The Gate Traveler

My fury towards my in-laws remained unabated. It wasn't a boiling rage like before, but a simmering resentment that refused to be extinguished. The need for retribution was a burning desire within me, an unshakeable resolve. I had made a solemn promise, and I was determined to honor it. It might cast me in a negative light, but I couldn't bear the thought of them escaping the consequences of their actions, especially their role in Sophie's suffering.

I searched the Spell list for a suitable option. After some time, I finally came across the Mind Discipline section, which featured a selection of rather dark abilities. Among them were mesmerizing, spellbinding, enthralling, entrancing, hypnotizing, and bewitching. Taking my time, I carefully read through each description, weighing my options. Ultimately, I settled on spellbinding—it aligned perfectly with my intentions.

I also found the Invisibility spell that was mentioned in the Archives. A lot of Travelers recommend always crossing the Gates while invisible.

With the two spells, I headed to see my in-laws. They made Sophie miserable over money and jewelry; I'll make them feel the same. Nothing hurts more than a blow to what you cherish the most, and they cherished money above all else.

To avoid detection, I cast Invisibility five blocks away from their house multiple times. Once I got there, I patiently waited for my father-in-law. When he parked, I swiftly cast a spellbinding on him: "Don't notice my voice, but do as I say," and then, "Go inside and leave the door open for 2 minutes." I stealthily entered the house behind him and listened for his wife. She was in the living room.

Knowing they had security cameras around the house and some inside, I stayed invisible the whole time. I cast on Rachel, "Don't notice my voice, but do as I say," and then, "Go, collect all your and Malcolm's jewelry, put it all in a bag, and put the bag on the dining table." I could feel that this command stretched the boundaries of the spell's ability at level one. It was almost too complex, but just in the workable frame. When she returned with the jewelry, I cast again. "Go to sleep. Forget everything that happened. Tomorrow, you will remember feeling tired and going to bed early." And one last spell, "Don't look for the jewelry for the next three days." At level one, the spell effect could extend to three days maximum.

Then, cast on my father-in-law, "Go to your safe, open it, and add all the valuables to the bag." When he returned with the bag, "Access your bank account and donate all your liquid funds to the Cancer Research Foundation; attach to the donation a letter that the donation is in memory of your beloved daughter." After ensuring he followed my instructions, "Remember feeling bad about your treatment of Sophie and deciding to donate in her memory." And another one "You will feel good about donating." And one more, "Go put the bag with the valuables behind the enormous statue in the front yard." When he returned, "Go to sleep. Forget everything that happened except the donation." And the last one, "Tomorrow, you will remember that you felt tired and went to bed early. Don't look for your jewelry, don't access your bank account, and don't open your safe for the next three days". The last cast was too complex for the spell level, and I had to break it into two parts. "Tomorrow, you will remember that you felt tired and went to bed early." And, "Don't look for your jewelry, don't access your bank account, and don't open your safe for the next three days." I added the bag to my Storage and went back to my hotel.

Upon arriving at the hotel and inspecting the bag, I was stunned. Familiar with Rachel's extensive jewelry collection—having never seen her wear the same piece twice—I was nonetheless unprepared for what I found. There were over 150 small pieces, like rings, earrings, pendants with chains, and bracelets, including two tennis bracelets with diamonds, about 50 more significant pieces, and some jewelry sets in boxes. The sets in the boxes looked very expensive. There were also 15 sets of cufflinks with gems, 21 tie clips, all in gold or platinum, and some with gems. There were also $25,000 in cash, a small bag of loose gems, collectible silver and gold coins in plastic casings, and five bearer bonds for $8,000 each.

So, there is a "looting" function; it just works a bit differently.

This thought made me snicker to myself. I was developing a sinister sense of humor.

They were certainly going to feel that. I was glad—they deserved it.

_______

In the last two days, I spent three ability points and wasn't sure it would be easy to "farm" them where I was going, so I decided to stay longer to "fill up."

I visited Sophi's grave for the last time to say goodbye and to tell her I was fulfilling my promise to her to continue living and not give up, and stayed there for the rest of the day, silently keeping her company until darkness descended. Kissing the grave for the last time, I said, "If I don't visit again, it's not because I don't care, but because I'm in another world. I'll take you there in my heart and share my journey with you."

________

I flew to New York, assuming there would be more workshops, pawn shops, and delis. Also, I wanted to fill up my storage with hot takeaway food, especially Italian and Chinese.

For a while, I had the blinking red light and ignored it; I was getting used to it and ignoring it. On the flight, there was time, so I checked my messages and had a surprise.

Yes, yes, and yes.

I checked Luck, as the other attributes' descriptions were a surprise:

My red light was still blinking.

Except for my new stat, Luck, my lowest were Agility and Constitution. So, I added 6 to each.

I also checked the Merchant description:

I went to my profile, and there were two new lines in my profile:

The last one was unclear, so I poked it.

I looked at my full profile, and it looked good.

My hope was to complete all my tasks in New York and Europe quickly. I want to leave as soon as possible—Earth felt like a prison.