After freeing Marian from her brand, I go back to my rather busy schedule. Clearing every dungeon I can manage, trying to not fall asleep in class, eating and sleeping at random hours when I have some free time... It's not fun, but at least I only have to keep this up until Friday.
On Wednesday evening, as I'm checking my phone after having cleared a dungeon, I see that I received a text message from Jeremy that reads:
"There's someone who wants to meet you. Level 100. Are you free tomorrow?"
I quickly check my schedule. Tomorrow is Thursday, which means I have two classes. However, I don't have any dungeon to clear in the evening. While it is just before the big day, I kept my Friday free, so it shouldn't be a problem.
"I can meet them in the evening."
It doesn't take long after I send my message to see that he's typing in response. Soon enough, I get a new message:
"I'll let you know where."
I put my phone back in my pocket as I watch the monster carcasses being hauled into trucks. My work here being done, I head back home.
I wake up still feeling tired the next morning. As I'm shaving, I notice that some parts of my face appear to not have hair anymore, mostly up on my cheeks. Is the attunement process even cleaning up my beard? I don't let it grow right now, but this could make it easier to maintain in the future if I ever decide to do so.
I try to force myself to stay awake in class by playing games on my laptop, but I still end up dozing off a few times throughout the day. I receive a message from Jeremy during the afternoon with a link to a map location, so I assume that's where we're meeting. Looks like it's a park at the edge of the city.
After my second class, I go grab a coffee at one of the machines around the school. I still have a bit of time before I need to leave, so I sit on a bench and browse a social media app on my phone. Looks like a lot of people are discussing the Eternal City Dungeon raid that's coming... next week? Already? I've been so busy that I haven't really been paying attention to it, but it's a pretty major event that's just around the corner. The last raid into that dungeon was when I was just a kid, so I don't remember much about it, but the whole world was paying attention to it. Since I'm getting closer and closer to level 100, I can probably expect to find myself participating in the next raid whenever it ends up happening.
As I'm scrolling down on my timeline, I notice someone who stops next to me. I raise my head and see Evelyn, who quickly waves before saying:
"Good evening! How come I haven't seen you at the gym since last time?"
"I've been extremely busy with so many other things, and I'm not sure I have any control over what my body looks like anymore."
"Uh? What is that supposed to mean?"
She sits next to me as I start explaining:
"Remember a few weeks ago when we went into that dungeon and I stayed behind?"
"Yes, when you made me wait outside all night."
"I already apologized for that! But, on that night, I went and met five Witches from the other world. Turns out I have the same power as them."
"You're... a Witch?"
"Well, I'm a guy, so I guess not? In the other world, they're all women, so they assumed only women could have that kind of power. They were a bit surprised to see that I was a man."
"But when you let your magic freely escape your body, you look like a woman. They might have been right that only women are supposed to wield that power."
"Yeah, so I don't really know how all of that fits together yet. But the important part is that my body needs time to adjust to my new power, and my physical appearance is going to change during that time. I already lost basically all of my muscle mass without losing any strength, so I feel like I just have to wait for the transformation to be done before I can really start worrying about my appearance again."
"And do you know what you're going to look like once it's over?"
"Nope! The Witches told me that they all got more attractive in the eyes of their respective cultures during their attunement process, but there wasn't anything else that was clearly apparent. So I guess I'm becoming more attractive too, but I'm not sure what that means in our culture, with the internet and all that making it clear that every taste is out there. I would have assumed that being a tall and muscular man would be the most attractive, but I lost my muscles and didn't grow at all, so I don't seem to be going that way."
"Mmmmh... Well, it's true that there are a lot of ways to be attractive. Your body might be shifting towards something closer to what we tend to see in some animated shows, or in those dancing groups that seem to be all over some parts of the internet nowadays."
"Ah! I never really thought of myself looking like that, but it's possible. Girls do seem to like the way they look. Still, the whole thing feels... wrong."
"How so?"
"This is my body, if it needs to change, why can't it change according to my will? Why am I at the mercy of this strange power with unclear rules?"
Evelyn chuckles before saying:
"I guess it's like going through another, weirder and more magical puberty, then?"
"In a way. But at least with puberty I had my parents I could look to and get an idea of what to expect. This time, I'm completely in the dark."
"Yeah, I can see how that would make it worse. I hope it doesn't destabilize you too much."
"Thanks."
I take a look at my phone and see that it's time for me to leave, so I get up and end the conversation:
"There's somewhere I need to be. I'll see you around."
She waves goodbye as I jump on the roof of a nearby building.
The sun is almost done setting when I reach the park. I don't see anyone, so I walk around for a bit until I find a bench to sit on. I grab my phone, open one of the games I keep installed on it for when I need to waste time, and extend the range at which I can sense magical energy as I play.
It takes a few minutes, but I eventually detect someone who's clearly level 100. I don't think that's Jeremy, so it's likely to be the person he wanted me to meet. They're coming this way, so I'll just stay put and wait.
I finish the game I was playing, put my phone away, and wait a bit longer. Eventually, I see a really tall man with dark blonde hair and tan skin. He doesn't seem to be quite as large as Jeremy, but he still towers over me. Now that he's closer, I can clearly sense the Architect's brand on his left shoulder.
I wonder if there's any logic to the brand's position. Marian and I had ours on the neck, Jeremy's was at the top of his back, and this guy has it on his shoulder. It doesn't seem to have any impact on its effect.
He walks towards me and asks:
"Are you Matt?"
"That's me. You are...?"
"I'm Hugo. I've teamed up with Jeremy a few times in the past, and he told me it'd be good for us to meet."
He extends a hand towards me, so I get up and shake it. He continues:
"He told me you were a pretty high level Sword Fighter, so I'm a bit surprised to see that you're quite short and small. At first glance I would have thought you were a mage."
"It's always hard to guess what class someone is without their gear. And I only look small to you because of how big you are."
"Ah! You're not completely wrong there. And I guess this does make you a smaller target for your enemies."
He sits on the bench next to me before continuing:
"Guess we'll just wait for Jeremy here."
He grabs a pack of cigarettes, puts one in his mouth, then offers me one.
"I don't smoke."
"Suit yourself."
He lights the cigarette, and I create a small air current to make sure the smell and smoke goes in the direction opposite to me. I simply can't stand that stench.
Since his brand is on his arm, he's unlikely to fall unconscious if I blast it away. He's probably not going to simply accept my healing after I destroy part of his body, so I might need Jeremy's help here.
Speaking of, I can feel him coming this way now. I turn in his direction and see him lightly jogging. When he finally reaches us, he says:
"Sorry for being late. Glad to see you managed to find each other."
I look at Hugo before pointing him with my thumb and saying:
"Well, your friend does stand out. He's as tall as you are!"
He laughs a bit as Hugo gets up. The latter points in a direction and says:
"I know a good restaurant over there. Might as well talk around a meal."
Jeremy and I nod, and we all start walking in that direction. After a short time, he looks at me and signals something. We didn't discuss this ahead of time, but I know exactly what he's trying to say.
Breaking my sword out of its bead, I aim at Hugo's shoulder, slashing his left arm off.
