“So, what do you all think?”

  “We can’t tell you what to do,” Dora replied, “Although, I’d appreciate it if you turned that ability off.”

  I winked at her playfully. I mean she was pretty cute even if she had blue skin, weirdly shaped ears, and was likely several years older than me. “Of course, and I’m not asking you to make the decision for me, but even if your world was only a couple generations ago, you still know more about how all this works than I do.”

  Crag said, “He’s pretty intense, but I think he’s on the level.”

  I nodded. “That’s just it. I want to believe him. I really wanna take him up on this offer, but I’m always leery when I want something too much.”

  Nevin said, “Maybe the best way to approach this would be for you to tell us why you’d like to accept the offer and then we can make sure your reasoning is sound.”

  “Uh sure. I mean first I like that he isn’t from one of the corporations. I’m not a socialist or anything, but we can all agree that too much power placed in the hands of an organization which has profit as its sole driving motivator is dangerous. I like the idea of being part of something bigger than myself and it gives me a way out if the worst were to happen on Earth.

  “Then there’s the who vibe he’s got going on. It’s sorta a blend between Morpheus and Terminator. The Schwarzenegger one… uh... the good one when he came back to protect John Connors not the evil one from the first movie, even though that was pretty bad ass.”

  Nevin pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t understand almost any of that last part, but I think your reasoning is good with regard to the clan and belonging. Of course, my experience has biased me against the corporations, so take that into consideration.”

  We talked about it for a few more minutes, but in the end; it was pretty clear that this was a good option, I just needed to make sure that the clan wasn’t one of those, ‘you can only leave when you’re dead sort of organizations.’ I glanced back over at Samvek and noticed another trio of undead drones creeping up on him.

  I shouted out a warning and started running for him. He might be strong, but I didn’t know if he could take a sneak attack.

  I hadn’t taken more than three steps before he moved in a whirl of motion. Electricity danced up from his feet and spread down his arms and then onto his weapon. His spear was spinning as it cut into the bodies of the undead. Each exploded with an electrical outburst. He finished them all in about the time it took me to take another three . With insouciant grace, he settled back, leaning against the remains of a Darje home while displaying a combination of stoicism and bad-assery. I wished I could make it look that easy.

  When we reached him, Crag spoke before I could. “That was explosively awesome… get it?”

  Dora groaned. Samvek smiled and Nevin asked, “How many times do I have to remind you? If you have to explain the joke, it wasn’t a good one in the first place.”

  Something dawned on me then. “You knew they were about to attack you long before my warning.”

  He nodded. “I’m currently aware of fourteen more of the drones in this town now. It appears all of the living Darje have either left or have met their end. I waited though to see if you’d warn me. You did exactly as I had hoped you would, confirming our decision to offer you a place within the clan. Normally, we would have followed you for a couple of years before we did something like this, but your status as a Forerunner prevents that, while also increasing your value to the clan.”

  “Okay, last question. What happens if I want to leave the clan?”

  “We won’t stop you from going somewhere else. We won’t hunt you down for refusing to obey the elders. I don’t know what it’s like on your planet, but where I grew up, if a young adult no longer wanted to obey the elders, then it was time for them to leave home and make their own way. That didn’t mean they left the family, just that they were going to assume responsibility for themselves. Many do that and then come back once the passion of youth has fled.”

  That cinched the deal for me. “Okay then, I’ll accept your offer.”

  What followed was a short ceremony where Samvek first cut his forearm and then cut mine. He mingled our blood and then said, “As our blood mixes and becomes one, so you too become part of Rayden Clan. I, Samvek Rayden, swear upon my honor and that of the clan, that I will do my best to train, prepare, and equip you for what is to come. My strength will be a shield, but never shade to stifle your growth. In turn, you shall obey my guidance until either I release you from mentorship, or you decide you are strong enough to go your own way and wise enough that you no longer need my guidance.”

  The moment his oath concluded; a profound sensation surged within me. It was the presence of the system, palpable and resonant, like a silent hum in the core of my being. A bond, unseen but undeniably potent, wove itself between us. It was more than mere allegiance; it was a tethering of souls within this vast multiverse.

  Simultaneously, a myriad of finer strands branched out from me. These delicate threads of connection wove into the ether, linking me to entities unseen, places untouched. It was a web of potential alliances, quests, and sagas yet to unfold. The network of bonds pulsed with the lifeblood of the system, each throb echoing the heartbeat of this new reality.

  For an ephemeral instant, amidst the alien terrain under a sky unrecognizable as my own, a sense of belonging washed over me. The foreign became familiar, not through the senses, but through this newfound kinship with a family I’d never met. The land's strangeness receded, replaced by a deep-seated recognition.

  I was an intruder no longer. The system embraced me, its vastness cradling my consciousness. It was akin to a homecoming, a return to a place never before seen, yet intimately known. The unity I experienced was transcendental, an intertwining with a force far grander than the sum of my parts.

  Sadly, that sensation only lasted a second, but it was enough to cause me to rock where I stood before catching myself.

  “Good, you didn’t fall over,” Samvek said.

  “Okay, do I repeat that or something?”

  He shook his head. “You felt the truth of your connection with the clan. I could see it on your face and felt it echo within me.”

  “But how can I join the clan without making some sort of oath? You had to pledge your honor. Don’t I have to swear to obey you or something?”

  “Does a child have to make an oath to be born?”

  I stared at him for a second before blinking and saying, “Oh, so now the Zen questions begin.”

  He chuckled. “Just check your status.”

  Name: Silas Renner

  Clan: Rayden, outer family

  Race: Human (Basic)

  Age: 22

  Height: 6’3”

  Weight: 196 lbs.

  Class: Druid-Shield Bearer-Projection Mage (common)

  Level: 31

  Total XP: 32,500

  XP to Next Level: 2,520

  Occupation: Junkman Artificer

  Level: 1

  Sure enough, there it was, before even my race was listed. I guess that said something about how the system, or maybe the clan prioritized me as being a part of it. After glancing at the first part of my status sheet, I asked, “Now what?”

  “Now, you train.”

  His grin made me a bit nervous.

  He looked at the Galenians and said, “Don’t interfere. I won’t allow him to die.”

  Then he streaked off, running so fast it was almost difficult to follow him. He returned a few moments later and said, “Ready yourself.”

  I pulled out my staff and then looked in the direction he’d just come from. A single drone was headed straight for him, except then he faded out of sight and the drone caught sight of me.

  A dozen different protests went through my head. I wanted to say that I wasn’t a tank or a front-line fighter. I was a healer, a buffer, even a ranged damage dealer, but somehow, I doubted that was going to mean anything to Samvek. Above it all, I cursed my stupidity for not having summoned Urg either when I arrived here or after that first battle.

  Boon-Bane

  There was no time to summon Urg now as the spell took longer, even if I had enough mana to afford its cost now, but I still went with my mainstay buff. I gripped my staff in one hand and managed to fire off Mage Missiles before the creature reached me, but after that, it was all that I could do to spin out of its way. I was faster than it and far more agile, but my mind was already working out how I could keep it far enough away from me to be able to defeat it.

  Samvek shouted, “Don’t just run, fight. Show me what you can do with that staff.”

  I set my feet again and then, with my staff in both hands; I braced for the onslaught. The drone, an aberration of bone and fury, bore down upon me. Its charge was relentless, a grotesque mass of undead sinew and skeletal malice. I struck with my staff, slapping the end against the side of the monster’s head, just as the knowledge I gained with the boon suggested I should. The blow didn’t seem to faze the monster at all and instead it lashed out at me with clawed fingertips.

  Those bony claws ripped into my side and flung me backward with blood leaking down my side. Fortunately, that created enough space that I activated Mage Missile again. Every time in the past I had used the ability as a single force missile, but on the kind of whim that only hits in the middle of combat, I tried to twist the ability to my own ends.

  Mage Missile (Basic 9%)

  In response to the flexing of my will and the working of my imagination, a trio of arcane darts spiraled towards the creature. Each were filled with the same lethal intent which I felt. They struck true, splintering bone and sending fragments flying like shrapnel. The trio of bolts were aimed against one of its legs and did what a single bolt might not have accomplished by leveraging different weak points in concert.

  The drone stumbled, nearly hitting the ground, but then caught itself at the last second even if it was still off balance. I cursed at the near success but quickly shifted to casting Barbs of Slowing. Before I could finish it, a small rock hit my shoulder.

  I glanced to the side and saw Samvek as he said, “No trapping it. I want to see you fight it. Show me what you know about that weapon.”

  The drone hissed at me as it righted itself. Its hollow eyes, ablaze with a baleful fire, remained locked on me.

  As it neared, I swerved with a grace born of adrenaline, the gust of it passing like a foul breath from the grave. Its claws, like scythes, swept through the air where I had stood moments before. I felt the rush of displaced air, laced with the scent of corruption.

  Samvek's voice, a harsh echo in the fray, spurred me on. "Fight. Show me what you can do with that staff."

  What was his problem? Didn’t he know I was more of a mage than a melee fighter?

  After his repeated instructions, my grip tightened on the staff, its smooth wood a sort of comfort. I swung with all the might my frame could muster, aiming for where the drone's neck would be if it weren't a macabre jigsaw of bone and decay. The staff connected with a dull thud; the impact reverberated up my arms, jarring but ineffectual. The undead's resilience to blunt force was maddening.

  The drone reeled from the blow, more out of surprise than pain, and quickly righted itself. Its counter was swift, a bone-crushing swipe intended to maim. Instinctively, I conjured a force shield, a shimmering pane of energy that sprang to life before me. The creature's claws screeched against it, sparks flying as they raked the magical barrier.

  I couldn't help but flinch at the sound, the visceral scrape of claw on energy, but the shield held. The drone's frenzy was evident in its relentless assault, each strike a test of my shield's integrity.

  I was frustrated as I recalled how Crag had managed to smash another drone’s bones with his war hammer. Maybe it wasn’t so much that it was immune to blunt damage. Perhaps my staff just wasn’t a good weapon to fight undead with. That, or perhaps I wasn’t using the staff in the right way to fight a monster.

  I danced back, keeping the creature at bay. Each step a calculated pivot, each breath a measured draw. Another volley of Mage Missiles, another force shield summoned in the nick of time. This continued after each ineffectual staff attack. So far, the tear in my side was my only wound, but I felt it with each breath. If this kept up, my mana would run out before I destroyed this creature.

  The pace of battle was so frantic that I didn’t dare take the time to either heal myself or to pull forth my wand. A creeping dread started at the pit of my stomach, rising higher with insidious claws. It whispered of vulnerability and threatened to rob me of the joy in this battle.

  A misstep, a stone unseen, and my balance wavered. The drone seized the moment, its maw agape in a silent howl of victory. I twisted, the movement born of sheer will, and the jaws snapped shut inches from my flesh. Yet, its claws found their mark, raking across my arm, rending cloth and skin with equal ease.

  Pain exploded in stark white flashes, and warmth trickled down my limb. Blood, a vivid contrast to the pale necrosis of my foe. I stumbled back, grimacing, clutching at the wound. The drone loomed, sensing weakness, its advance a macabre march.

  I conjured another shield and pushed even more of myself into it as I forced it into a partial dome. It wasn’t enough to entirely cover me, but it still bought me a precious second.

  The staff was a poor weapon against such a foe, but it was what Samvek insisted I use. That thought caused anger to surge up within me. I stood and then spun the staff with a flourish that belied my desperation. The creature finally tore through my shield, but I was ready. This might be the stupidest of my ideas, but the thought persisted so I changed the position of my hands on the staff and clenched down tightly.

  This time, I grasped it more like a club and brought it down with as much force as I could generate. To my surprise, the drone recoiled, its skeletal form rattling, a brief respite in the relentless duel.

  I could not relent. Another force shield, conjured with a flick of my wrist, intercepted a deadly lunge. The drone's screech was a cacophony that threatened to overwhelm my senses, but I could not afford to yield to fear. This time, though, I angled the shield so that the monster slid to the side, and it provided me with an opening. Once again, I swung my staff, half like a club and half like a baseball bat.

  I went back at it again and again. Each exchange was a gambit, a balancing act between defense and a desperate offense. My staff was a blur, a desperate extension of my will, each strike aimed with precision yet lacking the lethality I so dearly needed. The worst part was that the monster hadn’t resisted Boon-Bane and its attacks were weaker than normal, while mine were stronger than normal.

  The drone's frenzied attacks were relentless, each deflected blow a testament to my waning strength. It was a war of attrition; one I was poised to lose. The undead didn’t tire or falter. He wasn’t burdened with the limits of flesh. But surrender was not an option. I summoned another Mage Missile, this time concentrating all the power back into a single missile.

  The drone staggered under the arcane assault, its movements becoming erratic, less coordinated. It was weakening, or perhaps the endless barrage was taking its toll. My heart pounded a fierce rhythm, a drumbeat to the dance of death we weaved. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like its skull was actually starting to crack.

  Then, an opening. The creature faltered, a leg giving way beneath it, the sinews that held it snapping like the sound of a death knell. I seized the chance, stepping within its guard. My staff, empowered by the rage of desperation, became a gavel of judgment.

  Taking careful aim, I slammed it down striking the crack which my magical attack had just opened. This blow finally did what none of my others up to this point had been able to manage. It split bone and then capitalizing on my superior speed; I brought my foot up under its jaw in a snapping kick. It was so off balance that it toppled and gave me my second chance to split the skull wide open.

  I drove the staff forward, thrusting with the tip and putting all my weight behind the blow as it hit the finger-wide crack in the bone. That blow finished the beast and drove my weapon deep into its skull. It still thrashed about, but I stepped in quickly. I leveraged the staff still stuck inside its head to peel it wide like a nut I’d just cracked.

  In that instant, the light faded from its eyes and the XP hit me.

  Chapter 8- Down to Business

  I felt that rush of XP. It was higher this time because I was the only one who had fought the monster, but not by that much, since there was only one of them. I couldn’t exactly tell how the system assigned XP, but it seemed to have something to do with both effort and threat. Either way, I knew it was assigning me a portion of the power which had animated the undead drone because XP gained from undead monsters felt a bit different from living ones.

  Samvek said, “Stop daydreaming and tell me what you learned?”

  Before responding, I cast Healing Grace to close the wound in my side. “I’m a better caster than a melee fighter.”

  “And?”

  “A staff is not ideal for fighting a large, bulky creature.” I paused to see if he was going to ask another question, but when he didn’t say anything further, I assumed he wanted me to expand on my answer. “The staff has reach, over say a club, but it lacks the same amount of force per square inch that other blunt weapons can deliver. In part, because it is meant to be able to hit the small bones of a human, where massive force isn’t needed.”

  “Good, a staff is typically a caster’s weapon. Many of them are imbued with a variety of effects to enhance spell power, but that isn’t the only reason. They are also good for defense. You seem to have some training with the staff because I’d say your form is adequate, but it is all based around fighting humanoid monsters. It won’t work nearly so well against monsters, especially undead who can’t feel pain.

  “So tell me, did you get any skill ups? Actually, wait, tell me the list of skills you have from the system.”

  I pulled up my sheet and projected that portion of it for anyone to see.