‘It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy...

Let's go exploring!’

~ Bill Watterson's Calvin

POV - Tad

And the first thing I needed to be doing was find a place to do nothing. Yes, my highest priority was finding a safe place. Somewhere where I could rest up. Relax. Vege out. Recuperate. Ever since I had involuntarily left the Library I had been in a high stress, high tension environment. And I needed a break. In fact I had totally lost track of time inside the dump. It was disconcerting to say the least when there was no outward indication of time passing.

But now that I was out and back in a regular Level it was clear that time was trekking on. Already it was in that twilight zone. The sun, or whatever acted as the sun in this new existence, was very nearly set. And dusk felt all the more menacing as it deepened. Wishing for my rough bed and safe dorm room, I considered what to do. It was not something that I could just [Prospect] my way to. Safety had been aimless. But, I frowned, the shelter had been straight ahead. I reoriented myself. That meant it was over that way. I was about to set out when I realised that there was no need to rough it out with nothing to ease the rigours of camping out in the wild.

I pulled up the Shop interface. [Search] ‘Camping gear’. And the results were endless. Okay. Let’s narrow it down. I didn’t want to spend crazy amounts on sheer luxury. I needed to be sensible. Wondering what sort of security was possible I refined the search and filtered from cheapest. Oh. That looked promising. A [Secluded Campfire]. I pulled up the description.

A Secluded Campfire (Tier F)

Single Use Item

Safety, warmth and ambience. Perfect for that romantic escape where you do not want to be disturbed.

Each Campfire will last for a maximum of eight hours and provide low level light, warmth and ward with a diameter of five metres.

All creatures, monsters and other participants Tier F and below outside the campfire will be completely unable to detect the ward and any sheltering within it.

That sounded perfect. I queued up five of them. Now a bedroll. Basic, no frills. Excellent. A blanket in case it got cold. Good. Hmmm. Ahh, some cooking gear. A frypan, a grill and a billy. Ok. Now I needed something to carry the stuff I was rapidly accumulating. A [Tramper’s Backpack]. No spacial upgrades. No just plain vanilla please. Oh, [Cargo Pants]. Yes, goodbye hemp trousers, hullo style. And utility. Yes some extra pouches and pockets certainly wouldn’t go amiss. In fact let’s get two pairs.

Hmmm. What else? Oh, a water bottle. And rope. Yes, adventurers always needed rope. Now should I get a tent? After humming and harring a bit, I decided against a tent for the time being seeing [Prospect] indicated some sort of shelter was close by. I could always come back if I needed more stuff.

Before I confirmed my purchase, I did a quick sanity check. Hmmm. Seemed all pretty sensible. I decided to upgrade the water bottle. For ten times the price I could get an [Amaranthine Bottle of Purified Water]. That was worth it simply because I wouldn't have to search out of fresh water all the time. Especially since the water was where that more dangerous area was as well. Pulling up the details I realised why it was cheaper than I had somehow instinctively expected. It refilled completely every four hours. So it wasn’t really a boundless flow of water like a hose that I could use for bathing and washing, but it was endless and would be perfect for keeping me hydrated.

The last thing I queued was some more Health and Energy Potions. In fact I traded in the three unused Health Potions for one larger one and purchased a further nine. With the 50% discount in play these were only 2EXP each and thus well worth buying. It was a pity there weren't larger ones available. Each now would give me 150HP but sadly still just G Tier so the efficacy was still slow, taking a full six hours to work. This would mean I could regain a total of 300HP over six hours and any further potions I took in that time would only heal 75HP each. That was still a lot better than healing 100HP over two hours with any further potions only healing 25HP for the next four hours. This was a big incentive to level up and get to the next Tier where Common and Uncommon potions would be available.

I confirmed my purchases and spent my frugal 48EXP and selected [Collect Now]. The goods materialised in front of me. Absolutely astounding System magic. If this was technology it was simply beyond my comprehension. It was so much easier to conceptualise it as Magic. And so that is what I did. The potions slotted into my Inventory. The campfires were each a tidy billfold. I opened one up. It contained a single match. Okay. Where’s the instructions? Not that I would have read them if they had been provided, the fact that there weren’t any was strangely irritating. I tried to store them in my Inventory too.

ERROR!

Your Inventory is already at capacity.

Upgrade your Tier and/or improve your Core and your base Soul Inventory will have increased capacity.

Okay, another reason to Tier up. I reread the notice. Hmmm. It looked like improving my Core would also provide more Inventory Slots. I would need to figure out what this meant. I was always in for self improvement. My Core buzzed happily in agreement.

I loaded the rest of the gear into the backpack, shucked my old hemp pants and tossed them in as well and put on my new cargo pants. The campfire wallets fitted nicely in one pocket and the water bottle had a handy catch which I could hook onto my belt. I thought about looping the rope around my shoulder but decided against it as it would interfere with my knife holsters. Into the pack it went with the cooking gear, spare pants and blanket. The bedroll strapped nicely on top and there were button-down straps which I could use to carry my trusty bucket and spade. This was working out very well. With a smile I lifted the pack and settled it on my back adjusting the straps so it sat nice and high.

With a flourish I whirled and drew my knives. Hmmmm. I would do that a little slower until I was more familiar with them. I picked up the one I had fumbled, Mr Slicey, and then carefully slotted them both away. Actually, I was lucky I hadn’t cut myself. The balance of my pack was good. It was time to set out.

I frowned.

I needed my spade.

And I couldn't reach it with it strapped to the side of my pack.

With a sigh I shrugged off the pack, retrieved my Adamantine Spade of Penetration and pulled on the backpack again. Ahhh, that was much better. Just holding my spade made me feel more secure. It was time to set out on my grand adventure. There was a whole magical world out there, just waiting for me to explore it. This was more like it. This is what I envisaged. Except, I frowned again, I hadn’t expected to be doing this on my lonesome. No, I missed having a buddy, or a group of like minded adventurous adventurers, backing me up. Ahhh, I sighed, them's the breaks. I had no choice really but to roll with it.

Triggering [Prospect] I set off towards shelter.

Half an hour later, and with only one little game of Statue while some sort of Aquatic pig crossed my path, I arrived.

At the Bank.

It was in remarkably good condition.

Yes, I could shelter quite handily under the large portico, and it was elevated up with eight stairs leading up to the Corinthian pillars that framed up the entrance. This meant that there was really only easy access from the single direction with the building behind me and a drop of about one and half metres to each side. Nice. I removed my pack and leant it up against the doors. Taking a billfold out, I opened it and removed the match. Hmmmm. I struck it against the side of the wallet. As the match flared into life the billfold flipped out of my hands and settled into a tidy arrangement of firewood at my feet. Oh. That was nice. I set the match to the wood and it magically took hold. Now, that's how I like it. I should go camping more often. This was so much less hassle than I had expected.

With the fire flickering with a soft comforting glow, a sphere of warmth formed and girded the encroaching darkness away. With a hint of trepidation I ventured out from my campsite and down the stairs. Turning and looking back I was pleasantly surprised. Rather than lighting up the portico there was no sign of my fire. The bank entry was as dark and foreboding as the rest of the ruins. The ward against detection was excellent. There was no sound, smell or light that could be discerned. I returned up the stairs and reentered my refuge.

Ahhh. To relax at last.

I took off my boots, rolled out my bedroll, and settled down, sitting with my back against the doors. Taking a long swig of lovely fresh water, I contemplated my next move.

I yawned.

It had been a long day. Or days. Yes, I was pretty sure days had passed while I was in the dump. Why isn’t there a heads up display with a System clock? That would be super helpful. Especially with Skills and Perks that had cooldown periods. Maybe that was something I could buy? With a shrug I parked that idea for the time being.

I wonder if this was a safe enough place to Level up? Hmmmm. Did I want to level up straight away? I scratched my ear. I needed to level up to be able to reach the next Tier. But that was still a ways off. Level 10 was Bronze Tier from what I gathered. So I would need to level up nine more times. And each time I levelled up the Stat cap would increase. I suppose that normally this would be a very good thing for most people.

But I had already figured out a way to break the Stat Cap. I had formed my Core. I had meshed in my Concept and I could cultivate my Essence and lock it into my Stats. This was my advantage. In fact this was what had granted me that ‘Exemplar’ Title. It was a pivotal moment in my build. I was tempted to game the System more. At Level 1 only nine Stat points were required to unlock each Stat. I checked my Character Sheet. I needed just one point in STA, five in MEM and four in IMA. Ten in total.

No, I would not try triggering the level-up procedure just yet. I would unlock all my attributes first. Max max right from the start. I checked my Essence. I had conditioned 63E to be fully acclimatised to my Core. I could cycle six Stat points before I would need to imbue more of my Essence.

Without further delay, I started the process. I would do Memory first. Then Imagination and lastly Stamina. I couldn’t help it. A shiver of delight, a frisson of anticipation swept through me. I was getting closer, at long last, to unlocking my Magic.

Once again I set my intent to cycle my Essence up out of my Core and into my brain. This time I set about recalling my memories. I began with my childhood. That carefree time, that time of exploration and discovery, of wonder and joy. Where the future was just so unknowable and wide open. Where my parents had just always been there, full of wisdom and authority and comfort. Where it was impossible to imagine a world where they weren’t there. Where they hadn’t always been there.

And I remembered my Mum. The fierce care, the complete commitment that she had towards me and my little sister. Her determination to protect us, to nurture and care for us. There was no sacrifice too great, no hurdle too high, no barrier too daunting that she would allow to impede her. And then I got sick. And Mum never gave up. Even in the most terrible of days, she was there. Unflinching. She learnt everything she could. She challenged the medical profession and hounded answers and opinions and prognoses. She was relentless. And terrifying. I was so glad she was always on my side.

And then there was Dad. If Mum was the engine which drove our family, then Dad was our rock. He balanced Mum beautifully. Always steady. Calm. Unflinching. Dad grounded us. He was our anchor and though the storms assailed and we were buffeted this way and that, Dad held firm.

[Ding].

Essence Cycling Complete

You have completely cycled your Imbued Essence through your Mind while exercising your Memory.

You may sacrifice [10] [Imbued Essence] to form one MEM Stat point.

Would you like to permanently embed your Essence at this time?

YES NO

One down.

I settled in. This was both painful and beautiful. These memories were the treasures of my Soul and were what made me me.

Four more to go.

I wouldn’t change any of them for the world.