Arcane Apocalypse ~ 154 (Patreon)

AN: Sorry for the late upload, I'm an idiot. Forgot it was Monday.

*****

Mia awoke the same way she usually did these days, lingering in bed even after she was fully awake, very much reluctant to move even an inch. By God, she didn’t know how she could ever sleep alone in a bed; she’d gotten so used to hugging Camie like a body pillow as she slept that she wasn’t even sure she could fall asleep in a cold, empty bed.

She felt … content. Yesterday, a part of her heart that had been torn off a year ago was suddenly reattached. It wasn’t a perfect fit, not yet. There was scarring, and the reattached bit has changed, but it still fit. It would take time to fully heal, but the scars would never fully fade.  

Five years apart. She would have been worried that she wouldn’t click with Gabe anymore after that much time apart, but yesterday banished those thoughts. They’d fallen right back into the same rhythm as if nothing had happened, though it took some time.

Time. That was what they all needed. Hopefully, they would finally have it now that Graz was secure. They all deserved some downtime to process everything, consolidate their gains, and decide how they would do things going forward.  

Time we have now. Mia thought, all but melting into the bed as tension continued seeping out of her body. After being high-strung for months, always on edge and having only a tiny sliver of a chance at long-term survival, safety felt heavenly. It’d take a few more days to truly get used to it. 

She’d felt Gabriel’s power; with him around, she could finally stop worrying about assassins, snipers, beastkin ambushes, monster incursions, Rifts and whatnot. She didn’t have to put her life on the line, not anymore. 

Mia tightened her arms around Camie’s body, cuddling in closer to the vampiress and earning herself an adorable sleepy grumble from her girlfriend. They both needed the time, and so did the others. Last week had been especially horrible for all of their mental well-being. 

I’ll need to make sure everyone is fine. Lina, Mark and Nikki don't have any family or friends in Graz, as far as I know. Only us. 

Helene and Brent would probably help each other relax and process stuff, but the less said about that, the better. It was Lina whom she was most worried about.

Leaving the girl to ferment in her emotions and probable trauma after the last few days, all alone, would have been cruel. Especially with how Mia’s family was suddenly wholly reunited. Mia worried Lina would take it … badly. If their positions were reversed, Mia’d feel absolutely miserable. 

To be forced to watch another family being all happy after a reunion, while you don’t even know whether you have a single family member remaining? And to not even have the distraction of having to fight beastkin and monsters anymore? … Yeah. Mia couldn’t let that girl wallow in her thoughts. She promised me we’d go shopping for some clothes once things calmed down, didn’t she? I wonder if she’d be willing to play along if I took her up on that offer. 

“What are you thinking about?” Camie whispered, sounding surprisingly awake.

Mia blinked her eyes open, squirming a little to peer up at her girlfriend. “Didn’t notice you were awake, good morning.”

“It is,” Camie said, smiling slightly as her arm around Mia’s shoulders tightened into a hug. “So?”

“Lina,” Mia said, huffing a little as she settled back down with her head on Camie’s shoulder. “That poor girl doesn’t have anyone. She’s all alone with her thoughts. I was thinking about seeing whether any of the malls are still standing, or if there is a clothing shop we could raid. I remember that she was pretty enthusiastic about fashion.”

Camie sighed, then flicked Mia’s forehead almost playfully, earning a confused squeak from the elfin girl. “Maybe think of letting yourself get some rest before worrying about others, hmm? You should take care of yourself before thinking about others.”

“It’s not like I’ll be able to really relax if I know she’s suffering alone in her room. It’s just going to keep eating away at me if I leave it be,” Mia said a bit indignantly. “And I think it’d be … nice. Just the three of us, raiding a mall and seeing whether we can find some nice clothes. I doubt the monsters took anything they couldn’t eat.”

Mia was startled, letting out another surprised yelp as she was pulled into a full hug, but didn’t resist.

“What now?” She mumbled, her voice muffled by speaking into Camie’s shoulder.

“Just that you are an adorable cinnamon roll, nothing else,” Camie said with a fond sigh, sending an embarrassed flush up Mia’s cheeks. “Yes, it’d be … nice, I’d like to go raid a mall with you and Lina. I like it. I’ve never been on a girls' day out, or whatever it’s called.”

“Oh,” Mia said, a smile blossoming on her face. “Okay, then it’s decided!”

“But first,” Camie said. “The Obelisk.”

“Yeah,” Mia said after a moment, frowning in thought. “We should probably interrogate Gabe and Nikki about what to expect, and then get it over with before they can overcomplicate stuff with politics and bureaucracy."

It was all but assured that Zeigler would be setting up a bunch of bureaucratic hoops people would need to jump through every time they wanted to, so much as catch a glimpse of the Obelisk. Mia didn’t think it was likely he’d cause them trouble after all they'd done to help him, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and everyone would be happier if they could get it over with without any threats being exchanged. 

In the worst-case scenario, if Zeigler made a grab for absolute power and authority, they had Gabriel now. He’d work pretty well as The Stick if it ever came down to it. 

“We’ll need to get out of bed for that,” Camie said after a moment, though she didn’t move. If anything, her arms tightened around Mia, giving the petite girl an affectionate squeeze. 

“They aren’t going anywhere,” Mia mumbled. “They can wait another … hour.”

*****

“Morning!” Mia greeted, emerging into the living room with Camie behind her. Gabriel was already up, sitting on the sofa and reading a book, but other than him, no one seemed to be up. “The others are still asleep?”

She could check herself, but didn’t. Actually, it was an active struggle not to focus on what her supernatural hearing could pick up from the other rooms. Felt kind of intrusive, even if it wasn’t her fault that she could even hear the rats digging through a dumpster five floors down. 

“Seems like it,” Gabriel said with a smile, though a knowing glint appeared in his eyes at the strange tone Mia’s voice took on. “I have some Wards that help suppress your hearing. I could teach you, if you want.”

“Isn’t it better to just deal with it?” Mia asked, heading to the kitchen for her mandatory morning coffee infusion. “I mean, it’s probably the best thing I have for sensing ambushes aside from my Spirit Sense.”

“Enchanted Items that muffle the sounds you make are easy to create,” Gabe said with a shrug. “Beyond a certain Level, it’s more annoying than helpful- … Spirit Sense? You have Spirit Sense? The Trait?”

“Yes?” Mia said, dragging the word out a bit as she set the old-school coffee pot atop the gas stove. “Is that weird? I’ve had it since … well, I’ve always had it. It’s a Bloodline thing.”

“Is it?” Gabe mused, looking thoughtful. “Your Fae blood must be even stronger than I thought. I thought it was only the Arcane Mage Class, but I guess you won the genetic lottery out of the three of us. I only have a Major Arcane Affinity, and Sophie apparently takes after Mom instead.”

“Huh, neat,” Mia said absently. “Coffee? How do you two want it?”

“The usual,” Camie said, settling down at the table. Mia suppressed a smirk, knowing the silly girl was just too embarrassed to voice her actual request.

Mia dropped three sugar cubes into the cup, poured in the coffee, then topped it off with a not insignificant amount of cream. Her own cup was a bit darker, but not significantly so. Both of them had a sweet tooth. 

“Black,” Gabe said. “Thanks, Sis.”

She rolled her eyes, placing it down on the table in front of him as he sat down across from her. How anyone could drink this type of coffee without any additives, she’d never know. 

Mia sat down and took a sip, staring at her brother. “This is so weird.”

“What is?” Gabe asked absently. 

“This.” Mia gestured at him as he casually sipped on his coffee. “You. It's just … I suppose it doesn’t feel real quite yet.”

“Yeeeeah,” Gabe said, nodding slowly. “I think it will take some time for it all to sink in. I woke up this morning and instantly started it by casting a Divination spell to make sure all of you were still alive and nearby.”

“Huh.” Mia understood the sentiment; she’d done something similar, though only with her Spirit Sense. “I wanted to ask you about the Rank-Up thing. All of us have been at Level 10 for a while now. Well, do you think there is something we should know? Common knowledge stuff, before going ahead with it?”

“I’d usually say that you should hold off on it for a few more months,” Gabe said. “Hone your Skills, gather Feats. That latter one is the most important, since the number and magnitude of your Feats determine just how much the System rewards you during the Rank-Up.”

“But?” Mia asked leadingly.

“But from what I’ve heard, you have all gathered a respectable amount of Feats already, and it isn’t like we have the time to spend months min-maxing the benefits,” Gabe said with a sigh, draining his cup. “I don’t think it’d be worth it to wait. The world around us is becoming more and more dangerous by the day as the ambient mana levels keep rising. You- We all need to keep up. From what I know, it won’t be long before there will be monsters wandering around that can slap me around without much trouble.”

“Okay.” Mia blinked slowly, taking a moment to process that deluge of words. “What’s a ‘Feat’?”

“Feats of Strength, and other types, think of them as achievements in a game.” Gabriel shrugged. “Except, each one rewards you with varying amounts of System Tokes when you're Rank-Up, which you can use to buy things from the System Shop. Primarily Traits, but there are some utility stuff and other things that you can also only get your hands on through the System Shop.”

That was not exactly how Mia expected it to be, if she was being honest. A shop? Really? It felt a bit… low-effort. Oh well, she appreciated the freedom to choose what she wanted to spend her ‘tokens’ on, rather than having the System decide for her, as it usually did with Rift completion Rewards.

“Anything you recommend?” Mia asked.

“Hard to say,” he said. “There are a few general Traits available to everyone, a few for everyone who uses mana, but the most useful ones will always come from the Class and Bloodline sections. I can make guesses at what you’ll have in the latter, but with how much more potent your Fae blood is compared to mine, you’ll probably have some better ones available than I did.”

“One of your books surely mentioned recommendations, no?” Camie asked.

“Y-yeah,” Mia said. “Probably. I’ll have to check.”

She vaguely recalled something like that in the Training Manual she received. She’d have to find that thing; it had to be lying around somewhere. 

One of the doors creaked as it was ever so gently opened, and Mia glanced over just in time to see Lina hesitantly stick her head out. The blonde girl’s gaze landed on the three of them sitting at the kitchen table, and she stiffened. “Erm, sorry, if I’m interrupting, I can just- I don’t want to intrude.”

She was already retreating, but Mia decided that wasn’t going to do. At all. “You’re not interrupting anything. I made coffee, want some?”

“Y-yeah,” Lina said hesitantly, glancing at Gabe and Camie as if to make sure both of them were okay with her ‘intruding’. Camie gave the other girl a small smile, and Gabe put on his best approximation of a welcoming smile. He also reeled his magical presence in even tighter, shrouding it under an even stronger Ward if Mia had to guess, which was probably him attempting to be nice. “Alright. I’d kill for a coffee right about now.”

“Luckily, there is no need for that,” Mia said with a giggle. “Come, we have all the stuff prepared.”

Lina sat down and immediately busied herself with making herself a cup. “Have you guys checked your Quests yet? I only remembered those this morning with how … hectic yesterday ended.”

“No, I didn’t,” Mia said, blinking slowly in surprise. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Camie, but she shook her head in response. “Huh. I guess we could check now.”

[Regional Quest]

[An Obelisk of Our Own! (Graz)] COMPLETED!

Objective:

Destroy all Rifts within Region: Graz. ( 5 / 5 ) COMPLETE!

Preserve the lives of at least 50000 residents of ‘Graz’! COMPLETE!

Reward: A System-made Obelisk at the centre of the Region. (Already Deployed)

Bonus Rewards: Additional Rewards will be given out based on contributions to the Objective.

[Claim (Additional) Rewards Now: Y / N ]

***

[{Newcomer} Introductory (14)] COMPLETE!

‘Notification: This Questline is coming to an end with Introductory #15.’

Objective: Dive three Rifts and contribute to Clearing them! ( 3 / 3 )

Bonus Objective: Take part in dives that end with Destroying Rifts: 4

Reward: A spatially expanded satchel. (Two cubic metres of volume.)

Bonus Reward: The satchel may be further enchanted with: Expanded volume, reduced weight, slowed time inside.

[Claim Rewards Now: Y / N ]

***

“Neat,” Mia hummed. “Random stuff, and a spatially expanded satchel thingy.”

“You haven’t claimed the satchel yet?” Lina asked, looking bemused, then glanced at Camie, who averted her gaze awkwardly. “What?”

“I kinda … forgot? About the Quest?” Mia said, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

“Same,” Camie said in barely a whisper, sounding equally embarrassed. 

“And here I thought I was being smart by holding off on it until we cleared all the nearby Rifts,” Lina said. 

“The System gives you a Bottomless Bag as a random Quest reward?” Gabe asked curiously, making Lina clam up. She was probably still uncomfortable around him, considering he dropped in just yesterday. He was a total stranger to Lina, after all.

“Not random,” Mia said. “We have a ‘newcomer’ Quest-chain, or something. The second to last Quest in it had it as a Reward, though it’s hardly bottomless. It says it has two cubic metres of space, which can be expanded because I did some Bonus Objectives too.”

“That’s pretty neat,” Gabe said, leaning back in his chair. “I have one or two, and a ring, but that last one is only large enough to store my Staff and the other bags are … basic. Does it say whether it has a time stasis or at least a dilation effect on it?”

“It says it can be enhanced in several ways if I do the bonus objectives,” Mia said. “Weight reduction, expanded space or slowed time are the options.”

“Oof, I guess you will need to decide what you want to use it for?” Gabriel said. “Weight reduction is a must, but besides that, you could use it either for carrying large quantities of gear and loot, or food.”

“Let’s see,” Mia said, mentally clicking the ‘Y’ button on the Quest.

[Please select how you wish to enhance your Spatial Satchel]

Free Enhancement Tokens: 4

Expanded Space: 0 (+5 m^2)

Weight Reduction: 0 (-50kg)

Slowed Time: 0 (-50% Temporal Erosion)

Well, it would have been cool to have a bag with a slowed-time effect, but Mia felt like the other two enhancements were much more crucial. Especially the weight reduction. Without wasting any time, she poked that one once, then. 

***

[Please select how you wish to enhance your Spatial Satchel]

Free Enhancement Tokens: 2

Expanded Space: 0 (+5 m^2)

Weight Reduction: 2 (Current: -150kg) (Next: Add -100kg)

Slowed Time: 0 (-50% Temporal Erosion)

***

So if I got that right, it won’t weigh a thing until I dip over that 150 kg threshold? Cool. I guess … the other two should go into the expanded space thingy.

[Please select how you wish to enhance your Spatial Satchel]

Free Enhancement Tokens: 0

Expanded Space: 2 (Current: +10 m^2) (Next: Add +10 m^2)

Weight Reduction: 2 (Current: -150kg) (Next: Add -100kg)

Slowed Time: 0 (-50% Temporal Erosion)

[All Tokens spent. Finalise Choices?]

[ YES / NO ]

Mia poked the YES button, and a really nice black leather bag that wouldn’t have been out of place in a luxury fashion magazine dropped onto the table before her.

“Oh,” Mia said, rather intelligently, as she stared at the bag. Then her lips curled into a smile, grabbing the bag and prying it open before experimentally shoving her hand inside. It disappeared easily into the dark void within without touching the bottom. “This thing is pretty cool.”

“Looks well-made too, I somewhat expected some barely stitched-together horror, but that looks like it wouldn’t be out of place in a designer brand’s shop,” Lina said dreamily, looking at the bag that ate Mia’s arm up to the shoulder. “Very nice, can I … ?”

Lina made a grabbing motion in the air, and Mia rolled her eyes with a smile, then extracted her hand and pushed it over to her friend without fuss. She watched on as the blonde gingerly picked it up and ran her fingers over its surface, teasing out the seams and doing other arcane rituals to it that flew right over Mia’s head. The System took that moment to poke her in the brain with another notification before throwing a new floating window before her eyes.

*****

[You have Unlocked a New Quest]

[{Newcomer} Introductory (15)] 

‘Notification: This is the final Quest in this Quest-chain.’

Objective: Advance to Rank 1.

Bonus Objective: Be within the First 5% of System Users to Rank-Up from Planet: Earth/Terra/Gaia.

Reward: Consumable Item: Golden Apple. +3 to all sub-attributes

Bonus Reward: Title [Forerunner]. ‘5% Bonus to all Main Attributes’ + ‘Once Per Month, you can teleport back to the nearest System Obelisk — Requires 1 Minute of uninterrupted Casting.’

***

Another similar handbag flopping down onto Camie’s lap pulled Mia’s attention away from the new Quest. Huh, Camie’s looked … pretty. It looked to be covered in scales made of ruby, and Mia wouldn’t have been surprised if it were made of the hide of some Draconic magical beast. 

“Oh! It suits your eyes so well,” Lina cooed the moment Camie took the bag into her hand. “It complements the black leather you usually wear nicely.”

“Thank you?” Camie said a bit awkwardly, glancing at Mia for help. 

“I agree,” Mia said, smiling at her girlfriend. “It’s the same hue as your eyes, I like it.”

“Okay then,” Camie said, happily shouldering the bag despite the fact that she was still otherwise wearing Mia’s baggy sleeping shirt and sweatpants. 

A startled squeak snapped Mia’s attention back to a certain blonde, who was now hugging a similar handbag with a scale-like design to her chest. It was a light teal blue in colour, though, matching Lina’s eyes perfectly. 

“I’ll love you forever and ever,” the girl said, grinning widely, and Mia found herself smiling too. Maybe Lina would be fine after all, though she’d have to make sure to keep her included.