The bell fragment looked like a chunky copper tiara. A section of the bellâs lip with the cracked edge running high. As Zoe turned it in her hands, a tickling buzz passed between her fingertips and the metal. Judging by the angle of the curve, she could place her head inside the intact bell with room to spare.
Firelight glowed across the hard metal. Her silhouette stood among reflected flames. She rotated the fragment, but her reflection remained still. Was this because she absorbed the essence of Mirror? Holding the fragment closer, she made out a blurry red eye reflected on the burnished surface.
The reflection winked.
She dropped the fragment with a start. It hit the ground with a soft thud while she slowed her breathing. Enhanced Insight let her see the details of the world, but complete comprehension eluded her. Perhaps Anton could tell her more? Once he absorbed more essence of Sky and Wind, his Insight would be absurd.
She wondered how high levels went. Would their attributes continue toward infinity? That would explain the gods who brought the system to her world. She looked around the fire and felt the weight of the secret on her tongue. She could see the uncertainty in the faces of the others. The confusion at the cosmic events.
Why did any of this happen?
It was cruel that Rue allowed her to know, but not to share.
Bella leaned against the church wall. Eyes closed, enjoying the warmth. Joel sat beside Cassy, applying a new set of bandages to her wounds. They had torn and washed strips of their clothes to create bandages. Bellaâs sword dried them quickly. They werenât quite at the point of reusing bandages, but they were running out of clothes. Still, Cassy was as looked after as possible in this environment.
Unfortunately, head wounds were tricky. No telling when she would wake up.
If she woke up.
Zoe hoped she woke soon for the sake of the young couple. But also, in a small and selfish part of her mind, for the sake of the party. They nearly died fighting the Puppeteer and his puppets. How far could they make it in a dungeon while carrying a comatose woman?
Though that might become a moot point since they lacked proper facilities and equipment. She chided herself for the dark thought, but it didnât entirely go away.
So she spoke to change the subject.
âHave you two decided how youâll level up?â
Bella brushed errant blonde strands away from her eyes.
âYouâve leveled up twice now,â she watched the flames a moment. âHow did you decide?â
Zoe grimaced.
âBoth times I leveled up, I wasnât in a sensible state of mind. Bleeding out, or fighting to the death and bleeding out,â she brushed the almost healed wound at her side. Her Skein was uncomfortably close to zero, but at least her body felt intact. âMy first selection was really between Blood and Metal. Iâm still not sure I made the right choice. I think Blood would have helped me recover faster, but Metal has helped me fight,â she clenched a fist the color of steel. âMaybe Blood was the sensible choice, but it felt like acting out of weakness. In the end, I acted on instinct. I chose metal because it was strong. So, for you two? We⦠know very little about how any of this works. We definitely donât know enough to say if anything is a good or bad choice, but youâve seen the impact on me and Anton. My advice would be to make a choice that resonates with you. That feels right.â
The blonde woman gave her a lopsided grin as she pulled her sword into her lap.
âSo a big old wishy-washy woo-woo follow your heart kind of thing?â
Zoe blushed.
âYes?â
Bella ran a finger down the runebladeâs gutter. Once more, she wore that mixed expression of love at armâs length.
âIâll head over to the well.â
âWater?â
âAnd Shadow. I stuck my head over the lip of the well earlier and the system prompt changedâ¦. I can almost hear the sword talking, nudging me, you know? It wants flames,â she pointed at the campfire. âIt wants ashes. Destruction. I mean, a blade that causes droughts is not a kind blade. But if Iâm forced to use this weapon, it doesnât mean Iâm forced to be the same. I want to become its opposite. Though I suppose a weapon should be destructive⦠Damn. Talking just makes me second-guess myself. Iâm going now.â
She winced as she stood, the stiff blade propping her until she leaned against the wall. Using the sword as a walking stick, she nodded at the others and limped away.
Her absence left an awkward silence between Zoe and Joel and the crackling fire. What should she say to him? Neither of them had apologized for their first interaction. Zoe doubted there would ever be an apology, especially if he expected her to initiate.
But that said, he fought against the Puppeteer of Bones. And his ambitions to protect Cassy seemed genuine, if youthfully romantic.
He coughed, a nervousness on his face as he got Zoeâs attention.
âCan she hear us?â he asked.
âBella? I donât know her Insight score.â
âNo, I mean Cassy. Can she hear me talking while sheâs in a coma?â
Zoe winced at the word. She never enjoyed delivering bad news. Part of the reason she became a plastic surgeon.
âItâs hard to say. Some parts of the brain respond to external stimuli, but whether she understands? All I know is that talking can help you both.â
Joel nodded, his hand gripping Cassyâs tightly.
âDo you think we can help her select an element?â
Zoe frowned.
âIâm not sureâ¦â
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âWithout levels weâre fragile. Cassy took one bad hit, but I saw you shrug off half a dozen. She leveled up back on the plane, defending me against those undead⦠people⦠But if we help her incorporate an element, sheâll become stronger. If we boost her Vitality, she should wake upâ¦â
âShe has enhanced Vitality because of the Intrepid title. Sheâs already recovering faster than normal. And, Iâm sorry, but I donât know how to help her select an element⦠That process is purely mental. If she hasnât done it yetâ¦â
Joel nodded.
âIâll try talking to her. Thank you.â
âWhat about you?â
He pointed at the campfire.
âIâve always wanted to shoot a fireball for real.â
âMakes sense.â
The conversation dropped off. Zoe nodded and stood as the awkwardness increased.
âIâm going to go level up,â the words fell clunkily off her tongue.
She left the fire and with it the option to incorporate the heat and flame and ash into herself. It was tempting, especially after seeing how helpful Bellaâs sword was during a fight.
But she chose Metal first, and it was time to take advantage of her Lodestone Title. She would take any edge she could in this dungeon.
It would not be her grave.
###
She walked through mirror-lined gravestones. The campfire was the only light, but the darkness was not all-encompassing. Limp ethereal tendrils pale as a snowmanâs mucus draped across the stones. Not quite light, but the glow helped her move between the graves and empty crucifixes.
It amazed her, how Skein changed their bodies. Their minds. She couldnât have noticed this environmental magic without boosting her Insight. Without incorporating Mirror. Even now, she felt the urge to reflect upon her actions.
The addition of Mirror differed from Metalâs impact on her mind. She saw more, same as with the Intrepid boost, but everywhere she looked, she stood in the center. While Willpower gave her the drive to commit to an action, Insight helped her question whether that action was correct.
She ruminated on her actions during the campfire. The boss fight. The plane crash. Every single day before that last morning in her ransacked clinic.
Some introspection was helpful, but she could see how an abundance of Mirror would drive someone to a level of neurotic self-obsession. Whether that would prompt nervousness or narcissism, she supposed would depend on the individual.
Metalâs change felt less intrusive. Was she more in tune with that element? It symbolized her desired self, perhaps she already possessed a Metal mentality?
Or maybe it changed her mind, and she hadnât noticed?
A shiver ran down her spine as she followed the pallid ghostlight to where the battle began. Where Cassy took the first hit. The blow that put her down and down she stayed. Where a pile of rusted weapons lay on the grass. A resource begging for use.
Zoe sat and crossed her legs. Back against a slab of cool and ragged granite. She breathed. Tried to relax.
But her heart beat like a blacksmithâs hammer.
She wanted more power.
Craved strength.
And so she accessed the System.
[Level up! You are now level 6]
[Please select an element to incorporate:]
* [Metal: Might +4, Willpower +4 (Lodestone Title applied)]
* [Mirror: Insight +4]
* [Stone: Dexterity -2, Might +2, Willpower +4]
As she suspected, the Lodestone Title boosted her selection if she chose Metal. But it restricted her choices if she wanted to optimize her power. She wasnât sure how she felt about that.
The wind carried Bellaâs whimpers from the direction of the well. What would it be like to have a body incorporating Water and Shadow? She glanced at the fire. What could those flames do for her?
But these were idle thoughts. She couldnât justify any other decision. Metal had served her well, and she couldnât overlook the boost to her Skein.
She closed her eyes.
Breathed in the rusted weapons, some still sharp, most forever dull. This was not the same Metal as on the plane. Aura leaked in a grim cluster of vicious edges. Translucent rust threaded with veins of black and clotted blood.
Metal.
Compressions shot through her chest, gnawed at her core. Three levels worth of emptiness unlocked inside her body. She wept at the agony. As each tear fell, blades of rusted aura shivered and angled toward her like barracuda scenting prey.
They flew toward her. Heavy and decrepit blades. Each one breaking into tendrils, but slowly, barely unspooled by the time they struck her body. She gasped at the first blow, like a karate chop to her sternum. Black spittle flew from her mouth.
Immediately, new instincts shouted out to cancel the magical operation, but that was not in her control. She felt the resolute will of the System with its hand on the lever, cranking the operation toward completion.
Heavy blades thunked into her like plows into stone. She vomited blood-laced filth. Bruises bloomed across her chest. When the aura struck her, it spilled. Tendrils of rusted metal burrowed into her flesh. She puked the horrid black gunk as waves of cold and pain washed over her.
At last, it ended.
The scraps of the ancient weapons lay scattered in the dusty grass. A handle, the head of an axe, pieces of blades, like a discarded jigsaw never to be complete. The stolen power course through her. The resolute mentality of metal tinged with subtle anger. An ancient bloodlust.
She swallowed the emotion, spat bile, and considered her options. Two more level slots needed elements. The empty hunger wrapped around her spine. Compelled her to act now. Though having an empty slot and absorbing Mirror had been a hidden ace, she didnât want to rely on that tactic. Better to be strong enough that she didnât need a hidden ace at all.
But were the scraps on the ground enough? She nudged the system.
[Level up! You are now level 6]
[Please select an element to incorporate:]
* [Mirror: Insight +4]
* [Stone: Dexterity -2, Might +2, Willpower +4]
* [Blood: Vitality +4]
Once more she recalled the goddess from her dreams, and couldnât help the affection that throbbed in her bruised chest. She supposed she couldnât have too much Vitality. Even though she wanted to avoid injuries in the first place, accelerated healing was a miracle.
Nevertheless, she hesitated.
After the attention Rue gave her for selecting Metal, did she really want to risk the attention of a second cosmic being?
Though Blood was tempting, and she could spend the next few hours collecting scraps of metal, there was one more option she wanted to try. With a trembling hand, she pulled out the bell fragment. The jagged piece of lip cool in her hands. She focused every ounce of enhanced Willpower. Another consciousness brushed hers, and the System acknowledge her request.
Zoe grinned as the information displayed.
[Please select an element to incorporate:]
* [Mirror: Insight +4]
* [Stone: Dexterity -2, Might +2, Willpower +4]
* [Fragment of the Mirrorbell (Sound, Metal, Faith): Dexterity -1, Might +7, Vitality +4, Willpower +7, Insight -1 (Lodestone Title applied)]
Something was finally going her way, but a voice broke through her joy.
âWhat will you do with that?â
Zoe covered the fragment and looked around.
âWhoâs there?â
But she knew that voice. Rueâs tired eyes looked up at her from the scraps of metal littered on the ground.
âYou continue to prove interesting,â he said with a hint of a smile.