The Last Experience Point

As Queen Vayra delivered a message to Zach from Eilea, Zach tried but ultimately failed not to roll his eyes. Thankfully, Fylwen let it slide. Probably because, on some level, even she had to realize that this was just absurd to the point of insanity.

"So let me get this straight," Zach said as Kalana squeezed his hand where they sat together at the table in her kitchen. "Eilea baked me a cake for my birthday, but you're not letting me see it or have it?"

"Correct," Fylwen said. "There could be imagery or some other kind of hidden, secret message that we miss or only has meaning to you. It's also why I won't deliver her message to you verbatim. I'll just say that she wishes you a happy birthday, and that she hopes she can see you soon."

Zach sighed. "Can you send her my regards, at least?"

"Of course I can."

Zach had to speak just a little bit louder to be heard, as Kalana's home was abuzz with activity. The smell of cooking filled the air, and Zach really did feel honored by all the people who'd shown up. Still, it couldn't fill the void left by his missing friends. He'd always imagined Lienne, Rian, Olivir, Kolona, and Fluffles being with him on his 18th birthday. Jimmy, too.

But at least Kal is here, he thought.

Even though Zach came here less and less, her island still felt like home to him. No matter what, he'd never forget last summer, as every day of it would forever be burned in his head. In a matter of weeks, he'd gone from a schoolkid to an adventurer and then later a world leader. Gods, it was so strange to think of himself in those terms. Him, Zachys Calador, a world leader!

I miss being an adventurer, though, he thought, longing for the simpler times.

Through the window closest to Kalana's front door, Zach could see the sky beginning to turn orange; soon, darkness would arrive, and with its arrival, the all-night storm that rocked Elendroth every night would return. And though Elendroth had a warm, summer-like temperature all year round, it still followed the general day and night seasonal cycle that North Bastia did, meaning that night came very early this time of year. For that reason, Elendroth's continuous, nightly storm lasted for far longer. Coupled with the periodic but brief ones that rolled in several times throughout the day, there was a lot of rain this time of year.

"That smells good," Zach said, watching as two Elves wearing green cloaks cooked a meal for him and Kalana. He smelled garlic bread in the oven, something he knew Trelvor loved. He and Seiley were actually on their way here, apparently, and were just finishing up some chore or another. Zach was glad to hear that dinner wouldn't be served until after their arrival.

For the time being, Zach was content to simply relax and enjoy a moment of peace. He'd been so overworked lately that it was starting to become overwhelming. There was just so much to do, and it kept piling higher and higher every day. Actually, it caused Zach to feel a bit of guilt at the thought of shoving it all onto Grundor for a while once he left. But he knew Grund could handle it, at least in the short term.

It's Kalana I'm worried about. She won't be able to handle this.

Zach hadn't told her yet. But he would tell her. The last time he'd run off to do something in secret, he'd regretted it so much. No, he wouldn't sneak off as he'd done during his rescue of Vim Alazar; this time, he was going to be honest with her. That way, he could leave with a clear conscience.

But not yet. Later tonight.

As Zach turned his thoughts and hopes towards the remote possibility his friends were still alive, he began to go back and forth in his mind despite knowing it was a pointless endeavor. He did this a lot these days. First, he would convince himself that they had to still be out there somewhere, and he'd come up with a whole bunch of explanations as to why. He'd tell himself they were likely fine but stranded. Maybe there was no easily discoverable way back? Or maybe they weren't stranded, but Albion-4 was just so complex and massive that it was taking them much longer than anyone could've ever expected. There were so many reasons he could come up with, and all of them would briefly give him hope.

But then there was the other side of things. The part that caused his heart to race. The part that told him that Jimmy would've found some way to either get back or contact them by now. The part that told him that he was being foolish and deluding himself for thinking they could still be okay.

All of it was becoming too much. And that was why he needed to go there himself and see.

"Zach?" Fylwen said to him, causing him to look up at her where she stood across from him at the table.

"Yeah?"

"You have two men here to see you."

"Two men?"

She nodded. "I'm letting them in."

Zach watched as she made her way to Kalana's front door, opened it, and then Zach became confused as two middle-aged men he'd never seen before bowed before the queen and strolled their way into the home and directly towards where Zach sat with Kalana. Upon approaching him, they bowed to him in a similar manner.

"You probably won't recognize who we are without our uniforms," one of the men said. "My name is Onson, and this gentleman next to me is Relk. We're engineers from the OMP."

"Ahh," Zach said, surprised that people from the OMP were now openly identifying themselves as such. It must've been thanks to the queen that they now felt comfortable doing so and were likewise permitted by Adamus.

"It's good to meet you, Sir Calador."

"Just Zach is fine," he said, standing up from the table so that he could shake each of their hands. "You're here to see…me?"

"We are, Zach," the one called Relk said. "It's nothing serious, though. I was asked by a good friend to give you something just in the chance that you showed up here today."

"Give me something?"

He nodded and reached into a pack that was on his back, and from within, he pulled out a snow globe and a card. "Here you go, son," he said, setting them both down on the table.

The glass snow globe weighed less than it appeared and seemed to contain a miniature model of a blue-green world that looked a lot like Galterra but had different-looking continents. On the bottom of it, it read: Earth. Zach surmised it must've been a model of what the planet used to look like before the World Eater destroyed it and turned it into a red-skied hellscape.

Curiously, Zach opened the card, and then he felt Kalana's chin resting on his left shoulder as she scooted closer to him and read the contents inside along with him.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Dear Zach:

It has been a long time since we've spoken. You're still my hero, and I just wanted to wish you the happiest 18th birthday.

Love, Prila.

Zach smiled, and so too did Kalana. "Aww, that was so nice of her," she said. "Please tell Prila we said thank you."

"Of course, Princess Kalana," Relk said. With another series of bows, the two men turned around and left. But on their way out, Seiley and Trelvor at last came in. And now, finally, things began.

For the next two hours, Zach ate, drank, and made amicable conversation with those he knew as well as those he didn't. Dinner was fantastic, and so was the cake that Serafina baked for him. Afterwards, most of them had some coffee together, and then slowly but surely, everyone cleared out, leaving just him and Kalana alone.

"I miss spending time with you like this," Zach told her after the last guest had left and he'd closed the door.

"Me too," she said, speaking somewhat sadly.

"I remember wishing we could just stay here forever, me and you."

She laughed. "Maybe when we retire!"

Zach knew that Kalana would have to leave for Whispery Woods tomorrow, and for his part, Zach would be leaving early in the morning to return to his estate in Giant's Fall. But he was only planning to stay there very briefly to get his affairs in order. Afterwards, he'd collect as many healing stones as he could as well as some food and water. And then…

Then I find my answers.

Zach knew he was being impatient. He knew what he should do was wait for the next batch of adventurers to be ready. Zephyr was planning on dispatching a second expedition to follow the first. But that was supposed to have taken place months ago and was badly behind schedule. No, Zach needed to do this on his own. He couldn't involve anyone else, especially if all he ended up doing was leading them to their death.

I've grown so weak since I left the adventuring world, he thought. I need to experience fear again. I need to put myself through fire and flames.

Zach had grown way too soft since entering a life of luxury and service. He hadn't picked up a sword in so long, and he wasn't what he once was. That was just undeniable. The experience he'd gained was still inside him somewhere, of course, but he was rusty, and if he wanted to stop himself from atrophying in Giant's Fall, he needed to remember what it was like to fight to survive as he used to do.

He couldn't continue to be so soft. He'd fallen so far behind everyone else. All of his potential was wasting away. And for that reason alone, he needed to journey to Albion-4. Tapping on his shoulder, he brought up his stats.

Zachys Calador: Level 26

(388277/500000xp)

54 strength

53 dexterity

54 constitution

82 intelligence

47 speed

15 luck

He frowned. He shouldn't be level-26. He shouldn't have stats like these. But this was a natural consequence of his laziness. He hadn't been putting in the effort and the work he needed to bring out the potential he knew he had within himself. Eight months ago, he'd been so much stronger than he was right now, and in a way that was almost hard to believe.

Zach thought back to his duel with Gaelan Malakor of the Guild of Gentlemen. He'd beaten someone who was supposed to be unbeatable. Yet, if he relived that fight today, he would die near instantly. This wasn't him being pessimistic, either. It was just a simple fact.

I've just gotten so Gods-be-damned weak.

"What's wrong, baby?" Kalana asked him. "Why are you looking at your stats?"

Zach dismissed them and turned to face her. "I'm just…it's complicated." He sighed. "I really wish I could have a session with Jascaila right about now."

Kalana's expression soured. "I wish she didn't go. We needed her."

"I know. But she wanted to."

Jascaila's decision to go with her brother was one that had taken everyone by surprise. The woman had decided at the very last minute to tag along. Why? Zach didn't know. It was something he planned to ask her if he ever saw her again. With her gone, Zach hadn't felt like seeing a different therapist, and so he was relying on the things he'd already learned from her to keep himself mentally healthy. But losing her was a big hit to him.

Another reason to go after her.

"Let's try not to think all that really bad stuff tonight," Kalana said. She took his hand and led him to the bedroom. "I wanna do something a bit more fun."

******

Zach awoke the next morning at just before sunrise. Kalana was still asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly next to him in the bed. Getting up, Zach noticed a damp imprint in the shape of his body, and he realized he'd been sweating despite the morning air being a bit chillier than usual. He must've been having terrible dreams, though he failed to recall them.

"What's wrong?" Kalana asked, opening her eyes and yawning.

Zach smiled at her. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't." She frowned as she propped herself up. "You look upset. What's going on? Tell me?"

Zach braced himself. "I have to go, Kal."

At once, all the sleepiness vanished from her eyes. "Go where?" she asked angrily.

"You know."

Kalana rose up to a sitting position. "Zach, don't even joke about that."

"I'm not joking. I have to find our friends. I have to know if they're alive."

"Well, duh, but we can't go until Zephyr's expedition is ready to—"

"They're not going to be ready, Kal. Don't you get that? The portal closes in four more months, and they're nowhere near ready."

Zach winced as he saw the tears begin to glide down Kalana's face. "I had a feeling you were gonna say this to me. I was worried about it all day and all night."

"I'm sorry. But I wanted to tell you. I didn't want to just disappear and betray your trust that way. So I'm telling you that I'm going, and that my mind is made up."

"Okay, fine," she said, wiping her eyes. "But I'm gonna come too."

He shook his head. "I'm going alone."

"Why?" she demanded.

"You have so much you're doing right now with Whispery Woods and helping to get North Bastia back in global trade."

"Okay, and? You got a lot of stuff, um, you're doing too."

"It's different."

"How's it different? Zach, please. I can't lose you."

This conversation was quickly turning painful, but despite this, Zach knew he'd be glad to have had it later, as the guilt that would weigh on him otherwise would be unbearable. And if he wanted to survive the trials and tribulations of Albion-4, he wouldn't be able to proceed with it on his chest.

"I know you're never going to agree with me, Kalana, and I understand how you feel about my decisions, but I really have made up my mind. I'm doing this because I know in my heart it's what I have to do. The life I'm living right now is turning me into everything that used to disgust me. It's not that I regret helping the people I've helped or taking on the responsibilities I have, it's just that I'm becoming weaker and weaker and lazier and lazier. I'm nothing like I was."

"That's more of a reason for you to take it slow!" she shouted at him. "You're gonna get yourself killed. You're talking about going solo into a place that's only for the best of the best. And you're not even close to your best right now, Zach. You're gonna die, and it's gonna kill me." She began weeping. "And when you don't come home, I'm gonna follow after you just like you're doing to your friends, and then I'm gonna die too."

Of all the things she said, it was that last bit that proved most persuasive, but even still, Zach knew that he couldn't allow himself to be swayed. No. He needed to do this. And he needed to do it alone. A sword could be sharpened, but a soul, once dulled, almost never regained its edge. He needed to restore himself.

"Walk with me to the airstrip, Kal," he whispered. "Please?"

He thought she'd refuse, but she thankfully didn't. After getting dressed, she took his hand, and he hugged her tightly for several straight minutes. Then, together, he walked with her out into the morning storm. Neither of them bothered to use an umbrella. By the time they arrived at the airstrip, the sun had finally appeared and the rain had at last ended.

"I just love you so much," she said, a note of pleading in her voice. "Please don't go."

"I won't die," he promised her. "For you, I swear I won't."

"Okay. But just make sure you choose Remove Trance."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"What do you mean what?" he asked her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Zach turned around and looked at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't understand what's going on. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I have no idea what you just said."

"I said to please make sure you come home."

"No, the other thing."

"What other thing?"

"You told me to make sure I choose 'remove trance.'"

She tilted her head. "Huh?"

"Kal, you literally just said those words to me."

"Nah-uh."

"Yeah you did."

"No way! I don't even know what that means."

"Okay, never mind then. Maybe I'm hearing shit."

"Yah, you definitely are."

Kalana wasn't the type to lie or gaslight, so clearly, Zach's nerves must've been driving him a bit loopy. He could've sworn she'd told him to 'choose Remove Trance' or something like that. But if she said she didn't say it, then clearly, she didn't say it. At any rate, it wasn't worth fighting over, so he kissed her goodbye, and then he boarded his aircraft. The pilot and chef were already at their stations waiting for him.

He needed to pack.