章 17: Research

Dolores was not at home as Izo softly closed the door behind her and made herself visible. She called out to Dolores without any response. She made her way to the kitchen and found a note that said,

"Should Miss have returned, I'm out with some of the other working girls. Inside the fridge, there is bread and ingredients to make yourself a sandwich. If that is much too difficult, grab a takeout menu from the pile and order yourself a meal under $20.

We're going to have a talk about vanishing without any word, Miss. So be prepared.

With righteous fury,

Your nanny,

Dolores."

Too lazy to wait to order or make a sandwich, Izo grabs a bowl filled with fruit from the table and carries it off to her room. Though hungry, her current priority is to clean herself by taking a nice long shower.

Household Magic was a common skill that Izo had never managed to master. No matter how her best friend, Alvis had tried to teach her even he had ended up giving up on Izo. He had flatly stated, that Izo had a better chance of becoming a heroine than mastering Household magic.

Sadly, that was all true, an example was when trying to clean her clothes with Household magic. Izo had created a small inland tsunami; the good news was that the area was clean of monsters for years to come. The bad news was that several villages had been washed away along with the inhabitants. On the bright side, though severely peeved none of the villagers had perished in the tsunami. The same principle had applied in reverse when trying to dry her clothes via Household magic. The result was a swirling fire tornado of death. An unknown arsonist was responsible for several forests being accidentally burned down.

It was still a mystery to Izo to this day and everyone else that despite her being a competent magician. One would think Household magic was complex to master, but that was wishful thinking on Izo's part. The truth of the matter is that Household magic is the simplest form of magic to master. Much like how some individuals are just bad at sports or math, Izo was utterly terrible at Household magic.

Luckily, washer and dryers were much more her speed. But Izo didn't think modern-day appliances were equipped to remove monster drool. She dares not try lest she damages the modern-day appliances. Also, Dolores wouldn't forgive her anytime soon. With sadness and resolution, Izo incinerated her clothes including her comfy boots.

Wearing warm pj's Izo grabs the fruit bowl and takes a seat at her desk waiting for her gaming PC to turn on. Once on, Izo opens a search engine and reaches into her inventory to pull out the packet given to her. She scans through the packet carefully before creating a profile to accept jobs on the Guild's website. Izo scans through the hundreds of jobs for her class level, but none attract her eyes. Bored, she skips to reading and learning about dungeons. The ones that were interesting were for higher classes or recommended being part of a party.

Izo stops to rub her eyes as she leans back in her seat. Blinking her eyes for a moment, she reaches over for an orange and begins to peel it. She could party with a group, but she wasn't very good working as a team. The only people she had ever successfully worked was with Alvis and her classmates. And look, how that ended? But either way, she had never worked with anyone since then and besides being a loner was much her style.

Izo contemplates other possible options to possibly gain connections or things to do in her meantime. Education wise was a bust, Izo had been a high schooler when summoned. Though smart, she wasn't at a geniuses' caliber. Realistically speaking she hadn't even finished high school on this Earth, (though she did have a GED having bluffed her way through the exam on this Earth.) She was still at a disadvantage despite having some general knowledge stolen from the previous Izo of this Earth as Izo hadn't technically studied the subjects. Without a doubt, Izo would fail any college exam. (Technically, she could study, but well-, another time, maybe.)

Enrolling at a higher learning institute for magic wasn't out of the question. But she doubted they had anything to teach her that she didn't already know. Besides Izo was trying to pretend that she was a newbie to the world of magic, not an expert. It's not that she was trying to hide her abilities, but she didn't want to become a pariah nor especially be suspected of the murders of Classroom 13. The police officers weren't incompetent and could come up with evidence pointing to her being the mastermind of the incident. She had survived hell once, and she absolutely refused to be in jail for a crime she did not commit.

And even if that didn't arise suspicion from the police, monthly therapy with Dr. Anderson was tough enough as it was. She didn't want to suddenly explain why she had strong abilities. And had only recently mentioned to Dr. Anderson that magic had recently awakened inside of herself.

Dr. Anderson had stated, that abilities were known to awaken after traumatic incidents. Plenty of adults and children suddenly had abilities awaken within them under extreme duress. Dr. Anderson gave plenty of examples of such personas and even that of some who were famous heroes or adventures.

In fact, Dr. Anderson was the one who encouraged Izo to go and register at the Adventure's guild. (Not the Hero Formal Association for obvious publicity reasons.) Dr. Anderson wanted Izo to feel confident in her own abilities to protect herself, but more importantly, connect with others.

Her cellphone on her desk begins to ring causing Izo glance down at the caller ID. She sighs out loud, before reaching down and accepting the call. Izo wearily says, "Hello Mida."

A tired sigh is heard on the other end. "Izo, I thought we agreed that you would call me, mom or mother," a woman's voice said over the phone.

"Yes, mother," Izo automatically responded.

"Good. Now, your birthday is coming up in a month. Your father and I won't be in town. Is there anything you want?" Mrs. Lee sincerely asked and held abated breath.

There is silence on both ends as the silence stretches longer and longer. Mrs. Lee voice falters as she breaks the silence by saying, "Alright sweetie, we'll just surprise you. But if you change your mind let papa and I know, what you would like."

"Alright, I will" Izo replied.

Mrs. Lee is silent for a moment, before wearily replying, "I love you, Izo. And sweet dreams, my darling."

Izo sincerely replies, "Goodnight Mother," and hangs up the phone. Izo turns her mind away from the failed conversation and opens her stats to confirm her suspicions. Her eyes widen in confirmation as she reads the messages.

Locked stats remain the same.

New Title: Apostle of Cthulhu

New Skills:

Aura Eater: By consuming other's aura's one may learn their secrets. [One must be in contact or less than 10 feet away from the target to consume aura. Can only be used once per target.]

Hibernation: Body functions will shut down to deathlike state inducing fake death state. [Limited to single-use per day.]

Electronic Disruption: Disruption of electronic signals. [Limited to an area of 10 feet.]

Self-Substance: Ability to go without physical needs including breathing, rest, to feel cold/hot or pain and hunger, etc. [Limited to single-use per day for 1 hour].

Blessings of Cthulhu:

Psychic Shield: Apostle cannot be affected by outside mental abilities or illusions.

Organ Modification: When under attack, internal organs will systematically move or change in size to avoid being destroyed or damaged. (Warning may cause severe pain and or discomfort.)

Reformation: Limited use. [Will only systematically trigger if damage exceeds 50%.]

Insanity Break: All limits are removed from the body, mind, and soul. [Can only be triggered under the duress of circumstances.]

Izo tactfully remains silent as she firmly closes her stats and tucks herself into bed. She was exhausted and needed a good day's rest. Tomorrow, training would start at first light.

Mr. Lee approaches his packing wife and takes her into his arms. He places a kiss on her lips as she turns her head to greet him. Satisfied at making her blush he releases her as he takes a seat on their bed. "What does Izo want for her birthday?" Mr. Lee quietly asked.

Mrs. Lee's shoulders tighten as she continues to pack. "Nothing," she stiffly replied.

"Really? That's good that means she trusts enough to decide. It just as Dr. Anderson promised, Izo is starting to want to be part of the family again." Mr. Lee happily said.

Mrs. Lee frowns in displeasure as Mr. Lee tilts his head in confusion and says, "What's wrong sweetheart? Aren't you excited, that she has shown interest in life again?"

"I am. But-, she calls me, Mida most of the time, when she answers the phone. Though she has been calling me, Mother more often as of late. But she never calls me, mom or mommy as she used too," Mrs. Lee crossly responded.

"Sweetheart, that's fine. She always calls me, George, whenever I call. I don't mind it, I just take it as a sign of her age. And when she does call me the fatherly term of pops. I think it's quite endearing to be perfectly honest," Mr. Lee truthfully said as he rises and wraps his arms around her in a warm hug.

Mrs. Lee at first angrily tries to resist to no avail. The scent of her husband soothes her troubled soul as she finally becomes limp in his arms and rests her head against his chest. Mr. Lee rests his chin on top of his wife's head as they stand there quietly in solace. Feeling better, Mrs. Lee wiggles her way out of his arms and resumes packing. Content at seeing his wife feeling better, Mr. Lee flops onto his back onto the bed and contently watches his wife pack as he enjoys the sweet moment.