Chapter 55

  My second Gem Beetle was sacrificed to the RNG gods in the name of science. And, the results, let me with the need for more data. An intense need… One that made me reallllllly tempted to leave town right now to go farm up on Mun Crystals. Mutopia had a Gacha system… and my self-control for such things was, er, nonexistent.

  Defense Augmentation Stone Lvl 1 (Common)

  I now had two Def Augmentation Stones, level 1, a Shimmer-Ish Augmentation Stone, and a Speed Augmentation Stone.

  With my Gauntlet interface up, I quickly switched my stones around, to see their perks. For the Speed Stone, it gave my Muns an increase of +1 to their speed. The stone itself, just like the Defense Stone, was a lackluster green. Switching it out with the Shimmer-Ish stone, I noticed the new stone was, at the very least, a different color.

  The Shimmer-Ish stone was orange. Kind of like amber, but more… muddied. As if the tree sap that formed the Amber had been filled with dirty water before solidifying. My conversation about Augmenting Stones with Guy came back, and I remembered orange stones were Mun specific. Or Mun type specific, since he’d mentioned there were stones that could apply to all gear based Muns, and so forth.

  That being said, all I had right now for my hands on learning, was a barely orange Shimmer-Ish stone. According to my gauntlet…

  School of Shimmer-Ish (0/3)- inactive: Plus 1 to all Shimmer-Ish stats

  Of course, I knew it would be useless when I’d equipped it, given I had no Shimmer-ish in my party. The information though, was well worth the moment of experimentation. If I was reading it right, if I had three Shimmer-Ish in my party, then they’d all get boosts to their stats. Meaning one stone could greatly amplify them. Could I stack those benefits? If, hypothetically, I had two of the Shimmer-Ish Stones… would I get that buff twice? If so, such stones could quickly change the layout of a party.

  I was starting to see just how complex battles and teams could become as Gauntlets were Tiered up. And this was just from Augmenting Stones. Which made me even more excited for when my gauntlet hit Tier 3, and I got my hands on an Amplifier.

  A yawn escaped my mouth, betraying me. My mind was abuzz with the want to go out and farm more Muns, so I could continue to experiment with the Augmenting Stones, but I was tired. Mentally and physically. I’d forgotten that I had travelled a distance that my body really shouldn’t have been able to cover so quickly, thanks to Pep Steps from Guy. And unlike the night prior, I’d not had the luxury of downing a Tamer’s Treat yet to feel better.

  Also, I should probably take a moment to process everything I was figuring out about the stones, and chat with Guy a bit, before I went to over the top. I’d just made four Augmenting Stones, at the cost of four Mun Crystals. They’d all been common Muns, around level 15, but still, that was the equivalent of sixty Muney in the span of seconds. I should probably be a little more cautious before blowing through potential Muney. Especially if there were tricks or tips I could glean from Guy, to make the process much more efficient.

  So, reluctantly, I stepped away from the Mun Center Crystal and made my way to Guy. He offered me a smile, and his eerily similar Traveling Guy, courtesy of their shared clothing style, mullets, and moustaches, also smiled kindly at me. The man behind the counter gave Guy a nod, and then Guy motioned for the door.

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  We started walking, as he spoke. “Handle everything you wanted to?” He asked cheerily.

  “Not really,” I said. I held up my gauntlet, “I did get some Augmentation Stones at least.” I had both the Def ones slotted, figuring extra defense never hurt anyone. Let’s be honest, with Cogberus, as it stood, I figured I didn’t need any stats other than helping keep him alive long enough to solo whatever teams we faced.

  “Oh ho so you did,” he gave me a knowing look, “and I’m going to assume you’ve questions now.”

  “You know me so well,” I said with a laugh, playfully nudging him with my shoulder. “Would you be willing to offer up some advice?” I stifled a yawn as my stomach grumbled. Right, all I’d had so far to eat today was concession stand food. I really wasn’t doing the best at taking care of myself, was I? Then again, with so many new and exciting things to learn and see and experience, basic needs were pretty easy to ignore. I may or may not have pulled multiple all-nighters back home without thinking to eat when new games dropped. And don’t even get me started about alcohol consumption and poor life choices I’d made at various conventions…

  “It would be my pleasure, as always, Taylor,” Guy said with a slight nod. He led me out of the Mun Center, quickly moving with purpose. “As promised, I’ll treat you to a nice dinner tonight, as a congratulations for your Tier Up. And then, I can direct you to a nice inn for the night.”

  “You really don’t have to—” I said, and my stomach betrayed me again.

  “But it is only right. You made a big step on you Tamer journey today Taylor.” His eyes looked at me, and there was a softness in them that made me uncomfortable. “For many Tamers, their parents guide them to a town to take on a Keeper. It usually happens between their fourteenth and sixteenth birthdays, depending on the family. It’s a right of passage, a step towards adulthood. Families throw large parties after.” He looked at me, “and, while it may be presumptuous of me, I want to do that for you. It’s only fair, considering,”

  My throat bobbed, and my lip quivered. I bit down on it. Not here. Not now. I couldn’t I wouldn’t. I gripped my wrist, my thumb anxiously running over the tattoo. What would it be like? My traitorous thoughts pushed, to have parents that cared?

  “It’s, fine,” I said, glancing downwards, “really. You’ve done so much for me already, and I… I don’t want to keep being a burden.”

  His tone was gentle, as he touched my shoulder. “What would make you say such a thing?” I tilted my head up towards him, as he looked over me, his face puzzled as he read my expression. Even in the quickly dimming light of nightfall, the blasted flickering lights no doubt illuminated the wet streaks from my silent tears. “You’re the one who got pulled into this world,” his voice was soft, “against your will. If anything… I, the people of Mutopia, owe you at the very least this much. You didn’t ask to be here, and yet,” he motioned around, “here you are.”

  “Here I am,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes, as I tried hard to plaster a smile on my face. Here I am, with no one back home missing me… because I had no one.

  “Now then,” he straightened his back and cleared his throat, “your choice, since you’re the lady of the hour. What type of food would you like to celebrate your achievement?”

  “Surprise me,” I said, feeling my darkness slide back within myself, as I continued to push it down. Trauma apparently followed you when you were isekai’d. Damnit.

  “That I can do,” he said, and before I knew it, he was rapidly leading me through the city, telling me nonsensical stories to keep my thoughts occupied, doing his best, without even asking, to keep me from slipping into my past despair. As much as it made me smile, it also made a kernel of fear grow in my chest. Would this be my last night with Guy by my side? Did I want it to be? If I asked… would he travel northward with me, to the next Keeper, and beyond? Was… was it even fair of me to ask such a thing?

  Loneliness sure picked terrible times to rear its ugly head.