Chapter 16

  How the hell did I never know about this? I will be captured and tortured to make kids. Fuck me, I will be strapped to a bed and used by the most powerful family in the universe if they find out. Where can I go? I can’t go back home, but if I find a nice frontier world, I will disappear for awhile.

  “Snap out of it,” Nia yelled.

  Wes broke from his thoughts and looked at Nia in consideration. She had made her pledge before she even knew about his traits, but he also didn’t know what a seer could really do. For that matter, he didn’t know what type of build Nia had. She could be a front line fighter or a back line Glass Mage.

  “You haven’t led me astray yet, so I will trust that you didn’t know about my traits. But won’t this get me kidnapped?” Wes asked.

  “Traits are the only thing that can never be revealed to another unless you choose to do so. If it was found out that if anyone threatened you to do so. The High Gods would all gather and wipe out whoever made you. They would wipe out every last descendant of them and everyone they knew. To do that would be to ensure the end of your line. So, for your safety, don’t tell anyone, but at the same time, we are going to have to let a few other people know. A few key individuals that you and I can trust, they will need to know so that if anything does happen to you. The High Gods will be quick to act.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. You want me not to tell anyone, but then you want me to tell people.” Wes was perplexed.

  “We won’t tell just anyone, but we will tell a few key people so that if you are ever kidnapped. I, or whoever notices, will be able to go and tell a High God and get them to take the matter seriously. It wouldn’t mean much if it were just me going to them. Hell, if they take you, it could mean that I am already dead.” Nia finished.

  Wes sat in consideration. With what she just said, it meant that she was taking as much of a risk as he was. Her pledging a million levels to him would make it so that anyone coming for him would have to kill her as well. Wes rubbed his chin over and over before calming down.

  “Back to your daughters, why would you want me to take more than one as a wife?” Wes asked.

  “Not every trait is passed down. Sometimes only the mothers pass down. Sometimes the fathers. The rarer the trait, the less likely to be passed down. A one-word trait would have a 1 in 5 chance of being passed down on average. A two-word trait, 1 in 25. The chances go up even more from there. The thing about your traits is that I believe they are all tied together. So if they got only your three-word trait, that could really turn out to be detrimental. Which is why I am eager to see you level up.”

  “So my ten-word trait would be near impossible to get?” Wes asked.

  “By itself, yes. But if you were able to pass it on to a child, for example, just that one, then that child would be more likely to pass it on. People usually only have one trait, Wes. The truly gifted will have two. You have three Unique traits to your name. I have never heard of any of them. Which is why I think they go together. So, no more waiting, bring it up, I am dying to know.”

  Wes pulled up his level-up notification.

  You have Leveled up.

  Wager life itself. Your reward will forever be proportionate to your risk.

  Wes once again saw a large box with dozens of other small boxes shaded out. The only box that he could make out still was the one with that strange game.

  “Well?” Nia asked.

  “How can I show you?” Wes asked.

  “You can’t. Just tell me what it says.”

  Wes spent the next ten minutes going over every detail with Nia. From what letter was capitalized to what colors he saw on the strange game. She took a copious amount of notes and made a few sketches from what he described. When it was close enough to what he saw, she asked him to explain what happened the first time. He did as instructed, and after a further 10 minutes, she finally gave him her consent to have him pull.

  Wes went to place his hand on the Lever before Nia stopped him. “Make sure to wager the top Wager when you can. Since we know it pulls from your savings. And you have a healthy savings account, it should increase your rewards if you win.

  Wes nodded and pulled. He chose to wager on the Day again since those had not changed.

  The box made crazy noises again that only he heard. The slamming of each spinning dial in place, one after another, built up the anticipation. When the last Dial slammed into place, Wes tensed his core, waiting for the energy to slam down on him like last time. But nothing came. Wes opened his eyes and looked at the notification in front of him.

  Ability Unlocked: Cleanse

  Wes explained what he got to Nia. He felt it was a poor choice after Nia started laughing. Wes gave her time to calm down before he asked. “What’s so funny?”

  “I was wondering what you would get since you had leveled. I can’t be certain, but I think what happens is you bet the experience you have accumulated and or saved for the chance of a good ability. Normally, people get an ability when they level up by killing things or doing something. Usually, what that person focuses on the most is what is acquired. An example is someone who sparred with another but took a lot of damage. They may get enhanced durability or pain resistance of some kind. Too many to list, but that is usually how it plays out. Since you have done nothing for the last True Day, it is within reason to say that what you felt you experienced the most influenced your rewards. I am curious, though, if that was a good reward from your wager or a bad reward. You will have to figure that out as you level up. You will get eight more rewards until level 10, so we have plenty of testing to do. After that your next ability unlock will not happen until level 25 and every subsequent 25th level after that. No one knows why it is structured like that, so don’t ask.” Nia finished.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Wes took in her words and agreed with them for the most part before he brought up his status.

  Name: Wesley of 29744C

  Race: Human

  Age: 27

  Unique abilities: Imperial Over Metric, Back In My Day

  Abilities: Deposit, Eternal Spark, Cleanse

  Skills: N/A

  Achievement(s): Bloody Soul, Pragmatic Savant

  Trait(s): 3

  Current Status: Blessed

  Level 2

  Savings: 2,508,088

  Next Level: 829.44

  Level 2 Exp Per Sec: .0048

  Current Exp: 8.34

  Wes shared his status with Nia like he did the last time.

  “Now this is starting to make sense. Wes, you know your numbers, right?” Nia asked.

  Wes nodded.

  Nia asked, “you know what a second is?”

  “Only after I got my first quest. I think it has something to do with my unique abilities. I also know what an hour is.” Wes answered

  “Now that is also strange. Would it surprise you to know that no one outside the inner realms knows what those are? It is not something learned about until long after one has set out on the path. You knowing now, is strange.” Nia said.

  Wes turned his head over a little. “Why is that?”

  “It is against the Edicts for me to say why.” Nia winced while continuing. “But I think I can tell you how it relates to you since you know of those two.” In a hushed whisper, she said. “Sixty seconds make up a minute, sixty minutes make up an hour, and two dozen hours make up a True Day.” Nia finished while scrunching her face as if she expected something to happen. When nothing did, she went to continue, but immediately stopped herself.

  Wes could see that she was in pain from the way her face scrunched up. That unsettled him, he thought to himself. What the hell could do that to her?

  Nia collected herself. “Time is key. I cannot say more.” She leaned forward as if hinting for him to pay attention to her words. He looked from her to his status but was lost.

  As Wes saw her sit back in her seat, he realized she was disappointed. When he was about to speak, the door to his quarters pushed open. Dozel was pulling a cart of food two rows high. She bowed and asked if she could come in when she realized that Nia was there. Nia waved her over. Dozel made four trips back and forth from her cart to the top of the platform. She placed half a dozen plates of food in front of them both. Three different drinks.

  Wes was taken off guard when Dozel unfolded a piece of cloth and placed it in his lap. When he saw her do it to Nia as well, he understood that it must be a part of eating in higher worlds. When she was done she bowed and went to walk off but Nia stopped her by saying. “You sit too.”

  Nia had already begun to eat. She did not stop even while Dozel stood in shock at being instructed to sit with her.

  Dozel looked over to Wes as if to ask permission. When Wes just shrugged his shoulders, she took the seat immediately to Wes’s right.

  Nia looked at her and raised her eyebrow. “Bold of you, little girl.”

  With it all escaping Wes yet again, he said, “You told her to sit.”

  “Yes, but I did not tell her to sit on your right. That is usually reserved for the head spouse.” Nia looked from Wes to Dozel, “are you saying that you are going to protect his back even if it costs you your life?”

  Dozel answered, “Of course.”

  Nia raised both eyebrows and waved her arm over her shoulder. “But where will my daughter sit? I think she will want that seat as well.”

  A woman who looked like the spitting image of Nia walked through the fabric of space where Nia had gestured. She offered a deep bow of her own. “Mother, you called.”

  Nia enjoyed seeing Wes’s jaw hang open. She looked at Dozel, who had begun fidgeting in her seat. “Meet my daughter, Phony. Everyone, this is Phony. Phony, why don't you take a seat? It is time you met your husband-to-be.”

  The newly named Phony snapped her head toward Wes. She followed that up by drifting her gaze over to Dozel. “I believe you are in my seat.” Phony said to Dozel.

  “Now now, there will be plenty of time for that later.” Nia chided.

  Phony stood up but refused to sit down in the seat.

  Nia broke her eyes from her plate and looked up at her daughter. “I said sit.”

  Phony gritted her teeth and begrudgingly pulled out the chair to Wes’s left. She sat down while looking straight at Dozel, who in turn was doing her best not to meet Phony's eyes.

  Wes, having had enough said, “I did not agree to this yet.”

  “You will,” Nia replied. “I am not going to say that you will love each other. But she is the most compatible of my daughters with you and the one still not spoken of that is closest to your age.” Nia looked at her daughter. “This is the man I told you about. I will not be helping you curry favor with him.”

  “Why would I want that. He is a weakling.” Phony replied while not removing her eyes from Dozel’s face.

  Nia laughed to herself. “It is thanks to him that you will get to see your father soon.”

  Phony shot her eyes to her mothers before snapping them over to Wes’s. “You!”

  Nia grunted between bites. “Enough. Wes here has just leveled up.”

  Phony looked to her mother again. “So.”

  Smiling, Nia asked Wes to explain what he had been doing since he had awakened.

  Wes was confused before Nia gestured at him with the hand opposite her eating utensil to hurry up. “Mostly slept and walked around a bit. And a whole lot of talking.”

  Phony asked, “Are you saying that you have done nothing since yesterday. No exercise or anything?”

  “If you count walking the long ass walk over from the main house to here as exercise, then yes, I have done something.”

  Phony stood up so fast that her chair shot off the platform. She immediately shot her mother a look before looking at Wes. “I Phony Pledge…”

  Wes yelled. “Wait! I have not agreed to anything! I still have not kissed a girl. And have had a mistress for no longer than an hour…” Wes trailed off and looked at Nia. “That's what you meant?”

  Nia laughed and raised her glass with some type of glowing liquid. “See, there you go again, going from dense to less so.”