"And that's how we met. After Jamie got his ass beat, we started coming around the shop often. We had to deal with David a few more times, but he eventually stopped coming. Eventually, we all just decided to live together and become the family we are today."
Aiden finished the story along with his slider, hopping off the car and dusting himself off.
"Sounds like it was fun."
"After we stopped getting harassed by David, yeah, it really was." Aiden smiled as Armin also hopped off the car. The two began to walk back in the direction of the shop. "Way better than being alone like we used to be."
Aiden pulled out an action figure from his pocket. It was one of the ones Jamie gave him back after he finished the triple assassination for Beck. It was missing an arm and had lost many of its features to time.
"Hey Armin, do you have a figurine?"
"Hmm?" He leaned down to see what was in Aiden's hand.
"You're a Wizard, right? I bet you would make a cool action figure." Aiden shrugged and put the toy back in his pocket.
"Maybe I'll get one made someday."
The two boys continued chatting as they walked back to the shop.
"Oh yeah? What happened to that Griggs guy? The one who put you in that cage?" Aiden remembered.
"Him? I ripped him to shreds after I got out."
"Neat. You think Jamie ever rips people to shreds?"
"Possibly."
******
36 hours passed quickly.
In the mechanic shop, Jamie could be seen rejoicing as he stretched his limbs, finally having full control over his body.
Prime was back online as well, doing push-ups in the garage to show off.
Jamie yawned. "I don't think I can ever sleep on that couch again."
"Good. That means Armin can use it instead of the floor." Aiden commented while he played with Yeti.
"What!? Wait, where have you been sleeping?" He turned to Armin, who was fiddling with something on a stool.
"He's joking." Jamie sighed in relief at Armin's words, before choking on his next. "I've been sleeping on the roof!"
Amy, who was sitting next to Aiden on the sofa, frowned. "Didn't we set up a bed for you?"
"You did, but I prefer being outside after being cooped up all these years."
Amy shrugged. "Makes sense."
Jamie clapped his hands together, and Prime entered the living room. "Alright, I've put it off long enough. Upgrade time."
Jamie went into the [Mecha Core] first, but before he could check the status, a notification appeared.
[The Mecha Core and Magic Core have crossed Level 50]
[Pilot's body has reached the Mortal Realm]
"Me?" Jamie raised an eyebrow, but there was more.
[...]
[Level insufficient]
[G***** Prime is yet to be acknowledged.]
Suddenly, Jamie felt a small change in his body, though nothing changed visually. Armin's eyes snapped to Jamie, seemingly recognizing the change.
"What just happened?" Jamie looked himself over to see nothing changed, while Armin walked over to him. "My body reached the Mortal Realm? What's that?"
Armin stayed silent, before looking down and jabbing Jamie in the gut. He grunted, but otherwise it didn't hurt. "What are you - oof!"
Armin jabbed him again, harder, and Jamie keeled over. "The hell, Armin!?"
"Sorry, I wanted to confirm something, and it's just like I suspected." Armin stepped back and apologized. "Your body has indeed grown stronger. That second jab you reacted to was with the strength of a Mortal Realm Wizard."
"What are all these Realms?" Jamie scratched his head while Amy and Armin frowned.
"The Wizard Realms? Fledgling, Mortal, Enhanced, and so on?" Amy interjected, Armin nodding along.
"How do you know that?" Jamie turned to her. "I get Armin, but you?"
"I read a lot."
"Anyhow, you're basically equivalent to a Mortal Realm Wizard now, minus the magic." Armin explained.
"Wait, Jamie's a Wizard now?" Aiden, who was listening the whole time, asked.
"Sadly, no. I just have the body of one." Jamie blew a raspberry. "Speaking of, what Realm are you in, Armin?"
"Enhanced, but I'll break into the Superior Realm soon. I can feel it." He sat back down on his stool.
Jamie thought back to his fight with Victor. He had mentioned reaching the Superior Realm after absorbing that generator. Jamie shuddered at the thought of it. "Damn, so I can't even compete against Enhanced Realm Wizards in my current state?..."
Armin, hearing Jamie's mumbling, comforted him. "Nah, Victor was just an above average Wizard, others in the same Realm won't be that strong. With your new body, you won't go down that easily."
"Thanks." Jamie started rubbing his chin. "I'm curious, before Victor reached the Superior Realm, who would win between you two? Being in the same Realm, and all."
"I would, of course." Armin said with a smile.
"I thought you said he was above average?"
"I'm better than above average."
Jamie scoffed. "Okay, Casper the Ghost."
Turning back to the notifications, Jamie was puzzled at the second set. "Insufficient level? Acknowledged? And G*****?"
The censored G word was always there whenever Jamie checked the status, but he never paid attention to it until now. Now he began to wonder what it meant. He sighed.
"If Prime's level is insufficient, I guess I just need to level up more to find out whatever it is. No need to think about it too much."
Putting his thoughts aside, Jamie went into the Mecha Core to see how much he leveled up from Victor.
[Prime]
[G***** Prime Unit]
==Mecha Core==
Level: 69
FUNCTIONS:
Overdrive
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 34
Agility: 37
Durability: 35
Flight: 34
Energy: 37
Attribute Points: 17
==Mecha Core Abilities==
Rocket Punch (0 Energy Cost)
Wrist Missiles (3 Energy Cost per both compartments emptied)
Thermal Vision (0 Energy Cost)
Energy Cyclers (20 Energy refill per second)
Smokescreen (2 Energy Cost per 10 seconds of being active)
"I should start spending my points with a fighting style in mind."
Now that Jamie was fighting stronger enemies, trying to evenly spread his points was no longer the best idea. Victor was a wake-up call.
"I should focus on Strength, Agility, and Durability for now. I doubt I'll in be in airborne fights much, and with the Energy Cyclers I don't have to worry about my ability costs."
Jamie rounded off Flight and Energy before dumping the rest of the points in the remaining Attributes.
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 39
Agility: 40
Durability: 40
Flight: 35
Energy: 40
Attribute Points: 0
"Phew, time for the upgrades."
[Mecha Core Level 55 Reward - Choose an upgrade.]
[1. Cloak Projector
2. Tesla Gauntlets
3. UV Lenses]
"Hmm, I don't need UV light, nor do I specifically need electric punches, but a cloak…"
Looking at the Cloak Projector's details, Jamie found that it would be able to bend the light around Prime to hide him from view, almost like invisibility.
"This would have been useful early on… but I could pretend to just be a normal guy with this and hide Prime from sight… I'll take it."
Selecting the upgrade, holographic dots that looked like screws appeared all over Prime's body. Jamie moved on to the second upgrade while the Cloak Projector was constructed on its own.
[Mecha Core Level 65 Reward - Choose an upgrade]
[1. Gravity Ball
2. Optic Lasers
3. Shoulder-Mounted Machine Gun]
"Huh, the gun is back. I still don't want it."
Even though he had the Energy to use the machine gun now, Jamie felt it would be a waste. It's bullets would only be able to kill regular people or beasts, not Mechas or competent Wizards.
As for the Gravity Ball, he could tell it was a powerful ability, alas the exorbitant Energy cost is what stopped him from getting it. "200? Even if I level up a hundred times I can't use it. Optic Lasers it is."
Jamie chose his second upgrade, and a holographic lense appeared over Prime's eyes before it was filled in with red glass. The rest of the construction was inside the mecha's head. Finished with the [Mecha Core], Jamie moved on to the [Magic Core].
"Woah, I guess Wizards are the way to level up the Magic Core. Is it because of the mana?"
==Magic Core==
Level: 70
QUALITIES:
Capacity: 15
Control: 9
Affinity: 18
Quality Points: 43
==Magic Core Spells==
Fire Blast (2 Mana per spell usage)
Summon Killipede (Child) (2 Mana per Killipede summoned)
Water Wave (2 Mana per spell usage)
Wind Lance (5 Mana per spell usage)
"I'm getting a bunch of new spells once I check the rewards, so I'll focus on Capacity and Affinity, so I can cast more spells as well as make them stronger." Jamie decided.
QUALITIES:
Capacity: 35
Control: 15
Affinity: 35
Quality Points: 0
As he opened the pending rewards, he was surprised, before it turned into a smile.
[Strong Affinity Absorption Reward - Electric Armor]
[Magic Core Level 50 Reward - 2 Spell Evolutions]
Before opening the affinity rewards he could choose from, Jamie was greeted with a free spell from Victor's high affinity with electricity as well as two spell evolutions. From the name, Jamie guessed that he could pick two spells and they would be evolved to a stronger version of the spell.
Without hesitation, he chose the first spell to be upgraded.
[Summon Killipede (Child) has evolved to Summon Killipede (Teen)]
"This was what beat Victor, so it should come in handy."
As for the second spell, Jamie thought for a bit before deciding he needed something to easily deal with the Mechas he would encounter on the rig.
[Wind Lance has evolved to Wind Drill]
"Okay, time to pick out new spells."
[Magic Core Level 35 Reward - Choose an affinity]
[1. Fire
2. Water
3. Air
4. Earth
5. Electricity]
"Electricity is an option now? Does that mean every new affinity I absorb gets added to the choices?"
Jamie rubbed his chin and sighed. "Well, I should at least get one spell from each affinity, first."
He selected Earth.
[Earth Spell - Boulder learned.]