Warning (Twin-Soul)[Source] is burning your body and mind! -1 All Attributes every 1 second

Lee jerked awake with a scream as fire Burned through him.

"Stan!" He gasped and the feeling vanished as suddenly as it appeared. "Something happened!" Lee was frantically trying to sense his brother as he fought off his drowsiness, then he felt it.

He was okay! Just sad and tired and hurting… Lee realized he was hurting too. "Ow..."

The memory of the fight rose up and Lee stared at the ceiling of his apartment in a trembling daze. "We did it. We survived!" He clenched his fists as a smile grew on his lips. "We're not finished yet!" He did feel terrible still and Lee looked at his notifications to distract himself.

Debuff Gained. [Soul Wound]...

"Nope," Lee thought, "don't need that… where's the good news?"

Your Soul Bound Connection with [Three] has increased.

"Okay, that's good… whatever that means." There were Skill and Class Level Ups as well but he skipped over them until…

Class Level Up. [Runic] No Evolutions Available. Upgrade to Apprentice Available. Proceed? Yes/No

"Excellent. But not yet…" He continued through the Notifications.

Skill Level Up. [Rune Creation] No Evolutions Available. Upgrade to Apprentice Available. Proceed? Yes/No

Skill Level Up. [RuneScape Creation] No Evolutions Available. Upgrade to Apprentice Available. Proceed? Yes/No

"Good, good." But then he saw it.

[Three] Emergency Protocol. Creator Death Imminent. Insufficient Resources. Requesting Assistance.

[Three] Emergency Protocol. Assistance Acquired. Granted Full Permanent Residence and Mana Access to all Participants.

[Three] Emergency Protocol. [Soul Tether] Crafted and Bound to Creator.

Lee wasn't very surprised. He remembered what had happened. What still surprised him, even though it shouldn't at this point, was Three. "Did it know how to create that?" he wondered, "Did I teach it? Did I know…" As he thought about it, Lee felt something else. A Connection between himself and Three, between Three and… "I can feel them…" He didn't only feel their Mana anymore. Now there was more.

A large number of people were in the courtyard, training by the feel of it, and everyone of them had a ghostly line or streamer running from them to the building around them. Those same lines came to, and were wrapping around Lee. Strands and filaments, branching and twisting into Runes that floated around him and also sat deep down inside him. Sheltering his Soul... and through him, his brother. "They all helped me..."

Lee forced himself to his feet. Even though he ached and his muscles threatened to give up, Lee made it to the door. It opened before he reached it and he lurched through. All the sounds in the courtyard ceased. Lee could feel the energy surging and he realized that Three had been blocking most of it from traveling through the walls and doors.

He staggered into the metal railing and looked down at the gathered people. Every single one of them was looking back up at him. They could feel him, much the same way he could feel them. Lee felt fear from them... and worry, anger, relief, joy, the whole gamut of human emotions were down there.

"Thank you." he gasped out weakly and coughed at his dry throat. "Thank you!" he said again, louder. "You… you saved me..." he was almost whispering now, but his voice carried in the silence. "You saved Stan!" His vision went blurry as tears welled up but he didn't need his eyes to see them. "Thank you… so much." Lee collapsed as his legs gave out and he slumped down, leaning his head against the bars of the railing. He had lived though that nightmare. Stan had survived... they had both been at the edge, and had been pulled back. "Thank…"

Someone leapt from below and the Mana outline of their body approached Lee. Hands gripped his arms. "You're welcome," Alejandro’s voice said, "Come on, let's get you back inside." He gently lifted Lee back onto his feet and turned him towards his apartment.

Lee twisted back as he swiped at his eyes and looked at his saviors again. "I won't let you down!" he shouted. "I will keep you safe… I promise... somehow." Lee sagged and allowed Alejandro to carry him inside. "I will…"

"We know, Lee," Alejandro said softly. Then they were back inside his apartment and the rush of… whatever that energy was, faded. A cup of water appeared in his face and Lee drank it, followed by another. Then a glowing pile of Chips appeared in his lap and he looked up. "Alejandro…"

"Absorb them," the man ordered. "It should help."

"But…" Lee started, looking at the large pile in shock. There were so many…

"Most of us are at E Rank already," Alejandro said and Lee stared at him in shock. "We all saw it… that thing," Alejandro whispered. "we all saw far too much. Everyone is terrified…"

"I'm sorry…" Lee's face fell.

"It's not your fault," Alejandro said, "we should be terrified, even I was only expecting more of the same." He shook his head. "We have only one more day of protection and we should be expecting the worst if we want to survive."

"One more what?" Lee asked, confused.

"The message after the first night?" Alejandro said. "We got seven days of protection to rebuild?"

Lee slowly nodded as it came back to him, then his eyes widened and he understood. "We will get another attack…"

"Yea. That's what we're expecting." Alejandro nodded.

"And it could be like…"

Alejandro nodded again. "That is what we are worried about."

"Fuck! If something like that…" Lee glanced at the wall. "This building can hold," he declared and knew it was true, "It will hold! If we get… that, then everyone can get in here and fight from the windows and doors if necessary."

"Yes, we'll…" Alejandro started.

"Weapons!" Lee exclaimed. "Did… um… what's her name... May! Did she…" Alejandro was nodding and he opened his mouth but Lee cut him off again. "Bring them to me! I'll make everyone invincible! Armor, shields, everything! I'll enchant it all."

Alejandro closed his mouth and smiled. "I'll get em." He pointed at the Cores. "Use those."

Lee nodded and shoved his hand into the pile and thought, "yes".

He grimaced at the strange sensation of multiple Attributes increasing as he went back to his notifications. "I need to do so much more…"

Trait Upgraded: [Magic OverReach VI]

"Fine."

Trait Upgraded: [This Is The Way]

You successfully Bound your own Soul with an Apprentice Ranked RuneScape.

(Your commitment to pushing the boundaries of your Class has not gone unnoticed. +20% Effectiveness to All Runic Skills and Abilities.)

Lee couldn't tell if anything had changed and he had been preoccupied when these changes happened. "Fuck it. More power is more power. I'll just…"

Mana Saturation of (Earth) has surpassed (F Rank) Threshold. Rank Up.

[Dungeon(Earth)](E Rank)

Prepare to Defend the Dungeon! Fight!

"Fuck." Lee felt a surge of alarm from everyone he was bound to, strong enough to pass through the dampening of the building. "Nothing to do about that other than what I already was." He pulled up his Class Rank Up. "Yes."

Class Rank Up.

[Runic(Apprentice I)](Legendary)

Apprentice Ranked Rune Library Available.

Knowledge appeared in his head. The new Runes. Lee realized that while he gained some new knowledge, the majority of it was mostly known already. "Odd. Must have been from using the Source that first night?"

New Class Skills Available. Proceed? Yes/No

"Come on, be good."

[Mana Lake(Initiate)](Rare)

Expand your Mana Pool and Mana Regeneration 300%

"Seriously?" Lee thought. "Very simple explanation…" Though to be fair it didn't really need to say more. As for the Skill itself… It might be useful for anyone else but he had the Well… "Maybe if I wanted to leave the building?" Lee realized that he didn't actually know how much Mana he had, or more specifically how much he could actually do with what he had. Plus he had [Mana Mind] to drain his Mana… "It's the last option for now. Next."

[Rune Storage(Initiate)](Epic)

The Runic may Create and Bind Runes and RuneScapes within their Soul. Bound Runes may be Called up and Applied Instantly and do not require the Runic to redraw them, only supply them with Mana. Bound Runes will Remain after use and can be reused or removed and replaced by Runic at will.

Number of Bound Runes limited by Skill Level, Soul and Intelligence.

"That's more like it!" That one was definitely the top choice now.

[Rune Overcharge(Initiate)](Epic)

Runic gains the ability and knowledge to create stronger Effects from All Runes by Overcharging up to Extreme Mana Density.

Overcharge limited by Mana Pool, Soul, Intelligence, Skill Level and Material.

"Well damn." That one could be even better. How strong could he make his effects with unlimited Mana? His Soul was high already… but that last bit… Material.

[Mana Mind] showed him someone approaching his door. "Alejandro must have brought some of the weapons." Lee kept mulling over his choices as the man came inside.

He was abruptly pulled from his contemplation by a black spear stabbing into the couch between his legs! A crossbar on the spear crushed his legs to the seat and pinned him in place.

Lee pulled his horrified gaze away from where the weapon had just missed his… bits, and looked up in time to see the knife approaching his neck. It forced his head further and further back until he was looking at the ceiling. Or he would have been if not for the very angry face of Maria, now inches from his own.

"You. Will. Remove. It." She snarled.

"What are you…" Lee wheezed out as he tried to stay very still.

"Mama…" A child's voice. Lee didn't dare try to turn his head but his Skill showed him two small forms in his doorway.

Lee felt horror and terror rising inside him as he 'looked' at the two children. Both of them had small Tethers running away from them… and connecting to Three.

"Oh god!" His mind was spinning. "Three! Release them!" He demanded of the building. Nothing happened. "Release them!" He shouted at the ceiling. "I didn't want this!" He felt a sting on his neck as he yelled.

"Mama." The small boy stepped next to Maria. "We wanted to help."

Lee looked into Maria's eyes above him. They were full of rage and fear.

"Daddy says we should help people that need it." Maria closed her eyes, her expression heartbroken and afraid. "Uncle Lee was hurt and scared so we wanted to help. Please don't be mad." The boy threw himself onto his mother in a hug and his little sister toddled closer and joined in.

Maria stiffened and the knife disappeared from his neck. She rolled off Lee and pulled both children into her lap on the couch. She was talking to them in Spanish when Alejandro walked through the door. He glanced at the spear impaled into the couch between Lee's legs, then at Maria and the children. A small smile grew on his face.

"This isn't funny!" Lee thought at the man, "she wants to kill me! Plus I bound your kids' Souls to me! Plus I'm slowly draining everyone's Souls to keep myself alive!" Lee didn't dare move. His head was still pointing at the ceiling.

"You know you can't kill him, mi amor." Alejandro said casually. He pulled the spear out of the couch and leaned it next to Lee. "All the weapons are like this." He said, pointing at it. "You start making Magic while I talk to Maria."

Lee tried to move, he really did, but his body wouldn't move. So instead he just lay there while his heartbeat ever so slowly calmed down. In the meantime, to try and take his mind off of what he'd done, he tried to think of the Runes or more likely RuneScape, that he would put on the spears. He would need to make the whole thing stronger, so it couldn't break, and sharp, preferably sharp enough to go through any armor… or high leveled Undead skulls… It would have to be a RuneScape. He would need that for…

He flinched when Maria was pulled to her feet by Alejandro. She held her baby girl in her arms and Gabriel, still on the couch, leaned over to Stanley.

"Don't be sad, Uncle." He said. "Daddy says 'we are all in this together'." Gabriel leaned over and gave Lee a hug. "It'll be okay." He said, voice muffled in Lee's coat.

Lee awkwardly returned the hug. "Thank you, Gabriel. You helped me... a lot."

"You're welcome." Gabriel said cheerfully as he sat back with a smile. "See? Now you're less sad."

Lee chuckled weakly. "You're right." He licked his lips nervously. "Um… Gabriel? Do you know how high your Soul number is?"

"Yes!" Gabriel smiled and sat up straight. "It is four." He held up four fingers. "Nita is two." He pulled two fingers down with his other hand.

Lee was shaking as horror filled him. "No. No. No!" He looked at Alejandro and Maria who were both watching the exchange. They didn't look horri…

"Minus… zero... dot… zero… two… p…, per! Four days." Gabriel held up four fingers again.

Lee sank back into the couch and closed his eyes. "Not Equal drain… Equal percentage…" He felt tears leaking from his closed eyes. "That scared me so bad. Worse than the knife on my neck…" A small hand patted his leg.

Lee opened his eyes. Gabriel was looking at him closely. "Not sad tears?" he asked curiously.

Lee blinked. "Is he sensing my…" He felt it. He could feel something from everyone in the room. Just like before, on the balcony. A whirlwind tour of emotions from the group. "It's not too late." Lee closed his eyes again in relief. "There is time. We can still fix this." He forced his mind away from that. "Concentrate on what you need now." He went back to the spear and the decision of what Runes to use. "RuneScape… I need the whole thing to be tough and the spearhead to be sharp." He put a hand on the metal as he planned out the steps. "Wait… My skills can upgrade too."

He wasn't ready to pick the Class Skill yet, but the upgrades shouldn't require a choice. He confirmed them both.

[Rune Creation(Apprentice I)](Rare)

Create Runes without having to draw them out by hand or tool. Allows for direct mental control of Liquid Mana. Requires high focus and concentration. +Improved Control over Liquid Mana. +Improved Recollection of Runes every Repetition

[RuneScape Creation(Apprentice I)](Rare)

Create RuneScapes without having to draw them out by hand or tool. Allows for direct mental control of Liquid Mana. Requires high focus and concentration. +Improved Control over Liquid Mana. +Improved Recollection of RuneScapes every Repetition.

It wasn't anything groundbreaking but it couldn't hurt. "Improved by repetition… isn't everything?" Maybe it was more than just muscle memory… he had been slinging Runes like a mad man inside their Soul… but that had been at least two parts panic and one part instinct.

Lee put those thoughts aside and finished designing his RuneScape. "I'll call you… 'Tough n Stabby'." It was four Runes in total, not too bad… One to strengthen the entire weapon, the easiest. One to sharpen the blade, slightly harder. One to limit the area of the second to only sharpen the blade instead of the whole spear. And last one to tie the other three all together, the worst one, the Rune that had to be drawn simultaneously with the others. He didn't need to draw four at once, more like one plus three consecutive Runes.

"Easy." He started. "First time's the charm." It wasn't. "Second time's the charm." It wasn't. "Third…" And so on.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Lee had lost count when he finally succeeded but wasn't 'that' high. He looked at the weapon, with his eyes and his mind. His eyes saw only a small blue glowing script running from the base of the blade and onto the shaft. Otherwise it looked mundane, a black iron… or iron like, metal spear.

His mind saw the Mana. It was thick and opaque inside the weapon and he could see his RuneScape laying over and through the thing. It was still very odd to look at, the Runes seemed to be everywhere he looked while simultaneously firmly fixed to a singular spot. He ignored the confusing sight and hefted the spear.

It was too heavy, he felt, but thanks to his newly improved stats, Lee could pick it up and wave it around. He wouldn't want to have to run or fight with it, not for any kind of extended period, but people with better stats would probably be fine. He flipped it over and mentally apologized to Three, before stabbing the blade into the floor.

Or at least he tried to. It bounced off with an echoing clang and the resulting vibration made his hands ache. "Not really a good test… I'll need someone to…" Lee looked up and finally realized that he was alone. "Did I just forget and ignore them until they left?" Didn't matter, he was doing what he needed to.

The question now was… which Skill to pick. The storage might let him basically copy and paste this RuneScape onto every weapon available. It could let him be always ready for an attack. He could have something similar to what he killed the snake with… but… there was one little giant problem. 'Bind Runes and RuneScapes within their Soul'

Soul… that was worrying. What would happen, if anything, when he learned or used that Skill. He didn't know if his Soul Wound would get worse or be completely unaffected. After all, Lee was using his Soul already to create Runes as a part of his Class. It was a Class Skill and so may work similarly...

Lee sank back into the couch, his eyes closed. "Shit." He sat up when someone approached his door and was watching nervously as the door opened. "Can't Three block doors if it can open them?" He also remembered the response when Jake had threatened him, but meanwhile Maria had garnered no such reaction with her threat…

"Does it know something I don't? Was Maria not a real threat?" What would happen if he died… did the Tether go away? Or would everyone go down with him… "Maybe because she is Tethered as well…" He had another disturbing thought. "What happens to the rest of us if someone dies?"

Alejandro walked through the door. "Lee." He greeted him as he approached and set a steaming plate on the small end table. "Eat and let's talk."

Lee didn't feel like eating but the smell got him to try a bit. Then his hunger kicked in and he quickly started devouring the meal. "Can you remove it?" Alejandro asked abruptly.

Lee paused with a piece of meat hovering in front of his mouth. "I…" He swallowed the food in his mouth and lowered his hand. "I don't think so." Alejandro nodded as if he'd expected this. "It was the building…" Lee said softly, while hating the feeling that he was passing the buck, "I would have never…"

"I know," Alejandro interrupted. "Maria knows too, I think." He clasped his hands in front of himself. "We all got a good look at you," he said quietly, then he chuckled. "There was a lot of fear and anger... but underneath we could feel a lot more." Alejandro sighed and leaned back into the couch. "Everyone I've spoken to, they all saw and felt the same thing. Then they all gained the new Soul Attribute on their status. And all of us got at least a plus two of it before the Tether." He winced. "It was quite an experience…"

Lee sat up a bit straighter. "How much did you lose after?"

"We lost one immediately after agreeing to the message, but since then, nothing for two days," he explained.

"So Anita…" Lee started.

"We don't know… but we assume more than two," Alejandro said, "Gabriel just says that because he is 'twice as old' as she is." He smiled.

"How many children did I…" Lee asked hesitantly.

"All the ones inside… maybe ten," Alejandro replied, "but none younger than Anita, she is the youngest."

"Did they… agree?" Lee asked softly. "Why would they even want to?"

"It was…" Alejandro ran a hand through his hair. "It was intense… we felt… very… connected," he said, conviction in his voice. "It was like we were fighting with you… and when the option came to help… we instinctively jumped to it?"

"I know you were the first one." Lee smiled as he told him and Alejandro grinned widely.

"Of course I was! We are brothers!"

Lee rolled his eyes. "Yea, yea, and Maria was second…" He couldn’t understand that one.

"She cares," Alejandro stated and then glanced around as if looking for eavesdroppers. "She cares more than anyone I know," he whispered. "That is why she is so passionate. She is overflowing with love!" He glanced around again. "Don't tell her I said that!"

Lee chuckled. "She might share some of that love with you?"

Alejandro grinned. "Exactly!"

Lee sighed. "I will fix this… somehow."

"Good." Alejandro nodded. "But first we must prepare for the attack."

Lee picked up the spear he'd been working on and started to hand it over but then froze. "Wait. Two days?" he asked. "How long did I sleep?"

"About two days." Alejandro confirmed as he took the spear from him. "Is this it?"

Lee nodded slowly as he processed the information. "Yes… you should test it… on something." A distant clanging beat suddenly sounded out and Lee jumped.

"Ah, May is finished with her nap." Alejandro smiled. "Get used to it. That woman has been going almost constantly since the other day."

Lee's eyes widened. "Constant…" The clanging was only getting louder. "No wonder Maria wanted to kill me… two days of that?" Lee was already thinking about how to make it stop. A Rune could probably block the noise… it would have to. "I'm going to fix the racket." Lee stood up and he noticed how easy it was to do so. "Progress. Thanks Alejandro."

Alejandro chuckled. "You will make many friends if you can stop the noise." He stood up, spear in hand. "I will test this."

They walked together out the door and Lee noticed that the courtyard had cleared out. "Training is over?"

"Time for outside, real training now. Everyone takes trips to the Lair." Alejandro said.

"Lair?" Lee questioned as they headed for the stairs. Alejandro explained about how the superstore had become a Lair that seemed to house a never-ending supply of giant ticks. Lee shivered and was really happy when the clanging of metal got too loud as they descended and Alejandro had to stop explaining that horror show. "Need to burn that building down," he thought while still shuddering.

They split up at the bottom of the stairwell, with Alejandro heading outside and Lee in the other direction, into the garage. He walked through the door and into a deafening hellscape. He immediately moved towards a fiery glow that came from the corner where May was hammering something and a noxious haze hung in the air.

Lee approached and dropped to one knee, having already come up with something to use. Three Runes strung together in a repeating pattern spread from his hands where he touched the floor. One to dampen vibration and the other to aim the effects, while the third linked it all together. It came out looking rather nice.

The glowing pattern circled around the woman and her anvil. As it went the noise levels dropped steadily until it connected back at the start and the pattern shifted ever so slightly as the direction Rune angled the effect into a dome.

Blessedly glorious silence descended. "Why was that so much easier?" Lee thought. "It's only one less Rune but I knocked it out in one…' Lee glanced up to see May glaring at him and the glowing circle around her. She opened her mouth and started enthusiastically yelling something but Lee heard nothing. He smiled and stepped inside the circle.

"...without warning! Lucky I don't hammer your face!" She stopped yelling and squinted at him. "Oh, it's you. You're alive! Good. So what did you do?" She pointed her hammer at the circle on the ground.

"It blocks the noise." Lee explained with a smile as he finally got a good look around the place, now that he could think freely.

"Okay." May stuck the metal she'd been hammering inside the furnace and pulled out another piece. Clang! Clang!

Lee quickly moved back out of the circle as he stared in shock at the piles of finished spears. "How many do we need?" He wondered. "And how hard has she been working?"

Alejandro chose that moment to walk up to him. "It's great!" He exclaimed while holding up the spear. He glanced at the silent blacksmith and gave Lee a grinning thumbs up. "A true hero stands before us!"

Lee chuckled. It really was so much better.

"Going to do the rest?" Alejandro gestured at the spears.

Lee looked at the pile again. "How many do we need?"

"We have a few hundred people that want to fight and need weapons." Alejandro explained. "We found a lot of people hiding out there, but we find less and less everyday."

Lee swallowed nervously. "How many have died here?"

"Only a few…" Alejandro said quietly. "We don't have enough that can heal… but if they make it back the Regeneration Buffs save many."

Lee looked at the weapons and tried to estimate how long it would take. Assuming he got better it was still going to take… too long. "What about armor?" He asked.

Alejandro shook his head. "We decided on weapons first, May recommended the 'boar spears' as she calls them."

Lee recognized that name. Keep the animal away and kill it at the same time. But armor… "Find out how many weapons we need. If she can make armor, even just crude plates, I can make them like your shield."

Alejandro nodded. "Can you do so many?"

"We'll find out." Lee took a deep breath. "I'm going to learn a new Skill that should help. It shouldn't be a problem… but keep an eye on your Soul."

Alejandro looked at him with a searching look. "You sure?"

"Not completely… but it's a Class Skill and my Runes use my Soul as well, so…" He nodded at the spear in Alejandro’s hand.

"I'll watch." Alejandro finally nodded his acceptance.

Lee chose his Skill.

New Class Skill Gained.

[Rune Storage(Initiate I)](Epic)

Lee opened his eyes as the rush of knowledge ended. "No change in my Soul… now the next test." He carefully and slowly, following the steps he'd just learned, Inscribed a simple Strengthening Rune into his Soul Space. It wasn't quite the same area as his Soul Wound, it was… on a different… side? But as for the Wound itself? Nothing happened. He looked at Alejandro questioningly. The man shook his head with a small smile.

Lee touched one of the unenchanted spears and Activated his Skill. A flash from his Soul sent the Rune under his finger and onto the metal instantly. Mana drained simultaneously and the Rune was done. Just like that. Granted it was the least he could do. "So easy… if I can do that with a RuneScape…" He looked at Alejandro. "I think we're good. I'll get started."

The man nodded and turned to head outside. "I'll find out about numbers."

Lee sat on the pavement. "Now the hard part. Getting a RuneScape in there." He started with the Runes he'd put around May. Just to test if it was within the Skills limits. It was. He cleared it out and started crafting the 'Tough n Stabby' RuneScape.

Sometime later he was ready to try it. Again. He reached out and touched the spear. Mana drained and his Soul flashed. The RuneScape settled into the spear... and held! Unfortunately he could store a bad RuneScape in his Soul just fine but wouldn't know until he tried to use it. He'd learned that the hard way. Fortunately he could fit the bigger RuneScape in his Skill just fine.

Lee sighed in relief and stood up. He had to lean against the wall while his legs woke up and he rubbed some feeling back into his butt. Then he started for real. Step, touch, flash, step. One after another he went through the stockpile. After the first dozen, his arm started to ache from the constant Mana flow. So he switched arms, until the other one started hurting. He kept rotating but had to slow down when the Mana Channels in his chest started hurting as well.

Skill [Rune Storage] Level Up.

After maybe a hundred spears were finished, he felt two people walk into his [Mana Mind] range. He only noticed because one of them was carrying a lot of Lee's Runes. Thanks to that it only took him a moment to figure out who it was. "Jake."

Lee was taking a break and leaning against the elevator wall in the center of the garage, watching May tirelessly working in the corner. Jake and the other person, someone shorter than Jake, were approaching from behind the stairwell. Neither had the Tether, he noted. "Hi Jake." Lee said as they rounded the corner. "Who's your friend?"

"Lee." Jake greeted him as he stepped into view.

"How do people keep seeing me!" A woman's voice yelled.

Lee looked up at her in confusion. "You're…" He blinked. "Invisible? Cool!"

"How did 'you' see me?" She whined. "Let me guess, you can hear heartbeats or something."

Lee looked at the Mana around her. There was an interesting sort of shell coating her but he didn't know how it worked. "Something that might be worth studying… maybe a Rune of… connected to…" Lee shook his head. He could worry about it later.

"I can see Mana." Lee told her simply while Jake was chuckling at the girl. "No idea how to make Mana invisible…" He thought about it. "Maybe if…" He shook his head again. "Focus."

"What's up Jake?" Lee asked the man. "Need more Runes?"

Jake was studying him seriously. "I see you didn't take my advice about secrecy," he said. "In fact you went in the opposite direction." He laughed.

Lee smiled sadly. "It wasn't a viable strategy." He looked away. "I've seen what might be coming for us… I can't survive alone."

Full Mana Access Granted: (Jake)

Jake nodded and sat in front of him. "I see."

"Only works inside this building." Lee explained. "But it should help with defending at least."

The woman sat down next to Jake, appearing as she did so. "Hi, I'm Mar." She held out a hand.

Full Mana Access Granted: (Mar)

"Lee." He shook her hand as she flinched in surprise. "Where have you guys been?"

"The Lair…" Jake said and Mar shuddered. "That's why I'm here, in fact." Jake leaned forward. "I need something to help me kill the Queen. Her body is too tough and I need a way to get my arrows to penetrate."

"You can't kill the Queen." Alejandro stated, as he walked around the corner. "It might kill the Lair."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Everyone hates that place. Plus we don't 'know' that killing the Queen will destroy the Lair."

Alejandro shook his head. "Wilson gave orders that…"

"Don't care." Jake interrupted. "Besides there is another Lair now and it's even closer." Jake grinned. "Plus we can eat the groundhogs!"

Mar shuddered again. "I can't believe you tried to eat the ticks…" She went a bit pale as she covered her mouth.

Jake just laughed. "They could have been delicious for all we know! Just think, crunchy but bursting with juice in your…"

"Ahh! Shut up!" Mar rolled away from him, gagging.

Jake laughed and turned back to Lee. "So what do you think?" He pulled a glowing Core from his pocket. "I've got something extra to sweeten the deal."

Lee was interested now. He took the Core, it was a Skill. "Sweet! Wait… what the?"

[Summon Plate](Common)

Summon a plate with Mana. Material, Duration, and Durability of summoned item dependent on Skill Level and Mana Investment.

Requirements: 5 Intelligence(N/A)

He looked deadpan at Jake. "Seriously?"

Jake chuckled. "Relax, it's not a joke. I thought you might be able to put Runes on them. If so…" He shrugged.

Lee hesitated. "That's…"

"Plus." Jake continued. "With your unlimited Mana it'll be easy to Level and it might become more useful at higher ranks."

Lee nodded along. "Maybe…"

"Tell you what." Jake said. "If I kill the Queen with your help, I'll not only share exactly what happens but, I'll also stay here for the next attack before I leave. Deal? As for that." Jake waved at the Core. "Just absorb it. If it's trash it doesn't matter, but if you like it…"

Lee thought about it. He had nothing to lose. "Sure." Knowledge flowed into his mind and Lee held out a hand. He followed the memories from the Core and his Mana moved. At that moment he remembered his first Skill, [Mana Blast], the one that changed because of his Liquid Mana… "Oh shit!"

Fortunately there was no pain or explosions this time. Instead a massive amount of Mana drained out of him and a plain, white, ceramic looking plate appeared above his hand.

You have Demonstrated the Skill [Summon Plate(Initiate I)](Common)

Effects: Summon a plate with Mana. Material, Duration, and Durability of summoned item dependent on Skill Level and Mana Investment.)

Note due to (Liquid Mana) Skill has been Evolved.

[Create Plate(Initiate I)](Rare)

Effects: Create a Plate out of Liquid Mana. Material and Durability dependent on Skill Level and Liquid Mana Investment.)

"Well…" Lee didn't know what to say. "Is it permanent now?" The Mana he'd watched flowing into the spell was gone. It had just sort of… vanished into the plate as it appeared.

"How much Mana did you just use?" Jake asked incredulously.

"Drained most of it… I think." Lee thought. It was hard to tell when Three just refilled it almost instantly. "Sorry Jake." Lee said with a small smile. "I can't just go around spilling secrets like that."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Ha ha." He deadpanned. "So… how is it?"

"Let's find out." Lee started with a simple Rune of Strengthening. His go to. The Glowing symbol appeared and held. For a second. Then a cracking sound preceded a line splitting down the center as Lee frantically pulled the Rune back.

He got most of it… but the plate still exploded into stinging dust. Lee opened his eyes and blinked away the dust. "I'll help."

Jake smiled. "Excellent!"

Lee summoned another plate and set it carefully aside, to test if it was indeed permanent.

"I think I felt it that time!" Mar exclaimed as she looked between Lee and the plate.

"It's a start." Jake told her. "Remember that feeling and watch for it."

"This might take a bit." Lee warned him. "Just leave whatever arrows you're okay with maybe getting destroyed."

Jake dropped a quiver in front of Lee. "Here you go. We're going to find some grub." He got up and Mar followed.

"Bye." She waved while invisible and Lee waved back absent-mindedly as he started thinking about how to do this. It would need to be sharp… or maybe corrosive… What would he use to hurt the Undead… speed, sharpness, fire, explosiveness?

"Lee." Alejandro spoke up and Lee jumped.

He looked up at the man and then followed his gaze. "Oh, yea. All the ones with the glowing symbols are ready."

Alejandro nodded with a smile. "That's great! So many?"

"I'll get the rest today, probably. It starts to hurt after a while, so I'll need some breaks."

"Tomorrow night." Alejandro said. "We want to be ready as soon as the timer hits zero."

"We will be." Lee said and he meant it.

Alejandro carried a couple of the spears out and eventually more people came through and grabbed spears. Meanwhile Lee kept trying to figure out Jake's problem while occasionally going on another enchanting spree. He tried a few variations on the arrows. Starting with smaller RuneScapes and working his way up. He stacked Sharpen Runes onto each other for one. He managed something he thought might turn into acid on impact. On another he managed to get sharpen, toughen, and one he thought should explode on impact. That arrow started making him nervous, just lying on the floor, so he pulled the Rune back out and left it for last.

In the end he had a dozen different arrows ready and he carefully put them into the quiver one at a time, just in case. Then, ready for another break, Lee walked to the ramp leading up and out of the garage. He paused at the spot he'd fallen last time. "Hang in there Stan."

He stepped forward and outside the building. "Woah…" Lee stopped for a couple reasons. First the sudden loss of Three and his Buffs. Second, he finally noticed the wall. "Damn that's impressive!"

He felt something and turned his head. A man was sitting in the dirt planters and leaning against Three with his head slumped forward onto his chest. He was snoring faintly. Lee walked closer to the man and reached out to touch Three. His Connection reappeared and he sighed as he realized how much better he felt with it. "Ahh that's better."

The sleeping man jerked upright with a yell and scrambled to his feet. Lee could see the Tether connecting the man to Three as he lurched forward. His head swiveled wildly until he saw Lee and then he sagged back down. "Oh hi." He murmured. "Sorry I…" His head popped up again. "Lee! You're awake!"

Lee nodded at him. "How you doing Bradley?" He waved at the wall. "Did you do all this?"

Bradley yawned. "Yea… thanks for the extra Mana, but man…" He yawned again. "It's still exhausting."

"It sure is." Lee agreed and settled down next to the other man. "Is it this big all the way around?" The wall was at least two stories tall and sitting near where the fence had been before.

"Nah." Bradley said. "I finished this side first but I need a nap now."

"Why not go inside?" Lee asked.

"The noise…" Bradley mumbled. "Just let me sleep before the demon starts up again."

Lee chuckled. "I muted her already."

"Really?" Bradley looked at him with such longing and hope in his eyes that Lee couldn't laugh at him.

He smiled. "Really. Come see, she is working right now." Lee stood up as he lost his touch on Three he remembered something in the sudden weakness. He looked at his Mana bar. 99%... 98%... 97% "Damn." He thought. "Didn't expect [Mana Mind] to be that draining." Lee followed Bradley the ten feet back to the ramp and in that time lost another five percent of his Mana. "Shit… I really can't leave the building." He started wondering if he had maybe acted a bit rashly by taking the Skill. "No." He told himself. "It was the right call. Better to be trapped here and alive. Plus I can probably make some kind of Mana battery…" Just thinking about it brought Runes popping into his head. He shook off the ideas with thoughts of 'later'.

He was abruptly pulled into a powerful hug and Bradley, who sounded on the verge of tears, spoke in his ear. "I love you, man!" He squeezed tighter. "I love you so much!"

Lee chuckled and pushed him off. "Get your nap in. I'm going back to work." Bradley walked over to one of the cars still in the garage and collapsed across the back seats. Moments later he was snoring again. Lee went back to the spears. More people came and went. Some greeted him and others didn't. At some point May stopped making spears and started making shields.

Jake came back and Lee explained what each arrow 'should' do. He'd created more than one of each and he warned Jake to maybe test some first. Jake was pleased and disappeared somewhere.

Lee finally finished the last spear and sat down to figure out a shield RuneScape. He opened his eyes into a rapidly darkening garage. The sun was just down. May was being carried in the arms of her husband as he strode to another car. He nodded at Lee and then sat inside the car and tilted the seat back, May curled up on top of him, asleep. Lee looked at the pile of shields. "Tomorrow." He trudged up the stairs wearily, pulling up his Status as he went.

Status

Name: Lee Cascade

Race: [Human](F Rank)

Titles:

[First Time?]

Traits:

[Adaptable] [Source-Touched] [Magic OverReach VI] [This Is The Way] [Ruthless Soul]

Class:

[Runic(Apprentice II)](Legendary)

Class Skills:

[Rune Creation(Apprentice II)](Rare)

[RuneScape Creation(Apprentice II)](Rare)

[Rune Storage(Initiate III)](Epic)

Attributes:

Strength: 18

Vitality: 15

Dexterity 20

Perception 19

Intelligence 20+

Willpower 20

Twin-Soul 200

Non Class Skills:

[Create Plate(Initiate I)](Rare)

[Source Regeneration](Passive)

[Venom Resistance I](Passive)

[Liquid Mana Blast(Initiate I)](UnCommon)

[Mana Mind(Initiate II)](Passive)(Epic)

Buffs:

[Building 3]

[Sentient Lair]

Debuffs:

[Famished]

[Fatigued]

[Deadly Soul Wound(Mostly Patched)(Shielded)] -1 Twin-Soul Attributes per 4 Days.

"Looks like the Rune Storage doesn't let me power Level the other Skills… but they still went up one." It was an acceptable gain. "No. I need to do more than acceptable… but tomorrow." He was so tired… "Almost E Rank." Lee hoped that he would have more energy or at least endurance, after that. "Ruthless Soul?" Lee pulled up the Trait he'd overlooked before. He clenched his teeth in remembered pain and moved on. "It's not over yet. Now, what is Sentient Lair?" He focused on it.

[Sentient Lair]

Your home has reached the requirements to become a Sentient Lair. Lair Structures increase in Durability over time. As a Resident, you gain the following effects while within the Lair.

+1% All Regeneration

+1% Effectiveness of All Attributes

+100% to Offspring Conception Chances

-50% Offspring Incubation Time

Rapid and Declining Growth rate of Offspring until Maturity.

"What the fuck." Lee closed his eyes as he swayed on his feet. "You know what… I don't care." He fell onto his floor mattress and was out. Sometime later he awoke to his door closing. "Huh?" He looked around sleepily and found a plate of food next to the bed.

He managed to eat most of it before he fell asleep again.