Chapter 44: The Apology.

  Each new string was like a budding flower. Slowly emerging from the still dark waters of my lake.

  Its waters roiled for a few seconds, before settling back down with a grunt.

  Then, for the first time in forever, I felt a tangible tug from somewhere else inside of me.

  Its was…

  As if the very walls of my inner sanctum were constricting and relaxing over an over again.

  Like the chambers of a beating heart.

  Each new string brought another beat. Another low drumming sound that echoed over and under the murky depths.

  The ropes didn’t so much a quiver.

  The isolated fibres making up my new abilities howled in jubilations. Gorging themselves on the energy that was and was not me.

  They all felt stronger than they should have been.

  Every. Single. One.

  ‘I guess that +1 wasn’t just for show.’

  I finished allocating my points with a flourish.

  Carefully looking over all the new additions to my arsenal.

  I was about to delve into my new repertoire, when my attention was stolen by the movie.

  “Yeah!” The other toons said in unison. “It’s not fair! We want to choose our abilities too!”

  “Well tough luck!” Periwig screeched. “We all work with what we have. Speaking of which, here are the official descriptions of each instance.”

  The screen flickered.

  Causing Periwig and his lickspittles to vanish. In their place come five large screens, similar to our own status screens.

  My eyes almost popped out of my skull.

  Slab placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

  No doubt having experienced this beforehand.

  “You’re telling me, that the guys at the easy difficulty are living in freaking mansions and playing sports. While we had to fight the gnomes? What?”

  “Yes. Some of us were very upset as well.”

  “Not you?”

  He snickered.

  “I actually like it here. Its safer than back home and I got not one, but two Types. One of which is the most valued one on my dimension. I’m living the dream.”

  I was about to say something very rude to the ogre, when Periwig started talking again.

  “Each of these instances is designed to cater to specific class of people. After all, every society need peons and grunts to do the menial labour. Just as every society needs it soldiers and commanders. This is why you have been divided. The very best of you will have a chance to shine, to be polished into diamonds through pressure. The not-so-great parts of your population get to receive a more risk-free education. One that doesn’t push them too far in favor of getting them acquainted with the basics of Labyrinth life. Those luxuries come at a price though!”

  Periwig winked.

  “Violence is and always has been the determining factor in a faction’s continued existence. Those minions had better be ready to scrape at your feet after arriving at Human City.”

  He hummed appreciatively.

  Bobbing his head up and down like a cheap wooden doll.

  “Why are we so focused on battle you ask? Why! Because battle is the one constant in the greater Labyrinth! The Ascended do their very best to protect commoners from your home world from monsters and thieves and other such nuisances, but going against factions within the Labyrinth violates their principles. Meaning all your families and all your loved ones, and even yourselves are fair game. Strong factions rise and enslave weaker factions all the time. And I really do mean all the time. Planets that produced weak species tend to be colonized and repopulated with alarming speed all over the multiverse.”

  “Oh no! What about my home!?” Asked one of the sycophants.

  “I’m so glad you asked! As I’ve mentioned, planets where sentient species haven’t developed Psionic abilities are inherently protected by the Ascended Ones. Sort of like how a rich merchant might keep a personal zoo for their own amusement. This protection expires the second a member of that species enters the Tutorial. Meaning that whatever hole you barbarians crawled out of is going to be under constant threat of invasion and conquest!”

  “But why?”

  “What do you mean why? Get over yourself you lazy worm! Did you expect a great elder to protect you forever out of the kindness of their heart?”

  “Yes?”

  Periwig snapped his fingers.

  The speaker exploded into a shower of cartoony gore.

  “This is yet another reason to gain levels and break through your limits! Fights between psionic species tend to be quick and dirty. Favouring overwhelming power concentrated on individuals. Your average band of slavers will trip over themselves in order to capture and sell a bunch of Tier 1 mooks. They will begin to hesitate only when Tier 2s start to show up. If they happen to catch wind of a Tier 3 or higher, why, they won’t even consider attacking your filthy rocks! Too much risk for too little reward. Always remember children, the greatest deterrent is the threat of violence! Nothing works quite like it!”

  “What do we do if someone even stronger shows up? How do we handle a master at Tier 4?”

  “You don’t. You either flee right away and pray they get bored or you accept your new overlords. Unless you have a Tier 4 of your very own. All the more reason to start aiming for those lofty heights sooner rather than later.”

  “But why?” Asked one of the female gnomes.

  Clutching the hem of her dress as if distressed.

  “Why go through all this? Can’t we all just get along?”

  “Of course we can dearie! Do not twist my words, diplomacy is a completely viable option. If you can trust your partners that is. Who’s to say they’ll keep their word if you aren’t able to enforce whatever treaties you signed? Who’s to say they won’t portal in a fleet of spaceships to invade a fresh new galaxy that’s conveniently ripe for the taking? After all, intergalactic empires tend to be rather hungry for resources. And what better way to get those shiny treasures, than to hop through a backwards neighbour?”

  “But the rules!”

  Periwig snapped his fingers once again.

  Splattering more crimson giblets onto the cartoony street.

  “You are slow to learn my good damsel. The only rule that the Labyrinth respects is power. Plain and simple. Every single living psychic wants to ascend and very few are generous enough to overlook easy prey. If you want to live, you’ll have to fight.”

  He paused once more, straightening his green coat in such a way that his many medals jingled prettily.

  “One last thing. Ascension. You want it. I want it. Every creature in this misbegotten multiverse wants it. But what is it?”

  Periwig’s whole demeanor transformed before my eyes.

  He looked serious, for once.

  Resembling a fanatic about to discuss their most sacred beliefs.

  “In short, it’s what lesser beings might call apotheosis. The process of forging a halo and becoming one with all four Types of Psy. There is only one way to do it. One must unlock all four Types and create at least three Tier 10 abilities within each Type. Thereby reforging one’s physical and mental forms into a gestalt entity. One that was inherently more Psy than flesh or bone. Uncountable masters have tried over innumerable years. So far, 76 of them have forged complete crowns. You should all know them and prostrate yourselves. For their words are the only barrier keeping unenlightened species from extinction.”

  He cleared his throat once more, wiping away some dust from his padded shoulders.

  “Now, the Tiers. They are the true bottlenecks. Each one is 50 levels and you need a combined ability of that Tier to push past the level cap. You need at least one Tier 2 ability to reach level 51 and at least one Tier 3 ability to reach level 101. That is, you can only level up to the Tier of your highest ability. One doesn’t need to get a measly Tier 2 ability when one already has some in the fifth or sixth Tier.”

  Well, that was a welcome surprise, at least.

  “You will have noticed that a level on the First Tier gets you 5 Psy and 3 ability points to your total. On the second Tier, that rises to 50 maximum Psy per level and 8 ability points. The third gets you 500 more Psy and 12 ability points per level. The fourth, 1000 Psy and 17 points respectively.”

  His face did not betray any emotion. His eyes having turned to stone.

  “As I’m sure you can surmise, each Tier is significantly more potent than the last, making each subsequent advancement far more meaningful. Not only that, but higher Tiers will have more combined abilities, meaning they can concentrate the points you’d spend on three or four abilities into a single one. The earlier combinations will be the standard ones the Labyrinth is used to, and they will not provide any titles. [Telekinesis III] or [Machine Mind II] will function in the exact same way, with minor variations emerging from individual talents and ability level. These breakthroughs, while significant, are not enough to begin forging a crown.”

  He brought up one hand, counting off fingers.

  “This pattern remains consistent until Tier 4. After that, any ability that is Tier 5 and up will come with a Title. Titles multiply your maximum Psy values and provide other passive perks to boot. Having a single Title means that you are, without a shred of doubt, far above the rest of the chaff.”

  Well, that’s not exactly fair. I don’t think I’m better than anyone else here or anything.

  “Do not, I repeat, do not, under any circumstances make an enemy of a Title bearer. There are always persistent rumours of them being above the pettiness of common mortals. This is only true because they tend to get their vengeance out of the way as soon as they reach those lofty heights. Know that you put yourself and your kind at peril by courting death.”

  His serious tone vanished like a summer breeze.

  In its place was the same cocky attitude he’d had since the beginning.

  “But you shouldn’t worry too much about that. You’re a bunch of smelly losers and you’ll probably die smelly loser deaths!”

  “Losers!”

  “Death! Death!”

  “Dead losers coming through!”

  The movie sputtered and ended. Just like that, the obsidian lost its light and returned to its previous inert state.

  Mr. Park clapped.

  Gaining everyone’s attention.

  “Very good. Now that we’re all on the same page, we can discuss how to best defend our planets.”

  His eyes met mine. Holding the vigor of someone forty years younger.

  “Mr. Carter. You and I come from the same earth. Surely, we can agree that the people of our world must be protected?”

  “Of course.” I answer at once.

  “Very good. Then I’ll show you the training regiments we’ve been working on. Our plans were designed around making the most out of the passive experience boost you provide within line of sight. We’ll start by…”

  His voice was cut off abruptly, as the screen came to life once more.

  I groaned, thinking that the video was on some sort of autoplay setting. That went out the window when I felt the surprise and unease flowing from my peers.

  Whatever this was, none of them had seen it coming.

  The obsidian plate buzzed, and another screen came on.

  The air in front of me whizzed and shimmered for a few precious seconds, before space itself became undone.

  A gap formed. A portal. A rift.

  From its depths emerged a humanoid raven. Clad in loose blue robes with pink floral patterns and floppy sandals that wrapped around her talons.

  She looked my way, flinched and hugged her own body to stop any further trembling.

  Her beak was almost, vibrating. Opening and closing at such speeds that it made a constant clacking sound.

  “R-Right. L-Let us be done with this. Esteemed S-S-Savant.” She said as the gateway closed behind her.

  I shook my head. Realizing at once that she was completely mortified.

  A stab of shame lanced through my heart. Quelled only by the fact that I hadn’t been in the best mental state back then.

  “I…I’m so…”

  My own words were cut off, as the obsidian surface made an annoying beeping sound.

  The current panel was replaced by another one, taking all of Granny Golden’s attention.

  Granny Golden’s beak dropped to the floor.

  She gasped. Then heaved.

  Mimicking an animal being strangled by a serpent.

  “T,T,T-Tier ten.” She managed to groan after half a minute.

  Her body froze immediately afterwards. Her avian features turning, ever so slowly, towards my general direction.

  Her beady eyes met mine.

  I waved; a bit embarrassed by the whole ordeal.

  “Look, I’m sorry okay. I shouldn’t have…”

  “HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLPPP!!!!!”

  She threw herself against the nearest wall. Using some Projector ability to launch her body like a rocket.

  “HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!! HEEEEEEELP! ADMIN! ADMIN!!!! GET ME THE (Foxxan) OUT OF HERE!!!!! HEEEEEELP!!”