Chapter 11 – Doubts

Vanessa held the glass to Sal’s lips as he took a few sips of the water. When he leaned his head back to speak, Vanessa shook her head and pressed the glass against his face again.

“Nope, you’re severely dehydrated after that, so you don’t get to ask questions until I’m satisfied.”

Her tone was firm and didn’t give Sal much choice in the matter. His limbs were still protesting against even the slightest movement, so he had to persevere through the humiliating ordeal of being fed water at a snail’s pace.

The half-empty jug was more than enough in his eyes, but Vanessa kept refilling it and helping him drink. Judging by her grin, she was enjoying his plight a little too much. Sal finished the glass and gave her a level stare, but she maintained eye contact with him as she refilled it slowly.

“This is punishment for the sniper rifle, isn’t it?” His voice was strained and weak, but at least he could speak now.

Rather than answering, Vanessa filled another glass and placed it beside the first. She cocked an eyebrow as if to ask whether he had any further questions. Sal resigned himself to his fate and did as he was told, drinking each time the glass was presented to him.

Vanessa smiled at the compliance and finally broke the awkward silence. “While you’re drinking, I’ll explain a bit more about what happened, okay?”

Sal gave her a small nod, which she seemed satisfied with.

“Since you’re a crafter, I’ll explain it in terms you should be familiar with. There are others like you, who can incorporate all the functions of Mythcrafter, but at a lower level. Rarecrafter, Unicrafter, Epicrafter, and so on. Body Manipulation isn’t an ability by itself—it’s a category, like Invention. My ability belongs to the Body Manipulation category, but you’ve discovered firsthand that mine is vastly different than that Lucia girl’s.”

Sal nodded in understanding as he accepted more water. His body was still aching, and despite his initial protests, he was grateful that Vanessa was helping him drink. He looked over at her, and she continued.

“Mythcrafter is a blend of Appraisal, Upgrade, and Restoration. My own ability is called Configuration, which is an amalgamation of Restructure, Composition, and Refinement. What makes Body Manipulation so rare as a category is that we’re able to use skills on the human body. I can alter myself and others at a high level. Typically, the skills would limit the user to only being able to manipulate their own bodies, or the bodies of others. My guess is that your friend has a weaker version of Configuration, or something similar. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. The important thing to know is that I can change my body and the body of others, all the way down to their essence. That’s what I did with you today.”

Vanessa pushed more water toward Sal, and he reluctantly obliged, hating the soothing noises she made as she encouraged him to drink.

“Your friend made you more receptive to essence so you could find the gates and work on activating them. It’s an exhausting process that takes a lot of time and meditation, so we skipped all that.”

Vanessa leaned across the arm of the chair she was draped on and tapped Sal’s chest.

“Only your essence can break through the gates, so I pulled every single piece of it from your body and created a bullet, for lack of a better term. We shot it through each gate and added more power to the bullet. I supercharged your new gates to produce more essence, so it created a snowball effect. That’s why the pain got more intense with each one, and the momentary reprieves were from my essence repairing things before we shot toward the next one.”

Vanessa placed the now-empty glass on the nearby table and picked up the decanter to refill it. With a glance at Sal, she finally relented. “You can ask one question, then we’re back to drowning you.”

Sal didn’t waste his opportunity and asked the one question that he couldn’t answer himself. “How far did you get? I can’t feel… anything at the moment.”

Vanessa looked at him for a moment and smiled. “Essence gates are a fickle thing. I could have pushed through the whole set of them, but your available essence would have been wound so tight that even a flicker of your Appraisal ability would cause it to snap and undo everything. I wanted to get you up into the fifties, but your body was only fit to get to the early forties. Your essence pool is ridiculously limited, which I guess is a result of creating the Mythcrafter ability.”

She had given him permission for one question, but he couldn’t resist asking another.

“Why are you working on the Credit floor when you could be making an insane amount of Q-Cred amping people up to their maximum potential?”

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed as she pushed the water to his lips. “I was doing it as a side business, but Quest put a stop to it pretty quickly as it was removing the trials and tribulations of learning patience and control. Apparently, students should earn their progress rather than be gifted it.” Vanessa mimicked Quest’s voice in an over-the-top preachy tone.

“That said, it earned me enough to graduate, and to do a ridiculous number of Masterclasses. I also got to work with the R&D department in making the Skill Implanting system. My ability is one part of the puzzle for those Skill Registration machines. Got a hefty amount of Q-Cred for that too, and a nice little royalty package. Jez was so proud of me for negotiating that in.”

Vanessa’s grin faded. She shook her head wistfully as she pressed the glass back to Sal, who was making pitiful efforts to use his hands.

“Take it easy, Sal. You went through one hell of a trial today and your body is going to take a lot of time to repair and acclimatize to your new cores. No crafting for a while or using your eyes to Appraise things. I don’t care if a portal opens in your bedroom and drops an arsenal of weapons at your feet. No using your abilities until your body has time to adjust. Understood?”

Vanessa might have phrased it like a question, but it was very much an order.

Sal gave a reluctant nod, which wasn’t enough for Vanessa. She held her stare until he finally broke.

“Yes, I understand. No using my abilities for a while. When will I know when I can use them?”

Vanessa smiled as she tapped his chest. “It might take a few days, but sooner if you buy some of the vendor drinks. While the body can be healed with external essence, it needs to produce its own to build a solid foundation. If you try using your cores immediately, they’ll shatter and break the circuit. Then you’ll have wild imbalances and false-starts when trying to use your abilities. Skill Implanting does exactly that. It pretty much resets your progress to the starting line so you can build your cores back up with the new ability blueprint.”

Vanessa paused as she looked at Sal thoughtfully. “Just to put it into perspective, though, your internal gates are still at the lowest tier. Bringing you up to the forties is great, but it only puts you a couple of months ahead of your peers. Strengthening your cores over time will take a lot more practice and effort, so don’t get complacent. You need to work them hard in the future to ensure they’re capable of producing enough essence to maintain your abilities.”

Sal let his head sink back to rest on the back of the armchair. He desperately wanted to close his eyes and fall asleep, but he was going to have to get back to the dorm before that could be a possibility. It wouldn’t do much for his reputation if he fell asleep in a private meeting room on the Credit floor. Knowing them, they’d probably charge him for an overnight stay. With a grimace, he looked over at the beaming face of Vanessa. He couldn’t be completely sure, but she looked to be enjoying his misery.

“When will I be able to move without agony?”

Vanessa shrugged as she gestured at his body vaguely with a wave of her hand. “First thing I told you was that you need to work out more. Your body lacks basic mobility and core strength, which is why your recovery rate is so slow. Sure, we could use essence to redistribute your muscle, but you’ve got very little to work with. My advice would be to get a training regimen as soon as possible that gives you a more rounded physique.” Vanessa pulled a tablet out of her pocket and tapped at it.

“I can send you over a list of exercises that you should be doing daily. If you thought Support classes could afford to be lazy, someone lied to you. Versatility is the key difference between Supports who make it through the academy and those who don’t.”

Sal groaned inwardly at the prospect of having to do a workout daily, but Vanessa was going out of her way to send him a regimen, so he didn’t grumble audibly.

Apparently, his face didn’t get the memo, and Vanessa noticed. “We already know you work hard and that you can withstand pain—why don’t you combine the two and be done with it? You’ll thank me down the line when you don’t throw your back out from picking up a wrench.”

Vanessa suddenly sat up straight as she turned to Sal with a wide grin. His sense of foreboding shot through the roof as she clapped excitedly.

“That’s it! Befriend the Assassin girl. You can ask her for help with training, like learning a martial art or something. You could make her a piece of equipment in exchange, and everything will work out perfectly. She won’t leak her findings about you, and you’ll be besties with an Assassin. Everyone wins!”

Sal could only gape in horror at Vanessa, who went back to her tablet, tapping away at it and ignoring his feeble attempts at getting out of the armchair.

Anna Sakura had seemed nice in the interactions that he had with her, but learning that she was scouting him for the Delvers Guild was a bit unnerving. After seeing her fight in the dungeon raid, he’d prefer her as an ally rather than a threat. He didn’t feel comfortable lying to her or getting close to her under false pretenses.

He wondered whether he could strike a deal with her and tell her the truth, that he didn’t want to be revealed yet. Worst-case scenario, he could make her something to keep his identity secret.

The fact that he was Myth was bound to get out sooner rather than later. Even Doctor Bobby had known who he was, and all the faculty at the academy had been briefed prior to the raid. It was a matter of time before they told people and it would be public knowledge. Sal sat there for a few minutes, deliberating over the best way to proceed when a vibration in his pocket caught his attention.

Vanessa turned her tablet around to show him the schedule she had written up for him. “You’re going to need to balance your diet, too, and eat meals regularly. Biggest hurdle for you outside of the actual workouts is likely going to be getting enough sleep. You’re a dehydrated and sleep-deprived mess on most days, and that’ll have to change if you want to improve yourself.”

Sal looked up at the ceiling and sighed when a thought suddenly popped into his head. With a turn toward Vanessa, he frowned. “Didn’t you bring me here to talk about the Reavers Guild? What’s the situation there?”

Vanessa stared at Sal for a moment before a musical laugh escaped her.

“Is the thought of exercise that horrible that you’d prefer to talk about Villa?” Without waiting for Sal’s answer, Vanessa continued with a smile. “So, we’ve run into a bit of an issue with the Reavers. Their guildmaster has clamped down on all investments, which blocks our Trainee Guild proposal for the time being. Villa is furious with him, and I caught a chunk of that anger when she implied that we intentionally delayed signing. I think she’s scared that we’re going to shop around now that their hands are tied.”

Sal’s shoulders slumped as he let out a relieved sigh. “Is it wrong that I’m a little relieved? Things were moving so fast, I was half thinking that we would make a mistake by signing immediately with them.”

He tried to sit up properly in the seat, but every muscle in his body rejected the attempt with flares of pain. Wincing, Sal remained where he was seated with a grimace.

Vanessa shook her head as she looked off to the other side of the room, her eyes not focused on anything in particular. “It’s not wrong, but this is a lucrative deal. It’s great that we’ve got such a vested interest from the Reavers who know your value, but there’s nothing wrong with us playing the field to see what other offers fall into our lap.”

With a turn of her head, Vanessa broke into a sly grin. “We can use Villa’s fear against her and see if we can get you those materials you’re looking for…but, we’ll also need you to craft something for public auction. It’s the only way to showcase your capability to the other guilds. Villa isn’t likely to show off that sniper rifle, and guilds will want to see more than just an appraisal document verified by a first-year.”

Sal snorted and regretted the action immediately as his chest burned in renewed pain. When Vanessa looked at him in confusion, he shook his head with a smile.

“I got my Appraisal license when I was twelve. I’m backed by the Argento Auction and registered with the United Guilds Association. There shouldn’t be any issue with my documentation. If there was, they’d have hundreds of cases that they’d need to invalidate, and I highly doubt they’d want to go through all that paperwork.”

Vanessa stared at Sal blankly, and he couldn’t help but feel a small well of pride at seeing her lost for words. Rather than dwell on it, he pushed on before she decided to drown him with more water.

“Why is the guildmaster of the Reavers blocking investments? Are they not performing well?”

This time, it was Vanessa’s turn to snort as she shook her head. “They’re doing better than ever. If rumors are to be believed, they’re shoring up resources to purchase another guild that will bring them up to Tier 1. If that’s the case, it means that investing in a grassroots guild at the academy would be out of the question until the deal is done.” With a wave of her hand, Vanessa sighed as she turned to Sal.

“I should have figured this would happen, though. Their guildmaster, Fierce… He’s a massive piece of shit and obsessed with getting to the top spot, even if it means cutting corners. That’s why the Reavers are relentlessly thrown into every dangerous encounter.”

Sal’s brow furrowed. “So their guildmaster is insane and you want to tie us to them? Are they really the best option for us? And is investing in us that much of a cost?” Sal was trying to understand, but a lot of it was over his head. They had casually given him a Rare-grade sword, and he had personally appraised their loot from a single dungeon. The revenue from that one job should have been enough to fund about a hundred starter guilds.

Vanessa laughed as she looked at Sal with a raised eyebrow.

“For all their faults, the Reavers are one of the rising stars in the United Guilds Association. It makes sense to board the fastest-moving train, as it will get us to our destination faster. Terrible analogy, but you get my meaning! Villa is gunning for the top spot, and despite her also being relatively insane, she’s a necessary evil. With her at the helm, they’d get to the top spot in the next five years. With Fierce, I think they’ll end up overstretching and falling apart. Either way, we’d have resources to build our foundations and the best backing you could ask for. Nobody picks fights with the Reavers, so a lot of doors would open for us…that other guilds don’t even know exist.”

Just as Sal was about to respond, Vanessa raised a hand to pause him. “As for the investment part, that’s a whole different situation. It can cost millions to get a guild off the ground and through the tiers, so it’s not a decision to be made lightly on their part. Historically speaking, it takes around four years for a new guild to become profitable…and that’s usually post-graduation. You’re barely in the door of the academy, so it’ll require a lot more investment and time to get you up to standard.”

Sal’s eyes widened. Obviously, there were a lot of costs in making it work, but he hadn’t ever considered just how much it would be. It was a sobering thought and enough to make him doubt his capability in being a proficient guildmaster.

As though sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, Vanessa tapped Sal’s chest again, grinning. “Other guilds didn’t have a Mythcrafter. We lock you in a workshop until you’re thirty and we’ll be the richest guild in the city.” She paused and tilted her head to one side as though deep in thought. “Okay, scratch that…maybe until you’re forty.”

When she turned back to Sal, she had a reassuring smile on her face. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but don’t worry. I’ll be here every step of the way. And if it takes you until you graduate to decide on the guild route, I’ll wait until then.”

Sal didn’t really know what to say to that. He knew Vanessa was biding her time on the Credit floor until she had a better option, but for her to willingly put her own plans on hold to wait for him… Sal couldn’t get his head around it. Mythcrafter was an incredible ability and the first of its kind, but he did feel like she was putting a little too much faith in him.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to wait for me to come to a decision. Obviously, I’d love your help and guidance…but it’s such a big decision to make, for both of us.”

Vanessa laughed as she got to her feet. She walked over to the armchair across from Sal and took a seat. Crossing her legs, she grinned at him.

“You’re a Mythcrafter, Sal. It’s an ability that will turn the Crafting world on its head, and you’ll be inundated with requests from the United Guilds Association, the bureau, and everyone who has a way to contact you. Right now, you’re a first-year learning the basics, but in the future, you’re going to be an absolute powerhouse of capability. Everyone is going to want you. I’ll wait years if it means we’ll get to work together because I know for a fact that I won’t get a chance like this again.”

Sal groaned as he leaned his head back. “That’s not making this any easier!”

Vanessa shrugged, still smiling at him. “Relax! With Fierce pulling the plug on the Reavers deal, you at least have some breathing space. Nobody is demanding a commitment from you yet, so you’ve got time to enjoy yourself at the academy. Just keep it in mind and think about what you want in the future. The sooner we have a decision from you, the faster we can get things moving.”