The transition was instant and disorienting. One moment he stood in the safe zone, palm against cool stone, the background hum of mana a constant presence.

  The next, nothing. Complete sensory deprivation. No sound. No light. No feeling of ground beneath his feet or air against his skin.

  David's brain kicked into overdrive even as panic tried to claw its way up his throat. This was different from his initiation. That had been a glowing void, uncomfortable but present.

  This was absence. Complete and utter void. He tried to move. Couldn't tell if he succeeded. Tried to speak. No sensation of breath or vibration in his throat. Tried to access his system. Nothing responded.

  For a terrifying moment, David wondered if he'd somehow been deleted. Erased from existence by cascading system errors. Maybe this was what happened when your corrupted bloodline finally caused a fatal crash.

  Then light bloomed in the distance. Not the all-encompassing white of initiation space or the carefully sculpted details of the tutorial space. This was more focused. A sphere of luminescence approaching fast from his perspective.

  At maybe thirty feet away, it expanded slowly like a sunrise in fast-forward. The light brought sensation with it when it touched him.

  Suddenly David could feel again. Ground beneath his feet, solid but featureless. Air moving as the light sphere engulfed him.

  Relief flooded through him so intensely it almost hurt.

  The light stabilized, forming a roughly circular area of illumination surrounded by impenetrable darkness.

  Floating in the center of that light, exactly as David remembered, was the Herald. Six arms. Feathered wings in black and silver. Three eyes. The same alien seraph that had met him during his tutorial, now regarding him with what might have been concern if David could read alien body language.

  David Murphy.

  The telepathic voice carried weight. Not the flat tutorial delivery but more personal attention. This was something in that voice, his spiritual hearing sensed something. Urgency. Strain.

  The vocal equivalent of someone multitasking while trying to maintain professional composure.

  "Herald," David managed, his voice hoarse. "What just happened?"

  Your selection triggered errors in your local system node.

  The Obelisk lacked resources to properly calibrate an advanced skill reward for your particular configuration.

  The Herald's wings shifted, folding tighter against its back. David had seen that gesture before. Agitation.

  I have pulled you into direct consultation. This is not optimal. My resources are stretched dangerously thin across hundreds of contact points. I must be brief.

  David's mind raced, categorizing information. Hundreds of contact points meant hundreds of Obelisks. The Herald was managing all of them simultaneously. That explained the strained quality to its communication.

  "Brief works for me," David said. "I'm guessing the others will notice I just went catatonic while touching the Obelisk."

  We communicate at the speed of thought. This conversation will be swift.

  The Herald's largest pair of hands touched the featureless ground in that anchor position David remembered. The middle pair made complex gestures that seemed to pulse with meaning. The smallest pair remained still, folded against its torso.

  I require your assistance, to fulfill the reward promised by the System. I can provide you with what was promised David Murphy, but I must have data to guide the selections. Will you consent to being analyzed again, like before?

  David’s brain went into overdrive. The same constraint, needing consent. A negotiation. Also a sense that this time David had leverage. He was owed something, and he guessed that the System (yes he heard the capital S when the Herald spoke) breaking its promise was a big deal. He desperately needed information about his bloodline but maybe he could learn more about the broader situation too.

  "What do I get for agreeing?"

  Ahh, negotiation. Beyond being required for what you are owed I can provide further information, but it must be quick.

  “I agree, same terms as before you share what you learn about me. Add in as much as you can tell me about the local situation and any advice that you think will help us survive.”

  Acceptable. Prepare for Analysis.

  Again the Heralds eye opened and the silver light scanned him, again he didn’t fight it. Oddly this time the ghost didn’t emerge, nor did its companions. Instead his outline seemed to swell pushing the light back, though he made no effort to do so. As the light shut off the Herald spoke.

  Your bloodline has developed. The system struggles to calibrate rewards appropriately as much of your mana is sunk into this undocumented feature.

  The Herald paused, and David was momentarily struck by the term, undocumented feature. Before he could think more deeply on it the Herald continued.

  This would normally be a bad thing. The main advantage system users have is that they can gain power and the ability to apply power based on the hard work of earlier users. As you do not presently have access to Patronage the point is moot.

  There was another silence, making David think the being in front of him was choosing his words. This gave him a sense of genuine concern, as well as a tickling of paranoia.

  The initiation is not proceeding well, David Murphy. You bargained for information about the local situation which I will share now before moving back to bloodline and rewards.

  Seeming to sense David preparing to argue it continued.

  Time and resources are limited, this is the most efficient. If required I will pay the price to ensure you receive your due from the system.

  Those words seemed to have strange weight to them, his spiritual hearing almost tingled with the sense of something more happening there.

  Your cooperation is appreciated, if you have urgent questions, please be brief but ask now.

  David organized his thoughts, prioritizing ruthlessly.

  "You said the initiation isn't going well. Details."

  Earth had seven billion humans, a high number of sentients at initiation. This has resulted in each individual, especially within cities, having less initial free mana. This in turn extends the time required to create a stable minimal system.

  The Obelisk, and many others like it around the world act a relays providing initial system signals to allow integration.

  Even minimizing features and requiring increased Obelisk interaction the time to complete System Initiation ranges from three to six days. Obelisks were deployed immediately focusing on population centers to maximize System uptake.

  After deployment the rising mana saturation allowed better assessment of physiology and access to electronic records. It has become clear that even with mana support extending dormancy tolerance humans struggle to survive unconscious for three to six days.

  System controlled resources are inadequate to compensate, even after limiting many local functions. Large numbers of humans have died. Especially bad outcomes have been in urban centers with high pollution and richer regions with large medicine dependent populations.

  At this stage further supporting one safe zone requires pulling resources from another. Limited resources have already been devoted to awakening small numbers of humans as quickly as possible with very mixed results. Some have followed the quests and rescued others, more have left the area of their safe zone not to return.

  "How many?" David asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

  Unknown, most scanning functions of Obelisks have been shut down to direct resources to accelerating awakening. Based on available data billions can be confidently projected to have died.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  David felt sick, he had to agree. Those survivors they had found were in the minority. He couldn’t help himself, billions dead…

  Sensing that David was at a loss for words the Herald continued.

  Further based on available reports the Nath are swarming and K’R’Nath such as the one you defeated rarely appear alone, though none are currently known to be active. What you refer to as mutants are a further threat that will only grow and have yet to be properly classified.

  I am spreading the limited resources I can gather across dozens of Obelisks, including yours, where early awakeners are doing quests. There is not enough mana available to support full Patronage links to the wider System. This means that the Lords and Ladies cannot aid us until we reach out to them and reestablish contact.

  The Herald's wings folded completely, making its form seem smaller. The gesture carried exhaustion, perhaps even despair. David could relate to that despite the alien physiology.

  This is why your situation matters, David Murphy. You and the others ahead of the curve are this region's only hope. The system cannot save your people. You must do it yourselves.

  David felt the weight of that statement settle over him like a physical burden. No cavalry coming. No system support beyond what they could scrape from Obelisks. Just survivors with barely understood powers trying to save billions while learning on the fly.

  "That's what the Save Your People quests are about," David realized. "You're not being altruistic. You're desperate. You need us to succeed because you can't do it alone."

  Correct. The Lords and Ladies of the System did not anticipate a scenario like Earth. You fall in an odd blind spot where you are numerous without creating mana. Existing mana production or small numbers of sentients, like your hunter-gatherer ancestors, are usual at integration.

  The admission of system limitations, bad planning, and assumptions screwing you up was oddly comforting. At least the alien authority figures were fallible rather than maliciously withholding help.

  "What happens if we fail? If humanity doesn't start winning or hit whatever threshold you need?"

  Resources will continue to drain. Obelisks will be abandoned. Fewer and fewer of your people who have integrated will be protected within safe zones. Then one by one something will come for them.

  Earth will be claimed by someone, Nath or as you call them mutants; it won’t matter to humanity.

  The Herald's third eye focused directly on David with uncomfortable intensity.

  Your people will cease to exist as a distinct species. What remains will serve.

  David's throat felt tight. "Then I guess we better not fail."

  Indeed. Now unless you have further questions I will share what I have learned about your evolved bloodline and then show you the best rewards I can offer you.

  That got David's attention. "So things have changed?"

  Your bloodline has manifested additional traits of the K'R'Nath.

  The formal pronunciation carried weight, multiple syllables distinguished from the simpler "Nath" as though to emphasize the difference.

  The analysis reveals capabilities beyond what I initially identified. You are not merely attuned to hear and speak to the Nath. You can bind them. Creating what imprecisely would be called a location to contain subservient Nath.

  Using terms from your world’s stories you might call this a court of spirits, with you as the king.

  David felt his stomach drop, he felt he had heard that term before, understood something that didn’t really translate.

  "A court of spirits. You mean like the ghost you saw first time?"

  Yes, but not singular. Plural. You have been collecting Nath. I don’t think you understand but the Nath are fragments. They only become powerful and dangerous when they organize.

  The K’R’Nath are whole and singular spirits capable of organizing the Nath by binding them. They are not governed by instinct.

  You appear to be doing the same thing, however the interaction with the system is unexpected. They are linked to all your system resource pools.

  The Herald's middle arms made those complex gestures again, and David had the impression of momentary distraction, almost as though the movement were involuntary. Then the Herald continued.

  You have what amounts to a secondary resource structure, or possibly a nascent skill, or possibly a novel attribute. In short it doesn’t fit with the System. Local resources cannot properly quantify this.

  "Secondary resource structure," David repeated, latching onto the framework.

  "Like a second pool. Not magic or stamina, but something else?"

  Precisely. I designate it Spirit and unlike system resources it is discrete.

  There was a pause.

  You may rename it as you prefer. These bound Nath, your spirits, are YOURS to command. They can draw upon your system resources and possibly be drawn upon in turn. Can you use them for anything?

  David froze, seeing how much, and little the Herald truly saw with that simple question. He tried to process the implications but came up blank. Lacking context, at least factual context based on the new rules of the world, he decided to trust at least a little to get information.

  "Yes, I was able to use them to empower Halt, allowing it to affect a mutant monster that used to be human. This cost me a great deal of resources and I was injured in the process. Can I control it better?”

  That depends on how you develop this ability. If you are using attributes the system will help you to reproduce and refine the action until you create a new skill. This could be extremely flexible. The Nath are individually weak, some would say insignificant, but naturally act together.

  Communication and moldable instinct as well as spiritual assault. These are the features of individual Nath.

  The Herald paused meaningfully.

  Though they are weak at the last; reanimation of the dead is usually all they can manage as they profoundly lack the will to defeat sentients.

  David's throat went dry.

  "Yeah. Raising the dead seems like a terrible idea..."

  Wise. It may be powerful in the short term but rising mana levels will constantly render your servants too weak to be effective.

  I must share information quickly. Your cooperation has been valuable. Ask your final questions.

  The Herald's middle arms moved in those complex patterns again. David felt something shift in the ambient energy of the space.

  I am repairing your residual injuries from mana strain. Consider it investment in your continued survival.

  Warmth flooded through David's body. This was clean, efficient healing. The nagging aches he had hardly been aware of faded. A sense of strain like squinting vanished.

  It felt like waking from quality sleep after weeks of running on empty. David also knew instinctively that this was a real cost in the ‘limited resources’ the Herald was juggling.

  "Thank you."

  You are welcome. Now for your reward selection and my advice.

  The Herald's third eye pulsed with silver light, and three system notifications formed and vanished before David could read them.

  I have provided you with the database entries for the three skills selected.

  First, the Conversion skill. This skill enables conversion of system resources. Typically, this would mean you could drain you magic to boost your depleted stamina pool or similar. In your case I speculate that it will increase the safety and efficiency of your use of your spirits. For example helping you to feed the Nath under you command resources to do more than scout or possess corpses for you as you did when you faced the mutant you mentioned.

  Second, mana sight. This skill will enable expanded visual sensing of the mana spectrum. This skill is a powerful source of information and given the visual focus of your species may offer significant advantages with your bloodline as you train.

  Finally, the Shout skill. This skill is synergistic with your Halt skill and your bloodline allowing amplified and directed sonic attacks which when combined with your bloodline will be especially effective against Nath as you can already ‘speak’ on the frequency they are sensitive to.

  David studied the options, evaluating use cases and strategic value. All three were clearly powerful, with Shout being the most obvious and immediate boost in power.

  That was the catch, immediate power vs. the long term.

  Knowledge was power, especially in an apocalypse where threats lurked around every corner. None of this really qualified as advice though.

  "Questions," David said. "Can I get the other skills later?"

  Yes, though the path will be more difficult without direct intervention and costly without mana investment from the System.

  "Is there more risk in the ones where you included caveats in your descriptions?”

  Yes, you currently have bound Nath but no formal resource pool to manage them. Conversion is high risk, high reward based on your use of the Nath to boost your Halt skill. It should dramatically improve your ability to experiment in this direction but there is uncertainty when interacting with non-System abilities.

  Mana sight will be extremely useful in the long term regardless of your bloodline and is a highly sought after skill. It could help you to visualize your bloodline abilities and give critical feedback but again, this is speculation.

  Shout is the safe option.

  David nodded, decision crystallizing. "You mentioned the mana cost to learn these. It seems as though my reward comes in two parts, knowledge, which doesn’t cost you anything and mana, which does. Would it be possible to get the knowledge for more than one of these and pay some of the mana costs myself through my personal system over time. Like I do with everything else?”

  The Herald's wings spread slightly, a gesture David thought might be one of approval.

  A logical deduction. I approve. However you are not quite correct. Imparting the pattern of a new skill to your personal system has a Mana cost. It is much lower however IF a higher tier being takes the time to involve itself. This is one of the open secrets of the patronage system.

  Very well, my advice, take it or leave it. Accept all three right now and I will oversee imprinting them into your system. You must then unlock them with mana, which will be easy if you kill Nath and mutants…

  Do you accept?

  David’s instincts said that this was the best he would get and he nodded. A moment later a wave of liquid silver broke over him and his vision washed out.

  He braced for impact, something, the shock of knowing Kung Fu maybe, but felt only a gentle integration, a sense of familiarity almost like walking into your own house after a long semester away.

  New understanding bloomed in his mind, then stopped. Even as the sensation faded his vision returned and he saw that he was now alone by the Obelisk. The others had already hurried off to prepare for the raid, though he noticed Charlie was still in sight.

  Notification scrolled past his eyes.

  [RESIDUAL INJURIES HEALED]

  [MANA STRAIN REMOVED]

  [REWARD SELECTION FINALIZED]

  [THREE LOCKED SKILLS ACQUIRED. CONVERT, MANA SIGHT, SHOUT]

  [EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO UNLOCK ADDED TO STATUS]

  With a thought he pulled up his status.

  Well that was annoying, his guess was that he would only need 100 XP to unlock each skill but the cost was higher. Still, adding three advanced skills made him feel good even as he set it mana overflow to work on unlocking convert.

  He hurried off to catch up with his friends and find out what they had obtained before the raid.