Los Alamos, New Mexico - 7:45 PM


    Sara had warned me that I wasn’t going to like what I saw. I had believed her, but that still didn’t help the scowl on my face.


    Standing on the south side of Los Alamos, I took in the destruction of the city. Countless buildings had been trampled over, destroyed from the mere act of something gigantic moving without care. I had seen aftermaths of tornadoes that didn’t look as destructive as this.


    Someone had already come by to defeat the radioactive lizard. Considering it wasn’t time for it to be destroyed, I had to assume it was the same person who had messed things up in Sedona. I just needed some clues.


    I headed into the city proper to find that I wasn’t taking any hit point damage from radiation. That meant the lizard had to have been dead for at least a few days to become so weak. My scowl deepened; without the material from the boss, I was going to have to cross the ocean to get to the other place with a powerful radioactive history.


    Deciding to leave that topic for later, I continued to survey the destruction. It appeared as though it was all caused by the monster. There weren’t any signs of weapons that missed the mark or spells that rocked the area. There was nothing substantial other than there had, in fact, been a rampage.


    I was coming up on the body, though. The Uranium Rex was a huge monster, much larger than even the Omega Colossus. I could see its corpse when I was still roughly half the city away, and I took to my Heelies. Thanks to my enhanced sight, I could see about a dozen small creatures crawling all over it.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Quest: Investigate The Body!]]


    I told you that you weren’t going to like it.


    Someone has slain the Uranium Rex, and it had to have happened a while ago. Now there are people donning cloaks made from animal hides looking to make more with this one. They’ve noticed you and are wary. Figure out what has happened here and take care of things as you see fit.


    Objective: Find out what happened to the Uranium Rex.


    Reward: 2,500 points.


    <<<>>>


    As I got closer, I noticed that the creatures were actually dirty, viscera-encrusted humans. They each wore fur cloaks belonging to different types of animals, and they were cutting strips from the Uranium Rex using their fingernails.


    No, not fingernails, but claws.


    Most of them started to flee to the other side of the Uranium Rex at the sight of me. There was only one exception to this, a thin man wearing the cloak of what looked to be scales made from the beast in question. I stopped near the tail as he approached.


    “This body is ours,” he said, his powerful voice not matching his emaciated frame. “You will leave this place now.”


    “Player?” I asked.


    He spit on the ground, stopping a good distance away. “We are not one of you.”


    I put my hands on my hips as I looked him over. There were few creatures that were so much like humans. Given the attitude, his cloak and demeanor, and his yellow, reptilian eyes…


    Staring into those eyes, I heard a voice in the back of my mind. It told me to leave this place in peace, that there was nothing for me here. A compulsion to turn around and leave attempted to wrest control of my body.


    It failed miserably.


    “A Warlock of the Shifting Cloak, if I had to make a guess,” I stated. “A half man with magical shape shifting powers based on the cloak they wear. That’s what you are.”


    A Warlock of the Shifting Cloak was a humanoid created by the system. While they disliked humans, their first instinct was to make their perceived enemies wander off rather than attack, which I appreciated. There was also a chance that they would learn to get along with the players later on. I wasn’t sure if this interaction would change that event, but I thought it would be fine.


    They had various magic powers, including the one that he had just attempted to use to get me to leave, but their biggest strength was their ability to shapeshift. With the cloaks of Uranium Rex, their combat power was about to go through the roof.


    That was bad for everyone, themselves included.


    The man staggered, gripping his head with both hands. I felt the connection end when our eye contact was disrupted. “What are you?” he asked.


    “A very powerful psychic,” I answered. When he looked back up at me, I gave him a wave. “The name’s Anthony Franklin. What’s yours?”


    “You do not receive the honor of my name, Anthony Franklin,” he replied angrily.


    Once again, I felt a tingle in my mind. The hair on my neck and arms raised as a wave rippled through my body, affecting me from my head to my toes. Another mental attack. It worked as well as the first.


    “Very well, Warlock,” I said with a casual shrug. The feeling came to an end. “I came here to slay this monster only to find it dead. Were you and yours the ones who did it?”


    I watched his expression very carefully. There was no way that they had done it, but I wanted to know how cooperative he was going to be. The Warlock had already attacked me twice and both attempts had failed. He’d know that. There was a faint hint of fear in his eyes when neither of his spells worked.


    The Warlock stared down at me and I waited patiently. I came here expecting to kill a great beast only to find questions. I had time.


    After what had to be almost a full minute of staring, the Warlock shook his head. “We did not do this,” he finally admitted. “My clan and I came across it and decided to do what we do best. It will make an excellent combat form, once we are done.”


    “That form is going to destroy your people,” I said, gesturing towards the ones peeking over the beast to watch us. “Those who do not change with you, the children and the elderly, are going to suffer if you take on the visage of the beast anywhere near them.”


    The Warlock spat onto the ground again. “You know nothing, player.”


    I pulled my hands off of my hips and crossed my arms. “That creature is called a Uranium Rex. It is a radioactive creature born from the mind of an administrator who is obsessed with humanity’s nuclear history. Upon death, it drops a skill book for Radiation Aura and a pair of wrist claws that inflict radiation poisoning on anything it touches in varying doses depending on the Constitution stat of the enemy.”The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    With a faint shake of my head, I continued. “Obviously, that aura is your problem. You’re going to replicate that if you shapeshift into the Uranium Rex, and that’s going to hurt everyone except people who have already taken on the form. Just the skill alone has a huge radius much larger than other auras, so think about how big yours will be when you become one?”


    “You know nothing,” the Warlock of the Shifting Cloak repeated, though he didn’t sound as convinced of himself.


    “If you believe that, then activate your cloak right now and shift. Your people are behind the Uranium Rex, so they should be okay, right?” I asked. He hesitated, and I dropped my arms. “You’ve been waiting for this thing to be safe to approach, haven’t you? Saw it from the hills and wanted a piece of it, but it hurt you just to get near. That was after it was dead, Warlock, you need to think about what it was like when it was alive.”


    “You… make a compelling argument,” he conceded, though it was clear he had trouble getting the words out. “However, we can’t step back now. You seem willing to talk, but there are plenty of your kind who aren’t. They’ll see my people and either shun us or kill us. This has been proven time and again.”


    “Is your only concern that you need power for self-defense?” I asked, paying close attention to his aura for any signs of lies. “Because if you’re okay with this lizard, then perhaps you’re okay with other powerful monsters.”


    The Warlock tilted his head. “It is a matter of self-defense and protection for my people, yes,” he said. “Which powerful monster do you mean?”


    “West of here, past the mountains and past 550, there’s a boss roaming in the desert called the Elder Vinegarroon,” I explained. “They’re also called whip scorpions, if that helps.”


    “A bug,” the Warlock said, allowing his disgust to show.


    “Technically, I think it’s a spider?” I helpfully corrected. That didn’t make his scowl go away. “Either way, that’s going to be the best thing to help protect your people until the Thunderbirds start to emerge in half a month or so. Then, obviously, that would be the best thing for a long while. A long, long while.”


    “How do you know such things?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.


    I tapped my temple. “I already told you I was a powerful psychic. My knowledge is wide and vast, my friend. How else could I have known that the Uranium Rex was here? Or that you and your people are Warlocks of the Shifting Cloaks. That your first spell was Compulsion of Intrusion which works only with eye contact, or your second was one to make me think that I had things crawling all over my skin which doesn’t have a name but is still uncomfortable. Or even the side effects of…” I trailed off when he raised his hand and shook it.


    “Fine, fine, I understand,” he said with a scowl. “You are a very knowledgeable player; I will give you that. But you really expect us to stop working and head west to some unknown spider to become powerful?”


    “I really hope so,” I told him honestly.


    “And why is that?”


    “Because the alternative is me taking that cloak by force,” I answered. He immediately became defensive, and I rolled my eyes. “Which I don’t want to do, obviously. That’s why we’re talking. You’re just trying to do best for your community, but you’re going to do more harm than good. Imagine turning into a Uranium Rex and inflicting radiation poisoning on innocent people. You think they’re going to let you and your people go after that? Would you?”


    The Warlock seemed to be grinding his teeth. “No,” he reluctantly admitted. “If any of the players killed one of us, I would not forgive or forget.”


    “In that way, we’re the same,” I said. “Now, I’m going to start moving again because I need to figure out what killed this boss before I get back to the train and leave. I trust you aren’t going to stop me.”


    I began walking, and the Warlock watched me but didn’t protest. “When we arrived, this body was so covered in wounds that I was the only one who was able to find a big enough strip to make a cloak in one go,” he offered. “Whoever killed this beast, this Uranium Rex, they did it slowly with several strikes. They used something sharp, like a sword or an axe, if the gashes on it are any indication.”


    His words gave me pause, and I stopped to think about it. That showed an absurd level of Strength that not many people would be able to reach. Not only that, but fighting the Uranium Rex all through town would have taken crazy high Dexterity and a lot of Constitution not just for stamina but also to hold out against the radiation aura.


    In other words, it had to be someone strong.


    I already knew that. This revelation wasn’t helpful.


    The Warlock spoke, causing me to look at him as I stepped up onto the tail. “I don’t want to fight you,” he said. “But I can tell how serious you are about not letting us go.”


    “I didn’t say I wasn’t letting you go,” I replied. “I said I wasn’t going to let you go with anything that will let you turn into Totally Not Godzilla.”


    “Into what?” he asked, giving me a confused look.


    “The Uranium Rex,” I said, gesturing towards the monster we were standing on. “Its material stays here, and that includes the cloak you’ve already made.”


    The Warlock’s hand gripped it. “It will help against this Elder Vinegarroon you mentioned.”


    “While poisoning your people,” I retorted. “Then their blood would be on both of our hands. Yours because you didn’t listen, and mine because I didn’t stop you.”


    Thinking about this for a moment, the Warlock sighed. It was resigned and understanding, and he unclasped the cloak. “Then, as a token of sincerity, I give it to you,” he said, holding it out for me. “It won’t work for you the same as it will for us, but it should still come in handy.”


    I took it from him. Just like the Uranium Rex, it was made from dark green scales though the inside had a soft black felt lining. Small spikes went from the top to the bottom, covering the spine. It was also incredibly dirty. Folding it so I could hold it easier, I opened the description.


    <<<>>>


    Cloak of the Irradiated King


    (+20 Constitution, Energy Resistance passive acquired, Friend of the Shapechanger passive acquired)


    [[Passive]]


    Energy Resistance


    Take 25% less damage from all energy-based attacks.


    [[Passive]]


    Friend of the Shapechangers


    While wearing the Cloak of the Irradiated King, shapeshifters that are not immediately hostile to you will treat you favorably.


    <<<>>>


    “Thank you, my friend. I’ll wear it with pride,” I said as I put it in my inventory for now. It needed to be cleaned up before I’d put it on and I was already wearing the Cloak of the Snow Witch.


    “Call me Coch,” he replied, holding out his hand. I shook it, and he started walking back towards the head of the Uranium Rex. He projected his voice. “We will not take the flesh of this beast, but head west to find something just as ferocious. Leave everything you have stripped here and prepare to travel!”


    “I really appreciate it, Coch.”


    He shook his head. “You seem sincere, and you speak our language. I would rather trust you and be wrong than think you’re spewing lies and hurt my own people with my own hubris. Assuming that I could get away from you, of course.”


    Being able to speak other languages was already coming in handy. I hadn’t expected it to work out so well here, but I was pleasantly surprised by the boon of the cloak. It was a massive defensive boost.


    I nodded and watched as Coch walked off, taking the Uranium Rex’s arm to head west. The others all gave me curious glances before following after their leader. A few of the younger ones waved at me, and I returned the gesture.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Quest Complete!]]


    Well handled, Anthony. I wasn’t sure what you were going to do with them, which is why I didn’t make them the objective of the quest.


    I think it’s pretty clear that a player did this, and it’s likely the one you’re already thinking of. The Red Oracle mentioned they went west, so they were probably here before Sedona. That opens up… most of the United States if we try to figure out where they came from.


    That’s not very helpful. Sorry.


    Reward: 2,500 points.


    <<<>>>


    “It’s helpful enough,” I told Sara, offering the sky a small smile. “I think there’s little chance that they came from the west coast, though. Not enough time to roam and they’d have more than enough opportunities there that they wouldn’t have to travel around. That rules out a good chunk of the population.”


    Even though I was joking about it, the fact that there was someone else out there who could take out the Uranium Rex was a big deal. Cracking my knuckles, I got to work.


    I retrieved the Holy Aquacutter from my inventory. Those claws, teeth, and scales weren’t going to remove themselves. Not only did the Warlocks leave a lot of materials for Ashley to use, but there were wounds to check. A lot could be gleaned from a corpse, and time had made me a very experienced mortician.