. Her hair is shaven on that side of her head and on the other end it is long and turquoise.

"Ohhh Mareh! You are here! Meet Glyphie" Tlokbur partially shouts as the woman comes over to our table. She offers us all a lazy smile and languidly reaches out a hand towards me, I shake it and give her a polite nod in return. "Good day...Mary was it? I am Glyphnax" She slips down into a seat and tilts her head at me, "Yes, I am Mary...some people call me Mary Two-Shoes and I think we can stick with Misses Two-Shoes for now." I nod approvingly to her suggestion as I am finally encountering someone with a sense of decorum. The octopus doesn't count it would only be natural for a lesser animal to address their betters respectfully.

The barmaid returns with platters of food which she places down before the three of us who have ordered food. I also notice that she frowns at the machines that Mrs. Two-Shoes carries. I look at them with more interest now and I try to force my NVR to reveal more about them. "Blaster Rifle, Stunstick, Plasma Pistol, Io..." The words above the other items fade away as Mrs. Two-Shoes snaps her fingers in front of my face. "Ahahah it is impolite to analyze a woman's gear," Mary says with the same languid smile she has been showing for most of the conversation. And rather than snarling in anger at the interruption I lean back into my seat with an apologetic shrug.

I know to sense a fellow predator when I see one and this Mary Two-Shoes screams at me with every movement she makes that she is one. There were many hints to this fact, everything from her feline grace to her mysterious items which I presume are weapons, tells the tale. The blood spatter on her elbows and knees would also qualify as subtle hints to this fact. I pride myself on being a master of deductive reasoning and as such, I am not letting these easily overlooked details slip beneath my notice.

I absent-mindedly lift up my fork and start consuming my meal as the others do so as well and immediately I flinch as taste fills my mouth. The meaty stew I am eating is far from the simple meal one would assume that an Inn would serve, the flavors are rich and the texture of it is excellent. I can feel the various spices form together to make a truly delectable taste. In my many centuries of life, I have rarely tasted anything as superb as this stew. If this is the standard of cooking here then I might have to reconsider my stance on this world.

"Like it huh?" Mrs. Two-Shoes asks me casually as I savor my meal. Her statement makes me manage to regain my composure and I start eating in a more dignified manner. "So, Mrs. Two-Shoes I must remark that you have a rather unusual name. Or are cognomens based on objects common for your species?" I ask Mrs. Two-Shoes to rapidly change the subject away from my display of vulnerability. I noticed belatedly that the others around the table tense at the question, but Mary laughs gently at my question and tilts her head. "Is it so? I mean, maybe names after objects are incredibly common and your kind is an outlier? Is it not a bit presumptuous of you to draw conclusions about galactic society after such a short time?"

"I am a quick learner and I see much, but I accept your point Mrs. Two-Shoes," I say in a deferential tone of voice as her attempted taunt is not enough to rile me up just yet. She sniffs at me in response before her expression turns into a warmer smile than the more languid ones she had given me previously. "But you are right, the name isn't exactly god-given." My ears perk at that chosen phrase, but Mrs. Two-Shoes continues talking in spite of that. "I earned it as a nickname and it eventually got stuck, so I thought hey fuck it, and made the name change official."

I nod appreciatingly to the explanation and I realize she has left out several key details of her explanation, but they will come in time or they won't. Either way that should satisfy my mandatory amount of base social interaction. I return my focus to consuming the delectable meal that I have been served while absorbing the conversation being held between the crewmembers. It mostly seems to be focused on speculating on the nature of the next "job" as it were.

Mrs. Two-Shoes had no more information to provide in that regard, she did interrupt the speculation to vax poetics about the joys of crippling "Nazis". I presumed Nazis were some kind of non-sapient beast, like a wyvern or a corpse-eater and therefore deserved the contempt in the tone as she uttered the term. Any more information I could glean about the topic was lost as the myriad of tastes filling my mouth distracted me from any elaborations on her part.

By the time I had finished the dignified consumption of this acceptable meal, I turned to glance at my companions and saw them all flicking their limbs about in the air. Seemingly, touching something invisible in the air s they mumbled quietly to themselves. "Ahem, what are you three doing?" I ask after having waited for a suitable amount of time, for them to realize I was once again honoring them by giving them valuable portions of my attention.

Tlokbur is the one that eventually answers as her massive bulk turns more towards me than out into seemingly nothing. "We are checking our messages, Torrie just sent us the dossiers for our next job." I huff indignantly when I realize that no messages had been sent to me, and a quick glance at my NVR's main functions confirms as much. Did the captain forget his promise to me to treat me as a Probationary crewmember? Or maybe this was apart of some insidious plot on his end to make me dependant on his whims.

I realize that it doesn't matter at present, what matters is that I lack information that others around me possess. Information that is likely going to be highly relevant to my next days or weeks of existence in this world. The rest of the people at the table rise up after having seemingly concluded their dossier reading. "It seems that we have to return to the ship to discuss the nature of our assignment in person," Morgera says in a helpful tone as well start moving towards the exit.

I realize to my horror that we are not making our way to pay the innkeeper before leaving the establishment. Just because I am forced to associate with the thieves and scoundrels of this world by the NVR, it doesn't mean I would stoop to the level of a common thief. I turn to explain as much to Tlokbur but she just prods me to turn back around with a tentacle. "The pay has already been fixed, I sent them digital currency as we left the premises." She says as she starts marching our group back down the corridors of the space station.

In spite of our brisk marching, we do not manage to reach the ship without any undue interruptions. As we turn the corner into a what I am informed of is a smaller side corridor that would take us directly to the "hangar" where the ship is parked. A group of nine individuals moves in to intercept us within the narrow and empty corridor. I notice that the group is primarily composed of humans, except for a big plant creature that seems to be of the same species as Tlokbur. Behind him stands sicks thugs and two severely beaten human friends who point at Mrs. Two-Shoes hesitantly.

The plant creature says as it turns it's bulk from us and back to his thugs rapidly. "So, that is the bitch and the no-lift you two encountered, correct?" They nod affirmingly and the plant creature turns and opens its massive venus flytrap head. "Well, hello there people. I am Yorkar Purebred, and I heard you all took issue with some of my friends here?" He says in a casual tone, yet I notice that he is desperately trying to broadcast a twinge of menace along with his words. I sigh internally as I feel depleted enough as it is, without having to deal with the posturing of an idiotic plant creature as well.

I resign myself to a tedious round of posturing between us and their group, but fortunately, I am positively surprised at this turn of events. Tlokbur pulls out several mechanical tools upon the mentioning of the name of her fellow plant entity. She grabs among other things a wrench and some kind of advanced hammering tool before this Yorkar could continue his lecture. Tlokbur grabs each item with a tentacle and starts barraging it with a series of rapid blows from each tentacle. And the confrontation almost immediately breaks out into violence after that.