Brief Chat

“I’m glad you decided to join, John.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Jasmine appear; he thought he saw a puff of smoke. A rich caramel aroma spread through the room with her arrival. She was smoking again; this time, however, a thin bronze colored pipe with a tiny circular bowl at the end was held between her delicate fingers.

“Like I said before, there was no reason for me to decline, it’s safer for me to join,” the Gamer answered, shifting his attention toward the woman. The way each step pronounced her sensual frame. A jiggle here, a shift there.

The reporter’s enchanting smile was all it took to awaken his lust, even as the Gamer stood next to her adoptive father. “There was a chance someone might overthink things once they weren’t distracted by my nature.” Jasmine sent a devious grin toward her father. She grasped John’s hand, manipulating it to open upwards, then returned his phone to him. “Here you go, your phone. As I promised, it works normally in barriers, just don’t put it in your Inventory if you want to be able to receive calls. That’s a personal space of your own, most Abyssals don’t have one, even my own is only because of a certain doting musclehead.” The elder seemed amused at his daughter’s teasing, even chuckling a bit.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” John accepted his phone back, opening it out of habit to check if there were any messages. With it still being morning, there wasn’t anything from his parents and there was obviously nothing from Meadow, besides her dazzling smile that greeted him every time he opened the phone. There was an unfamiliar app though. “Abyss Auction, you mentioned this yesterday, right?”

“One of the most powerful organizations in the Abyss, as well as my former employer. The Abyss Auction has a firm hold on most of the Abyssal trade industry. Anything you could want has a price and if you can afford it they will accommodate you.” Cyril’s red eyes seemed vacant as he gave a monotone explanation about the trade giant. Jasmine handed the elder a glass filled with a reddish-orange liquid. “Thank you, my daughter,” he said, giving a warm smile to the ebony woman.

Jasmine handed a glass to the Gamer. “Try some, it’s a fruit blend, it’s very refreshing.”

“Sure, why not.” He was reminded of their meal the previous day, as he took a sip of the drink. Refreshing was the perfect word to describe the juice; all the tension, both physical and mental, seemed to ease up as he drank the fluid. A sweetness mixed with hints of sour and tangy, in complete harmony, spread over his taste buds.

Status Effect: Reinvigoration
Buff, increased recovery rate for HP and MP by 20% for 10 minutes.
Those affected will feel refreshed for the duration of the status.

“John, before you dismiss that window, you should invite Pop to the party so that he can see your Gamer abilities first hand.”

“No problem,” he responded, finishing the drink.

Target Cyril Lewis’ level is too high to join the Gamer’s party.

“Or not. Sorry, sir, it says your level is too high to be in my party.” This made sense to him; in his games it was pretty common to restrict the companions he'd have access to. John was more surprised Sonia was still able to join his party with a twenty five level difference.”Sir, would it be alright if I use my Observe skill on you? I’m sure Jasmine told you, but that is my scrying magic.”

“Just Cyril is fine and I have no issue with that.“ The elder’s body had a red glow flash around it. “I’ve lowered my defences, give it a go, I’m quite curious what your spell has to say about me.”

Observe Failed
Target’s level is too high for the skill at this time.

Observe Challenge Completed
Use Observe on a target over 100 levels higher than you.
Secret evolution option available once the skill is maxed.

Two windows had John’s curiosity piqued. They had revealed to him a few new concepts. ‘Level one hundred doesn’t seem to be the maximum, skill evolution is a thing and there are ways to unlock secret routes.’ Different possibilities flooded his mind; he was engrossed in multiple theories.

“Earth to John?” The woman’s charming voice along with a few pokes to the cheek took him out of his theory crafting. “Maybe you’d like to explain what happened. While I can see it, this is kind of your show.”

The Gamer blushed embarrassed at the fact that he zoned out like that. “Sorry, I got caught up in how much I don’t understand these powers. Cyril, you’re too powerful for me to Observe at this time, maybe after I increase my proficiency with the skill.” He was a bit surprised with himself, getting caught up like that wasn’t something he’d often do around people he barely knew. Jasmine he could rationalize because of the time they spent together as well as the contract, but the elder could probably wipe him out before he could blink.

“No worries, lad, that look you had reminded of how I felt whenever I was following a juicy story,” Cyril said, giving the youth a pat on the shoulder.

“This is as good of a time as any to move on with my plans for the day. According to my informant, our target is seen in the same sleazy bar about eight every evening. Until then we will train and test all your abilities.” The enticing way she said the last bit brought a smile to John’s face, eyes wide as he had started to get used to her continuous teasing. “Come along, John, I’ll show you our training room.” Gesturing for him to follow she headed toward a door different from the elevator that led to the elder’s room..

“I have been wanting to test things as well, but just like yesterday I don’t think my mom would be comfortable with me being gone so late given current circumstances.”

“I agree, but the only reason you will be gone so late is due to you insisting on being directly involved with the case.” She exited the room with him following; the elder also tagged along. John’s eyes were mesmerized by the swaying of her ass and hips with each step. “I did consider that, you could either come up with some convincing lie yourself or I could head over when she expects you home and put her to sleep. As long as you trust me, I think the second option is the better one.”

He didn’t really like lying to his mother, and he could probably convince her again, especially with how effective the points in Charisma seemed to have been. However, he was unsure of how much of that was influenced by her conversation with his father. “Can you guarantee that it won’t negatively affect Mom in any way?” Concern visible on his face.

“I can. It’ll be a simple task. If it makes you feel better, I can even dose her with something mundane, though I will say the Abyssal version will make her easier to convince once you do return.”

John rubbed his chin. “I’ll see if I can think up a good enough lie. It’s something I should get comfortable with now that my world has changed.” The Gamer let out a sigh. “I’d been so transfixed on Meadow, I haven’t really put too much thought on how my life path has shifted.”

“That’s life,“ she said dismissively with a shrug. “After you.” Jasmine politely stepped aside to allow the Gamer to enter the door they had reached. He didn’t noticed her mischievous grin as he passed her.

From where he stood, it seemed to be an empty medium sized room with metal walls and floors. Once John crossed the threshold entering the room, his surroundings completely changed. With a glance he could see a blood red sky with a giant red sun just on the edge of the horizon. He didn’t have time to check the rest of his surroundings because a spiked boot was coming right toward him. Quick on his feet the Gamer instinctively rolled to the right, drawing his weapons from his inventory.

“What the fuck!” he yelled, staring down a blood drenched masked woman, in a gothic-lolita style dress. She had long red hair and held two chakrams. It seemed like he was in a destroyed medieval castle courtyard. The entire scenario reminded him of when he crossed a fog gate in Dark Souls. Unsure of what to do, he prepared to fight the woman.