The shed was locked tight and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get into it, however, a bit of searching revealed the key nearby. My granduncle had a habit of leaving the key close to the lock, at least that's what he'd done whenever I'd visited him. He'd always told me to search around the door if I arrived and he wasn't there.
Once I had the key, I opened the lock and entered the dark shed. My light illuminated a number of shelves, cupboards, boxes, and a few large desks, among other odd things. After a bit of fumbling, I was able to flick on the light.
"Well, this might take a while."
The first thing that caught my eye was the large table at the center of the room, and the weapon that lay on it. The journal hadn't gone into much detail about how he'd organized things, but it wasn't hard to take a guess. There were a few items on the shelves, but I assumed the boxes and cupboards probably held most of the loot he'd found or gained in the dungeon.
I headed over to the table and marveled at the odd-looking weapon. It was a scimitar but its curve was serrated as though it was a row of teeth and I felt nausea well up in me when I glanced at it. The color of the metal was a mix of iron grey and crimson that seemed to move if I looked for long enough. The handle and crossguard looked to be wrapped in simple black leather, though there was something distinctly off about it.
I gently shoved the blade to the side, and when my fingers brushed the blade, I swore I could feel the blade shake. It was best not to mess with it until I knew what I was dealing with or had protective gloves.
With the sword out of the way, I grabbed one of the smaller boxes, which was still pretty large and weighed a ton. I had to drag it across the floor and the only reason I managed to get it on the table was that the table could be lowered to the ground. I had to shimmy the box up before raising the table.
I popped open the lid of the box and glanced inside. The first and largest item of the lot was also the oddest piece by far, a sword with both sides curved to form a crude t shape. It looked to be made out of some metal I wasn't familiar with. I certainly didn't know of any naturally green metals, then again, I wasn't an expert on the topic.
There were other interesting items. A belt of throwing knives, a pitch-black cube that seemed to absorb light, an exotic crossbow with sharp feathers attached to it, and a couple of daggers. I picked up one of the daggers and marveled at the intricate design that lay upon the sheath and the carving on the black and silver handle. I unsheathed the small blade.
It was not iron nor steel that greeted my sight as I expected but glass. Glass weapons weren't impossible but definitely not commonplace. It wasn't like the thin and clear glass of a window, but thick and sharp with a milky white color. In fact, it looked like smoke was trapped in the glass, swirling about slowly.
I brought it up to my eyes to get a closer look when suddenly a screen popped up in front of me.
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Incomplete Elsvein Mist Dagger[Tier 3]
Weapon Type: Dagger
Durability: 50/50
Quality: Above Average
Abilities: [Mist Cloud] [Mist Sight]
Traits: [None]
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Well, I should have expected something like this, considering everything else. Most games had stats for items and weapons.
The durability and quality were easy enough to understand but what exactly did the tier mean? Was it referring to the rarity of the item or the power or a mix of both? The additions also made clear sense though I was somewhat confused about the abilities and traits sections. Like I'd done with the attribute I focused on certain parts to see if I could get more information.
A mist dagger from the shores of Elsveinturin. Forged from glass transmuted from sacrificed flesh, and enchanted with magic. This dagger is a great weapon for an assassin or one who does not wish to be seen, however, this particular dagger is incomplete.
Well, that wasn't helpful. Sure it gave me a description of the dagger, but it's not like I knew what Elsveinturin was, though the part about magic and enchantments did get me excited. Would I be able to learn magic?
I moved on to the abilities.
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Mist Cloud[Tier 1]
Mist Cloud: Conjure a large cloud of thick mist that you are able to freely control.
Time: 5 Minutes
Cooldown: 1 Hour
Type: Active
Cost: 20 Mana
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Well, I could certainly see how an assassin might put it to use.
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Mist Sight[Tier 1]
Mist Sight: Allows the wielder to see through the mist conjured from Mist Cloud. Does not work on mist not conjured via Mist Cloud.
Time: N/A
Cooldown: None
Type: Passive
Cost: None
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I read through the description for each ability which gave me a new appreciation for the dagger, though it was a shame I couldn't really use it since I had no mana. It had the same tier system as the weapon itself and once again I wished I knew what it meant. Focusing on it only brought up a list of potential tiers starting from one and going beyond ten.
I opened up my status and looked over the E-Seeds section. The description of willpower had referred to them as seed energies. I had no clue what that meant, but it seemed sort of like the mana or spirit bar in some games. I didn't have mana, but I did have Internal Energy. I didn't count O-Energy since I had none of it.
A bit of focus and more information about IE appeared.
Internal Energy: The world of Terra is lacking in forms of usable energies that are common in many other worlds, but despite there being no ambient forms of energy for the local species to use, like most humans across the vast ocean of worlds, you possess a form of internal energy. For most, it is so minuscule that they will never feel it, but as the Admin of Omnicore#08 and a modified human, you are to accomplish much more.
It was basically saying that we didn't have mana on earth or anything that humans could use to perform great feats like in fantasy books. It was sort of mind-boggling to consider that earth was not alone and that other worlds did exist, and what did it mean by the vast ocean of worlds? Did it mean a multiverse?
If I hadn't already proven this system was real, I would be pinching myself once again.
Now that I knew I had options, it was time to look through everything. I pulled out my phone and made myself a list. I needed armor, weapons, and a way to carry things I found since I didn't have an inventory, which was a shame, and also a way of lighting up the dark without needing to use my hand.
I was about to begin by searching the rest of the boxes, shelves, and cupboards when I heard the faint sound of the doorbell. The house had speakers in the backyard so that someone would be able to hear the doorbell even if they weren't inside.
I placed everything back in the box and locked the shed back up, putting the key into my pocket. I would probably have to figure out somewhere more secure to put the loot. A lock was good and all, but at the end of the day it was just a steel chain and someone with enough time or the right equipment could easily get in.
"Coming!" I yelled, running to the door. "You don't have to ring a hundred tim— Oh, Maya."
"I wasn't going to, but you weren't answering the door," she replied.
"I was in the backyard," I explained. "Is there something you need?"
"My mom invites you to dinner," she said with a sigh. "She wants to meet you."
"Now?" I asked, trying not to glance back in the direction of the shed. "I'm sort of… busy."
"It'll only be a few hours." She smiled and leaned forward. "It would really mean a lot."
My eyes trailed down to her impressive cleavage, and I was about to accept when I realized what she was doing. I was about to open my mouth to refuse when I stopped myself. If Uncle Dylan really had been close enough to Maya and her mom that they called him Uncle Dylan then I probably should meet them. He only ever let people he considered family call him that, and he had always been a great judge of character.
"If she's half as pretty as you then I'll come," I said, and immediately felt like smacking myself. Where the hell had that come from?
She looked surprised, but a faint blush colored her cheeks as she glanced away. "We're number eighteen, just come in an hour."
She was walking away before I could reply. I really hadn't meant to say that, but it seemed like it had put her off guard as she had tried to do to me. I could have spent the hour back in the shed, but a whiff of my armpits told me I needed a shower and a new change of clothes so I headed up and quickly washed up before putting on some new clothes. I thought about going dressed in something fancy, but then I decided to just go for casual. A simple pair of pants and a matching shirt. Maya had seemed like the casual type, though she pulled it off in a stylish and sexy way unlike me. I just looked average though with the system things were looking up for me and well that one point of strength had already made me look better than I had a day ago. Dressed and smelling fresh, I headed out of my house and towards what would be my first proper social interaction or outing in a long time.
It was a short walk to Maya's home which was almost identical to mine, minus the flower garden in the front yard.
I knocked on the door twice and after a minute a voice called out from behind the door. "One second!"
The door opened to reveal Maya who had changed from her jeans and shirt into a short casual red dress that still managed to look amazing on her. I was able to keep myself from staring this time, mainly because a few seconds after she opened the door, I was pulled into a hug by who I assumed was her mother.
"Oh, it's so good to finally meet you!" she gushed, her considerably large bust pressing into my chest. "Your granduncle has told us so much about you."
I pulled back. "He has?"
She nodded, and I took a quick moment to take her in. She was the spitting image of her daughter though her hair was a natural blonde and she looked far more mature. "He always went on about his grand-nephew, you know you're the only one who ever visited him."
I had known that, and her words made me feel guilty once more that I hadn't visited more often and had allowed myself to be pushed around by my parents and my peers, or traitors as I thought of them now.
"Dinner will be ready in a few." She smiled. "Please make yourself comfortable and let Maya know if you need anything."
"He's not a kid mom," Maya said with a roll of her eyes, though she wore a smile on her face.
"I know, I'm just being courteous."
"Thank you, Mrs…?" I trailed off, not sure if Maya had given me her mother's name.
"Evelyn," she answered with a smile. "Just call me Evelyn, I'm not married."
"Oh, well thank you, Evelyn," I said.
Evelyn gave me one last smile before she bustled back towards the kitchen.
I turned to Maya. "Your mother's very…"
"Energetic?" She suggested.
"I was going to say welcoming, but energetic works," I replied. "So… Is there anything we can do while we wait?"
Maya stared at me for a long moment before she leaned in. "We could head upstairs for a bit of fun."
I pulled back in shock just in time to see her smile before bursting into laughter.
"Haha," I said in a flat voice. "Very funny."
She wiped a fake tear from her eye. "The look on your face, but seriously, unless you want to watch tv, we can chill in my room, no funny business though, I don't want to catch you trying to take my underwear."
"What? I would never—"
I paused as I noticed her holding back a smile. I sighed, realizing that this girl was going to be trouble.
"You're too easy." She shook her head. "Come on."