Chapter 47: Justin

He took some time emptying the leftovers of their dinner into the trash and stacking the assorted platters, plates, goblets, silverware, and tablecloth into a pile so he could store them as a single icon in his inventory by specifying 'Store Thanksgiving Tableware'. Not only were they reusable, but he thought they'd make a nice display set for his condo after they received a wash.

When he was done, he summoned his bug-out bag, pulled out the travel percolator and ground coffee packets he had stored inside, and made himself a hot cup to drink while he studied his Book. It tasted bitter on his tongue without any sugar or milk to cut it, but the aroma of the brewed beans helped dispel the lingering affects of his nightmare.

Dex—the ass—rolled over and went back to sleep. By the time he did finally get up, the sun was beginning to dawn outside the hotel room windows and Hugh thought he had a solid grasp on everything he could do using his Book. He'd not only gone through the NPC section page by page, but he'd gone through the entire Nexus section, as well.

When he checked, the number listed in his bank account made his eyes cross and his head feel faint, but he focused long enough to transfer everything into his Bank of Nexus account, then move some of those funds into his Book's wallet. From there, he moved an even lesser amount into his inventory where he bound the loose Zettabits to one of Dex's empty shortcuts so his Navigator would be able to buy things without having to ask him every time.

"That was nice of you," Dex said, walking out of the bathroom wearing his new black leather gear. Hugh made a note to have his quiver dyed as soon as possible, since the tacky green camouflage clashed violently with everything else he wore.

"Don't spend it all in one place," Hugh teased as he looked over his stats. Empathy was still his highest stat with Constitution a close second. He couldn't remember the exact numbers he'd had the previous day, but he thought the overall star was a little bigger than it'd been. He figured he should probably make a note of the actual numbers, so he flipped to 'Page 23... Notes' and created a new text file entitled 'Track Stats.' On the first line, he used the page tool, a pen stylus, to write out the date and list his numbers starting with Strength.

After that was done, Hugh returned the stylus to the Book and turned to the Navigator Profile. Dex's stats hadn't changed at all, but there was a level-up button waiting next to his filled experience bar.

"You have any preferences on your stat upgrades?" Hugh asked.

"More Strength and Dexterity," he replied easily. "If you're intending to use a lot of spells, I should focus on being physically capable so I can watch your back—unless you want me to be more of an all-around type of backup. In that case, I'll need more stamina, physically and magically."

"Can you use any spell I have equipped?"

"You don't have to have them equipped. You just have to have the necessary scrolls in your Book and bind them to me. I can use a maximum of three root spells, which will give me six possible combo spells. I'm not permitted Ultimate spells or Variation spells."

"How do you feel about me building you into a Huntsman? I can give you utility spells like Fire, Water, and Heal. And we'll spread your stats out evenly with any extra points going into dexterity and stamina."

"That'll leave us seriously under-powered in Strength," Dex replied. "Unless you're planning to build yours up?"

"I'm planning to build everything up," Hugh said. "But the important thing is I'm not expecting you to be my shield if it comes to a fight. I don't see you as the type of guy to stand toe-to-toe with the enemy. I'd rather you stayed mobile and focused your skills on deflecting rather than blocking. I can't imagine myself as the type of guy to flit all over the battlefield, no matter how much speed I build up, so I'd like you to do that part for me. Does that sound okay? You focus on the adds and I'll focus on the Bosses."

Dex shrugged and belly-flopped on the bed, then rolled over so his head was hanging off upside down. "Adds? Oh, you mean additional enemy mobs. I can do that."

Having a plan made progressing so much easier. In no time at all, he had Dex leveled up to five where the page informed him he had an unused skill point. "Explain skill points," Hugh demanded.

"Later," he replied. "It's already seven thirty. You need to get dressed. Besides, skills are unlocked in reflection of your World. We'll be better off it you save them until you release a creature with a Unique skill you want me to have—something like Flight or Quickstep. Right now, the only skills available are mundane crap like Stalking, Swimming, and Run Speed."

"You can't swim?"

"At the moment, I'd sink like a rock if I tried. Hurry up or you'll still be in a bathrobe when Doctor Jones gets here."

Hugh hit the button to save the skill point for later and returned to leveling Dex's stats. He received two more skill point notifications at level ten and fifteen, letting him know the Navigator would get them every five levels. It didn't seem like enough and he said so.

"After level fifty, I'll get them every two levels," Dex replied. "Navigators assisting civilian players don't need a lot, so the developers decided to use leveling as a gating tool. Only players who spend time exploring or building up their worlds will have powerful Navigators. Now—"

"I'm going, I'm going," Hugh grumbled, closing his Book as he stood. Gathering up his clothes, he retreated into the bathroom to wash his face and get dressed. With the aid of the dopp kit in his bug-out bag, he was even able to groom himself so he didn't look like such an unkempt barbarian.

His heart jumped unexpectedly when a knock at the door heralded Frankie's arrival. Hugh grabbed the edge of the sink to steady himself as his blood pressure skyrocketed, leaving him light-headed and his gut churning with nervousness.

He looked into the mirror and grimaced, realizing he looked like an idiot. He was wearing a black cloak on one shoulder like he was some kind of Roman shadow warrior and his Pirouette Moon Boots had a stupid wide, folded cuff sagging down around his ankles with oversized crescent moon decals like he was a wannabe anime character. Worst of all, none of it matched and his hair was too short to actually be held back by the Prince's Circlet. It looked like his little sister had stuck it on him and he'd forgotten about it.

"Hugh?" Dex called through the door. "Doctor Jones is here and he brought breakfast."

"I told you to call me Frankie. This is my Navigator, Justin. I felt bad about how I left the starting town yesterday and I couldn't sleep, so I went to see what I could do to help them and he was already waiting for me there with my gear. I managed to get my Engineer leveled up a little and provided some of the basics so the NPCs wouldn't go extinct without me there to watch over them. They were very understanding of my circumstances and were happy with the little I could provide for them. I hope it's okay I told my Engineer and his helper to stay there and watch over everyone?"

"That's what I did," Hugh said, summoning the courage to open the door and step out. His gaze instantly went to the newcomer in the room, Justin, and felt relieved when he was nothing like Hugh. The small twink was much younger man, almost a teenage kid, with a tanned complexion reflecting mixed descent, black dreadlocks, and bright green eyes. The women at the clinic would immediately fawn over him and his youthful features, which was probably Frankie's intention. He'd make a perfect receptionist.

"Hello, my man," Justin greeted with a wide, generous smile. "So you're Frankie's savior? I feel like I already know you with how much he's been going on and on and on—"

"That's enough, Justin," Frankie interrupted with another of those trademark pink blushes rising in his cheeks. "Hugh, this is Justin. He's agreed to be my main assistant at the clinic until we're able to hire some qualified nurses. Once we do, he intends to take over Net research on my behalf, hunting down leads for you, and he claims he can handle housework so I won't have to worry about it. I hope the two of you will be able to work well together in the future."

"Nice," Hugh said, holding out his hand for a quick shake. "It'll be good to have someone on tech support." Then he turned to Frankie, smiling when he got a glimpse of how he probably dressed in the real world. He wore the black Meister Maybe lab coat over a white button down shirt, black slacks, and the leather Boots of Infamy. He was freshly shaven and his salted black hair was slicked back with water, although several locks had already dried out and curled in random directions.

"You look nice," he said quietly.

"I brought breakfast sandwiches," Frankie blurted in return. "A few of the restaurants in the Food Court were already open, but I wasn't sure what you preferred. So I got a mix. There's juice and coffee, too. Take what you want. I'm not picky myself."

Hugh smiled. "You're a godsend. Just let me pack up real quick, then we'll eat and head out. If you left anything in your room, you should probably store it before you forget. I don't know what happens to stuff left behind in a room when your reservation ends."

The pleasant breakfast went a long way to soothing Hugh's nerves. Frankie said nothing about their planned run nor did he raise any eyebrows over Hugh's choice of clothes. If anything, Hugh thought he might have intercepted a few appreciative glances, but perhaps he'd just imagined it.

Before they left, Hugh sat on the bed to save his game and made sure Frankie did the same. He also cautiously asked about dinner by saying, "Since you didn't need my bicycles, does this mean I'm buying dinner?"

Frankie saved him from a day of heartache and self-loathing by immediately answering, "Yes, but I'll buy dessert."

Hugh couldn't stop grinning the entire walk to the Communications Hub.