The soul water at Hector’s feet shook, ripples flowing gently across its surface as he took a step forward. He reached up and grabbed the Talent from the air. Common tier. He hadn’t even upgraded it, and it was already so powerful.

  The system must have been holding out on me. How did it keep something like this away from me? If that’s even how it works.

  The swirling symbols along its surface seemed to hum with an unknown power. Hector’s hands tightened around the Talent, his knuckles almost going white.

  Should I fuse with it now?

  He shook his head.

  How was that even a question? His lips quirked, curling into a smile—this Talent was a must-have. He moved the Talent towards his chest. He pressed it against the fabric, overcoming its resistance as it phased through his clothing.

  A rush of energy, crackling and fierce, shot through his body. It moved through his veins, swimming through his organs, zapping against his skin. This. This was power.

  Hector clenched his fist as sparks of lightning crackled between his fingers and small bolts jumped through his skin. Smiling, Hector took a breath. The static field manifested centered on him. The whole thing was about two of him, laying flat on the ground in diameter.

  Ho, ho. This is awesome. Is this what it feels like to be in the Core Formation realm? Probably not, but I imagine that it’s close.

  “All of you should hurry. We seem to have some eyes on us,” Nyx’s voice rattled through the Talent Garden, shaking the water at Hector’s feet. He glanced off into the void, the inky blackness stretching on to infinity.

  Hector kissed his teeth. “System, can you start the merge of the [Spark Capacitor] Talents?” he asked, making his way over to the [Tracker’s Charm] Talent. He would hopefully have time to convert and plant this before they had to leave.

  Water sloshed at his feet as he brought the Talent over to the middle plant pot. He scooped the dirt out, going as quickly as he could. But caught himself. He still needed to convert it. With a sigh, he willed the whirlpool to form underneath him.

  The tendrils of water shot out, slamming into the surface of the Talent with a screech. The smell of wet dirt trickled into the air, and Hector scrunched his nose. He frowned, glancing back into the void as if he could see the others walking around.

  Come on. Come on.

  A few moments later, he had a freshly formed seed in hand. He jammed it into the dirt—sparks of energy zipping over its surface—and Hector began covering the Talent seed. He hurried his hands, shovelling as much dirt as he could onto it.

  After covering it, he watered it. He threw a glance toward the void above him. There, whizzing around in a circle, were the three [Spark Capacitor] Talents. They spun with such speed that it looked like a white circle had formed above him.

  Eventually, the circle collapsed in an explosion of white light, flowing out into the void. It moved like a wave, disappearing towards the black horizon. Hector smiled as his new uncommon Talent lowered towards him.

  He turned his head to the water ball floating above the brown pot, squeezing out the last bit. Hector then stepped back. The water ball disappeared in a puff of mist, and he held his hands out.

  The new Talent—its surface a shimmering green—fell into his waiting hands with a soft tap. He smiled hastily, reading the system message as it popped up.

  ————————————————

  ///: Volt Runner: Electrical energy fills the user’s legs. The user can move three times as fast and all their attacks cause a static build-up. The build-up can be used to flinch a target at any time, provided the target is still in range. Duration: 1-hour / Cooldown: 2-hours.

  ————————————————

  “Hector,” Lincoln’s voice reverberated through the Talent Garden. “Come on. We have to go.”

  Hector’s chest tightened. But he was more excited than anything else. This Talent synergized excellently with the one that he’d just got. With this—for at least an hour anyway—he’d be an electrical beast on the battlefield.

  He pumped his fist, as the Talent merged back into his chest. He hadn’t even noticed it leave when it went to merge with the other two.

  Hector took one last glance at the single Talent pot and shook his head. He’d been far too slow. At the very least, he should have planted the Talents before doing anything else. Now he’d be missing valuable time to get them grown.

  He settled back onto the ground, water washing onto his lap. Hector then tracked the feeling in his chest and followed it. His time in the Talent Garden had been an enormous benefit this time, but he’d been far too distracted with the actual Talents.

  When he wasn’t in the Talent Garden, he could still look at the Talents he’d acquired. He didn’t need to waste valuable time looking at them before planting the seeds.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Hector’s eyes flickered open. The soft moonlight draped his form as Lincoln stood to his side. The boy focused on the brewery door, not even looking at Hector as he rose—he didn’t need to.

  “What’s the problem?” Hector asked Nyx, as she and Jodie made their way over.

  “The gangs are back. We need to go.” She turned her head to the Farmhand. “What are we doing with him?”

  Hector frowned. That was a good question. They couldn’t leave him here, that would be basically throwing him to the wolves—not that he wasn’t guilty in his own way. But the boy also didn’t want to go back to the farm. So what would they do?

  Walking towards the Farmhand, Hector glanced at Lincoln. “I’ll carry him. We can leave him somewhere along the way. With him tied up, even if he escapes, we should still make it to the Farm before he can warn them,” Hector said, dropping to a knee before the boy.

  “I won’t,” the boy said. Desperation coloured his features.

  “We’ll see.” Hector scooped him up and threw him over his shoulders with a soft thump along with the ruffling of fabric. The cooled night air whipped around the upper level of the brewery, rattling the rotting wood. Hector stepped back over to his friends. “So, how are we getting out of here?”

  Nyx walked away, her black leather jacket swaying as she moved. “We’ll be going through here,” she said, pushing a box out of the way. She bent down and pulled at a metal grate screeching as it moved.

  “You want us to go through the sewer?” Lincoln asked as they all stepped over. He turned his head to Hector and jerked his chin toward the sewer entrance. “She’s got to be joking, right?”

  “What?” Jodie asked, crossing her arms. “I thought someone like you would be more than accustomed to sneaking around in the dirt and muck.”

  Lincoln shot her a look but cowered away when she returned it. Nyx shook her head. She stepped forward and stepped out, falling straight into the hole. A moment later, her voice echoed up from the darkness. “Are you coming or what? Whoever comes last, close the grate after you.”

  I guess she’s not joking. Well, I’ve had worse stuff on me in the dump. This shouldn’t be anything different.

  Hector stepped forward, brushing past Lincoln. “Try not to scream, Farmhand,” He said. Before the boy could respond, Hector stepped into the hole. The ground rushed by him as darkness swallowed him.

  A second later, he thudded onto the ground with a grunt. Hector blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. But even then, the only useful light source was the dim light coming from the opening above him. “You should step aside; unless you feel like catching everyone,” Nyx said. She stood nearby, steeped in shadow.

  Hector nodded in agreement and stepped out of the way, moving further into the darkness. “It stinks down here,” the Farmhand said, squirming on Hector’s back.

  “Hold your breath or get used to it,” Hector said, bouncing the boy into a better position on his shoulder. “We aren’t doing this for fun.”

  The Farmhand was right, though. It stunk. The smell of stale urine and something else was strong down here. There was also a strong undertone of ale that was hard to miss. The walk wouldn’t be pleasant.

  Lincoln jumped through the hole a moment later, and Jodie followed a few seconds later. Hector turned his head to Nyx, breathing through his mouth as much as possible. “So, do you know which way we are going?”

  “Just follow me; listen out for my voice. If you get lost, it’s going to waste time.”

  I guess I’ll just take that as a yes then. She really isn’t one to mince words, is she?

  Hector nodded, moving past Lincoln and following behind Nyx as she moved through the dark. As they left, they heard shuffling above as people began moving into the brewery. Was it the same gang? Surely not. They’d scared the last group away—even if Nyx seemed to think they’d returned. It was most likely some other vultures.

  It was not odd for others to try their luck. People always thought they could do what others couldn’t.

  As they moved through the sewers, Nyx would occasionally say a few words. Hector kept his ears peeled, listening and following her voice as he moved. The smell didn’t get any better as they moved. If anything, it got worse—more fresh.

  Lincoln complained from time to time. But it did nothing to change their situation. Eventually, he stopped, and they continued walking in mostly silence. Hector wondered if Nyx had something that allowed her to see in the dark—Jodie had proved that Talents weren’t the only thing in this world.

  But then again. With her cultivation level, it was just as likely she was using echolocation—after all, as you progressed, your senses got pretty sensitive. Hector made a promise to himself that he’d give that a go when he got to her level. If everything went well, it wouldn’t be too long now.

  After who knows how long, Nyx stopped under another grate. A curtain of moonlight shone down, glittering across the surface of a puddle of muck beneath it. It was an oddly beautiful sight.

  “Are—Are we done?” Lincoln asked, letting out a cough before retching. He’d probably collapse at some point. It would be best if this was how they were going to leave the sewer.

  “Yes,” Nyx said, stepping forward. She exploded up, smashing through the grate. After a few moments of silence, she spoke. “It’s clear. Come up.”

  Hector walked forward. “You ready, Farmhand?”

  “Thank the Great Lake. We’re done.” The Farmhand replied, his voice stifled. He wasn’t doing too well himself, it seemed. It could have been worse, though—he no doubt knew that.

  Hector chuckled, bent his knees, and exploded up. He soared out of the sewer, slapping down onto the concrete next to Nyx, his sandals squelching as he stepped to the side. The night air brushed against his cheek, causing him to bristle.

  I’m going to have to wash my feet thoroughly when I get back. I hope I don’t get some sort of infection.

  From what Hector could see, they’d come out at the edge of the Sirius Quarter. The lower houses and the trees of the Hay Quarter were just a stone’s throw away from where they stood, coated in a thin layer of white light from the moon.

  Jodie and Lincoln leapt out of the sewers a few seconds later.

  Just a few feet away, a rundown incense shop loomed. The wood on its features jutted out at random angles, sharp and crooked. Much like everything else in the slum, it looked like it would collapse at any second. Hector sighed. It would have to do.

  “One sec,” Hector said, walking over to the store.

  “What’s wrong?” Jodie asked.

  Hector didn’t turn back. He stepped up to the store, dropped to one knee, and with a grunt placed the Farmhand up against its rotten wooden wall—he was careful to avoid any large splinters.

  “You’re going to stay here.” Hector glanced around. The streets were empty at this time of night, the hooting of owls being the primary sound. They were on the outskirts of Sirius; the gangs would be less active here. The Farmhand should be fine here. Maybe.

  Hector softly tapped him on the cheek. “If you’re still here when we get back, hopefully, I’ll come with good news.”

  Before the Farmhand could reply, Hector made his way back over to the group. “Is he going to be alright?” Lincoln asked, looking past Hector. “Don’t you think we should leave him somewhere else?”

  “Nah. We have to get to the barn, and quick. Having him around would just slow us down.” Hector nodded at Nyx and Jodie. “Alright, let’s go. We have a barn to raid.”

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