Balance's large hand settled on Chloe's shoulder, heavy and steady. He was smiling.

"I am so glad to see you finding some positivity in your class," Balance said, giving her shoulder another firm pat. "I will admit, I was reluctant when we picked this specialization."

Caretaker History stood beside Balance, wearing her big, weird hat and robes.

"How do you plan to spend your stat point, Lady Chloe?" History asked.

Chloe's fingers twisted together. She wasn't sure if her idea was stupid or not.

"Well," she started, then paused to steady her voice. "I want to work toward passively removing people's fears. I spend a lot of time doing it now, and I really love helping the town, but I still need to pick a profession, and focus on training, and a bunch of other stuff."

When neither Caretaker shot her down, Chloe's words sped up. "Plus, it feels invasive just peeping at everyone's fears. Most of the time it's the normal scary stuff like monsters, but sometimes it's . . . private stuff."

She blushed, and looked at her feet.

"So, I was thinking I could use a stat point in INT and start training my mind to remove fears automatically or passively?" She looked at the Caretakers. "Uh, if that's even a thing?"

Balance looked down at her for a long moment. Then he and Caretaker History both nodded.

"I agree that this can be accomplished," Balance said slowly. "But this is something you will have to work toward. It will not happen overnight, or easily, and it will take a lot of practice to train your mind."

Relief washed over Chloe, and she nodded quickly. "Thank you. I know. I'll practice. Um, how do I practice that, though?"

"That is on you to figure out. Not that you can take any instruction with you . . . For your Boon, your application of crowd control, and use of your [Tormentor] class, have been quite impressive. And it is all the better that you have found an unexpected path of satisfaction in helping your townsfolk. I would like to merge these two very different uses, and grant you the spell [Host of Torment]."

Well, that sounds cheerful.

"You will still remove the fears from the allies around you," Balance explained, "but, instead of destroying them, for a limited time you gain the ability to redirect them at your enemies."

Balance looked at History, and some unspoken communication passed between them.

"Currently, when you remove a fear," History said, "the fear creatures attack your [Mental Bastion]. If we're talking about removing dozens of fears at once . . . well, you need something stronger than your current mental room with its straw walls."

Holy crap, she's right.

Her [Mental Bastion] had barely held out against Blake; getting hit by her [Host of Torment]'s backlash would tear her room apart.

"I will modify the spell to boost your [Mental Bastion]," History said. "For the period of the spell, instead of your straw room, I will upgrade the mental structure by several iterations. Currently the spell will alter your room to be modeled after Fort Langley: British Columbia, Canada, 1827."

History frowned. "Granted, the fort has a colonial past: as do many of the human structures and civilizations. Nevertheless, I think you will find its twenty-foot timber palisades and interior bastions a much stronger defense than your room's straw walls. Who knows? Maybe one day, as you grow stronger, you can upgrade it to a castle."

"Oh, wow," Chloe breathed. "Thank you."

It was terrifying to picture the swarms of fears that would attack her all at once. But, on the flip side, it was the perfect spell and exactly what she needed; the ability to help everyone at once, and at the same time weaponize those fears. To take all that terror and point it against her enemies was the perfect merge of support and offense.

"Listen, Chloe," Balance said, and his tone carried a warning. "Same as everyone else, using a Caretaker Boon will take a heavy toll. You will lose access to your [Mental Bastion], and all your powers, for one week."

A week without Mental Bastion..

"I noticed you have made retreating into it a normal practice when you are feeling socially uncomfortable," Balance continued.

Chloe's cheeks burned.

"So, maybe a break, and dealing with some of your own feelings, would not be a bad thing."

Her stomach was in a tight and anxious twist, but she managed to squeak out a reply. "I understand, thank you. Both of you."

*****

Amber stood silently between the two Caretakers. She shifted her weight forward onto the balls of her feet, then back, then up onto her tiptoes, careful to keep quiet: as the Caretakers had instructed.

Epic removed his fedora. He scrunched his face, and his fingers worked through his curly hair, scratching his head as if stumped by a crossword puzzle.

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"I'm not really sure what we should do here," Epic said. His golden eyes caught the light as he looked Amber up and down.

Balance nodded. "I know what you mean. This is difficult."

Balance began to circle her, pacing in a perfect ring.

Amber didn't move. She watched Balance from the corner of her eye; she felt like she was being studied.

"What does Amber need to succeed?" Balance said to herself, though loudly enough that the question hung in the air, as though it was meant for everyone.

Amber didn't know if she was supposed to talk or not, so she kept quiet. She didn't have an answer anyway.

Balance's pacing continued.

Amber's muscles tensed and relaxed in rhythm with Balance's steps. She couldn't help it; her body always synced with movement around her.

"Well, maybe you need nothing," Balance said, stopping mid-stride. "Amber, your determination to excel has been beyond commendable. If not for the large imbalance, I would say you are so capable that I am not sure where you actually need any help from me."

The words should have felt like praise. They didn't. Amber began to worry she might not get anything.

"Hard choice for you, Balance," Epic chimed in, his camera drifting closer to Amber's nose.

Amber resisted the urge to make a face at it. Barely.

"I, though, am decided. Whichever spell Caretaker Balance comes up with, I'm going to modify it with a passive one. To incentivize Amber to give her combat more 'pizzazz'." He held one hand up with the ring finger and thumb touching. "The more pizzazz, the bigger the debuff applied to the enemies around you. You have similar effects with [Showoff] and [Thrill], but this will be more about bravado and panache." Epic's voice dropped theatrically. "The better the grandstanding, the heavier the morale debuff on all enemies who witness the fight. After some cinematic violence, your mere presence will break entire units of enemies."

Amber nodded eagerly.

"Hmmm," Balance said, resuming her circle around Amber. "I am thinking about giving you a devastatingly risky attack, but please indulge me for one moment."

Balance paused. "Describe what winning feels like."

"Familiar," Amber shot back instantly, making finger guns with a wink at Epic. "Ayyy."

Epic grinned, but Balance kept her eyes on Amber. Waiting.

Amber hesitated. "Um, well, obviously winning feels great."

"No," Balance replied. "Not what it feels like after you have won. What does it feel like during the act of winning?"

The air in front of Amber shimmered.

A prompt window appeared, crisp and bright. A video: Amber, much younger, at a regional gymnastics meet. She stood at the edge of the mat, poised for the final pass of her floor routine, her last set of acrobatics. She would have to be near-perfect to take gold.

The video played. Amber watched her younger self inhale. A small smile flickered on her lips. Her eyes closed. The video froze, holding that moment of perfect stillness before the routine.

She remembered that moment. Not the routine that followed, which she had nailed, but that exact instant of mental preparation. The crowd noise fading to white static. The mat beneath her feet. The absolute certainty that her body knew what to do.

"That, right there," Balance said.

A second prompt opened beside the first. This one showed Amber lined up at a starting line before a hurdles race. She watched herself look left and right at the competition, sizing them up. Again, the video paused on the same serene expression: lips pursed into a small smile, head tilted back, eyes closed.

"Those moments," Balance said. "What is that?"

Amber lived for those moments: when the world fell away and she existed only in that instant. That was when the dedicated practice, drills, bruises, conditioning, and preparation all came together and snapped into place.

"That's the moment when I know I've already won, and I just have to let it happen," she said simply.

It wasn't cockiness. It was confidence.

She paused, searching for the right way to explain a feeling that did not seem to have words.

"I fully give myself over to my body and let all my training and reflexes do the work. It's like I have the confidence in myself to shut my brain off and just let my body do what it has to."

Balance nodded as she circled, each step precise and measured. "And how do you plan to use your stat point?"

Amber shrugged. "I mean, it's like Chloe said, right? Pretty straightforward? I guess I want Dexterity?"

Balance paused beside Epic. The two leaned in, their voices dropping to a hush.

After a moment, Balance straightened. "Here is what I am going to do, Amber. I am giving you a short-term power boost, which provides greater speed and damage. But more importantly, I am going to take that 'state of mind' of winning and make that the core of the ability. You will possess the confidence and unbreakable will to deal out a lot of damage in a short period of time. Add in Caretaker Epic's modification to look . . . 'awesome' . . . while doing so, and you now have [Champion]."

[Champion]. It felt GOOD. Almost like one of those moments in which she had just won.

"Perfect," she said, and meant it.

"I would like to make one recommendation," Epic said. His fedora was back on his head, tilted at what he probably thought was a rakish angle. "I would highly consider Charisma instead of Dexterity. You now have three spells which have triggers based on your 'flair', and Charisma would go a long way toward looking the part of a hero."

[Showoff], [Thrill], and now [Champion]: they all fed on presentation.

"Okay, let's do that then," she said, her decision made in an instant. She had never had a problem with looking awesome.

I mean . . . that's half the point!

*****

Deciding how to use her stat point had been a pretty easy pick for Loo. She hadn't rushed any of her level-up choices before, but this time she only paused for a moment to consider other stats like Dexterity for her Qigong. But her need for analytic clarity, and a sharper mind, easily won out.

There was so much mana in the world. She could see it everywhere, and she could practically taste the stuff. However, it touched everything, and the more she studied it, the more tangled and confusing it became. Loo needed all the brain power she could get.

Balance – in her female form – looked down on her for a moment, then nodded. "Well, I approve. That was much less exhaustive than I thought it was going to be. Intelligence it is, then, with a focus on increased synaptic density. It will help you link ideas faster and with more flexibility."

Balance looked down at Loo. "You know, when I gave you the [Mana Inundationist] subclass, I had not realized the mess I was signing up for."

"I'm sorry it's been so hard," Loo mumbled, her eyes lowering.

Balance gave Loo a small smile. "Only because of all the extra work it causes me, but if I could choose anyone to be such a pain in the rump, it would be you." She winked. "I am also realizing just how lucky we are to have your specialization. I KNOW I am going to regret this, but . . . I suppose you cannot be a [Mana Inundationist] if you cannot inundate."

Balance stepped forward. "My Caretaker Boon to you, Loo," she intoned, "shall be [Mana Geyser]."

Loo's eyes went wide. "Whoa."

It was way better than Loo had been hoping for. And she hadn't even needed to make Balance angry!

When Balance had said she would be the one choosing the spells, Loo figured there was NO WAY she would give her another mana-supplying spell. Loo had even built up a list of six different arguments for why she SHOULD get another mana-supply spell, but they hadn't been needed. Balance was just going to give her one. A powerful one.

Balance smiled. "Whoa, indeed. You will, of course, use it only in times of great need."

"Yep, I will be careful with it," Loo said. Her mind was already leaping ahead. [Mana Spring] and [Mana Brook] had been game-changers, so if she were to compare a spring to a geyser, then [Mana Geyser] was on a whole different level. The sheer amount of power she was going to be able to share…

Wait.

Something was off. It was too easy. On her previous trip, [Mana Brook] had taken a real argument. Now Balance had just handed over [Mana Geyser] like it was nothing?

Loo squinted up at the Caretaker. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but . . . what happened to 'grrr, no way Loo!' or 'gah! Mana wasn't meant to be handed out so willy nilly!'. Why is it so easy to make up your mind this time?"

Balance looked down at her, and for a second, Loo thought she saw sadness in the woman's golden eyes.

When Loo figured it out, it hit her like a slap. She gulped. Her mouth dried.

"You don't expect us to survive, do you?" she whispered.

There was a long pause.

When she spoke, Balance's voice was quiet. "If anyone can find a way, it is you and your family. I am investing so much in helping, because you are my friend and I want to give you the best shot possible."

Loo nodded. There wasn't much else to say. She squared her shoulders. "Thank you. You're my friend too."

Balance gave a small smile.

The space behind her shimmered. A see-through, crystalline figure stepped forward.

"Lady Loo Damascus," Caretaker Transparency said. "I will be responsible for your first spell modifier."

"Oh, uh, hello. Thanks for the help." Loo didn't really know what to say, so she waited.

Transparency produced a barely visible clipboard from thin air, then tapped it with an invisible pen.

"I have found it inspiring and refreshing to see the way you use your mana sight to help your community, Loo. You haven't once used it for greed, and the knowledge you pick up, you share freely." Transparency's next words grew louder and more formal. Loo almost felt like she was being presented with an award. "I would like to modify the [Mana Geyser] spell. When active, a deeper level of [Mana Sight] will be afforded to you. Not only will the [Caretaker Boon] supply a great abundance of mana, but hopefully a great abundance of insight as well."

Loo's mouth opened, but nothing came out. For a moment, all she could hear was the hammering of her own pulse. "That's . . . awesome," she managed. "Thank you."

Transparency nodded, made a notation on the clipboard, and stepped back into the void. However, she did not take Loo's unease with her.

Caretaker Balance shifted into his male form. "Good luck, little Loo."

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