"This?" Luke asked, holding out one of the early monster cores he'd collected.

  Smudge rose from the ground, and a small part of it reached up and forward, like an eager dog waiting for a treat. Unsure what to expect, he handed the item over to the pet, and the little blob wrapped itself around the core right there on the floor, making it disappear. A moment later, Smudge shuddered and started vibrating again.

  "Are you... eating?" Luke asked.

  The voidling was too preoccupied to even react to his question.

  Milla: "I'm downstairs."

  Luke: "You're early."

  Milla: "Arriving on time is being late."

  "I have to go," Luke told it. "You want to come?"

  When he didn't get a reaction, Luke shrugged and went out, leaving the pet behind in the apartment.

  They sat in silence in the car for a good long while before Luke cleared his throat. "How are you doing?"

  "Better," Milla said, not taking her eyes off the road. She wore a light yellow dress with a pattern of small white foxes on it, and her hair was up in a ponytail.

  "Really?"

  The smile looked a little forced, but still genuine. "A little better every day."

  "Then why are you dressed so weird?"

  She glanced at him. "Huh?"

  "Don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before," he said, leaning in and narrowing his eyes. "Are you wearing makeup?"

  "Shut up," she grunted.

  Luke grinned when the realization hit him. "Milla's got a boyfriend! Milla and her boyfriend sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

  "You're an asshole," she said, a smile spreading across her face and her cheeks turning red. So, it was true then! That was what she'd wanted to talk to him about? Nah, that couldn't be it. Looking at her and paying more attention to her expression, he noticed a slight nervousness.

  Getting serious, he asked, "What else? Please tell me you're not dating a goblin or something, or worse, a boomer."

  "No, that's not it," she breathed. "Lana isn't a monster, and she's my age."

  Luke groaned. "You've invited me to dinner with our parents, and it's your coming-out party? What a trap!"

  Milla tensed.

  "They won't care, you know," Luke said, softening his voice. "They'll just be happy both their kids aren't terminally alone anymore."

  That made her relax. "I know. I mean, I guess. You don't mind?"

  "What?" Luke asked. "Mind? I don't think I get to mind, but no, I don't. Coming out is hard, I bet, and living in that stinky closet of yours can't be easy, either. You're my sister, so I'm forced to love you either way, you know?"

  "Don't think it works that way," she said, letting go of a nervous, but relieved chuckle.

  He shrugged. "Eh. Love you, big sister."

  "Love you, little brother." She wiped at her eye, smudging her makeup a little.

  They rode in silence for a little while longer, then Luke put on his best shit-eating grin and turned to her. "So did I piece you back together wrong? Did I rebuild you into a lesbian?"

  The punch was swift and punishing, carrying with it every ounce of big-sister-energy and sibling-pain-skill she'd built up over the years, even as she laughed. "You're such a little shit, Luke!"

  After she made sure Luke was bruised to her satisfaction, she explained how the near-death experience made her reckon with how she was living her life now that she wasn't sick anymore, and take a good look at herself and why she was carrying around this big secret. Luke, being the best little brother ever, took another look at Milla's mana channels. They were in a poor state, deteriorating in several places. He fixed her again, but still, even with Weaver's Perception, couldn't see what caused them to fail.

  As anticipated, the dinner was a dull affair until Milla worked up the courage to tell them, and after that, it was just a bunch of tears and hugging from their parents. Their dad, bless him, asked when she was going to get the gay haircut, and their mom spent an almost uncomfortable amount of the evening talking about Milla's dress. All in all, it was nice to sit down as a family again. With everything that'd been happening, Luke hadn't spent any time with them. Milla decided to spend the night after making sure Luke was good to head back into the city on his own.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Running at a speed he would never have thought possible just a few weeks earlier, Luke perused the list of professions the guild thought desirable, after finding it on a sort of post in the guild interface. Ever since choosing to become a Seeker, he'd felt the profession interact with his class in subtle ways, and the skills felt somewhat similar to a degree. The class and profession complemented each other, and he hadn't felt regret for choosing that particular one. Now, though, he found himself excited to try something new. With his previous choices all having led him down opaque paths with skill descriptions that made little sense, he was now looking for something different, something concrete. And as luck would have it, many of the professions on ISI's list matched those criteria:

  Alchemist: Brew potions, elixirs, and poisons to aid you. (Guild Note: You can make health, stamina, and mana potions. The guild has several, but more are always needed.)

  Cook: Create hearty meals full of energy. (Guild Note: The food is delicious and gives you buffs.)

  Herbalist: Gather the fruit of the earth. (Guild Note: You don't have to make potions, just eat things in dungeons.)

  Scavenger: Find treasure where others walk past. (Guild Note: Corpses hold more loot, and you can loot dead Integrated. A lot of guild members have chosen this profession already.)

  Leatherworker: Create light armor from hides. (Guild Note: Almost everyone can wear leather armor, and monsters drop hides.)

  Armorer: Craft heavy protection from metal and chain. (Guild Note: Our tanks need better armor! It's difficult to gather materials.)

  Tailor: Wield needle and thread to create garb fit for a king. (Guild Note: Magical properties for casters.)

  Enchanter: Evoke mysticism to draw power and place it in objects of your choosing. (Guild Note: Don't need crafting materials, but the effects are reported as lackluster. More study needed.)

  Fisher: Flashes of silver and gold beneath the surface. Catch the riches of the sea. (Guild Note: You catch fish in any body of water, not just in dungeons. Buffs similar to cooks.)

  Librarian: Become a scholar with a thirst for knowledge. (Guild Note: We have found a lot of books in dungeons. Perhaps Librarians can read them? No one in the guild has chosen this profession.)

  Salvager: Where others see equipment, you see opportunity. (Guild Note: Breaks down equipment to get raw materials.)

  Fletcher: Every bow needs an arrow. (Guild Note: Can make explosive arrows, fire arrows, and a lot more. Good profession, but few classes use bows.)

  Thief: With this, all items are yours; they just don't know it yet. (Guild Note: Interesting combination for stealth classes.)

  The list went on and on, with most of the notes centered around what the guild needed or wanted, which was to be expected. Some sounded more interesting than others, but to Luke, one stood out. While it wasn't as straightforward as he might have wanted, it was a sort of crafting profession without the need to go around gathering materials. Enchanter. At first, he'd felt drawn to the Alchemist profession, but Threads of Mana meant he was able to steal mana from others, and as long as he had mana, Luke didn't need health potions much. Also, you could buy potions. Enchanted gear? Yeah, maybe, but that would be a pain too. The guild note said the effects were lackluster, but it was still early days. In the end, this was a personal choice.

  Pulling up the actual list of possible Professions to choose from, Luke selected Enchanter and confirmed his pick. Throughout all that reading and thinking, he'd kept running, almost zoned out to the point his legs didn't even feel tired.

  He decided to up the difficulty a little and extended several threads of mana, pushing them to reach as far as possible while he ran. More than anything, he still needed reach. Every inch took its toll on his mana, but the equation wasn't as simple as more mana equaled longer threads. There was another component as well. His will and the ability to wield focus like a weapon. From watching Relian, he knew that more reach was possible. It was just about making it happen.

  Looking over the Enchanter menu in the interface, seeing some interesting options right away, Luke overshot his apartment and had to double back. Sweating and now feeling the effects of the run and the work with Threads of Mana, Luke forced himself up the stairs and was rewarded with an attribute point.

  Boon of Potential grants you an attribute point (+1 Endurance).

  It was getting pretty late at this point, but Luke took the time to peruse his character sheet as he trudged up the stairs.

  Name: Luke Quinn

  Class: Lifeweaver

  Level: 18

  Guild: Integrated Solutions Group

  Profession: Enchanter

  Credits: 8.325

  Attributes

  Strength (Raw physical power): 13

  Agility (Speed and finesse): 13

  Endurance (Stamina and physical recovery): 14

  Vitality (Health and physical resilience): 20

  Intelligence (Mind potency): 23

  Wisdom (Mana efficiency and mana regeneration): 23

  Willpower (Channeling stability and speed): 23

  Focus (Control and precision of mind): 23

  Skills (2 points not allocated)

  Needle of Life (Rank 2) (Active - Mana Cost: ?): Use a precise touch to assert your will upon the weave.

  Threads of Mana (Rank 3) (Passive): Mana is the weaver's primary tool. Your threads shape the weave.

  The Healer's Moment (Active. Mana Cost: Moderate): A mere moment can cut through the chasm between life and death.

  Weaver's Grasp (Passive): The Weaver's control extends beyond their touch.

  Weaver’s Mercy (Active - Mana Cost: Moderate): On the brink of death, lend the weave one final stitch.

  Weaver’s Renewal (Active - Mana Cost: High): The body forgets. The weave does not.

  The Healer's Staff (Active. Mana Cost: Low): Turn your weapon indestructible for a brief moment.

  Weavestep (Active - Mana Cost: Moderate): Pass a short distance through the weave.

  Weaver’s Echo (Passive): A part of you lingers in those touched by your weave.

  Weaver's Perception (Passive): Your understanding of the weave has reached a higher concordance, allowing glimpses of the threads that create, destroy, and bind all things.

  Weaver’s Rupture (Active - Mana Cost: Moderate): Shatter a Thread of Mana into a pulse of force.

  Not too shabby, if he could say so himself. Allowing himself a sliver of pride, he opened the apartment door and blinked. Smudge sat in the middle of the room that doubled as a bedroom and living room.

  "Smudge," Luke said, taking a careful step forward. "Did you grow bigger while I was gone?"