I land easily on a concrete parking lot outside of a massive shopping mall that’s been converted into a Settlement; it looks from the old signs nobody’s replaced like it’s IOI City Mall. Chaos is everywhere as people and ammunition fly everywhere. I trigger Elemental Aegis and take in the scene quickly as flares spark up around me when something strikes my Skill. The parking lot is now more of a kill zone between a high wall circling around the whole mall and a lower wall that circles around the Settlement itself. They look solid, but not nearly solid enough to even slow this thing down. It’s definitely a Teleport from another world.


    Kaelmar, the Iron Revenant  (Level 327 Undead Mecha)


    Health: 28900/31450


    Mana: 6200/10100


    Conditions: Overclock, Corruption, Aura of Death, Cursed to the Core, more…


    It’s a hulking fusion of necromancy and machinery, and something I don’t have a lot of experience fighting. Towering Settlement laser cannons blast thick beams from turrets that glance off the Mecha’s brass and black colored metallic armor. A small group of low Level Mythic and high Level Advanced Class Adventurers are working together with good cohesion, but it’s not nearly enough. A Mage’s spell turns the ground slick, a Stormbringer Class calls down lightning, a Gunslinger fires explosive projectiles at high speed.


    The Iron Revenant ignores it all and smashes into the Settlement right through the shields and protections. Powerful guns placed all over its body, targeting dozens at a time, smash people apart. Waves of corrupting energy radiate from it, crippling and killing everyone within twenty meters, and I’ve seen enough to know this whole Settlement is going to be wiped out in a bloodbath; it will just be a race to see how many people can escape.


    I trigger Omnipresent and open a Portal directly above the Mecha then drop through with my Swords extended to full length. Instantly the Iron Revenant’s systems swivel and target me as I swing my Swords to bisect it. My blades part the machinery like the proverbial hot knife through butter until explosive shells blast me spinning away.


    Health regeneration penalty partly resisted - currently down 50%


    Stamina drain resisted (Gift of Gaia)


    Necrotic toxin damage partly resisted - currently 100 Health / second


    Cursed! -200 Luck, -100 Strength, -50 Agility; Duration: 100 seconds


    Fuck this!


    Before I even hit the ground I trigger Psychic Eruption and blast the Mecha, but its Undead nature allows it to shrug my attack off. As soon as I hit the pavement I slam down my right foot to stop my momentum. Kaelmar seems to have dismissed me and continues to mow down people and smash through the buildings instead. Angry, I trigger Sentinel’s Fury the maximum five times I can with my current Stamina levels to hammer him. My Stamina drops like a stone while the Iron Revenant staggers and convulses, then rights itself. He’s moving a lot more slowly and orients directly on me, ignoring the rest. I’m overcome by weakness as it feels like something is pulling my soul and energy directly out of my body, but I harden my resolve and grit my teeth, banishing whatever it is by mentally flinging it away from me with significant heavy lifting from my Skills and Constitution.


    Deathtouch resisted.


    Yvisar’s Rending resisted.


    Parting of the Flesh resisted.


    My Health recovers and my Stamina ticks up, giving me over 5000 to work with. Now that the Iron Revenant’s attention is focused totally on me, a space around him is developing as people continue to flee and the Adventurers who were fighting without making any progress back off to see what happens.


    “Go Bronwic!” I hear someone nearby yell as I trigger Omnipresent and manifest a Portal that takes me close to the Mecha with Acceleration dialed up to maximum. I shoot through and trigger Wraithstrike; its upgraded power and combination with other Skills gives me a rush as I virtually fly through the air and release it to become substantial just as my Swords slice at maximum force through the Iron Revenant.


    The Mecha is cut apart revealing a hideous, twisted grey undead head and torso inside, swirling green and black energy shooting from it in waves. In pure revulsion I trigger Sentinel’s Fury twice and stab it over and over, then swap out my Swords for my warhammers and crush it like a manic drum solo until I’m sure the kill notification has flashed up on my screen.


    I shudder and look up, surrounded by pulped flesh and smashed technology. I Loot the Monster and no doubt all this technology is worth something, but I just can’t bring myself to sweep it into my Inventory. Let a scavenger with a stronger stomach than me handle it. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    My amped up state returns toward normal and I look around at the death and destruction. A few groups of people are headed toward me in the very familiar march I see all the time of people who are grateful and want to express their thanks, but they’re still in shock or grief and trying to cope with what’s just happened.


    I stick around for a few minutes to connect with them, set my intent and mindset for the next one, and to remind myself that what I’m doing really does make a difference. As I’m talking with a pair of small sisters, a Merchant and a Healer, my Foresight Skill flashes and I see Logan. Instinctively I trigger Omnipresent in panic and open a Portal and leap through, absolutely ready for anything and to tear someone a new asshole.


    “Hey Uncle Bronwic,” says Logan with a nod, then he catches my vibe and crouches. I can feel him trigger several Skills as I look around. Foresight finishes giving me a glimpse into the future and I relax then look at Logan. We’re standing in one of the Dungeons in Fish Creek, this one underground with wide tunnels. It’s dark and cold, but we’re deep enough that I can see the hard packed ground isn’t frozen around us in the tunnel walls and ceiling.


    “Hey Logan. Big spider ready to ambush you around the corner up there,” I let him know and wave vaguely up ahead. My Danger Sense and minimap both let me know there is zero danger to me and only marginal danger for Logan. I guess I need to move the threshold for Foresight triggering on Logan and my family just a little bit higher.


    “Thanks!” he replies. I can imagine his eyes narrowing behind his armored helmet. The armor doesn’t even have a scratch on it. “Anything else, Uncle Bronwic?” He knows usually when I show up ready for combat it means trouble.


    “Nah,” I reply and give him a grin then dismiss my Swords and rub my face with my hands. I check and see he’s gained another three Levels since I last saw him. He must be grinding pretty much all day every day to make that kind of progress.


    A group of large spiders skitters around a corner to attack us and Logan blasts all but one of them with surgical precision with his two large plasma beam guns, then dismisses the one in his right hand and throws his palm out to send a wave of kinetic energy at the last one. It explodes back into the dirt wall in a shower of gore that coats it in a messy pattern.


    “Few more Levels?” I ask, and he nods.


    “Still a long way to go, but getting there!” he says. “Could use a tougher challenge, but these Dungeons keep overflowing so I’m being useful here too.”


    I struggle internally to avoid telling him to make sure he stays safe. Who am I to tell him? He’s probably better off being ready for danger at any time than trying to avoid it anyway.


    “So… why the visit?” he asks, and I laugh.


    “I might be keeping a bit too close of an eye on you!” I allow.


    “I’m the Alpha and the Sigma, Uncle Bronwic… but, tag along if you like.”


    I spend a couple of hours clearing the Dungeon with Logan essentially not doing anything except watch how much he’s developed his skills. He’s just a complete natural and never really seems to panic or make a wrong move.


    For a week I bounce back and forth between high Level threats and hunting with Logan. We get him another two Levels and all the closer to unlocking his Class Skills and I get my all important last Evolution before the notification finally comes.


    Level Up!


    You have reached Level 28 as a Human Sentinel


    +4 Aura, +4 Mana


    +65 free Attribute points to assign


    You have 65 free Attribute points to assign


    Would you like to allocate them now?


    (Y/N)


    You have 2 unallocated Class Skill points


    Would you like to allocate them now?


    (Y/N)


    Yes… yes I would like to allocate my Class Skill points.


    I drop the 65 free Attributes in Constitution, sending me over 20,000 Stamina.


    Class Skill Evolved!


    Psychic Eruption (Human Sentinel Skill) (Evolved)


    The Sentinel channels unparalleled vision, briefly seeing through the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of their enemies to exploit through a wave of psychic energy that damages and stuns them.


    Enhanced Effect: This Skill inflicts massive psychic damage directly upon enemies; Sentinel can choose lethal or non-lethal force


    Cost: 1500 Stamina


    Unique Evolution Effect: Sentinel can place a Geas on any sentient. A Geas which goes against the sentient’s nature may fail.


    Duration: variable depending on the nature of the Geas and the Level of the target


    Cost: 15000 Stamina


    That’s… totally unexpected! I can feel the knowledge of how to use the Skill, but since I haven’t actually used it I have no real information to help me understand what it can do. I’ll need to do some experimentation, and not on my friends. I’m not sure how much of a boost to damage Evolving Psychic Eruption has added, but I’m hoping it’s substantial. The connection and power behind it definitely feels stronger.


    The last notification is expected and, for once in my life, well timed.


    Welcome to the Koldaavi Combat Trials - Round 2!


    Competitor baselining complete.


    Trial baselining complete.


    A total of 22 competitors across the Universe are engaged in this Trial.


    You are about to be transported to your Trial briefing location.


    Your Trial liaison has been notified.


    All competitors now have 10000 Universal Time Units (UTUs) to prepare.


    Best of luck, High Enforcer Cadimus.


    Only 22 of the competitors from the first Trial have made it through. I wonder if they failed to meet the criteria or failed to survive the Trial? Either way it looks like a smaller, best of the best group and since I’m competing against the top people of the group, not the bottom, it doesn’t really matter.