When the drama died down a little the congratulations started going around. Even Tyranis had a smile on his face. Apparently Ash forgot to tell his mother they were trying so she was thoroughly shocked. It took some reassurance from Lyola and her mother that the baby would be well taken care of for her to calm down. They also had to remind her that Tiff and Zora would be there with him on Earth, so she could have more grandkids if she pushed them.
Asher now missed the mother that had warned him not to have kids. He knew she would start dropping hints soon. Since he had thousands of Syscos he was a millionaire on most planets. Her worry of him being able to provide went out the window.
Lyola and Tyranis stayed behind to talk with her mothers. Surprisingly Fresneah and Wylin joined the group to the other planet. Asher felt like he should probably get closer to her siblings anyway.
“Did you watch the trials?” Asher asked as they boarded the yellow magic school bus.
“Yes, very entertaining,” Wylin said. Asher really hoped he hadn’t watched the X-rated parts. “Especially when you challenged the boss monsters. How were you able to solo the Jewel and Golden boss?” Asher went into a simple explanation on wearing them down.
“From what I’ve seen, most boss monsters can fight for about 72 hours before they tire. Usually it’s a game of endurance,” Asher said. “Have you ever fought a boss before?” Wylin shook his head. “Neither had most anyway in our party. Anything you noticed about them Abby?”
“Not as strong as I expected,” she said after a thought. “They could fight for a long time, but they didn’t hit as hard as their strength should have allowed.”
“That’s their mana, not their strength,” Asher said. “If you fought a level 40 boss and you were level 40, you should have roughly the same stats. When they evolve their Mana Heart holds a lot more mana than normal monsters.” They stepped out of the bus next to one of the other many buildings. “They can only use the strength and endurance they have, but the mana keeps replenishing until the Heart is tapped out.”
“What were the purple ones you pulled out of the bosses?” Wylin asked.
“I believe they’re evolutions to the Mana Heart,” Asher said. “The monsters were ready to evolve again. But I’m not certain. I hope we can find out at the Processing Hall.”
They stepped into the large black building that was the city’s Portal Hub. Many more people walked in and out than most of the other skyscrapers. Asher and his team were escorted through the long line. Most people stopped what they were doing to stare at them. More than one whispered. A few said some encouraging words. Asher shyly waved.
“Tartarin, please,” Tosh said to an attendant. They nodded and escorted them to a room on the 3rd floor. Booths and offices were filled with people on the busy portal floor. At the center straight from the elevator was a portal window to another world. “You will all be charged 1 Sysco going in or out of the portal automatically. From your winnings I assume that shouldn’t be a problem. Normally there is a 10% processing fee, but Tyranis has expressed that you are to be treated as honorary Roktai so it will be reduced to 5%.”
“Is it a problem for us to ask questions about processing and common practices?” Nadir asked. He appeared very excited. Asher caught a look from Fresneah as he talked. The green tinted elf stared at Nadir longingly from the side. Nadir did have the Adonis System, was it due to his charm maybe?
At his thought Tiff’s head turned around like a whip. Fresneah looked away blushing. Tiff thought at him, you think? She asked. He smiled from the excitement on her face. Asher thought they should leave it alone and see what happens. Of course, she promised. He knew she meant everything but that. She slowly made her way closer to Fresneah as they walked closer to the portal.
Asher stepped through without hesitation and was surprised by the difference in location. The room was a lot emptier. The area wasn’t quite as spacious either. A couple of guards stood by the elevator platform.
“It is currently night time on Tartarin,” Tosh informed them. “But the Processing Hall is always open.” They walked out of the building to the bustling streets of Tartarin. “This was the first planet colonized by the Roktai,” he said. He was the perfect tour guide as he led them to some sort of underground subway station. “Some 10,000 years ago they colonized it. Only 1 Ether Stream over, it was found by dungeon diving. Originally a Tier I planet, it was the perfect location to expand outward.” They all stepped on large white platforms.
“Initially for population growth and meeting other League members it soon became a bustling hub after the Roktai colonized 2 other planets in this solar system. Both of them had many mines and mana deposits that are rare for the sector.” The platform they were on moved quickly. Asher noticed the glow of mana all around them. He tried to not look like a bumpkin as he stared at the different species around him. Another part wanted to throw on a Hawaiian shirt and embrace the role.
“Here we are,” Tosh said after the 4th stop. They walked up stairs to the street with the crowd from the subway. Tosh led them to a 3-story tall building. Around them were other similar sized buildings. It was nice to not be towered over like on Elantontrin. The Processing Hall was the same black metal as all the other buildings, but there were large windows that looked down onto the street.
They walked inside to another bustling interior. All different kinds of species walked around. From giant lizard men that looked like dragons to small girls that flew around who resembled fairies.
Don’t think about it, Asher thought at Tiff. She was glaring hungrily at a 3 foot tall fairy drinking from a big mug. Tiff looked over to him and gave him a wink. Asher rolled his eyes.
“Well if it isn’t the Lawful Good!” A belligerent voice yelled from across the room. The crowd stopped what they were doing to stare at them.
“Vidoria,” Tosh said, walking toward the reception desk. The group followed under the glares of the patrons. “I assume Tyranis warned you we were coming?”
“He did,” she said. She was a tall woman. Almost taller than Asher. The dark haired woman resembled the cow woman he had sex with, the Bofin. She had long black horns that arched over her head and an enormous rack. She wore white fur clothing with a window showing her ample cleavage. Asher and Tiff weren’t shy about focusing on the window.
“Ha,” Vidoria said, looking him in the eyes. “He’s as shameless as the vids showed.”
“And I’m no better,” Tiff said, stepping up. “Tell me where I can get a cute outfit like that,” she said.
Vidoria looked Tiff up and down. “Show me how you do some of those bedroom tricks of yours and I will.”
“Ok,” Tosh interrupted. “You can talk about those things another time. For now we are here for business.”
Vidoria and Tiff sized one another up. With a smile Vidoria waved them back to a door beside the counter. They followed her down a hall. I like her, Tiff thought beside him.
Me too, he thought watching the large woman’s ass shake as she walked in front of them. He and Tiff held hands sending pictures to one another’s mind of what they’d like to do to Vidoria. They headed down to the basement.
“I heard you already knocked up the Eternal Maiden,” Vidoria said as they descended.
“News travels fast,” Asher noted.
“There’s always drama somewhere. The Lofgrens have been quiet for years despite running so much. Biggest gossip for them were the fiancés that came and went. People didn’t think she would ever find someone to pass the Trial.” They walked down a new hall.
“Taking the Trial that rare?” Asher asked.
“It is nowadays. Of the Roktai elves about 75% pass. Outsiders maybe 20%. Not worth risking your life for some stats,” she said.
“You always risk your life for stats,” Asher said.
“Not like you do,” she said turning around to wink at him. He wanted to ask more but she opened large double doors. “Leyrin!” She yelled.
“What!?” A short gnome looking man yelled. He sat at a desk across the large room.
“Customers,” she said.
“Ah, the Champion party,” he said. “I expected you ages ago.”
“Just got back from their Trial yesterday,” Vidoria said as the small man approached. He was about 4 feet tall and wore black pants and suspenders. No shirt on, he showed off his hairy chest and muscles. In a handlebar mustache Asher wanted to ask him for life advice. He felt the gnome had answers to any question.
“What are you looking to sell?” Leyrin asked.
“Is there a way to empty your ring without picturing what you have in it?” Asher asked. “Don’t remember all I had.”
Leyrin came close to him, staring at the ring on his finger. “Take it off,” he ordered. Asher slid it off. The old gnome looked at the inside of the band. “Looks like Toman’s work to me. You see this? That is the empty phrase. Whoever wears the ring simply pushes mana into it and says ‘empty you stupid ring’. You can even say specific commands like ‘empty all monster corpses you stupid ring’.”
“Seriously?” Asher asked.
Leyrin nodded. “Spatial storage items all have their own commands. Toman has a sense of humor.”
Asher poured mana into his ring and pointed at the large empty area of the room. “Empty all monster corpses, you stupid ring,” he said. A white light shot out from his ring into the center of the room. The glowing mana spread until it encompassed the entire free area. Piles of bodies sorted themselves by species. From mammoth trunks to shadow panther bodies to the bisected monkey.
“Ha!” Leyrin said. “I wanted to get my hands on this,” he said, jumping in the pile to the monkey. “Lightning infused fur,” he noted as he felt the golden fur.
“This gonna take a while?” Asher asked.
“Shouldn’t,” Vidoria said. “He has an appraisal skill. I want to hear if you got the Boss title when you killed that thing,” she said.
“I did actually,” Asher said. “Surprised they don’t show our levels during the fighting.”
“Levels are sacred,” she informed. “Besides, I think they showed enough of you guys on the vids.” His parents blushed from the side. “How many titles do you have?”
“10 now,” he admitted.
Vidoria let out a long whistle. “Maxed out already?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well most people max out on titles at 5. But hero’s can have up to 10,” she said. “Never met anyone with that many.”
“Really? How do most people get titles?”
“Go to guilds. Most guilds worth anything have their own. There are 3 or 4 on Elantontrin that provide good stats, and aren’t near as hard as the Roktai’s trial. I’m surprised you all didn’t fill up your list before the Trial.”
“Can you change titles out?” Asher asked.
“Of course. But you lose the stats if you drop them,” she said. Asher thought it might be a good idea to spend time getting the others to get titles before the next trial.
“3,000 Syscos and 1,500 ES is the best I can do,” Leyrin said walking out of the pile. Since 1 Sysco was enough for someone to live for a month he thought it sounded fair.
“What about these?” Asher asked as he emptied his rings of his Mana Hearts.
“You’d have better luck selling those at the Majoris Guild,” the gnome admitted.
“Why’s that?” Asher asked.
“You need those to make a Drive for an Ethership.”
—-
All in all they all made a lot of Syscos. Not as much as Asher, but with their Timeless Rings they were able to fit a lot in. For some reason Asher felt lighter as he left the basement. Vidoria was leading again. Tiff sent a picture of her sucking his dick while Vidoria shoved her tits in his face. The imaging was really getting to him. He struggled to keep his erection from staying down.
The tall woman stepped to the side as they got to the stairs and started walking next to him. “You know I’m psychic right?” She asked.
Asher gulped. “We did not,” Tiff said with a smile. “Interested?”
She didn’t answer, but part of him hoped she was. When they came to the first floor there was a big gathering around one of the walls. Slowly they all walked to see a vid playing. The vid screen was a good 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Easy to see over everyone’s heads. On the screen was the point of view of someone as they ran down a hallway. They kept looking behind themselves until a fire covered bull appeared behind them. The person yelled and ran faster.
“What’s this?” Asher asked.
“The dive into the Ruins of Loradmere,” Vidoria explained. “They’re getting close to the bottom. Now that the Trial is over this is all people are interested in.”
Asher thought he remembered Tyranis mentioning something about that. “Why is everyone so interested?” Nadir asked.
“The Ruins date back to pre-recordings of the Systemic League. People think they might have Extinct skill books.”
“What are those?” Abby asked.
“Before the League the System was still new. It gifted a lot of new and weird skills. Some of them were very overpowered and the skills were discontinued in future Systems,” she said. “But sometimes Extinct skill books are found so people can learn them. More of collectors items nowadays.”
“How much would one of these skill books go for?” Tiffany asked as the thought came to him as well.
“100,000 Syscos easy,” she said. Asher and Tiff shared a look.
“How long until they find them?” Asher asked.
“Could be tomorrow or next month, no one knows,” she said. The man on the vid dodged down a hallway just as the fire bull would have charged into him. He breathed heavily as something attacked him from behind and the vid blanked out.
“We have to go,” Tiff said. “Atalanta, Keera I need your help.” Soon the 4 of them were running back to the portal ready to make some Syscos.
When the drama died down a little the congratulations started going around. Even Tyranis had a smile on his face. Apparently Ash forgot to tell his mother they were trying so she was thoroughly shocked. It took some reassurance from Lyola and her mother that the baby would be well taken care of for her to calm down. They also had to remind her that Tiff and Zora would be there with him on Earth, so she could have more grandkids if she pushed them.
Asher now missed the mother that had warned him not to have kids. He knew she would start dropping hints soon. Since he had thousands of Syscos he was a millionaire on most planets. Her worry of him being able to provide went out the window.
Lyola and Tyranis stayed behind to talk with her mothers. Surprisingly Fresneah and Wylin joined the group to the other planet. Asher felt like he should probably get closer to her siblings anyway.
“Did you watch the trials?” Asher asked as they boarded the yellow magic school bus.
“Yes, very entertaining,” Wylin said. Asher really hoped he hadn’t watched the X-rated parts. “Especially when you challenged the boss monsters. How were you able to solo the Jewel and Golden boss?” Asher went into a simple explanation on wearing them down.
“From what I’ve seen, most boss monsters can fight for about 72 hours before they tire. Usually it’s a game of endurance,” Asher said. “Have you ever fought a boss before?” Wylin shook his head. “Neither had most anyway in our party. Anything you noticed about them Abby?”
“Not as strong as I expected,” she said after a thought. “They could fight for a long time, but they didn’t hit as hard as their strength should have allowed.”
“That’s their mana, not their strength,” Asher said. “If you fought a level 40 boss and you were level 40, you should have roughly the same stats. When they evolve their Mana Heart holds a lot more mana than normal monsters.” They stepped out of the bus next to one of the other many buildings. “They can only use the strength and endurance they have, but the mana keeps replenishing until the Heart is tapped out.”
“What were the purple ones you pulled out of the bosses?” Wylin asked.
“I believe they’re evolutions to the Mana Heart,” Asher said. “The monsters were ready to evolve again. But I’m not certain. I hope we can find out at the Processing Hall.”
They stepped into the large black building that was the city’s Portal Hub. Many more people walked in and out than most of the other skyscrapers. Asher and his team were escorted through the long line. Most people stopped what they were doing to stare at them. More than one whispered. A few said some encouraging words. Asher shyly waved.
“Tartarin, please,” Tosh said to an attendant. They nodded and escorted them to a room on the 3rd floor. Booths and offices were filled with people on the busy portal floor. At the center straight from the elevator was a portal window to another world. “You will all be charged 1 Sysco going in or out of the portal automatically. From your winnings I assume that shouldn’t be a problem. Normally there is a 10% processing fee, but Tyranis has expressed that you are to be treated as honorary Roktai so it will be reduced to 5%.”
“Is it a problem for us to ask questions about processing and common practices?” Nadir asked. He appeared very excited. Asher caught a look from Fresneah as he talked. The green tinted elf stared at Nadir longingly from the side. Nadir did have the Adonis System, was it due to his charm maybe?
At his thought Tiff’s head turned around like a whip. Fresneah looked away blushing. Tiff thought at him, you think? She asked. He smiled from the excitement on her face. Asher thought they should leave it alone and see what happens. Of course, she promised. He knew she meant everything but that. She slowly made her way closer to Fresneah as they walked closer to the portal.
Asher stepped through without hesitation and was surprised by the difference in location. The room was a lot emptier. The area wasn’t quite as spacious either. A couple of guards stood by the elevator platform.
“It is currently night time on Tartarin,” Tosh informed them. “But the Processing Hall is always open.” They walked out of the building to the bustling streets of Tartarin. “This was the first planet colonized by the Roktai,” he said. He was the perfect tour guide as he led them to some sort of underground subway station. “Some 10,000 years ago they colonized it. Only 1 Ether Stream over, it was found by dungeon diving. Originally a Tier I planet, it was the perfect location to expand outward.” They all stepped on large white platforms.
“Initially for population growth and meeting other League members it soon became a bustling hub after the Roktai colonized 2 other planets in this solar system. Both of them had many mines and mana deposits that are rare for the sector.” The platform they were on moved quickly. Asher noticed the glow of mana all around them. He tried to not look like a bumpkin as he stared at the different species around him. Another part wanted to throw on a Hawaiian shirt and embrace the role.
“Here we are,” Tosh said after the 4th stop. They walked up stairs to the street with the crowd from the subway. Tosh led them to a 3-story tall building. Around them were other similar sized buildings. It was nice to not be towered over like on Elantontrin. The Processing Hall was the same black metal as all the other buildings, but there were large windows that looked down onto the street.
They walked inside to another bustling interior. All different kinds of species walked around. From giant lizard men that looked like dragons to small girls that flew around who resembled fairies.
Don’t think about it, Asher thought at Tiff. She was glaring hungrily at a 3 foot tall fairy drinking from a big mug. Tiff looked over to him and gave him a wink. Asher rolled his eyes.
“Well if it isn’t the Lawful Good!” A belligerent voice yelled from across the room. The crowd stopped what they were doing to stare at them.
“Vidoria,” Tosh said, walking toward the reception desk. The group followed under the glares of the patrons. “I assume Tyranis warned you we were coming?”
“He did,” she said. She was a tall woman. Almost taller than Asher. The dark haired woman resembled the cow woman he had sex with, the Bofin. She had long black horns that arched over her head and an enormous rack. She wore white fur clothing with a window showing her ample cleavage. Asher and Tiff weren’t shy about focusing on the window.
“Ha,” Vidoria said, looking him in the eyes. “He’s as shameless as the vids showed.”
“And I’m no better,” Tiff said, stepping up. “Tell me where I can get a cute outfit like that,” she said.
Vidoria looked Tiff up and down. “Show me how you do some of those bedroom tricks of yours and I will.”
“Ok,” Tosh interrupted. “You can talk about those things another time. For now we are here for business.”
Vidoria and Tiff sized one another up. With a smile Vidoria waved them back to a door beside the counter. They followed her down a hall. I like her, Tiff thought beside him.
Me too, he thought watching the large woman’s ass shake as she walked in front of them. He and Tiff held hands sending pictures to one another’s mind of what they’d like to do to Vidoria. They headed down to the basement.
“I heard you already knocked up the Eternal Maiden,” Vidoria said as they descended.
“News travels fast,” Asher noted.
“There’s always drama somewhere. The Lofgrens have been quiet for years despite running so much. Biggest gossip for them were the fiancés that came and went. People didn’t think she would ever find someone to pass the Trial.” They walked down a new hall.
“Taking the Trial that rare?” Asher asked.
“It is nowadays. Of the Roktai elves about 75% pass. Outsiders maybe 20%. Not worth risking your life for some stats,” she said.
“You always risk your life for stats,” Asher said.
“Not like you do,” she said turning around to wink at him. He wanted to ask more but she opened large double doors. “Leyrin!” She yelled.
“What!?” A short gnome looking man yelled. He sat at a desk across the large room.
“Customers,” she said.
“Ah, the Champion party,” he said. “I expected you ages ago.”
“Just got back from their Trial yesterday,” Vidoria said as the small man approached. He was about 4 feet tall and wore black pants and suspenders. No shirt on, he showed off his hairy chest and muscles. In a handlebar mustache Asher wanted to ask him for life advice. He felt the gnome had answers to any question.
“What are you looking to sell?” Leyrin asked.
“Is there a way to empty your ring without picturing what you have in it?” Asher asked. “Don’t remember all I had.”
Leyrin came close to him, staring at the ring on his finger. “Take it off,” he ordered. Asher slid it off. The old gnome looked at the inside of the band. “Looks like Toman’s work to me. You see this? That is the empty phrase. Whoever wears the ring simply pushes mana into it and says ‘empty you stupid ring’. You can even say specific commands like ‘empty all monster corpses you stupid ring’.”
“Seriously?” Asher asked.
Leyrin nodded. “Spatial storage items all have their own commands. Toman has a sense of humor.”
Asher poured mana into his ring and pointed at the large empty area of the room. “Empty all monster corpses, you stupid ring,” he said. A white light shot out from his ring into the center of the room. The glowing mana spread until it encompassed the entire free area. Piles of bodies sorted themselves by species. From mammoth trunks to shadow panther bodies to the bisected monkey.
“Ha!” Leyrin said. “I wanted to get my hands on this,” he said, jumping in the pile to the monkey. “Lightning infused fur,” he noted as he felt the golden fur.
“This gonna take a while?” Asher asked.
“Shouldn’t,” Vidoria said. “He has an appraisal skill. I want to hear if you got the Boss title when you killed that thing,” she said.
“I did actually,” Asher said. “Surprised they don’t show our levels during the fighting.”
“Levels are sacred,” she informed. “Besides, I think they showed enough of you guys on the vids.” His parents blushed from the side. “How many titles do you have?”
“10 now,” he admitted.
Vidoria let out a long whistle. “Maxed out already?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well most people max out on titles at 5. But hero’s can have up to 10,” she said. “Never met anyone with that many.”
“Really? How do most people get titles?”
“Go to guilds. Most guilds worth anything have their own. There are 3 or 4 on Elantontrin that provide good stats, and aren’t near as hard as the Roktai’s trial. I’m surprised you all didn’t fill up your list before the Trial.”
“Can you change titles out?” Asher asked.
“Of course. But you lose the stats if you drop them,” she said. Asher thought it might be a good idea to spend time getting the others to get titles before the next trial.
“3,000 Syscos and 1,500 ES is the best I can do,” Leyrin said walking out of the pile. Since 1 Sysco was enough for someone to live for a month he thought it sounded fair.
“What about these?” Asher asked as he emptied his rings of his Mana Hearts.
“You’d have better luck selling those at the Majoris Guild,” the gnome admitted.
“Why’s that?” Asher asked.
“You need those to make a Drive for an Ethership.”
—-
All in all they all made a lot of Syscos. Not as much as Asher, but with their Timeless Rings they were able to fit a lot in. For some reason Asher felt lighter as he left the basement. Vidoria was leading again. Tiff sent a picture of her sucking his dick while Vidoria shoved her tits in his face. The imaging was really getting to him. He struggled to keep his erection from staying down.
The tall woman stepped to the side as they got to the stairs and started walking next to him. “You know I’m psychic right?” She asked.
Asher gulped. “We did not,” Tiff said with a smile. “Interested?”
She didn’t answer, but part of him hoped she was. When they came to the first floor there was a big gathering around one of the walls. Slowly they all walked to see a vid playing. The vid screen was a good 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Easy to see over everyone’s heads. On the screen was the point of view of someone as they ran down a hallway. They kept looking behind themselves until a fire covered bull appeared behind them. The person yelled and ran faster.
“What’s this?” Asher asked.
“The dive into the Ruins of Loradmere,” Vidoria explained. “They’re getting close to the bottom. Now that the Trial is over this is all people are interested in.”
Asher thought he remembered Tyranis mentioning something about that. “Why is everyone so interested?” Nadir asked.
“The Ruins date back to pre-recordings of the Systemic League. People think they might have Extinct skill books.”
“What are those?” Abby asked.
“Before the League the System was still new. It gifted a lot of new and weird skills. Some of them were very overpowered and the skills were discontinued in future Systems,” she said. “But sometimes Extinct skill books are found so people can learn them. More of collectors items nowadays.”
“How much would one of these skill books go for?” Tiffany asked as the thought came to him as well.
“100,000 Syscos easy,” she said. Asher and Tiff shared a look.
“How long until they find them?” Asher asked.
“Could be tomorrow or next month, no one knows,” she said. The man on the vid dodged down a hallway just as the fire bull would have charged into him. He breathed heavily as something attacked him from behind and the vid blanked out.
“We have to go,” Tiff said. “Atalanta, Keera I need your help.” Soon the 4 of them were running back to the portal ready to make some Syscos.
