August Intruder- Chapter 36- A Touch of Theology (Patreon)

“Naymond Hitcock,” Delano mused on the other side of the phone. “Never heard the name.”

Melmarc was back in his hotel room. Today was the last day of his government approved stay. If he wanted to stay any longer, he would have to pay out of pocket. It was ten thousand dollars a night, so that said everything it needed to say about him paying out of pocket.

His luggage was packed and ready to go, not that he had even unpacked it in the first place.

“Even your community hasn’t heard the name?” he asked Delano. “He said he’s a Sage.”

“Sages aren’t really rare amongst Gifted, but they are an enigmatic class.” There was a shuffling sound on the other side of the phone. “Do you know that while it’s not a combat class, there are Sage’s that have been known to possess some very deadly combat skills?”

Melmarc already knew that.

What he was interested in wasn’t the Class but the man. If he was going to be working under a felon, he needed to know what kind of man the felon was. And what exactly the felon was convicted for.

“He said he was a Gifted analyst.” Melmarc looked down at the plate of unfinished lobster on his bed. He’d taken Ark’s advice and tried to gorge himself. “Maybe that might help your community.”

“A Gifted analyst isn’t really anything to go by. Most Sages like to think of themselves as Gifted analysts. They get a base boost of ten points to intelligence so their brains are always working on overdrive.”

“Ten points?” Melmarc knew it was high, but he didn’t think it was that high. “What other stats do they get?”

“None. It’s almost like the Sage only gets an intelligence boost. Any other additional stats are gained over time.”

Melmarc groaned in frustration. “So nothing on a Sage named Naymond Hitchcock.”

“Nada.”

Could the day get any more frustrating?

Naymond had had him and Pelumi doing practically nothing the whole day except breaking into offices. When they were done with Alfa’s he’d taken them to an office that turned out to be Nan’s.

It was a simple office that actually ended up looking even bigger than detective Alfa’s. It had taken them all of three minutes to realize it was not his office despite how casually he walked in and started using their computers.

By the third office, they had figured out a bit of what he was actually doing. At least they liked to think so.

So whenever they entered an office, Melmarc and Pelumi would immediately start looking around. They didn’t touch anything, just sat down and looked around. By the fifth office it started getting easier.

Not all the detectives had awards placed somewhere with their names on it. But there were signs here and there. Names, pictures. There was always something that gave it away. And sometimes Nay dropped hint smuggled into simple conversations either before they got to the office or when they were in it.

If Melmarc couldn’t figure out the name of the owner, he simply insisted that he was sure it wasn’t Naymond’s office. The second method took a lot of insisting before Naymond would confirm it.

When they finally got to Naymond’s office, it was a bigger mess than all the others. There were stacks of papers on both his desk and his floor.

“Do you know if he had a criminal name?”

Melmarc was dragged from his thoughts by Delano’s question.

A criminal name? It wasn’t unheard of for criminals to have media names or names they gave themselves to fit in with some kind of supervillain vibe.

Melmarc had no idea. They’d spent all seven hours of their work day with him. After breaking into people’s offices, he’d had them arrange his papers into neat stacks. Some of them had drug related crime researches on them and something about a Romanian council. There had been even one about a drug called Malopalsatin that from the little Melmarc saw was supposed to give people some kind of pseudo power.

“I didn’t ask,” he answered finally.

In the background someone complained about being hungry.

“Are you at Eroms’ place or is he at your place?” Melmarc asked.

“We’re at your place,” Delano answered.

That didn’t make sense. They had no reason to be at his place at all.

“Why are you at my place?”

“Because your uncle is helping Eroms out with what he’s capable of.”

There was a shuffling sound around the phone. It was followed by Delano complaining. “Shove off, fatso. You weigh a ton—Ow! What are you hitting me for? I’m telling uncle Dorthna.”

Melmarc waited with a smile on his face. After a moment, Delano’s voice came through the phone.

“Marc, your uncle is mean.”

Melmarc hadn’t been sure what he was expecting Eroms to say, but that hadn’t been it.

“You sure?” he asked. “Because he’s teaching you, though. My uncle doesn’t teach people who aren’t related to him.”

“Well, he’s still mean.”

“Why?”

Melmarc was trying not to think about his uncle’s indicator and its color.

“He’s kept him from eating for a whole day,” Delano laughed. “I’ve never seen Eroms so frustrated in my life. It’s the best.”

“How did you even get him to teach you, though?”

Melmarc wasn’t being mean, he was just really curious.

“Eroms’ parents begged, and offered money, and claimed the both of you were besties and that anytime you came back home you’d spend a lot of time with us, so it would be good if Eroms was capable of handling any issues with his skills. Did I mention that they offered money?”

Melmarc knew for a fact that uncle Dorthna was loaded so he was certain he wouldn’t take the money. Still…

“Did he take the money?”

“Nope,” Delano answered, voice strained. “Eroms, roll over, you’re going to pop me like a balloon. He just agreed to teach him on the condition that on days like this, Eroms spent it over at your place.”

That was a weird condition. “Why?”

“Because today is Eroms’ fasting day. Which means he’s not allowed to eat all day.”

Delano was sounding too amused.

Melmarc couldn’t blame him, though. Going an entire day without seeing Eroms eat was like seeing a polar bear in the desert. It was supposed to be impossible.

“So what are you going to do about your felon Sage?”

Melmarc groaned and closed his eyes as he put his head back. “I have no idea. He seemed nice, even if reckless. When I told him that Pelumi didn’t like him revealing her skills he stopped and apologized.”

“Wait, who’s Pelumi?”

“Just one of the other Gifted here for the program,” Melmarc said casually. “I’m worried that if I talk to the superior mentor it might get him in trouble. And he looks like the only person that’s genuinely interested in working with a Faker. The others were more than happy to have me in someone else’s hands.”

“Very interesting stuff you’re going through with being rejected and being accepted. Now, let’s try this part of the conversation again.”

“What part?”

“Who. Is. Pelumi?”

Melmarc sighed. “Another Gifted here for the program.”

“And Pelumi is a she or a he?”

“A she.”

“And you looked at her and decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get your willy we—”

“If you complete that sentence I’m going to hang up. And I won’t give you any more information about the Crafter with the Smith of The World skill.”

“Ha!” Delano barked in blatant scorn. “Jokes on you, because my community’s almost figured out who it is.”

In less than a week? Melmarc doubted it. Delano was bluffing.

“Just keep looking into arrested Sages, alright? I need to know what kind of person picked me.”

“You know you have your own personal laptop, right? You could always do your own research.”

“If I thought it was that easy do you think I’d be telling you about it?” Melmarc shifted his plate of lobster towards the edge of the bed and adjusted in his duvet. “I’ve checked, and I’m sure it’s not information I can get on the internet that easily.”

He stared at the unfinished lobster and groaned. The single adjustment had given him the perfect position. But he couldn’t go to sleep and leave the lobster on the bed.

“Whatever’s making you uncomfortable,” Delano said over the phone. “Deal with it before you go to bed. You’ll wake up cranky if you don’t.”

Delano was right. He would.

“Please help me look into the Sage thing, D.” Melmarc shrugged off his duvet and got out of bed. “I don’t want to ask detective Alfa unless I absolutely have to.”

He walked over to the other side of the bed and picked up the plate.

“My community doesn’t work magic, though,” Delano told him. “Try and get me more—You put that in your mouth, Eroms, and I’m telling Marc’s uncle!”

“It’s just one gummy bear,” Eroms complained.

“One gummy bear is food. Put it down or I’m snitching. Now where was I. Oh yes, get me more information and I can get you more in return, alright?”

“Alright.” Melmarc placed the plate on the serving tray and covered it. “Just for the record, don’t you think you’re enjoying Eroms’ suffering too much. You and I both know you won’t snitch on him.”

“Yes,” Delano confirmed in a voice so low Melmarc almost didn’t hear him. “But he doesn’t know that.”

Melmarc shook his head as he hung up the call and returned to bed. He’d survived his first day in the precinct without doing any work. All he had to do was survive the second day.

He wondered what the others did with their detectives as he tucked himself in for bed.

…………….

Alfa sat down behind her desk, arms folded and leaning back against the backrest of her chair. Unlike Naymond, she didn’t swivel it. She didn’t even try to.

“So how was your first day?” she asked.

Melmarc wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that. His first day was clearly memorable. Naymond had taught him that the Sage was not to be trusted.

Even now, as he sat here, in an office he’d been in before, he wasn’t sure how best to answer the question.

“Anything unusual happen?” Alfa asked.

Melmarc still wasn’t sure how to answer. The question felt too pointed. Was she asking because she knew something unusual had happened or was she asking because she knew Naymond and suspected that something unusual might’ve happened?

It was a confusing question. One seemed like a test while the other seemed like a simple inquiry.

You should’ve checked if there were cameras, he scolded himself.

He couldn’t remember ever wanting to use [Knowledge Is Power] so bad before. At least he’d be able to know if there were any cameras without looking suspicious. He couldn’t just turn around and check, could he?

And even if he did, what was the possibility that an experienced and celebrated detective didn’t have her own hidden camera somewhere in her office.

Alfa let out a breath and leaned forward. She rested her elbows on the little space on her desk not covered in paper. “I know you might have your reservations about me allowing you work with a convicted felon but I assure you that I’m on your side.”

“How do you know I know he’s a felon?”

Alfa chuckled. “Because he’s especially proud of telling people that he’s a felon. It makes them wonder what exactly he did, and how good he is that the government would choose to work with him rather than send him straight to jail.”

This was Melmarc’s chance and he was happy to take it. “What did he do?”

“Nothing grand.” Alfa waved the question aside. “I’d tell you but it’s actually above my pay grade as well. And he wouldn’t tell you because he knows it will get him in trouble.”

All Melmarc heard was that Naymond Hitchcock was dangerous and important.

Alfa’s expression suddenly changed to one of exasperation and she looked past Melmarc. A knock on her door followed.

“I was already looking at you, Hitchcock,” she groaned. “You didn’t have to knock.”

“But the boy wasn’t aware of me, my dear detective.” Naymond’s voice flowed into the room. “May I borrow my mentee? That’s if you’re done with him.”

Alfa gave Melmarc a look he couldn’t read before waving him away. “He’s all yours.”

“Thank you.”

Melmarc took a moment to think about everything before he got up. If Naymond and whatever crime and deal he had that brought him here were above detective Alfa’s pay grade, would she even be able to help him if Naymond started doing questionable things?

She’s your superior mentor. She might not be able to stop him but she should be able to reassign me, right?

Naymond led him into another office, whistling as they walked.

This office was the cleanest Melmarc had seen in the department. It had a simple chair behind a desk that had been pushed back against the wall and a swivel chair at the desk. Melmarc couldn’t help but feel like the swivel chair was the one that didn’t belong.

There were no seats on the other side of the work desk, but there was a three-seater couch pushed up against the wall. Pelumi sat patiently on it.

She waved at him as he walked into the office. Her smile was bright.

Melmarc stepped into the office and started looking around. This wasn’t the office Naymond had led them into yesterday when he’d had them arrange his papers.

“I don’t know the name of the owner,” he said as Naymond took his place on the swivel chair.

Naymond looked up at one of the pictures on the wall, the one Melmarc had spotted, and shrugged. It was of an old man with grey hairs and rimmed glasses.

“Me neither.” Naymond ignored the picture and pressed the power button on the monitor. “Never really cared to find out. So how was your move to your new housing? Do you like it?”

Melmarc had been late this morning because he was moving. And his new housing wasn’t anything spectacular. It was a tall dormitory and he was supposed to share the room with twelve other people.

He’d met two of those people and was already dreading living in the place. For starters, he’d walked in both people having sex on one of the beds. For another, the girl had looked him dead in the eye and asked if he wanted to join.

He didn’t have anything against people that enjoyed their sex lives in whatever way they wanted, but he felt that was just too direct for him. He wasn’t one for direct conversations with people he wasn’t close to, so he was already dreading his next three weeks.

“If you don’t like it, I can always help you get new accommodations. In fact,” Naymond slipped his hand inside his inner suit pocket, today it was a deep navy blue, “I’ve got a few places you might like. Pelumi already opted to take one.”

Melmarc looked at her in surprise.

Pelumi shrugged. “The caretaker at mine offered me a banana and wanted to teach me how to use the shower. It might’ve just been her being nice, but…”

She let her words trail away, and Melmarc didn’t need her to complete it.

“You can join her apartment if you want.” Naymond was holding out a black card to him. “I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to have you along with the others, and there’s more than enough rooms to go around. I only ask that you keep the place clean.”

Melmarc reached for the card, but hesitated. Living with a large group of people could be troubling, but taking the card just felt like signing a deal with the devil.

“Also,” Naymond added, wiggling the card at him, “I like to have my people in the same place. Makes it easier to reach them.”

Melmarc took the card from him and read it. It had just his name and an address.

“You can get your things from your dorm after work, and move in today.”

Melmarc tapped the card against his hand. “Isn’t there meant to be something against seeing the mentees after work hours?”

“Not really,” Pelumi said. “As long as it’s not work related, we’re free to do whatever we want after work hours. We could meet up or not. And we’re only meant to take orders from them while on active duty. Outside of that, we can say no to anything.”

Melmarc knew that, but had hoped Naymond didn’t.

Naymond chuckled. “Besides, it’s only work if we call it work. Now, on to more interesting things. Please have a seat Mr. Lockwood.”

Even though there was still more than enough space on the couch, Pelumi scooted over for him.

Melmarc took a seat.

“First, I’ll just like to say that I’ve received permission to test out your individual skills whenever I want and how I deem necessary.”

Melmarc didn’t think it was a good idea to give that kind of permission to someone who held impromptu meetings in other people’s offices.

“With that in mind, we’ll start with yours Mr, Lockwood. Will you be nice enough as to use your skills?”

Melmarc looked around, worried. “Here?”

He was acutely aware of all the people in the space just beyond the office.

“Where else would you like us to try it out?” Naymond asked. “Out in public with all the passersby? Or do you think the precinct has some large space designed to train the Gifted?”

Melmarc had assumed they would. They obviously had a gun range, right? So why not a training area for their Gifted. It only made sense.

“My skill, uhh… it affects Gifted in a way,” he said, hoping to dissuade the idea. “I’ve been told its not a nice feeling.”

“Pshaww, that’s baby talk.” Naymond leaned back on his chair and looked like he was fighting the urge to swivel. “I know all there is to know about [Knowledge Is Power] and I assure you that it’s fine. I’m just trying to get a hang of how it works with you.”

When Melmarc was still hesitating, Naymond added: “If it will make you feel better, I had Ms. Pelumi use her skill, too.”

Melmarc turned and Pelumi nodded. “He made me use my second skill in the hallway on our way here.”

“What did it do?” Melmarc asked, curious.

“It summons a portal helper.”

“Sort of,” Naymond corrected. “Most people call them portal helpers but we Sage’s like to think of them as the universal designated helpers. UDH for short.”

Melmarc was impressed.

He’d heard of Portal helpers before, but he didn’t know you could summon them outside portals.

They were something people termed mana beings. They were bodies of mana, each allegedly of different colors.

Delvers claimed that they were accessible in portals that had final enemies to fight that tended to be very powerful. If you were given the option of getting one when the time came, then it was a safe bet that the final enemy was more powerful than was the norm.

Many Delvers claimed the method of summoning portal helpers wasn’t necessarily in plain sight. It was usually tucked away somewhere. Not hidden, but not in your face.

They were called portal helpers because they joined in the fight against the boss. Sometimes they were powerful enough to make a difference, other times they weren’t. If they are defeated in the fight, they simply dissolved into the air.

“You can summon portal helpers?” Melmarc asked, unable to hide his pleasant surprise.

Pelumi gave him a smile as she nodded.

It seemed she smiled a lot.

“It’s my main skill as an Invoker.”

“No.” Naymond snapped his finger at them. “It’s your secondary skill as an Invoker. It just happens to be the one you use a lot.”

“But sometimes they are just small helpers,” she continued as if Naymond hadn’t spoken. “I don’t get to pick and choose, though. When he made me summon one this morning, I was hoping for something like a small pixie to keep me company all day.”

Naymond’s jaw dropped, aghast. “You make it sound like I forced you. I would like to put it on the record that it was nothing but an honest request I made of Ms. Pelumi, and she was happy to oblige.”

He checked his phone and put it down.

Melmarc wondered how many more minutes they had in the office. Unfortunately, he was more interested in other things.

“If you didn’t get a pixie, what did you get?”

“A full armored knight,” Naymond answered before she could. “Darned thing nearly poked my eyes out with his sword.”

“I told you it was because she was angry,” Pelumi said.

“And how was that my fault? You were the one that summoned it.”

“And you were the one that made me.”

Melmarc looked between both of them. They seemed to have gotten close since the last time he saw them. There was no animosity in their exchange, just banter. It was almost like watching Ninra and uncle Dorthna argue.

Maybe Naymond wasn’t a bad guy at heart.

“So where is it now?” Melmarc asked. “I didn’t see anything unusual when I came in this morning. Did you unsummon it or something?”

“No, Nay wants to see how long I can keep it here.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “She’s on the roof, doing sword training.”

“Boring,” Nay yawned. “I’d have loved to see her other skill but we can’t do it in the building unless I plan on having some of the normies killed.”

“Is it that powerful?” Melmarc asked.

“Ha!” Naymond scoffed. “Is it that powerful, he asks. Amadioha is one of the deities worshipped by the Igbos, an entire tribe and ethnicity of people in Nigeria. He is the god of thunder over there. I assure you that skill is going to be devastating. She’s only a B-rank so its form isn’t all that. I’m sure a few people would still survive if she used it here.”

“I already told you I can scale it down to close combat use,” Pelumi complained. “You make it sound like I’m a walking calamity.”

“I know you aren’t, love. And do you know how I know that? Because you would never use it against me since we’ve bonded.”

Pelumi made a sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh. “Dey play.”

Melmarc had no idea what that meant.

“And that brings us back to you, Mr. Lockwood,” Naymond said. “I’ll need to see your skills to know what I’m working with, and see how you fake things.”

Melmarc let out a resigned breath. If Naymond had already made Pelumi do it, he saw nothing to save him from doing it.

He activated [Knowledge Is Power]. He felt it activate with the same knee jerk delay he was getting accustomed to, and watched the static white burst out of him.

[You have activated skill Knowledge Is Power.]

He was looking at Naymond when it went through him and watched an indicator appear above his head.

[Naymondeel Art Hitchcock(Sage)(B)].

The indicator was grey.

Melmarc knew when the burst of mana began its return. People outside suddenly started complaining.

“What the hell?”

“What was that?”

“Did you take something from me?”

“Where’s my wallet?”

When it went through Naymond, and then Pelumi, on its return, they both gave different reactions.

Pelumi gave a surprised gasp while Naymond face turned up in surprise, but he made no sound.

[Skill Knowledge Is Power is concluded.]

[All stats are increased by +0.5.]

[Life forms detected: 28.]

[You have received 28 Potential buffs.]

Those are a lot of buffs.

Melmarc was seeing another draw back to [Bless Your Kindness]. In a scenario like this, where there were too many people around him, how did he select a buff fast enough to still be combat ready.

Naymond gave a full body shiver. “That was…”

“Nice,” Pelumi finished with an excited smile. Then she turned to him. “Why would anyone complain about this?”

Naymond leaned forward on his desk. “Now this is interesting. More than half the people outside didn’t like the feeling. I sure as hell found it less than appealing. But you.” He pointed a finger at her. “You found it nice.”

Melmarc looked at Pelumi and found her indicator was green.

[Olatunji Favor Oluwapelumi(Invoker)(B).]

She wasn’t kidding, it’s really spelt with no K.

Filled by a new curiousity, he turned his attention to his list of potential buffs. He ran his hand over the list and scrolled through it until he found what he was looking for.

[Welcome To Cosgrove(Mastery 2.00%)]

The Gifted possesses great hospitality.

[My Faith In You(Mastery(8.00%)]

The Gifted summons an aid to help in their time of need.

[Take Me To Church(Mastery 8.00%]

The Gifted has increased charisma in the presence of Clergy.

…

[Buff mastery is scaled based on mastery of skill Bless Your Kindness. Mastery of buff will begin reduction after eight minutes.]

[Would you like to select a Buff?]

[Yes/No.]

[Remaining time: 00:02:09.]

Melmarc was surprised by some skills on the list.

How did the Gifted department really function with people who had skills like [Take Me To Church] or [Welcome To Cosgrove].

But that wasn’t really his problem. He was more interested in [My Faith In You].

“I take it you’re looking at the skills you’ve gotten.”

Melmarc looked up at Naymond.

Naymond shrugged. “You know you can assign mental commands right. It makes it faster. It’s your brain. Just think about it.”

Melmarc knew that. It was just that seeing it in front of him, he tended to forget and just acted.

There was still a small ruckus outside, but it was already dying out with nowhere to direct their discomfort.

Melmarc realized that even though people felt the effect, they wouldn’t know where it was coming from.

That was a good thing. He could just imagine using it in a dangerous situation and having everybody just turn to him at once.

“So, if I’m not mistaken,” Naymond continued, “the skill gives you an array of skills to choose from based on the area of reach you have as long as you meet your criteria.”

“What?” Melmarc asked, confused.

Naymond looked puzzled. “Don’t you know how your class works?”

“Not really.”

Melmarc knew about Fakers like everybody else, but not the intricacies of the class. He didn’t know the intricacies of any of their skills. All he knew was that they could copy skills in one way or the other.

Naymond let out a sigh.

“What about you?” he asked Pelumi. “How much do you know about Invokers?”

She shrugged. “All I know is that there’s an angry knight on the roof that’s mad at you.”

“Wow. You guys know nothing about your classes.” He completely ignored the monitor. “Alright, we’ll start with the Faker Class. In summary, most Fakers have a condition they have to meet in order to copy a skill, if not it’s just over-powered. I knew a Faker who had a skill called Warden’s Cell. What it did was, it held the mana in a specific area in stasis, then his second starting skill allowed him study the mana at a glance, allowing him to replicate its effect.”

That sounded more stressful than it was worth.

“And he could only replicate one skill at a time?” Melmarc asked.

“Yes, as long as the skill had been cast within the area of Warden’s Call within a set period of time before he cast it.”

That sounded a bit complicated.

Naymond groaned. “We really need to teach you how to work on your poker face, Mr. Lockwood. Alright. If you think it’s bad, then how does yours work?”

“I use a skill to gather information, and pick from any of the skills the people around me last used.”

Naymond paused.

Pelumi laughed. “Now that’s broken.”

“Says the girl that can summon a storm of thunder from a thunder god,” Melmarc smirked.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ll fry you in your sleep.”

Naymond dropped his head in his hands. “She’s right. It’s definitely broken. So you just have access to any skill that has already been cast previously. That’s practically a free gift of skills. Are you sure you don’t have a World Skill you’re hiding?”

“It’s really not that overpowered,” Melmarc said, surprised that he could talk about being a Faker so easily in front of two people he’d just used his skill on. “For example, there’s an entire mastery issue, and a time limit to choose the skill I want.”

“But don’t you already know all the skills you have to pick from? [Knowledge Is Power] should give you a certain level of instantaneous knowledge.”

Oh.

Melmarc hadn’t considered that. Now that he thought about it, he knew every single skill on the list and what number they were.

That’s odd. Why do I only know it now that it’s been pointed out?

So the delay of finding a skill to pick was void. He already knew all the skills and just had to pick one. He didn't need to go scrolling through the list.

“And what’s the issue with the mastery?” Pelumi asked.

‘It’s scaled down,” he answered. “For instance, your skill is showing with a mastery of 2.3%.”

“That’s my actual mastery, though.” She shook her head. “Nope. Your skill is over-powered. I no do again.”

Melmarc wasn’t sure what that last part was, but he had a feeling it meant she was done arguing. As far as she was concerned, his skill was broken.

“So you have the same mastery level of her skill as she does,” Naymond mused, interested. “Look up [World of Insight].”

“You have a world skill?” Pelumi asked, surprised.

It was the same question Melmarc had been about to ask.

“No, love. The skill is [World of Insight]. If it was a world skill it would be insight of the world. Look it up please, Mr. Lockwood.”

Melmarc didn’t have to. He was already there.

[World of Insight(Mastery 02.00%)].

The Gifted is aware of their existent present surrounding.

…

[Buff mastery is scaled based on mastery of skill Bless Your Kindness. Mastery of buff will begin reduction after eight minutes.]

[Would you like to select a Buff?]

[Yes/No.]

[Remaining time: 00:00:32.]

“It’s at 2%.”

“I guess it’s not that broken then. Mine’s at 32% mastery.”

“What exactly does it do?” Pelumi asked.

“Nothing special. I’m just far more aware of my surroundings than most people. The Sage class is Intelligence based, but it pretty much works on enhancing mental things in the beginning… kinda.”

Melmarc had his eye on his skill’s timer while Naymond went into the vaguest intricacies of what his skill did.

A single use of [Knowledge Is Power] without picking a buff wasn’t going to be an issue, but Melmarc still remembered how heavy his head felt that one time he’d used it three times without picking a skill with uncle Dorthna.

The skill he had right now wasn’t a Skill but a skill from a person at the hotel. Since normal people didn’t feel the effect of [Knowledge Is Power], he’d used it in the hotel, just because.

I need to use it as many times as possible to increase the mastery, after all.

He picked a skill while Pelumi and Naymond were still talking.

[Would you like to use My Faith In You? You will not be able to renege on this decision?]

[Yes/No.]

“Yes.”

[You have selected My Faith In You.]

[My Faith In You(Mastery 8.00%)]

The Gifted summons an aid to help in their time of need.

Melmarc suddenly understood the skill a whole lot more. He could feel a connection to something more than just him.

The air in the room was lighter, thinner. But there was something else, something like a string of connection leading off into the distance. He felt it from Pelumi and couldn’t help but follow it.

He traced it through the room and out of it. Pelumi and Naymond’s voices faded away as he did and he found himself leaving the room entirely even though he was still seated there. It was as if he was searching for something. But what?

When he found it, he knew it.

It was strong, a connection that was close to him yet far at the same time.

It was to a Knight who stood on top of a building swinging a greatsword. She was annoyed, summoned to a world from the void for no reason at all. Her duty was to fight and die or fight and live for the sake of her summoner. But some fool had forced her summoning for no reason.

Suddenly, the sword stopped mid-swing and the Knight turned.

From the minute slits in her visor, she stared at Melmarc. She saw him as clearly as he saw her.

There was an emotion of terror but he wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Then the Knight swung her sword and the connection was broken forcefully.

Melmarc’s eyes shot open.

I don’t remember closing my eyes, he thought.

He found Naymond and Pelumi looking at him. Naymond was amused while Pelumi was worried.

“Are you alright?” Pelumi asked. “You’re sweating.”

Melmarc wasn’t sure if he was alright. Whatever he had done, the summon had ended it harshly. You are not my master or ally, it seemed to say.

Melmarc wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “I think I am.”

Pelumi let out a sigh of relief.

“What was it like?” Naymond asked, still curious. “What happened?”

“You know what he did?” Pelumi asked.

“I do. Every skill has a form, and when a Faker copies a skill, they copy its form as well, with a touch or two from their own. And I already know what your skill looks like.”

Pelumi looked at Melmarc. “Did you copy my skill?”

Melmarc hadn’t thought it through. But now that he was being asked, he realized there was some breach of ethiquette in what he’d done.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, even if still disoriented from what the summon forcefully breaking the connection had done to him. “I didn’t really think it through. I just picked a skill.”

“Oh, no.” Pelumi shook her head. “See this one. I’m not angry oh. I just wanted to know if that’s what you did.”

Melmarc nodded.

“So you noticed she has a backstory and everything.”

Again, Melmarc nodded. What was up with that? Summoned familiars where monsters drawn from a Portal world. But summons, the helpers found in portals, were an amalgamation of mana from within the portals created to help.

That’s what everyone said.

“Ah, the mighty dilemma,” Naymond said. “Are summoned helpers actually living beings? The answer is no.”

“But she had her whole life she was drawn from,” Melmarc said. “She was angry because her purpose was to sacrifice herself for a greater cause and she was here for no reason.”

Naymond nodded as Melmarc spoke.

“Then let me pose an idea to you,” he said. “You play video games, right?”

Melmarc nodded, surprisingly so did Pelumi.

“And all the characters have a backstory, right?”

Again, they nodded.

“Does that make them real?”

It was a logical hypothesis, but it lacked something important.

“Video games were made by someone, though,” Pelumi said, taking the words right out of Melmarc’s brain. “That’s why the characters have background stories. So by that logic, summons with background stories can only not be alive if someone made them as well.”

Naymond looked at her. “Are we about to go into a conversation about God? Because I’m not averse to the idea of a creator. In fact, I believe one really might exist. But that’s not what I’m arguing at. Tell me this, you can communicate with your summons, right?”

“Yes, but only simple things. Basic things.”

“And it communicates back the same way.” Naymond picked his phone up and checked the time.

“Yes.”

Pelumi’s voice wasn’t sounding so confident anymore.

“Have you ever tried asking one of your summons about it’s past? What lives they’ve lived?”

Pelumi looked down, eyes thoughtful, voice hesitant. “Yes.”

“And did they give you an answer?”

Melmarc didn’t need to hear her words to know what her response was going to be. She already looked like she’d lost the debate.

“No.”

Naymond nodded.

“I suspected as much.” He picked up a bunch of papers and shuffled them into a neat stack while getting up. “I’m not saying they are not real entirely. During my Delving days, I ran into portals where we used the help of Universal Designated Helpers a few times.”

He placed the neat stack carefully on the desk and started arranging a new stack. His eyes kept glancing beyond the windows.

“Unlike summons, the helpers in a portal communicate better, but there is no link to them. They come and they go. But they never speak of a past life. You can have entire conversations with them, but no past life.” Naymond was on his third stack and this one seemed hurried. “Summoners theorize that the mana in portals are more potent than the one we have. And since helpers in the portals are tied to the mana there while summons are tied to their summoner’s mana, they have more complexity due to the quality and quantity of mana.”

“And that’s why they are more in-depth?” Melmarc asked.

“Arguably.” Naymond looked down at his phone once more, and Melmarc wondered how much time was left. “But there is another theory, a more acceptable one. Portals that get helpers are usually amongst the most difficult for their ranks. And sometimes, even with the helpers, Delvers still fail and end up with a Chaos Run.”

Melmarc wondered what exactly was going to happen if they ran out of whatever time Naymond was working with.

Is it how long we have before the owner of the office comes back?

It felt unlikely. Naymond didn’t behave like anyone in the office worried him. Which meant his worry for the time was about something else.

The table was almost neatly arranged as Naymond continued. “Now, a lot of Delvers tend to lose their lives in failed Portals, and the theory is that these helpers are somehow mana manifestations—echoes, if you will—of the Delvers who died.”

“So the portal manifests them somehow to help?” Pelumi asked.

“Yes. At least that’s the argument for the complexity of Portal helpers. The portal draws together a blob of mana in their form to assist Delvers clear Portals.”

The news somehow saddened Pelumi.

To Melmarc’s surprise, Naymond hurried to add. “But that’s just one theory. Another theory is that while they are mana echoes, they aren’t necessarily of dead Delvers or dead monsters. After all, it’s not like everyone dies in a failed Portal. Some theories claim its just mana echoes of Delvers or anything that had been inside the Portal at anytime and was strong enough. A forgotten imprint or such.”

Pelumi brightened at that, but just a little. “What about my summons?”

Naymond shrugged. He walked out from behind the table, done arranging it.

“You’re not a summoner by Class, so I can’t say. In fact, it’s part of the reason I picked you. Invokers invoke from a source. They are one of the keys to the mysteries of the universe.” He walked up to the door and paused to peek outside. “Christian Invokers tend to end up with invocations that lean towards light. You’re a Christian and a Yoruba girl, yet you have a skill as an Invoker that leans towards what people would like to call an Igbo Pegan god.”

“Which leads to an argument of the existence of gods,” Melmarc mused.

It wasn’t a far stretch, though. Especially since he knew there were angels behind some portals somewhere. He wondered if Naymond knew as well.

“Exactly,” Naymond said. “But does it mean that the athesists are wrong? Or does it mean that the Christians or Muslims or any other monotheistic religion is wrong? It opens up a whole clusterfuck, and I intend to have you help me with my research on it.”

“Wait.” Pelumi got up from the couch. “I thought you were into Gifted analysis.”

Melmarc followed her. “She’s right. This sounds more theology than Gifted analysis.”

Naymond looked at both of them. “Why are you two standing up?”

Pelumi folded her arms in defiance. “Why are you at the door?”

Naymond pursed his lips. “Touché. We don’t have to leave yet, but it won’t be a bad idea to. Just follow my lead when I say. As for the theology thing, it’s more of a personal hobby. I’m employed to do Gifted analysis, and in my spare time I do theological analysis.”

“You’ve told us why you picked her but not why you picked me,” Melmarc said.

He was beginning to worry that picking him had actually been a trick, some misdirection to actually have Pelumi. He remembered Naymond calling his choice of picking Pelumi ‘his next trick’.

It wasn’t that Melmarc felt bad about it. Naymond seemed open-minded enough to be an interesting mentor. He just didn’t like being a tool. It just made him feel… used.

“You are a choice based on my work for the government,” Naymond answered. “The Gifted analysis part of things. Faker skills, apart from Mages, have the most unique forms. Fluid, if you will, where everyone else are too rigid. I intend on seeing how far we can grow your skills in the next few weeks we have together, and if it grows more rigid or more fluid.”

Naymond adjusted his hat on his head and stood straight. He suddenly looked like a simple person in a suit going about his day.

“Mr. Lockwood, do try your best to look natural,” he said. “Annnd, go.”

He walked out of the office on cue and Pelumi followed easily behind him. They were in odd sync. Melmarc pulled out his phone and looked down at it as he followed them.

He pulled up a mute video of a chess game as he walked. If he had his attention on an actual activity, maybe he won’t mess up having to focus on pretending.

They strolled out of the office and no one even bothered to close the door behind them. Melmarc ignored the crowd of green and grey indicators that filled the office. There were two or three reds, but it was a police department. So he didn’t think it was out of place.

They didn’t go far before Melmarc’s mind started wandering to other things. Specifically, the theory of the Portal summons.

Naymond’s theories made a lot of sense, but Melmarc couldn’t shake the emotions Pelumi’s summons left in him.

He could still feel her anger and annoyance. They felt too deep, too real to be caricatures. She didn’t seem like anything less than real.

But if they weren’t, did it mean anyone could be summoned from anywhere? There were no stories of people suddenly disappearing in broad day light. After all, there was earth, and the parallel world that Players came from.

It only stood to reason that if a Gifted could summon something from that world, then the parallel world should be able to summon someone from theirs.

Right?

It took Melmarc a moment to realize that they were leaving the building.

“Ah, I see he’s back with us,” Naymond said without looking back. “Ms. Pelumi, can you be a dear and cancel your summons. I believe we’ve proven that your summons can last a long time.”

Melmarc felt that connection snap like a cut string and just knew her summons was gone.

“As for the curious question of where we’re headed, we’re headed for the streets. You are all mentees of the police force, so clearly you have to do police things.”

“But you’re a consultant,” Pelumi pointed out. “You’re supposed to have a supervisor.”

Naymond turned and gave her a smile. “How about we keep this as our little secret, then.”

Pelumi snorted. “Dey play.”

Note to self, Melmarc thought. Ask her what dey play means.

Naymond sighed. “Alright. I’ll go get us a patrole team and have a cruise around town. It’s going to be boring, but what the hell. Beats being in the office all day.”

They had been in the office all day yesterday, arranging what Melmarc was now very certain was someone else’s office.

Naymond rubbed his palms together impishly after a quick thought.

“Now what miserable officer’s life can we fuck up today?”