As I make my way out of the temple and back down the stairway, its grandeur now lost to me, I spot Brick. His smile, usually contagious, does nothing to ease my crippling disappointment. The chilled air goes unnoticed as the remnants of winter blow through my black hair.

  Seeing my downtrodden expression, Brick’s own smile falters. It returns quickly enough that I wonder if that had just been my imagination, bending my perspective of the world around me to match my own dour mood.

  “Hey, man! ‘ow’d it go?” Smiling from ear to ear, he joins me as I trundle my way down the street. “That bad, eh?” His hand reaches up to rub the back of his neck, but it stops and lands on my shoulder. “Come on, tell me. Mayhaps it’s not as bad as ya think it is.”

  “Fine.”

  I relent, leading him into an empty alley so that we can have a bit of privacy. Although I don’t want to disappoint him with how useless I am and always will be, Brick is quite curious, and very intelligent. If anyone can help me find the silver lining in my shitty skill, it’ll be him.

  Once we’re far enough from the street that we can avoid most prying eyes, I begin to summon my box. Brick’s excited face brightens after the sixty second cast time finishes. His expression doesn’t change a bit as he examines the box.

  “Ya try to put anything in it? Can ya make another? ’ave ya checked yer skill tree?”

  His rapid fire questions assault my bad mood until it’s beaten back into the corner where it belongs, to be replaced by my own curiosity and a sliver of hope. His enthusiasm is so contagious that I can’t stop a smile from forming on my face.

  “No, I’ve not tested it at all yet. The priest saw this flimsy box that he couldn’t even lift and kicked me out immediately. I’ll check my Heart Scroll.”

  As I say the last words, I’m already summoning the mystical scroll that every sapient being living on Gaio has within their heart.

  Name: Luck Vidadura

  Age: 18

  Race: Aldkin

  Skill: Box - Summon a box to store things in.

  Affinity: Spacial, ???

  Skill Aether: <1%

  Skill Credits: 0

  Credit Level: Level 0 (0 SC allocated)

  [Skill Tree]

  [???]

  There are a few notable differences from the information that I spent nearly a decade reading over and over. Nearly all of the information is new. The skill name, description, affinity, aether, credits, level, and the option to view my skill tree were never there before. ‘Description’ might be too strong of a word, but at least I know something…

  Just the fact that using the skill will give me Skill Aether, which forms Skill Credits, is a phenomenal boon. At least, I assume that’s why I have some after simply summoning the skill. Most people have to earn Skill Aether by killing monsters, I’ve always heard. Moving past my digression, I mentally focus on the option to open the skill tree, and my Heart Scroll switches from the overview to the skill tree review page.

  “It looks like there are five skill branches… They’re non-exclusive, so I can pick from any of them at any time and won’t lose access to the other paths. The leftmost branch is called ‘Increase Box Count.’

  “Second from there, going clockwise, is called ‘Increase Box Dimensions…’ for the next, at the upper angle of the right side of the tree we have ‘Decrease Box Summoning Delay…’ the fourth, pointing straight to the right is ‘Box Summoning Range…’

  “The last one, pointed straight down with nothing else on the lower half with it… what the hell?! I have to spend 25 Skill Credits just to unlock deeper access to this path?! The only information it gives is ‘Utility…’ What does that even mean?!” Exasperated, I throw my hands up in the universal sign of acknowledging futility.

  Brick, however, is nearly vibrating as he stands there listening to me narrate the contents of my Heart Scroll to him. I can tell he’s seeing potential that my pessimism would rather have me ignore. That’s Brick, though. Always the optimist.

  “We absolutely must experiment with this! First! Can ya give me permission to move the box?”

  His boundless curiosity never ceases to amaze me, so I give it a shot. I mentally focus on Brick being able to pick up the box. As I do this, I feel a buzzing from my scroll that I choose to ignore for now, in favor of continuing our experimentation.

  “I don’t know. Try to pick it up now.”

  He lifts the light box with such ease that it surprises me when it doesn’t just float up and into the sky due to the speed that he lifts the thing. His eyes glimmer with joy as he sets the box down and turns, looking for… something.

  He spots an old tankard laying a bit farther into the alley, so he walks over to grab it, bringing it back to the box and putting it in. Well, he tries to put it in. Instead it ignores the box entirely, phasing through like it’s not even there. We watch as it seems to be both in the box and not in the box simultaneously.

  “Hmmm…” Obviously mulling something over in his mind, he hands me the abandoned mug. “You try to put it in, Luck…”

  I reluctantly grab the filthy cup, hold it above the box with just my finger and my thumb, and then I drop it. Some habits are hard to break, and even though I’m covered with dirt and grime already, I dislike knowingly adding more to the collection.

  I watch it fall to the center, but the strangest thing happens as soon as it passes the lip of the box. Instead of falling haphazardly, the tankard disappears and reappears snugly in the corner, as if the box wants to use its space as efficiently as it can.

  I feel another buzzing in my hand, so I look down at my Heart Scroll. There is a new text entry at the bottom of the primary overview page, flashing a dark blue. All it says is ‘Inventory,’ so I focus on that word, bringing up a new page I’d never heard of.

  Inventory: 3% Capacity.

  Broken Tankard

  Brick goes to take the tankard out of the box, but just like the snobby, good-for-nothing priest, his hands pass right through the tankard as if it isn’t even there.

  “Oi, can ya see about givin’ me the ability to use the box or somethin’?”

  As I think about allowing Brick access into the skills functionality, the buzzing in my hand starts anew. I look at the scroll with interest, picturing the main page. I see… nothing…

  As I stand there with a confused look on my face, I reach up with my left hand to scratch my head, only then able to see what my thumb has been covering the whole time. ‘Permissions.’

  Feeling stupid, I decide not to tell Brick about that brief embarrassment. Instead, I focus on the word, bringing up another page that I’ve never heard of.

  This page was long, mostly consisting of selections that are currently grayed and blurry. At the top, there were three options that I could view.

  Move Permission - Brick Walton

  Insert Permission - N/A

  Take Permission - N/A

  I quickly take the time to add Brick to both of the other two available selections before turning to him with a look of incredulity, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging down far enough that my mother would have told me that a bird would poop in it.

  “I didn’t know you had a last name, Brick! You must be the bastard of some lord, but… I’ve never heard of the Walton family.”

  Brick briefly looks up at me, then back down at the box. He subconsciously rubs the back of his neck before saying, “I didn’t want to tell ya. Not like it matters much. Yer the only family I ‘ave, and the only family I’ll ever need!”

  He flashes me a huge, genuine smile before getting back to the important topic in his mind.

  “So, did ya give me permission?”

  I only nod in response, driven speechless by his show of affection. Of course, I’ve always considered him to be my family, ever since shortly after I was dropped off at the orphanage by the local guards. But I’d not realized he views me so fondly.

  Brick, however, lets his inner child escape as he repeatedly removes the tankard from the box and unceremoniously drops it back in. After doing that for a few rounds, he goes searching for other things to test the box with.

  I absorb my Heart Scroll, as I decide to help him look, wandering through the windy alley until I find a semi-large rock and an old boot. I return to the spot where I originally summoned the box, only to find out that the box is gone.

  What the hell?! I know it was here before! I couldn’t have lost my way going in a straight line! I frantically begin turning my head to and fro, panic beginning to set in.

  “Brick! I think someone stole the box!” My whispered shout trembles with mounting anxiety.

  Brick comes back with a rotted bucket and a pair of broken wooden spoons. “Eh?” He begins to chuckle, which evolves into roaring laughter. “Ya know that’s not possible, right?”

  He struggles to calm down, but eventually manages to stop shaking with the aftershocks of his delight. “Nobody but us can even touch the thing.” The look on his face changes, settling at half amusement, half concern.

  That look shifts into a shit-eating grin when what he just said registers and I facepalm in shame. I then proceed to summon my box after waiting the prerequisite minute. It appears as if it’d always been there.

  We both carelessly drop our findings into the box, where everything arranges itself to fit nicely together, with the boot in the bucket, the tankard on the toe of the boot, the spoons in the tankard, and the large rock pushing the upper part of the boot down a bit.

  A buzzing beneath my sternum has me pulling out my Heart Scroll again to examine what changes await. As I scan the first page, I feel the inclination to focus on the ‘Inventory’ section. I do this, finding quite the change awaiting me.

  Inventory: 100% Capacity (23% Volume Inefficiency)

  broken tankard

  moldy bucket

  Old Man Smitty’s favorite left boot

  medium-sized stone

  useless broken spoon x2

  dirty snow - 3.5 grams

  Even as I read the new information on my Heart Scroll, another vibration emanates from it. I quickly return my focus to the general page, curious as to what else could possibly appear. Once again, gracing the bottom of the page, is a flashing blue word. This time it says ‘Quests.’

  “What’s got that look on yer face?” Brick’s baritone voice interrupts me before I can investigate further.

  “Hmm? What look?”

  “Yer face is so scrunched that I’m startin’ to think it might get stuck!”

  A cheeky grin is plastered upon his own face, letting me know that my visage is probably quite amusing in its current state.

  “I’m just so confused…” I reply, now noticing the feeling of the frown and lowered brow. “I’ve never heard of any of these pages that have appeared on my Heart Scroll. I was just about to check the newest one when you spoke up.”

  His grin widens, and his eyes are now sparkling with interest. “Don’t let me stop ya! This is gettin’ cooler by the minute!”

  Without preamble, I return my gaze to my heart scroll, opening the new page.

  New quest found!

  Category: Delivery

  Aspects: Hidden location, unruly recipient

  Level: N/A

  Time Limit: N/A

  Description: Find Old Man Smitty and return his favorite left boot.

  Quest progress: 0 of 1 boot delivered.

  Reward: 1 Skill Credit and 5 copper rings

  Penalty for failure: N/A

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