"Are you kids comfortable?" Zavier looked at both of them. They were sitting around the table again, steeling themselves for facing The System and gaining their rewards. Tess and Zavier had gone over their experiences again, making sure to forewarn them about Tess's experience. They both looked at Cass nervously. He'd made great strides lately and had gotten stronger in every way, and yet, although they were both incredibly proud of him, they'd had late-night conversations in whispered voices about how he might handle this.
Tess had always harbored a guilt that she'd passed on some of her depression to him. In her darkest moments it crushed her, making her wish she'd never been selfish enough to have kids. Her pain was a constant companion, sometimes sitting back for weeks or months to lure her into a false sense of security, but it always came back in force ready to crush her with hopelessness and insecurity. She'd seen that in Cass - the insecurity, self-doubt, and fear. His pain was different than hers, but it was still there. If she could tear the heart out of her chest and give it to him she'd do it without a second thought, but her heart was more poisoned than his was - anything she had to give him would be a curse. Even now, the thought of it made her choke up and she had to forcibly eject those feelings from the present moment. Still, her fear for Cass remained. He'd gained so much confidence lately and his fear seemed under control, but she was scared that it, too, was waiting for the right time to surge up and consume him.
She pushed those thoughts away. There was nothing to do about it now - they were on this path and had to follow it. As Zavier had reminded her so many times, sometimes we got stuck with no good options. You just had to choose the one that got you through it the safest and fastest.
"Okay kids," she reached out and gripped their hands tightly, "it's time."
With that both of the kids closed their eyes.
There was a breathless moment where Zavier and Tess couldn't move, then breath exploded from them as they both opened their eyes.
Luna's face shone with unrestrained glee and words started pouring out of her in a rush.
Cass fell out of his chair and landed hard on the floor, curling up into a fetal position and shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm.
They rushed to his side, Zavier sitting on the ground and pulling Cass's head into his lap, stroking his hair and making soothing sounds. Tess was on her knees, alternately trying to rub his back in comfort and finding a way to wrap her arms around him. Luna dove to the floor and laid behind him, putting her arms around him and hugging him to her chest. Tears streamed out of her closed eyes. Zavier and Tess could only stare at each other in fear, tears flooding from them as well.
Zavier was obsessively checking Cass's sheet every few seconds to see if his health dropped or a negative effect had appeared. He tried to push into Cass's statuses but a blinding pain in his head forced him to stop.
"Fuck!" he yelled then waved a hand when he saw Luna and Tess looking at him. "Headache. I tried to look too deep."
Tess spared him a worried glance but returned her attention to Cass.
Soft sounds of comfort filled the room, bringing Cass back to the present. Zavier and Tess helped him to his feet and sat him on the couch.
"What happened, Buddy?" Zavier pushed his concern down with effort, wanting to convey calm and understanding.
"I'm sorry guys, I'm sorry," Cass kept repeating it until Zavier took Cass's hands in his, kneeling in front of him.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, son, we're just worried about you. If you're okay we're okay though. So, are you okay?"
Cass nodded and Zavier enclosed him in a hug, quickly followed by Tess and Luna.
"I'm okay now guys, I promise," Cass said when they'd given him room. "They just did the fear thing on me that they did to you, mom. It was too much."
Tess ruffled his hair. "It was a lot for me too, Honey. There's no shame in getting overwhelmed by it."
"I think I made a mistake though," Cass's voice trembled. When no one responded he continued, "I know I was supposed to pick something to help protect the family. Some sort of class or skill or advantage, but when that fear hit I lost control and couldn't think of anything. Then it just kept getting worse and worse and worse until I felt like I'd already died and was in hell, and that I'd be suffering like this forever. All I could think of was escaping. When I woke up I had these," Cass sent them the descriptions of his new skill and enhancement.
Name: Sanctuary Recall
Level: 1
Type: Escape Skill
Description: This skill acts as a magical panic button, teleporting you back to a predetermined safe point when the situation becomes dire. Designed to protect you in moments of extreme danger or fear, the activation of this skill ensures your immediate removal from harmful circumstances.
Abilities:
Health Threshold: Automatically activates when your health drops below 5%. Fear Trigger: Activates if you experience extreme fear, providing an instant escape. Environmental Hazard: Activates when you are exposed to lethal environmental dangers (e.g., poison clouds, traps).
Limitations:
Preparation: Requires 10 seconds of concentration to set a new safe point. Interference: Cannot activate if under certain magical suppressions or anti-teleportation effects.
Name: Quicksilver
Level: 1
Type: Speed Enhancement
Description: This skill was issued as a System reward for proving yourself a frontrunner. Quicksilver optimizes your body's natural movements, enhancing your ability to accelerate rapidly. Perfect for quick getaways or sudden advances, it allows for rapid bursts of motion. This skill is highly impacted by your Agility stat.
Abilities:
Burst Speed: Grants a temporary 20% speed boost to all movements for 5 seconds. Surefooted: You are now able to navigate complex terrain at any speed.
Cooldown: 10 seconds (for Burst Speed activation)
They studied them a moment before Tess exclaimed, "These are great, Honey!"
"They're all obviously fear-based," Cass replied. "I got them because of how scared I get. Sanctuary Recall pulls me right out of the whole thing if I get too scared, protecting me and leaving you guys to get screwed!"
Tess pulled him in for a hug, surprised that Zavier wasn't leaning in to do the same. His gaze looked troubled and she knew they'd be discussing this later.
"If you kids get into danger I WANT you to be able to escape. For me, this is the greatest skill you could have gotten. Knowing that if things get too dire you will be safe makes me very happy."
Cass wasn't convinced. "That's a 'mom' answer, but I think this skill sucks. I already have enough anxiety about locking up in battle, now I have to be scared of just teleporting out completely? I fucking hate this System!"
Tess held his clenched fists in each of her hands. "Honey, it gave you another skill too and that one is going to be very helpful. This is one that could save our lives one day! I mean, look at the class it gave you!"
Shieldbearer
Description: The Shieldbearer is a master of shield combat, utilizing shields for both defense and offense. This class enhances your proficiency with shields, allowing you to use them as both weapons and protective tools. Your class increases the effectiveness of all shields in your possession, improving block rates and reducing incoming damage. As a Shieldbearer, you become a formidable bulwark on the battlefield, seamlessly blending offense and defense to control the flow of combat.
"I guess," Cass said. "I just wish that my most powerful skill so far wasn't something totally useless to everyone except me." Tess saw his eyes flick towards Zavier, trying to gauge his expression. When Zavier didn't respond his shoulders sagged and he leaned back into the couch. I'm such a fucking disappointment.