Ch: 96 (Patreon)

Lennard Grey’s Point of View:

"I don't think I can go on for much longer," I wheeze to Max. "I'm not physically built like you are."

“I don’t think the goblins will accept that as an excuse,” Max stares into the darkness behind us.

“What!” My already pounding heart speeds up as I rush to Max’s side. “I thought you scared them away?” I ask, peering into the void behind us.

Max shakes his head. “They only pretended to flee after I killed most of the big ones. They’re keeping their distance, but I’m sure they’re still following us."

“Fucking, goblins!” I spit into the dark. “Can’t you just kill the rest of them?” I turn and plead to Max.

"It would be a waste of time and energy," he says as he shifts his pack to his side and places it on the ground, taking a seat on a nearby boulder.

“What are you doing?” I feverishly ask Max, nervously glancing down both ends of the tunnel.

“You said you needed a break, so take a break,” Max motions to a smaller boulder protruding from the wall across from him. Max adjusts his pack in front of him, so the magic lantern strapped to the top of it illuminates as much of the tunnel as possible.

“You just said,” I hiss in displeasure.

"I said they're keeping their distance for now," he smirks at me. "We should take this opportunity for you to recover some of your stamina. Gods know I don’t need it.”

“Go ahead and make fun of the weak merchant,” I roll my eyes. “Let’s see this attitude when it’s time for me to pay you.”

Max chuckles at my hollow threat. “Forgive me, it’s just that I’m carrying over ten years’ worth my salary at the moment,” Max pats his pack. He’s the one carrying all the gold we stole from the branch office along with our heavier supplies. My pack is considerably lighter, filled with enough water for the both of us for a few days, along with plenty of dried meat and biscuits.

It hurt to leave almost all of my worldly items behind, but we had to travel light. Of course, that doesn't mean mine and Max's pockets are empty by any means. The light from Max's backpack illuminates the rings on each of my fingers; some doubled up on my fatter digits. We planned to travel light, prioritizing the lightest and most expensive items, so we made sure to grab every piece of enchanted jewelry we could get our hands on.

All we had to do was stop by one of the warehouses before we left the city. No one second-guessed me when I said I wanted to bring some of our best items to Teeburn to sell to Scholl's military while I was in the city. The fifteen rings on my fingers are worth over 750 gold coins, and that isn't even counting the bracelets and amulets I'm wearing.

Max is wearing his specialized armor and other gear, and between the two of us, I'd say we're carrying over 3,000 gold coins worth of stuff. More than enough for the two of us to live in luxury while we resettle in Olebert's capitol.

With all this money and information at our disposal, the two of us will indeed be accepted into one of the major trading companies. From there, It's only a matter of time before my talents are recognized and I'm given a position I deserve. No longer will I slave under that weak family that chooses to play each of its deals safe. Only the bold grow strong in this world!

"How much farther does this tunnel go for, Boss?" Max's question drags me out of my daydreams.

“Let me check,” I pull out the map. “If everything written here is correct, then this tunnel goes for another 300 feet before we’re outside again.”

Max nods and hums in thought. “We’ll have to be careful once we’re outside again.”

“I thought you hated all the tunnels?” I ask with a smirk.

“I do,” Max rubs the back of his head. “But I hate the idea of being ambushed more.”

“Ambushed?!” I exclaim.

“Shhhh!” Max hisses at me. “Keep your voice down. No need to draw the goblins closer to us. And yes, we need to be on the lookout for ambushes once we leave the tunnel.”

“Do you think we were followed?” I nervously lean forward.

Thankfully, Max shakes his head no. "The sun was setting when we entered this tunnel, and it will be pitch black outside once we leave. Who knows how many goblins are in these hills or what else might be lurking about?"

“Why are these goblins so persistent?” I ask. “I’ve never heard of goblins hunting people down like this unless it was a horde.”

"It's probably the environment," Max explains to me. "There's little life in these mountains, and I'd bet everything here is a scavenger. Once the mountain range was stripped of everything of value, I doubt many come up here any longer, and it's anyone's guess as to how many monsters have spawned since then. For all we know, there could be a starving goblin horde in these hills."

“Really?” I nervously ask.

Max snorts, trying to hold back his laughter. "Calm down; I was exaggerating. I'm sure there isn't a horde up here. When that many goblins get together, they need way more food than this barren landscape could provide. Goblin raiding parties would've been spotted along the roads and have had a force sent to deal with them. I was just saying we need to be on the lookout for packs of goblins that are looking for food, like the group we ran into earlier."

I let out a sigh of relief; as long as it isn't a horde, I'm positive Max could slay any number of goblins we might encounter. And with all these defensive magic tools, I won't have to worry about getting caught up in the fighting. They were all manually charged, so as long as I don't get myself into a situation where they'll activate, they should be good for the rest of our trek through the mountain.

However, there is one thing I need to worry about. “What are we going to do about sleep?” I ask Max. “We made it a good distance into the mountain, but at the rate we’re going, it’ll take us another two days of straight travel before we’re out the other side.”

"You'll just have to endure," Max informs me with a smile. "We can't stay in any one place that long, or it will be dangerous. Remember, tomorrow, both Giovanni and Scholl will be sending people to track us down. We have a head start but depending on who's sent after us; we can still be tracked down. You'll have to make do with only short breaks now and again."

“I know,” I sigh and hang my head. “Give me five minutes to catch my break.”

“Five minutes then,” Max agrees.

I can do this! Struggling for two days is nothing compared to what’s waiting for me on the other side of the mountain. Fortune, prestige, it’s all there, waiting for me to take it!

My heart starts to pound in excitement while my palms start to sweat.

Wait, it’s not just my palms sweating! My entire body starts to turn clammy, and I start hyperventilating.

“Boss!” I scarcely hear Max call out my name as he rushes to my side. “What’s wrong?!”

“My chest,” I manage to pant. Ripping my vest open, I dig my fingers under the many amulets hanging from my neck and try to massage the pain radiating out from the center of my chest.

My joints and muscles start locking up as it feels like two icy hands are trying to force their way into my chest.

The deeper the invisible hands go, the more the pain increases until I'm screaming on the rocky floor. Max tries to muffle my screams with his hand, but my cries echo in the dark tunnel.

What is going on?!

**********

Aaliyah’s Point of View:

“You’re not getting away,” I growl as Soul Devourer’s ghostly appendages fight to hold onto the plaque.

As soon as I activated my skill, Grey's experience shards tried to flee my soul as if knowing what I was trying to do. Even now, Grey's experience is desperately trying to flee Soul Devourer's grip. But it's all pointless because I just about… got it!

There it goes!

After five minutes of trying to break down the contract plaque, my ghostly appendages start dissolving the experience mass.

Flakes of experience are torn from the plaque's edges, absorbed by Soul Devourer, and channeled through my soul's avatar into the ground below me. My soul continues to tremble as I feel it slowly growing beneath my feet.

I'm used to a quick shake, like whenever Soul Manipulation levels, but that's just a single quick boost of experience. It will take time for me to devour all of Grey's skill fragments, and my soul will continue to grow as I do.

I can't help but start grinning as I feel more and more experience ripped from the plaque and turned into my own, my ghostly hands refusing to release their prey.

“Why did I wait so long to do this?” I cry out, wrapping my real arms around my body. Each pulse of experience brings with it a wave of pure pleasure. I never thought I could feel this way outside of my body.

Closing my eyes, I savor the feeling. Gods, I haven't felt this good since I killed the soul devourer!

And as if being struck over the head with a hammer, I’m suddenly reminded of how I acted back then. I lost myself in these overwhelming feelings and almost lost my humanity. But I’m stronger than I was then!

Sitting on the ground, I fold my legs and take up a meditative pose. As I calm my mind, I can better feel Mental Resistance trying to help me combat Soul Devourer’s overwhelming influence. It’s a hard feeling to hate because it resembles the natural high people get from leveling.

To feel yourself growing stronger!

The feeling of endless growth!

It makes you just want to keep…

Devouring!

“No!” I shout out in defiance of those thoughts. “I use the skill; the skill doesn’t use me!”

I can't let myself fall into temptation. Such low-hanging fruit does taste delicious, but can it compare to something you've grown yourself?

Thinking back, I remember the feeling of accomplishment I had after completing the arrow for the General. The boost of experience I felt that day was just as gratifying as this experience is; no, it was better.

Soul Devourer can mimic that feeling of accomplishment, but it comes at the cost of turning me into a monster. The skill allows me to absorb experience, and based on what the goddess hinted at, using Soul Devourer is a slippery slope to tread on.

All this begs the question, is the skill worth it?

The skill is undoubtedly helpful in certain situations like this one, but I'm not sure if the risk to my psyche is worth it? I'm already stretching the skills use by using it on the experience of somebody still alive. It was much easier using Soul Devourer after I killed the monster, while I'm still fighting the plaque of experience to keep it from fleeing.

If I tried using Soul Devour before I gathered all of Grey’s experience fragment’s I’m sure they would’ve fled my soul before I could’ve done anything. It’s only thanks to my other skills that Soul Devour can be used like it is.

There is just too much I still don’t know about my tier 6 skill. It’s still a mystery if the mental effects decrease as the Soul Devourer levels or if Mental Resistance will ever be able to combat it fully.

I pause my train of thought and let out a small sigh. I can sit here for hours speculating what might happen with my skill, but the only way I’ll figure anything out is if I practice using it.

And for that, I'd need to kill something. Earlier in the year, that wouldn't be a problem, but things are still quiet around the village, and that’s a good thing. Only an idiot or a monster would wish danger on their family and friends just to further a skill. I have no intention of seeking out violence, but I won’t shy away from it either.

Maybe I could join Tabitha on a few of her patrols around the village or ask the hunters if they’d let me tag along on a hunt?

The only problem with those two options is that I might go a little crazy using my skill, and I wouldn't want either group learning about my tier 6 skill.

No, if I want to practice Soul Devourer, I'll need to do it by myself, and that would mean I'd have to go out and look for something to kill. So much for not seeking out violence; I'm such a hypocrite. I hang my head in shame for a little bit before looking up at the plaque still held in the air by my ghostly tendrils.

It's funny; spending all this time worrying over my skill has actually helped me block out its mental effects.

As my focus returns to Soul Devourer, eating away at the plaque, I once again feel the pleasure of using the skill. But whether because I've gotten used to the sensation or because I've already broken out of its effects once already, my mind isn't overwhelmed by the feelings.

And also, I look down at the still trembling surface of my soul.

Yep, I think Mental Resistance gained a level while I was brooding over Soul Devourer.

I should focus more and worry about my skill after I've finished absorbing Grey's contract. Soul Devourer has only eaten away at a third of the plaque, and there's still a lot more to go.

Maybe if I create more soul tentacles as the soul devourer had, I can speed up the process?

Concentrating, I try to form a third ghostly tentacle-claw-thingy without affecting the two already eating away at the plaque. Am I really going to have to refer to them as soul tentacles? Soul tentacles sound like something a demon lord in a questionable anime you wouldn't tell people you watch would use.

Soul Devourer already affects my mental health, and I don't need to use weird terms in my head on top of that. Maybe soul chains would work; no, that doesn't fit.

Soul claws?

Yeah, I like that! Soul Devourer uses soul claws to gather up experience. That sounds much cooler and a lot less creepy.

My third soul claw dissipates before I can direct it at the plaque, but I’m not put off by the failure; practice does make perfect after all. And if I'm stealing experience from an asshole like Grey, why not level a few skills at the same time.

**********

Lennard Grey’s Point of View:

“It feels like there’s a hole in my chest!” I scream.

Max is trying to hold me down and keep me from thrashing about, but the pain is overwhelming. It feels like someone is ripping my soul from my chest!

"Open your mouth, Boss!" Max forces another healing tonic down my throat. And just like the last one, the warm glow in the pit of my stomach fails to combat the sheer pain I'm feeling.

“It’s not working,” I hiss through my teeth. “Give me a stronger one!”

“That was our strongest tonic,” Max frowns down at me. “What can be causing this?” Max grabs my left hand and pulls it close to his face, "Which one protects against curses?"

“The one with the amethyst,” I hoarsely reply.

"It's still charged but isn't activating. This is either a powerful curse or something else entirely," Max ponders out loud while I'm rolling in agony. “Can you tell me what you’re feeling, Boss?”

He dares to ask how I'm feeling! I try to throw a punch, but my body feels like it's deprived of all its energy. Max easily stops my feeble punch and pushes my hands to the rocky floor.

“Focus, Boss!” Max raises his voice. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong!”

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” I whine with tears in my eyes. “It feels like someone’s hands are digging into my chest and slowly ripping out my soul!”

Max’s face turns utterly pale as he releases my left arm and brings his hand to his chest. “Does Giovanni have access to someone who knows such dark magic?” I can see it in Max’s eyes that he’s afraid that he’s next.

Is that what this is, soul magic, one of the taboo magics thought lost to the word? How could Giovanni, a man who’s never left this small corner of the kingdom, possibly have someone proficient in such dark magic?

I would’ve heard rumors of such a person, whispers in the dark. And why would Giovanni wait so long to have his revenge if he had someone capable of targeting me this far away?

No, this isn't Giovanni's work; this is someone else entirely!

But then who was it?

Could Giovanni have contacted Pacore and ask he have this done to me?

I doubt it, I might not be an expert in magic, but I know a mage can't target someone they've never seen before. Whoever is doing this to me has to be someone I've personally met, most likely made contact with!

Working backward through the pain, I try to remember the faces of everyone I've come in contact with over the last year.

It can't be anyone from Silver Herd, and I've only met a handful of Scholl officials, so I don't have to worry about them. Every face that comes to mind is either a known merchant or mercenary, none of which could be responsible for such magic.

And then it hits me.

Just as it feels like a third hand is reaching into my chest, the face of a village girl pops into my mind. Oh, gods, her willingness to sign a contract with me without reviewing it!

Gritting through the pain, I try to feel for my active contracts. And just as I feared, I can no longer feel the contract I formed with Aaliyah. In fact, the pain feels like it's radiating from where our connection used to be. It should be impossible! Aaliyah is from a backwater village and too young to have gotten her hands such a rare form of magic. It should be impossible, but I know it to be the truth.

Was this her plan all along? Did she somehow cast a spell or curse me when we met?

My tears continue to pour down my face as my throat turns dry. The three hands digging around my chest are so painful I can't even move, and each second that passes makes me feel weaker and weaker.

I can only imagine this is what dying feels like!

I can’t even warn Max that it was Aaliyah who did this to me.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of dirt shifting, and out of the corner of my eye, I see glowing eyes appear down the tunnel we came from.

The goblins are back!

Not being able to speak, I look at Max and plead with my eyes that he saves me.

Max looks me over before nervously glancing down the tunnel, probably counting the pair of eyes. He’s probably figuring out how many he’ll need to kill before dragging me to safety. Max appears to get an idea, and he pulls my pack closer to us. Is he going to throw some of our food as bait?

Max opens the pack, but instead of pulling anything out, he grabs one of my hands and starts pulling my rings off my fingers.

What is he doing!?

I'm too weak to protest as he removes every ring on my left hand before switching to my right. After removing each of my rings, he rips open my sleeves and forcefully pulls off the bracelets I was hiding under my clothes. Max then proceeds to take off each amulet from around my neck.

He throws every piece of magic jewelry into my pack before frisking my paralyzed body for anything else I might have hidden. Max quickly finds a bag of gems I was concealing in between my trousers and undergarments. He refuses to look me in the eye as he strips me of all that I'm worth, all while keeping a watchful eye on the goblins slowly creeping closer to us.

Once Max has everything loaded up, he ties the two packs together and swings them over his shoulder. Finally, after adjusting the pack's straps, Max looks down at me with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry, Boss, but this is where we part ways."

This son of a bitch! I want to get up and lunge at the man, but I'm still paralyzed in pain, and it doesn't feel like it will stop anytime soon. The most I can do is glare up at Max.

“I truly am sorry,” Max has the gall to repeat himself. “By the looks of it, you won’t be able to move anytime soon. I could drag you, but if the goblins don’t eventually pick us off, those sent after us surely will. It was a pleasure working for you, Sir,” Max bows his head and backs away from me.

He’s going to leave me behind to be eaten by goblins!

“How… Could… You… Our… Contract,” I manage to stutter through the pain.

Hearing me, Max’s expression of sorrow hardens into a look of resolve. "I'm sure you, of all people, appreciate how someone can interpret a contract. I have to do my best to protect you while never harming or betraying you. Strong yet simple terms I've followed for over two decades now. I can say without a doubt in my heart that this is the best I can do."

Bullshit, I scream with my eyes, my heart pounding so hard I think it will burst out of my chest.

"Whether I leave you here or drag you deeper into the mountain, I’m certain you’ll die,” Max bluntly tells me. “I’ve done my best to protect you, even when you decided to make Scholl and Giovanni your enemies. I don’t know what’s happening to you, but it’s sealed your fate as well as what I must do.”

Despair starts to overwhelm the pain I’m feeling, but even though I feel the need to cry, my body refuses to produce any more tears.

“Allow me to help you one more time,” Max offers, seeing me start to break down.

Is he offering to save me? Please, I'll do anything; I try to convey nonverbally, latching on to this last ray of hope.

“Terminate the contract between us,” Max instructs me.

Why, how is that going to help me?

"Terminate our contract so that I can put you out of your misery." Max's offer is the final nail in the coffin. I'm going to die here in this tunnel, abandoned by the only person I've ever trusted.

How can I die when I was so close to reaching my goals, and not even at the hands of Giovanni either, but at the hands of a village girl who pretended to fall into my trap.

“Boss, you need to make your decision now. I need to leave,” Max looks down the tunnel again at the eyes that seem to remain just outside the light cast by the magic tool.

Bastard is still calling me boss! Slowly, I manage to raise my head and look Max in the eyes. “Fuck… You,” I manage to spit out.

“So be it,” Max shakes his head like he’s disappointed in me.

Like I would let him off the hook for his contract. If I remember correctly, he agreed that he would forfeit his life should he break our agreement. As soon as he starts to walk away, the contract will eat away at him until he shares my fate.

“Farewell, Lennard,” Max turns around and starts walking.

Any second now!

Any second!

I want to see him drop to his knees in pain before I die. There's no way our contract will justify his reasoning. You can't fool your skills; that's why Contract type skills are so strong. No matter how you try to justify your actions, your skill will still know that you're trying to weasel your way out of it.

The light around me grows dimmer as Max walks further down the tunnel. I can hear the goblins breathing in the darkness.

Why is he not collapsing?

Does the asshole honestly believe he's done all that he can?!

I curse you, Max.

I curse you with every fiber of my being!

"Max!" I shout as he rounds a bend in the tunnel, and the last bit of light vanishes.

*********

Aaliyah’s Point of View:

"What the hell!?" Out of nowhere, Grey's contract suddenly became easier to absorb.

Where once my soul claws were struggling to rip apart the manifestation of experience, they’re now grabbing large chunks of experience and devouring it like it’s nothing. And at the same time, I feel a sudden influx of experience like I just advanced multiple skills at once.

Why did absorbing the experience become so much easier? My speed had already increased earlier when I managed to form my third soul claw, but nothing compared to this.

I want to pull up my status page and check my skills, but I still have to finish absorbing the plaque. There was still a quarter of the plaque left, but now that the settings were suddenly switched to easy, it should only take me a few minutes to finish up.

The trembling of my soul's surface increases as more large chunks of experience are quickly absorbed and made my own.

And then I finish absorbing Grey's contract.

Nothing remarkable happens when I absorb the last bit of experience, other than mentally feeling free again.

"Now, let's see what leveled," I finally pull up my status page. It’s harder to conjure inside my soul, but once I do, I can only yell, “Oh, shit!”

LV: 74 Experience:34,230/ 1,004,619

Health: 2,430/2,430

Stamina 1,650/1,650

Mana:797.38/1,020

Vitality: 243.00

Endurance: 100.06

Strength: 152.04

Dexterity: 150.05

Senses: 62.48

Mind: 65.35

Magic: 102.90

Clarity: 78.90

Status Points: 10

Skills:

Tier 1:

Meditation (LV79), Running (LV78), Blacksmithing (LV73), Hammer Skills (LV63), Axe Skills (LV60), Cleaning (LV53), Chanting (LV50), Mining (LV50), Drawing (LV46), Trading (LV45), Cooking (LV41), Sword Skills (LV40), Dagger Skills (LV34), Acting (LV33), Wood Carving (LV31), Sewing (LV31), Alchemy (LV14), Dancing (LV13), Pugilist Skills (LV8), Spear Skills (LV2)

Tier 2:

Sense Mana (LV79), Double Step (LV64), Charm (LV50), Measurement (LV47), Hammer Arts (LV44), Axe Arts (LV39), Writing (LV32), Intimidating Shout (LV31), Mathematics (LV31), Steady Hands (LV26), Increase Price (LV21), Lower Price (LV20), Sword Arts (LV17), Dagger Arts (LV13), Gourmet (LV7), Marching (LV5), Shout of Valor (LV3),

Tier 3:

Expel Mana (LV63), Mana Manipulation (LV62), Weighted Strike (LV41), Precise Strike (LV40), Double Strike (LV40),Flash Step (LV29), Contract (LV21)

Tier 4:

Mental Resistance (LV59), Mana Skin (LV56), Inject Mana (LV54), Extract Mana (LV36), Magic Blacksmithing (LV31), Air Walk (LV15), Magic Threads (LV15), Empowered Spell (LV14), Ironclad Agreement (LV8), Appealing Deal (LV3)

Tier 5:

Sense Soul (LV40), Soul Manipulation (LV16)

Tier 6:

Soul Devourer (LV4)

Increased Skill Levels

Alchemy (LV12-14) 1,950exp

Contract (LV15-21) 18,900exp

Mental Resistance (LV58-59) 29,250exp

Ironclad Agreement (LV1-8) 9,000exp

Appealing Deal (LV1-3) 1,500exp

Soul Manipulation (LV14-16) 22,500exp

Soul Devourer (LV3-4) 7,000exp

Skill Experience: 90,100exp

Crafting Experience: 8,641exp

Fighting Experience: 1,883exp

Total-experience Gained: 100,624exp

It's been a long time since I checked my status page twice in a single day, and I can say without a doubt that this is some of the most experience I've ever earned in a single day. Minus the day I crafted the general's arrow and the soul eater battle, of course.

Seven skills went up in level, and each is crazier than the last.

I'm happy to see Alchemy jump a few levels after all the work Sandra and I put in, but right now, it's the least exciting part of my status page.

It looks like Grey’s experience successfully merged with my own and not only bumped up Contract's level but also gave me levels in the two skills I noticed earlier. Judging by their names, Ironclad Agreement makes a contract harder to break, while Appealing Deal nudges a person to accept the contract. Both would've been nice to have when I struck my deal with Pacore, but I'm sure they'll be helpful in the future.

Overall, I stole 29,400 experience from Grey. Not a lot of experience considering our levels, but seeing how it directly impacted my skills rather than just giving me random experience, I’d say it was worth way more than the experience.

If all that wasn’t enough to be happy with, Mental Resistance went up two levels, Soul Manipulation went up by three, and Soul Devourer went up by two as well.

I’m happy when one of those skill levels, but all three! I can’t help but stand up and awkwardly dance around my clearing.

I hit level 74 earlier than I expected, cleared Grey’s contract out of my soul, and even earned some extra experience from crafting engraving ink and…

Why did I get fighting experience? I didn't practice with Tabitha today, let alone kill something.

Or did I?!

Did Grey kick the bucket after I absorbed his experience?

Suddenly a lightbulb goes off in my head; that’s why it suddenly became easier to absorb the plaque! Grey died while I was absorbing the experience, and it lost its connection to him. The experience still wanted to escape my soul, but that's why Soul Devourer suddenly had an easier time absorbing it.

"Grey is dead," I say out loud, almost as if to make it official.

But the question is, did me absorbing Grey's experience kill him, or did something else cause his demise? Depending on the answer, I'll have to be even more careful with my tier 6 skill.

Either way, I’ll have to let Giovanni know in the morning. I’ll tell him I’m not 100% positive Grey is dead, but I’ll tell Giovanni I got some extra experience and what I think that means. I’ll leave it up to Giovanni to decide what he wants to do with that information.

I know I shouldn’t be happy that I’ve technically killed another person, but I can’t bring myself to feel bad. Grey did awful things to people, and the world is better now that he’s gone.

Despite thinking that, I bring my hands together, bow my head, and offer a short prayer. “May you be better in your next life.”

I feel like I'm being watched for a split second, and I immediately look up at the moons hovering over my soul. None of them have turned to eyes, and the feeling of being watched is already gone.

Was that all in my head? I shake my head and chose not to dwell on it. Even if one of the gods were watching me, I couldn’t do anything about it. At least not as I am.

Maybe in the future, I can figure out how to shield my soul, but until then, I need to worry about my real-world problems first.

I have a sparring session with Tabitha in a few hours, and I have status points to distribute.

*********

Author’s Notes:

5,300 words

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