Sophia Jackson
Stories
11
Chapters
5,834
Words
1.6 M
Comments
0
Reading
5 d, 14 h
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There wasn’t time to panic, though perhaps Alden should have. In his limited experience, teleports didn’t usually land you thirty feet up in the air, in the jungle, above a shallow-looking pool of water surrounded by screaming teenage Artonans. Alden dropped like a stone while the System flashed the words ASSUME DIVING POSTURE at him like it thought he could just He fell feet first, his lab coat flapping around his elbows, and he barely had the presence of mind to hold his breath before he hit…-
128 •
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“You have a knack for arranging possessions so that they suit their owner.” Alden reread the skill description. In his message, Boe had added that the Level Two version of the skill had the exact same description, but with knack replaced by “strong knack.” “If anyone has leveled it past that, they haven’t posted the details online,” he’d written. The foundational supplements were in dexterity, processing, and strength. And they were small, just like Alden’s had been. C-ranks who…
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128 •
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Over the next few days, Alden grew more comfortable with his new routine. The sleeping capsule woke him up with a false sunrise each morning, and his interface gave him his task list for the day. He always had around an hour and a half of personal time before he had to be at the lab for the first exam session. He hid out in his pod until the last minute, taking advantage of the privacy and the temperature control. He ate whatever snack he’d stashed the night before, thought over the lesson he’d had…
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128 •
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Joe spent the next ten minutes exclaiming over the man Alden had rescued and the cases of supplies he’d brought. He divided his time pretty equally between them, so it was hard to tell which he was happier to have returned to him. Alden didn’t want the professor to think up any additional errands, so as soon as it was possible, he made his escape and left the Summonarium behind. He walked across the dark campus, enjoying the strange night sounds of another world and relishing in the first real…
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128 •
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Moon Thegund, Part Two The door led straight into a residential section of the perimeter building. They walked through something like a mudroom, where Alden was pretty sure he made a critical faux pas by neglecting to remove his sneakers, and into a common area full of mismatched furniture. Toys were scattered on the floor, and a couple of the adults hurried to pick them up while Alden was installed partially against his will on a chaise lounge facing a large screen he assumed was for television.…
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128 •
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Alden and Joe hammered out the details of their contract fairly easily. In exchange for fifteen minutes of Joe’s “sincere and best instructional efforts” for his skill, Alden would make one trip to Moon Thegund and back, using his own “sincere and best efforts” to return with one of Joe’s stranded assistants. It was Alden who’d insisted on the “sincere and best” part because he didn’t have any way to be completely sure that what Joe was teaching him was as valuable as the professor…
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128 •
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The professor only invited five students back for the afternoon session. Sophie said the pass rate was usually thirty percent, so Joe was even more of a terror than Alden had realized. At first, he assumed he wouldn’t have anything to do in the lab with so few examinees. Especially since they were, presumably, talented enough not to cause a disaster. But it turned out he was as busy as he had been for the morning testing. Instead of having him dispose of dangerous materials, Joe loaned Alden’s…
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128 •
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They took their lunch break during what felt like early afternoon to Alden. Sophie said the way humans sat around a table and ate food other people had slaughtered for them was disturbing, and she wouldn’t come with him to the dining area. “I just eat plants these days, so there’s not much opportunity for butchering.” The grivek snorted. Joe was skipping, too. He was busy playing with all the devices the examinees had made, trying to decide which were worthy of a passing score. The lucky few…
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128 •
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Alden froze, one hand gripping the strap on the goggles. The timer display was positioned right over Boe’s forehead, ticking down. Later, he’d be glad his brain didn’t waste any more time than that. Instead of freaking out, getting excited, or going into denial, his first thought was “I need to get to the basement!” he shouted, turning and sprinting for the elevator. “Shit,” said Boe. “What’s wrong?” asked Jeremy. Gorgon hopped up from his seat and hurried after Alden. “I got…
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128 •
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Wardrobe The boy stood in front of a white door. He didn’t know how long he’d been standing there, or where he had come from, or what he was supposed to do next. His fingers rested on the cool metal knob without gripping it. He watched them for a while, then gradually he looked up. A sign had been affixed to the door with clear tape. It said QUARANTINE in black marker. The handwriting looked familiar. He blinked slowly, and it changed. DON’T BE AFRAID, it said. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU. As…
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