———————————————

  +

  Notifications

  > Hunter’s Workbench has been integrated by using 1 Integration Point. [Total: 2 integration points]

  > Host has gained 5 status points. [Total: 5 status points]

  +

  ———————————————

  Nice. Right before I could ask the question on what the hell an Integration Point was, my brain felt an intense pressure on it. Like someone clamped my skull and started squeezing. The disorientation sent me back to my knees. A stinging sensation pierced my eyes as I crashed through dangling chains. As my hands clawed the stone before me, the pain vanished.

  “Fuck,” I breathed, cursing at no one in particular. “Couldn’t you warn a girl before sucking my brain out?”

  Well, I won’t be so hasty the next time I see the Integrate prompt. Or any prompt for that matter. The pain hurt so bad that even the Plus Menu gave me some compensation points. Then the notification dot turned blue, revealing the Database as soon as I opened it. Give me the bad news first, I waved it off.

  ———————————————

  +

  Database

  > Integration Points assist with the Host’s proper integration into the World, allowing the Host to wake up and see the true nature of the Cosmos around them. The more Integration Points in the Host’s possession, the more the Cosmos shall open up to the Host. Only by spending them shall the primordial forces within the Host’s blood be sedated, should the knowledge prove too much to bear.

  Database > Integration Points > Key Attributes

  > Recommend the Host to increase the Wisdom attribute in order to lower symptoms caused by unstable or boiling blood.

  +

  ———————————————

  Well, besides the cryptic knowledge it was droning on about, I understood two things. Firstly, I shouldn’t shirk points into Wisdom anymore. If I wanted to avoid my brain completely flatlining, I’ll have to invest in it. The pathetic 100 point value looked back at me pitifully, making me frown. 100 points seemed so huge to me a few days ago. I put the 5 status points directly into my Wisdom attribute, now making it a sad little 105 number instead. The second thing I learned was that if I hoarded the new points, I’ll get bonus effects. And depending on how bad those effects were, I’ll think about spending them.

  I glanced at the Mind. It was still dangling there gloomily and inactive. Were these points its gift to me for communicating with it? Well, since I had two left, it did not seem like I was in danger of too many bonus effects from the Cosmos or whatever, right? Therefore, it was time to find exactly where to spend these points in my Plus Menu. The list of things inside of it had grown yet again, making the translucent blue window stab my eyes with a waterfall of words and selections.

  ———————————————

  +

  > Status

  > Integration Points [2]

  > Notifications

  > Item Box [15/20][1 new]

  > Database

  > Hunter’s Workbench

  > Item Shop [3 Integration Points Required]

  > Ascendancies [Conditions Not Met]

  > Unknown [Level 35 required]

  > Skill Points

  > Skills

  > Exit

  +

  ———————————————

  Well, well, well. My eyes immediately locked onto the Item Shop. It seemed like I knew exactly where I was going to spend the Integration Points. How convenient! I needed one more of them to unlock it. The Plus Menu was quite the darling to me when it wasn’t trying to zap my brain to death! As for getting the Integration Points, that was not explained. No matter, I scoffed. If I ever run into another one of these brains I’ll be sure to buy a ticket from it to watch another creepy vision.

  My eyes scanned my surroundings. The spooky workbench that had integrated inside the Plus Menu was gone. I saw a faint light enveloping it before my brain went into overdrive. Additionally, it seemed that my Item Box had actually pulled in the strange stick object that Mister Big Brain dropped. I mulled over my options: Check my Plus Menu’s new options and get a headache trying to figure it out, or try to find a way out of here before someone eventually decides to do something about me.

  The latter was, of course, the right choice to make.

  It was then my eyes rested on the wall where the Hunter’s Workbench once was. A dubious inscription was carved on its stone bricks, and despite the fact that I had never seen the language it was written in, I could read it. It was the same feeling I had when I first spoke in it. My mind translated the letters and the language of this world into my old life’s words. The content of the message, however, was as ominous as everything else in this world.

  SEEK ERIS’S BLOOD

  Who the hell is Eris? That must be what the vision wanted to communicate, but failed. The previous tenant here must have finished the same message for him. I frowned. How did that person get into so much trouble just to deliver that simple message? Was it worth it?

  A thought struck me just now, a wild theory that took root the moment I remembered that someone from the Ravenclasts brought me here against my will. I scrolled through my Database, searching for the Mainline family suspects. Eltross, Eleanor, Elise, Ethan, and Emily. I recall their Status biographies mentioning a missing sibling. Could this Eris be that missing member?

  My mind whirred for a moment, marveling at the coincidence. Of course, such happenings never spontaneously manifested. This was a plan thought out by someone who gave a damn. As for me? Well, I’m a decent girl, but not a charitable one. If I ever find Eris I’ll let her know that someone wanted her blood. But I certainly wasn’t going to go all out for her. She can deal with her own problems, like I, Kathleen, had to deal with mine.

  Another peculiarity struck out to me as my gaze wandered from the carvings to where the floor and wall met. A large crack, ancient and fragile, rested there. It was an exit I could bust through. I peered through a tiny gap, feeling a stream of air filtering through it from the outside. Well, how lovely indeed. I moved closer to it and remembered I didn’t have anything besides my fists and the Oblivion Staff to punch it with.

  I let out the staff and hefted it with my hand. Heavy. Meaty. It could make a big dent if I struck the vulnerability in the wall. If they wanted to steal me away with those lame butterflies, I’ll smash every wall just to get out! I raised the black staff above my head and dropped it down onto the weakened crack, splitting it wide open and instantly regretting everything as the rest of the floor gave way.

  I found myself falling down a brick and stone waterfall, but I managed to hit [Store] on my precious Oblivion Staff before crashing through a pile of dirt. Pain shot through my back as I landed on a jagged corner, my ribs and arms feeling twisted. I pushed myself through the pain and clawed at anything for purchase, but ultimately bounced off the ground at an incline before sliding down. Something cracked, and my sides ached as I rolled downhill.

  What a terrible decision. After a loss of vision, I gasped for air. The Plus Menu still hung out in the corner of my vision, taunting me. I once again became aware of how bad 1000 Constitution was. I forced my eyes open, feeling sick to my stomach and involuntarily making ugly noises in pain as I moved.

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  A lot of me was broken in that fall, and I pushed myself up to see the sorry state I was in. For starters, I was buried in rubble. What’s new. I’m always having intimate encounters with shattered rocks. The next time I do a prison break, I’m stepping far away the next time I have to smash through something. I dropped the leather bag of potions out of my Item Box, freeing my arm just enough to steal another Healing potion for myself.

  I popped the cork and poured the red juice down my throat. It felt like burning liquid was slithering in my throat. Shortly afterwards, the tugging and mending of my flesh began brutally wrecking my insides. The moment I regained complete control over my arms, I freed myself and shoved the bag back into the Item Box. The night wind brushed the sweat off my forehead. The dim lights of a large and dark structure looming way above me caught my attention. That building clearly was one of the many manors of the Ravenclast.

  Let them stay up there in their high and mighty evil castles! Ha! Now, I was free. Whether another butterfly wanted to teleport me back, I didn’t know. I stood up, ready to jump down the small pile of rubble I was buried in during the avalanche I made. I was beginning to appreciate Giselle and her bag more because of that that potion. I was healed and free, for now.

  A watchtower jutted out from the building, with a soft yellow glow coming from the top. Loud bells rang and activity flurried, loud enough for me to hear all the way down here. Its glow suddenly intensified, shooting out an ominous bright beam down on this little valley like a searchlight. I didn’t waste time. I immediately dove back into the pile of rubble for cover. I managed to cover myself right as the beam of light swept over where I was standing.

  Whew, but before I could breathe a sigh of relief, it was clear that my actions woke the Ravenclast hive up. I heard shouting from above, but soon those echoes were drowned out. A harsh buzzing noise slammed its way down on the pile of rocks I dove under. The heat coming from the light was intense enough to make the thin layer of rocks sizzle and crack, like a roaming magnifying glass that fried surfaces and bugs wherever it passed over. I remained still, enduring the burning sensation.

  No notifications so far. No news is good news. I lay there, motionless, watching my Plus Menu’s notifications for any sign of danger. Eventually, the glow moved on to burn something else. I stuck my head out like a prairie dog, gasping for air. The watchtower’s searchlight was scanning somewhere else, and the coast was clear. No butterflies, please. I was beginning to grow a distinct fear of any winged bug now. Tiny and hard to see. Little bastards. I checked again for good measure and took a deep breath.

  Then I bolted.

  The wind was at my back, cooling the residual discomfort from getting cooked by that evil heat ray. My improved Movement Speed carried me with an impressive speed. I let out a laugh and ran for an hour or two. When that cursed Ravenclast mountain was far behind me, I finally stopped. I had no idea where I was and I didn’t care. There were no Plus Menu tags anywhere, no sign of the burning wagon or town I wanted to go to, and no one around. So I sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree to catch my breath. God, freedom at last. It felt great.

  It was time to check the Hunter’s Workbench. Instead of a usual screen floating in front of me, the option opened a giant hologram directly in front of me. The Hunter’s Workbench emerged out of it like a demon crawling out of a digital hell, settling on the grass right in front of me with a thump. I got up and touched its surface. A smooth, grainy texture graced my fingertips. It was physically real. What the hell?

  A new screen appeared, hovering above the main apparatus, which featured two vises fixtures on an adjustable slider track. It was clearly meant to hold a weapon or something still so it could be worked on. A saw stood at the far end. I recognized the tool. It was old fashioned, of course, but it was designed to cut rocks open. Another tool with gears and presses sat next to it, but I had no idea what it did. Each tool could be moved directly above the vises. I looked at the translucent screen hovering above the desk.

  ———————————————

  +

  Hunter’s Workbench

  > Place a staff or weapon into the vises for improvement.

  > Saw or smash Bloodstones and apply their essence to the staff or weapon.

  > Socket catalysts and other gems into the staff or weapon with the Modification Press.

  +

  ———————————————

  Stupid prompt, I scoffed. Telling me what to do. I took that snarky thought back though, in case the Plus Menu got offended and warped the workbench away. I had plenty of Bloodstones in my Item Box, so I might as well use them. I scrolled through the list of stuff I had and my eyes landed on three things. First, I took the new stick that the brain dropped. The thing felt like wood as well, but also spongy in my hands. It was truly a weird object. I scanned the tag floating above it.

  ———————————————

  +

  — Fine White Muscle Tissue [Magic]: A strand of the Armoured One’s Mind’s brainstem. Sturdy and used for Staff crafting.

  +

  ———————————————

  I groaned, but fixed the stalk onto the vise anyway. Of course, the thing that fell out of an enormous brain was, in fact, a piece of it. It seemed like anything I owned was going to be dead bodies one way or another. I had already dropped the second object into my hand: Leah’s Skull. Indeed, her skull’s tag had updated with a Catalyst label. So, like her idol, she was going to be socketed into this staff somehow.

  Dear sister, I prayed to her as I placed her skull into the Modification Press. You will be serving me this way from now on.

  The last thing I had was the Bloodstones. I had a bunch of these stones in my Item Box, so I grabbed the biggest one— the Bloodstone Shard —and jammed it into the groove beneath the saw. The moment I fixed everything onto the workbench, a faint blue magical aura began coating the entire desk and the components on it. I looked at it blankly, feeling way out of my depth. Sure, a videogame just had buttons and that was that. Even the Plus Menu gave me several prompts like [Store] and [Integrate], but this was a little too realistic. Only the screen with instructions remained, with no intention on holding my hand through the crafting process.

  I looked around. No one was here to judge me. So, I guess I saw the rock now? The white brainstem sat beneath the Bloodstone Shard, daring me to do it. Fine, if that’s how it is. I swiveled the saw so it was positioned over the “rock” and began sawing. I didn’t know if it was my Attack Power that assisted me, but I was cutting through the big red gem with ease. A pungent, coppery smell filled the air, and then a foul liquid spilled out of an exposed hollow center. I yelped, startled, dodging the jet. Blood in a Bloodstone, who would have thought?

  I looked down at the brainstem, which was no longer glowing blue. Instead, the surface where the blood was spilled on began to glow with a hungry red aura. Applying this essence, I assumed, was literal. I lifted the saw, flipped the rock over and lathered the Shard’s blood all over the shaft until it was completely red. Eventually, I was left with a split husk that no longer spilled juice or was shiny. I couldn’t even store them back, so I just threw them into the grass. However, the staff itself had opened at one of its ends like a rose that bloomed. Perfect for stuffing someone’s skull inside of it.

  I grabbed the Modification Press, and nearly stumbled over as it unexpectedly detached from the workbench. Well, that was embarrassing, but it was clear by the lever and the space between that it was meant to literally jam the socket item into the staff, or weapon. Tentatively, I hefted the device above the angry glowing brainstem and pressed down like it was a giant stapler. A horrible sound followed and scraped my ears— the fusing of ripping flesh and snapping bone. What was left afterward was a slightly gnarled top, with only the skull’s eye exposed. The mean crimson aura also faded.

  It looked like a staff made out of white wood. I shivered as I set the Modification Press back down. This process was something else. But soon, the screen containing the instructions vanished, and a new one appeared. It was the name of the staff, which was odd. I don’t remember giving it a name, but I wasn’t a very creative person anyway.

  ———————————————

  +

  — Promised Sister. [Epic] Capable of casting [Divine Heal], along with any Tier 3 or below spells. Can be improved by Bloodstones.

  Skills

  > Tier 3

  [Divine Heal]: Adds a defensive barrier of Light that fades over time and heals a target. The barrier takes less damage from [Basic] and [Dark] elemental attacks.

  +

  ———————————————

  What a catchy name. Did it give itself that name? Or was it always meant to be called that? I pulled the staff out of the clamps and tested its weight. It was lighter than the Oblivion Staff, but definitely strong enough to give a good thwacking, should I need to. It also let me cast a new spell, but what intrigued me more was the fact that it could be improved if I found additional Bloodstones to feed it since the previous tiered ones were too weak. I also realized that the workbench did not help me with improving my armour. How unfortunate, I thought.

  I selected the Hunter’s Workbench option in my Plus Menu, also noticing that it had given me another 5 status points for my crafting crash course.

  “Thanks,” I muttered. Now I had 110 Wisdom.

  I watched the bench slowly sink into the portal that materialized beneath it and looked around. My surroundings were coated in a pale blue light, with the tree as my only witness to my beautiful work. Dawn was approaching, but I wasn’t alone.

  Under the horizon, a group of distant figures were rapidly approaching my way.

  

  Human Healer, level 22

  (No party affiliation)

  [Light Element]

  Magical Power: 2809 (D)

  Constitution: 1050 (E)

  Wisdom: 110 (F)

  Movement Speed: 750 (E)