<Manajuwejet!> I said, emerging right in front of him.
<Sorry, kid. Already paid for the night. Tonight, I'm not your friend.>
<Well, that's rude.> I said.
<Not so rude as what you've been doing.> said someone wearing the mask of Sobek. The dream mask, the appearance of. Crocodile with the Atun sun disk attached to the head. Brass spear and armor…
Oh, crap.
<Is there a reason for the weapon and armor?> I asked, knowing I wouldn't like the answer.
<Indeed.> Not-Sobek replied.
I waited.
<May I know the reason?>
<If you ask properly.>
Butthead.
<Great and mighty Sobek, please inform your miserable servant why you are bedecked and armed for a battle.>
He squinted at me. <I had heard of your insolence, but did not believe.>
<Look, I'm not a true believer. I'm a mercenary sworn to your cause, and then when that time is up, I've got to move on to Serquet, goddess of vengeance.>
So, I looked over my notes of what causes a breakthrough, and determined that while [Path of the Polymath] did need to happen, that alone wasn't enough to actually trigger one. So much for MY plans.
And... I updated all my character notes, with full details on what cultivation pools had how many points. And, honestly, I expected them to be completely drained. Instead... Well, that's a problem I'll need to address.
As always, thank you for your continued readership. This week and weekend could have been much worse without your emotional support. (Yes, that includes pointing out when I make stupid errors.)