January 16, 2019, 4:19 pm, between one second and the next.

Now I probably should have used the last of my facet to teleport, run away, freeze Ivicka or something.

But I've never used it like that before. I've been very careful about not experimenting with my facet. Despite its obvious power, it terrifies the hell out of me. The amount of pain from breaking out of my original time freeze still haunts me. A slight misuse of the return spell left me nauseated which could have been so much worse if it'd been even further off. Connecting to Beth sent me back into her memories.

But at the moment, I'm not afraid.

I understand why too. It's the damn liquor. I'm immune to fear, which means everything I should be afraid of is just… blank instead.

Speaking of things I should be afraid of, Ivicka is still in front of me preventing me from breathing, one large paw holding my chin. Not much of a concern at the moment. I have just under an hour before my time freeze ends. Which, according to my now functional clock, should be about two seconds in real-time. Not as strong as my original pause (that’s what I’m calling it now that I can control it) but plenty of time before I have to worry about suffocating.

That's the funny thing about being on pause. Not much happens.

As I look at Ivicka, I discover it's a little different in other ways as well. There's a greater feeling of freedom, but I still can't move. The difference is in my eyes. My eyes can refocus almost instantly now, which means I have the ability to take in everything around me.

Including the enormous dragon floating in the air above us. It is a beautiful creature, large emerald wings are frozen in a down flap... thrust... they're at the bottom. It's really easy to appreciate the majesty. I especially appreciate how it's not trying to eat me.

Not sure what I'm going to do to get myself out of this yet, but at least my pause has improved since that first incident.

Okay, mental inventory Alexis. What do I have?

I have time to think.

Also, immunity to fear.

Tons of earth shards, including the large one, but they're in my pack.

One incredibly torn up onesie. Probably not going to help with anything.

In the same vein, there are my metal boots. They, or the metal they're made of, might be useful.

Checking my conditions, I see one potentially huge advantage. But the NEWB protection mostly just protects me from death. It won’t get me anywhere, plus it'll probably hurt. I'll leave that as extreme backup plan Z.

The preferable solution would be to knock back Ivicka with some spells. Maybe one of my favourites? They are quicker to cast.

There's also my classes if I can unlock them, but that feels like a gamble. At least the remote access point might give me the option. But I only need to escape. I'm not desperate enough to lock my future in by choosing my class. Not unless nothing else works. Especially since I haven't talked to the K'tharn. Let's call choosing a class plan Y.

Might be higher if I'd left the others to the apocalypse talk while asking our K'tharn allies about classes instead. Oh well. It's not like I expected to be knocked out then grabbed by Ivicka's massive paw.

Looking up at the aforementioned tigress of a K'tharn, I wonder if I can analyze her.

“User analyzed: K'tharn. Female. Gene seed D.

Name: Ivicka

Attributes: Physical; Extreme, Mobility; Extreme, Magic; Extreme, Awareness; Extreme.

Attacks: Restricted.

Defences: Restricted."

Damn. That cost me eleven focus but just confirmed how much trouble I'm in. Really wishing I hadn't just looted the whole battlefield, then I'd at least have some facet to experiment with. Greed is coming back to bite me.

At least I confirmed I can use my focus to analyze her, so my focus use isn’t disrupted.

Using focus to reinforce my efforts, I tug at my mana again. I can feel a noticeable difference. My mana’s still reverting, but only after several paused seconds.

Since it's easiest to use my favourite spells, I create a water Umbrella hoping it will complete before her ability affects me. It takes a few seconds to start forming but the basic shape is coalescing.

As I'm considering my spell, another notification pops up, almost as if delayed.

"Important survival tip; copper rank entities can't be properly analyzed by an iron rank user."

"Would you like to know more? Obtain the complete analysis of Ivicka for 34.0 focus and 18.6 facet."

Ha. I wish I had eighteen facet to play with. I wouldn't waste it on a description of Ivicka though.

Instead of scoffing over what I don't have, it's time to continue working with what I do.

And what I've got are mostly full pools of mana and focus, several new classes, and a lot of time.

I don't expect reading the class descriptions will save me, besides I have a working plan. But I’m already waiting for my spell to fully form. Plus, I'm super curious.

So while I patiently allow my umbrella to form, I try bringing up my class selection. As I expected, it feels blocked. Probably by the time-freeze. But I can focus on the class names from my log, bringing up the descriptions.

I don't bother with any of the mancer classes. I suspect they're all just variations on the pyromancer. Even though I doubt I’ll take it, I start with Primal Elementalist.

“Class unlocked: Primal Elementalist."

“Primal Elementalist (Rare): You have demonstrated the ability to wield all elements with a passable proficiency. A Primal Elementalist commands every aspect of the Elements to dominate and control their environments.

Attributes: Moderate increase to Intellect and Spirit maximum.

Resources: Immense increase to mana, massive increase to focus, small increase to health and stamina.

Abilities: Rare. Fire, Lightning, Wind, Water, Earth, Stone, Metal, Ice and Twilight. Inhibition, repositioning and substantial damage in huge areas.”

Seems like an upgraded version of the Fire-Storm Elementalist, just less focused on fire and storms.

Looking back at my water shield, I see that it's finished forming. Once it's finished it resembles a picture more than an actual object. It's lacking the usual ebb and flow I normally associate with my water magic. I imagine it's still there, I'm just not able to see it, paused as I am.

Okay, the ability to use favourited spells is confirmed. I'd prefer a better idea than blasting her with a lightning torrent. It is kind of tempting, with her ‘extreme’ stats it might only stun her. But given my spell’s track record of utter destruction, I don't feel comfortable testing it on a non-monster. Even on someone who’s trying to suffocate me.

Though I may need to reexamine my priorities if I can’t figure my way out of this. If it comes down to it I might have to blast her.

But I’m not at that point yet.

I still have new class descriptions to read, so I focus on the Cataclysm Seed while pondering what to do.

“Class unlocked: Cataclysm Seed."

“Cataclysm Seed (Unique): By bending all the elements as well as the foundations of reality, time and space, to your will, you have demonstrated an understanding that everything is intrinsically tied. A Cataclysm Seed is capable of many feats considered impossible by greater creatures. This is only the beginning.

Attributes: Small decrease to Strength and Constitution maximum. Minor increase to Agility and Endurance maximum. Large increase to Intellect, Spirit, Perception and Resolve maximum.

Resources: Huge increase to focus, mana and unique matrix resource facet, minor increase to health and stamina.

Abilities: Elemental, Spatial and Temporal. Damage, inhibition, repositioning and suffering in huge areas.”

Wow, that's amazing. But negative Strength and Constitution? That part about suffering is a little ominous. It’s an interesting class, yet I’m not getting any ideas while reading through the description.

Checking the last class I'm stunned when the information comes up.

“Base Error 4p314 class unlocked: Paradox.

“Paradox (Error 4p314): Error 4p314.

Attributes: Error 4p314.

Resources: Error 4p314.

Abilities: Error 4p314."

I guess I should say when it doesn't come up. There's nothing to even review. How did I unlock a class that has no information? And why would I ever choose it?

I mean other than the name.

Pandora the Paradox.

Has a much better ring to it than Pandora the Cataclysm Seed. Or Alexis the Cataclysm Seed.

Though I guess the second one… hmm. Can I be a cataclysm seed of hope?

Pandora the Cataclysm Seed of Hope.

Nope.

So bad.

That's okay. If I choose it I just won’t tell anyone what my class is. Easy.

Reading the weird error message again, I pause. Hmm, I wonder if.... Focusing on the error code, to my surprise, I get a notification for four focus.

"Error 4p314: Information not found. Please connect to Primary System for analysis."

Okay, so the class isn't broken. It's just, what? Unknown?

Doesn't help me. This isn't the first time I've seen an error though. Where was the other one? Right. The standing stones had an error when they tried to say our species. It didn't know what a human was. This seems related. It's a Forerunner class, so is it like Forerunner Protection?

Not much workable data here, recording my thoughts in yet another page of notes to self, I prepare to continue. What can I do next?

As I'm pondering, I get another delayed notification.

"Would you like to know more? Download Codex for Paradox class for 34 focus and 18.6 facet?"

Well, at least I can get a description later.

Ivicka is starting to notice my water Umbrella springing into existence, her arm getting wet when the shield flows around her. Which gives me an idea.

My spell can still affect her. So could I use the existing shield as a battery for my torrent spell? That would be too easy.

Wouldn't it?

I create the torrent structure in my mind, the familiar double helix structure not disrupted so long as I keep it within my mind. Moving it forward quickly, I try to replicate what I did at Rufka's cabin, but this time I don't worry about keeping the shield intact. In fact, I'm counting on it being the source.

I see the structure snap into place quickly enough, but there's no immediate effect. It appears I'll need to be patient to see results.

It figures that I go through all my classes searching for inspiration but her wet arm is what truly gets my mind working.

The structure is painfully slow to form, so I take a moment for the next thing on my list.

My newly bound Inventory.

When I give it a mental prod, it reacts immediately, creating a visual overlay of everything stored in my backpack. Underneath the pictures are short descriptions. The only things in my inventory right now are, rock-packed wolf jerky, earth essences and a couple juniberries, leftover from the last bush Smoulder and I ravaged. Plus, a whole lot of stone. Hmm.

The interface is very intuitive, but I don't pull anything out. The last thing I need right now is to accidentally bust out of my time freeze again.

Looking up, I see the torrent appears to have formed successfully, the water from the shield draining into it. As I watch I can even see individual drops of water condensing, before joining the spell.

Ivicka doesn't seem to have noticed my spell yet. Honestly given her stats, I'm not even sure if my spell is going to be able to affect her. All I need is for it to push her back enough for me to make it another few meters.

The knockback is one thing, but what if I'm not fast enough.

I need a method to get me past her. The one thing I got from analyzing her is that she's crazy high in all attributes. So I imagine she's going to be faster than Smoulder. And Smoulder is scary fast when she wants to be.

I can't teleport, but I can throw myself through the air. I’ve done it several times already, though this will be the first time I do it on purpose.

Forming my original version of Lightning Torrent, I direct it beside me, into the ramp while avoiding Ivicka, but then I pause. Ivicka still has her paw on my chin. That might change once my Water torrent hits her, but it hasn't done so yet.

So I wait, checking to see if I have any new notifications. Other than a mention of my Temporal and water manipulation skills increasing, it's empty.

Instead of twiddling my metaphorical thumbs, I decide I need to do something productive.

So I start paging through my old notes on runes. As I'm inspecting them I can see several mistakes I must have made while copying them down. Just in case they're not mistakes, I copy my runes then start making adjustments.

There are two new runes that feel complete, but I'm not feeling desperate enough to test them at the moment.

Besides, the torrent is hitting Ivicka now. Her hand is slipping even as her eyes begin to narrow.

I wait another minute. When she starts to stagger back slightly, one foot in the air, I act.

Taking the opportunity, I unleash the original version of my lightning torrent spell, blasting myself away from her. The feeling is surprisingly muted. I had been worried that my barrier was going to lock me in place, but when Ivicka let go she also moved my chin marginally. It takes two minutes before I'm able to discern whether the knockback is truly working the way I'd hoped.

Meanwhile, even though Ivicka is still tilting backwards slightly, it seems like she's already recovering.

With no desire to let her interrupt, I summon another water umbrella before turning it into a second blast. Then I do it again. And again. Once I have six different water torrents shooting in her direction I finally feel satisfied. Even as I'm pushed further away I watch while they all join together as her eyes go wide.

She's blown clear off her feet, one millimetre at a time. By the time I'm halfway across the two meters that were separating me from the others Ivicka is over four meters away, rising into the air. Even now she's recovering, twisting the water I sent at her away.

Water isn't working as well as I'd hoped. She's much stronger than I expected. Maybe a more substantial obstacle will slow her more? Before she can finish I decide to try using an Avalanche style torrent using the stone beneath my feet. I don't have it dialled in as much as I have with water torrent so it's not as efficient, but it’s nineteen mana well spent.

Half the ramp seems to get caught in the spell, yet Ivicka doesn't seem to notice the Avalanche heading her way until it’s upon her. I watch her start shifting in my direction right as the cascade of stone slams against her. She's sent back again as I'm about to cross the line where my companions are standing.

Worried that my barrier might not play nicely with whatever is keeping Ivicka out, I desperately try to dismiss my time freeze.

The barrier refuses to drop, but I pass through without apparent effect. I'd breathe a sigh of relief if that were possible.

Since I have time, as I haven't even hit the ground yet, I read the notification that pops up.

"Iron rank training challenge Fallen City of Lescodo joined."

"Teleportation abilities have been locked to Fallen City of Lescado training zone."

"Zone Quest received: Reach the Eye. Requirements 0/1 Builder's Eye reached. Rewards: 10 iron rank integration points, 1 iron rank class progression point. Time: 7/7 days remaining."

Well, that's interesting. I'm guessing this has something to do with why Ivicka's unable to enter, but the reason isn't really clear.

I suspect Tipan can explain it to me once I unpause.

While I’m waiting for my pause to wind up, I go back to playing with my runes. I don't make any more progress, but I do organize them by complexity. The runes in my Return spell are the most complex runes in my whole collection.

I need to find a way to teleport short distances. This whole thing with Ivicka could've been sidestepped if I could do that. Especially if I could've brought Josh with me.

As the thought crosses my mind, the time freeze ends then I feel a familiar sensation, like I’m being drawn in. But nothing happens.

As time resumes I can barely track what's happening.

I smack into Josh and Tipan who had the misfortune to serve as my impromptu landing pad.

I can officially confirm that the backlash from my original lightning torrent spell does twenty-one damage when I crash into such nice soft allies.

At the same time, there’s a thunderous roar from Ivicka's direction as all my different torrent spells crack through the air.

The first normal sounds I hear after my ears recover are Josh and Tipan grunting as we all sort ourselves out.

While we're crawling apart, I glance out at Ivicka, who's standing there soaked, but unbattered. Apparently, her defence against my water had nothing to do with manipulation. Either that or she's really bad at it.

Next to me, I hear Rufka chuckling, "I guess she's a little wet behind the ears." I barely register that Rufka effectively called Ivicka a fool by Vausian standards, because I'm busy dodging a random elbow.

Tipan is staring at me with a horrified expression on her face as Beth extends a hand down to me, "what the hell was that kid?"

"That's my magic," I reply, "I'm the only one who doesn't get armour. Being able to do things like that feels like the least my magic can do for me."

"Very impressive. Nicely done Alexis. Nicely done indeed," Roberts congratulates me, steepling his fingers as I welcome Smoulder back into my arms.

My little almost hero is worried about me, but once she realizes I'm fine, she lets me know she wants food. Giggling, I pull the last of the jerky from my pack to give it over to her, though I take a couple bites for myself as well.

Sharing is caring.

"Yeah, sweet moves Lex. You hit like a truck, by the way. I actually felt that a little," Josh agrees as he launches himself to his feet with an amazing push-up. One that I swear should have left the road cracked.

Finally recovered, Tipan speaks up, "Well, we're all inside. We're safe from her here. I suggest we find the Nexus rest area before we complete the zone quest."

"Yeah, and while we're resting, I have questions. So many questions," I mention.

"As do I," Beth agrees, nodding her head.

"And we really need to get these guys speaking Vausian," I add as we step away from the wet cat lady.

"Agreed," Beth says as she gives the area a quick scan, "in fact… Tipan, can you start teaching our male friends here some basic Vausian, maybe get them started on the quest while we walk?"

"Well, I don't see why not," Tipan says as she moves to stand next to Josh and Roberts.

"She's going to start taking you guys through the cat people's language so you can get the quest," Beth explains when they glance over at her.

"It's basically a memory game. It should only take an hour or so. You'll even get a few integration points for it," Beth supplies to their quizzical looks.

"Awesome," Josh says as he gives Tipan his full attention.

"That would be incredible. Learning a new language in an hour. Unheard of. I have plenty of questions to ask once we're all speaking the same tongue," Roberts adds.

"Uhm, why don't we teach them?" I ask Beth.

"She needs something to keep her distracted," Beth answers, scanning the buildings ahead.

As Tipan is moving to start, I remember Ivicka, who's been strangely silent since I passed through the barrier. I know sound can travel through, Tipan demonstrated that well enough during her argument with her sister. So why has she been so quiet?

When I look back, one last time, Ivicka's smiling like the cat that ate the canary, her dragon sitting on the ramp behind her, it's emerald scales glistening in the evening light.

That is not the face of someone who failed.

No.

That's the face of a K'tharn who got exactly what she wanted.

What the hell did we get ourselves into?