Chapter 6

  Tyler felt it all shift at once, everything changing. His muscles expanded then retracted, his thoughts somehow felt smoother, more fluent, less messy. His heart felt stronger, as if his blood circulated more efficiently. His skin felt tougher, as if it had new layers or hardened layers. He felt like he had more control, like his body could respond more easily to his commands.

  "Am I a goddamn superhero now or what?" Tyler said, marveling. "Wormpool, you didn't warn me about how good it would feel. Damn, I feel like a new man, like I could take on the world."

  "Yes, it is a great feeling," Wormpool acknowledged, his bat-like features impassive.

  "How am I level 4 already?"

  "Well… Henry… That potion I gave you when you woke was an energy potion. It contains a good amount of soul essence." Wormpool's eyes narrowed slightly. "You should have known this already."

  "Now, let's get back to the matter at hand—your Skills. You get to choose five skills that will help with your journey. It's a long list, as you know." He pulled out a scroll that unfurled to reveal a ridiculously long list.

  For fuck's sake, Tyler thought.

  He saw "Long Sword" and thought, Fuck yeah, then it dawned on him—Fuck, man, this shit is real. I'm going to fucking die. For real this time. His heart began to pound. This whole place freaked him out, but the thought of a sword really put things in perspective. I'm going to have to stab something. Or be killed trying.

  "Henry, are you OK?" Wormpool inquired, his tone somewhere between concerned and suspicious.

  "Sorry, yeah, I'm good. Thanks, buddy."

  He went through the list. Fuck, man, at least I can read faster now, he thought. He figured a sword and shield skill would be essential—that left four more skills. He chose Two-Handed Sword, Knife Throwing, and Survivalist, which sounded useful. He was juggling between Bushcraft and Lockpicking. The bad intention side of him won over, and he picked Lockpicking.

  "OK, Wormpool, I have made my choices."

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  "Good. That was faster than I expected from you. Very good." The creature's voice held a hint of surprise. "One second, let me fetch those for you."

  He looked into space, reaching into some invisible dimension. Tyler thought it looked so stupid, so awkward. I guess that's what I look like when I go through the ring.

  "Ah, here we are." Wormpool pulled out the scrolls one at a time, each appearing in his hand as he placed it on the bench. Tyler wondered how he was doing it so fast. His ring had a cooldown. Did this one not?

  Wormpool handed Tyler the first scroll. "This is a fleeting scroll. Bond with it, and the information will dissolve into your being. It will only take a moment." His pale eyes fixed on Tyler's. "Vlad did tell you how to bond with things, did he not?"

  That was an interesting question—a suspicious one. Tyler was no dumber, at least he thought so. Would Vlad be the one to teach him, or was Wormpool fishing for something?

  "What if I told you he didn't?" Tyler asked, eyebrow raised, watching carefully for the creature's reaction.

  "Well, he should have. Nonetheless, I need you to look into your pathways."

  "How do I do that?" Tyler played dumb, still testing the waters.

  "Close your eyes. It helps for newcomers." Wormpool's voice carried a hint of impatience.

  Tyler knew how to do it. He just didn't know who was lying more here, and it almost made him laugh. Now this is meta.

  "Now you will see the core you created. You need to pull that energy into your pathways, if it's not already there. Some new users' cores are weak, causing the energy to be close. Opening might feel strange."

  Tyler's pathways were already open—he could see them, could feel them. He pushed them into the scroll, and the scroll responded in return. It disappeared, being absorbed into Tyler like a ghost. It was a strange sensation.

  [Sword and Shield Mastery: Basic 7]

  He did the same for the remaining scrolls, as he focused then lost focus his mind started to wonder off again.

  Tyler had gotten into plenty of fights growing up. At parties, events, bars, but, he liked to hang out with all kinds of people: the thugs, the nerds, the jocks. He was the Black guy at the party who was the hook-up, I.E. drug dealer. Whether he was hanging with his black, white or spanish friends, he moved between worlds with ease. He referred to hanging out with non-hood people as "mainstreaming," which kids now call code-switching. Ahh, more mental diarrhea, back to the story.

  As the knowledge from all five scrolls settled into his mind, Tyler felt like things were looking up once more—like maybe he wouldn't get his shit pushed in after all. The skills weren't just information—they were becoming part of him, integrating with who he was. The survivalist knowledge felt particularly valuable; knowing how to find food, water, and shelter might be the difference between life and death in this freaky place.

  He flexed his fingers, imagining the weight of a sword in his hand. The knife-throwing techniques played through his mind like a movie he'd watched a hundred times. And lockpicking—that might come in handy in more ways than one.

  "So," Tyler said, looking up at Wormpool with newfound resolve, "what's next?"