As Mathew and Henderson went back into Blue Oaks, she was curious about the golem guards. Mathew explained how they worked, and a few problems that have arisen since their arrival.

“A few guards are worried about being replaced and not paid. Of course, that’s not the case. It’s just extra protection.”

“I’ll talk to the soldiers. Make sure they understand that.”

Mathew stopped once they were inside. “I’m going to take care of my normal duties. You go get that shower and stuff, okay? We can’t have one of Blue Oaks' most powerful overwork herself.”

“Yea yea. I’ll be stopping by the offices to catch up on things. You get a shower too.” Henderson looked at Agnox and Cherry and gave them a wave. “You two keep him safe and alive. Cherry, it was nice to meet you, I hope you like it here on Earth!”

The two summons waved bye in return. Mathew watched her leave and turned to his two summons. “You two go take care of your own business. I’m going to spread the word about the parasites. Hopefully, nobody else gets infected if they know what to expect.”

They both nodded, and Agnox started to head toward the forges to get his and Jeffery’s armor repaired. Cherry hung back for a moment, waiting for the imp to leave.

“Mat, I still want to build something for Gaia here. Is that going to be okay?”

Mathew hesitated to answer. “What’s wrong with the current statue of her?”

“It’s simple. Basic. As if it was done just to have it, rather than it be dedicated to her. It would mean a lot to me if I made one. I know a few people here are interested in Gaia and having a shrine where they can meet up would be a wonderful thing.”

“If you give a mouse a cookie…if anything I need to double down on the whole god thing. Just get a couple of dozen shrines so no one god has a heavy presence here.”

“Sure, but keep it civil. And don’t put it in the way of anything.” Mathew said, relenting.

“I was thinking over by the farms outside the walls actually. That way, if we get her blessing, she can bestow a boon to our crops!”

Mathew wanted to roll his eyes but didn’t. “Go for it Cherry. If you need anything, let me know.” He said, somewhat genuinely. “Hopefully she won’t actually need anything.”

“Thanks, Mathew!” She then scurried off toward the hospital instead of toward the farms that Mathew thought she would end up going to.

Mathew went to the office area. He was glad that being gone for almost an entire day didn’t leave an opening for something bad to happen. He did spread word of Henderson’s return. Every soldier or guard who was trained by her or worked with her was thrilled. Several ended up doubling their workload so some others could go and see her for themselves.

Once the sun was properly set and gone, he left to go home and sleep. He wasn’t heavily injured, and had no signs of being infected by the parasites. Cherry healed him enough and his natural healing did the rest.

His newest spell [Ritual of Divination: Know Thy Self] allowed him a decent understanding. Exhaustion was his biggest worry. The passive spell didn’t show any of the signs of mana drain. That didn’t mean he was suffering from it too.

Mathew’s head throbbed with his heartbeat. It was only months of painful interactions that allowed him to mostly ignore it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t bothering him, just that he could manage with it.

He crawled into bed, hoping to sleep off the mana drain. It took only moments for him to fall asleep. A dreamless slumber taking him.

Aaron Thomas was sitting in a tree, remaining as quiet as he possibly could. The only thought going through his head was “I’m dead if they find me.”

He knew if he remained hidden, and returned to Blue Oaks, he would be given a reward that would double his current possession of UC. The bounty the powerful Mathew McGonald put out was his driving force.

Four tall humans clad in leather walked carefully under him. His [Bypass Detection] ability and [Stealth] skill were working to their max. He was praying they were enough to remain hidden.

“Hopefully a Beginner 7 skill and a Novice 9 ability are enough!”

Aaron kept his breath steady. Ensuring no unneeded sound escaped from him. He closed his eyes, listening to those below him.

“He got away. It’s all your fault!” One of them started to shout. “You said your tracking skills were better than anyone else in our zone!”

“I said my tracking skills were enough to find one lone intruder.” The new voice was suave. As if it was the most charismatic man in the world speaking. “He must have a power that counters my own. That, or he somehow teleported away. The tracks end several steps back that way.”

“Maybe he is in one of the trees?” A female voice asked.

Aaron’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes shot open, but he kept his breathing slow.

“Impossible. The tracks just end. I could tell if he climbed a tree, there would be markings on them.”

Aaron wanted to laugh. He almost did, but fear was such a stronger emotion that kept him silent. “Dad is going to rejoice that [Jump] skill actually was worth something!”

“I thought we couldn’t teleport until the second phase when those things unlock from the system store?” The first voice asked, still irritated.

“You said Blue Oaks has a Summoner as their leader correct?” The suave man asked again. “Summoners are known to develop space jump powers and spells over time. If he is above level 50, then it’s more than likely he has power related to it by now. If not, then somehow the technology was unlocked early for them. There is also the chance for someone to have a class related to space jumping.”

“Then you need to tell his highness that we were found.” The first voice said, a bit louder and more demanding.

“I care not for your self-proclaimed king. We have an agreement and work as allies. Nothing more. I serve my own people, not yours.”

“I don’t care. You lost him. You tell him.”

Aaron heard nothing but a short gasp and then a meaty thump.

“What the hell!” The female voice shouted again.

“You are the only human left here. Go inform your leader your zone was discovered. I will inform my people, I doubt your leader will once again request a meeting.” Even with his charismatic voice, Aaron could hear the disgust in it.

Aaron waited as the people left. He stayed in the tree for another hour, just to be sure. He spent time peeking around. It was getting dark. The forest trees gave the forest an eerie shadowy darkness.

Once he was as sure as he could be that nobody was around. He started to jump from tree branch to tree branch. “I only got the idea from watching anime. To think, anime saved my life by giving me the [Jump] skill. Zack is going to freak!”

He spent three days traveling back to Blue Oaks. That was with him moving as fast as he could. Aaron wasn’t a boastful or prideful man. Yet, he did like to brag about his 278 Dexterity score. Even for being Level 20, it was one of the highest in the Adventure’s Guild. At least, for normal people.

Those like Zack and Lindsey don’t count. They are close to Mathew who is the strongest of them all. A true protagonist from the manga and anime he enjoyed so much. Even Damien would be considered abnormal. He is close to Zack and apparently used to work with Mathew!

Aaron wondered if Mathew would give him the reward directly. “He has such a way with words! He cares about us, even if other people don’t think so, I know he does. Zack and Lindsey talk about him all the time. Zack even said they share an Axiom!”

As Aaron ran through the forest, he continued to think about being fast. He wanted to be the fastest in the world. Where nobody can touch him. Damien taught him the [Stealth] skill. Zack suggested he could develop it to probably become invisible! A speedy ghost. A fast invisible man. A gust of wind. A passing thought.

Aaron stopped for a moment as he kept thinking of being fast. He blinked twice before his eyes went wide as the forest scene around him vanished. “Wha-?”

What felt like hours to Aaron, was only a moment in time. Aaron was breathing heavily, but he stared at the blue screen in front of him.

Axiom of Fade [Novice]

+15 Dexterity, +10 Wisdom

Aaron ran even faster back to Blue Oaks, motivation pushing him. As he stopped at the guard post, he pulled out a badge that showed who he was. Yet another creation by Mathew was genius. This way, everyone who was supposed to be there could get in and out quickly.

“Tristian says it was the guard woman Susan’s idea, but I know it is Mathews. He is the brain of this place, Susan is a guard and just the brawn.”

The Adventures guild came into view quickly. He burst inside and ran right to the main desk. Luckily, Damien was working on it right now.

“Woah, Aaron! Why the rush buddy? Wait, where have you been? It’s been over a week since you’ve been gone!”

“Tell Mathew I found them! I found the people who tried to steal the Volkar Dungeon!”

Damien held up his hands. “Easy kid. Listen, I know you really want to help out and get money. Ever since your dad came back from the World Dungeon with a missing arm, you’ve been working nonstop, but you can’t be lying about this. Nobody has found this place yet.”

“That’s because they kill anyone who does,” Aaron said with absolute seriousness. “I almost got caught too. It’s three days northwest of here. If you follow the main roads you get killed instantly by these sharpshooters with bows. If you get passed them, there is a small city. I’m guessing about a hundred people, probably more. I didn’t get close enough due to all the patrols, but I know it’s them.”

“How can you be so sure?” Damien asked, now starting to believe him.

Aaron slapped both his hands on the counter, “Because I heard they are going to do it again. It took me three days to get here, if they are not at the dungeon already, they will be soon.”

“How many?”

“I counted four groups of ten,” Aaron said.

“That many for a Novice Dungeon?” Damien processed what Aaron told him. “Okay, be ready to give him the report yourself. He will want to hear it himself.” Damien cupped his hands and shouted, “Everyone! Prepare for Code Ruby Shield! I repeat! Prepare for Code Ruby Shield!”

There were only a dozen people in the main area. A hangout spot for wanna-be adventurers. None of them were left in the area once Damien shouted at them. Three of them ran upstairs to spread the word.

Damien reached under the counter and pulled out a pair of short swords and equipped them. Aaron regonized the crafting mark of Zack on both the sheaths. Reserved only for his most special of creations. “Aaron follow me.” He vaulted over the counter and walked out of the building.

“What exactly is Code Ruby Shield?”

“It’s a protocol Lindsey suggested after the last attack. Essentially there is Shield and Sword. Code Shield is to prepare to defend an asset of ours. Code Sword to take one. Ruby is a severity color. Red is the second highest since blood is red. Basically, it means expect heavy hitters and bring your best gear.”

Aaron thought that was an ingenious idea. “That’s so cool. Wait, wasn’t that something in an Anime?”

Damien shook his head, “This is real life, not a video game or story Aaron. You need to stop comparing everything to fantasy.” He led Aaron to one of the mana-powered cars and took the driver's seat. “Yes, I know magic is real now, but death is even more possible now. How the hell did you even get back here alive if they killed people?”

“My class is Kingdom Scout and my profession is Spy. It just worked out the best for me.” Aaron looked out at all the people watching them drive quickly toward the office building.

“You are lucky then kid. When you talk to Mathew, only tell him the important bits. You will get your reward after it I imagine. Hell, if you give him any more details than what was required, he will probably give you a bonus.”