Chapter 56: About Those Classes…

Thomas had never been so hyper-aware of driving the exact speed limit in his life.

Logically though, he knew that if somebody wanted to go so far as to imprison him under the guise of him breaking a law, he probably didn’t actually have to break any laws. They’d just make something up.

Not a happy thought.

Employment while incarcerated was legal. In fact, Thomas knew that many wildland firefighters were serving prison time as work crews to clear brush. It was a voluntary and popular position where people could get kicked off for bad behavior.

However, now it seemed the government was taking it to a whole new level. The next logical step was instituting a draft. Wait, wasn’t it possible to draft health care workers? What about healers?

Thomas gripped the steering wheel and firmly told himself to stop spiraling. It sort of helped.

____

“Should we… do something?” Jo asked, later. “Help Twitch out somehow?” She seemed as torn as Thomas felt.

Thomas had met the rest of his team at a pre-arranged point at a park in Reno not far from the convention center. Thomas had driven his beat-up sedan, Jo had arrived in her ex-husband’s pickup truck that she pretended to hate but treated like another one of her children, and Zach teleported.

According to him, it took the same amount of energy to teleport from South Lake Tahoe 60 miles to Reno as it did to travel one mile.

“This skill is made for long distance,” he said with a grin. “Teleportation mana is wild, man. I’m in love.”

Thomas didn’t want to tell Zach how to live his life, but he really hoped he didn’t exhaust himself of mana again. As the man’s Gift made him his mana, that could literally be a mistake that could cost him his life.

In any case, they’d listened with concern while Thomas relayed his encounter at the Government Marketplace.

“I don’t know how we could help,” Thomas said. “Technically, no, legally he should be locked up in a jail cell. Maybe out on bond if he was lucky…” He trailed off and ran a hand back through his hair, agitated. “There’s work release programs for people already incarcerated but that’s not for people awaiting trial. It’s blatantly illegal.” He sighed. “Or it was.”

“I am not liking the sound of that ankle monitor,” Zach muttered. “Did you get any feel from the mana?”

“No.”

“Did it seem like he was in any pain?” Zach pressed.

Thomas shook his head. “No, in fact he was able to sneak out to get word to me really quick. So he might have some freedoms but… I just don’t know.”

“Yeah no,” Jo said dryly, “I wasn’t planning on it anyway, but now I really don’t think I’ll be working for the National Guard ever again.”

“There are freaky times ahead, my dudes,” Zach said wisely. “No offense to your gangster friend, but this doesn’t sound like an emergency.”

“He’s not a friend,” Jo corrected. “But yeah, I agree. Though, I have a feeling he’s working on a way to get himself out. He seems to be the type.”

Thomas couldn’t disagree.

Zach nodded. “The best thing we can do is dive some really cool dungeons, absorb high-level mana, and make sure no one can put us in chains.” He paused. “Plus, I have a teleporting skill, so no one’s catching me, and if the worst happens, I’ll get you guys out.”

Thomas huffed a dry laugh. “Thanks for that.”

Zach’s solution to all threats was to find a way to get stronger. From what Thomas had seen of the world since System Integration was announced, he wasn’t wrong.

He had already been fairly circumspect with his healing, and he didn’t think the Ross-Astor family would be talking, since he kind of sort of had a side deal with them for access to their Swamp dungeon. But from now on, he was going to have to be a whole lot more careful about his abilities.

That wasn’t even touching his Gift of Loot.

“Speaking of dungeons,” Jo said, “did the two of you get the list of dungeons that the elders sent me?” When Thomas and Zach nodded, she said, “So, what are your thoughts? Because I have a thing or two to say…”

____

About an hour later, after the sun set, they went to the Convention Center, which housed a portal to the Elf World.

Crossing over from one planet to another was so mundane that it was boring. The Dark Elves called it a ‘stable portal’, and the way they set it up made it so someone just had to walk from one hallway into the next. During the daytime on Earth, fire doors closed off the hallway to keep any hitchhikers out.

Hathas, one of the elders, was waiting for them on the other side. After some brief pleasantries, he escorted them to the official portal room, where they would be able to access the dungeons scattered across the planet.

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The portal… well, Thomas didn’t want to think “Stargate,” but it was a giant stone ring that required people to plug in coordinates to activate it.

Traveling through this portal cost Shadow mana, which was the currency the Dark Elves used. Thomas and his team were expected to pay for that part themselves.

Their team was still in negotiations with the Dark Elves to be their Earth-based consultants, but as an act of good faith, the elders had released some useful info about the System, and specifically the dungeons they would be able to access. In return, they (Jo, really) answered some clarifying questions on local culture and human history.

As soon as the countdown ended and full System Integration swept over the Earth, the System restrictions would be lifted. The Dark Elves planned to start their own colony near the Lake Tahoe basin, and they wouldn’t be the only race to do so. At least the Dark Elves claimed they wanted to make allies of their new neighbors.

Thomas wanted to think the best of them, but he also couldn’t recall a time ever in human history where a colony moving into an already established area had gone well for the natives. So… he was moving cautiously.