Chapter 14 (Patreon)

A Robot drone took me home on a hoverbike, of all things, after my session with Kate. On the way to my street, Robot and I got to talking.

“So, I was thinking you guys could set me up in your kitchen. All I would need is a ton of ingredients, and you’ll have cookies, protein bars, shakes, concentrates, and meals prepped and ready to go. I was thinking I could even experiment with herbal recipes. I have a hunch that my magic might boost the regenerative effects of tinctures and other herbal recipes,” I said, thinking out loud.

“Another one of your hunches. Do you have any idea how these hunches of yours work exactly?” Robot asked, turning his drone head toward me.

I shrugged. “Trial and error? Wouldn’t be magic if you could explain it? Would it?”

“I’m not convinced it’s magic at all,” Robot said.

“So, you’re like Eve?” I asked.

“There seems to be some uniformity in your development so far. Energy projection, infusion, and overall physical empowerment,” he said. “It tracks with the development of notable emitter-type heroes like Throwbolt, and even Rexplode, though the physical enhancement is not as pronounced as it is in your case.”

All of that in one meeting? I bet he was already dissecting my mana signature. I wondered how long it would take him to notice that my body wasn’t exactly human anymore. It might still mimic certain physiological functions—breathing, sweating, eating, sleeping—but I didn’t need to use the toilet anymore.

Probably a week at most. I needed to keep a close eye on him. Be careful of what I showed.

“What about the cooking, then?” I asked Robot.

“Part of infusion. Much like your energy bolts and shields. I just can’t figure out how you program them to enhance regeneration or fold space. Perhaps, over time, a clear pattern will reveal itself.”

“Perhaps,” I echoed absently, explosions going off behind my relatively blank face. The answer to Robot’s question was Intent and power. It was the point of the Gamer. I could accomplish damn near anything as long as I had both in spades.

“Hey, Robot, could we set up a combat spar between me and one of your drones? I figured I shouldn’t only be working on my cooking and hand-to-hand skills.”

“I planned on suggesting that at a later date,” Robot responded, “when you’ve become well-acclimated to the rigors of combat.”

“Well, the thug and Kate gave me a crash course.”

“You’re certainly eager,” Robot hummed.

“Are you concerned about me, Robot?” I asked with a teasing smile.

“You remind me so much of Rex.”

“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or a dig at me,” I said.

“He, too, has wounds he hides with humor and sarcasm.”

“And here I thought he was just a dick,” I said, deadpan. “I take it you probably know about my parents?”

“Eve has expressed concern that you might be using us to gather power so that you can go after Killcannon.”

I huffed dramatically. “And I thought she liked me for my brownies.”

“Well, are you?” Robot asked me directly, fully facing me now. We’d stopped in the air, a few short streets from my place.

I blinked at Robot. “If I was, you don’t think I’d just come out and say it, do you?”

“I have an algorithm that allows me to read human emotional cues. It’s how I discern honesty and intent aside from the words people say.”

“That’s pretty neat.” And probably utter bullshit. “And to answer your question, no. It might make me feel better, but he’s better off in jail, rotting for the rest of his life.”

Robot’s green eyes seemed to shine a touch brighter, and then he nodded.

Deception lv 5

I didn’t know if I was being rewarded for lying to Robot or faking the anger that I felt about a person I’d never met before.

“So, was I lying?” I asked Robot.

“You were not.”

“This is why you took me home, isn’t it?” I said. “To feel me out. Would you have even cut me loose if I turned out to be lying? You seemed awfully fascinated by my magic.”

“Of course,” Robot said mechanically.

Somehow, I doubted that.

“You know,” I squinted at him, running my hand through my windswept hair. “If I hadn’t seen you jump from body to body, I’d think you were human.”

Robot, of course, didn’t blush or stutter, or show any sign that my words had gotten to him.

“Then why do you train so hard?” he asked.

“I thought it was pretty obvious?” I said, injecting some emotion into my voice. “I don’t want to end up like my parents. Or like that girl who nearly died in the parking lot.” I wasn’t telling him anything he couldn’t figure out himself.

Robot was silent for a beat. “I can send a drone to pick you up bright and early tomorrow. Say 5 o’clock?”

“We can spend the first thirty minutes going over all of my spells. I’ll bring over a fresh batch of brownies tomorrow.”

Robot dropped me off at a park, and I legged it the rest of the way home. My car was still at the school. I’d have to take an Uber to classes tomorrow morning and figure out how to fit it into my new schedule.

The evening came and went in a daze as I checked off my mental to-do list. An hour and thirty minutes of studying. Another three hours of draining my mana over and over again while I intermittently worked on my footwork drills, stances, shuffles, and positioning.

I got exactly four hours of sleep, got up, and did it all over again. Except I replaced reading with cooking and chores.

By 5:49, I was at the park where Robot had dropped me off, waiting for him.