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Matt was pretty sure that they felt a bubble aspect on one of the bolts, but how those percentages broke down would take a lot more testing than they had done so far.
He changed his mantra to something more specific to Emily as he struck out again, “Your Talent lets you double things. Maybe you’re a bacterial growth in a petri dish, with the skill being food. The more food you can add, the more you can grow.”
She ground out, “I’m not bacteria, Matt. f**k you.”
Since she had the ability to talk back, Matt hit her thigh and then her extended arm. She sent a bolt of lightning at him. This one stung his shield, as it was within her window of doubling time. Matt kicked some dirt at her in retaliation.
It was kinda mean to compare her to bacteria, but it was the best doubling thing he could come up with at the moment.
“Think about standing on a pyramid where…” Matt halted in his diatribe as he felt something. It was faint, but his Concept felt a resonation from the blood-covered girl.
They all watched as Emily sat cross-legged. Conor and Annie, from their panting positions, each scrambled to a spot where they could see Emily. Liz stopped resisting the women’s movements and watched with everyone else.
After about five minutes of nothing happening, Emily opened her eyes.
“I lost it. I had something, but I lost it.”
Annie crawled over to get right in front of her bloody sister’s face. “What did it feel like? And what do you think triggered it?”
Emily opened her eyes and mockingly glared at Matt. “It definitely wasn’t bacteria. There was something about the pyramid, but I don’t know what.”
Liz fist-pumped. “Well, see? I was right! That’s the first step. Now you know where to start. We just need to do more training.”
Conor hopped to his feet when Emily retreated back into herself to examine her slight breakthrough.
Matt hoped it was a sign of things to come, but it wasn’t. No one had any more progress, even when all three of them were out of will power and had blinding headaches, forcing them to stop training.
It wasn’t much progress, but it showed that the end goal was possible.
Matt was pulling apart his golem crossbow arm in a workshop while half-listening to Liz and Sam work behind him. They had rented a general workspace for half the day, as it was cheaper for them to all rent the room.
He could have crashed Kelley’s workshop, but the man had been so busy with his Concept and engrossed in his research, that he hadn’t even noticed Matt showing up or leaving.
So instead of risking bothering the man, he rented out a workshop to convert his golem arm crossbows into ones wieldable by humans.
When Liz and Sam finally started to meet up to practice alchemy together, they needed a room as well, so they rented one out as a group.
But Matt wasn’t fully concentrating on the item in front of him. No, he was much more focused on listening to Liz complain about running the Pather side of the war.
“I have people always coming up with great ideas. It’s always just coincidental that the idea only helps themselves or their friends. These people clearly think I’m an i***t, but I still need to hear them out.”
Something clattered, and Sam said, “Just tell them to take a hike.”
Liz groaned, and Matt had to resist turning around. She hadn’t shared any of this with him. She had played things off like it was mostly busy work.
“I can’t. I need to hear people out at least marginally. It’s even worse now because people are complaining to me about the missions they get. I only approve the missions that the AIs suggest if it looks viable. I can’t help that the Tier 5 teams are outmatched for most things other than guard duty, or being a part of a larger group. Am I supposed to make the other side weaker and only send Tier 5s as well? No, that’s f*****g stupid. Ugh! It’s just frustrating.”
“People suck.”
“Yeah, but I need to lead them, which makes it worse.” Liz sounded incredibly tired.
Sam said something Matt didn’t hear, and Liz responded in kind.
Matt wanted to go over and ask her what else was wrong and try to help, but it wasn’t like she couldn’t have told him. They hadn’t seen that much of each other in the last week and a half, but things had been hectic with them playing catch up on training and Concept work.
They had all been busy with their own thing, but he was slipping as Liz’s friend and boyfriend.
That night Matt asked Liz as they were settling into sleep, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s all fine.” She murmured her answer while stifling a yawn.
Matt waited, but when he got nothing, he pressed, “Even with the leader gig?”
“It’s fine.”
“I heard you talking to Sam.”
Liz groaned, “Dammit. I thought we were quieter than that.”
“You mostly were, but when I was changing arms, I was able to hear.”
Liz rolled into him as she said, “I’ve barely seen you, and it feels like all I do is complain when I do see you. I don’t want to burden you as well.”
Matt poked her under the rib. “I’m happy to help.”
“See, that’s the thing. You like to fix things, but this isn’t something that can be fixed. I just wanted to complain and b***h to someone new a little. It’s shitty sometimes, but it’s not all bad. I’ve met some really nice and grateful people. It’s just turds that taint the whole bowl sometimes.”
“Well, I wanted to let you know I’m here to help.”
She patted his chest. “You are helpful. Time spent with you is time I don’t have to think about all the bullshit I need to work on the next day. Thankfully, we only have two days off left, and things are heating back up, so we’ll have more time together.”
He kissed the top of her head, and they lay there together.
Matt wasn’t happy that Liz was dealing with everything on her own, but at least they weren’t having any problems as a couple.
How can I help?
As he drifted off to sleep, Matt kept thinking about the question.
Matt took a fist on his unarmored forearm and felt [Mage’s Retreat] flare slightly in response as the skill moved more mana through the area that increased Durability. He concentrated on stretching that area out. Just slowly.
If he moved too fast, the skill would actually start pulling from the Strength boost it gave. But if he was slow, he could slowly stretch the skill structure out like taffy. Adding his manual manipulation while getting hit doubled the effectiveness of his training.
His normal meditation was better for feeling out the skill, but he knew [Mage’s Retreat] as well as he knew [Cracked Phantom Armor.]
Matt’s AI pinged him. It was nearly time.
- Writer
