Chapter 42: Alerts

Chapter 42: Alerts

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryugii. This has been pulled from his Spacebattle publishment. Anyway on with the show...errr read.

Alerts

Once skeletal branches were now adorned in leaves and flowers of every color, blossoms growing on bark and branch as much as anywhere else. Standing out against it were deep discolorations where Autumn had once been wrapped around the tree, marking where the organic material of the two plants had melded together to create something new. Though once an Ash tree, the plant amalgam seemed unable to decide what it would be now and its structure and design varied from branch to branch, the bulk of its truck shuddering and shifting occasionally as it followed suit. Around the lesion-like remnants of their fusion, the tree's bark seemed to ripple in slow motion, setting down patterns and colors and even the occasional half-formed image as it changed. In one place it might be smooth, in another covered by almost scale-like patterns, though some of the oddity was hidden by the growth of the even stranger flowers.

Before, the flowers had been varied, the result of many different plants coming together. A lotus might burn with the colors of fall or a carnation might slowly take on more aspects of a lily, slowly creating something distinct and different and new in each blossombut all leading back to some recognizable source, if you knew what to look for. A specific flower might combine a shape with a strange color or a find a middle point between two extremes, but you could still see where it came from.

But Autumn had grown beyond such things now. Flowers I couldn't identify grew from the wood of the tree or rose from the dirt around it, reaching up from the roots. A flower would fall away and something more vibrant rise in its place, white petals catching the light strangely and sending it back in opalescent shades. A fern-like leaf would twitch once and close, as if growing in reverse. Vines would fall from branches and twitch occasionally, curling oddly. I could recognize it all, ascribe traits to plants I'd seen and studied and knew existedbut they weren't plants I'd given to Autumn.

It was strange. What had once been a simple tree now seemed almost alien, something unreal. Beautiful in some ways, but also something that put you on edge, something that looked wrong. And yet

"You've grown a lot," I said, smiling. Though someone else might have been frightened or alarmed, I wasn't off put in the slightest by Autumn's changes. Part of that may have been the Gamer's Mind, part of it might have been that I knew my own powerand part of it might have simply been that I was feeling bizarrelyhopeful. And to the extent that I felt nervous, it was for a different reason. "I've said it before, butmy name's Jaune Arc. I was the one whowell, who woke you up. I'm kind of your father, you could say. I, uh, I even gave you a name. Autumn, because you survived the Summer and because you have such beautiful leavesdo you know what Summer is? Or what, um.can you understand what I'm saying, now?"

Autumn's branches creaked slightly as they moved, shifting unnaturally in the windless night. There was the sound of leaves moving and brushing together, but even that seemedoff. Deliberate, maybe?

But she reacted to my words. She'd moved. It was still slow, cautious, and careful, but she'd reacted. I'd spent all night Observing her closely as I urged her to grow just a bit more. I'd leveled up Green Thumb greatly in the last few weeks and I knew Autumn's own skills had improved as she'd grown, but this

I'd actually done it. Before I left for Mistral, I'd wanted to do at least this much, to guarantee nothing went wrong in my absence. As she'd grown ever bigger, I'd known that taking her with me would be unfeasible, but I needed to ensure that she'd be okay. In the body of an ancient tree with roots set firmly down, supported by the many plants she'd made a part of herself, I knew that she'd surviveand if I'd gotten her far enough to be able to understand what I was saying and react to my words

It was thanks to my new skills, I thought with a fierce grin. I'd strongly suspected that reaching a hundred would give me something good, but three skills? That had surprised even me.

Medium Mana Capacity (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

An ability given to the few mana users that are born with an exceptional ability to handle mana.

Mana-based attacks are 15% stronger.

10% less MP used for all attacks.

Mana Regeneration (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

An ability given to those with a special heritage that allows for faster recovery of MP.

MP regeneration increased by 100%.

Clairvoyance (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP: 50

An ability given to those with the natural ability to clearly perceive the world through forms of Extrasensory Perception. Takes the form of enhanced visual acuity and perception beyond the limits of normal eyesight, as well as optical interpretation of information. Range, breadth, and visual processing increase with skill level, INT, and through related abilities.

Additional 50 MP used per minute.

All three were powerful skills even separately. Together, though? They were something else, both for what they said and what they didn't say. Medium Mana Capacity, even beyond the cost reduction to my other skills, seemed to havewell, increased my Mana Capacity, despite nothing indicating it. I wasn't sure why that was the caseperhaps it was a set amount that did not change as the skill improved?but it was and it meant I suddenly had a lot more MP to work with, especially with Mana Regeneration assisting it. Boosting my passive MP regeneration from one percent to two percent on top of my increased MP meant I could maintain far more skills than before, as well as restore my full power much more quickly.

Clairvoyance, the random ability I'd gotten for going over a hundred INT, didn't play into that combination directly, but made up for it by simply being an amazing ability all aroundso much so that I had to wonder if it was truly a random selection at all. Had I gotten lucky or had I gotten Lucky? Either way, I'd struck gold when I received it. At its most basic level, it improved my sight, allowing me to see far further and more clearly then I had with even Lenorebut then my Affinities and Skills came into play.

I wasn't sure if it was because I was a game character, butreally, it reminded me a great deal of some of the games I played. Sonar vision from Levant, thermal from Suryasta, what I assumed was EMF from either Vulturnus or Crocea Morsor perhaps boththe list went on and on. For a long time, I'd used them to perceive such things for me and notify me in abstract was, but nownow I could see it for myself.

And it didn't stop there. Perhaps it was because of my meditation or past experiences, butsurrounding Autumn, Gou, myself, and everything around usI could see Auras as clearly as if I was wearing Lenore, if not more so. When I'd used my power on Autumn, encouraged her growth with my own energy, I'd been able to see it with my eyes as well as feel it. When it came to applying Aura, the addition of 'sight' to what had formerly been only 'touch'

Gou barked, drawing me out of my thoughts and self-praise. He stood beside Autumn, front paws on the tree's truck and head stretched back to look at me. I saw patterns of dark colored Aura ripple and pulse around him, colliding with Autumn's own in a prismatic display as the tree continued to shift.

I frowned.

"Autumn?" I said again, watching her continue to sway her limbs, brows furrowing in concern as I approached carefully. Of course, she didn't reply except perhaps by shifting herself in my direction a bit more than others. Almost as if "Oh. Oh, no. Shit."

I continued my approach until I touched the tree as Gou had, hands flat against the truck. The movement of her branches halted as we touchedor rather, as my Aura touched her own.

God damn it

"I'd hoped that as you grew, with so many plants and such a high level" I sighed quietly, the happiness I'd felt at my power and success draining swiftly away. "But of course, you can't see, can you? The way you perceive the world is"

I reached out beyond her trunk, Aura extending to grasp her own. I held her like that for a moment, watching the light of my soul surround her own as she calmed, quieting slowly at the contact. I'd just been thinking of how much of a difference even one additional sense made when it came to Aura, but AutumnAutumn was blind. And deaf and numb and

"Idammit," I whispered, suddenly feeling exhausted and awful. "It'sI just"

I wondered to do. I meanthe life I'd created had suddenly gained awareness of the world, not merely as a plant but as a truly sapient creatureand one locked within a body that could not see or hear or feel, but for the touch of another's Aura. Something like that

It was a problem I had to make a priority. In comparison, the trip to Mistral was effectively meaningless; I couldn't leave her alone and scared for days or weeks, even if she could survive without me. If she'd been able to see and hearthat might have been different. I could have left her with my father, if I couldn't find another solution, or made plans, orbut

No, I told myself. First of all, none of that mattered. I shoved it from my thoughts and focused, gathering my power. As I touched her Aura with my own, I shifted my power in a careful pattern, tracing slowly.

"Can you hear me?" I said pointlessly. I wasn't communicating with her through sound, but through the touch of my Auraand not in the form of words, either, for what grasp would she have of language? Instead, I tried to give a feeling, to express something without words to someone who wouldn't understand anything I said. Really, what I was trying to do was something ridiculous, akin to teaching a language I didn't know to a newborn. If it was possible at all, it'd take years of trial and error to slowly establish meaning between us, but

But if it was me

"Please" I said quietly, repeating the message carefully, again and again and again. "Please"

A skill has been created through a special action! Through the repeated connection of souls, the skill 'Floral Communion' has been created to speak with plant life!

Floral Communion (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP: 40

The ability to comprehend and communicate with plants. At this level, simple communication with an appropriate target is possible, limited by the target's Intelligence and sense of its surroundings, as well as their ability to respond to stimuli.

Increased closeness with plants.

Duration: 30 minutes.

"Yes!" I near shouted, smiling again. "Hell yes! Thank you!"

Of course, with my ability, something like this was nothing. Really, I've done way crazier things, this was just

I used the skill and tried again, 'speaking' slowly to make sure I was understood. It wasn't much at all like talking, but it was something, and I was able to tell the nascent mind within the tree that I was here for her, who I was, and what was happening. I was able to connect my mind to hers slowly and hear her respond, however sluggishly. And so I tried to explain and allay her fears, keeping things simple as I did, even as I used the skill frequently to try and improve it. With my improved MP and Mana Regeneration, and with the skill's durationI cast it until I had almost no MP, and while the skill lingered, regained MP to cast it even more.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

As the skill improved, I tried to explain things to her, though I wasn't sure how much she truly grasped. I explained that I'd created her and how and why, told her about the world around her and tried to paint it in a way that she could understand. More than that, I tried to explain my power as the Gamer, tried to somehow convey what it meant. My power, the party system, the points she hadwas that the solution? It might well have been, but how did I explain that to someone who had no reference point?

Perhaps I should try something else. An Elemental, perhaps? I wasn't sure if it would work for this, but I could certainly try. Or, if not for me, then perhaps she could use an Elemental? The Affinity required for the skill and how difficult such a thing was to get for anyone who wasn't me rendered the ability pretty much impossible for me to teach to othersbut if anyone was likely to have aPlant Affinity, one would imagine it would be a sentient plant. I had options, was the point, I just had to figure out

A screen appeared before me so suddenly that I nearly stumbled back. It was one I didn't recognize, yellow in color, and I would have sworn at it if the Gamer's Mind hadn't calmed me. Instead, I look a deep breath and looked at it, figuring it might actually be important.

I stared.

You have 1 new message!

"What?" I murmured, looking around as if I might find a message box somewhere. I had a new message? What kind of message? From who? And how? The only messages I got were from

I paused before reaching into my Inventory with one hand, fishing out my scroll. Sure enough, the light was blinking, indicating that I had a new message.

I eyed it strangely. I suppose it wasn't that odd, relatively speaking. In games where you had scrolls and such, it wasn't uncommon for you to get an alert when you got somethingexcept I never had, even when I'd gotten messages in the past, so what was going on? Had my power changed somehow or

No, I thought as something occurred to me. This was something new and it just so happened that I had just gotten something new. I'd turned off most of my abilities to maximize my MP regeneration, but I'd left several on for being usefulincluding my new Clairvoyance. I'd kept it because being able to see my Aura made 'speaking' with it that much easier, but

It had interacted with my Elemental Affinities, I mused. Could it be interacting withI suppose it would be the Gamer's Body? It wasn't that hard to believe; the information I got from Observe appeared to me in the form of a pop-up window, so I knew stuff could work like that, but I hadn't

It didn't matter, I thought. Though a part of me was tempted to just ignore the damn thing, only a few people had my number, none of whom would call me for no reasonespecially at this time of night. So I opened it, keeping one had on Autumn's trunk reassuringly, and checked my messages. It was from Adam, I noticed with a bit of surprise.

"Underneath Blake's poised exterior lays a very grumpy cat," Adam said solemnly before smirking ever so slightly and kneeling to scratch Gou's ears. Where a month ago, that would have gotten him a probably-meaningless bite, now the dog allowed the contact, sniffing Adam's hand. "Tail's gone?"

"Took off the title," I answered, looking down at him. It struck me suddenly that Adam was beating around the bush.

Wow. This must have been pretty bad if Adam was hesitant to address it. I mean, if we were talking about clich's, Adam was the bull in awell, book shop, currently, but the fact remained. He could be subtle, careful, even cautious, but given the choice

In fact

Several thoughts connected all at once and I looked over my shoulder.

"Blake might not like dogs," I said, feeling the thought out. "But she was out there before I showed up. I thought maybe she was on watch, butif you thought there was a chance you were being followed, you wouldn't be here, would you?"

"No," Adam said, light gleaming off his mask. "I wouldn't."

"Then why?"

"Because it's White Fang business," He said, standing. "And above her pay grade."

Maybe that was true, I thought. But it seemed safe to assume it also meant 'she wouldn't approve.'

"White Fang stuff," I said aloud. "Stuff you can't even tell Blake? Then why tell me? Is this about Jian Bing?"

"No," He shook his head before pausing. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know."

"That covers just about everything," I nodded.

"There's something going on in Mistral," Adam said, ignoring my remark. "A deal that's been in the works for a while, maybe pushed forward byyou know what. The White Fang's putting the finishing touches on negotiations withsomeone."

"And I'm going to Mistral," I nodded, absently wondering how he knew that. "But, uhif this is big White Fang stuff, why not justnot tell me? I mean, you know I'm not gonna rat you out or anything, but it doesn't have a lot to do with me, either. Sowhy tell me about something you wouldn't tell Blake?"

"Because, you'll be in Mistral," He answered. "And I have zero faith in your ability to keep from getting wrapped up in this somehow."

That seemed fair, I acknowledged, but

"That's not all," I said, belief the words firming as I gave them voice. "There's more at stake hereyou said this was pushed ahead by what I did? Do they want me to?"

"Yes," He said and then. "And no. It's complicated."

"I can tell." I frowned.

"After word got out about your name and successit got a lot of attention and interest," Adam shrugged. "A lot of people want to meet you, bring you in on things, get you involved. But at the same time"

"No one knows a thing about me," I guessed. "Or what I think about things or what I intend to do. It's like a lot of people want to listen to me, but no one can guess what I'll say. Right?"

"Basically," He said, making me squint at him.

"And if she knew, Blake would want me to say one thing," I said. "And you and the leaders of the White Fang would want me to say something else. Right?"

"Basically," He repeated, sighing.

I cracked my neck.

"You should know already," I said. "I don't have a solution to the White Fang's problem. I can't appear and tell everyone to lay down their arms and embrace tactics that almost certainly won't workbut I can't truly support the things they do, either. If you're worried or hoping I'll make an appearance"

He nodded, unsurprised.

"I know," He said. "I already told the others you probably won't attend, but I figured you should at least know about it. Like I said, with your luck, there's a real chance of you getting involved somehow and I really don't want you to stumble into this blind."

'The others.'

I occurred to me that I never did find out what exactly Adam did in the White Fang, beyond break faces. I mean, I'd had my suspicions, of courseI didn't want to stereotype because everyone has a hobby, but his grasp of socioeconomics and politics was a bit better than I would have expected from, say, an enforcer. And now he was apparently playing the role of emissary to Jian Bing with everyone just accepting it

In fact, thinking about it, I never found out what role Blake played, either. Really, the only member whose purposes I actually knew was Tukson's.

I glanced at the store owner who toiled in the back room as we talked. He kept his head down and stayed out of the waybut I noted that he was still inside, despite Blake being kicked out.

Maybe, I appended. Maybe I knew what Tukson did.

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for the heads up. I take it that means you'll be in Mistral, then?"

Adam shrugged. I took it as a yes.

"Blake coming, too?" I wondered.

He grunted. I took that as a yes, too.

"Maybe I'll see you guys there, then."

"Hopefully not," He said, giving me a half smirk. "But probably yes. See you later."

He stepped passed me, reaching for the door.

"Hey," I stopped him suddenly and saw him turn his head slightly to show he was listening. "Can I ask you something? Well, two things, really?"

"Eh," He said, but didn't leave.

"Out of curiosity, how'd you know I was going to Mistral?"

"Maybe we were keeping tabs on you," He said, sounding amusing.

"My mom's been training me," I answered.

Adam clicked his tongue.

"Poor you."

"She's spent the last two months nearby." I continued, though I smiled at his words. I guess she had a reputation. "You weren't keeping tabs on me."

He chuckled.

"Fair enough," He said. "But you already know, don't you? How paperwork falls in all sorts of hands"

"Ouch," I said, trying to keep from smiling even as I felt a little concerned. "You would use my own spy magic against me?"

"Absolutely," He smirked. "Though I only saw it by accident. I recommend not being obvious about it if you don't want a lot of attention drawn you way, but you might want to look into why you're mother's going to Mistral in the first place."

"I'll do that," I nodded. "Andagain, out of curiosityand yeah, actually, you probably shouldn't tell me even if I won't say anything, butwho are the White Fang negotiating with?"

"You're right," Adam said, opening the door. "I shouldn't tell you."

As he turned around to close the door, though, he stopped for a moment and shrugged.

"A human," He said.

"A human," I repeated. "Like me?"

"No," Adam shook his head, closing the door. "Not like you."