"What did you say?!" he heard himself roar as he rushed the dark figure with his battle-ax in hand. The man instantly disappeared before he could reach him. Shane recoiled and tensed, waiting for something to happen. He stood there in the darkness, panting, and sweating as he listened to the man's chortle echo down the slimy walls.

The memory faded, and with it, so did the rest of the fragment's visions as further concentration yielded no new sounds or images. The experience of being in another Shane's shoes (so to speak) gave him a better understanding of that Shane's goals and motivations. As there were moments when he could understand the feelings of the Shane within the shard's memories.

As his eyes slowly opened, he heard Liz humming a tune from the game's opening intro cutscene. She was surprisingly in key, and it went well against the auditory backdrop of the world around him bathed at night. Shane looked down at the dimmed crystal in his hand.

A window appeared.

-Cane's Resonance Shard?-

Absorb?

Accept/Cancel

Shane accepted the prompt and watched as the shard in his hand slowly sunk into the flesh of his palm.

-Notice-

New Aspect Gained

Way of The Barbarian Aspect Grants The Following:

+25 HP +10 Strength +5 Agility +5 Endurance Rare Passive Feat: Advanced Bladed Weapon Proficiency

As Shane read this, a raw physical power surged within him. Is this what it feels like to get a significant stat boost all at once? He thought wildly, trying to restrain the urge to use his new strength on something.

He tabbed over to his "Feats" page and clicked on the new rare passive feat.

-Advanced Bladed Weapon Proficiency-

Allows the user to become an expert with most bladed weaponry. This includes:

Short Swords Long Swords Greatswords Battle Axes GreatAxes

Seeing this got his blood pumping. Spells were still a focus for him, but having a viable way to deal damage up close if all else fails was always an entertaining option in the heat of battle. He opened his inventory page and switched his weapon to the novice short sword.

"Woah! Looks like I even gained a little muscle!" He exclaimed while studying the three-dimensional render of his body.

Satisfied with the physical changes from the Resonance he absorbed, Shane turned to the "Character" tab.

Name: Shane Carther

Race: Human

Class: Sage

Level: 6

Exp: 761/978

HP: 175/175

Mana: 07/112

Fatigue: 10/143

Soul Points: 6

Attributes:

Strength: 30

Agility: 24

Vitality: 22

Endurance: 25

Intellect: 24

Wisdom: 24

Luck: 22

Physical Attack: 24

Magical Attack: 0

Physical Defense: 30

Magical Defense: 29

Aspects:

Way of The Barbarian

Shane marveled at the jump to the majority of his physically-based character stats. Are resonance shards from other Canes always going to give me boosts like this? What will I get from a resonance shard based on a spellcasting class? He thoughtfully mused. Shane didn't consciously realize it yet, but hunting down Canes was becoming a new goal. If not for the memories of his alternate selves, then for the boosts associated with their classes.

Even through the darkness of night, Shane could see the few trees that occasionally dotted the sides of the dirt and gravel road. He picked out a young tree that one could easily wrap their arms around. Yet the tree was still big enough that you wouldn't think it a good idea to strike with a sword. It was also twice his height.

Shane summoned the short sword into his hand. Not only did it feel lighter to use than before, but he innately knew a few techniques and stances to maximize his movement and strength output. After assuming one of those new stances, he pulled his sword arm back. The other arm was outstretched, inches away from the tree's bark—as if pointing at what he was about to strike.

Shane braced his legs and plunged the sword straight into the tree. With his increased strength and proficiency, the blade pierced the bark and wood quickly—all the way to its hilt. The expression on his face was that of stupefied jubilation.

He let go of the sword, leaving it lodged in the young timber. He punched it with some force to make sure the tree was as hard as it normally should be. The tree shook violently while his hand stung from the sturdy texture that met his knuckles. He thought to himself. Well, the wood is as tough as it should be; I really did get that much stronger.

To confirm this, he easily pulled out the shortsword, adopted a new stance, and twirled his body in a circle. The shortsword sang through the air with a high-pitched shriek—slashing through most of the tree's trunk. Shane ripped through the rest of the wood and bark with another burst of strength. This sent copious amounts of chunks and splinters flying across the road.

The tree immediately toppled over in a loud heap, with many of its still green leaves clinging to its now dying branches.

"Holy Shit," said Shane and Liz in unison after everything settled.

They looked at each other and couldn't help but giggle. After calming down a bit, Shane explained to Liz what the resonance shard did for him after absorbing it. He also described the memories he was able to garner from the version of himself she came to love.

"I wish I could have been around to help him more. There are ways I could have grown stronger with him, too," Liz paused, sounding disappointed. "It just didn't work out that way."

"It's okay, Liz. I could already tell before the memories how much he-I cared for you. The shard just proved it." Shane said with a warm smile.

"Now, you and I can do things better this time. I'll make sure you don't get hurt anymore."

He gingerly touched the small indent in the metal above her eyes from where she body-slammed his forehead. Never again, he promised himself. Liz moved past his hand and buried her metallic body into the warm fabric of his leather tunic. He hugged her in a way that felt familiar now that he'd experienced those memories. They stood like that for a little while in the pale light of the large pale moon.

At some point, they separated, and Shane began to yawn. He didn't need to eat or use the bathroom in this world, for which he was largely thankful, but sleep was different. Getting tired was definitely still a thing that every NPC and player needed to satisfy, just like in the real world. Without sleep, the game's NPCs wouldn't feel as natural in a world so complex and true-to-life—at least, from a fictional fantasy world point of view.

Even though he was sleepy and exhausted, Shane wanted to review and equip the two new and exciting pieces of loot from the Cane slaying quest. On the other hand, working with Liz to build a dwelling for sleep and other game functions seemed the safest move. If a dwelling helped protect both of them at night, it would be foolish to focus on indulging his frivolous desire for loot and power.

"Alright, Liz, what do I need to build a dwelling?"