Hiroki's staff blurred, and pain shot up Luke's hands and arms. His quarterstaff thudded to the mat, and Luke worked his fingers. "Ow."

  "Again," Hiroki said, raising his staff.

  They went again. And again. And again.

  "So," Luke began. "I'm not very good."

  He'd lost the staff on the first strike each time. Not a good showing.

  "Humility is an excellent quality in all martial arts," Hiroki said, bending over to grab Luke's staff off the floor, before handing it over. "You hold your bo like a snake trying to bite you and swing like you are holding a baseball bat. Do not worry, it is expected of a beginner."

  "Can you help me get better?" Luke asked. He didn't mind being told he sucked at something when it came from a place of well-meaning. Being bad at something was not something to be ashamed of. "The staff is the only weapon I can use."

  Hiroki's expression darkened a little. "The bo is not to be used as a weapon unless absolutely necessary." Then he blinked and looked over to the kitchen with a sheepish grin. "My apologies. Force of habit. Things have changed a little, haven't they?"

  "They sure have," Luke said, leaning forward to rest some of his weight on the staff. "What class did you pick? One that uses the staff?"

  "Yes, in a way. Other weapons are available to me, but the staff will always be my first love."

  "...OK?"

  Hiroki chuckled, and his cheeks reddened a little. "Sorry, it's something my grandfather," he nodded to the kitchen, "always says."

  Luke peered over his shoulder at the old man enjoying his noodles, now with a much less severe look on his face. "He's the one in the online reviews?"

  "Yes," Hiroki laughed. "We don't get many students."

  "You don't have classes?"

  "Unfortunately, we don't at this time, but I would be glad to show you the basic movements and stances." He looked down at the mat. "For a fee, of course."

  "Of course," Luke agreed.

  Hiroki looked up and nodded, the wide smile back on his face. "Since we are both Integrated, perhaps we might even train inside a dungeon one day."

  "Sure, let's join forces in the next one. I'm a healer."

  "Healer?"

  Luke showed off Threads of Mana, pushing them to the limits of their reach. "I use these to heal."

  "Can you show me?" Hiroki asked, stepping forward to reach out with a finger before looking at Luke for permission.

  Luke nodded.

  Hiroki's finger brushed up against the thread for a brief second. That was enough for Luke to get a glimpse into his instructor's mana channels. Something about them stood out, and he reached for the retreating finger to get a better look, but Hiroki stepped back and out of reach.

  "Feels like nothing," Hiroki said.

  "There's something about your mana channels."

  "What are mana channels?"

  Luke gave a quick rundown, and soon, he was examining the other man. "They're wider, sort of."

  "Is that bad?"

  "I don't think so," Luke said, looking into Hiroki's face. "Use a skill."

  Mana flowed through Hiroki's mana channels at a staggering rate. A lot of it stopped in his right arm, pressing itself against the walls of the channels.

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  Luke narrowed his eyes. "Did that skill do something to your arm?"

  "Whoa," Hiroki breathed. "You can tell?"

  "Sort of." Luke stepped back.

  "My class is called Heartsteel. I can strengthen parts of it, increase my strength, and do some other things."

  "That's cool.”

  "Let us continue practicing," Hiroki said. "You have much to learn."

  After an hour, Luke's forearms were going numb and his hips screamed at him for a moment's rest. The practice went on for two more hours after that.

  Congratulations! Boon of Potential grants you +1 attribute point (+1 Agility).

  A sheen of sweat covered Hiroki's face, and his cheeks were flushed. Luke was on the floor in a puddle of sweat, gasping for breath. Everything hurt. From this experience, it was clear that bojutsu instructors were not keen on verbal corrections, or perhaps it was just Hiroki's way of doing things. Instead, making an error meant a quick thwack, sending a jolt of pain through an arm, a leg, or even his back. Luke had cheated somewhat, healing himself each time as he corrected his posture, positioning, or stance.

  "Better," Hiroki allowed, offering a bottle of water once they were done.

  Luke drew in a rasping breath. "Thanks, I think."

  "Three times a week, I think."

  "What?"

  Hiroki got down on his haunches in front of Luke. "Practice. If you want to improve, your body must learn, the movements ingrained into your reflexes. Experience cannot be forced, but we can give you every advantage."

  "Why don't we make it four?" Luke said with a grin, rolling over to his back. Yes, his body hurt, but the warmth in his muscles was pleasant, now that he wasn't struggling for air. This training would give him Agility, too, a fine way to spend your time.

  "Four it is. We start at 5:30 AM, Monday through Thursday."

  Luke sat up with a groan. "Being up that early is illegal, isn't it?"

  Hiroki laughed. "We can make it 5 AM if you prefer?"

  "No, no. 5:30 is perfect. Who needs sleep, anyway? How much for the training?"

  He half expected Hiroki to waive the fee, much like Vasilij with his gym.

  "$100 per session," Hiroki said, his expression turning serious.

  Luke swallowed hard. "Damn."

  "Like you said, this training could be the difference between life and death in your case."

  "Did I say that?" Luke asked with a chuckle. "A hundred bucks per session is fine."

  Hiroki helped Luke to his feet, and they shook on it.

  "Tomorrow then," Hiroki said.

  "Tomorrow," Luke agreed, handing over a small gem.

  "What's this?"

  "This," Luke said. "Is a communication gem. Put it into your Integrated inventory, and you can send messages with a thought. I'll use this to contact you if I'm stuck in a dungeon or something and can't make practice."

  The gem disappeared from Hiroki's palm.

  Hiroki: "Hello?"

  Luke: "Easy, isn't it?"

  Hiroki nodded and pursed his lips, taking the gem out again. "This is a treasure. I cannot accept it."

  "Don't be an idiot. You're doing me a favor by taking it. Everyone will have them soon enough once the Department of Integrated Affairs starts handing them out."

  "Well. If you say so."

  It disappeared again.

  Hiroki: "Being in a dungeon is not a valid excuse for not showing up for practice. I will find you in the dungeon and teach you what it means to disrespect your bo instructor."

  Luke gave a quick laugh, then saw in Hiroki's expression that he was serious. The guy didn't play around when it came to the staff.

  Luke: "Um, yeah. OK."

  They shook hands again, and with that, he'd secured a way of getting stronger using the staff, which also meant a skill that increased Agility. Very nice.

  Standing back out in the street with a cooling breeze blowing past gave Luke a sense of calm. Endorphins flushed through his system. The tugging from Relian was still there, but he ignored it. All would be well.

  The gem not ending up in the Fallen Shepherd turned Lifeweaver's hands was a welcome surprise. At some point in the hubbub and chaos at DIA headquarters, Nymh, who'd been holding the gem for Relian, like a puppet, dropped it when she was supposed to hand it over before Relian fled. It was unclear whether that had been a moment of resistance on her part or just pure chance, but Curtis snatched it up and put it in his inventory to keep it safe. Just like that, they'd kept it out of reach of their enemy.

  Not that it meant much. As it turned out, gems of communication turned up in several more dungeons across the US, and the DIA was now in possession of at least three, as far as Luke knew. The way they worked was a little strange, growing smaller each time you received a small gem from the larger one. One might think that would lead to the large gems holding a finite number of smaller ones, but not so. It grew right back to its original size if you let it sit for a few hours. Soon, every Integrated in the world would have gems. This would allow for communication in and out of dungeons, across country lines, and even to the other side of the world. Neat.

  As Luke pondered the effects these gems would have on the world, the inevitable interruption came in the form of his friend.

  Ray: "So, hey. You there?"

  Luke: "Done with the dungeon?"

  Ray: "Noooo... Not done per se."

  Luke: "?"

  Curtis: "Luke, we could use a hand."

  Luke: "What is going on?"

  Ray: "The boss has some friends who can detect stealth. Pain in my ass."

  Curtis: "We retreated from the fight, and now we have a large number of injured."

  Luke: "You don't have any healers at all?"

  Ray: "Nope. Also, Curtis is bleeding a lot, and we're out of health potions."

  Luke: "But you're safe right now?"

  Ray: "...maybe."

  Luke sighed. Turns out, it wasn't too late to join them in the dungeon after all.

  Luke: "Hold on, I'm coming."