“You lost my spear?” Wexi said, an eye pressed into a small cylindrical device hanging over a spread of tiny components. Sam froze at the door, not sure how to respond to that accusation.

  “Of course you didn’t!” Wexi said, looking up from her work with a bright grin. She could be a child sometimes, and Sam imagined that was why most of the folks liked her. He stood there on the threshold until she gestured for him to come in. Sam heaved the spear on his shoulder, smiling. He ignored the intrusive message from the system showing a countdown for his domain acquisition. He still had two more days on the timer, enough to listen to what Wexi had to say.

  “How did it go?” she asked. Sam chuckled. He knew she already had a report on the hunt, but he let her pull him to the cushioned couch in what Sam realized was an office-workshop hybrid. It was an extension of her house. Small and cozy, like the woman herself. She grinned at the start of his story, and slowly her grin faded, replaced by hard, intense curiosity. But she didn’t interrupt. She listened as though recording everything he said somewhere he couldn’t see. Sam wouldn’t put that past her. He told her about the chambers and the system’s quest. He saw the flames of excitement light up in her eyes when he told her about the furry monster that had almost killed them. In the end, she was frowning. Sam tried to keep most of Vale’s actions to himself, but she pulled it out of him, asking questions at that point.

  “You were not supposed to go with Kerlin’s son,” she said, shaking her head. “I guess there is no place without back workings and dark thoughts. If I am not mistaken, Quentin has a martial domain. He is close to acquiring his second domain, which we all know will be the profession domain. The Kerlin family owns a quarter of the trade sector. Of course, Alecsa tries to keep them in check, but there is very little she can do. And she tries to avoid imposing her moral ideas on the people. The law in Cragforge is not very tight either since this is not some political empire.” She waved as if to push the topic away, but her mouth was still set in a frown.

  “You still would choose the martial domain after that experience?” she asked, her gaze severe. Sam adjusted, settling as though in thought. He’d expected her to bring this up. She’d asked him to come pick his next domain in her home to help him through the process, but Sam saw through the ruse.

  He nodded. “It will help me survive the world out there. I am here for now, but many in this city would slit my throat if they had the chance. I need some way to protect myself. And this is the only way I see myself holding up against the dangers out there. I don’t know anything about creating or making things.”

  “Yes,” Wexi nodded. “You don’t, yet. But you have the imagination for it. And the system helps.” She gestured at her table, standing up. Sam followed her. She gestured for him to look through the cylinder, and he did, pushing his eyes where he found there was a magnifying glass set into the round metal. There he saw the tiny metal parts magnified enough for him to see the strokes of runes. There were small flashes of blue in the grooves. All the parts were curved in curious patterns. He’d been close to essence long enough to know that what he was looking at was a physical manifestation of the energy.

  “What is it?” Sam asked, turning to look at Wexi. She had a wide grin on her face. He hadn’t noticed before, but her hair was tied back, showing her face more than he’d seen before. Her eyes were large, brilliant. She had signs of age, but she was beautiful, like Alecsa. She was completely in the grip of whatever she was working on. Sam could see it, like an addict in the hold of his desired drug.

  “I don’t know yet,” she said with a giggle. “Yet! The more I study it, the more I find. What do you think? What can you see?” she asked, her arms folded in front of her, anticipating. Sam turned to peer down again.

  “I don’t think I have ever seen a metal like this before. But that is expected; I haven’t been here that long. But these markings—runes. They seem to hold essence. And not like rune stones which are supposed to hold the spells and effect on essence.”

  “Yes!” Wexi said, clapping. “That was perfect!”

  Sam turned to look up at her. He had this sinking feeling that he’d just walked into her trap, but he couldn’t see it yet. He waited for her to tell him, knowing that she would. Instead, she walked to a tall cabinet mounted on the far left of the office. It had a lot of drawers, and Wexi opened one of them, pulling out a familiar gun holster and something else wrapped in dark fabric. She placed Sam’s gun on a clear part of the large table, then spilled the content of the fabric. Sam’s hand slowly went for his gun, expecting her to stop him, but she didn’t. He picked up the weapon, examined it for damage, and then started uncoupling it. He’d learned this on YouTube. It took him six days to learn to undo it, and now he could do it in two minutes. He’d finished before he realized Wexi was watching him closely, her eyes large with awe. He stood back for her to examine each part of it.

  “Interesting,” she said. She smacked her head suddenly, hissing. “Why didn’t I think of taking it apart this way?”

  Turning to Sam with a frown, she added, “This confirms that you should take the Technology domain.”

  “What?” Sam asked, but he could see it now. She had let him look at her work to get a sense of him, and now she had. Sam shook his head, stepping back, hands up and waving. “I need to protect mysel—” he stopped when she pointed to the table, at the parts of his Glock he had just separated. Sam wondered how stupid he’d been, but he said nothing. He waited for her to make her point. She shook her head.

  “It happens often,” Wexi muttered. “We have very singular minds, even with those who think they are broad-minded. We focus on one thing so long that everything else is blurred out.” She chuckled. “I can see that you never thought of the benefit of the technology domain past created ramps and engine-based bridges. But how do you think the squad weapons were made? And most of them have the technology and martial domain. Although they focus on advancing their martial domains more, except for a select few.”

  She picked up the Glock’s hammer and turned it around. Its edges were outlined in thin faded blue light, and when she let go, the hammer floated in the air, twirling around. She looked at Sam with a sad smile.

  “When I touch specific things, my Component

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  “Not really,” Sam said, thinking about it. He wasn’t sure how guns were made, but perhaps she wasn’t getting much data on the Glock because it wasn’t from this world. “I used Quentin’s rifle and the cooldown time aside, it doesn’t run dry on ammunition.” He saw the confusion on Wexi’s face and sighed. He walked over to where the used bullets were and picked up one to show her. She took it from him.

  “That is what it fires,” Sam said. “It has a limited ammunition chamber which loads up, gets struck by the firing pin, and launches that out through the barrel. It is only better than what you have now in its execution speed. But only that.” An idea struck him, pulling him closer to the table. If he could fix the problems from both versions, he could make something really extraordinary.

  “You will have to tell me how the domain thing works though,” Sam said. “I want to know all my options before I go jumping into one. And although you have said it is possible to get more than one domain, it is still up to luck, yeah?”

  She shook her head. “I have not seen any human with less than two domains. Unless they are stuck in the lower levels. Only scavengers find it difficult to achieve a second domain. There are stories of a scavenger with more domains, but he’s more a legend than anything. A story squad leaders tell their teams to be careful.”

  “So I am sure to get another domain after this?” he asked, excited by the prospect. He had been weak for so long, this would change his life completely. Wexi chuckled and gestured for him to follow him back to the long, cushioned chair. He sat down while she moved to open a small tin box. A chill touched Sam, but only briefly. Wexi came back with a small jug and two tin cups. She poured one for him and sat down before pouring hers. The dark-red liquid was sweet at first and then sour once it moved down his throat. Wexi finished the first cup in a long gulp and poured herself another. She put the jug away and adjusted so she was facing him.

  “The first thing you have to know is that domains split your attributes. This means that after you open your domains, your attribute points are shared between existing domain attributes and your universal stats. Each domain caters to different, but specific attributes. Do you understand that?” she asked, and Sam shook his head. Wexi grinned. “I can see that.”

  She thought about it for a moment and then stood up to pick a piece of parchment from her table. She came back with a carved dark, square piece. She made short black lines on the parchment, testing it. Then she drew a box and split it in four.

  “This is the Martial, Profession, Technology, and Magic domain. They are called the quadrants.”

  Sam nodded. He could see that in the system message hanging just above his eye level.

  “Some of these quadrants share some attributes, but they have their unique attributes too.” She looked at him squarely, thinking. “What would you assume are good attributes for the Martial domain?”

  Sam had played some games on Earth. “Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance?” he asked, using his knowledge to filter through the stats he had himself. Wexi nodded.

  “That is exactly the attributes of the Martial quadrant. But Martial shares the dexterity attribute with the Magic quadrant, which has its unique wisdom and intelligence attributes.”

  “I think I understand that,” Sam said, nodding. “If I accept the technology domain, my advancement would be limited to only my domain, so I’d have to adjust to it—both physically and mentally.”

  “Exactly!” Wexi said, grinning. Sam nodded. He was already thinking of the advantages of using the tech domain. He’d have to change his fighting style. Not that he was good at close combat anyway. He’d been surviving on pure desperation and luck. That could run out at some point.

  “What are the attributes of the tech domain?” Sam asked her.

  “Take a guess,” she said. Sam frowned, thinking. If he was to go with the martial domain then it’d have something to do with a general sharpness of mind. It needed almost no strength or dexterity. The options were obvious, but he hesitated, staring at Wexi. She was smiling like she could see and read his thoughts.

  “Creativity,” he said, and she nodded. “Intelligence, for sure. You can’t be stupid in that domain.”

  Wexi cackled. “Indeed. That can lead to a lot of trouble…and death.” She hissed. “Go on. What’s the final one?”

  That was the one Sam didn’t know either. It was a confusing tie between perception and wisdom. He wasn’t sure which to pick, so he did what most humans do when they were at a crossroads. He picked randomly.

  “Perception?” he asked, and Wexi grinned, nodding. Sam chuckled. That made sense. He’d heard the saying that many scientists would rather be innovative than wise. He couldn’t believe that was true here too.

  “No strength,” Sam said, scratching his chin.

  “Do you need strength when you have that?” she asked, pointing to her table. Sam considered that and nodded. He’d had his gun and had still almost died.

  “Yes, but technology gives me a wide array of possibilities.” Wexi nodded, agreeing enthusiastically. “I have not seen anybody use a shield since I came here. Except the simple plate armor the others wear.”

  Wexi gave a knowing smile. “You checked the edges?” she asked. Sam shook his head. “Most of the Forgers who pick the magic domain here, do what they call weaving or rune magic. There is someone who uses her technology domain to make steel into thin fibers. I will introduce you later. First, let’s get on with your domain.”

  Sam turned to look at the countdown.

  [Advancement log]

  --You can pick one of four quadrant domains for advancement!

  

  Martial Domain: The martial domain grants you physical prowess and skill. You are provided a clear part to multiversal martial dominance.

  Magic Domain: You acquire a variety of arcane abilities to equip you for the long road of spiritual advancements. With diligence, you will traverse the multiverse—conquering entities and worlds!

  

  Profession Domain: Worlds are not only ruled by raw power but also by mastery of commerce. With influence over trade, your reach extends to the edges of the known realm!

  Technology Domain: Innovation and creativity set the multiverse before you in simpler pieces. Your understanding transcends time and space. You are the hand on the wheel.

  Those were interesting descriptions. It looked like the system was egging him on for world domination. And if this was what the system showed everyone…Sam didn’t want to think about the result of such an incentive. Instead, he asked the other question this had brought up.

  “Multiverse?” Sam asked, looking up at Wexi. She nodded. “Like an actual multiverse?”

  “Why are you surprised? You are not from this world.”

  “Fair point,” Sam said. “Yet, thinking about it and seeing this feels so different.”

  ---You have chosen the Technology Domain.

  Sam accepted the choice and something formed in front of him. Its parts came together slowly until he was staring at a small box with gold and blue engravings. He touched it before Wexi could stop him and the box exploded. Energy rushed through him, and he tumbled off the chair, dropping the cup in his hand. His head felt enlarged, and his eyes widened, taking in more light. There was no pain. Only an unnerving discomfort.

  [First domain unlocked]

  --Legacy function initiated.

  Skill set changed to fit legacy!

  --+3 PER, +3 INT, 3 CTY

  You have been awarded the legacy skill list!

  [First advancement completed!]

  “What was that?” Sam asked, groaning as the pressure settled into him and Wexi pulled him up. She chuckled.

  “I can see what Vale meant now,” she said, barely holding back her laughter.