Chapter 97: Man vs Bond

By the time they reached the tales of Budapest, night had long fallen and his mother couldn’t stop smiling.

“And then, I kid you not, I threw a piano at him!” Shellgirl laughed so hard that milk came out of her nose. “A whole piano! The Purity Rings stopped working afterward!”

“The harshest divorce I had ever seen,” Vasi said with a chuckle. “Now that was a pushy man.”

“I’m so glad you managed to get away from him,” Aleksandra told Shellgirl. “But something bothers me. Where did you find the parts to make the flesh golem, Vasi?”

Vasi blushed in embarrassment. “I don’t remember.”

“I do,” Basil admitted with a shudder. As the only member of the team who refused to touch alcohol that night, he alone would bear the terrible burden of truth for the rest of his life. “It’s better if I take that particular secret to the grave”

“My tummy hurt when I ate it,” Rosemarine whispered. “It made me sad.”

“Come to think of it, you never told us where the bathroom alligator came from either,” Plato told Basil. “So many mysteries we’ll never know the answers to.”

“And that is good,” Basil said sharply. “Believe me, you don’t want to know.”

He would dedicate the rest of his life to making sure his team never drank alcohol ever again, for their sake and that of everyone else. Monsters and drunkenness didn’t mix well. He had been honestly surprised when the people of Budapest didn’t tar and feather them after the mess they’d caused.

“I’m so glad you made so many friends, Basil,” his mother told him with a smile. “I always had trouble forming connections with others, and here you are with a group of loyal companions.”

Basil couldn’t help but smirk. That was true. Only a few months ago, his friend list would have stopped at Plato and René; one of whom was dead. His journeys had changed him. “It’s been a long road back home, Mom.”

“And I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished.” She wiped off tears of joy from her eyes. “You look so happy now… and that makes me happy too.”

“I’m glad I could see you alive and well, Mom,” Basil replied warmly. He had dreaded this moment for so long, but in the end, it turned out that he had made mountains out of molehills. “I… I was truly concerned.”

“Now, Mrs. Bohen, I have questions from one entrepreneur to another!” Shellgirl joined her hands, her eyes shining with curiosity. “How did you gain so many levels in Merchant?! Surely you have trade secrets to share!”

“I admit I’m curious as well,” Vasi said. “This System only grants experience through the act of killing and the occasional quests. Yet you don’t look like a fighter, no offense.”

“I have never fought anyone,” Aleksandra replied. “Mr. Nicholae put me in a party of guards that gained experience for me. In exchange, I was asked to assign my levels to utility Classes to help everyone. First I became a Merchant, and then I switched to Gardener when we risked a food shortage.”

It was a wise strategy, and so simple that Basil kicked him over not thinking of it. Since a party’s experience was split between its members, it could allow for long-term specialization of support-based Players who would have died in the field otherwise. He wondered if General Leblanc introduced a similar organizational method in his armed forces.

“Interesting, interesting.” Shellgirl nodded slowly. “And what does the Merchant class do?”

“I can buy items from a Shop option in my menu,” Aleksandra explained. “I can sell treasures to the System in exchange of ‘tokens’ that then allow me to purchase items from a screen store. So far, I have gained access to choices ranging from mid-tier Weapons to Boosters.”

“Boosters?” Basil asked, not recognizing the term.

“Oh, you’ve never seen one? I’m surprised.” His mother summoned an item from her inventory: a small glass orb within which a red flame burned. It was so small as to fit within one’s palm, but warm enough that Basil could sense the heat from a meter away. “They’re very expensive, but useful.”

Fire Booster

Category: Consumable (Booster)

Quality: D.

Effect: [Elemental Amp: Fire]: Increases the power of [Fire] elemental attacks by 30% and lets them pierce through Resistance for five minutes.

A spicy item favored by pyromancers and arsonists alike. Can give stomach aches.

“I’ll be damned,” Basil whispered as he examined the item. “That’s incredibly powerful.”

“Hey, it gives the same Perk as my Turbo: Fire!” Bugsy shouted in anger. The craters on his back unleashed a puff of steam that would have probably blown away the room had he been in his normal size; as a shrunken centipede, he only succeeded in warming up the room. “I’ve worked so hard to earn it, and you can simply pay for one? This is outrageous! This is unfair!”

“It only works for five minutes though,” Vasi said, trying to calm him down. “Your flames burn ever brighter.”

As for Shellgirl, the mimic could barely suppress her excitement. “Do you have a Frost version, Mrs. Bohen?”

“I can buy one for you, if you want,” Aleksandra confirmed with a nod.

“Yes!” Shellgirl all but bolted out of her seat. “I’ll buy ten, no, twenty! My ice projectiles will bounce off the enemy no more! I’ll spare no expenses!”

“Are you suggesting spending money?” Basil scoffed in amusement. “What have you done with the real Shellgirl, impostor?”

“Partner, you can’t put a price on usefulness.” Shellgirl wagged her finger at him. “I know my utility Perks have been invaluable, but the wider my options, the better my contribution!”

“Elemental Boosters would synergize well with my spells too,” Vasi noted. “I would like to commission some as well.”

“With pleasure, dear,” Aleksandra replied, though her smile faltered a little. “But… it might cost you much. All the money I make goes into buying supplies for the Swords of Saint George, so I do not have a token reserve to spare. My former party cannot help me either.”

“What happened to them?” Basil asked, suddenly remembering that his mother wasn’t attached to any faction.

“They perished in Varna.” His mother stared down at her empty coffee cup, her eyes brimming with sorrow. “They were so young and brave… they deserved better than a dragon’s jaw.”

Basil crossed his arms and leaned against his chair. “They won’t go unavenged, Mother. I can assure you that. We’ll free Bulgaria from the Unity one way or another.”

Aleksandra joined her hands, her scowl deepening. “Do you truly think that, my son?”

“It’ll be a hard task,” Basil conceded. “But we’ve fought far worse.”

His sheer confidence seemed to reassure his mother, at least a little. “You will fight on no matter what I tell you, won't you?” She sighed. “I… please be careful, Basil. I can tell you are strong, but promise me you won’t endanger yourself too much. I… I just won’t bear it if you are in a coffin when we next meet. I just won’t.”

Basil’s expression softened. He took his mother’s hand into his own, and she squeezed it as hard as a dragon’s jaw. “I’ll survive no matter what, Mom. I promise you.”

Bugsy, whose wrath had abated, all but burst into tears at the sight. “Aww…” Drops of magma rained down his eyes and onto the table. “So beautiful…”

“Bugsy, don’t!” Basil warned, too late. His magma tears had hit the table and caused it to catch fire. His mother let out a scream of horror. “Damn it!”

“I’ve got this.” Vasi snapped her fingers and cast an ice spell. A chilling wind blew from her palm and snuffed out the flames.

“I’m sorry…” Bugsy apologized as he used his pincers to cover his eyes. “I’m just so happy… I can’t stop… I’ll repair everything, I swear…”

“No, no, do not cry, I can fix the table easily enough,” Aleksandra said, trying to reassure the volcanipede. “Don’t blame yourself. It is just a piece of wood.”

“You are too kind…” Unfortunately, Aleksandra’s generosity only made Bugsy cry harder. “If I had a mother… I would have wanted her to be like you…”

Aleksandra smiled gently. “How long are you staying in Shumen?”

“For a while,” Basil said, knowing his mother wanted to spend time with him. “We’ll need to leave for Athens after kicking the Unity out of Bulgaria though.”

It saddened his mother. After so many years, Basil couldn’t blame her for wanting to keep her son’s company as long as she could. “You can stay here until that time comes,” she said. “The house is small, but if I remove the table–”

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“You don’t need to move anything, ma’am,” Vasi reassured her. “We can park our vehicle nearby. We would be neighbors.”

Aleksandra jumped at the opportunity. “That would be perfect! I could deliver pastries each morning for breakfast. It has been so long since I’ve cooked for others.”

“I hope there will be goblins on the menu,” Rosemarine chirped happily.

“I would be glad to invite you for breakfast, Mom,” Basil said, an idea soon crossing his mind. “Since we’re at it, would you like to join our Guild? This way we could keep exchanging letters through the Logs even after we leave Shumen.”

“Of course, of course!” His mother immediately jumped at the occasion to stay in touch with him. “But we would need to ask Mr. Nicholae first for permission. The poor man is doing his best to save our country, and I don’t want to bother him.”

“I’m sure he won’t mind,” Basil reassured her.

“He is your biggest fan,” Plato mused. “I thought he was going to ask for our autographs when we first met.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if someone approached you for one,” Aleksandra said with a smile. “Word has spread of your actions, Basil. You have become something of a small celebrity in Bulgaria.”

Basil groaned. The last thing he wanted was for random guys to invade his personal space out of the blue. He had grown more social over time, but he still valued his privacy.

His girlfriend chuckled at his reaction. “I’ll share my glamor spell with you, Handsome.”

“Oh thank God,” Basil thanked her. Rosemarine yawned, for it was long past midnight. “It’s getting late, Mom.”

“Yes, go sleep and rest.” Aleksandra rose from her seat and started taking the plates off the table. “We can meet tomorrow once you have all recovered.”

“Let me help clean the dishes, Ma’am,” Bugsy asked. He grabbed a cup with one of his pincers and accidentally cracked it. “I-I can pull it together!”

“No, no, don’t bother,” Aleksandra assuaged him. “I prefer to clean dishes myself. It helps soothe my mind.”

“I’m sleepy, Mister,” the tropidrake complained to Basil. “Can I rest on your lap tonight?”

“Of course,” Basil replied, unable to deny her anything. He took her in his arms as he rose from his seat. The tropidrake purred in pleasure like a cat. Aww, she was so adorable…

Plato squinted at his best friend with great jealousy. “Traitor.”

“I will let you sleep on my lap if you wish, oh king of cats,” Vasi teased him. “But only once.”

“Pfff.” Plato puffed his chest. “Fine, I will grace you with my purring majesty.”

Afterward, the group left the house and bade Aleksandra goodbye on the threshold. Shellgirl politely bowed at her on the way out. “Thank you very much for hosting us, Mrs. Bohen.”

“Thank you for keeping my son safe,” Aleksandra replied warmly. “I’ll be sure to help you buy the Boosters you want tomorrow.”

“We would be grateful, Madame,” Vasi replied politely.

“You are such a delightful young woman.” Aleksandra kissed Vasi on the cheeks as if she were her own daughter, and then did the same with her son. “Treasure her, Basil… and be careful to use protection. You never know what can happen.”

“Mom!” Basil blushed. His girlfriend’s giggling laugh—and Bugsy’s happy noises in the background—didn’t improve matters. “Do you have to be so blunt?”

“Of course, it is my duty. Your father and I had a few scares in our days.” Aleksandra smiled. “Although… I wouldn’t mind if you made me a grandmother soon. I know the current times are troubled, but… please consider it after things settle down.”

Okay, she was skipping a lot of steps here. Basil thought it wise to simply cut the conversation short before it became more awkward. “See you tomorrow, Mom.”

“The sun cannot rise soon enough.” Aleksandra grabbed her son, kissed him on both cheeks, hugged him tightly, and only then let him go. “Sleep well, Basil.”

Basil and his group bade her farewell. Aleksandra stood on her house’s threshold until they vanished into the night. They were a long walk away from the Steamobile and their assigned barracks.

“It went well,” Vasi commented.

“It did,” Basil conceded with a pleased smile. The night had filled his heart with warmth and a quiet sense of joy. The Maleking could drop from the sky this instant and he would still remain in high spirits. “Much better than I thought.”

It was so strange. Basil hadn’t gained any level, won any great victory, nor progressed on his quest to save the world. All he had done was enjoy a quiet time with his friends and family. And yet these hours brought him more pleasure than anything the Trimurti System ever provided.

Life was about more than numbers.

“Partner, your mother is adorable and we must protect her,” Shellgirl said with her hands on her waist. “You must call her every day. No ifs or buts. She deserves it.”

“Yeah.” Basil agreed with a nod. He felt guilty for having all but cut contact with her over the last few years. Unlike money, he couldn’t recover lost time. “I should have done that a long time ago.”

Vasi gave him a meaningful look. Basil guessed she was thinking about her own mother… and the other side of her family.

“We can’t let Mrs. Bohen live in such a small place,” Bugsy declared with determination. “We must work to improve her house! Raise more walls, create more rooms! If we work together, we can raise a Lair worthy of her!”

“I’ll be glad to direct the project, Bugsy,” Plato replied. “As long as you do all the work.”

“When I evolve, I will feed her as she fed me,” Rosemarine added before yawning again. She felt so light in Basil’s arm when shrunken to her current size, though he guessed his enhanced strength helped a lot. “We will feed each other and never grow hungry again.”

“Your mother is a very kind woman, Handsome,” Vasi said as she adjusted her scarf. She looked lovely with her hair floating in the cold winter wind. “I should introduce you to mine now. It’s only proper.”

“You’ve changed your mind about the family meeting?” Basil asked her.

“Yes.” Vasi nodded sharply. “I’ve thought of what you said. You’re right, even if it goes poorly, at least I’ll find closure. I’m a grown girl, I don’t have time to spend mental space on daddy issues.”

Basil chuckled at her phrasing. “Want me to come as your bodyguard?”

“No,” Vasi replied with a wink. “But I’ll let you come as my boyfriend.”

Good. Basil doubted her father was the shotgun type.

It should go well.

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