Chapter 20. Emerging Traits

  Raven and Wilkes carefully moved Carter to a nearby bed, easing him down as he muttered incoherently, exhaustion taking hold after his first use of whatever strange ability he had awakened. Raven wasn’t sure whether the man had passed out from overexertion or sheer shock at what he had just done, but either way, he needed rest. Wilkes glanced down at the unconscious doctor, his expression unreadable before he turned to Liu, who had followed them inside.

  “Find someone to take care of the Lieutenant,” Wilkes ordered. “He’s stable, but I don’t want him left alone in case something changes.”

  Liu nodded, stepping away to delegate the task. Raven sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he processed everything. They’d barely finished dealing with the goblins, and now another hundred people had just flooded in, each with their own needs, problems, and expectations. A hundred mouths to feed. A hundred people looking for safety. A hundred more chances for something to go wrong.

  “We really need to work out our food situation,” Raven muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

  Wilkes shot him a sidelong glance, his jaw tightening. “Yeah,” he exhaled sharply. “We’ll figure something out. One thing at a time.”

  His mind flicked back to what Carter had done—water forming in the air, weaving itself into flesh as if it were just another part of the body. His gut told him that Carter hadn't gotten that skill from a trait stone.

  “I think we need to call a meeting and find out if anyone has obtained or started this mess with a trait,” Raven said slowly.

  Wilkes raised an eyebrow. “Not a bad idea. I’ll call a meeting with Liu, Carter, and Henson once he’s up. We’ll figure out the best way to handle this.”

  As they moved toward the main hall, Raven turned to Wilkes, his mind still turning over the idea of traits and how widespread they might be. “Have any of your officers found trait stones?” he asked casually.

  Wilkes frowned. “Trait stones?”

  Raven sighed, realizing Wilkes had no idea what he was talking about. “Yeah, sometimes when a monster dies, it leaves behind a stone—its kind of like a crystallized trait. If someone uses it, they can gain an ability linked to whatever creature it came from.”

  Wilkes came to a dead stop, looking at Raven as if he’d just grown a second head. “You’re telling me we could have been getting powers off the things we’ve been killing this whole time?”

  Raven shrugged. “I mean… yeah. Not every monster drops them and they aren't the best option, but they show up pretty often when the ether density is high. I found one on my way here.”

  Wilkes let out a low curse, rubbing his temple before turning toward the nearest officer. “Liu, get a squad together and search the bodies outside. I want anything that looks remotely like a stone brought to me immediately.”

  Liu nodded sharply, already moving to gather a few others.

  Raven smirked. “Guess you’re a little late to the party on this one.”

  Wilkes shot him a glare but didn’t rise to the bait. “If you knew about this, why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  Raven raised a brow. “I assumed you already knew Tin Man.”

  Wilkes muttered something under his breath before turning back toward the hall. “We’ll see what we find. If these things are as useful as you say, then we need to figure out who should be using them. We can’t just hand them out like candy,” Raven said with a nod. “Yeah. Wouldn’t want to waste them on the wrong people.”

  As the officers moved outside to loot the bodies, Raven couldn’t help but wonder just how many of these stones had gone unnoticed so far. If people had already been using them without realizing what they were, things could get complicated fast.

  As they approached the scouting group, Wilkes wasted no time. “Report,” he called out, his voice carrying the weight of command.

  A man stepped forward, his crossbow slung over his shoulder. "Braidy," Wilkes acknowledged, "What happened out there?"

  Braidy nodded, his expression grim. “We were sweeping through the shops. Most had already been picked clean, but we kept at it, figuring we might still find something useful. Then we reached one of the larger supermarkets. Only one entrance wasn’t barred off, and a patrol of about a dozen goblins was stationed there.”

  Wilkes crossed his arms, listening intently as Braidy continued. “We decided to take them out. The first few went down easy enough, but the rest turned tail and ran. That’s when we moved in and found the people holed up inside. They’d been trapped there since the day before, fighting off patrols and trying to stay hidden. We figured it was best to get them here, but before we could get far, those goblins that ran off came back—with friends. We had to fight our way back, keeping the bastards off the civilians while making sure we didn’t get cut off. It was close, but we made it.”

  Wilkes exhaled, a sharp nod of approval accompanying his words. “You did good, all of you.” He turned to address the gathered officers, his voice firm. “First off, Henson is okay. He’s resting, but he’ll live.” A ripple of relief passed through the group, shoulders sagging, a few audible exhales breaking the tension.

  Wilkes let the moment settle before continuing. “Secondly, I need you all to open your grimoires. Anyone with a part of the crest on the first page filled in—step forward.

  Four officers stepped forward, their expressions ranging from hesitant to curious. Raven and Wilkes exchanged a glance before Wilkes addressed them.

  “What’s depicted in your crest?” he asked, his voice level but firm.

  Braidy, still looking a little surprised, spoke first. “Mine’s an eye. It wasn’t there yesterday—it just appeared this morning after I picked up the crossbow.”

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  The other crossbow-wielding officer stepped forward as well. “Same here. An eye.” He hesitated before adding, “I haven’t noticed anything unusual yet, but I feel... sharper, like I’m noticing things I wouldn’t have before.”

  Wilkes rubbed his chin. “Interesting.” His gaze shifted to the next officer. “And you?”

  The man squared his shoulders, gripping his spear slightly tighter. “A tower,” he said. “I got it after taking the shield and spear yesterday. During the retreat, I noticed something strange—one of the goblins was coming at me fast, and when I bashed it with my shield, it flew back way harder than it should have. Like there was force behind it.”

  Raven’s interest piqued. A skill activating without conscious effort? That meant the grimoire had already started integrating abilities based on instinct.

  The final officer stepped forward, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I’ve got a tower, too,” he admitted, shifting on his feet. “But I don’t have any skills.”

  Raven’s eyes flicked down to the man’s equipment and immediately noticed the difference. “You don’t have a shield,” he pointed out.

  The officer frowned. “No, I didn’t take one. Figured it would slow me down.”

  Raven exchanged a look with Wilkes. If these traits and skills were influenced by the gear they used and how they fought, then the way people equipped themselves might directly affect their potential abilities. The implications of that were something they needed to explore—and fast.

  Wilkes clapped his hands together, the sound sharp and decisive. “Alright, I want everyone back here in an hour. I’ll track down Liu and Carter and get them up to speed. In the meantime, get your thoughts in order. We need to figure out the best way to use what we’ve learned.”

  With that, the group dispersed, leaving Raven with some time to himself. He considered helping with the fortifications or checking on the new arrivals but ultimately decided on something more pressing building his ether core.

  He found an empty room, closed the door, and sat cross-legged on the floor. Taking a deep breath, he focused inward, just as Uri had taught him. He let his awareness settle on the pulsing warmth of ether in his body, guiding it toward his core. Slowly, steadily, he fed it, condensing the energy, pressing it together as tightly as he could. With each cycle, his core grew denser, capable of holding more. The process was slow but satisfying. He could feel the difference—each breath filled him with more strength, each moment of stillness reinforcing his ability to manipulate ether with greater ease.

  A knock on the door interrupted his meditation. Raven opened his eyes, blinking against the afternoon light filtering through a boarded-up window. A young man, barely in his twenties, stood in the doorway, looking nervous.

  “Uh… Wilkes sent me to get you,” the messenger said. “The meeting’s starting.”

  As Raven walked through the halls, he saw the toll of the new arrivals. The hospital, which had felt structured and secure just hours ago, now looked overcrowded and strained. People huddled in corners, exhausted faces watching as officers handed out limited rations. A child clung to her mother, eyes darting at every sound, as if expecting another attack at any moment.

  This wasn’t sustainable. Wilkes was right—they needed a plan before things spiralled out of control.

  He was led into an office where Liu had set up a meeting space. Wilkes was already there, along with Carter, Henson—who looked far too healthy for someone who’d taken a spear to the gut—and Liu, who was sifting through a notepad filled with scribbled notes.

  Wilkes got straight to business. “Alright, we’ve got new variables on the table. We know inherent traits exist. We know trait stones exist. What we don’t know is how common either of them are, or how many of the new arrivals might have them.” He turned to Carter. “Thoughts?”

  Carter adjusted his glasses, looking thoughtful. “If these traits and skills are being influenced by something as simple as holding a weapon, we need to determine what factors actually matter. Is it purely the weapon? The person’s fighting style? Their natural disposition?” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m willing to test it—though I’ll need volunteers.”

  “Use me as one,” Henson said, arms crossed. “I was dead a few hours ago, and now I feel better than ever. I want to know if I can push this further.”

  Liu pursed her lips. “You should be resting.”

  Henson smirked. “I’ll rest when I’m dead. Again.”

  Raven cut in. “We also need to consider that some of the new arrivals might have developed traits on their own—or used trait stones without realizing the full consequences.”

  Wilkes nodded. “That’s something we’ll start asking about.” He glanced at Carter. “And if we find more with developed skills?”

  “Then we test them. See what they can do.” Carter’s expression darkened slightly. “And we make sure we know the risks. We’re playing with forces we barely understand.”

  Henson cracked his knuckles. “Still, having skills is better than not having them. Which brings me to my next point—I want to start pulling together anyone willing to fight and forming a proper militia.” He met Wilkes’ gaze. “Officers aren’t enough. We’ve got a couple hundred people here, most of them relying on us to keep them safe. We need fighters.”

  Wilkes considered it for a long moment before nodding. “Start drawing up a roster. Get volunteers. But no one’s forced into it.”

  Raven shifted in his seat. “And the trait stones?”

  Wilkes exhaled sharply. “We got about two dozen handed in from today’s cleanup.” His eyes flicked to Raven. “Mainly focused on blunt weapons and knives.”

  Raven frowned. That lined up with what he’d seen in combat so far. Basic weapons, basic skills. They were still on the lowest rung of whatever system Asmodeus had unleashed.

  Wilkes leaned forward. “I get that these stones might not be ideal long-term, but any skill—any advantage—could mean the difference between life and death out there. So, unless there’s a damn good reason not to, I want my people using them.”

  Liu frowned. "So let me get this straight people can just… absorb these things and get new abilities?"

  "That’s the theory," Raven said. "And if it's true, it means we’ve been leaving power just lying around in the streets."

  Wilkes cracked his knuckles. "Then I say we test it. Carefully."

  Raven hesitated, he felt uneasy at the idea of potentially stunting people's growth with inefficient traits but realized how urgent their situation was, he nodded. “Alright. But we should track who uses what. We don’t know if there are long-term side effects.”

  Wilkes smirked. “That’s the kind of paranoia I like.”

  Liu folded her arms, her sharp gaze sweeping the gathered group. "Paranoia aside, let’s be blunt: this isn’t sustainable. We were barely holding it together before, and now, with a hundred more mouths to feed? Even with rationing, we won’t last the week.” She exhaled through her nose, frustration bleeding into her words. "I need solutions, not just hope that things will work out."

  Wilkes scratched at his chin. "Scavenging is our best bet. We can’t rely on the sink for food yet, and sending a team to secure supplies is faster than waiting for Ether-based solutions we don’t even understand."

  Liu didn’t seem convinced. “And what happens when we run out of easy places to loot? Did you learn anything new about the constructs?” She turned her attention to Raven.

  Raven glanced at his grimoire, thumbing through the pages absentmindedly. He still barely understood how the sink worked, let alone how to control it. Maybe it was time to stop improvising.

  "I’ll look into it,” he said. “Might as well figure out what else this thing can do before we get caught off guard again.”

  Wilkes nodded. "Do that. The sooner we know what we're working with, the better." He ran a hand over his face, the exhaustion catching up to him in the dim light. "I swear, if we get one more surprise today, I’m going to start swinging my baton at the air just in case."

  Liu smirked, but it was thin. "You’d run out of energy before you ran out of problems."

  Raven began actively flipping through the pages of his grimoire, searching for anything useful, the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders. This wasn’t just survival anymore. It was structure. It was weight. And it was his now, whether he liked it or not.

  He had no idea what he’d find in the pages of his grimoire, but one thing was clear—this was the next step.