Searching for secrets.

His meeting with Mrs. Wentworth over, and with no punishment to endure, John was free to spend the remainder of the next hour however he wanted. Wednesday was the only day he started with a free period, which was normally spent in a quiet corner on his phone. Today, however, no mobile game could distract him from the Game. His daily quest had stated there were five 'resource caches' somewhere hidden within Ashcroft, and his priority was locating one, so he knew what they looked like.

John started his search in the history classroom, since he was already there. He walked around the tables and examined the shelves, but nothing stood out. Astral Observe didn't uncover anything out of the ordinary either. The only place left unchecked in the classroom were the locked cabinets, but John reasoned that since the Developer wanted him to find the caches, they wouldn't be in a random teacher's personal documents. It'd make for a poor scavenger hunt if the items were out of his reach.

Switching back and forth between regular and enhanced vision, John scoped out the halls briefly before moving to the closest window. The courtyard below was full of chatting and relaxing students as always, but... there was something hanging from the central tree. It was box-shaped, but he couldn't make out the details at this distance. Experimentally, he disabled Astral Observe, and whatever it was evaporated along with the glowing leylines that roamed the academy. Definitely magical then.

It was as good a place as any to continue his search, so John descended the main stairwell and exited into the courtyard. He waited until he was close enough to get a good look to reactivate Astral Observe. There was no sense in wasting mana. Sure enough, the hazy silhouette he'd seen above was something invisible to the naked eye, a box that was hanging from one of the low branches, well within reach. John glanced around, trying not to look too strange as he walked up to it cautiously.

At a close glance, the box was clearly intended for him. His name was written in flourishing golden script on one side, and Observe confirmed it to be what he suspected.

Resource Cache
Contains three items of use to the Gamer.

John surveyed the other students to make sure nobody was watching him. He wasn't sure what would happen when he picked up the cache, but the Developer wouldn't put it out in the open if it were going to erupt in a shower of obvious magical bullshit... right? Fortunately, any students that were looking his way didn't seem particularly interested in whatever John was doing, so he probably didn't need to worry.

He lifted the box up, enough to pull at a ribbon that hung it from the tree. The red silk pulled away easily, and he caught the cache before it could threaten to tumble out of his fingers. As soon as he did, the haze surrounding it faded away, and John was left holding a very real item. He glanced around again, but nobody jumped to their feet at his display of impossible prestidigitation. If anything, they were even less interested...

John sat at the foot of the tree and placed the cache on his lap, opening the lid and setting it aside with the ribbon. Inside were three trading cards, each encased in a plastic protective cover. He pulled them out one at a time and inspected them. The backs of the cards were similar to his Inspirations, but instead of elegant and stylistic art, the front showed a simple image and name.

Starsteel Ingot
Upgrade Component
Healing Salve x3

As the description had implied, the caches were filled with consumables and materials, not unlike the lootboxes of far too many mobile games. John momentarily shivered, half afraid he'd be presented with a menu offering the opportunity to buy more caches, or worse... keys. To his relief, it seemed the Developer wasn't interested in milking the contents of his wallet... no such thing appeared.

John inspected the cards again, trying to figure out how to get the item depicted out. There was no open side to the card protector or any obvious way to get it to open. He spent almost a minute examining every side. Eventually, he gave up and tossed the ingot and component in his inventory, holding the salve card in both hands. If he couldn't open it with finesse, maybe **** would do it. He strained to break the plastic, bracing it against one of his knees and pushing on it hard enough to snap the damn thing in half if he had to. Frustratingly, the card's durability in no way matched its appearance, and all he ended up with were sore palms. Biting it was no more effective, only leaving him with the sense that someone, somewhere was laughing at him. The salve card ended up with the rest in his inventory.

He tossed the box in the nearest recycling bin and briefly scoped out the courtyard one last time before moving on. Nobody gave him any strange looks, and there weren't any caches that he could see... so John took his search elsewhere.

Over the remaining half-hour before he had to attend psychology, John found two more caches. One was hidden under the stairs near the janitorial closet he'd been trapped in on Monday, and the other was placed on the head of the bust of the academy's chairman in the front hall. He'd waited until nobody was around before grabbing that one and hoped the security cameras wouldn't send anyone after him for vandalism.

Each cache had contained an Upgrade Component, what he assumed was a crafting material and a consumable card. All together he'd acquired:

Starsteel Ingot
Vial of Whispers
Orb of Everwater
Healing Salve x3
Mana Potion x2
Scroll of Cleanse Affliction
Upgrade Component x3

He'd also figured out how to get the items out. When he'd opened his inventory to dump more cards in for the second time, John had been surprised to find the ingot and salves waiting for him. Simply putting the cards in was enough to convert them into their depicted object. Unfortunately, the search had eaten up his mana pool and time, forcing John to put off checking the rest of the school until lunch.

Psychology, taught by Mr. Tanaka, was John's only two-period class, and one he regularly ignored. His assigned seat was in the very back, as far away from the teacher as possible and in a blind-spot that kept him off Mr. Tanaka's radar. In the past, it'd given him the cover to play games on his phone throughout the boring lectures and movies. Today, he took advantage of his incognito status to browse his menu and move things around.

When he'd created the Hydra Scale Armor, it had included a belt that expanded his inventory by three slots. Those slots were currently marked red; any item he put in them was inaccessible without the belt being actively equipped. Avoiding those, John reorganized his items into clear rows. On the top were his magical supplies, the salves and potions. He'd laid out the mundane bandages, morphine and other first aid below that, then his keys and personal stuff... with the crafting materials at the bottom. This way, if he had to grab something in a hurry, the first things he'd see were the relevant items.

He also took a chance to examine the consumables. Based on their description, the salves provided regeneration over time, rather than immediate healing. It could be useful if he were exploring an area with poison gas or environmental damage. The mana potions were worth 25 mp each, enough to throw out almost two casts of Rend. He'd want to be stingy with them, however, as they were the only items he had that restored mana.

John spent most of the class in thought, absentmindedly doodling and putting his growing list of mental notes down on paper. It helped assess them and let him narrow things down to an immediate game plan. Obviously, he wanted to finish the daily quest; that would be his highest priority during school, and after it if he was still looking. Slightly less important was getting in touch with Moira about what he'd be expected to do as an agent of the Order. After that were a smattering of minor tasks: buying a copy of The Master and Margaritas, following up with the Abyss Auction, doing his homework...

One question remained circled in his notebook. Yesterday the idea had been exciting, the key to his growth and success... but in the wake of the hydra he was apprehensive of it now. Was it worth the dangers and risks to go off and grind by himself?

John didn't know, so he let the thought stew in his mind and pulled out his phone. He'd never confirmed Moira's number, but there was little doubt the all-caps messages he'd received the day before came from anyone else.

John N. (10:51): Hey, can I ask you some questions?
Moira B. (10:51): CLASS NOT NOW

Oh. Right, she was probably... yeah. He tried Erica instead.

John N. (10:52): I have some questions about 'work' if you've got a minute.
John N. (10:52): Also, how's the leg?

A few minutes passed before he received a response.

Erica C. (10:59): Better.
Erica C. (11:00): Danielle took a look at it if youre worried.
John N. (11:01): About that, is she still...
Erica C. (11:03): No? Kinda hard to explain.

He blinked as an unexpected number interjected.

Danielle K. (11:03): Mr. Newman, please do not be alarmed. I am tracking your communications only to assure that you are, as my colleagues have claimed, not a threat. Currently, you do not appear to be such. This message is prime encrypted, such that only the intended reader can perceive it.

John stared at his phone.

Is she going to be monitoring everything I say? Everything I do? Oh fuck, does she have access to my search history?

Either way, he erased it immediately; spending several minutes digging through his saved photos and bookmarks to destroy any evidence that Danielle hadn't already copied. Once he was done, he sank into his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. He rarely used his phone to look at porn, but there had still been enough to cause an awkward boner. It was a good thing nobody was looking in his direction.

His phone buzzed. John looked at the message notification with dread.

What does she want now...

Danielle K. (11:08): While your concern is reasonable, I do not intend to take advantage of my position to threaten you with data relevant to your sexual interests. Please ignore my surveillance and do not inhibit fulfilling your physiological needs on my behalf. This message is prime encrypted, such that only the intended reader can perceive it.