Chapter 9: Grinding Power
POV: Sam Barton
The Barton estate basement becomes Sam's temple of pain. For three days straight, concrete walls echo with the sound of fists connecting with flesh, sneakers squeaking against polished floors, and the whistle of Enhanced Speed cutting through stale air.
Sam's clone moves in a blur—twenty-five percent mastery now, enough for sustained bursts that make human eyes weep from strain. It darts between obstacles Sam has constructed from his father's archaeological crates, testing velocity limits while maintaining control.
"Again," Sam pants, sweat dripping from his hair. His own body aches from three days of relentless training, but the System's EXP notifications keep him pushing forward.
[SKILL IMPROVEMENT: COMBAT PREDICTION +20 EXP]
[CLONE MASTERY INCREASE: ENHANCED SPEED 25% +30 EXP]
[MP EFFICIENCY TRAINING COMPLETE: 5X REGENERATION UNLOCKED +50 EXP]
Sam's Enhanced Speed clone skids to a halt, grinning despite the exhaustion they both share.
"Come on," it says, bouncing on the balls of its feet. "Let me try the wall run. I know I can do it now."
"Focus on control first. Speed without precision gets you killed."
The clone's expression shifts—frustrated but understanding. Through their mental link, Sam feels its desire to push boundaries, test limits, explore the full potential of supernatural velocity. But he also feels its loyalty, its willingness to follow orders even when they conflict with its hyperactive nature.
"It's still me," Sam reminds himself as they move into sparring formation. "Just the part of me that wants to take risks."
They train until Sam's MP reserves cycle through depletion and regeneration twice. The meditation techniques he's developed allow him to restore mana at five times the normal rate—a skill that might save his life when supernatural enemies push him past normal human limits.
[CURRENT EXP: 1,950/2,750 TO LEVEL 5]
"Eight hundred more. I can do this."
That afternoon, Caroline appears at his front door with an armload of textbooks and her infamous color-coded study planner.
"Surprise!" she announces, pushing past him into the foyer. "We're having a study date. History exam tomorrow, and I refuse to let my boyfriend fail because he's too mysterious to ask for help."
Sam's pulse spikes. Caroline has never been inside the estate before—too many opportunities to notice inconsistencies, hear his clone moving around upstairs, or stumble across his father's supernatural research.
"Caroline, I don't think—"
"Nope." She cuts him off with a smile that brooks no argument. "You've seen my room twice. Fair is fair. Plus, I'm curious about your mysterious orphan mansion."
"Damage control. Hide the clone, secure the research, act normal."
"Hide in the attic," Sam commands mentally. "Don't make noise. Don't come out no matter what."
"Copy that. But if she tries to murder you, I'm intervening."
"She's not going to murder me."
"You never know. Pretty girls are dangerous."
Sam leads Caroline upstairs to his bedroom, mentally cataloging everything she might find suspicious. The room is clean, normal—bed, desk, bookshelf, no supernatural artifacts visible. His father's journals are safely locked in the study.
Caroline spreads textbooks across his comforter like she's claiming territory, settling cross-legged in the center of his bed with proprietary confidence.
"Okay," she says, opening her meticulously organized notes. "Mystic Falls history, Founding Families, the Civil War battles. Let's see what you actually know versus what you pretend to know in class."
For the next hour, Caroline quizzes him on local history. Sam knows it all—not from studying, but from seven years of supernatural plot knowledge. But he forces himself to pretend ignorance, fumbling answers he could recite perfectly.
"Who founded the town?" Caroline asks.
"Um... the Founding Families?"
"Which families, Sam."
"Gilbert, Salvatore, Forbes, Lockwood, Bennett... Fell?"
Caroline steals his notes with a playful grin. "You're guessing. I can tell."
"Because I know this from a TV show, not a textbook."
They abandon studying within thirty minutes, conversation drifting to more personal topics. Caroline sprawls across his bed, blonde hair fanning over his dark comforter, blue eyes bright with curiosity.
"Tell me about your parents," she says softly. "The real story. Not the archaeological dig version you tell everyone."
Sam lies beside her, close enough to smell her shampoo—something floral that makes his chest tight with affection.
"They were... intense," he says carefully. "Always working, always researching. They loved each other completely, but sometimes I felt like their work came first."
It's true, based on Sam Barton's inherited memories. But the emotions feel real when he says them.
"That's sad."
"Not sad. Just... lonely sometimes."
Caroline turns on her side, studying his face with growing concern.
"Is that why you're so good at reading people? Why you always know when something's wrong? Because you learned to watch for emotional cues?"
"Perceptive. Too perceptive."
"Maybe," Sam deflects. "Or maybe I'm just observant."
"You're more than observant. You're..." She searches for words. "You see things other people miss. Like with Tyler's anger issues, or Jeremy's depression. It's like you can predict what people need."
The conversation is veering dangerously close to supernatural territory. Sam cups Caroline's face, thumb tracing her cheek.
"Right now," he says quietly, "I predict you need this."
He kisses her—soft at first, then deeper when she responds with surprised warmth. It's not a distraction tactic. The emotion behind it is genuine, overwhelming in its intensity.
Caroline breaks the kiss but doesn't pull away, eyes searching his face.
"Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm falling for you. Really falling. And that terrifies me because everyone I care about eventually leaves."
Sam's chest clenches with protective fury. Sheriff Forbes is distant, Caroline's father abandoned them, and her friends treat her like entertainment rather than support.
"I'm not going anywhere," he promises, meaning it completely.
"You could never disappoint anyone, Caroline. You're extraordinary."
She kisses him again—really kisses him this time, not the tentative exploration from before. When they separate, both breathing hard, Caroline's cheeks are pink and her eyes are bright with something that makes Sam's heart race.
[QUEST COMPLETE: CAROLINE'S HEART - STAGE 2]
[RELATIONSHIP STATUS: OFFICIAL GIRLFRIEND]
[BONUS: +10% ALL STATS WHEN NEAR CAROLINE]
[BONUS: +20% EXP FROM CAROLINE-RELATED QUESTS]
[EXP GAINED: +200]
The System notification barely registers. Sam is too focused on the girl in his arms, the way she looks at him like he's something precious rather than dangerous.
"This is what I'm fighting for," he realizes. "Not just her safety. This. Us. The possibility of something normal and beautiful in the middle of supernatural chaos."
The next day at school, Bonnie Bennett approaches Sam during lunch with nervous energy radiating from every gesture. Her dark skin has an unhealthy pallor, and her hands shake slightly as she grips her lunch tray.
"Can we talk?" she asks quietly. "Privately?"
Sam follows her to the empty library, noting how other students give them curious glances. Bonnie Bennett and Sam Barton aren't known for private conversations.
They settle in a corner table surrounded by dusty history books. Bonnie keeps glancing around like she expects eavesdroppers.
"I need to ask you something," she says finally. "About the psychic stuff. The feelings you get."
Sam's attention sharpens. Bonnie's magical awakening is accelerating—probably because his presence in Mystic Falls is stirring supernatural energies.
"What kind of feelings?"
"Dreams," Bonnie whispers. "Visions. Last night I dreamed about my Grams surrounded by candles, chanting in a language I don't recognize. And Elena was there, but she looked different. Pale, with blood on her mouth."
"She's seeing possible futures. Elena's eventual vampire transformation."
"When I woke up," Bonnie continues, "all the candles in my room were lit. But I don't remember lighting them."
Sam reaches across the table, taking her trembling hands in his. The contact sends a jolt through both of them—Bonnie's emerging magical sensitivity recognizing something in Sam's System-enhanced presence.
"Bonnie," he says gently, "my grandmother had similar experiences. Visions, premonitions, strange dreams that came true. She called it the Sight."
It's a carefully constructed lie, but close enough to truth to be believable.
Bonnie's eyes widen with desperate hope.
"You think I'm not going crazy?"
"I think your family has a history of sensitivity to things others can't perceive. My Grams says it runs in bloodlines—Bennett is an old family, right? Deep roots in Mystic Falls?"
"Very deep." Bonnie's voice carries wonder and terror in equal measure. "Grams talks about our ancestors, about things they could do. Healing, protection, knowing things they shouldn't know."
"Trust those feelings," Sam says firmly. "Don't let anyone convince you they're not real. And Bonnie? If you ever feel like someone you care about is in danger—Elena, Jeremy, anyone—trust that instinct completely."
"I'm giving her confidence in her abilities before her powers fully manifest. When Emily Bennett's spell book finds her, she'll be ready."
"Can you teach me?" Bonnie asks plaintively. "How to control it?"
Sam's heart breaks a little. He can't teach her Bennett witch magic—that's beyond his abilities. But he can guide her toward embracing rather than fighting her heritage.
"I'm still learning too," he admits. "But we'll figure it out together. Deal?"
Bonnie nods, relief flooding her features.
"Deal."
[QUEST COMPLETE: GUIDE BONNIE'S AWAKENING]
[REWARD: +300 EXP]
[BONNIE BENNETT: ALLY STATUS UPGRADED TO TRUSTED ALLY]
[NEW PASSIVE: WITCH'S INTUITION - BONNIE WILL TRUST YOUR SUPERNATURAL ADVICE]
That night, Sam stands in his basement with exhausted satisfaction. The day's EXP gains have pushed him over the threshold he's been grinding toward for a week.
[CURRENT EXP: 2,750/2,750 TO LEVEL 5]
[LEVEL UP ACHIEVED!]
[SECOND CLONE SLOT UNLOCKED]
[MP COST: 50/405]
Sam focuses on the Clone Creation interface, watching shadows peel away from his body like living smoke. The process is familiar now, but no less surreal—pieces of his consciousness taking independent form.
The second clone materializes differently than the first. Where Clone One radiates hyperactive energy, this new clone feels calm, controlled, deliberately peaceful. It opens its eyes and immediately creates a shimmering blue barrier around its body.
[CLONE 2 CREATED SUCCESSFULLY]
[AFFINITY ASSIGNED: DEFENSIVE SHIELD (RARE)]
[MASTERY LEVEL: NOVICE (0%)]
[CLONE PERSONALITY QUIRK: METHODICAL/PROTECTIVE]
Clone One blurs over to examine the newcomer, Enhanced Speed allowing it to circle the barrier at superhuman velocity.
"Nice trick," Clone One says approvingly. "Can it stop vampire claws?"
"Unknown," Clone Two replies in Sam's voice, but calmer, more measured. "Defensive parameters require testing against various threat levels."
"We should call you Tank," Clone One decides.
"Designation accepted, though 'Tank' lacks creativity."
Sam laughs despite his exhaustion. His clones are developing distinct personalities—hyperactive Speed and methodical Shield, both loyal extensions of himself but individual in their approaches to problems.
[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: +5]
Sam allocates immediately: +2 INT for larger MP pool, +2 WIS for faster regeneration, +1 PER for enhanced danger sense.
[UPDATED STATS:]
STR: 10 | AGI: 14 | VIT: 16
INT: 17 | WIS: 20 | PER: 13 | CHA: 16
HP: 520/520 | MP: 405/405 | MP Regen: 20/min
Upstairs, Sam's phone buzzes with a group text from Elena: "Stefan's taking me to dinner tomorrow! First official date!"
Sam stares at the message, stomach clenching with dread. The Stefan-Elena romance is cementing exactly as it did in canon. Which means Damon's obsession will escalate. The tomb vampire subplot is approaching. And somewhere in the shadows, Katherine Pierce is watching, waiting for the perfect moment to return to Mystic Falls.
He closes his eyes, centering himself with meditation techniques learned through grinding experience points.
"Five levels down. Ninety-five to go. Two clones operational, third unlocks at Level 10. Caroline is safe and mine. Bonnie is awakening ahead of schedule. The pieces are moving."
But as Sam climbs the stairs from his basement, flanked by two clones that represent his growing supernatural power, he can't shake the feeling that he's preparing for a war where the enemy keeps changing the rules.
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