“By now you have seen the dangers and tragedy of Caqaiba IV,” Aefore declares, “it is a world that used to be much like your own, filled with civilization. But everything changed when the planet was integrated into the multiverse. Much like your own planet, they had a tutorial of their own. Much like you, their best and mightiest were chosen to become champions of their world.”
Todd half listens to all this. He notices that the story has changed. They were supposed to have gone down to the planet because it posed a threat. Now it seems like the whole enterprise was a lesson. He glares at the woman standing in front of him. She gapes at the pixies with her hand on the crystal. Todd pushes down an intrusive thought that tells him to shoulder her out of the way.
“But the integration which has swept up your globe is more than an opportunity. It is also a crucible. Cosmic energy will flood your world, uplifting beasts of the natural world to become dangers to the lives of your citizens. And more than that, there will come invaders. Denizens of other worlds who have come to plunder the riches of your planet while you are still weak.”
Ciforre adjusts her glasses as her voice rises. “This is the fate of Caqaiba IV. The incursions which assailed their world shattered their nations. Their brightest lights were snuffed out. Their populace was enslaved or eradicated. The resources the people needed to survive were all harvested mercilessly. By the time the invaders left the planet behind, extinction became inevitable.”
“That’s why you have to get strong!” Befor exhorts them. “The incursions are nasty, nasty. You need to save yourselves from all the bad people who are coming to get you!”
Todd registers the new information clinically. He understands the words, but it doesn’t mean much to him yet. The fate of his friend is more immediate, more pressing. The peril of the Tutorial has been made palpable in a way that some kind of distant invasion is not.
Ciforre sighs. “Unfortunately, since no one has completed the relevant quests, we have been unable to fully repair the air filtration systems to this zone.”
“We must encourage you to the utmost to pursue your quests to their conclusion where possible,” Aefore compels them.
“We’re going to give you a day here. We know you fleshy types need to rest,” Befor informs. “Then after that we’re going to need to send you out again.”
“For another three days,” Ciforre clarifies.
“We will be here to answer your questions in the meantime,” Aefore concludes. “We know that you have much to do and to prepare if you are to brave the surface again. Speak freely, cultivators. We will not hold you any longer.”
The suppressive effect over the courtyard diminishes. Todd turns to exhort the woman ahead of him to finish with the store. She jerks in surprise and apologizes, then places her hand back on the stone. Soon afterwards an unadorned wooden box appears on the ground in front of her. She picks it up swiftly and hurries off with the kit.
Todd divides his attention to listen to the pixies as they go about. But it’s too much information to focus on all at once. Instead, he pulls up his status screen and focuses on a line towards the bottom.
The coin count shocks him. He hadn’t been paying much attention to it during the mission, but it had slowly risen up. Kill by kill, he had built a small fortune. However, last time he had checked, all but the lowest quality healing pills had been out of his price range. He needs something more potent.
He places his palm on the crystal and begins to parse through the items for sale. Under the alchemy products he pages through exorbitantly expensive medicines, looking for something that looks familiar or useful. After rows and rows of leveling, warrior, healing, and constitution pills of varying and pretentiously titled types, Todd finds an item within his means. The middle grade [flesh growth, wound sealing pill] is listed as costing fifteen thousand nexus coins. Todd balks at the price tag, but he resolves himself and makes the purchase.
A small glass vial appears on the floor at his feet. It is sealed with wax and contains a single peach colored bead. Todd leans over, snatches it up, and heads back over to find Randall.
“Mister Kalogeropoulos,” pixie Ciforre’s erudite voice stops him, “I sincerely hope you are not planning on utilizing that pill yet.”
Todd turns slowly in place and finds the purple tutorial administrator hovering over him.
“I need to fix Randall’s foot,” Todd plainly says.
“You should have consulted with me first,” the pixie chastises him, “I would have informed you that the [flesh growth, wound sealing pill] will not recover a limb which is already lost. This is true of any such low quality pills.”
Todd’s fist clenches around the bottle. “You’re kidding. It wont help at all?”
Ciforre shakes her head. “As long as you have it, you should save that pill for yourself.”
“So what do I do?” Todd helplessly deflates.
“There are natural treasures which will help regrow lost appendages. They will be available to you if you prove yourself and particularly when you reach E-grade.”
“What if Doctor Chowdhury sews it back on? Will the pill work then?”
“In the E-grade, treasures will begin to appear which will solve this problem for you.”
Todd gets the hint and changes subjects. “Well when do I get to E-grade, then?”
“I have already told you once. You will reach E-grade once you achieve level seventy five and evolve your class,” Ciforre explains.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Level seventy five?” Todd scoffs. He dismisses the idea immediately. He’s not even level twelve. Randall needs help now.
“I am needed elsewhere. Don’t waste your pill Mister Kalogeropoulos,” the pixie strongly warns him. She floats away towards another cultivator who is waving her down.
Venting his frustration, Todd punches down with his closed hand: a tiny, petty tantrum. He collects himself and wipes his nose. Now that he is in the warm air of the tutorial town, he has grown hot in his gambeson. He wants to take it off.
Todd wends his way between the herd of his peers. He locks eyes with teen nazi Carter Leeds, who stands alone next to tight lipped Livia Jorgensen. Todd breaks contact and continues on to arrive back at Randall’s side.
Todd grips his friend’s knee. “Hey geek. How’re you holding in there?”
Randall lets out a pained chuff. “Hey nerd. I’ve felt better. How much longer do I have to hold this thing?”
“I’m working on it,” Todd hedges. “Doctor C is in a bad way, but I think she’s our best bet. Can you hold on for a while longer?”
“I have to, don’t I?” Randall replies. His chest rises and falls more evenly. His voice is stronger.
Todd reaches over and places his hand over Randall’s free one. He gives it one reassuring squeeze, then lets go and stands.
“Dang it,” Todd curses under his breath. “Dang it. What do I do?”
He begins to wander aimlessly: at a complete loss. That’s when the first person confronts him.
Livia Jorgensen nearly was a part of his first group. Todd remembers her as a staid, taciturn young woman of few words. Now she stops him in place and lays a hand in the middle of his chest.
“Todd? It’s Todd, right? What are your plans for next time? Are you looking for a group? I can hold my own. You remember I picked up [thunderstruck]. It’s a really powerful skill.”
Todd stammers out a reply. “I-I’m not thinking about that yet. My friend needs help first.”
Livia steps closer. “Is there anything I can do?”
Todd doesn’t know how else to put it. “His foot got bitten off,” he blurts out.
Livia’s composure breaks. It isn’t a problem she’s able to solve. “I’m sorry,” she says.
“No, I’m sorry,” Todd shakes his head. “I left you guys. Did you make it alright, how was your team?”
“They couldn’t fight when they needed to,” Livia says coldly.
“God. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I promise you we’ll find you a new group,” Todd pledges.
Livia’s stomach grumbles.
Todd glances down. “Do you need ration tokens? I could get you some.”
Livia looks avariciously at Todd. “That would be great. Do you have extras?”
“I have a few in my bag, but I’m going to buy more. Wait, if you have nexus coins you can buy some of your own. They’re only worth fifty. You should have a bunch, right?”
Livia’s face turns into a scowl immediately. “I do, thank you,” she says. She excuses herself and turns away abruptly. Then she merges into the crowd, searching for someone. Her gaze turns to Joe, and then to Ranger Drew, she seeks them out like a guided missile.
Others start approaching Todd as well. The next one belongs to a group which performed well in the trial. The athletic man merely wants to know what extreme mode was like. At first he asks after Randall, and expresses his sympathies. But then the conversation becomes an interrogation as he asks for details about the beasts and about the environment they found themselves in.
Eventually Todd becomes overwhelmed.
“Sir, I’ve got to go help my friends. Sir!” Todd expels. “I’ll answer your questions later! Okay?”
Todd extracts himself and makes a beeline for Candra. Before he makes the distance, Ly Brecker appears with her daughter Martha in her arms.
The woman looks hollowed out. Her eyes stare into Todd’s soul.
“Todd? Please. I need to speak to you.”
“Mrs Brecker? Where’s Mr Brecker?”
“Fred… Fred is gone. He didn’t make it.”
The bottom drops out of Todd’s stomach. “What happened? No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“We thought we found treasure. There were some of those crystals. Fred went to get them. But there was a trap. Once he was hurt, it was hard for him to fight.” Ly’s voice rasps. She kisses Martha on the forehead. Grief weighs her down. “We got surrounded by things and we had to leave him behind. I didn’t want to. Livia said we had to.”
Todd’s eyes narrow. “You were in Livia’s group?”
“Yes.”
“I… heard you lost a lot of people.”
Ly bounces her baby in her arms robotically. She cups the back of her head and holds her close to her body. “Yes.”
“I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am about your husband,” Todd says.
“I warned him not to go. I had a bad feeling, but he was so sure of himself,” Ly drones.
Todd isn’t sure what to say. He shuffles in place. He palpates a fist. He opens and shuts his lips.
Ly Brecker takes a deep breath. “Would you have known if you saw a trap like that? Would you have seen it?”
“I don’t know,” Todd replies, wondering what she’s getting at. “Probably not.”
“But you survived extreme mode.”
Todd scratches the back of his head. “Mostly we just fought monsters.”
“But you did fight monsters,” Ly confirms. “You could have saved us.”
“I’m sorry Mrs Brecker. We were worried we wouldn’t have food for everyone, and then when we got split up, I couldn’t be in both teams at once. And someone needed to tackle the higher difficulty. And then we figured it might as well be us. We thought you were ready.”
Ly doesn’t react. She just looks at Todd with an inscrutable expression. After a long while she says, “if anything happens to me, I need to make sure Martha is safe.”
“Nothing will happen to you,” Todd promises. “We’ll put you in a stronger team this time. We’ll find somebody.”
“What about you or your friends?”
“…I don’t know. My friend Randall is hurt. I can’t abandon him. I’ll see what I can do.”
Ly Brecker examines him, and Todd can’t help but feel like he’s been found wanting.
“If you take an easier difficulty, take me on your team,” she says finally. “Please just consider it.”
For some reason, Todd doesn’t commit. He ought to, but he doesn’t. “We’ll find you someone good,” he only repeats himself. “We’ll make sure you’re safe.”