Putting my life on the line was something I was destined to do from the moment the System first arrived. I was created as a counterweight to the System, to provide an opportunity for life to have freedom from its omnipresent clutches. And, for good or ill, I’ve come to enjoy my role in effecting such an outcome. Slaying monsters and getting stronger provides a thrill like no other. And I absolutely relish how doing so gives me the freedom to live unhindered by the restrictions of the life I used to have.

Despite that, however, these past few days of helping the university rebuild has been no less fulfilling— nor tiring, strange though that may sound. Dr. Masterson saw the opportunity that I offered and took it with full force. And he has been running me roughshod across the city. Flying to City Hall to get a permit waiver signed, then across town to the general contractor. Then to the County Administration building to liaise with the county’s general labor contractors. Lots of trips to the masons and carpenters and construction supplies wholesalers.

And I have to say, this past week has been full of great days to be a [Carpenter]. Better yet, there’s even a few lucky individuals around the city with a dedicated [Botanist] class who are making money hand over fist in the wake of the city levelers. These folks all seem to learn Skills early on which are able to supercharge the growth of trees. Instead of needing decades to grow trees suitable for lumber production, a skilled [Botanist]— or better yet, a trained [Sylvologist]— can do so in a matter of weeks, creating trees infused with [Ether] to greatly accelerate their growth. Of course, there’s also plenty of combat potential in those class, with their ability to manipulate wood and trees.

It’s astonishing just how quickly we’ve bounced back in just three days since the city-slaying titans walked the Earth and attempted to ravage human civilization back to the bronze age. [Electricians] have fully patched the few lines that were damaged in the attacks, [Farmers] have been growing crops at an accelerated rate, and me? I’ve been moonlighting as a [Logistician], using my [Inventory] to the maximum to get time-sensitive goods from one place to another as quickly as possible.

Previously, I had wanted to keep knowledge about the existence and versatility of my [Inventory] a secret. But two major changes have occurred between then and now that have forced me to change my stance. First, the potential to save lives in the here and now, or at least to greatly reduce human suffering, is now far more exigent than the potential strategic losses which might manifest in the future. But more importantly, as I learned the other day, Chloe was not the only person to have unlocked their [Inventory] in that fight. Alexey also reached Level 50, and like the good, honorable soldier that he is, promptly reported his new ability to command. With that information now something of an open secret— and growing less secret by the day— there’s no longer any real benefit to trying to hide it any longer.

It’s the latest example— and the most intrinsically useful, if not the flashiest— of just how bifurcated society is going to become in the coming months and years. Even the mere act of conjuring an item from within one’s [Inventory] is going to be a mark of strength— and a warning to anyone who would try to defy such a powerful fighter.

Again I wonder what society and the law will look like in the coming months. And again, I wonder: How did Madison, the strongest on her planet, handle such matters? Even if I end up not following her plan, I would be doing myself a disservice if I did not heed her wisdom and experience. If… If only I had the memories of asking such things back then.

----------------------------------------

Six days have passed— it’s now the morning of July the thirteenth. I had wholeheartedly underestimated the strength, the resiliency, and the unwavering determination of my compatriots. The number of people showing signs of approaching the level 32 class change— the first ascension, Madison had called it— is already in the thousands. I had to work for months to get that far, pushing myself through dungeons and in fierce battles against the creatures of the wilds and even other humans to get to that point.

Then again, can I say that others haven’t gone through the same? There’s at least two dungeons around here as well. This is now at least the third time the city has come under siege by monster hordes. The raptors back before my adventures in Red Clay City. And then the harpies and now the titan and its tens of thousands of hippocamp attendants. Considering how long I was gone, I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t several more attacks of a similar scope. So many more chances for people to get stronger, to level up and increase the rank of their Skills.

And so many more chances for lives to be lost, plowed under by an unrelenting System that demands constantly of us, breaking us apart and forcing us either to adapt and grow stronger or remain crushed and broken. I regret that I am unable, even with my formidable might, to save everyone.

But I have saved plenty of people through my actions. And I want to continue to push in that direction. Chloe is right. It feels good

.

----------------------------------------

It’s now been two weeks since the titan graced our home with its presence. In addition to my work down at the university, I’ve also continued to monitor the attacks from the lower-leveled monster hordes that have been omnipresent throughout the city and, indeed, the entire world, since the System first arrived. Attacks from low-leveled creatures like those fiery Hellspawn, those mini devils that attacked me and my poor ass back in March, one day after the world was changed forever. Hard to believe that now, those are now considered less threatening, more a minor annoyance, something for young kids to beat up shortly after unlocking their System. A chance to gain their first couple of levels, all while safe at home, under the watchful aegis of parents or other guardians.

But these and other monster attacks throughout the city have been eerily calm since the Titan. Most people haven’t noticed, but I have. And I’m sure a few [Advisors], [Tacticians], and the [Politicians] they serve have grasped that fact as well. I’m surprised I’ve not heard murmurs and suspicions of what I’ve known since the beginning. The System’s intelligence is granting us a reprieve. A chance to rebuild.

I float overhead, shortly after lunch, and watch. And I can’t help but notice all the ways in which that rebuilding has not occurred in quite the same way as what came before. Without access to a steady supply of refined petroleum products any longer, trips by gasoline-powered automobiles are all but a thing of the past. A lot of people bike or jog or— as Chloe and I are wont to do— fly over the city. Food is now grown locally, crops from far and wide synthesized and cultivated by skilled [Farmers] and their assistants. There’s even some [Mechanists] who are using the principles I’ve previously formulated to begin developing Ether-powered cars and trucks and trains to replace the ones powered by internal combustion designs.

To the untrained eye, it looks positively idyllic. The most far-fetched fever dreams of the environmental movement have been realized, and in months, rather than years or decades as even the most optimistic estimates had suggested. And indeed, the water is cleaner, the sky brighter, and the soil far richer than it was, now that so many of our industrial and transportation needs are being met without fossil fuels. Only I— and maybe a few philosophers— see the true danger lurking under our noses.

A ring of my phone snaps me out of my contemplation. An unknown number? Normally I’d not answer, but with my position now as it is, I feel an obligation.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hello,” an unfamiliar male voice says. “Is this Seraphina Mortensen?”

“This is she,” I say. “Might I ask who is calling, how you got this number, and for what purpose?”

“Captain Lannery,” the man responds, his tone exasperated and hurried. “We’ve got a bit of a hostage situation on our hands over down near 71st Street.”

“Hostage situation?”

I turn toward the south, trying to identify where this might be happening. After a few seconds of scanning down the main thoroughfares, I notice a confluence of pigs– of police— near a fairly large strip mall. I start flying toward them at a leisurely pace, not really giving two figs about the officers on the scene or what ends up happening to them. But if— if

, I mentally stress to myself— there really is a hostage situation, then I need to set that distrust aside and work for the common good. Chloe would want me to.

“Yes, Ma’am. The suspect in question has specifically requested that you come.”

Now my interest is fully piqued. Who would know of me to specifically request my presence, and yet do so in such a despicable fashion? I can’t think of anyone other than someone else associated with the Ethertech black market I uncovered some weeks back. In other words, I should prepare for a fight, and that means contacting Chloe as well.

“Understood. I will be there shortly.”

I hang up, and then immediately call Chloe, informing her of the situation.

“So, what do you want to do?” I ask.

“I feel like I have to go talk to these people. It’s likely a trap, yes, but if it isn’t–” I trail off, knowing my saying nothing more speaks more volumes than trying to elaborate further.

“I’ll be coming too.”

“I know. Since time may be of the essence, I don’t want to wait for you to get over here. Don’t worry; I’ll be cautious, and try to avoid antagonizing anyone too much to start a fight before you arrive. Just let me know as soon as you get within telepathic range so I can plan accordingly.” I don’t need her to remind me that I’ll only have half my typical fighting strength without her [Saintess’s Blessing] empowering me.

She pauses for a half-second. “I understand, Sera. I’ll be there as soon as I’m able.”

With that, I hang up and begin my descent. I bank slightly to the side, adjusting the direction of my descent. I pull both my wings and arms inward, minimizing air resistance to help me push beyond terminal velocity. Despite needing to travel six miles overland and descend another two, it takes barely a minute and a half before I land just outside the barricade.

“Are you Seraphina?” a younger uniformed man with a scruffy full beard says.

“I am. What am I dealing with?” I fight to maintain an air of civility. Like, did they not even try to deal with the problem, instead rushing to send me in at the first sign of…? It doesn’t matter. I’ve resolved myself to help, my personal distaste for dealing with agents of state authority aside.

“Four individuals. Three men, one woman. All powerful, well-armed, including enchanted weapons. We think two of the men are both close-range fighters, the woman is a mid-distance fighter using a gun, not unlike yourself. And the last man is a mage. Unknown if offensive type or healing.”

“And the hostages?”

“Three of them. All kids.”

I shudder and clench my fist at that. Probably not even old enough to have their System unlocked, which means they’re going to be just as vulnerable as anyone was even before the System arrived. Damned cowards one and all! I have absolutely no sympathy for them.

Sorry about this, Chloe. I’ll try to restrain myself, but people who would go after innocent children are the lowest of the low. If I can’t stop myself from removing the taint of such vile creatures from this world? Well, I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.