Sabbatical – Chapter 218: Tracking the Changes

"Welcome," the receptionist said, giving Jacob a nod. "What can I do for you today?"

"Ah, well," he began, fidgeting with his hands in his pockets. "I had hoped you could help me find someone. I've been told she was here for a bit."

"Can you give me a description?" the man behind the counter asked. "I may be able to help."

"Of course!" Jacob gave an overly enthusiastic nod, a social disarming tactic he had practised a great many times before. "She's tall, at least seven feet, has long silver hair; built like a linebacker, basically. Also usually wears a dark blue dress with silver embroidery."

"Ah yes, Miss Velkari." The receptionist typed something into his computer. "She was here a week ago to meet with Elder Wu, though sadly I cannot disclose the reason for their meeting or her current whereabouts. I hope you understand."

"Of course," Jacob replied. "Knowing that she was actually here already helps, so, thank you."

"Anything else I can do for you?"

Jacob hesitated for a moment as he considered asking to see the man Miss Velkari had met with, but decided against it. Just because this 'Elder Wu' had seen her did not mean that he was fully in the know about powers, or indeed had even the slightest idea what they were in the first place. She might also just be the owner of the building, and the Elder is a manager of some sort...

Depending on how long she had had her powers, she might have used them to accumulate an obscene amount of wealth. Teleportation and presumed toughness were both powers any would-be bank robber would like. Just teleport yourself into Fort Knox or something.

"Nothing I can think of right now," he eventually said. "I will make sure to come back if I have more questions, however."

"Of course!" The receptionist smiled. "With how things are going, it's important to support one another."

"You can say that again."

While Jacob wasn't quite sure if the man was simply making a general statement or if he had somehow figured out that he had powers, the statement was still true either way. With everything that had happened in just the last week, people had to look out for one another. And with this second wave coming… Suffice to say that some chaos was bound to happen.

With a nod and a few more words, Jacob turned away from the receptionist and moved to leave the building. His search for this Miss Velkari would have to go on elsewhere; he just needed to figure out who else might be able to help him.

Before he could leave the foyer, the receptionist called out to him again, causing Jacob to turn around. Without needing to hear any further conversation, he knew that the older-looking gentleman that stood in the large doorway leading further into the building wished to talk to him.

"Yes?" Jacob asked nonetheless as he turned around and moved back towards the receptionist.

"Elder Wu would like to speak with you," the man behind the counter replied, inclining his head towards the older man. "He might be able to help you find Miss Velkari."

"I can at least answer a few questions about her," the man in the doorway replied, his voice neutral and smooth. "She is quite the peculiar person."

"She sure is," Jacob agreed, not quite willing to disclose the fact that he actually knew very little.

"Follow me, if you will," Elder Wu said and turned to move further into the building. "I think my office is a better place to speak."

"Of course." Jacob gave a brief nod and stepped up behind the man.

Being closer to him also caused a slight haze to become visible around his hands and ears, something Jacob had not noticed earlier. What is that? he thought to himself as he tried to get a closer look without drawing too much attention to himself.

It was most assuredly some kind of power the man used, but what it did was not obvious to Jacob. Still, this at least meant that this man — or whoever he worked for — had some sort of power, which was already a good start. Now he just had to hope that his own abilities would be enough to rely on, should anything go off the rails. He rather hoped this chat would stay on course enough to allow him to avoid putting anything to the test.

Behind the door, he was greeted by a rather small hallway with four elevators, one of which also had this slight haze surrounding it.

After squinting at it for a moment longer — and going over the question in his head more than a few times — he finally pointed at it and asked. "What happened with that elevator?"

"Oh, yes," Elder Wu began and stopped. "It would seem that Miss Velkari either does not trust it, or she is a lot heavier than she looks. In any case, she reinforced it and some of that magic still lingers. I'm surprised you can see it at all considering how young you are, but then, you also know her, so maybe not that surprising."

"That I know her is a bit of an exaggeration," Jacob replied, trying his best to not show his surprise at what the man had said. "She certainly knows of me, but I think that applies to most anyone."

"A fair point," the man replied and stepped inside one of the elevators. "But even if you only wish to meet her, that is enough for now." He motioned for Jacob to join him, continuing once he had done so. "I figured that you weren't an acquaintance of hers, but I still think we can be of use to one another. I can tell you where she currently is, and when you seek her out you can try to get answers from her that are a little less cryptic."

"Cryptic?" Jacob asked. "I only know what she said on TV, and that's through the accounts of people present, so not all that reliable."

Elder Wu pressed the button for the highest floor, holding it until a pleasant chime resounded. "I'm sure you also saw the notification from the Voice of the World. For me it appears as a book, but it seems the most common form it takes at the moment is a simple blue window in front of your mind’s eye."

"The System, yes, I've seen it." He nodded, trying his best to remain calm. "Sadly, it doesn't really answer any questions."

"Of course it doesn't; that accursed woman made it."

Jacob blinked at the words, Elder Wu's voice going through his head again and again as he tried and failed to make sense of the simple sentence. "Made… it?"

The old man let out a long sigh. "Yes. Aperio Velkari, the mystery woman who teleported herself to the forefront of the nation's mind, claims to have made what you know as the System. The worst part is that I am inclined to believe her. With everything she has shown us — and what we have managed to gather on our own — it seems like the most plausible option." Elder Wu shook his head and stepped forward. Timed perfectly, as though he had known it would happen at that instant, the elevator doors opened for him. "And even if she isn't the creator as she claims, she must at least be close to them."

Jacob simply stared at Elder Wu's back as the man entered what seemed to be his office. The revelation he had just delivered had not fit with the annoyed tone of his voice, nor the snark with which he referred to the apparent creator of everything. Why would a being like that come to Earth? Why now? Had she been here before? If she made everything, was she all powerful? Was that actually her or just some form she took?

"Have a seat before you fall over," Elder Wu said, the previous annoyance replaced with what could only be described as grandfatherly concern. "I feel like we have much to discuss and the revelations for you will only get worse."

///

Aperio let out a satisfied sigh as she stood up and stretched herself. Who knew lying around at the beach with her love could be so relaxing? The sand and mortals, of course, detracted from her enjoyment and made her Void the superior option, but it was still good nonetheless.

Like all good things, however, it had to end. Her attention was currently best put to use observing mortals as they gained access to mana and received their first classes. She was decently certain that she had sorted everyone into the correct waves, but it was still probably a good idea to keep an eye on things to make sure that that was the case. At some point, she would have to bring whatever other worlds remained Systemless back into the fold, and she would rather not have to be present for every single one. There are probably quite a few that don't even know what an Elf is…

By now she was fully aware that she could take any form she wished, so she could just become a Dragon or whatever else was the dominant species of a world, but she did not want to do that. Many would probably think of that as selfish, considering what she was, but Aperio did not really care. Others could think whatever they wished; they would realise sooner or later that their thoughts — unlike her own — had little influence on reality.

"So, what happens now?" Eleanor asked, looking up at Aperio.

The All-Mother glanced at the mortal mage before she offered a shrug. "I will oversee the next wave of changes and make sure nobody does something exceedingly stupid. Then I will have to start thinking about some monsters or the like so people may actually start levelling via something other than a craft.

"The first two waves are fairly close in terms of power," she continued, shifting her gaze to the large river that gave the city a part of its name. "With how densely populated this world is, I will probably have to create pocket dimensions or something of the like for monsters. I do not have the desire to let anything run rampant when I know that it will only cause needless deaths. That can happen once everyone has gotten their Classes."

"Where are you going to put Earth's first dungeon?" Caethya asked. "How will you run it? I doubt you'd want to make one of those cores yourself."

"I figured I would run it myself," the All-Mother said. "If someone actually gets to the end, they would have to face me. Well, an apparition of myself."

Her love squinted at her back. "Is this just an attempt to get to fight someone? And what do you mean with apparition?"

"A simulacrum made from mana that I control," Aperio replied with a shrug. "I would demonstrate, but I think you would agree that that is a bad idea."

"Well, yes," Caethya agreed, "but we could go somewhere else so you can show us. I'm pretty sure I know what you want to do, but I would like to see it nonetheless. You add a certain flair to things that I enjoy, after all."

"I do?" the All-Mother asked, leaning back slightly and placing a hand on her chest in mock disbelief. "I would not have guessed that overwhelming strength is what one would call a 'flair'."

Her love shook her head in reply. "I think you know perfectly well what I mean."

"Would the ritual site in my coffee shop be big enough?" Eleanor asked. "While I don't know what you mean, I still want to see it. As long as it's not dangerous."

Aperio sat up straight again and shifted her gaze towards the woman. "It is as dangerous as I am."

"So," the mortal mage began, "very dangerous, but not malevolent?"

"If that is how you want to phrase it, yes," Aperio replied, tilting her head slightly. "Though I am sure that some mortals here would claim that I am a rather evil being who has come to destroy the world."

"Technically not wrong," Caethya said. "The destroying the world part, that is. Once everyone has a Class, and the various species that have been in hiding can come out again, it could very well be argued that you have, in fact, destroyed the world they once knew."

The All-Mother stood up, the sand that she could hear many of the mortals complaining about remaining firmly on the ground and not on her. "They can think whatever they need to; it does not change the truth." She motioned for both Caethya and Eleanor to also rise. "I think it is time we leave. Unless you no longer want to see what I have in mind?"

Eleanor shot up, requiring a slight touch of Aperio's magic to not promptly fall back down again. "Yes!" she exclaimed, seemingly unaware of the All-Mother's help. "I must see what kind of thing she wants us to fight. It's probably gonna be something that the God, Gods?" She wrung her hands for a moment before she shook her head. "Whatever the thing you got from that weird realm actually is, would struggle with."

"I would hope it would not have difficulties with what I will put at the end of the dungeon," Aperio replied. "If it does, it is a lot weaker than it seems." Though, it might struggle to figure out a personality to use for the fight. They are all still in there, after all. I think.

She couldn't be one hundred percent sure that was still the case, as the being didn't really have more than a single Soul. But who is to say that a Soul cannot have more than one person? How that specific creation of hers worked was very much a mystery, but all Aperio could currently say for certain was that her being was too large for one. Maybe I should try to make another? The memories of her first failure were still in her mind, as fresh as the day it had happened despite the fact that she had forgotten it for millennia in between. If she was able to get a headache, that fact would have likely given her one.

"I mean," Caethya began as she stepped up besides Aperio, "it is weaker than I am and, all things considered, I am not that strong yet."

"Not that strong?" Eleanor asked, glancing at the Elven Demigoddess. "What, exactly, is considered strong where you are from?"

"She is," Aperio replied. "Perhaps she is underestimating herself or maybe she is being needlessly humble, but I can assure you that my love could take on most anything that is short of an Elder God."

Perhaps she should devise a challenge of sorts for her love to partake in. Ever since she had gotten her Class, Caethya had not really had a chance to test herself properly. Perhaps a little bout with her would be fun… Though Aperio was looking for a good fight, and her love wouldn't really be able to deliver that, a friendly spar would not only be fairly fun but it would likely help her to grow as well.

"Elder God? Like Cthulhu or something?"

"Cthulhu?" the All-Mother asked, tilting her head at the name. "I cannot say I know someone with that name, but an Elder God is simply one that achieved their status as a deity a long while ago, nothing more.

"In any case," Aperio continued, a flick of her wrist causing the towels they had used to appear neatly folded in her hand, "I think we should leave."

"Don't do that," Caethya said, poking the All-Mother's side with her finger. "Normal mortals don't teleport towels into their hands."

"Force of habit." It really had been. She had simply not thought about it for a moment and wanted to get going. "What is done is done, so let us go and not dwell on it."

"To the cafe!" Eleanor exclaimed and immediately began walking away, followed shortly thereafter by both Aperio and Caethya.

The mortal mage seemed a bit more… upbeat than usual, but Aperio chalked that up to the fact that she was about to witness some magic that nobody on Earth could use. In the end, the reason for her excitement did not matter. Aperio needed to provide something to allow the mortals to level, and this option gave her the opportunity to perhaps enjoy a bit of fighting of her own.

GamingWolf

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