"The other you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miriam responded directly to Andy's question without any attempt to soften her words. As Andy entered the shrine room and shut the door, he was met with the intense gazes of both Miriam and Mir. Andy remained silent, simply nodding his head and adopting a posture that suggested he was awaiting approval to speak, his hands thrust into his pockets.

 

Miriam was the one to break the silence, "Go on." She rolled her hand in the air in Andy's direction, "Say what's on your mind."

Andy shrugged, "Not sure what to say. The obvious question is, 'Are you okay?' But I think we both know the answer to that."

Miriam sighed and rubbed her forehead, "It... it... it's been stressful. Hard to explain."

"You aren't as good with being reformatted as you thought?" Andy offered as a topic.

 

Miriam lifted her gaze and ran her hand down her face, pausing to cradle her chin as she turned away, lost in contemplation. After a moment, she found the words she sought, "That's one aspect of it. Maybe the real problem is, Andrew just doesn't think of me." Turning back to Andrew, she continued, "That's the crux of it. I feel like an afterthought as if I'm merely a variable in his calculations. He doesn't take ME into account."

 

Andy raised an eyebrow in response. "I respectfully disagree. He holds you in high regard. We both... have a problem expressing ourselves. We're wired to be problem solvers. It's almost reflexive. I figure if someone feels bad about something, addressing the issue should fix how they feel." He rubbed the back of his neck, admitting, "I understand it's not that simple, but that's how I think. It takes conscious effort to change that mindset, but it's my default." With a sigh, he added, "When faced with pressure, I tend to push emotions aside and focus on solving the problem first. Feelings take a back seat. It's a bad habit, but one that I can't easily break."

 

Miriam stood up and slowly walked closer, "But that's just it. He isn't even trying to FIX me. He just moves ahead without giving me any thought whatsoever." She sighed and let her wings droop along with her gaze to the floor.

 

Andy snorted dismissively.

 

Miriam looked up, annoyed, "What?"

Andy rolled his eyes briefly, "Considering what he gave up for you, I hardly think he doesn't give you ANY thought."

Miriam put her hands on her hips, "And what did he give up for ME?"

"He told me what he-" Andy tilted his head to the side while quirking an eyebrow, "Hold it. You haven't checked out your stats, have you?"

 

"What?" Miriam squinted quizically for a moment then called out, "Status." She was confused by what she saw at first, but slowly her eyes widened in shock, "Whu-whu-WHAT? How-"

 

Andy cut her off, "How are you fortieth level?" He grinned even more as he kneeled before her, "Do you need me to break down the math for you?"

 

Miriam looked up and wordlessly nodded.

 

Andy gestured as he spoke, explaining, "Andrew forced himself into having to take a level. Even though the Arcane Mind class is advanced, it is open to anyone who meets the criteria. That move bumped you from nineteenth to twenty-sixth, effectively elevating you to the status of epic devil." He paused for emphasis, clarifying, "It's more of a symbolic title, as the levels are based on being a familiar and don't carry significant weight, but technically, you did attain the rank of epic devil."

 

Miriam looked at the floor, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she thought about what Andy said, "Oh... kay. But why does that matter?"

 

"Ah. What matters is the next level he took; Clawlock." He held up a single finger, "Clawlocks are a variant version of Warlocks. To become a warlock, you need to have-"

 

"A Patron!" Miriam smacked her forehead, "And that patron would have to be of the power level of a major devil!" She pointed at herself, "So when I became an epic devil, I qualified to be his patron to become a clawlock." She curled the corner of her lip for a second, "Huh. I thought it was odd he told me to say I was his patron in the middle of combat."

 

Andy nodded in agreement. "Precisely. So when you did that, he qualified for the class and could spend his remaining experience to take a level in clawlock." He gestured with his hand, illustrating his point. "Now, warlocks have an interesting aspect to their Familiar feature. They can incorporate the level of their familiar into another existing familiar." Raising a finger to emphasize his next point, he continued, "And that's in addition to the feature Andrew acquired to bond with you. So, by taking just one level in the base class clawlock..." His voice trailed off, leaving the implication hanging in the air.

 

Miriam started to nod as she finished Andy's thought, "His bloodline penalty levels would increase the Clawlock's features to be seventh level, and if he added the class feature to me that would mean it would count..." She blinked as her voice trailed off at the math she was processing, "...twice?"

 

Mir chimed in, "So... that's twenty-six plus seven, twice, which equals..." Her complexion paled slightly. "Fortieth level." She swiftly closed the gap between them, gripping Miriam's shoulder and turning her around. "Do you realize that you're likely the highest level being on this continent?" Her eyes widened. "You could very well be one of the highest-level beings on the entire PLANET!" Miriam began to shake her head in denial, but Andy cut her off.

 

"Well, top twenty, at least." Andy commented, "After all, the first ten levels are basic, the next ten are heroic, the ten after that are epic, and the thirtieth-first level and above makes you legendary."

 

There was a pause as Mir did some math in her head, "Miriam..." There was a look of terrifying understanding of the words falling from her lips displayed on her face, "Technically you are now a Duke of Hell."

 

Miriam's face was blank as the sheer insanity of the situation finally sunk in, "Duke?" She abruptly let out a bark of laughter then slapped a hand over her mouth. With wide eyes, she slowly shook her head and spoke through her fingers, "A legendary familiar is in the same category as a Duke?" A slow blink, "Madness!"

 

Mir nodded as she shrugged helplessly, "Well, technically, yeah. Hell's laws on hierarchy and ranking, while often subverted, are rather clearly defined." She pointed at Miriam, "Andrew turned you into a Duke... or Duchess, in this case. Wait, Are you the first female Duke?" Mir scratched the top of her head, "Actually, I think you might be."

 

Andy nodded in agreement, "Being a familiar might have its drawbacks and limitations, but indeed. You've ascended to the status of legendary familiar, with all the benefits that accompany breaking through into legendary levels." He narrowed his eyes in contemplation. "You say Andrew doesn't consider you, but with those two levels he took..." Andy settled on the floor, crossing his legs as he spoke. "He's fubared his entire build. Everything is now out of alignment. He'll forever be playing catch-up and everything will be harder than it needs to be. He sacrificed statistical perfection for you."

 

Miriam shook her head as she turned back to Andy, "Uh... NO. He did that so he could save himself!"

 

"That initial class? The level in Psychic Mind? Sure, that was self-preservation, no question," Andy lifted a single finger. "But opting for that level of Clawlock? I'd argue there were far better choices." He shook his head with a dismissive air. "If I've got a handle on his thought process..." Andy smirked knowingly. "And I think I do." Giving Miriam a playful wink, "He took that level of Clawlock for YOUR sake."

 

Miriam felt like an unmoored ship drifting in deep waters, "But... why?" 

 

"Why prioritize you over optimizing his build? My guess? Because he understood that if push came to shove, he could surrender." Andy paused to let his words sink in. "It was clear they wanted him alive. He was no good to them dead." He gestured towards Miriam. "But you? They intended to kill you, no matter what. Bottom line? He had a way to survive. You didn't."

Andy shrugged, "From a purely strategic standpoint, it was a lousy choice, given he is a spellcaster first and foremost. However, if his aim was to give you the best possible chance to survive, I can't think of a smarter move." He shrugged again, adding, "And he was in a situation where waiting until the last minute wasn't an option. It was either acquire that level of clawlock immediately... or not at all." He took a deep breath before finishing, "I don't think he was ready to gamble with your life."

 

Miriam was silent.

 

Mir cleared her throat as she approached and came into Miriam's peripheral vision, "Still worried he doesn't think about you?"

 

Miriam looked at Mir out of the corner of her eye and had just opened her mouth to reply when there was a knock at the door.

 

 

 

 

 

All three turned to look.