Chương 97: Chapter 060 All Mistakes Wiped Clean, For Now (Book 2 Ch 1)

Jack was startled awake by cold water rushing over his body.

"…kill blood mages. Fuck! Greaves," he shouted as he struggled with whatever was wrapped around his body and face.

"I'll kill you!" He grasped at his side for his dagger, but it wasn't there. He remembered that he'd killed Baron Greaves and dropped his dagger after Fenton cut his left hand off.

"My hand." He ripped the wet item from his face, blinking into bright light, and the grin of a teenage girl. Polly smirked.

"That was awesome. Were you having a nightmare, Jack?"

"Polly? Th-this is my room." Jack looked around his familiar bedroom.

"I-I'm not dead." He breathed a sigh of relief. I'm not dead. How am I not dead? He waved his left hand in front of his face; he had a left hand.

"Well, duh." Polly shook her head.

"Of course it's your room. Have you been sniffing your inks again?" She broke into laughter. Jack looked around in a confused daze. He was sitting on his wet bed, and all his books were dumped in a pile on the floor.

"It happened again…" he whispered.

"It happened again. I'm not dead!" he shouted. Time's reset again. I get another chance. Thank the Gods. I've got another chance. He jumped out of bed, grabbed his sister, and gave her a damp hug. The bucket clattered on the wooden floor behind him. I've got another chance…

"What are you doing?" his startled sister yelped.

"Get off me, you damn lunatic. You stink like a dead dog."

"I've been given another chance." He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her again.

"All my mistakes… Wiped clean. Thank the Gods." Polly pushed him away.

"Urgh. Don't kiss me, you weirdo, you're my brother." Jack laughed.

"Whatever you say, sis." She wiped her forehead with her sleeve to remove the stain of her brother's kiss.

"I'll need to bleach this clean."

"You sound like a pair of squabbling raccoons in the bins," Anna called from the hallway.

"Keep it down, or you'll wake the baby." Jack smiled as the familiar voice of their mother drew closer to his bedroom. A moment later, their mom burst into the room. On seeing the soaked bedding and her dripping-wet son, she transformed from a curious parent into a fuming, furious mom.

"Pollyanna!" she thundered.

"What did I tell you about your stupid pranks?" She gestured at Jack and the drenched bedding.

"Morning, Mom." Jack gave her a wide grin.

"You want some help with breakfast… after I get cleaned up?" He kissed his shocked mother on the cheek and gave her a hug.

"What?" Anna was lost for words.

"Breakfast?" Jack sat on the wet bed and began untying the rope from his wrist. I've got another chance. This time I'll do better. He handed the bucket to his sister.

"I forgive you, Polly." He smiled.

"It was a fantastic prank… I'll have to think of something epic to get you back. Oh, and don't touch my books when you're cleaning my bedding. I'll put them back on the shelf myself." Polly took the bucket with her mouth wide open. She looked at their mother.

"What's happening?" Anna stared back and shrugged.

"Hell if I know." She gave Jack a wary look.

"Are you alright, Son?" Jack smiled.

"Couldn't be better. It's a beautiful day, and I get to prepare breakfast with my mom." He gave her another kiss on the cheek. This is going to be perfect. Anna looked at Polly.

"I swear, Mom." Polly had guilt written across her features.

"The bucket didn't hit him on the head." She pointed at his shelf.

"I was careful to balance it so only the water would get him. I swear…" Their mother opened her mouth to reply, but Jack started laughing.

"Don't worry, Mom, I wasn't hit in the head like our poor old Great Aunt… Elsie, so I won't die tomorrow." He headed to the bathroom, humming a tune about the Mayo King.

Jack sank into the steaming water, letting it soak the tension from his body. He tried to call up his class screen, but nothing appeared. Despite not being able to view his class information, he already felt different. Stronger, like his skills were just below the surface, ready to be accessed. His memory was crystal clear; the nobles' ritual notes came back word for word. [Perfect Recall] appears active. He checked his other passive skills. Hmm…

[Cross-Reference] seems to be still working, but [Multitasking] isn't splitting my thoughts like before. He scratched his chin in thought. Perhaps they are active, but limited.

"I'll cook breakfast with Mom, spend an hour or so helping her, and then go to a temple to select a class. I'll know then." He ducked himself under the hot water. But the moment he surfaced, the thoughts came rushing in. Cain's alive. My family's safe. His chest tightened. But Greaves… the bastard's still alive.

"Greaves is still alive. Fuck!" He thought back to what he'd have to deal with: Dozens of blood mages, protected by hundreds of guards. I have to kill them all and hunt down any other blood mages in the city. He shook his head at the invasive thought.

"No. Only Greaves or I'll die again…" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The thought hit him again. I have to kill them all; it's important. He shook his head again at the suicidal thought.

"I can't," he muttered.

"The Gods won't give me another chance. Will they?" He glanced up as though an answer might fall from the sky. A valve released a puff of spent aether-steam.

"I can't assume that. Concentrate on Greaves… But I'm not strong enough for even that." He stared at the brass hot water valve and watched condensation drip into his bathwater.

"I can't do this alone." Jack realised four years wasn't enough time for him to train and prepare to stop even Greaves on his own. His first plan of archery training until he reached Apprentice Archer, and then use his skills to kill the Baron from a distance, was doomed to fail. Greaves' stolen mage [Enhanced Shield] meant no physical weapons could harm him. Even his upgraded plan to include select assassin skills was on shaky ground. At least I know the evil bastard can be killed.

Multiple options flashed through his mind. Throw him in a river again… Drop him off the side of a mountain… Drop a building on him… He chuckled at some of the ideas. He smiled as he recalled gaining a level for killing the Baron.

"I should go to the Inquisition… but I'm a blood mage." He recalled the inquisitors at the hunt delivering his evidence. He put his hands over his head.

"The Inquisition is in the pocket of Viscount Tides. They'll kill me or hand me over to Tides." He took a deep breath. No more negative thoughts today. I can spend one day pretending Greave s and the other cultists don't exist. Yes. One day. Jack ducked his head again to clear his rattled mind and went back to planning his day while ignoring the distant threat of Baron Greaves and the other blood mages.

"After I get my class, I'll buy my dagger and bow again." He paused to think.

"I won't have enough coin until after crafting some spell scrolls. I could borrow some from Mom."

"What else do I have to do that's important?" His eyes widened.

"Zia. I need to find and protect her at all costs. Where is she now?" He thought about how they met and what he knew about her.

"Okay. She left the Guild yesterday evening and slept on the streets. But where?" He had no idea where she slept the first night.

"Wait. I bumped into her in the morning. Yes. I bought the dagger from the strange merchant and ran into Zia as I rushed towards Arman's. What time was that?" He racked his memory for the time.

"Maybe ten in the morning. So about four hours from now." Jack jumped out of the bath with a plan, splashing water over the bathroom floor.

"I have so much to do today." Jack slipped on his boots.

"First, though, cook breakfast with Mom." As he was about to leave his bedroom, he spotted something glinting in PenDragon's claws.

"What the hell!" He approached the toy dragon.

"How did that get there?" Jack was staring at the smirking, bronze face of Hermes.

"PenDragon… How?" The toy reacted to its master's voice; its eyes flashed blue and released a puff of aether-steam. He grabbed the bronze coin of Hermes, which was attached to the same leather cord and clasp he'd taken from his sister's room in the previous timeline.

"How?" He held the necklace up, and the smirking face spun until it settled; of course, it was looking straight at him. Having no answers, he slipped the necklace around his neck and stuffed it under his shirt.

"You'd better bring me some good luck this time."

"You want some more pancakes, Polly?" Jack poured batter into the frying pan. Jack was helping his mom cook breakfast, which included feeding Polly. Polly nodded.

"Hmm… more's good," she managed with a mouthful of pancakes.

"You sit down, Mom." Jack gestured to the table where Polly was adding more honey to her pancakes.

"I'll cook the rest." Anna shook her head.

"As much as I love the help, I also love cooking." She rubbed his damp hair and smiled.

"This is wonderful, cooking together." Jack smiled. I should've done this the first time around. A short while later, the three of them were sitting around the table eating delicious pancakes.

"Are you rehearsing your play today?" Jack pointed at Polly's notebook resting on the table. She looked at him like he asked her, 'How do you kill a goblin while only using knitting needles?'

"Erm… yes." Her eyes narrowed.

"I'll be working on my costumes, and the others will be rehearsing lines… Why?" Jack nodded.

"Sounds fun."

"It is." Polly's eyes lit up.

"In a few weeks, we should be ready for dress rehearsals." She frowned.

"That's if we can find a cheap enough theatre." He recalled the name of the theatre where they held the play. It was a bit of a dive, but it was within their budget.

"You should try the Alhambra Theatre at the back of Druary Lane. It's old and has seen better days, but it's cheap." Polly nodded.

"Alhambra Theatre. Druary Lane… I'll let the others know. Thanks, Jack." The baby started to cry in another room. Jack smiled.

"I'll get him, Mom." He put his cutlery down.

"You eat while it's still hot." Without waiting for an answer, he hurried to collect his little brother. Moments later, he had the crying Richard in his arms.

"There, there, little one… I know you're hungry." He kissed the top of his brother's head while heading back into the kitchen. I'll keep you safe as well. Without a word, he dipped his little finger in yoghurt and gave it to the baby to suck. The baby calmed down while Jack stood rocking him. Anna and Polly had stopped eating to watch.

"What?" Jack rocked his little brother while pacing the kitchen.

"He was hungry and Mom's eating." Anna nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She shrugged and carried on eating her pancakes. Polly scratched her head and carried on eating. Jack stifled a laugh. So that's how I make them both speechless. After spending a little time chatting, he broached the subject of a loan with his mom.

"I was thinking of taking up archery as a hobby… to keep fit." Polly laughed.

"You! Keep fit?"

"Yes, Polly. I plan to get fit… like Dad." Jack watched his mother's reaction.

"I want to buy a bow and practice at the Adventurers Guild in safety." He saw his mom's eyes narrow and instinctively knew what to say.

"I know you don't like weapons in the house, so I planned to hang them up in my room away from little fingers. Protecting Richard and Z… Richard comes first."

"Hmm." Anna frowned.

"It's good you want to keep fit… and I don't want to discourage you, but does it have to be combat?" Jack nodded.

"I was talking to a friend…" He was interrupted again by Polly scoffing.

"Pens aren't friends, you know?" Yes, they are. Jack ignored her.

"I was talking to a friend … and he said the archery training rooms are challenging and a lot of fun." He smiled as he recalled the fun he'd had with Toma and the others.

"Maybe I could make some new friends that way. They have mixed training sessions where I'd meet new people." Like Toma, Nessa, and Ella. Anna nodded.

"That makes sense… I suppose." Jack smiled.

"I'm short on coin though…" He was again interrupted by Polly.

"And charisma. And looks," she added with a grin. She lifted a hand in the air with two fingers already down.

"And brains." She lowered another finger and laughed.

"And of course friends… that should count as two fingers." She lowered her hand as she pushed down the last two fingers. Anna chuckled and shook her head. Jack rolled his eyes and smiled.

"As I was saying, before Miss Chuckles over there interrupted, I'm hoping to borrow some coin." Polly blobbed her tongue out.

"How much do you need?" Anna asked.

"Ideally, 1 gold and 50 silver," Jack answered.

"I'll pay it back after I start work." He didn't mention where he'd be working.