Anti-Mage

Before Maggie led him into the city, Anton introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet you, Anton, just follow me. I'll lead you to the node at the center of the city, and then I'll buy you a drink and a meal if you're hungry, as a thank you for getting me out of that mess.

"That sounds great, Maggie. Thanks," Anton said.

While Anton followed Maggie through the large city, he pulled up his Status Screen. Level 74, nice. He quickly checked his main attributes.

Hit Points: 17,921

-Health Regeneration: 15

Stamina: 17,664

-Stamina Regeneration: 8802

Mana: 17,379

-Mana Regeneration: 884

Psychic Energy: 17,379

-Psychic Regeneration: 1,704

Strength: 8,860

Agility: 8,862

Dexterity: 8,801

Endurance: 8,801

Constitution: 17,577

Perception: 8,862

Intelligence: 8,857

Wisdom: 8,799

Willpower: 17,050

Charisma: 8,857

Luck: 257,939

He hadn't reached level 100, so there was no need to worry about shards for his Uncommon Primary or Evolutionary Core…yet.

Anton was drawn out of his thoughts when Maggie asked, "So, Anton, how did you find me?"

"Complete accident, "Anton said with a smile.

"A happy accident for me, then. I think I'm going to put a few more points in luck when I get the chance."

"Luck is always a good bet," Anton agreed.

Maggie led Anton around a corner to a central area of the city with roads that spoked off of a circular structure with a node floating on a pedestal at the center. As Anton watched, people appeared and disappeared at the edge of the circle.

As Maggie led Anton toward the node, she explained, "Since you've never been here before, this node is a bit different. When you get to the edge of the platform, you'll be considered to be touching the node."

Thanks, Maggie," Anton said as he stepped up to the node and added it to his Node Path. As he stepped back to Maggie, he asked, "If I wanted to use this to go to another node, I just come here then?"

"Yep, it's why all the buildings along the street nearby are either hotels, taverns, or shops. Traverse is a major hub for the Labyrinth. You can get almost anything you want here. Also, there is a strict no-combat rule within the city, which is enforced by the city. Self-defense is allowed, but if you are the instigator, the Labyrinth usually intervenes.

"Intervenes how? Anton asked.

"No one's really sure. People just vanish. They're not killed outright as far as anyone can tell, but they are sent a very long way away, and their access to the node here is blocked. There are a few old-timers who say they've come back the long way after being sent away."

"What does that mean?" Anton asked.

"They had to find a node and then traveled to the closest node to Traverse and then walked on in," Maggie explained.

"So, no combat then, got it," Anton said.

Maggie pointed at a building down one of the side streets, "Now, you got me out of that dungeon cellar and saved me, so let me get you that drink, follow me!"

As they stepped into the tavern, the man behind the bar called out, "Maggie, you're back!"

"You know you can't hold a good girl down," Maggie shot back.

"You, Good, Bah. Now get over here and let me look at you."

"Now don't you go getting all protective, A beer for me and my friend, if you please?"

"Coming up," he said as he grabbed a glass and started to fill it from the tap. As they walked up to the bar, both beers were poured and set out for them. "There you are, Maggie," he said as he slid the other glass over to Anton, his facial expression making it clear he was wondering who he was.

Anton nodded in thanks, "Name's Anton. Thanks for the beer."

"Welcome to Bob's Bar. I'm Bob, and this is my Bar," he said with a laugh, "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks, Bob, "Maggie said as she led Anton to a table.

Over the next hour, they drank more than two beers and ordered food, which Maggie put on her tab. After they finished their meal, Anton asked, "So, Traverse. How many people who are here come from outside the Labyrinth?

Maggie laughed, "Anton, everyone here is from outside of the Labyrinth. In the past, this area was an oasis at a major crossroads. People moved in, and as the population increased, the area of the oasis expanded. Later, more entrances and exits to the oasis were added in the form of portals. Everyone who stayed has helped build this city up in some way."

"So how do the various businesses here restock?"

Maggie looked at Anton like he'd asked a stupid question, which, coming from a barbarian, probably meant it was a stupid question. As the answer came to him, she said, "There's a node."

"There is, isn't there?" Anton said, followed by a self-deprecating laugh. "So, what's next for you, Maggie?"

"After we're done here, I'm going to head home. My party is dead, so I have some friends to mourn and families to notify, for those that had families anyway. After that, I'll need to join a new party. How about you?"

"Me?" Anton asked as he considered the question before he asked, "Do you know if Traverse has some good merchants and vendors?"

"Merchants and vendors. Within two blocks of the node, down any main street, there are merchants and vendors for almost any item you could think of."

"Any item I can think of?"

"Sure, there's even a couple of merchants that sell some weird mechanical things that I don't really know how to describe. I'm more of a hit them with a hammer or axe type."

"Fair enough," Anton agreed. "Well, thank you for the meal, and I wish you well. I'm going to go find a vendor. I need to see what kind of shards and cores I can find here."

"You'll want to check Marvin's. He's been in the business for a while, so his costs will be a bit higher." Maggie paused when he gave her a puzzled look. "You do know that someone with a higher merchant will always buy cheaper and sell for more than someone without a merchant skill?"

"Doesn't Charisma have a bit to do with it?"

"It does, but the skill will always adjust the cost more," Maggie said. "Anyway, Marvin is one of the higher-level merchants, so he has higher prices, but he will also have a greater selection.

"Thanks, Maggie," Anton said as he placed a gold coin on the table.

Maggie picked up the coin. "What's this for?"

"The information and to give you some spending money, because no offense, you're practically naked."

"I have good credit, but I'm still not going to say no to free money. By the way, Marvin's is on this road. Take a left as you leave; it's the fourth entrance on your left."

"Thanks, Maggie," Anton said, and then added, "Be seeing you."

"Be seeing you."

Anton stood and walked out of the Tavern without looking back. With a Constitution of 17,577, he hadn't been able to get a buzz off the beer. As he'd relaxed, he'd noticed that no one in the bar seemed to be above Rare Tier.

Anton was drawn out of his thoughts as he stepped into Marvin's shop, and a female with elven, or Vulcan, like ears and blue skin spoke to him in common, "Welcome to Marvin's Shards and Cores. My name is Aqwas. Within these walls, you will find the largest selection of shards and cores within ten waypoints. Is there something specific you are looking for, or are you just looking around?"

Anton smiled and then asked, "Aqwas, is there a way you can check my SYSTEM credits before we get started, so that you know I'm serious when I ask for expensive items.

"Of course, Sir, follow me," Aqwas said before she turned and walked over to the counter next to what looked to Anton like an old-fashioned cash register. "Please put your hand on the counter. There will be a prompt to allow access to your banking information."

Anton placed his hand on the table, and with a thought, he gave access to the shop, and a horizontal screen on the countertop beside his hand displayed his current balance.

Current Balance: 1,000,160,691,433 Credits

"That of course doesn't count the 49,929 silver or the 1,102 gold I'm also carrying, Anton said with a smile."

"Sir…" Aqwas started to say with wide eyes before Anton cut her off.

"Anton," he corrected,

Aqwas took a deep breath and visibly calmed herself. "It would seem that your credit is very good. What can I help you find?"

"I am looking for sixty different uncommon class shards, or six different specialty cores. I'm also looking for sixty uncommon evolutionary shards or six different uncommon evolutionary cores," Anton said.

"Sixty, or six of each?"

"Yes. By the way, how much would that cost?" Anton asked.

"Sixty different uncommon class shards would cost 78,000 credits.. If you chose to pick up six uncommon class cores instead, that would be 780,000 credits. Uncommon evolutionary shards are much rarer and therefore cost more. Sixty uncommon race-specific shards will cost 780,000 credits. Six uncommon evolutionary cores will cost 7.8 million credits.

Anton looked thoughtful for a moment before he asked, "Do you have sixty Rare Class-specific shards and sixty Rare Race-specific Evolutionary Shards, and is the cost going to follow the same pattern and be ten times as expensive?

"Yes, Sir, we have a wide selection of Common, Uncommon, and Rare shards and cores. Advanced and higher-ranked shards and cores are much harder to come by in this region of The Labyrinth. As your credit is good, how would you like me to pick the shards?

Anton smiled, "My goal is to pick sixty different ones for each type and rank. If we can do it, make the more common shards uncommon and the rarer shards rare."

"So if there are repeats between the ranks, you do not want any repeats?" Aqwas asked.

"Exactly," Anton agreed.

Aqwas looked thoughtful for a moment before she asked, "Did you absorb a lot of different class shards at Common rank?"

"Yes, I combined 52 different classes."

"Hmmm. You do realize that the number of classes is finite. If you can absorb six different cores, I would suggest doing so. Please allow me to see the list of classes you've absorbed, and I'll review what we have that you haven't yet absorbed. Then I would suggest that you consider choosing class category cores, as they'll provide a more specific benefit, giving you access to special skills and perks. As for the Evolutionary shards, I should be able to provide what you're asking for there. There are way more than 180 different races available, though there will be a lot of similarity between races, and as you progress through the ranks, you'll probably run into the same problem and need to specialize.

"Very well," Anton agreed, "The classes I've absorbed so far are: Alchemist, Aristocrat, Barbarian, Brawler, Cleric, Commoner, Expert, Fighter, Guard, Minstrel, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard, Acolyte, Adept, Bard, Hedge Wizard, Initiate, Inquisitor, Investigator, Monk, Ranger, Shifter, Slayer, Sorcerer, Summoner, Vigilante, Witch, Arcansit, Hunter, Oracle, Pact Scion, Paladin, Shaman, Sigil Mage, Skald, Spellblaze, Swashbuckler, Warder, Cavalier, Druid, Gunslinger, Warpriest, Antipaladin, Bloodrager, Magus, Ninja, Rune Master, Samaurai, and Shadow Master. "

Anton paused for a moment before he continued, "As for my Evolutionary Core, I've added the following races to it: Aarakocra, Bugbear, Bullywug, Drow, Duergar, Giff, Githzerai, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Grimlock, Hobgoblin, Jackalwere, Kenku, Kobold, Lizardfolk, Werebear, Wererat, Weretiger, Werewolf, Merfolk, Orc, Human, Sahuagin, Skulk, Thri-Kreen, Troglodyte, Cyclops, Ettin, Hill Giant, Ogre, Imp, Boggle, Hag, Nereid, Pixie, Xorn, Mephit, Gargoyle, Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Water Elemental, Dragon Turtle, Faerie Dragon, Flesh golem, Clay Golem, Ki'rin, Mastiff, Cloaker, Choker, Zombie, Will-O'-Wisp, Vampire, Skeleton, Revenant, Nightwalker, Eidolon, Wight, Banshee, and Specter."
"Truly, you absorbed all of those into your Common Cores?"

"Yep."

"I will admit that I am quite curious as to how that is possible, but it would be considered rude to ask, so let me take the lists you've given me and go look through our inventory. First, though, may I escort you to one of our VIP rooms where you can rest and receive refreshments before I leave to work on your order?" Aqwas said as she stepped from behind the counter and led Anton down a hallway to a room.

As Anton stepped into the room, He noticed that it was very elegantly furnished, complete with murals and paintings. The layout reminded him of some of the more plush settings he'd seen in the areas visited by the nobility in Europe. In the middle of the room stood a large rectangular table covered with what appeared to be velvet. Off to the side of the room was a small table with a bottle of something sitting in a small bucket of ice. Also on the table was a small tray of crackers, meats, and various cheeses. With a very comfortable-looking chair in front of it, "Very nice," Anton said.

"Yes, Sir. Please make yourself comfortable. I will check on you periodically while I go through our stocks and bring the items you've requested."

With that, she left through a door in the back of the room, and Anton moved over to the plush chair by the smaller table with the refreshments on it. The bottle contained a type of wine that had a nice, sweet flavor, reminiscent of a red wine, but it tasted more like a vanilla mead. It wasn't quite one or the other, but it tasted divine. The meats, cheeses, and crackers were also very good and complemented the wine without ruining its taste.

Anton sat back and relaxed while he waited. About an hour later, Aqwas reentered the room, smiling, "I believe we will be able to accommodate your needs, "As she handed a tablet to him. "We do have sixty shards for both the Primary and Evolutionary Cores in the Uncommon and Rare ranks, if you'd like to view the list," Aqwas said as she released the tablet into Anton's hand as he reached for it.

Anton looked over the two lists, which had been put into four alphabetized paragraphs.

Primary Core Shards:

Uncommon Class Shards: Abjurer, Acrobat, Adventurer, Aeromancer, Aeronaut, Apothecary, Arbalester, Arbiter, Archeologist, Archer, Armorer, Artificer, Assassin, Astrologer, Bandit, Battlemage, Binder, Blacksmith, Brewmeister, Brigand, Cavalryman, Charioteer, Chevalier, Corsair, Crossbowman, Crusader, Defender, Dervish, Diplomat, Dirgesinger, Duelist, Enchanter, Engineer, Fencer, Forrester, Grappler, Guardian, Healer, Herbalist, Hermit, Hypnotist, Infiltrator, Jester, Machinist, Magician, Mercenary, Merchant, Miner, Mountaineer, Occultist, Pathfinder, Pugilist, Raider, Rifleman, Ritualist, Scavenger, Scout, Shapeshifter, Tactician, Wanderer

Rare Class Shards: Alienist, Animist, Armiger, Avenger, Beastlord, Beastrider, Beguiler, Berserker, Bishop, Blackguard, Bladesinger, Bloodmage, Bravo, Champion, Channeler, Chronomancer, Conjurer, Cursebearer, Deathknight, Demolitionist, Diabolist, Diviner, Dragonrider, Dragoon, Dreadnaught, Dreamwalker, Earthspeaker, Elementalist, Empath, Evoker, Executioner, Exorcist, Explorer, Fearmonger, Firedancer, Fleshwarper, Frostmage, Fusilier, Gadgeteer, Geomancer, Gladiator, Gravecaller, Guerilla, Gypsy, Harbinger, Heirophant, Herald, Hero, Knight, Marauder, Medium, Mentalist, Planeswalker, Soldier, Spy, Thief, Tinkerer, Transmuter, Warlock, Warlord.

Evolutionary Race Shards:

Uncommon Rare Evolutionary Shards: Ankylosaurus, Astral and Ethereal variants of Dragon, Dwarf, Elf, Giant, Gnome, Horse, Hound, Human (Celestine/Ethinine), Panther; Giant forms: Dwarf, Gnome, Elf, Elk, Hound, Human, Mimic, Skeleton; Basilisk, Carrion Stalker, Doppleganger, Grell, Harrow Hound, Hell Hound, Hook Horror, Kuotora, Lava Elemental, Lizardfolk, Manticore, Mecron, Minotaur, Mummy, Nightmare, Otto, Phase Cat, Spider, Wolf; Shadow forms (Dragon, Dwarf, Elf, Giant, Gnome, Horse, Human, Panther); Siren, Werepanther, Werelion, Winterwolf, Xill, Yeti.

Rare Evolutionary Race Shards: Acquaran, Airlia, Akaali, Amaut, Amethyst Dragon, Angara, Antarian, Archelon, Aslan, Atraxi, Barghest, Chuul, Couatl, DeathBeetle, Dragon Turtle, Draconian, Ebondeath, Emerald Dragon, Ettin, Fate Hag, Gaj, Ghost, Giant Snake, Horror, Incubus, Iron Cobra, Kelpie, Merregon (Devil), Pech, Psionic Goblin, Psionic Vampire, Ruby Dragon, Saphire Dragon, Shadow Demon, Stonemelder, Succubus, Sweettooth Horror, Wankh, Wereboar, Werevulture, Winged Lion, Winathians, Withers, Xandarian, Xchagger, Xenu, Xindi, Xyrillian, Yahg, Yautja, Yehat, Yor, Yridian, Zabrak, Zaldans, Zenetan, Zerg, Zin, Zorgons, Zyrgorkin

Anton laughed as he thought about the God of Conflict and how much he'd meddled with the mortals as he read over the names of monsters and races. He was sure one of the race names was for the Predators, and he recognized various other race names from television shows he'd watched. Also, a lot of those races look like monster names from tabletop games he'd played. How many other individuals from the 9th Iteration were still around and influencing the 10th Iteration?

Honestly, it didn't matter. This would give him everything he needed to upgrade his cores when he reached level 100.

"This is perfect!" Anton exclaimed.

Aqwas smiled, "Excellent, Sir. The total cost is 17,160,000 credits. "

"Totally worth it. There is nothing like one stop shopping," Anton said as he sent the require payment through the SYSTEM.

"Thank you, Sir," Aqwas said as she placed a ring on the table. "If you would transfer all of the shards to your inventory."

Anton picked up the ring and transferred the contents into his Portable Exchange. He put the ring back on the table, "Thank you again, Aqwas. One last question, If I wanted to join a group that is heading out into the Labyrinth, where should I go?"

"That's easy, Sir, The Adventures Guild."

"Can people just leave Traverse by themselves and go deeper into the Labyrinth if they wish to?"

They could, but doing so is dangerous. The Adventurers Guild keeps track of the various paths and their relevant danger. You wouldn't want to end up in an area that was higher than Common Rank, would you?

Anton thought about bragging, but thought better of it. Using Traverse as a base of operation while he went out with various parties would give him a better idea about how the Labyrinth worked and what he could expect to deal with when he finally did head off on his own.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Where is the Adventurer's Guild?" Anton asked.

"It's one street over, clockwise around the center, and almost at the center of the city, where the node is. You can either walk back to the center of the city and around the corner, or you can cross through a side street, your choice."

Anton stood as he said, "Thank you again, Aqwas," before turning and leaving the VIP room, then the store. He noticed the various pickpockets looking to attempt to steal from him. He made sure to stay away from them. A few even tried to sneak up on him while stealthed, but immediately chose different targets when Anton looked directly at them. While he didn't have a specific skill or spell to break through Stealth, his Intelligence and Perception were high enough to see through any Stealth-based attempt from the common thieves in the city.

Suddenly, one of the thieves he'd stared down teleported behind him. He knew this because he felt the slight air pressure change and heard the pop. Anton, without thinking about it, drew his Epic Shortsword as he dodged forward, into a roll which allowed him to turn, jump forward and thrust the shortsword up between the blade, and over the attackers right bicep as he pulled out to the attackers right which force the blade to go wide from the attack it had already missed and dislocated and then broke the attackers elbow with the strength Anton used.

Anton changed grips while it was wedged from his right to his left hand and then backhanded the thief with the full force of one of his strikes as a called shot to his temple. There was a loud crack, and the thief dropped the dagger in his right hand, which Anton caught, before his eyes rolled up and he started to fall away from Anton unconscious. With a quick twist of his wrist, Anton made sure that his sword did not cut the thief as he fell to the ground.

A sudden change in air pressure, and a man in silver full plate armor appeared next to Anton, "Hold!"

Everyone around Anton froze as the man who looked like a knight looked around, pulled a gem from his inventory, and then looked around again. A moment later, he touched the thief who vanished. He stood, and a bubble that blocked the ambient sounds outside surrounded only Anton and the knight.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Would you like to hand over the dagger as evidence or would you like to keep it?

Anton quickly Analyzed the dagger and realized that it was a Common dagger with poison on it. Anton produced a scabbard that should fit the dagger from his inventory and sheathed it before handing it over, "It's poisoned, so be careful, even if it's only a common dagger. May I ask what will happen to him?

"New to Traverse, I take it?"

"Yes," Anton agreed.

Well, petty crimes like pickpocketing and such lead to a week-long suspension from visiting the city, and you get escorted to a portal or gate that leads into the Labyrinth or your home world, if there is one in the city. Violent crimes, such as attempted murder or murder, get you ejected from the city in one of two ways. As that individual tried to assassinate you, once he's fully healed, he will be teleported to a random location at least ten waypoints away from here and is permanently exiled from reentering this city. As for you, had you killed the man in self-defense, you would have also been on the hook for murder. In that case, you would have been escorted out of the city, but you would have been able to return to Traverse after a month.

"That doesn't sound very fair, exiling those that defend themselves?" Anton said.

"The Law is that if you murder someone, you are removed from the city as quickly as possible because, as you have demonstrated, there are ways to deal with those who attack you without killing them. Now, what happens after you leave Traverse is no concern of ours. If that is all, I have other rounds to make?"

"Thank you for answering my questions. Please, have a good day," Anton said. A moment later, the knight vanished.

As the bubble of silence disappeared, Anton heard a comment before the voice cut off.

"That was the leader of the Red Dagger Guild. He didn't even…"

"Shhh," another voice said before Anton could turn and see who had said what.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it now, so he continued down the street on his way to the Adventurer's Guild. When he rounded a corner, he made sure his Class indicated that he was a Fighter with his perk Designate Class. Ironically, no one followed or came within a hand's distance as he walked up to the Adventurer Guild's entrance. As he stepped through the doors, he was met with a chaotic scene as orders were being shouted throughout the room.

"I need a healer and three combat types. I'm going to tank. Lastly, we need someone who can get the injured back here quickly. The first four need to be Rare ranked, but that last slot, Anyone who can teleport others in an emergency will do!

Anton opened his perk page and checked his Labyrinth Walker Perk.

Labyrinth Walker

The SYSTEM and the Labyrinth have recognized you as the initiator of its creation within the 10th Iteration. As such, you are granted the ability to fast travel when within the Labyrinth once per day.

Once per day, you and up to four party members may teleport to any Labyrinth Node that you have unlocked.

Anton projected his voice, "I have the perk Labyrinth Walker. If you get me to the injured people, I can get them back here!"

"Sold, get over here," the party leader said as he snapped his fingers.

"Anton."

"Anton, get over here. Wait, are you in the guild?"

"That's why I'm here."

"Charlene!" the party leader called out as four other people rushed up.

As Anton rushed over to the party leader, a woman in a purple robe walked up.

In a much more reasonable voice, Charlene asked, "Anton, is it?"

"Yep, that's me."

Charlene held out her hand, showing a multicolored coin. As Anton took the offered coin, he felt energy pulse through him as he was scanned and a notification appeared.

You have found an Adventurer's Guild Interim Member Coin. While carried, either on your person, in your inventory, or in a storage device carried by you, this coin will display the following information to any member of the Adventurer's Guild who is currently carrying any of the membership coins available:

Name: Anthony (Anton)

Rank: Common

Class: Fighter

Level: 72

Labyrinth and Dungeon Specific Abilities, Titles, Perks, and Skills:

Valcirex Slayer I

Kobold Slayer III

Labyrinth Walker

Well, at least it didn't show all of his titles and perks, "Charlene. How do I become a full member?"

Charlene smiled as she said, "Usually, there's a fee. In your case, when you return, the fee will be waived, and you will receive the standard rescue mission reward of ten gold. After that, there's a monthly…"

"Charlene, we need to go; he can hear all of that when he gets back, which should be well before the rest of us."

As Anton stored the Guild coin in his Inventory, Charlene said, "Robert, or should I say, Dick, that's information he…"

Robert made a cutting gesture as he said, "Later! Alright, everyone is here. Here's the quick and dirty: someone found a portal into an Advanced Region of, well, someplace. It's near a Labyrinth node that I can get us all to, so we're going to travel there and then make haste to the new portal." Since our party is technically bigger than five, we will take the 50% Experience and Treasure penalty while Anton here is part of the party."

"Once we're on the other side and I have the node, I'll leave the party."

"No, you won't, you're not even a…

Anton shared an edited version of his Ability Immortal with Robert through the SYSTEM. As Robert's eyes went wide, Anton continued, "As I said, I'll be fine. Now, can we get going?

Robert looked at Anton like he wanted to ask a lot of questions, but visibly shook himself before he continued, "Okay, Gerald, Jess, Vance, Drez and Anton, follow me over to the Guild node, and let's get going."

Anton watched as all five of them touched the node and then vanished. Ten seconds later, Robert reappeared.

"Now it's your turn," Robert said.

Anton nodded as he put his hand on the Guild Node, added it to his Node list, and accepted Robert's destination. A moment later, he appeared in a standard node cavern with two exits and the other four members of the party.

Robert started walking toward one of the exits. "The good news is that we won't have to go deeper into this dungeon. "

Dungeon? Anton quickly touched the node and added the Adros Dungeon 117 Node-001 to his Node list.

"The bad news is that we have a five-mile run to the new portal."

As they exited the Dungeon into a cave. The cave was relatively shallow and exited into an area that reminded Anton of the Redwood forest. The trees were different, but they were large. As they ran through the forest, Anton noticed various types of wildlife running away from them. Deer-type creatures, rabbits, and even something that looked like a squirrel bounded away almost as quickly as they were moving.

Suddenly, Gerald's head exploded as a gunshot rang out. Anton dodged to the left as something whizzed by where his head had been, as the other four members of the party also tried to dodge. One other succeeded, Jess. Before the shooters could reacquire him, Anton increased his speed to maximum, adjusted his weight, climbed a tree, launched through the treetops, and landed on them, before he ran across the top of the trees to get behind their attackers.

They must have had some infrared or motion detection capability, because bullets began to come through the canopy. While they missed every shot, they were pretty damn close. Knowing that one shot could take the head off a rare-classed person, Anton kept moving, pulled out one of his wands, and started targeting a single target. Where he could, he kept trees between himself and the five targets. Their sensors were good, but they couldn't pick him up through the treetops as well as they'd like because…Damn! One of them had been able to take Jess out, while the other two had kept her suppressed. The attacks were doing almost nothing to the…

Anton immediately started moving away from the four on the ground and cast Invisibility as he adjusted his weight to net zero and jumped upward. He was pretty sure his Stealth skill wasn't going to work on these Advanced Technological Warriors, but magical invisibility might, especially if they were looking in the wrong place. If not, well, he'd die, and then he'd have to make his way back to the Labyrinth and teleport back to Traverse to let them know what he'd found because it didn't look like anyone but him was coming back from this trip alive.

Anton watched an armored stormtrooper, though the armor they had on looked more like something Bubba Fett would have worn. Anton watched as the trooper looked this way and that, checked the sky, which included glancing in Anton's direction, before he looked back down into the forest. Anton adjusted his weight slightly to suspend his upward movement as he watched the soldiers search for him through the trees.

For the next five minutes, they continued looking for him until they made their way back to the party he'd accompanied. Anton waited until they'd gathered together before he cast Fly, teleported ten feet down with his Ring of Blinking, and cast Invisibility again before he returned his weight to normal and allowed gravity to drop him to just above the trees. He didn't dare touch the trees because that might break his invisibility, so he started looking for a break in the treetops to allow him to get closer.

If he was being honest, there wasn't much he could do about these five armored troopers. Still, they were carrying weapons that utilized bullets, which meant that on the other side of that portal, if an invasion force was preparing to come through, there might be weapons he could acquire, or at the very least destroy.

Anton disregarded the armored troops and began heading in the direction they'd been traveling when they entered this world. He wasn't as fast while flying, as the spell only allowed him to fly at 68 miles per hour. Still, he found the portal and a complication within three minutes.

Below him, he saw what could only be described as a forward army camp being set up, which included a tower being raised that resembled a satellite dish on top. That would most definitely pierce his invisibility, and the game would be up. Of course, if there was ever a time for him to cast a fireball, it was now. Any race that shoots first when entering a new….

Anton's thoughts were interrupted when an armored individual came forward, holding the dead body of an elf he'd never seen before, though she looked like she might have been an Adventurer. Anton heard a chuffing sound from the individual before he threw the body to the dirt and said something in a language he couldn't understand.

Right there out in the open, they stripped the elf and poked and prodded the body with sticks and knives as they laughed. One even made a point to life and spread her legs…

That was it. Fine, they were assholes and perverts that the Universe wouldn't miss. At that moment, Anton decided that these fuckers were all going to die, all of them.

Anton flew down to the portal, which was guarded, and waited until there was a pause in the number of invaders coming through before he passed through the portal and stepped onto a much drier world. There was a tower on this side of the portal. As he looked around, he realized that this portal was created by technology. That meant that if he destroyed it, the portal should close. Then he remembered one of his new spells

Maintain Life

Rank: Common

Sphere/Domain: Absolute (Heavenly)

Range: 10 Feet

Mana Cost: 10

This spell heals 10 points of damage on the target immediately. It will also heal one point of damage per second for the next ten seconds. During this time, the target cannot be reduced below one point of damage by any means.

And one of the things he could do with his Perk Marked by Death

Marked by Death

…

Death's Interruption:

With a Touch, you may spend 100 conviction for each turn you would like to prevent the soul of your target from leaving its body. While this power can be utilized for nefarious purposes, it was initially designed to lock the soul of the target in the body, allowing healers the time they needed to repair the body before the soul fled into the afterlife. NOTE: The body of the target can still be damaged, and the target rendered unconscious; they just can't be killed while Death's Interruption is active. If Death's Interruption expires and the body has zero hit points, the target dies immediately.

Nothing said he couldn't use Death's Interruption on himself. He'd spend 1,200 conviction to put the effect on himself for two minutes. If he wasn't done in two minutes, he would probably need to reincarnate anyway. Also, he'd been wanting to see what "by any means" meant. Also, he realized, this was going to hurt. He quickly put all of his equipment in his Portable Exchange until he was invisible and completely naked.

Once he was ready, Anton spent his 1,200 conviction and targeted himself with Death's Interruption, which did not break his Invisibility.

Your soul cannot be removed from your body for the next 12 turns (Two Minutes) by any save Divine means.

Next, he cast Maintain Life, which broke his Invisibility. One of the guards nearby was quick enough to draw a pistol-sized firearm from a holster on his hip and shoot him in the chest with his pistol, which did an astonishing 8,264 points of damage; almost half of his 17,921 Hit Points. Not enough damage to kill him or overcome his 17,051 points of Willpower, which allowed him to ignore the pain and cast Fireball with 100,000 Psychic Energy from his Psychic Energy Reservoir. He did not activate his void core because he wanted to be able to continue using magic, and he probably needed access to mana to keep his health regeneration going.

A second shot slammed into Anton as he released the fireball aimed at his feet, one foot from the portal.

Unlike the times he'd cast fireball with void surrounding him, this time he got to see what happened from within the fireball, at least until his eyes melted.

Once his vision was gone and Echo Location was flooded with the noise of the explosion, Anton switched his mental attention to Combat and Event logs.

You have been hit for 8,264 damage

Hit Points Remaining: 9,657

You have cast Master-Ranked Fireball

You have been hit for 8,263 damage.

Hit Points Remaining: 1,394

You have received 100,000 Fire Damage.

Hit Points Remaining: 1 (Maintain Life 10)

You have received: 50,000 Fire Damage

Hit Points Remaining: 1 (Maintain Life 9)

You have received: 25,000 Fire Damage

Hit Points Remaining: 1 (Maintain Life 8)

You have received: 12,500 Fire Damage

Hit Points Remaining: 1 (Maintain Life 7)

You have received: 2,500,000 Damage due to secondary explosions

Hit Points Remaining: 1 (Maintain Life 6)

Local Portal has destabilized

Spatial Tear has formed

Hit Points Remaining: 1 (Maintain Life 5)

You have entered the Elemental Plane of Life

Hit Point Regeneration increased by 1,000%

Hit Points Remaining: 2 (Maintain Life 4)

Hit Points Remaining: 17 (Maintain Life 3)

Hit Points Remaining: 32 (Maintain Life 2)

Hit Points Remaining: 47 (Maintain Life 1)

As Maintain Life ended, Anton recast it, just in case. He had thought that he wouldn't have working fingers or a mouth to utilize in the casting. However, his body was regenerating very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that after two seconds, he at least had a body he could move around in, even if he felt incredibly weaker than normal. He knew in the initial explosion that his body had been reduced to a charred and burnt skeleton, and only two seconds later, he could move again.

As he thought about it, it did make some sense. If he were a level 0 Common human with average attributes, he'd have four to six hit points. With the 15 points of regeneration per second he had in this Elemental Plane of life, he would be fully healed in less than half a second. It appeared that his regeneration initially focused on recreating body parts and then began saturating his body with the energy that would sustain his life.

In this instance, though, all he cared about was that his idea had worked, even if it had hurt like hell. Before, he wasn't sure if he'd have survived without finding himself on the Elemental Plane of Life. Still, with this new insight, he was pretty sure this discovery meant that as long as his regeneration remained at least one per second, he'd be able to continuously cast Maintain Life, no matter how much damage he took. That spell really was heavenly. If his math were correct, it would be almost twenty minutes before he was fully healed.

Within a minute, he opened his healed eyes to find himself lying on moss-covered ground with trees all around. He could see where the spatial tear had scarred the ground, but this place was even healing the damage that had been done to the ground. It felt like everything was alive.

While Anton waited to be fully healed, he checked his Notifications. He quickly consolidated his gains and reviewed them.

You have killed 120 Advanced, average level 20, Shock Troopers.

You have killed 480 Advanced, average level 5, Selechi military support personnel.

You have indirectly killed 1,232,457 Advanced, average level 1, Selechi civilian personnel. As your attack did not directly result in the death of these individuals, only One-tenth experience was awarded, although full Conviction and Divine Energy awards are forthcoming.

You have been awarded 384,315 Silver.

You have been awarded the following Shards:

12 Advanced Shock Trooper Class Shards

12,370 Advanced Generic Class Shards

1,110 Advanced Generic Evolutionary shards

123 Advanced Slechi Evolutionary Shards

Congratulations! You have earned the ten Slechi Slayer Titles for slaying 1,233,057 Selechi.

220,000 XP granted

+50% to all Intimidation Challenges

+10 to any damage you cause Selechi

Congratulations, you have reached Common Rank Mimiker Class Levels 75 - 100.

Upgrade your Primary Core to improve your Rank to Uncommon.

Upgrade your Evolutionary Core to Uncommon to unlock your ability to choose an Uncommon Class and earn levels.

Congratulations, you have attained enough experience to reach Uncommon Class Level 100.

Congratulations, you have attained enough experience to reach Rare ClassLevel 100.

Congratulations, you have attained enough experience to reach Advanced Class Level 100.

Congratulations, you have attained enough experience to reach Master Class Level 100.

Congratulations, you have attained enough experience to reach Epic Class Level 100.

Congratulations, you have attained enough experience to reach Legendary Class Level 100.

Congratulations, you have attained enough experience to reach Mythic Class Level 100.

You must upgrade your Primary and Evolutionary Cores before the Class experience can be applied for each given Class rank.

Note: 193,550,000 experience has been banked until after you unlock Mythic Class level 100. Any experience earned from this point will be added to this banked experience.

Anton closed his Notifications and smiled. It looked like his luck attribute was working overtime, or maybe Fate, with a capital "F" didn't like the fact that he'd been reset when the 10th Iteration happened. It was kind of funny how things worked out.

Once he was fully healed, Anton pulled out his Uncommon Class shards and added them to his Primary Class Core.

Would you like to combine the Uncommon Class Shards: Abjurer, Acrobat, Adventurer, Aeromancer, Aeronaut, Apothecary, Arbalester, Arbiter, Archeologist, Archer, Armorer, Artificer, Assassin, Astrologer, Bandit, Battlemage, Binder, Blacksmith, Brewmeister, Brigand, Cavalryman, Charioteer, Chevalier, Corsair, Crossbowman, Crusader, Defender, Dervish, Diplomat, Dirgesinger, Duelist, Enchanter, Engineer, Fencer, Forrester, Grappler, Guardian, Healer, Herbalist, Hermit, Hypnotist, Infiltrator, Jester, Machinist, Magician, Mercenary, Merchant, Miner, Mountaineer, Occultist, Pathfinder, Pugilist, Raider, Rifleman, Ritualist, Scavenger, Scout, Shapeshifter, Tactician, and Wanderer to increase your Common Primary Augmented Core to an Uncommon Primary Augmented Core, Yes or No?"

Anton chose "Yes"

Congratulations, Your…

Anton tuned out the Notifications before he combined and added his Uncommon Evolutionary Shards next. When it offered him classes, the list included every class from the shards he'd just absorbed and the Common-ranked class shards he'd absorbed before, as well as the Mimiker Class. Anton Chose Mimker for his Uncommon Class.

He repeated the process for Rare Augmented Core and Evolutionary Core and again chose Mimiker. When it was all said and done, he'd added 6600 to each of his Attributes, and a couple of his perks had also been upgraded. If he wanted to, he could increase his Rank to Advanced with the Selechi Generic Class Cores and Generic Evolutionary Cores. Doing so would undoubtedly let him utilize the Master Ranked Spells he had with little difficulty, but he'd miss out on an opportunity to add another 60 classes and races that he could mimic with the perks his class lent him.

Nope, he'd wait. He could teleport back to Traverse and hit Marvin's up one more time. He might even be able to get both Advanced and Master ranked shards if he were willing to pay the price. He'd been thinking about this a lot, and the Core of one rank lower was effectively a shard, so if he combined ten Rare shards and created a Rare Core, he might be able to upgrade his Rare cores to Advanced within sixty Rare cores in each category. It was worth a try. Besides, he had all of the Selechi cores to sell or trade, so it wasn't like he'd even touch the credits the SYSTEM was tracking, not yet, at least.

A quick check of his perks showed that Echo Location had increased in range to 6,000 feet. He quickly tested control and was relieved to see that he could turn it off and on at will. He could also limit its range based on the frequency at which he sent the pulse, which was a nice feature. Instead of 6,000 or 60 feet, he set the range at 100 feet for now. That should warm him if anything came too close.

There were many other things he needed to do. The top of that list was to visit Marvin's, but first, he needed to get back to Traverse and let them know what happened to the rest of the Adventurers, as well as let them know they had a possible war popping up in the near future. He might have stalled the Selechi for now, but he was reasonably sure that whoever these Selechi were, they were bad news.

With his new Rare Cores, a Constitution of 57,610, and a Willpower of 57,084, he was pretty sure he could channel the 100,000 psychic energy he'd use when casting his Master-ranked Teleport, but just in case, he spent 600 conviction on Death's Interruption for himself and cast Maintain Life. Before he attempted to cast his Master Rank Teleport

Then he stopped dead. How could he have forgotten that he'd kept the lower-powered version of that spell? When his attempt to teleport failed, he pulled up the information on his spell.

Teleport (Master)

Rank: Master

Sphere/Domain: Space

Range: 10,000 Feet

Energy Cost: 1 Psychic Energy per use

This spell allows you to teleport to any place you can see within 10,000 feet.

Other Versions of this Spell will allow you to teleport much further and even across dimensional boundaries. That functionality was sacrificed to reduce the casting cost of this version.

It looked like if he wanted to get home anytime soon, he was going to need to find a way out of this elemental plane and back into the Labyrinth first.