Hi and howdy,

Little better, but for some reason, I'm having trouble walking? Weird thing with my ankle.

Anyways, here's the chapter. Edited it quite a bit to make it interesting and fun, along with some serious foreshadowing for future plans. I'm also including my ultimate ReaderQuest. I do this with my students once a year as a challenge, and every year, I get 3 or 4 who go the whole distance.

Quest ID: JDM-0005-X-EA
[Tier 3 Experimental Quest]

Assignment: Welcome to 1990

A portal opens and you step through, or you’re hit by an Isekai truck, your choice.

The year is 1990, and bad news…you're stuck here for a week.

Your Task

Spend seven days living as though it were 1990.

For the duration of the Quest, modern conveniences that didn't reasonably exist in an ordinary household in 1990 are unavailable to you.

That means:

No smartphones.

No social media.

No streaming services.

No internet browsing.

No GPS.

No AI.

No online shopping.

No modern video games.

Instead, entertain yourself, communicate, navigate, and solve problems using methods available in 1990.

That means:

Read physical books.

Listen to the radio.

Play cards or board games.

Go to someone’s house to see if they’re…there.

Write things by hand.

Use a paper map.

Go somewhere without checking reviews first.

Be bored and just figure shit out on your own.

Rules

You may still use modern technology for work, medical needs, emergencies, or other genuine necessities.

When you're unsure whether something counts, ask yourself one question:

Could an ordinary person have reasonably done this in 1990?

If not, find another way.

Completion Condition

Live in 1990 for seven consecutive days.

Return through the portal.

Timeframe: One Week

Reward: 30 XP

The portal closes behind you.

See you next week.

—

J D Mullenary Sr
The Original QuestWright

Now, onto the show.

Chapter 78: William...

William…

I don’t think that kid knows what rough is. Look at him. Young, smooth face, hot girlfriend. He’s skinny too. Bet he’s only had his Calling for a few months, maybe weeks. He wouldn’t know about how hard life can be when you’re scraping by and barely surviving.

William took a beat, then shook that thought away.

Nah, I can’t think that way. I’m not part of the army anymore. I need to listen to him, but still use my own head. If this works and I don’t die some horrible way, I’m gonna owe this kid something fierce. 

My life, maybe.

William had been through rough. He’d been stabbed, clawed. Burned twice. He’d even been knocked through a wall once, when the tower had decided they needed defenses in the Beneath.

This skinny kid with the glowing feather made him an earnest promise, so he’d trust that. It wasn’t like there were other options at the moment.

So William followed his request, lying on his back and trying to force his body to relax.

“Anything I need to do?”

He felt the boy’s hand touch his arm. “Hopefully? Nothing. Just lie still and remember that I’m here to help you.”

“Got it.” He closed his eyes and took a soft breath, still wary of the woman in dark clothing. She set off his battle instincts in a way that none of the Beanth’s monsters ever had.

The grip on his arm showed surprising strength as the boy spoke up again. 

“I’m going to start with the biggest problem I see first, William. Brace yourself.”

Brace myself? How do you brace for losing one-hundred levels?

With nothing to answer his internal thoughts, William gripped the edges of the couch. There was a single second that passed, then a tiny ball of flame touched right over his heart.  

That’s it? Ain’t so bad.

William lost all control as a spike of pure agony tore through his body. 

His hands ripped free from the couch, pieces of ratty fabric sticking to his iron grip. Back arched, his legs snapped down hard enough to send something crashing. Voices shouted around him, but William couldn’t understand a word they said. 

Everything was pain. What had felt like a tiny flame now seemed like a burning sword driving straight through him. His mouth tasted of heat and iron as every part of his body screamed out in anguish. 

And he felt it. Something, buried deep inside that he had no control over, pushed back as a battlefield erupted from within. In an effort to escape, he leaped to the safest place he could find.

His dashboard.

The pain was still there, rumbling in the background like a bonfire. But the familiar words he’d seen thousands of times before calmed him immediately.

The words Private William Atherby were stamped at the top. Just below it was the image of a man and the number one-hundred. The spear held in its hands was an ever-present reminder of the only choice he’d ever made with his Calling. 

And of course, there was the scowl forever stamped on the image’s face.

William had gotten a kick out of it when he’d first noticed. He’d even practiced that look in mirrors, trying to emulate some semblance of toughness. Now, he thought it was scowling right at him.

It had started out as an empty figure. Then, as he gained levels, parts of the image filled in, taking on color and a life of their own. 

And as the image changed, so did he. William had grown stronger, faster. His reactions had felt surer too, like he couldn’t make a mistake. The more color the image took on, the more powerful he became.

The first part to complete was the bottom. To his shock and amazement, the figure had begun to move. Crouching, running, maneuvering. Like it was fighting its own battles.

As soon as he’d informed his superiors, they’d had him running the Private Highways of Liberty. The Quests were okay, but the freedom of running that fast never lost its joy.

William and his brothers celebrated every step of the way, cheering each other on whenever more of the image came to life, no matter how tiny the progress seemed. Each portion of progress was another step on the road to greater and greater strength.

Then, on the day they’d had a huge celebration as each of them reached the final level, he’d gone to sleep. When he woke up that morning, his size had more than doubled, and he felt like he was starving. 

That day, he hadn’t had to tell his superiors. They’d taken one look at him and his squad, then sent them on their ‘special’ mission. Only the night before they’d had the time of their lives, and one morning later, brothers had no life at all. 

The last part to fill out was centered right over his heart. The same place he’d felt that small bit of fire touch. Thus, it was with some shock that he watched that small part of the image fade in color, only for that color to come back, this time in a light blue.

The pain moved up a notch.

At the top, the scowling image screamed as one-hundred ticked down to ninety-nine. Unable to restrain himself, William screamed with it as he felt something inside him tear.

In that terrible pain, a deep, abiding sadness also surfaced. William shed a tear not only for losing the level he’d worked so hard to achieve, but also for the memory of him and his brothers celebrating the night they’d received it. 

From there, anytime that blue color came back, it was quickly destroyed. The image was fighting back. When the intruder arrived, it would stab forth its spear, orange flames dipping to splash against the intruding blue. 

The spear in its hands was a maelstrom of activity as it slashed and stabbed with complete abandon.

It was winning.

But as it fought, using moves so reminiscent of the same he’d been taught as a Private, a coldness seeped into his feelings. Whatever the kid outside was doing, he was losing. He needed help.

So William decided to do just that. 

Pulling at his endless well of rage, he did something he didn’t know was possible. 

With a roar, William reached out to the glowing light that was fighting the corruption deep within himself. Just as it appeared, it disappeared, pulling into him easily and filling his body with an energy he’d never felt before. 

Then, he opened his eyes, discovering himself before the screaming, smiling image. 

He had a stark, brief moment to consider how empty everything in his Dashboard was, then it was time to do something.

Reaching out, William grabbed the spear with both hands and stopped it entirely. 

The image yelled incomprehensibly, then pulled back with terrifying strength as it grew in size. Knowing he didn’t have the power to contest that, William went with it. Without releasing his hold, the Private was dragged around as the scowling image tried to throw him away.

The boy and his feather made progress as further levels dropped. By distracting the image, William had given the strange boy with the too-strong grip a chance to win. And as he won, so did William.

Once the numbers dropped below ninety, the image didn’t move quite so fast.

At eighty, it was starting to have trouble throwing William around as they continued to scream in each other’s faces.

At seventy, William’s feet touched the ground, cyanic light filling his figure as he fought back. 

Sixty. William wrenched the spear sideways, almost pulling it from the image's hands.

Fifty. William slipped an unexpected headbutt through, smashing his forehead into its face. That distraction made the image drop to one knee as a burst of light struck it. Cyan took over, draining from it and directly into William’s growing figure. The numbers dripped away as the image shrunk before him. 

At thirty, William ripped the spear away, spun it lightly, then stabbed it forward into the image's small, beady eye.

The number immediately dropped to ten. 

Preparing for his final strike, William stumbled as the spear disappeared from his hands. The fallen image grew again, roaring as orange light filled its being. Cracks erupted around the Dashboard as sparks of what could only be corruption burst into being.

William balled up his fists, ready to fight this new form when he heard a voice.

“Hold on, William!” 

Light came in, not through the image but feeding directly into his very being. The orange monstrosity smiled in front of him, but William smiled back as he grew to match it, a cyanic spear appearing in his hands. 

A scowl took over the monster’s face; The battle wasn’t over yet.

Moving fast, William leaped forward into a run. Orange sparks came at him, but he beat them back with the empowered spear in his hands. Several combined, morphing into a bolt of lightning that shot at his chest, but William wouldn’t be denied. He dodged one, gritted his teeth through another, then pushed off the ground and launched himself across the Dashboard with a roar.

Just as William reached the apex of his leap, something changed. The monstrosity bulged, its body filling with orange light. Like a balloon about to burst, it lifted its head up, screaming its fury to the sky.

Thank you for lining that up for me.

The tip burst in light as William brought it down into the mouth of the monster in front of him, burying it deep and through its body. The cyan spear punched through the bottom, then expanded in a flash, overtaking the image until it dissolved into nothing at all. 

All sound and movement in the Dashboard ceased. Then, little by little, cracks that had begun earlier continued on until everything shattered.

The only thing left in the space were the former-Private’s consciousness and two words.

William Atherby

Then, there was only darkness, and the absence of thoughts as William blacked out.

Cass several minutes earlier…

Even when William was lying down, Cass had to stay standing just to position himself correctly. William’s body wasn’t just tall, but thick as well. In Cass’s now thin form, four or five of them would’ve fit within the giant’s body.

After the big man had closed his eyes and Cass gave his warning, he held up the Quill, then brought it down gently. With a fine touch helped by Precision, the tip touched the very center of corruption.

For all of a breath, nothing happened. Then, William exploded the couch with a roar.

“Fuck!” Cass yelled as the giant of a man thrashed beneath him, the old piece of furniture torn to pieces from the motions rocking his body. William’s screams were unceasing as his body bucked and shifted on broken shards of old couch. 

Cass was thrown down next to him as a large fist came his way. 

Alan blurred forward, trading a hit meant for Cass onto himself. He flew back, bouncing against the wall with a groan while the woman in black stepped forward.

When one of William’s meaty fists came her way, she moved and struck him on a joint with incredible skill as the fist missed her by inches.

“Hurry up, boy! This isn’t a vacation!”

“It’s not that easy,” Cass said with haste. Every node on William’s body had seemed to come alive the moment the Quill touched the big one on his chest. In the chaos, he needed a moment, but there would be no small measures if they were going to cure him.

Jumping off of what used to be an armrest, Cass landed on the giant’s vibrating body and pushed the Quill back down. As he did with his Quests, Cass funneled energy from deep within. But since the Quill’s upgrade with the Source only minutes before, something had changed.

It drank from him like a parched man coming in from the desert. 

The Quill lit up twice as bright. Even as he felt an incredible drain and the glow burnished brightly, an orange radiance from William’s body rose to meet it. The cyan glow brightened as Cass pushed harder. 

Come on!

With a rush, he forced as much energy out of himself as possible. Until, finally, a crack formed on the node. Small cracks joined it hurriedly until it shattered.

Cass took a deep breath as sweat broke out across his body.

He couldn’t do that again. There were so many nodes on William’s body that he’d run empty long before the big man was clean. With that in the back of his mind, he looked at the next node. Curiously, they’d all changed color from red to orange. 

Don’t think about that right now, Cass. Focus.

With the largest node gone, a flurry of activity followed. Cass tried to attack a point on the arm currently being batted back by the Shadow woman. The moment he got close, energy pooled from the other nodes, rebuffing him like a shield. Trying one on his swinging leg showed the same, as did one on the stomach. Each attack was quickly defended.

It wasn’t until Cass was trying to apply pressure to a node on the shoulder that he felt a change. The corrupted energy circulating throughout William’s body slowed. Not a lot, but enough to make a difference. He attacked the shoulder, breaking through the angry orange as a pinpoint of cyan took over. Then, all at once, Cass felt a huge pull on his energy.

“Shiittt,” Cass moaned as it felt like something had just drained the life out of him.

As if to counter his complaint, the node shattered.

Gritting his teeth, Cass attacked another node, shattering that too. The corruption’s resistance was weaker, but it still drained him nonetheless. One by one, Cass worked through the seconds and minutes, growing all the weaker for it as his breathing quickened and his arms began to feel like they were weighted in lead.

Drenched in sweat, he was happy to find that all of the nodes on William’s arms were gone, as was the big man’s screaming. He also noticed something.

The big man was much smaller than he’d been only moments before.

Alan, the Shadow, and Adya were all piled on top of William’s legs and waist in an attempt to keep the man down. So Cass naturally said something they didn’t want to hear.

“It’s working! Help me roll him over!”

With a groan from all three, they did, and the work continued apace.   

The more they worked, the less Corruption was apparent, and the smaller William became. It also had an exhausting effect on Cass, whose shaking hands now plied their craft and Quill to the upper right thigh of the former giant.

As the final node shattered, a huge swelling of orange corruption rocked through the man’s body. Lifting from him, it grew, covering William in an orange sheen that looked dangerous to behold.

“Hold on, William!”

There were no nodes to attack, so Cass did the next best thing. Placing the Quill on the center of the man’s chest, he poured every ounce of energy he had remaining through the Quill and directly at the corruption. 

There was resistance at first, so Cass narrowed the flow into a single point, driving a thin spear of cyan energy from the Quill’s tip into the heart of the man beneath him. 

A hole opened up within the corruption, then the energy crashed into William’s body as the man bucked and thrashed anew.

Cass collapsed, having spent every bit of energy he had left on that final push. Alan and Adya dragged him back as William shook, then all at once, he went still.

“That was new,” The Shadow said as she looked at Cass. “You’re full of surprises there, little QuestWright.”

“I’m gonna need a minute,” Alan said, holding one of his ribs as he stood up.

Cass didn’t speak. His body was so wrung out that he couldn’t move even if someone held a knife to his throat. Adya gave him a smile, and he quirked his lips in what he hoped matched it.

As a shaky breath came and went through his lungs, he noticed something. A small, glowing orb of interlocking orange and blue lifted off of the man. With a zip, it flew toward Cass’s Quill, touched the new blue band surrounding it, then was gone.

[System Notice]

You’ve gained a (Military) Private Calling Shard

One Path discovered…

Collect more to form a new Calling seed.

2/10