Chapter 86: Totem, And Completely Distracted

I walked out of the bathroom with Jilly, and the two of us headed back outside and then back over to our apartment block.

"I am going to go get started on collecting supplies, but I need to take Mary with me. She has been lazy since you two had your fun last night, and I don't want to get attacked," Jilly explained as we walked.

"I am going to cook, and then I have to do my training with my new Totem Mark I got from Veronica the Sphinx," I said as I opened the door, but when I looked inside, there was no one downstairs.

"Mary will be in her room, but Lidy should be in the kitchen. Thank you for everything; I feel better now," Jilly said and then made her way up the stairs.

I smiled to myself and then made my way to the kitchen, but it was empty.

"I sent her off to do some tasks; you can deal with her when you get back from your training," Mex said as he appeared in front of me for once.

"Thanks, I have a long day ahead of me still with seams, but this time I want to make the last lesson last long," I said as I grabbed the sandwich.

It was on a plate with a note that said, "I'll be waiting, and I am getting tired of waiting, Mr." That said it all, and I scarfed the sandwich down and waved to Mex as I ran out the apartment.

I ran out to the front gate, and as I was about to turn on the speed, Spel called to me.

"Kazz! Hey! Wait for a minute!" Spel called to me, and I slowed to a stop and turned to him.

"Hey, what is it?" I asked, still jogging on the spot.

"I am sorry for Lidy, and I know that you are already dealing with a lot, but thank you!" Spel said as he bowed low.

"Don't act like that, you idiot!" Trig snarled, but Spel whipped his head to him, still bowing.

"You should be bowing to him as well! You're the idiot! The Master spoke to us not even a moment ago, and you have already forgotten what he said?" Spel sneered uncharacteristically at Trig, but Trig bowed quickly.

"Sorry, uh, sir," Trig said awkwardly from his bowed position, and I rolled my eyes but nodded to both of them.

"Don't sweat it, but I want you two to start paying attention, and at night I will have the Sphinx taking turns on watch from now on," I explained but then turned and took off.

I didn't really have time for small talk right now, and I knew that things were about to get a lot harder. I still didn't know how to activate the Totem Mark, but I was sure that Hero was just in the back of my mind waiting.

<The board I am playing on is frozen right now because of some new developments in the lower realm. So, for now, I am stuck here with you, but not in your mind by any means. Let's just say that I get notifications of a sort when you think about me.>

Do you mean like from an app on your phone?

<No, I sneeze, if you say my name, I have a sneezing fit, so use it very lightly.>

Do you mean I can't use the word hero unless I am calling you?

<No, you can't use my name, Hero. You can use the word hero as much as you want, but as soon as you link it to me in your mind, it will notify me, and I will make you pay if you do it just to mess with me!>

I was at the break in the trees now, so I slowed down; it was well into the day. There would be monsters out, and I was sure that Mex would not be here to babysit me, but that was good.

<All you need to do is call out your Totems name and then focus on it to activate it. To end it, you will need to release it from your mind, but it is hard to explain. You will know what to do when you are ready to end it, but stick to the plan and don't let it go.>

"Totem Mark of the Water Sphinx, come to me!" I called, reaching out my hand.

The power inside of me responded immediately, making me feel better about the dramatic pose I had struck. Strange blue lines that rippled like water started wrapping around my arms and the rest of my body, then they snapped tight.

Instantly, the world slowed, and I knew exactly why. I was in that place that made me think about everything, and now I was about to walk through the most dangerous gauntlet that I had ever been in.

Well, maybe my bedroom might prove to be more dangerous, but regardless of what happened, I needed to keep moving. I would have more than a monster problem if I was late back, and I didn't cook those damn eggs for Lidy.

I started walking, and I was completely aware of everything around me. Whenever a root tried to trip or grab me, I would easily sidestep it and dance around the plants with no problem; that wasn't my issue.

"Why does Mary still act like a little witch to me? What did I do wrong?" I asked out loud and started feeling like an idiot instantly after.

What did that matter?

A Kobold suddenly jumped from a bush on my right, and I grabbed it by the neck and broke it, not really sure if I did a proper job with Jilly. She seemed satisfied, but maybe she was just nice to me because I was doing the same for her?

"Raw- EEE," Kolbod said as I punted it out of the air.

[Shaman] Level 3 Acquired!

[Name]: Kazz

[Level]: 3

[Class]: Shaman

[Strength]: 3

[Dexterity]: 2

[Fortitude]: 4

[Wisdom]: 3

[Intellect]: 1

[Spirit]: 4

[Energy]:0

[Class Skills]:

<Plantspeak>{Rank 1}: Target a plant to speak to it. 55% chance of success. 10% chance of irritation.

<Totem Bond>{Rank 2}: Auto-Trigger: Totem Bond is triggered when a Totem Mark can be acquired. The target must express gratitude to you in some form in order to trigger Totem Bond.

[Bonds]:

{Water Sphinx Totem}: [Bond: Veronica]: Increase reaction, awareness, and thought process.

[Elemental Bonds]:

[Blessings]:

Nothing dramatic, just some stats boosts, and all my buffs were gone that I received. I would have to look at what the other buffs were doing for me after the other meetings.

I pulled out the Loose-Leaf Dagger and did a slow spin, dicing up to more kobolds as the blades fanned out like snakes. I started thinking about how quickly Mex started telling everyone about me taking over.

This guy just did not want to be in charge, but was there some other meaning behind this?