Chapter 8: Winnowing Options

With only ten days remaining until the job trial, Rick thought that he was partway to success... at solving the least concerning of his problems. Attempting to recreate the Vice President's technique had led to a very similar aura flow to the one he remembered. He was sure that he'd made a few errors, and there were a few issues he wanted to work out yet, but he thought that he'd figured out enough to pass the trial.

Beyond that, he just had too many problems. It was almost easier when the problems were thrown at him one after another, because he could just focus on putting out the most urgent fire. But this time, all the problems crept insidiously closer without any emergencies. Some of them were issues that couldn't be solved in a day, either.

He remembered living that way, both with his parents and with their extended family when his parents weren't capable of taking care of him and Melissa. The problem was, when they did have a moment free of disasters, they never did much to improve their lives or prepare for the next one.

Though Rick thought he had done a better job than his parents, he needed to do even better. As soon as he finished his usual meditation on the couch, he went looking for a pen and piece of paper. Then he sat down and tried to identify all the issues he needed to handle.

Getting a better job wasn't an issue, more like a broad goal that contained other problems. Rick wrote it bigger and then identified objectives beneath it:

Eliminate the aura leech.

Improve ether tier and score.

Obtain better qualifications.

Yet those felt more like goals too, not logical steps. Rick chewed on the end of his pen for a bit, then made a separate list under "find a new apartment":

Save up 100,000 lucrim for the fighter deposit.

Research the adult CLAT.

Find a better job.

The absurdity of that immediately struck him - all his problems were just tangled up. If he'd been born into a richer family, even a middle class one, he would have been set on a better path without any parental debts or other setbacks. Then he might have started out with a good ether score and known about all the little details like background check fees and fighter deposits.

On top of that, he wasn't even sure what job he wanted to get or if he really wanted to move to a different apartment if it would be so much trouble. Rick wrote "Make job and apartment decisions" above the other lists, then scribbled the whole thing out in irritation. No, this wasn't helping.

Maybe it was better to focus on the simple pieces of the problem that he could remove from the equation. One immediately leapt out to him: saving up for the fighter deposit. Even if he didn't try to get a different apartment, he could use that money for anything else. That was no breakthrough, since he already saved money whenever he could, but it was good to set it out of mind.

Currently he had about 5000 lucrim hidden around the apartment. He needed 95,000 more. There was one simple goal that wasn't entangled with the rest.

Thinking about the entanglements, he realized that there was another major problem: deciding exactly what he wanted. He always had the vague idea of getting better qualifications than his meager high school degree, but hadn't actually made a decision. Maybe he should take that head on now.

Going to college was the obvious choice, either to get a normal degree or for a combat certification. Yet when he forced himself to really think about that option, he knew he wouldn't take it. He wasn't suited to become a business major or something, and getting a combat certification through a university program would be ridiculously expensive. Just being able to dismiss that option made his problems seem a little clearer.

Joining a combat sect was another clear path, and it wasn't so easy to dismiss. His victory in the multi-tier tournament might actually count for something there, as would his combat skill. But it would be signing over a significant degree of his freedom, and he wouldn't do that lightly. In the stories, heroes joined sects just long enough to use them and then left, but these days the sects were backed by multinational institutions who would make him sign contracts. If he actually tried to exploit or cheat a sect, he wouldn't make it through with miraculous good fortune. Still, he couldn't ignore the possibility of joining one for good.

Technically joining a clan was an option, if one would accept him. But most of them were insular, if not specifically based in a family group. Rick decided that pursuing that path would just waste time that was better spent on other endeavors. No clans.

Most intriguing was trying to obtain a mastery certification alone. As he understood it, there were plenty of careers where no one cared about fancy degrees, they just wanted proof that you were competent. Unfortunately, getting one might actually be somewhat difficult. He was too old to take the juvenile Centralized Lucrima Aptitude Test like Melissa and he wasn't sure if there were tests more appropriate for his current strength. Usually he thought about the mastery certifications as requiring six digit generation rates.

So the problem of qualifications was simplified down to two paths: investigate sect options and certification trials. He could do that. Rick wrote those down in satisfaction and moved on to considering just what to evaluate next.

Pros and cons of the GLA job, maybe? The fact that he was dealing with so many different issues did push him toward trying to get the job: he could improve his salary and potentially get a certification in one stroke. But the risks were serious, and judging by Lisa's reaction, maybe he was underestimating them...

The sound of his phone almost startled him. Part of Rick hoped that it might be a call back on another job, since that could cut through all his problems... but instead, he saw that Uncle Frank had sent him a message. It just said "Have a few minutes. Let's video" so Rick hastily rushed to the old computer to boot it up.

When the chat window came up, he found Uncle Frank sitting on what appeared to be a balcony of an adobe building, overlooking a busy street. He looked in good health, but he was severely sunburned and his shirt appeared heavily worn. None of the sound came through except his uncle, who chuckled as they came on line.

"There you are, Richard! Sorry it took so long to get time to talk."

"That's okay. I've got to figure some of these things out for myself." Still, Rick couldn't help but look at his uncle in relief and he settled back into the chair. "I'm just dealing with a lot right now. My life isn't under threat like it was before, but I feel even less prepared to deal with everything."

"I remember that feeling." Uncle Frank sat back and laced his hands over his stomach. "Unfortunately, I can offer advice, but not comfort. The truth is, the deck is stacked against people like us. Society doesn't want us moving up in the world, not in a dark conspiratorial way, but simply because it needs an underclass. The system is perfectly designed to produce the results it does."

"I accept that, but we can overcome the obstacles, right?"

"Of course, it will just be more work. And honestly, at some point in your life you might decide that it isn't worth it, especially now that Melissa has graduated. That's what I did - it's easier to get by in a field where only your results matter."

Rick had always thought of his uncle as an adventurer, so thinking of him as someone who left the country due to problems like these was a bit troubling. Still, just talking to his uncle made those problems seem less difficult. "So do you have any advice about getting a better apartment?"

"Actually, I think you might want to change your assumptions there. Don't rent a house, buy one."

"Buy?" He had to admit, that had not even occurred to him. "But... I can't buy a house. That's ridiculously expensive."

"If you're going to be saving up so much money for a fighter deposit, you're already on your way to a down payment. You take the risk, yes, but financially it will be worth it. Just think: every month you're just throwing rent money away, whereas with a house, you own the property in the end. You have to work on it, yes, but the house will usually go up in value, too."

"Huh. I guess I can look into it, but are there any other options you'd suggest?"

Uncle Frank winced as the sun hit his eyes and shifted slightly. "Sure, there are. Some jobs will include housing - it's not stable in the long term, but as a benefit it's got a lot of value. Or some apartments - well, not apartments like you're going to find in the city, but there are places that are set up for fighters and not concerned about damages, either due to lucrim reinforcement or some sort of suppressive field. But I really think you should look into buying a house. It's time for you to settle down and begin building for the future."

"When you talk about apartments that are set up f-"

"I can send you info later, but I only have so much time. Richard, I really think we need to talk about the position with the Global Lucrim Authority."

Rick sighed. "You think I shouldn't take it?"

"I didn't say that, I just think you should be cautious. Above all, don't think for a moment that they're doing this for the benefit of the candidates. The GLA might act to balance and conserve lucrim for everyone, but you're dealing with a branch that's controlled by a corporation. It's legally obligated to pursue profit for shareholders."

"I didn't think they were running a charity. But why would they call for so many candidates and how could that hurt me?"

"I don't know. It could be..." Uncle Frank trailed off and shook his head. "Maybe these anomalies they spoke about are a problem that's not conducive to analysis and they just need to throw bodies at it to find a solution. Or maybe they do want employees and this is just a way to dodge regulations and expenses. Whatever it is, you need to be careful."

That was true, but not really helpful. Rick rubbed his eyes and tried to consider the problem from a different angle. "Why does everyone else seem to have outside information about this?"

"Oh, that one's easier to answer. Some of them might have family in the GLA, others might be members of sects with inside information, that kind of thing. Jobs at any Lucrim Authority are important positions, so everyone has a motive to try to get their youngest talents into those positions. Or it could be a good position for a worn out fighter who's looking to retire."

"So getting a job there could be very good, it's just a question of getting through the minefield of the trials."

"Maybe. To my knowledge, they've only done trials like this a few times before, and I think each time was for different reasons. You can be sure that you'll be graded on everything you do, but don't forget that they're also looking at things that won't be graded."

Rick digested that for a while, wishing he had more information. He hadn't expected Uncle Frank to just hand him all the answers, but he'd been hoping for some more clarity than this. "Alright, Uncle Frank, thanks for your help. I guess no matter what I do, I should start saving up money... I don't suppose you have any advice there?"

His uncle chuckled. "I'm sure you're already saving. But you know... now that you've developed so much, you might want to look into a lucrim bike."

"You mean a bike made of ether? Even if they're fast, wouldn't they just be expensive ways of getting around slowly?"

"No, you have it wrong, they're a separate class of vehicle. There's a cost up front, but I think with your determination, it will pay for itself quickly. It's not exactly classy, but if you want one simple solution that will help with multiple problems, I think that's your best bet."

Though Rick was puzzled about how that would work, he recognized that his uncle was running out of time. They chatted a little more about family issues and Melissa's plans after graduation, then the connection cut off. Rick sighed and stared at the empty screen for a while.

His paper still sat on the couch, and the conclusions he'd come to were still valid. Now he had to think about potentially buying a house instead, or getting a lucrim bike, however that would help. Maybe it would be best to start small...