117 Leverage (1/2)

Yawm tapped his chin, “The hunt? Like toying with food?”

I shook my head, “Naw, it’s getting the most out of it. Think about it like this.”

I opened my right hand to Yawm, “If your fighting someone, when do they apply themselves the most?”

Yawm leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin on his hands,

“When their back is against a wall?”

I raised my left hand, “When they believe they both win and lose.” I slammed my left hand into my right palm, echoing out the sound of clanging metal,

“If you crush them immediately, that destroys any hope they have. That stops them from even trying anything to begin with. It’s like staring at your death and knowing it’s coming. You don’t want to fight at that moment. You just want to close your eyes and wait.”

I spread out my hands, “You learn nothing from them if you do that. On the other hand, if you give the impression that they could win, they’ll show their best.”

I counted with my fingers, “In that fight, I learned about alchemical vials, anti-magic fields, and I even discovered that Schema sent them a message about me. Schema’s planning something. With your methods, I wouldn’t have discovered anything.”

Yawm nodded, “An interesting viewpoint. Being a native of this planet means your exposure towards galactic methods of fighting is meager. In order to cover this weakness, you discover what you can from even weak enemies.”

Yawm pointed at me, “Hah hah, that’s a long-term strategy, if a bit risky in the moment. If the enemy is stronger than you initially imagined, then it could result in an untimely demise...”

Yawm shrugged, “Still, I rather enjoy your methods. I’ll employ that tactic next time I find myself in a fight I know I’ll win. Perhaps I may learn something as well.”

Yawm stood, the ice chair evaporating beneath him.

“Are you ready to return?”

I nodded, “Yeah, let’s go.”

We both dashed back towards Yawm’s rift at the center of Springfield. As we ran on the worn down streets, our feet cracked the pavement beneath our heels. The gray loomed in the distance, wind rushing across my skin.

We reached an intersection ending with a grocery store at its center. After stomping past the parking lot, we leapt onto the top of a grocery store. Our feet caved in the tin roof, the metal squealing at holding our mass.

During moments like this, I appreciated the raw strength that Schema provided. Leaping across the buildings was effortless, like short bursts of flight. Watching stone crumble under my touch was exhilarating. It was like I needed nothing, and that gave me a sense of profound freedom.

Still, Yawm was right beside me. He glanced around, inspecting the abandoned city. Reading his thoughts was like reading hieroglyphics. It wasn’t going to happen, so I just enjoyed the sensation of falling and rising. It was like a rollercoaster, in a way.

Halfway back to Yawm’s rift, he spoke out. It was like he was telling me something rather than beginning a conversation.

“You mentioned Schema planning something. I happen to agree. I might even know what it is that he wants.”

I frowned under my helmet, but I let him continue. Yawm had that effect on people. You couldn’t help but want to listen to what he had to say.

“Schema wanted my own talents for his own aims as well. He used all manner of methods against me. His threats began with access to his system. You know as well as I do that the dimensional cipher unlocks more than Schema can deny, however. Once I ceased responding to exile, Schema introduced other means of control.”

Yawm’s eyes narrowed, “It began with an unknown status. That occured the first time I added a real enchantment onto myself with the cipher. Once unknown, you’re no different than an eldritch in some people’s eyes. The only difference was that you were once civil.”

Yawm sighed, “After that, he used an incrementally increasing bounty against me. Even with what I’ve done, I’m not quite an S+ tier bounty just yet. At least to my knowledge. Combine that bounty with an unknown status, and your plagued by assailants at every hour. I enjoy the fight, but most crumble under the harsh reality of life becoming an endless battle.”

Some of what Yawm was saying sounded familiar if not all of it. Once we finished sharing knowledge on runes, I’d discuss it with Torix or Althea. Whenever I thought out her name, an image of her face popped into my head. There was a warmth in my chest at remembering her. I realized I missed her.

Yawm continued, “Once I he discovered I enjoyed the incessant fighting, he targeted my family. I made a bitter decision. Either I lived as a slave for Schema while enjoying my old life, or I cast it aside and lived on my own terms. My decision...well, you already know of it.”

A shiver traced down my spine. All of the sudden, I compared Yawm with me. There were many similarities. We were both representatives of our species in a sense, given we both had Genesis of Potential. That skill tree was only given to one person in a species. Gaining half of my skills was due to it, from learning the cipher to my legendary skill, Force of Nature.

Yawm was no different in that regard. If anything, I was following his footsteps. It was an eerie feeling. The odd sensation lingered for a bit as we reached Yawm’s rift. I dwelled on what he said until we reached Yawm’s pale fortress. From what I understood, there wasn’t much I could do about it at the moment. Given time, I’d change where I was headed though.

I wouldn’t let myself be used for much longer. I’d forge my own path. It was simple as that.

Steadfast in that desire, we both reached Yawm’s hideout. After letting my eyes feast on the visual delights of the sea life and lighting, we reached his study. Once there, Yawm clapped his hands and we began our next discussion about the cipher. The hours passed like minutes before I was waiting back in my room.

As Keeja closed the door, I opened my status screen while sitting on the air. It was nice never having to worry about a chair anymore. If I got good at my magic, making a bed to rest on overnight wouldn’t be out of the question.

As I floated on a gravity warp, I checked out level. It was 2412. Killing the levelers got me six levels. In other words, I gained nothing. After a sarcastic celebration, I glanced at the bonuses my cipher was giving. That was were the meat of my progress was.

[Modifications - The dimensional fabric composing this structure has been modified with code from the dimensional cipher. The bonuses are as follows.

+72 Strength

+72 Dexterity

+100 Endurance

+12% to effect of legacies

+20 Willpower

+2% to internal motivation]

Over time, the bonuses would amount to ridiculous bonuses. For now though, it would take more time. I opened up my attributes and character screen, inspecting them.

Level 2,412

Strength – 2,256 | Constitution – 3,276 | Endurance – 11,169

Dexterity – 822 | Willpower – 5,543 | Intelligence – 1,932

Charisma – 195 | Luck – 602 | Perception – 330

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Health: 867,845/867,845 | Health Regen: 753,921/min or 15,141/sec

Stamina: 485,617/485,617 | Stamina Regen: 4,552/sec