I sat in the van, listening to some 80s hair metal. Skye seemed to enjoy making oddball playlists and subjecting us to them.
While I waited, I checked their stats.
Licorice (Personal Assistant)
black fur with blue eyes
Oriental Shorthair
Slender, Large Boobs
Intelligence (1)
Time Management (copper), Multitasking (copper), Device Proficiency (copper), Information Gathering (copper)
Shadowpaw (Rogue)
mottled fur with green eyes
Torti Housecat
Slim, Gymnastic, Small Boobs
Agility (1), Strength (1)
Handgun (silver), Shotgun (copper), Rifle (copper), Stealth (silver), Shoplifting (silver), and Scout (silver), Forge Documents (copper), Espionage (copper)
Identity Modification (lvl 1)
Skye (Transporter)
ginger fur with yellow eyes
Ginger Housecat
Average, Short, Medium Boobs
Agility (1)
Helicopter Pilot (copper), Land Vehicle (copper), Grand Theft Auto (copper), Forge Plates (copper), Mechanics (copper), Navigation (copper)
Plate Modification (lvl 1)
Tippy (Mage)
white fluffy fur with grey eyes
Persian
Slender, Medium Boobs
Intelligence (1)
Wandwork (copper), Arcane Research (copper), Meditation (copper)
Firebolt (lvl 1), Icebolt (lvl 1), Arcane Pocket (lvl 1)
There had been some changes over the last few weeks. Even Licorice had gained some skills as part of her efforts to help everyone get what they needed. Shadowpaw had seen the most changes, but she'd also been the most busy so it made sense she'd improve and accumulate more skills.
But it still didn't feel fast enough. Without enough real challenge or quests on Earth, I felt I was being slow with their development.
I needed to do better.
Tippy was the one who I really needed to push further. With access to Arcane Pockets, Shadowpaw would find her job a lot easier. No one on Earth had ever seen what they could do, and I looked forward to seeing my Nekos' look of surprise when they found out what they did.
Add to that, our combat options were limited. Tippy being able to cast Firebolt and Icebolt would at least help give me some peace of mind.
So, a wand was our priority.
And a wand required special ingredients.
Which is why we were now parked across the street from a small jewellery store. I'd have preferred to visit one of the more expensive shops in Beverly Hills, but I figured we needed a bit more firepower if we wanted to mess with the level of security they employed. Yet another reason to increase Tippy's levels and get her some combat experience.
Even Shadowpaw's stealth couldn't easily get her inside some of those stores. Their guards generally blocked the doorway in a way which prevented her from just strolling in. Or the doors were closed and they'd only open them if you had an appointment.
Besides, I needed more than just a precious gem for Tippy. I needed Aetherite. Lots of it. The best way to get it was to set up a supply chain. And the best supply chain for gemstones and minerals?
Well.
That's why we were here.
"I should be nervous, shouldn't I?" Skye asked suddenly. "I mean, this is real illegal. We could get into a lot of trouble."
"I don't know," I said. "Are you nervous?"
"Nope." Her hands gripped the wheel tightly. "But I should be. I feel like I should be."
I knew what she meant. I didn't feel even the slightest anxiety.
"Maybe I'm crazy," she said after a while.
"Everybody's crazy," I told her. "Insanity is just a difference of perspective from the norm."
She looked at me, a smirk toying at her lips. "That's a bit too deep for me."
"Me too," I said. Someone came out of the store and headed away from us. "My Wisdom stat is non-existent, so I don't know where it came from."
"Is it the System?"
"Giving me those thoughts?"
"I meant stopping me from feeling nervous," she said. "But maybe it's the same thing."
"I don't know," I answered. Truthfully, I couldn't tell. How could anyone tell? If your brain thinks something, how do you know if it's your thought or not? It could be anybody's. Someone could be typing words out somewhere on a keyboard and then those words could be inserted into your head and you'd be hearing them in your own voice. You wouldn't know. "I was nervous all the time for a while. In Neyteria. Then, one day, I stopped."
"When?"
I kept my eyes on the store as someone else came out. A customer.
"I'm not sure exactly when. But there was a time when I had so many quests to kill so many creatures. I was juggling a lot of work just to level up. I killed them a lot of creatures. Jungle cats. Scrub hogs. Rock apes. I also killed some people who got in my way."
"What? Like, normal people?"
"Normal for Nyteria," I said. "It's like a fantasy world. You know. Elves and dwarves. Goblins and gnomes. That sort of thing."
"I can't imagine it."
"It was hard to get used to," I admitted. "I mean, I dreamt of going to a world like that when I was a kid. But actually seeing and being in it? That's different."
"Were there giants?"
"Yeah. I met a couple here and there."
"What's the craziest thing you saw?"
"A dragon."
"What? For real?" Her eyes almost popped out of her head. "You saw a dragon?"
"Yeah. It was huge, too. Its head was bigger than this van."
"Wow. What was it like?"
"Tense." I remembered it clearly. Its reptilian maw boiling with flames. "It was trying to eat me."
"Oh."
"I didn't take it personally," I said. "Maybe it had a quest, too. Anyway. I killed it first. Got a ton of loot and a nice experience bonus out of it which let me level. Even got an epic mace which sold for enough gold to feed the Nekos for a month. So, in the end, it was worth the hassle."
"What kind of people did you kill?"
"That time? I think it was some dwarves and a couple of humans." I tried to remember, but I couldn't recall any of their faces. "My quest was to kill a bunch of swamp creatures. They were trying to hunt some other creatures. Toes were stepped on. And, in Neyteria, that usually ends in violence."
"Is that what will happen here? Everyone resorting to violence, I mean."
I gave a short laugh. "Skye Finch, that's funny. Sorry. It is. If you open up your phone and check the news, you'll see death is everywhere. People kill people every day. And not just with knives or guns. With bombs. With missiles. War is everywhere. And no one cares."
"I care," she retorted, almost automatically. Then looked down at her hands on the wheel. "I think…"
"It's hard to care about people in other countries dying. I mean, you can have empathy for them. But you don't cry yourself to sleep over them. It'd be different if you knew them. If you spoke to them. If you reached out and learned their names and understood their dreams. But we don't. We don't care."
"I… I think I care…"
"How many people do you know who live in Iran?"
"Umm…"
"See? You don't know any. I don't mean to be petty about it, but you don't even know what's happening in Iran. You don't know what any Iranians want. If a bomb took out half a city in Iran, you'd be a little shocked. Maybe wish it hadn't happened…" I turned to look at her. She was looking a little pale. "But you won't grieve. You'll read the headline, not understand what's going on, and move on with your life. That's normal."
"It's hard to meet people in Iran here, Bexley."
"Is it?" I handed her my phone. "Here. Shadowpaw installed at least five different social media platforms. And there's a browser, too. You can meet Iranians any time you want."
'I don't speak, umm, Iranian."
"Use the AI. It'll translate for you."
She looked down at the phone in her hand, not sure what to do.
"See?" I patted her head and took the phone back. "It's not that we don't think what happens isn't a bad thing. It's just that it's hard to care about someone you don't know. And, when it all comes down to it, it's hard to reach out. It's hard to want to really care on a personal level. I wish it was different. I think with the System it will make it better in a way."
"How?"
"The System balances everything out. When someone is killed, the System knows it. It raises bounties. It hands out quests to hunt the murderer down." I felt a slight twinge in my head. "It tries, I think, to keep some kind of balance. Some kind of justice."
"What about when you killed those people? Did it send out quests to get you?"
"Yeah," I said. "It did."
"What happened?"
I looked back to the store. "I killed everyone who came after me. They quickly stopped coming."
The van was silent for a while as she absorbed what I'd said. I didn't know why I'd said any of it.
Then I remembered.
"I realised I didn't need to pretend to care about people I don't know, that's why I stopped worrying too much." I stroked her ear. "I only had to care about those I know and love. Everything became so much easier after that. I was able to do what had to be done. What needed to be done. All for them. All for you. My darling Nekos."
"That sounds…" She nodded slowly, a tentative smile plucking at her cheeks. "A little nicer, I guess."
I could feel the doubt ticking like a timebomb inside her head. I didn't blame her for it. I'd felt the same a long time ago.
But the System showed me I was wrong. It showed me I had to let go and adapt if I wanted to level up. And I had to level up if I wanted to survive.
"You think I'm a monster."
"I…" Her knuckles were white as she gripped the wheel. "I don't know…"
"On Neyteria, do you know what the difference between a monster and person was?"
She shook her head.
"A person was just another intelligent being you could communicate with. If you couldn't, they were a monster." I looked out at the street. It was getting late. "Some things never change no matter where you are."
"Are you sure your Wisdom stat is zero?"
"It was last I checked."
"Maybe you should check it again."
"Maybe later." I leaned over and gave her a hug. "Sorry, Skye."
She bumped her head against mine affectionately. "For what?"
"I don't know. Everything."
"Just wait," she said, kissing my cheek. "It's my turn next, so I'll forgive your brains out later."
"I'll hold you to that."
Skye let out a little giggle. "You can hold me to anything."
We sat there together, not talking. Just watching the sky turn pink and listening to old metal songs. A few cars went by, and my phone buzzed a few seconds later. Shadowpaw's message said she was in place and that there were only a couple of people left inside.
I sent back an okay and sighed as I leaned back in my seat.
Skye reached for a bottle of water and took a sip. She held the water bottle out to me.
"Bexley?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't feel nervous. But I should be, shouldn't I? I mean, this is real illegal. My tummy should feel all squishy and my hands should be extra shakey! I should feel nervous, but I don't. That's weird, don't you think?"
"I don't know. Is it?"
"Well, don't you feel nervous?"
"Eh." I shrugged, grabbing the water from her hand and taking a mouthful myself. It's important to stay hydrated. As I drank, I tried to think back to the last time I felt genuinely nervous, but nothing came to mind. It must have been a long time ago. The System, I reasoned, had made me strong enough to overcome my weakness and that filled me with confidence. I shot her a grin and a thumbs-up. "I have you. You have me. We have the System. What's to feel nervous about?"