&&&&& ASTRAL SPACE &&&&&

James and Soloman walked around the Monolith. From the corner of his eye, James could see the bodies of Onyx and the Glrick assassin. Seeing the body of Onyx bothered him. He wasn't sure if she would return with her memories of the past few days or if she would be the way she was on day one. He hoped that it was the former and not the latter. He wished she hadn't died.

"I did many trades, but no one had heard of this world of your called Earth," Soloman lamented.

"Maybe in Nexus, we can find someone with some information," James suggested.

"Nexus is not a safe place. Especially for a Glrick travelling alone," Soloman advised.

"I can use this appearance so that I do not draw attention to myself," James stated. It was more complicated than he thought, but he was starting to grasp how to get information without asking questions.

Soloman looked him over, "Maybe. I also think you are too low in level to travel to the city. Perhaps if you were in a group or wore the colours of a messenger."

James nodded. That made sense. He couldn't do anything now since he still had the Challenge to participate in. But he wanted a backup plan to allow him to escape the Challenge.

"When we spoke last, you said you would look for books to help me learn about Astral Space." James sighed. There was still a lot he wanted to learn about Astral Space.

Soloman nodded, pulled two books from his pouch, and handed them to James. When James looked at them, he sighed and returned them, "Can't read these."

Soloman shrugged, "Sorry. They don't write these books in the human language. I can inquire after a translator, but it would cost."

James tried a different approach to the conversation, "I learned a few things on my own already."

Soloman looked over at James and smiled. The leading statement was amusing but not enough to get him to ask any questions.

James returned the smile, "I learned that I could bring other people through the Astral Portal, but it cost about 100 Mana each. They can also travel with me, but we must stay connected or get separated."

Soloman raised an eye ridge," It is interesting that you say Mana and not PSI. This indicates that you are using Mana to fuel your Astral Powers."

James nodded, "I do. Is that ..." James paused and shook his head, "That is how I fuel my Astral Powers."

Soloman almost laughed at James' struggle, "I have heard that there are some creatures that use Mana instead of PSI when travelling the Void Between Worlds. But PSI is the more efficient means of doing this."

James considered the information. When he created the build, he followed the instructions from Rocko, who was following instructions from someone else. It is possible that they made an error based on missing information.

'Hey, Rocko. Were you aware that I could have got a version of Astral Portal that used PSI instead of Mana?' James sent his friend.

'We went through all the PSI Powers and could not find anything suggesting a PSI Portal. We did find something called Astral Gate, which we think is what you are referring to, but it was restricted," Rocko responded.

'How do you mean restricted?' James asked.

'I mean that it was there, but we couldn't select it, and it didn't tell us why. Some Abilities, Powers and Spells are like that. They require something that is hidden, and you won't know what it is until you get it.' Rocko explained.

'Sort of like the requirements for Shadow Lord?" James asked.

'Exactly.'

"The Ability I have is called Astral Portal. I have heard of a PSI Power called Astral Gate, but I don't know how to get that Power. There seem to be hidden requirements," James stated without asking.

Soloman nodded sagely, "Yes, there are."

James looked over at him and rolled his eyes, "Seriously?"

Soloman laughed, "I wish to make a trade."

"Accepted."

"Can the information help you if you already have the ability?" Soloman asked.

James nodded in agreement, "What are the requirements for Astral Portal?"

Soloman shook his head, "There are three requirements for Astral Gate. The first is that you have access to Tier 4 Powers. The second is that you have the Skill Astral Navigation at level 10, and the third is the Power Astral Anchor."

James passed on the information to Rocko and then turned to answer the question posed by Soloman, "Knowledge is Power. By having this information, I may be able to use it to unlock other Powers that were not available to me."

Soloman made a face as though considering the answer before agreeing, "I like that answer."

'The Power Astral Anchor was restricted as well. I will have to check your Status Screen when you return,' Rocko sent him.

"It appears that the Power Astral Anchor has requirements as well. I was able to learn the Ability, but it also requires Mana." James stated, looking at Soloman.

Soloman nodded, "It requires the Skill Astral Navigation at level 10 as well."

James nodded his head and passed the information on to Rocko.

'Is there any way we can refund some of the points spent on these Abilities?' James asked Rocko.

'No, not without doing another respect," Rocko sent.

The Abilities weren't wasted, as they allowed James access to the Powers much sooner than he would typically have. And if he wanted to get more Astral Anchors, he had a cheaper way of doing it. What got James wondering was if he used Astral Gate instead of Astral Portal, if it would work in the cities that blocked teleportation. Were they Mana Based? Would PSI-based teleportation work?

James was glad to see that the body of Onyx had disappeared after an hour. The body of the Glrick assassin was still there. Soloman agreed to dispose of the body in an area teaming with Astral Worms. The meeting with Soloman was over too quickly. They decided to meet in a month. Soloman agreed to check for more information on Earth, and James agreed to reach level 20. Soloman laughed at his humour, and they parted.

&&&&& Real Space &&&&&

James arrived in the forest on the outskirts of Ash Rumbo. He made sure to change the location of the Door to avoid an ambush. Once he was through, Rocko joined him. James hid all of his items in the forest and only kept the clothes he needed for the quick changes in town. Once he had everything, he started his walk into town.

"I see you now qualify for Astral Anchor and Astral Gate. Both of which are 40 Advantage points each," Rocko shared.

"That is a huge difference from the Mana-based Advantages," James commented.

Rocko nodded, "True, but we didn't know the requirements. At the time we made your build."

"I was thinking. Do you think Astral Gate would work in a city with a Teleport blocker?" James asked.

Rocko looked up at James in confusion, "A teleport blocker? You mean a Tangle Net Field?"

James shrugged, "Sure. Whatever the thing is that prevents people from teleporting into the city."

Rocko thought about the question and nodded, "Probably. I don't think the TNF cares about the source of the teleportation, but it prevents a portal, gateway or whatever is being created between the two locations from being created."

James frowned, "Too bad. I would have been handy."

"Another Power has now become available. Astral Sense, Tier 4. Can sense Astral Beings in 1000 m (10m)," Rocko offered.

"What's with the different ranges?" James asked, "Wait. I bet those are Astral Space and Real Space. I remember there was a 100:1 conversion ratio."

Rocko looked up and smiled, "Look you, Master Sage of the Day."

James raised an eyebrow, "Sage of the Day?"

Rocko shrugged, "It's a thing."

"So, do you think it is worth it?" James asked.

"Hefty cost, and there are other things on the list. Have you checked your progress yet?". James shook his head and called up his Notifications.

Dexterity +1

Luck +1 Congratulation! Dexterity has reached level 20.

Armour Rating is now based on 75% of Dexterity instead of 50% (round down). Congratulation! Luck has reached level 20.

Increased chance to hit with a Critical Strike by 4%.

Increased chance of fortune smiling upon you.

James smiled at the notification about Dexterity. He got the same notification when he hit level 20 as a Were Tiger. It seemed so long ago.

'Luck seems kind of vague,' James pointed out. Switching to mental communication as the streets were getting busier.

Rocko nodded, "Yes. No one is really sure what Luck does, but everyone agrees that you can't go wrong with a high Luck Attribute."

'I should have gone with the Dragon,' James muttered mentally.

Rocko sighed, "We are not having this argument again. You would never have been allowed in the town if we went with a Dragon, and how would you have even fit in the Dungeons? Your ass is fat enough as it is."

'A fat ass? Who are you calling a fat ass? Have you looked in a mirror lately?' James had arrived at the warehouse and checked around the area to ensure no one was outside.

The warehouse's interior was darker than usual, but James knew that Sasha could see in the dark as well as he could. Stepping around the end of some crates, James noticed Sasha lying on the ground, a pool of blood forming under him.

"This can't be good," he muttered as he felt a heavy object slam into the back of his skull and tumbled to the ground.

"LOOK OUT!" Rocko shouted, too late.

He staggered forward and fought to remain conscious, but a second blow removed any chance as darkness closed in.