Devin was too stunned to speak for a second. Unless he was wrong, the AI had just threatened him. Or maybe warned him.

  What the hell was going on? He decided it might be a good idea to think about pretty much anything else. It was easier than it should have been. It seemed like the ‘white bear problem’ wasn’t a problem when one had superhuman Concentration.

  The party broke for dinner. They spent most of it going over the many different plans Devin had come up with.

  “Why are all your plans named things like Orange Triffid and Red Tarantula?” Asha said.

  “The plans are named after fictional monsters from my world,” Devin said. “The colors are the plan variants. It’s more fun than ‘Plan Beta Mark 3’ or whatever.”

  “Yes, we all need more fun in our life-and-death fights,” Milo said.

  “You’re just jealous there’s no Blue Milo,” Devin said.

  Milo sniffed. “I am not blue. I’m silver-gray.”

  Grigor surprised Devin with a clap on the back once he finished his food.

  “Good work today, youngster,” he said.

  Devin blinked. “Oh. Thanks! It was a lot.”

  “I’m sure it was,” Grigor said. “And hauling all that dirt into the ravine to the east is going to be just as hard. You should probably get started before the sun goes down.”

  Devin groaned. “Am I going to have to pull the wagon, too?”

  “I’ll be doing that,” Milo called from where he was talking to Casey. “As soon as Casey gives up on her idea of mutilating me for her own amusement.”

  “It’s got nothing to do with amusement, and you know it,” Casey said.

  That sounded interesting enough for Devin to join the conversation. Casey stood relaxed and smiling. Milo’s tail was straight up and bushy, and his whole posture was one of fight or flight.

  “For the last time, I am not giving you my whiskers, Priestess,” he said. It came out as a half-growl.

  Devin’s mouth fell open.

  “Wha …”

  Casey smiled at him. “I’m working on a new recipe for a dark vision potion,” she said. “It requires whiskers from an enhanced feline.”

  “Not this feline,” Milo said.

  “It would really make a difference,” Casey said. “It might be the edge we need, especially if they show up at night.”

  “It’s highly unlikely they’ll show up at night,” Milo said.

  “Do you want to take that chance?” Casey said.

  Milo huffed. “Surely you wouldn’t want to consign me to walking around bare faced?”

  “It’s only two,” Casey said. “You can stay in dog form until they grow back. That shouldn’t take more than a few hours for a Silver level.”

  “Then you’d have dog whiskers. What good could dog whiskers possibly be? They’re even less perceptive than possums!”

  “Materials derived from changelings can be substituted for any species they can transform into. You’re not like shapeshifters.”

  At any other time, Devin would have broken in to ask about the difference between changelings and shapeshifters, but he was afraid to move.

  “What about my balance?” Milo said.

  “I’ll take one from each side,” Casey said.

  “I think your best bet is to find another cat,” Milo said.

  “Another enhanced cat? I don’t see any around.”

  Milo let out a low growl. Casey smiled, reached out and scratched him on the head. Devin’s eyes went wide, but Milo’s stopped baring his teeth, and his tail dropped a bit.

  “Priestess, please,” he said. “Loss of my whiskers may well affect my magical efficacy.”

  “Really?” Casey said. “Is that your honest assessment?”

  “Well, no, but …” Milo sighed. His face sagged. “I suppose I should at least consider it, but … the humiliation, priestess! Think of it!”

  Casey smiled and closed the deal.

  “As far as I know, this would be brand-new potion,” she said. “You know what that means.”

  Milo’s ears popped up. “As the creator, you can name it, correct?”

  Casey’s smile almost shone on its own. “And guess who I’ll name it after?”

  “Very well,” Milo said. “But we do this in private. And please cut them, don’t yank.”

  Casey beamed. “Thanks, Milo. You won’t regret this.”

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Devin stared as the two of them went behind a clump of bushes.

  “I … what did we just watch?” Devin said.

  “A masterclass in persuasion,” Grigor said. “It seems our priestess could talk an army of angels into following her into hell, if she was so inclined.”

  Something about what he said made Devin shiver. He really, really hoped that wasn’t a premonition.

  When Milo and Casey returned, she held two whiskers between her fingers. Milo walked behind her. Both his tail and his ears were down.

  “I’m hideous,” Milo said.

  Devin looked him over. He couldn’t even tell where the whiskers had been.

  “You don’t look any different to me,” he said.

  He regretted saying anything when Milo glared at him.

  “This is your fault,” he said.

  “What? I didn’t do anything!”

  Milo sniffed, shot him another look, and settled down to watch Casey work.

  Casey sat down at her potion boulder. She pulled a flask of purified water out of the air. Then she ground up some leaves in a mortar. She placed a whisker on an iron plate and sliced it into tiny pieces. She whisked the whiskers into the water, poured in the leaves, then added one drop of a syrupy solution from a thick glass jar. Then she closed her eyes.

  The potion flashed, and Casey opened her eyes. The jar now held a glowing purple mixture. Achievement symbols appeared above both Milo and Casey’s heads.

  Achievement Unlocked! Charm Offensive – Casey talked a cat out of his whiskers. Honestly, you both deserve a reward.

  Casey has earned a Reward: +3 Social

  Milo has earned a Reward: +3 Endurance

  Achievement Unlocked! Potion of the Grey Lynx! – Casey researched and crafted a new rare potion. Based on the essence of a Carnivora Changeling, this potion is superior to most dark vision potions in that it allows the imbiber to see in total darkness.

  Reward: Potion of the Grey Lynx. Spawned from the whiskers of Milo the Magnificent, this potion allows the imbiber to see as normal in total darkness. This potion will last 100 minutes.

  This is an Exceptional potion! It comes with a longer duration than similar potions and it does not have a cooldown.

  Reward: Casey learned a recipe - Potion of the Grey Lynx (Silver)

  Reward: +4 Concentration

  Achievement Unlocked: Progenitor – A part of Milo’s essence was used for the first batch of this potion ever brewed. Milo is now ‘The Eponymous Grey Lynx’.

  Milo earned a Reward: Boost ‘Grey Lynx Progenitor.’ You and your descendants will permanently receive the benefits of this potion. You can now see clearly in anything except magical darkness. Aren’t you glad you relented?

  Congratulations! This is a Unique Boost!

  “The Eponymous Grey Lynx?” Devin said.

  Milo’s tail came up, and he sniffed.

  Devin whistled. “Those are some nice rewards.”

  “Progenitor,” Milo said. “It has a nice ring, doesn’t it?”

  “I thought you could already see in the dark?” Devin said.

  “Just low light,” Milo said. “Very few beings can see in total darkness. Now, I’m one of them.”

  “Is that really that great?” Devin said. “How often are you in total darkness?”

  He knew he was being a dick, but he’d spent the whole day digging for nothing. Now everyone else was getting epic achievements and the only one he’d gotten had been a few shards.

  “Let’s go move dirt, Devin,” Milo said. He strutted towards the wagon chain like he was walking on a stage at a cat show. It was obvious he couldn’t care less what Devin had to say.

  Devin couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m coming, Progenitor,” he said.

  Milo and Devin had to make dozens of trips. Fortunately, the small ravine where they needed to dump the dirt wasn’t far.

  It still seemed to take forever. After a few hours, Devin would have given anything to go back to digging. He came to appreciate Milo’s night vision once they were trekking through the dark. He tried to strike up a conversation, but the Guide was in no mood to answer questions while he was pulling a cart.

  While they worked, the others helped Grigor cover the wooden top of the pit with dirt, which meant less dirt to move, and that was all Devin cared about. After the last load, he and Milo rested for a while near the ravine before returning. He checked his game clock expecting it to be almost dawn, but it was just after 11.

  At least he’d gotten a couple of Might points from the ‘Carry’ ability. Not as many as Milo had, but since the Guide had been the one pulling the wagon, Devin wasn’t complaining.

  When they got back, the clearing was unrecognizable. The cabin looked like they’d never been there, and the pit was nowhere to be seen. The entire area was covered by a layer of wild grass ten centimeters high, interspersed with a few species of wildflowers. The undergrowth hid all traces of the pit.

  Devin walked around the edges trying to find the lines of the pit. He bent down and pushed the grass aside. He could see a faint trace of digging, but only because he knew it was there.

  Achievement Unlocked! Novice Trap Finder - You spotted a trap! Granted, it was a trap you dug yourself, and you knew exactly where to look for it – and even then, you had to look twice! Asha hid it since the last time you saw it, so I guess it counts. Barely. And after you spent the whole day thinking very loudly that I’m not generous.

  Reward: You gain the ability ‘Find Traps’ (Concentration and Intuition).

  Reward: +1 Deftness

  Devin smiled. “Thank you,” he said.

  He walked around the trap another time. He was curious how Asha had hidden the pit, so he flipped through the spell log until he found it.

  Asha cast the spell ‘Shape Forest’ on ryegrass seeds.

  Asha cast the spell ‘Shape Forest’ on willowherb seeds.

  Asha cast the spell ‘Shape Forest’ on tall fescue seeds.

  Asha’s icon was about 400 meters to the north and moving away. Devin wanted to talk to her, but it wasn’t worth calling her back. He’d wait until she got back from whatever she was doing.

  Grigor was sacked out in the grass, finally getting some sleep. Casey reclined against her boulder with Milo curled across her legs. It would have been painful for most people, but Casey was Silver level, and even 40 kg of a dog-shaped cat sitting on her didn’t bother her.

  Next to the boulder was a large, bubbling pot filled with a forest-green dye Casey had brewed up to tame the colors of Devin’s clothes and help camouflage him. Devin wasn’t sure it would work, but he had nothing to lose. His clothes were already ridiculous.

  “You’re done?” Devin said.

  “Pretty much,” Casey said.

  Devin nodded. He sat down and ran his fingers through the grass.

  “Asha is full of surprises,” he said.

  Casey met his eyes. “I’m sure she’ll tell you all about them when she’s ready.”

  Devin nodded and sat back against the rock. He dozed on and off until he got a party achievement alert. He’d turned those on when he realized he had to notice what everyone was doing for them to get their achievements. There was no point in his party waiting hours to get rewards because he was oblivious.

  Achievement Unlocked! Skill Hound? More Like a Skill Mutt. Asha is pretty intuitive for someone who isn’t Intuitive. Even though it’s a Secondary Attribute that doesn’t benefit from Skill Hound, she got it up to 75 percent before all her Primary Attributes reached 50 percent.

  Reward: +5 to Asha’s lowest Primary Attribute (Speed).

  Devin – Wow! Grats.

  Asha- Thank you. I guess your hey-hi likes me.

  Devin – It’s AI, and I can’t say I blame it.

  Milo – Please reserve the Party Chat for important conversations.

  Grigor – Hear that? No flirting over Party Chat.

  Devin – That’s not what I was doing!

  Asha – What a shame.

  Devin – I was going to tell Asha to come back to camp.

  Milo – Good. You’ve told her.

  Milo has locked Party Chat.

  Gamebreaker is almost ready to launch on Amazon, and I need your help.

  review campaign through Booksprout, and I’m looking for early readers who’d be willing to grab a free ARC and leave an honest review when it goes live.

  huge difference, especially in the early days.

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