Convergence: Welcome Back (Patreon)

The explosion sent me flying a good ten feet before it faded. My borrowed shield was the only reason I was still alive. It shattered under the force. Every part of my body that hadn't been blocked by the shield screamed in pain. Only my left arm didn't hurt. A quick look at the limb revealed it had been reduced to a stump barely beyond my shoulder.

I dropped the shield and drew my last wand. My usual two had already burned out and my staff had been at the start of the fight. This demon seed was the strongest yet. It should be since it was the last. We had spent years tracking these cursed things down and systematically destroying them. They were concentrated points of evil, rage, and negative emotions. People, animals, and the land itself were transformed into the creatures.

Thirty of us had been summoned. Now it was downed to the last of us. There were five of us when the fight started. We had to slog through a flood of creatures before we got to the demon seed. Bertie had died first, our defender clad in heavy armor and a tower shield stepped in front of a spell meant for Dennis, our healer. It ripped a chunk off of the slab of metal and didn't stop until he, and Dennis, were burned out husks. Melissa, our archer, was next with the frontline were out of the fight. Catherine, our Spellsword, and I worked well together until the demon seed got hold of her. This close to the source made the transformation much faster than usual. She took herself out by overcharging her blade to critical levels. The resulting wave of magic cleared the field.

The Demon Seed had unleashed a last-ditch chance at a defense. Now, I was an arm down and on my last weapon. I stumbled closer to the Demon Seed. It took the form of a heart the size of a sedan. Large cracks bled sickly blue liquid. It made finding a target blatant enough that my pain-addled mind could do it.

I sent every ounce of my magical energy into my wand. The compressed bolt of pure energy slammed into an exposed vein. For a moment the world paused. Then the demon seed exploded. I closed my eyes as the wave of force washed over me. The destruction of the last demon seed was felt across the entire world. Hidden remnants of monsters vanished as the wave dissipated.

My vision faded.

A bright, golden light enveloped me. A hum of familiar magic filled every particle of my body. It had been years since I had felt the magic of a summoning ritual. This was how we were brought to this world. One moment we were listening to our teacher explain some mathematical process that we would never use in our lives and the next we were in a ritual chamber surrounded by unconscious figures that wore robes of various colors.

That was the start of our years doing our best to save this world. They promised us that the destruction of the Demon Seed would unlock enough magic to send us home. Honestly, it had been so long since that day I had almost forgotten.

The next sound I heard was a steady beeping that was increasing in speed. Muffled voices swarmed around me. I felt cold hands examining me followed by the sensation of a low-level healing spell. The tingles ran along my skin making me shiver.

I opened my eyes to see I was surrounded by medical staff. Not healers, clerics, or some hedge mage. Doctors in white coats were assisted by nurses in scrubs. It was my heartbeat that was causing the beeping sound. The inclusion of a woman in well-worn robes marking her as a mage was a little confusing.

"Thank the gods that this one didn't wake up screaming," One of the group said. "I can never get used to that."

My mouth was dry, my eyes felt like they were stuffed with gravel, and I desperately needed to take a leak. A doctor lifted my eyelids and shined a light in one then the other only to be followed by a series of diagnostic spells.

"Mana readings are consistent with the others," Another among the group announced. "I'm not picking up any issues in integration."

Integration? My brow tried to scrunch in confusion, but the energy cost was too much. I focused my willpower on staying awake. That's when it hit me, I could still feel my magic. I could still feel a connection to the System.

A mental command pulled up my System UI. My vision was swarmed with information pertaining to the fight with the demon seed. They could wait. I swapped it to the simplified version and focused on the Status Effect section.

Minor Dehydration, Weakness Level Three, and Mana Drain Level Four.

This didn't feel like minor dehydration. The other two debuffs weren't great even if I had prior experience with them. It had been a while since I had used enough magic to completely drain my reserves. I think I was still under level twenty at the time.

My mana was slowly recovering. Much slower than usual. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I was a full mage. As an Arcanist my magic was used in enchanting and creation of items. I used a precise flow of mana to inscribe sigils and to activate said sigils. Pushing more power into a sigil would increase the output but had a higher chance at destroying the item. That was how I had lost my wands and staff.

The fingers on my left hand felt strange. I managed to lift my arm enough to see that it was still attached. My body was complete. Someone gently pushed my arm back onto the bed. I didn't have enough energy to resist.

My world went dark once more. Exhaustion was a bastard.

§

I felt much better the next time I regained consciousness. Pulling up my System UI was instinct by now. Everything seemed in order. My level hadn't changed, which was a shame. I would have thought the Demon Seed would have been enough experience to bump me up. It would have restored me to full health and mana if I had. Level 83 Arcanist for my class with the Scholar Job at level 45 was pretty damned good.

The Scholar Job allowed me to learn skills from any class. It didn't come with a bonus or guide like other jobs which made most people avoid it. Leveling up with it was harder than it sounded. With it I was able to enhance my artistic abilities which were incredibly important when drawing and carving sigils. In theory I could grind beginner skills until I maxed out the job. The reality of the situation was that I would need to learn the basic skillset from around fifty jobs to reach level 20. My best bet was to focus on a set number of skills to increase, which was basically creating a new job from scratch without any assistance from the System.

It fits my needs well enough. A class change unlocked at level 100, just like it did for jobs. The issue was that no one aside from the gods had ever reached that goal. No one was sure if they were level 100 because they were gods, or if they were gods because they were level 100.

My inventory was intact, aside from the armor that I had been wearing and the equipment that had been destroyed in the fight. The only thing left of it was some shredded pieces of cloth. My sigils were powerful, but that blast was on a completely different level. I had three Recovery Potions that would have me out of bed in less than a minute. It would raise too many questions. I still needed answers to my own. One of the nurses mentioned that I was going to be discharged the next day. Speeding up the process for a few hours would be a waste of a good potion. I didn't know when, or if, I would be able to get another.

The System UI had changed slightly. Previously, when it listed my level it would show it capped out at 100. The limit wasn't there anymore. My experience was still listed which I took to mean that I could still increase my level. The only logical explanation was that the level cap had been removed.

There was the option open a detailed readout breaking down my individual skills as well as ones from my class, previous jobs, different health related information, and a very detailed breakdown of the reputation with pretty much every organization I've ever encountered. Thankfully, it didn't have a measurement of each person I had met. I was perfectly fine with the simplified version.

The other concerning issue on my character sheet was my age. I had been in the other world for nearly twelve years. My classmates ranged between fifteen to seventeen when we were first summoned. I was right in the middle at sixteen before we were summoned. My age had been reset. Thankfully, I didn't have to go through puberty again. More importantly, my stats hadn't been reset. I would have gone insane if I had to deal with grinding through my training again.

Another reason I decided to stay in the hospital was simple: Graham crackers. One of the things I missed when I was in the other world was the food. The gentle sweetness literally made me tear up when I took a bite. They had given me a generic ginger-ale once my IV was removed. I hated ginger-ale. Absolutely despised the stuff. It was nectar of the gods. Oh, how I missed carbonated sugar syrup.

The other world had a variation of indoor plumbing via magic use. It was the little things from my homeworld that I had missed the most. Even the hospital food tasted amazing. Processed sugars, corn syrup, and preservatives. The nurses didn't seem shocked at my reaction.

The sound of soft footsteps made me stop worshiping the chicken strips to focus. Nurses had a certain walk that was a learned over years to be gentle. Doctors didn't bother being quiet. This was neither. I knew the sound of a rogue when I heard it.

All of my wands had been destroyed in the final battle. My only option was a short sword that I couldn't wield while hooked up to a heart monitor.

I grabbed my sigil toolkit from my Inventory and quickly created a basic defensive suite on my blanket. Another couple of additions stiffened the blanket with one to conceal it as well. I tossed it like a big frisbee toward the door. It slid across the floor coming to a stop cocked against the doorway.

A humanoid shadow that was a staple of rogues stepped into the room. Their first step just barely missed the blanket. They weren't as lucky with the second. The Shadow Cloak dropped as they triggered the sigils. They let out a little squeak as they froze in place. A true rogue would have been able to resist the secondary defenses.

It took me a moment to recognize the girl now that she was a teenager again.

"Melissa," I croaked out. "I saw you die."

She didn't answer. I winced then deactivated my sigils.

"Good to see you too, Mase," She muttered as her muscles relaxed.

She kicked the blanket out of the way before pulling one of the chairs over to sit beside me. Her eyebrows raised as she saw the multiple cans of ginger-ale and cracker wrappers covering the nearby table.

"Yeah," Melissa snagged one of the crackers. "These should not taste so amazing."

I smiled, "How are you alive?"

"No clue," She shrugged. "One moment a spike of stone was rushing toward me, the next I'm waking up in a hospital bed." She paused. "Did you kill it?"

I nodded, "I got caught in the explosion." Then I held up my left arm. "My arm is back too."

"I didn't know you lost it," Melissa smiled at me. "You're a lucky bastard." She smiled wider showing her braces. "I did not miss these damn things."

I chuckled, "How did you get them off last time?"

"A Cleric," She sighed. "Restoration and Recovery Potions don't consider crooked teeth to be an injury. I don't like the chances of finding another temple to the Goddess of Beauty."

I shrugged, "I didn't expect to see healing magic."

"That was weird," She nodded. "No one will tell me what's going on yet. From what I can tell, we're all back.

My eyebrows raised, "All of us?"

She nodded, "They've been back longer than we have. From what I've gathered they started waking up a couple months ago."

"How long were we gone?" I asked bracing myself. "They won't tell me yet. They haven't told me anything yet."

She put a hand on my arm, "To them, we were never gone. We've been in a coma for over a year. The five of us were the last to wake up."

 "They didn't bother to tell us that dying would send us home," I forced myself to stay calm.

"Do you think they knew?" She asked.

"I'd like to think they didn't," I replied with a sigh.

Melissa squeezed my arm, "Would you have done it anyway?"

"Yes," I nodded my head. "Not after seeing what the Demon Seeds could do."

She nodded, "Same for me."

We settled into a distant silence.

"They're going to be ok," Melissa said softly. "We saved the world, right?"

I chuckled, "We saved the world."

"Get some sleep," Melissa patted my shoulder. "I heard the nurses talking about some sort of group meeting tomorrow."

"Joy," I muttered. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," She activated her stealth ability and faded from view.

§

I would like to say that I went into a trance to truly recharge my mana reserves. That wasn't what happened. Exhaustion was a sneaky bastard. The next thing I knew, the sound of a nurse cursing at a discarded blanket woke me up.

"Sorry," I croaked through my now-dry throat. "I got too hot."

The nurse was a woman that looked to be in her mid-twenties. In the other world I would have flirted with her. I doubted she would go for it considering I was sixteen again. Ah, the struggles of youth.

"Most people just kick them to the end of the bed," The nurse shook her head.

I shrugged, "I'm getting out today, right?"

"Don't get too excited," The nurse replied. "We have a process for you guys now."

I raised my eyebrows in a silent question.

"They'll answer your questions," The nurse waved her hands in a familiar pattern.

I felt a diagnostic spell wash over me.

"You're healing nicely," She stated. "Still dehydrated."

She looked pointedly at the string of soda cans on the nearby flat surfaces. I shrugged.

"Try to drink some water," The nurse sighed. "You'll get some nasty headaches otherwise."

I nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"Your parents brought you some clothes," The nurse added. "Do you need help getting changed before the meeting?"

"What meeting?" I asked.

"It's kind of like an orientation," She replied. "You've probably noticed that things have changed since you've been gone."

I nodded then a sly expression crossed my face, "Is that offer to help get dressed still on the table?"

The nurse rolled her eyes. She opened a cabinet along the wall, pulled out a stack of my clothes, and set them on the bed by my feet.

"You're not the first person to try that one on me," She chuckled. "Get dressed. Hit the button when you're ready. There will be food at the meeting."

I waited until she left before I got out of bed. My legs held my weight easier than expected. The nurse hadn't sent anyone in to help me move around. I wasn't going to wait for someone if she had.

A little yelp escaped my lips as my feet touched the cold tile. My legs were a little shaky, but my steps were solid by the time I reached my clothes. I held each item up to examine them. A shirt with the logo from my favorite movie, a pair of jeans, some boxer-briefs, socks, and my shoes. I almost started crying simply at the way they felt in my hands. There were certain things that the other world didn't have or need thanks to magic.

I was sobbing by the time I had my boxers on. Sweet, sassy Anubis, I had missed elastic bands. The clothes were a bit big, which made sense as in this world I had been in a coma rather than fighting monsters. I had just gotten control of my emotions when I put on my shoes. A fresh round of sobs burst from my chest as I felt the way my foot settled into the cushion.

Of course, that was when a nursing assistant came in to check on me. A young woman that looked to be fresh out of high school watched from the doorway. The look on her face was one of understanding.

"You're not the first one to have that reaction," She spoke gently as not to spook me.

I wiped the tears away from my eyes, "I didn't expect this."

"We've had time to adjust," The nursing assistant offered. "I've got the wheelchair when you're ready."

"Why would I need a wheelchair?" I asked motioning to the fact that I was standing.

"Hospital policy," She replied. "You're in a wheelchair until you're out the door."

I sighed, "Bring it in. Let's get this over with."

"You're all so dramatic," She rolled her eyes.

She stepped out into the hall to return a blink later with a wheelchair. I crossed the room and sat in it without arguing. In truth, the act of getting dressed had drained a lot of my energy. I wasn't sure how far I would get under my own power. This was getting annoying. I could probably down a stamina potion to get back to normal, but I had a feeling that it would only be a temporary solution. Who knew that traveling between worlds by unknown magic powered by death could be so taxing?

"See?" The nursing assistant said as I collapsed into the chair.

"No one likes a smart-ass," I said between slow, deep breathes.

I had no idea how Melissa had managed to sneak through the halls last night. My question was answered as she was rolled out from the room next door. She waved at me as we began to roll beside each other.

"Fancy seeing you again," She chuckled as she noted my new clothes. "Did you cry?"

"Like a baby," I nodded. "You?"

She laughed and nodded. The nursing assistants shared an amused look. Thankfully, they didn't say anything. They led us through the hospital and down a few levels. Elevators were pretty standard in the other world as well.

What really caught my attention were the small signs of the way the world had changed. There were a few people in healers' robes roaming the halls. Though the hallways weren't lined with mana stones to support the ambient healing magic.

My eyes widened as I saw the others waiting for us when we arrived. The room was in the administration side of the hospital in a room set aside for important meetings that could have been emails. Bertie, Dennis, and Catherine looked back equally shocked.

"Tell me you killed it," Dennis said in place of a greeting.

I nodded, "It was the last thing I did."

Dennis visibly relaxed at my words. It was odd to see a scrawny sixteen-year-old look so intense. He had been a scarecrow before the summoning and was back to his old self now that we were back. Granted, he didn't become a muscle-bound giant, but he had put on some healthy weight. There was something else about him that was strange that I couldn't place.

"It's the glasses," Bertie said.

"Thank you!" I said to her.

Bertie -Beatrice if you wanted to piss her off- looked the best of us. She had died first in the final fight, still freaked me out to think about it, and had more time to recover. On top of that, she was attractive before the various kinds of magical healing most of us had. She had been in choir before we were summoned to another world. It was one of the reasons she was such a good mage. She had long auburn hair, luminous green eyes, and a runners' physique. I had a crush on her before we were summoned until I found out that we had practically nothing in common. It grew into an actual friendship the more we worked together.

Catherine, on the other hand, had been done dirty by the transfer back. Her nose had been a little too big for her face, she was stocky, and she had some weight issues when we had first arrived. Being in a coma for a year had gotten rid of most of her chub, but her nose was back to being too big and. Without the extra weight to hide it she was built like a bulldog. Her physique turned Amazonian as she got older due to the fact that a Spellsword needed speed, strength, and agility on top of magical aptitude.

Then it came down to me. At sixteen I was on the shorter side of the average height and was a bit chubby. The coma had trimmed off the extra padding around my mid-section making me look like an athlete rather. Time solved my height issue, not being summoned to another world. If my development followed the same timeline I was due for a growth spurt in about a year. It was disheartening to see the progress vanish in a blink. The years of near-constant fighting had shaped me into a lithe bastard.

Further conversation halted as another person entered the room. A woman dressed in business casual strode in like she had pulled the short straw. She sat at the front of the room forgoing the arrangement of our wheelchairs. I rolled my eyes and turned toward her. Juvenile powerplays weren't worth the effort. A truly powerful person didn't need to resort to such tactics.

"My name is Doctor Amelia Jones," The woman introduced herself. "I'm a councilor on staff for people in your situation."

"There are more of us?" Catherine asked.

Doctor Jones sighed, "Yes. You are the last group at this location. There were four other groups summoned along with you. They were spread around the globe. There was only one other in America. The rest are on other continents." She paused. "Now, if you'll allow me to continue."

I scoured my memories from the other world. Other people had been summoned. There had been rumors of other adventurers out there. I had thought they were locals. Everyone in that world had access to the System. It wasn't strange to hear about mercenaries and other people fighting the Demon Seeds. I hadn't encountered other people from out world, but we hadn't searched for anyone either.

"Excuse you?" Catherine asked with an edge in her voice.

The doctor paused, "Don't interrupt me."

I could hear the armrest on Catherine's wheelchair protest as it was slowly crushed in her grip. The doctor didn't react if she had heard it.

"Lady," Catherine said. "You owe us an apology."

The woman stared back at her, "It's Doctor Jones or Doctor, not lady."

"Catherine," Bertie spoke softly. "Let her finish and we can get out of here. I haven't seen my dog in  years."

Catherine sighed. She waved a dismissive hand at the lady and settled in for whatever came next.

"As you can see, time in this world has passed while you were in another," She continued. "Roughly one year in the other world translates into one month here." She didn't wait for us to ask questions. "The System, and everything it brings, activated on the day you were summoned."

"Oh, damn," I whispered.

"Portals appeared around the world," Doctor Jones continued. "We learned what a Dungeon Surge was the hard way. Portals that weren't closed within ten days, or three failed attempts depending on which came first, opened to allow monsters from another world to invade. Countries created organizations to handle the ones near populated areas. That didn't help when Portals appeared in the deep forest, underground, or out of sight."

She let that sink in for a long moment. Monsters from another world. Most were on par with clever animals with only a few that were considered people. We had seen what a group of monsters could do to an unprepared village. A Dungeon Surge was a catastrophe on par with a natural disaster. Having more than one at the same time would be world-shattering.

"We have bastions of relative safety. Each city has a barrier charged by a Vanguard Crystal. It needs the gems harvested from the monsters beyond the walls for power. You have thirty days to register with an Agency of your choice," She said. "You will be assigned to the State Agency if you do not find one by then."

The doctor stood and walked out of the room without saying anything more.

"I bet she's a hit at parties," Bertie scoffed.

"Monsters," Catherine said flatly. "I just want to get some drive-thru, take a shower, and sleep on my bed."

Dennis cursed. He had the habit of switching to Concord Elvish when he really wanted to let loose. It was a lyrical language that made his tirade sound like poetry.

"Now I have even more questions," Melissa leaned her head back to look at the ceiling.