It was the first time he'd gained wisdom through his boon, and Luke couldn't help but think Dot had something to do with that. Teaching her made him wise, maybe? Something to consider.

  Lilly checked in a few times and interviewed them once they were done for the day. From the look on her face, she wasn't too happy about their brief answers, but judging by the numbers she showed them, detailing her views over the course of the time they'd spent healing, that woman shouldn't have been complaining. Telling Luke to let her know if he wanted to do this again, she disappeared back into the mansion, tapping away on her phone.

  Having left the area to escape the long line of people still waiting to be healed, they found an empty park bench and sat down to rest.

  "What of everyone else?" Dot asked, looking over her shoulder as if she were able to see them through trees, buildings, and a hill.

  "Can't heal all of them, or we'll burn ourselves out. You're a doctor. You know how it works."

  She let out a long breath, closed her eyes, and leaned her head back over the backrest. "You're right, but I don't like it."

  They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying a job well done, while Luke kept thinking. He'd enjoyed this a lot, having another person by his side to talk about healing with, to teach. Dot's level was low, but if she wasn't going to enter dungeons anyway, and keep away when they caught up to Relian, the danger would be low.

  "Listen," he began.

  Dot turned to him in that instant, her eyes blazing with determination. "You have to let me come with you!"

  "Oh," Luke said, letting out a small laugh.

  "What?" she asked in a huff, as if just waiting for him to say no.

  He nodded. "OK. Sure."

  "What?"

  "You can come."

  "Just like that? What changed?"

  Luke drew in a breath, unsure how to answer that. "Well... Today, I guess. Working together. Seeing you learn. If you're going to keep out of harm's way, I don't see why you couldn't come."

  Dot clenched her right fist, screwed up her face in an expression of being victorious, muttering, "Fuck yeah."

  "What about your job?"

  She already had her phone up, and she turned it to show him the screen. It was an email titled 'Letter of Resignation'.

  Going back and forth in his apartment, Luke just knew that he was forgetting something. This was the part he hated about going away, packing. No matter what, he always brought way too much stuff, and not the right stuff either. If the trip was planned for a week, better bring 14 pairs of underwear, just in case you soil yourself twice every day, then forget to bring a sweater. Gah!

  Time was running out. Soon, the guys would arrive down at the street, and together, they'd go pick up Hannah and Dot before heading east toward Fort Wayne.

  Right in the middle of trying to find at least two pairs of matching socks to cram into the too-small backpack he'd bring, Luke's phone buzzed.

  Luke answered. "You're not here already, are you?"

  "What?" Johanson asked.

  "Never mind," Luke sighed. "You're not calling to try to stop me from going, are you?"

  "Not this time."

  "Did you find Relian again?" Luke asked.

  "A while back, you made a report to the Department of Integrated Affairs regarding one Miriam Mercer."

  Luke had to rack his brain for that one. "Wait. You mean Mia?"

  "Yes."

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  "What about her? Is she OK?"

  "Have you had any contact with her since you made that report?" Johanson asked.

  "I have not," Luke said. "Haven't talked to her since she left the Hollow dungeon early."

  Johanson was silent for a while, then breathed in. "If she makes contact with you, please let me know."

  "What's this about?"

  "I am not at liberty to say at this time."

  Johanson hung up the call, and Luke glanced at his phone. That was both cryptic and worrying. Not a great combo. A couple of headlines scrolled through in the news widget on his screen, and he couldn't help reading them after seeing the word 'WAR' several times.

  CIVIL WAR IN CHINA - US TO LEND AID - THESE TECH PRODUCTS WILL GO UP IN PRICE.

  INTEGRATED BACKED BY MILITARY SEIZE POWER IN CAMBODIA.

  NATO DIPLOMATS SENT TO NORTH KOREA TURNED AWAY.

  MONSTER CORES PROVEN A VIABLE ENERGY ALTERNATIVE - PRICE OF OIL AND GAS PLUMMETING.

  CANADA IS FINE.

  "Uh, what?" Luke asked out loud, clicking that last article, but it was pay-walled, and he didn't need to know what the hell the Canada article said that badly. The world was becoming even more unstable. Expected, of course, but still disheartening. Society was still standing, but would it survive system integration in the long run?

  All of that was so far above Luke's understanding and responsibility, he just shrugged and resumed packing, thinking about what might be going on with Mia. Having her turn into some type of eldritch horror right in front of them had been terrifying to say the least, and they'd lost a member of their party to her chaotic attacks before she clawed control back from the being that'd possessed her. After that, she'd fled, and no one had thought to stop her. Just reporting it to the DIA felt like too small an effort, but at the same time, not every problem was his to deal with. Just like he couldn't stop the civil war in China, or find out why Canada was fine, Luke couldn't shoulder the responsibility for every Integrated around him. After all, he was just some guy. Still, maybe he could've done more for Mia. If he got the chance, he'd make sure she was fine. Whatever 'fine' meant in this situation.

  Curtis: "We're outside."

  Hiroki: "We're outside."

  Luke: "Coming."

  Luke gave up his attempt at keeping things organized and just dumped things into his backpack, muttering curses about his Integrated inventory not holding regular world items, pushing on everything inside in an attempt to close the damn thing.

  The zipper broke.

  "Dammit!"

  That was it. If there was a way around this crap, this was the time to find out. Opening the Integrated shop, Luke used the search function to find items related to his inventory. To his surprise, there were several upgrades available.

  Inventory size upgrade [Credits: 10,000]: Double the available slots in your inventory.

  Disable Inventory Weight Limit [Credits: 25,000]: Removes the weight limit in your inventory.

  Non-system possessions [Credits: 30,000]: Removes the system-only limit, allowing for any item to be stored in your inventory.

  Inventory Filter System [Credits: 5,000]: Allows you to search and filter in your inventory.

  There were other upgrades, too, but Luke had found the one he was looking for. The cost was staggering and would eat up most of his funds. Still, it would be convenient, and Luke could think of several interesting applications right away. Could he pick up a car and shove it in there? Now, that would be something. Since he'd stored a dragon, the weight limit wasn't anything to worry about, either. After hesitating for a moment, he went through with it.

  Seeing the credits drain from his interface was disheartening, and he didn't feel any different with the upgrade purchased. Putting the broken bag full of stuff in there, though? Now that was something. Unable to stop himself, Luke put the phone into his inventory, then the inflatable mattress he still used for a bed. It worked, but only once he lifted it off the ground. That limited things somewhat, but not by much. As Luke's strength increased, so would his ability to store things.

  "Awesome," he muttered, putting the mattress back. No reason to bring that.

  Curtis: "We'll leave without you soon."

  Hiroki: "Curtis is displeased."

  Luke: "On my way!"

  Hiroki was behind the wheel, with Curtis sitting next to him in the passenger seat. Luke got in and they sped off toward Hannah's apartment, somewhere close to Lake View. Low two-story, brownstone apartment buildings lined the street, with shops often occupying the lower floors.

  "Stop," Luke said as they crawled past a pizza place. "I think this is it."

  "I don't see her anywhere," Curtis said, his voice a little less grumpy than usual. Perhaps he was looking forward to getting out of Chicago for a while.

  "What does Hannah look like?" Hiroki asked.

  "Just look for a girl with shadows in her hair," Curtis said.

  Hiroki turned and peered out the car window. "Don't all women have shadows in their hair?"

  "Not like her," Luke said. "She isn't here. Hold on."

  Luke: "Hannah?"

  Luke: "We're outside."

  Luke: "Hellooo?"

  "She's not answering," Luke said, pulling his attention from the interface.

  "Let's go then," Curtis said.

  Hiroki glanced back at Luke, who shook his head. "We're not just going to leave without her."

  "There's nothing worse than people who are late to things," Curtis said.

  "Nothing worse?" Luke asked.

  "Well," Curtis said, clearing his throat. "Few things worse."

  Luke pointed to a side street. "Look, her entrance is over there, according to maps. Park by the curb, and I'll go take a look."

  "Should we come?" Hiroki asked.

  Considering the situation, Luke gave the question some thought, then nodded. "Maybe you'd better."