Chapter 94: 84. Early Morning Cleanse

Jay hadn’t slept much last night. He hadn’t truly rested for almost two weeks now. He shouldn’t be able to function. But his System gains and [Freakish] inhumanity might be reducing his need for sleep. That might not be a good thing in the long run.

At least he had Lilith and Mike sleeping in cots right next to him. No matter how much of a fuckup he felt he was, those two stayed loyal to him.

Kleo, too, but Jay was a little concerned about their relationship going forward. She was leading Jay into new and uncomfortable developments. She had used [Judging Finger That Cuts Divinity] against RoAnna, and they now must deal with the cost.

[Judging Finger That Cuts Divinity (Faerie), Level 16]–When in the presence of a foe with a significant amount of divinity, Kleo’s power to judge, punish, and influence through magic and Chance greatly increases. This amounts to an attack where Kleo unleashes a slashing line of power that hurts the divine foe, which can deliver critical damage that may hinder or slay. Beware! To judge and strike divinity will bring about resonating backlash that may harm or alter you and Kleo in unpredictable ways.

It had been supercharged by the [Mana Power Cycle] Talent, too. Jay might’ve screwed things up with him and his [Faerie].

Oh well.

“C’est la vie. Such is life.” Jay smiled to himself, finding some personal willpower that was his and not the Conviction Attribute.

There was a separation between the two. He could feel the [Precursor of the System] Title encouraging System-sensitivity. His outlandishly improved five senses (plus four) helped him get in tune with himself.

Having that distinction between personal willpower and Conviction convinced Jay that he was ready to face the pre-dawn Monday. He still eased into the embrace of Conviction so it could shoulder all the enormous burdens he was bound to face.

On top of somehow making it to school on time in the next… two hours? He could tell the time by the light seeping through the army tents’ blinds. It was about 06:34 in the morning based on the pre-dawn light.

Jay sighed. His 50 Intellect was such a showoff.

“Smile, Luckrun, smile,” Jay said softly, rising from underneath his blanket.

All the dried blood, filth, and YoAnna knew what that coated him cracked. The loosened gunk shifted down his body like he was an ancient mummy waking up after eons of stillness and dust collecting.

To his left, Mike cracked open a bleary eye, his face smudged with a mix of dried monster blood. And his own. He glanced around annoyingly. “It’s 05:54. Too early, my friend.”

“Ugh,” Jay grunted, feeling his 50 Intellect heat up with embarrassment. “I forgot to account for my dark vision. Perception made me think there was more light out.”

“If your Perception is so high, why are you speaking so loud?” Lilith grumbled on the other side of Jay.

She flopped over, smelling like a chemistry lab, a botanical garden filled with poisonous plant life and hints of magic that spoke of the delicate work she’d done to kill Yoroachians without killing the Systemless.

It had been a hard task. But Lilith always liked intellectual challenges even if she’d prefer the scorched earth tactic.

Jay chuckled at a lower volume. Lilith was new to having higher Perception. Mike, too, but he’d been building up to it thanks to Hailey’s recommendations on how it helped with [Mage] stuff.

Mike’s 40 Perception and Lilith’s 30 Perception were babies in comparison to Jay’s 100 Perception and his new [Perceptive Highness] Talent.

Jay glanced around, using his eyes to reconfirm what his spatial-g had already detailed in his head.

They had a spartan-styled tent that could fit a squad of people. A tarp was laid out underneath Jay and his friends’ stuff. It was only the three of them sharing.

The Army National Guard had plenty to provide. For the Champions. Maybe not for their own people and all the Junkers needing aid.

Jay didn’t want to focus on the logistics of all of that right now.

He was down to his boxers at the moment. Same for Mike. Lilith was totally in the nude. This was normal for them. 

Sets of fresh clothes hanging from the tent’s frame were a nice sight for Jay’s super-perceptive eyes.

Jay got dressed, ignoring the horrid feel of new clothes when he was his filthiest. Every sensation was louder, deeper, and more detailed. The brush of his hand over the cheap gas station hoodie’s fabric would shock ten people silly from the sensational overload.

His System could manage it decently. He’d hug 50 Intellect if he could for propping him up consistently. Because it was filtering through many sensations picked up by his five senses and the 600 feet of spatial-g he exuded in all directions naturally. As easy as breathing.

His spatial-g alone was the reason why he knew it was time to get up. Someone outside was using their Affinity to go unnoticed while soldiers and CWG personnel ran around like headless chickens. This cloaked Champion was obviously visible to Jay, and she knew that. 

Jay could sense her role to play through his meta-g. She would be his supportive dame for the morning.

“She’s waiting for me,” Jay said next to the entrance.

“Do you have to be cryptic?” Mike asked.

“It’s–”

“Brit,” Mike figured out without trying, his 70 Intellect still ahead of Jay’s 50 Intellect. “After last night’s y’know what, she’s probably very interested in your time.” Mike sat up wearily. “I suppose that’s meant to be. The two strongest Champions spending more time together.”

There was a lot to discuss after the battle finished. System checks came first, on top of Jay acquiring a more detailed report from the System that had gone very awry and strange.

The Champions had a decent ranking structure set up based on [Applied AP].

Jay’s [425 Applied AP] placed him first among Champions.

Brit’s [390 Applied AP] placed second.

Lilith snorted, sitting up without a care for her exposed chest. “She keeps ducking me. Tell her that she can’t avoid me forever.”

She flashed a mean smile that glinted brightly in the dark to Jay’s super perceptive eyes. A look like that should be concerning for most people since Lilith ranked third with [355 Applied AP].

Regardless of levels, Attribute Points were the great decider on a Champions’ base power. At least within the same rank.

Last night offered little to nothing regarding loot other than stuff from the Yoroachian Lair. But it gave the Pantheon plenty of Attribute Points, which might be a better deal for some Champions compared to others.

Tim had started as the weakest Champion last night and came out as one of the biggest winners.

He was now a Level 18 Endless [Fighter] with [330 Applied AP].

Without any extra AP, if he caught up to Lilith’s Level 23 Alchemy [Crafter], he’d be at [370 Applied AP].

In other words, System numbers had gone up, and everyone’s brains went brrr. They compared each other to see who had the highest Attributes or the best AP growth. Or to see who had managed to get their Skills to the pinnacle of growth for Rank 2. It kept things light despite all of the death and destruction Junkside had suffered.

It almost made things fun again.

Then Jay had ruined it all with the bloody truth spoken behind Champion magic concealment. Only for Champions to hear, and nobody else.

“You can come back and keep trying to sleep,” Mike offered.

“Boring. Go out and face the consequences. It will make you stronger.” Lilith waved Jay off like a mother bird kicking her chick out of the nest. “Mike will be here to kiss your boo-boos when you fall and scrape a knee like usual.”

Mike sighed. “Maybe I should go with you.”

Lilith tackled the [Mage], her 30 Strength forcing his 20 Strength to submit and get subjected. Mike pleaded for Jay’s intervention with his eyes.

“You two are so cute. The best friends anyone can have.” Jay stepped through the flaps into Monday pandemonium, completely ignoring Mike’s shattered hopes for salvation from Lilith’s intimate villainy.

Barely ten seconds had passed before a national guardsman crossed Jay’s path with some of his comrades.

“Hey, kid, you’re not supposed to be hanging around here,” the guardsman said, his rifle held menacingly even with the barrel pointed down. “You’re far from the emergency relief zone. That’s what you’re looking for, right?”

“I am looking for some relief,” Jay said.

“Come with us, we’ll get you where you need to go,” the lead guardsman said, urging Jay along with his rifle.

“Could’ve woken up those Champions,” another guardsman said.

“Shut it, man, we’re not supposed to talk about that,” a third guardsman said. “Top secret and all of that.”

The lead guardsman groaned at his comrades, ignoring them in favor of a more pressing concern. Jay hadn’t moved from the spot where they found him.

Jay looked at the lead guardsman's insignias. A sergeant? Jay ran that through 50 Intellect’s memorization of media and figured he was right. The sergeant was the higher-ranked guy in his group, and he probably liked everyone to listen to his authority right away.

“The damn kid must be dumb or something,” the sergeant muttered before grabbing Jay.

He had a good grip on Jay’s arm, which was preferable. That way, when Jay started walking, his sweater wouldn’t rip away in the sergeant’s grasp.

“What the fuck?” the sergeant cussed, his feet sliding over dirt as he got pulled along with minimum effort.

Jay’s 30 Strength wasn’t much compared to others, but it did good work against the Systemless.

“Sarge, what’s the deal?” asked one of his guardsmen. “Stop playing with the kid and let’s hustle. We’re supposed to report to the lieutenant soon.” 

“I’m not playing with the damn kid! He’s just dragging me along….” The sarge’s face paled with realization. Then he jumped back, fumbling with his rifle before standing ramrod straight and saluting. “Uh, um, sorry for the inconvenience, sir!”

All of his guardsmen looked at the sarge in confusion. They were still a little slow on the upkeep.

Jay stopped for a moment, wondering if he should make a big show of things. Then he turned away from the guardsman, looked past Brit’s calming presence, and scanned the smoky, smashed, and blood-coated remains of Junkside’s north quarter.

In the fields near the bus stop Jay used on the Night of Knives, the still growing, shifting, and settling joint operation between military and three-letter agencies spanned north of Junkside. The impromptu camp was a series of hastily built tents set in militaristic order. That kept all the chaos manageable. Especially with the simple avenues designed to facilitate travel between each private and public space within the camp.

Jay was in the heavily guarded far east corner dedicated to the Champions. They were north of the fences that penned the newest members of the Pantheon. Jay had no doubt this heavy activity put a gun barrel to all the secrecy and domed it.

None of that secret stuff mattered after so many people died to monsters.

“I think you have to tell the guardsman he’s okay to leave,” Brit said, becoming more noticeable to the Systemless. “Unless you want them standing and saluting you all morning.”

She giggled, letting out a leak of Holy power that gave her voice a pleasing and soothing ring. Even though it was a shock for the Systemless to just notice her, they quickly became smitten with her. One guy looked like he was ready to kneel and propose to her.

“Pull back a little more, would ya?” Jay asked. “These guys don’t have any defense against all that southern belle charm.”

“Whoopsie.” She pulled her Holy power tighter and limited the huge weight of her Conviction.

“You guys go on and see that lieutenant whoever. If he tries to give you a hard time, tell him a Champion was just asking you for directions. If he’s still giving you a hard time, tell him to come out and see the [Freak].”

Jay let his differently colored eyes shine brighter. The silver-gold of mad divinity on the left. The neon purple of insane gravity on the right. Not too much. But just enough to get his point across.

The guardsmen were so awestruck that they double-saluted and dashed away as quickly as possible. They passed another group of patrolling guardsmen and gave them a quick warning of the Gravity [Freak] and the Holy [Medium]. The patrol gingerly stepped around the Champions, greeting them politely before quickly moving on.

“I thought these little reveals would get old,” Jay said. “But I still get a kick out of them. Can’t help but want to mess with people a little more.”

“I’d rather not take up too much of anyone’s attention,” Brit admitted.

“Ironic,” Jay said. “That’s what you’re good at.”

Brit moved to Jay’s right and slightly behind him. It was automatic deference to him in their power ranking order. A hell of a stroke to Jay’s ego, too, since Brit’s a beautiful and curvy girl most guys would want to start a family with.

Jay set the pace and direction, and the two started to meander. For some reason, he was drifting west rather than south. He figured he would get around to checking on the kiddies sooner or later. Something else was drawing his attention, his far-reaching sense of gravity.

“Oh, I’d lose my head if it weren’t connected,” Brit said. “Here. Shoulda did this before bedtime.”

She used [Cleanse] and wiped away every flake of blood, piece of grime, and all the disgusting gunk caked around Jay’s body. For a Skill that was primarily used to cure debuff effects, it had surprisingly multifaceted perks. And Brit’s Holy Affinity gave Jay that extra sense of divine cleanliness, too.

Jay gave her a thankful smile. She smiled brightly in return and settled into a comfortable silence as his escort. Even while she was keeping her Affinity and her most preferred Attribute tightly bound, the weight of Brit’s power was notable. Ironically, Jay’s ranking as first among Champions didn’t mean his Affinity and most preferred Attribute were difficult to keep subdued.

Jay acted outlandishly and flashy because it was fun. But gravity was a fundamental and subtle power. It was easier to keep bound, making Jay look like a small weeny nobody. Which was strangely different compared to Brit who liked to use her Holy Affinity to blend in with the environment and hide in plain sight. Or she’d exude such an aura that people would whip their heads around to see her. And she was taller than him, too.

They made for a visually compelling duo. He was a wee shadow with his hood worn. She was a dominant light with her head raised.

Passing guardsmen recognized her immediately since she’d saved a platoon who went into the Junkside Yoroachian War unprepared. Some guardsmen greeted her quickly out of respect, others stopped whatever they were doing–loading emergency supplies, fixing up busted army vehicles, checking gear and weapons–and took the time to thank her sincerely or compliment her or both.

A few of the younger ones asked for her number.

“These guys would lose their religion if they could get a pinup of me,” Brit said at a volume only a perceptive Champion could hear.

Jay snorted, pulling attention to himself from some of the guardsmen. They didn’t know what to make of him.

You are reading story The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy at novel35.com

Jay had entered the Junkside Yoroachian War chasing down the more dangerous targets striking from the shadows or the flanks. He had worked outside of the limelight this time around while Brit had fought and led in the middle of all the chaos from the start. Casey and Dennis had helped her as the Pantheon vanguards in this situation. The three of them got the most respect from the guardsmen.

Frank should’ve gotten more credit since he’d done a lot of background organizational stuff while fighting, too. But it was hard to outshine someone that glowed brilliantly like Brit. At least until Jay and Kleo got super creepy and freaky. But the gravity duo didn't have a chance to exude themselves much since they entered the Junkside Yoroachian War late with the Noir Parade. The kiddies had taken over for the most part and provided a great amount of help that pushed the Champions into victory.

Jay paused, touching his chest. Kleo had gone back inside after the last Yoroachian was slain on the surface. She was going to be staying in there more often now, something he could tell through [Faerie Master].

“Is she okay?” Brit asked after signing a motor mechanic’s arm with a marker.

“She’s changed,” Jay said. “Dunno if it’s for good or bad. You, uh, might not like it.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Brit said. “If I can hold myself back from smiting our new kiddies, I’m sure Kleo will be fine around me.”

“Thank you for that,” Jay said. “I’ve grown attached to those guys. You have no idea how much they helped during the crawl to….”

Jay licked his teeth before letting out a grunt. Some dark memories surfaced then went back under. He shook it off, leaning heavily on Conviction.

Brit didn’t say anything. She simply rejoined his side, showing deference to him even if most people wanted to pay her more attention. On the grunt level, at least.

When the Holy Gravity pair reached the square where platoons of soldiers were mustering and getting their orders for the day, some of the officers paid closer attention to Jay. That included the CWG head honcho, representatives of the city mayor, and the highest local law enforcement leaders working hand in hand with the military higher-ups here.

With the MPC still lurking and restructuring in the background, all of these adults brought into an absurdly ridiculous and gruesome situation didn’t know what to do with twelve magical teenagers and their menagerie of monsters. They didn’t have much of a choice as everyone gathered in the square started to pay the Champion pair more attention.

Just when the sun started to peak over the horizon, too.

“It really is like a story,” Jay said aloud. “It was Monday morning last week when we hunted down a ghost assassin that had hunted after my mom.”

“The assassin was alive while hunting his mom, then the assassin met a timely demise and became a ghost,” Brit clarified for their quickly enraptured audience. “Jay, sugar, if you’re going to tell a story to an audience, you have to be accurate with what you say.”

Jay winced, embarrassed since his mom was an awesome if unconventional storyteller. He needed to work on that.

“So, yeah, that was a thing last Monday. Really scary, too. Our Death [Medium] can do some creepy stuff to souls. Especially bad souls that want to manipulate, hurt, and kill the magical teenagers trying to save the universe.”

His voice grew louder without much effort. It carried easily across the entire square. Everyone could hear him. That way, he could touch them all with his Conviction and Gravity Affinity.

He used his graven voice. 

“And it sucks for me to get reminded of that right now because most of you are trying to help Junkside that’s been put through the wringer. And what’s going to happen next might distract from that. But killing the assassins hiding here gotta be done.”

A ripple of gravity passed through the gathered soldiers and officials. It affected people differently. For most, they’d feel the weight of Jay’s Conviction pressing down on them and nothing more. For a few, they’d feel the weight of Jay’s Conviction plus his [Slayer of Assassins] Title that promised to end them.

Jay watched the confused and discomforted guardsmen shift about as a high-ranking officer, some poor sob of a government bureaucrat, and a CWG grandpa approached the pair.

Brit started moving to intercept them when Jay raised his hand. She stopped on a dime like a highly disciplined soldier, something she must’ve drilled as the former band lead at Central High.

“Mm, wanna play a scarier role?” Jay asked.

Brit arched an eyebrow, pretending that was a silly proposition.

Jay gave her a lopsided grin, his eyes glinting. “Come on, Brit. Aren’t these assassins the type of people that grate against your holiness?”

She gave him a blank look. He couldn’t read anything on her emotional-g. She was really good at controlling herself. Then she smiled ever so slightly as something power-hungry glinted in her eyes.

Ah, there it was.

The darker side of Britney Williams.

“Mister Luckrun, the accusations you’re making have to be aired within the proper channels,” grouched the army commanding officer, doing everything he could to be respectful to the high schooler that could fling him into the sky.

At least he didn’t look like Commander Steele.

“And you’re making a damn mockery of all the hard work that we’ve done to clean up your damn messes,” the CWG head honcho wheezed like the angriest and frail old man you could meet. He nearly caught Jay off guard with that salty audacity that even surprised the other men.

For some reason, Jay’s respect for CWG grandpa rose a notch.

“The mayor would like to talk to the Champions at the town hall today, by the way,” inserted the bureaucrat as quickly as he could. The other two glowered at the guy like he was a worm wriggling out of the wet dirt.

Right behind the three approached another man dressed like a highway patrolman with an air of importance. He stood in the back as if he just wanted to get a better scope of the situation.

Out of these four men, one was not like the other. This one lit up like a bloody Christmas tree to Jay’s [Slayer of Assassins] Title.

“Gentlemen, there’s going to be some killing with glowy magic and theatrics,” Jay announced with a smile growing under the intensifying light of his silver-gold and purple eyes. “Can’t be helped. I got this thing about slaying assassins, and World Knife assholes don’t like to talk. Not even when compelled after death.”

Three out of the four men looked confused.

“They harkened from the filth, they’ll knife you to the hilt,” Brit said so fast, her words blurred for the Systemless.

Hell, she spoke faster than the highway patrolman unholstering his gun and turning it on the CWG sourpuss. But she needed a little more time to prepare fully.

Jay happily obliged.

A quick step forward. A downward karate chop of his hand. And a simultaneous tap of [Guillotine-G]–

[Guillotine-G (Familiar), Level 19]–Throw or swing Kleo in the direction of gravity. Kleo will then become akin to a falling cleaver that’ll grow in dimensions and power and velocity. You can use this Skill in small doses for a slightly higher mana cost. Variable mana costs from small to high depending on mana input. Leveling up this Skill improves its power for you, Kleo’s control, and the overall Perception scaling.

Jay added the bare minimum of mana needed to coat his hand in purple gravity magic. The magic shaped itself into a wide cleaver a butcher would use.

Jay hacked the assassin’s gun hand by the wrist and prevented him from blasting the grandpa’s head.

[Sling Assist] whisked the blood spray away from getting on the CWG grandpa’s head. Or on anybody, really. 

[Gravity Grasp] yanked the gun out of its descent. Jay thumbed what he thought was the safety latch, so the red dot stopped showing.

[Graviton Wall] took a few split seconds longer for Jay to use compared to Kleo, but Jay plopped it down right where the assassin would run. A purple screen of fast-moving gravity particles slammed the assassin.

One subdued, four more still trying to hide.

“They’re the heathens of old, they are cast from the same mold,” Brit continued, slowing herself down as if she was considering the theatrical angle of things.

She even let her holy light shine through, calming the shocked officials first and foremost. “Let us sweep them out of all seams and bring about a new spring….”

Brit stopped, clenching her jaw to hold back the last piece of the incantation. She was waiting on Jay to indicate where to aim. Like a holy gun.

Jay would gladly do so, but he had to ensure the optics were right. He couldn’t attack the panicked guardsmen directly without the assassins revealing themselves first.

The assassins would know that, too.

“May I assist, Master?” Kleo asked quietly from inside of his chest.

Regardless of what creepiness Kleo was up to, Jay would always trust her to do what was in favor of him. He gave his ascent through [Faerie Master].

Kleo phased through his chest with a dark purple flash, barely perceptible for the Systemless since she stayed inside of his hoodie. The claws on her little fingers and toes latched onto him as she used [Faerie’s Voice].

[Faerie’s Voice (Faerie), Level 12]: Your Familiar charms a single target with telepathy if the target’s magical defense, sentience, and/or sapience is permeable. Then the target falls under her influence for a limited duration and would follow simple orders. If the target resists fully, their Poise rises for a limited time. Variable mana costs from moderate to high will depend on the target's magical defense. This Skill can only be performed by your Faerie. Leveling up increases Perception scaling and Skill effect duration.

Because of the single-target limitation, Kleo couldn’t puppet all of the assassins out into the open. Instead, she charmed her way into their heads, gave them a big scare, and forced them into a fight-or-flight situation.

One by one, assassins made an ill-advised and pressured decision. They broke away from their formations to get into a clear space where they could raise their rifles and threaten Jay’s gaggle of old men.

Jay snorted.

“[Gravity Grasp], [Gravity Grasp], [Gravity Grasp], oh… look, the last one’s running,” Jay commented. “Look at that guy go. It’s like watching a baby crawl. Annnnd, [Gravity Grasp].”

The fun part about the telekinetic prowess to [Gravity Grasp] was how Jay could ease the crash landings when he didn’t pull his targets in all the way. He didn’t want any of these assassins breaking their necks.

It would ruin the rest of the theatrics.

“Don’t think you can crawl away,” Jay said to the highway patrolman assassin. “Bring your ass over here.”

Jay used [Gravity Grasp] again without even bothering to say it. He had all five assassins slammed into a pile now. Their guns had fallen out of reach. Their willpower to fight was easily crushed after getting gathered so quickly.

“I’ll be freaking damn, you’ve just saved us months of work trying to smoke these guys out,” the CWG grandpa said, salivating over whatever old-school interrogating strategies he planned for the assassins.

The bureaucratic guy hid behind the guardsman commander. The commander gestured for a squad to capture the assassins.

“Can’t let you have these,” Jay said. “You didn’t find them. I did. And I’ve promised their lives to Brit.”

The old men stared at Jay with concern, disbelief, or slowly growing outrage. The CWG grandpa hopped ahead of the rest.

“Do you have a friggin clue how much we bust our asses and support you! This right here is national security that concerns us more than your magical bullshit club!”

The commander and the bureaucrat took a few steps away from the CWG grandpa.

Jay chuckled darkly, making the air ripple with light gravity waves.

Ever so carefully, Jay let his mind cross the line between three dimensions and four dimensions. He was very careful because his 4D headspace was not to be trifled with. He just wanted to toe the line a little for the right response. The best response.

“Ah. We’re only following orders.” Jay grinned, surprised by an answer that came from the past. His 50 Intellect felt ashamed that it had missed this one. “No mercy is to be granted to the mother hunters, the man betrayers, the homewreckers, the World Knife’s assassins, and their twice-damned Benefactors. All those who threaten the Multiverse Protectorate Pantheon, our friends, and the Technical Queen of the Universe will not see a merciful end.”

His eyes glowed brighter. More intense. Like his face was a neon sign of madness and magic.

The squad meant to capture the assassins slowed, burdened by fear. The three older men retreated back like they were dealing with a rabid wolf. The assassins picked their raggedy selves up and tried to make another run for it.

“Give them a good scrub, Brit,” Jay said, enjoying the show.

He could sense her powers at play due to her prior explanations and the meta-g of the situation. She had a ridiculous move that she workshopped with Emily and Lilith last week while looking at powers from under a more creative lens. Back then, the idea she was about to display was just a theory since she didn’t have nearly enough power. Now she had the power, which was fucking absurd and scary.

Brit's head turned slowly with the running assassins. She pouted at them as if they should welcome the end of their lives rather than flee from it.

She eased off her personal power limiter. She pressed lightly on her new super boosting talent for having 100 Conviction: [Conviction Crusader].

She finished the incantation, a punishing decree empowering a seemingly benign Skill. “[Cleanse].”

Brit’s eyes flashed with wrathful holy light. She flicked her hand at the assassins daintily. Like shooing away bugs. Or specks of dust.

A white burst of instant holy death struck all five assassins. Their remains got whisked away into the aether. All of their gear and clothes remained behind. The items got cleaned and piled neatly for pickup. They were folded properly, too.

The assassins had too little Conviction to surpass the System check. Their Poise was far too low to stand against the magic. And they didn’t have near enough plot importance to weigh on Chance and to protect them from direct eradication.

The System looked at Brit, saw the enormity of her power as a Rank 2, and shrugged its shoulders. It gave her all the Chance Modifiers she needed even if that move was an absolute abuse of the Skill.

Jay paid attention to her emotional-g and caught the self-disgust and shame that rose up when Brit enjoyed her darker side. Something Lilith claimed to exist even if Brit was someone people could rely on. Consequently, Brit was another power-loving monster among the Champions.

Jay fully embraced Brit's power and power-hungry side. This was a total ego trip for him. Having an attractive southern belle follow him dutifully and smite assassins per his request felt nice. It was awakening things he shouldn’t explore but kinda wanted to.

It made him miss YoAnna. It made him want to taste her neck while Kleo laughed demonically from inside his chest.

Jay felt sudden disgust and horror. He wanted to rip the memories of RoAnna out of his head. He couldn’t. So, he did the next best thing.

Jay laughed, the only voice in a very quiet square filled with the military. Adults trained for homeland defense, knowing no fear, except for fearing deranged magical teenagers and their bloodthirsty abuse of System powers.

Right at dawn, too.