《Rise of the Phoenix (SCS Fanfic)》 Rise of the Phoenix: Chapter 1 [Chapter 1] The stage was a dazzling spectacle, bathed in the soft glow of colored lights and a radiant LED display that seemed to pulse in time with the audience''s heartbeat. Enormous screens displayed the game''s action for all to see. The sponsors banners adorned the arena, their logos glowing brightly. Vendor''s voices selling merchandise, the scent of popcorn popping and the sound of sizzling sausages wafted through the air. Gamers of all ages clad in jerseys and gaming gear, mingled with one another, discussing strategies, sharing stories, and celebrating their shared passion. A panel of casters provided live commentary from a booth hidden somewhere above the heads of the crowd, their voices filled with excitement and expertise, whipping the crowd into a frenzy as the teams for the day''s events filed onto the stage to stand before their designated Mesh systems. ¡°Welcome folks, to the 5th annual Samurai Rush Finals!¡± A loud cheer from the crowd, barely subsided as the casters kept their intro going, ¡°Here we see today''s four teams getting set up for their game. In the green jerseys, we have The Stalwarts!¡± One section of the crowd, a sea of green, bursts out cheering, a flag showing a shield waving above much of the crowd. ¡°In the red we have The Unleashed!¡± A sea of red takes over with a lot of howling while waving the teams banner, a stylized wolf on a red background. ¡°Next, in the black, we have last year''s returning champions, Legion!¡± Before the caster can even finish his sentence, a roar shakes the walls of the stadium as almost half the crowd cheers for the team. The team lead for Legion steps away from the rest and raises his arms, drinking in the adoration. ¡°Last, but certainly not least, we have today¡¯s underdogs in purple. A new team with an underground legend in their midst, The Myths!¡± At this a section of the crowd, significantly smaller than the others, begins cheering for the team. The Myths wave to the crowd before going back to setting up their gear. The caster continued going on about the teams in the day¡¯s match, discussing specific members and their strategies with his co-host while the teams on stage returned to getting their gear ready. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we finally made it!¡± exclaimed Luke, one of the more outspoken members of The Myths. ¡°Leo, are you seeing this? They love us!¡± Leo looked over to see his childhood friend excitedly waving to the crowd. ¡°Oh, I see it all right,¡± he said, smirking, ¡°Kinda hard to miss while being on a stage in the center of a giant stadium. However, all that cheering won¡¯t get your helmet set up you know.¡± Luke glanced back sheepishly, ¡°Oh, right. I should probably take care of that. Thanks bro.¡± Leo chuckled before turning back to his helmet, a gift from his father before he was taken in an incursion five years prior. It had some scuffs and a couple scratches in the plastic, but Leo had taken care of it as his prized possession. Running his thumb over the slightly faded phoenix sticker on the side, ¡°I made it dad. Thank you for believing in me.¡± Leo finished his setup and turned to help his fellow team members get their gear set up. ¡°Dammit, not again!¡± Luke swore. ¡°I just had this fixed too!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Leo walked over to his friend ¡°I was getting everything set up and it all looked good when suddenly it stopped recognizing the hub.¡± Leo took the helmet from his friend and tried a couple things, but he could not get it to work. Knowing his friend''s penchant for getting distracted, ¡°Luke, take my chair and helmet, it¡¯s already set up and you¡¯ll need the time to rebuild your Samurai.¡± ¡°You sure? I know how much this means to you.¡± Luke said sincerely ¡°I¡¯m sure. Dad would have wanted me to help you out. Besides, with how often you get into trouble you need the phoenix luck more than I do¡± Leo joked while pushing Luke towards the chair. ¡°Get going while I work on this.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Luke smiled and shot finger guns before almost tripping on an exposed wire. Recovering, he simply turned and got to work calibrating the helmet to his taller frame so he could rebuild his Samurai while Leo turned towards fixing whatever was wrong with the helmet in his hands. Leo looked over everything he could before coming to the realization that he would need to take the helmet apart to get to the problem. Waving down one of the tournament officials, he had them watch as he took the helmet apart so they could confirm he did nothing to illegally modify the gear. Taking out his portable repair kit, Leo pulled the main covering off the helmet and started poking and prodding at the different pieces. Finally, he noticed a tiny wire that was loose and seemed to be causing the issue. Showing it to the tournament official, ¡°Here is the problem. Any issue with me tightening it down and getting this show on the road?¡± The official ran his gaze across the helmet before nodding at Leo, ¡°Go ahead, everything looks up to code. But you¡¯ll want to hurry, looks like the rest of your team is already in dive¡± Glancing up at his team, he noticed that they were all laid back into their gel lined chairs and fully in the Mesh. Rapidly tightening the loose cable and putting the covering back on, Leo got the final okay from the official before he speedran the connection sequence and laid down to work on building his Samurai from the ground up. Leo got through the diagnostics that calibrated the helmet to his body in record time and dove into the Mesh. When it was finally ready he initialized the HUD and loaded up character creation. In front of him stood a depiction of his real life body wearing a rather bland body suit that covered everything but his hands, feet, and neck. Looking into his own eyes was always a strange phenomenon. One eye blue while the other was red, a reminder of when he had to get one replaced after a childhood accident involving Luke daring him to jump out of a tree in the mountains near their hometown. Shaking the memory out of his mind, Leo got to work. Deciding to leave his eyes and hair, blond with red highlights, he immediately pulled up the list of available Samurai gear. Using his pool of 800 points that they all got as a starting point, he bought the staples of his kit. First to come up were the Hard Light Wall Emitter Rings from the Hard Light Technology catalog. These rings would allow him to set up killboxes for his team. Leo got two of them as each allows him to set three walls that are 10 feet on each side. Normally hard light has the limitation of being rather weak to allow them to be very adaptable, able to make any number of shapes. These, on the other hand, are only able to make walls. This allows them to be more robust at the cost of versatility. Second was his one and only damage ability, the Mark I Wrist Mounted Chemical Synthesizer from the Class I Antithesis Biomass Denial catalog. A favorite of his, it allowed him to fill a magnetically stabilized plasma ball with a few concoctions to let him fight the Antithesis or to just remove the biomass from the field. At Mark I, and with the limitation of this not actually being true Samurai tech, he could only preload three different mixtures into the gauntlet. His current choices were Greek Fire (a mixture that was released once one of the Greek themed Samurai discovered the secret), an acid that only melted Antithesis and was a wonderful exfoliant for humans, and finally, a mixture that would rapidly crystallize over whatever he threw it on. His third purchase was one of his favorites. A sleek rifle appeared in his hologram¡¯s hands. It was just below four feet in length with a rather large magazine hanging out of the bottom. Pulling the bolt back, Leo confirmed that the rifle was loaded with the requested nanite syringes. The rifle, Mark I Ranged Biotic Support Rifle, was another uncommon pick for most players of Samurai Rush. This was primarily because it could not damage Antithesis at all. The only thing this rifle fired were syringes filled with nanites meant to heal humans at range, allowing Leo to sit back and observe the battlefield while still keeping his team alive. Leo made the final purchase to truly round out his Samurai, an armor set that made it look like he was the Phoenix. Known as the Phoenix Mantle, it was a part of the Class I Mythical Phoenix catalog. As it appeared on his hologram, he marveled at the way it made him look fierce and powerful. The Phoenix Mantle was a rather simple armor piece compared to most. It offered middling protection against most direct attacks, but allowed him to steal the heat from any nearby object that produced heat and use it to power gear he planned to buy later in the game, or give him a cloak of fiery feathers that burnt any who got too close. When at rest, it looked like a cloak of feathers colored every color of fire you could attribute to normal fire; yellow, orange, and red, but when fully charged, it glowed in every color of the rainbow. It made him truly look like his gamer tags namesake, the Phoenix. By the end of his character creation, his loadout looked something like this: Class I Hard-Light Technology Catalog - 100 Pts Hard-light Wall Emitter Ring x2 - 60 Pts Class I Antithesis Biomass Denial Catalog - 50 Pts Mark I Wrist Mounted Chemical Synthesizer - 100 Pts Class I Combat Support Catalog - 50 Pts Mark I Ranged Biotic Support Rifle - 100 Pts Class I Mythical Phoenix - 120 Pts Armored Phoenix Cloak - 50 Pts Phoenix Heatsink - 50 Pts Points Remaining - 120 Character creation done, Leo finalized his options and loaded up the tournament version of Samurai Rush. When he loaded, he got the feeling of falling, one of the reasons it was called ¡°Diving¡± into the Mesh. Chapter 2 [Chapter 2] Loading into the tournament, Leo looked around. He had landed in the center plaza of a small city. All around him were apartments and multi-story buildings with a fountain in the center of the plaza and a couple small trees resting in plots around the edge. Wandering the plaza and the streets were NPCs. They might seem lifelike at first glance, but Leo had played enough games to notice how all the NPCs repeated basic actions. Leo spotted his team warming up off to the side and jogged over to join them. ¡°Did I miss much?¡± he asked while moving his arms and legs to get used to the mesh version of his body. A girl wearing a black skintight bodysuit with gold highlights, angular plates of armor over her vitals, and gold shoes with white wing designs on the sides said, ¡°Not much Leo, we were beginning to wonder if we needed to call a pause so you could fix Luke¡¯s helmet¡± Jess stretched her legs like a runner while she spoke. ¡°I already fixed the helmet! It just decided to break again because it doesn¡¯t like me!¡± cried Luke, AKA Minos, while doing push-ups, a large shield leaned up against a nearby bench. He wore heavy brown armor with a horned helmet on the ground next to him. Leo chuckled at his friends bickering. ¡°Remember, we use our tags while in the mesh Pegasus.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say Phoenix¡± Jess, AKA Pegasus, said while rolling her eyes at him. Echo, AKA Artemis, was busy messing around on a tablet while Kat, AKA Hephaestus simply lounged on a bench. ¡°Artemis! How are things looking?¡± Leo asked once he was close enough. ¡°Pretty standard setup. Roughly one million civvies to get to four shelters on the fringes and one megashelter in the middle. Haven¡¯t gotten to look at the surroundings yet but my initial guess is to expect at least one sewer attack but I¡¯ll know more in a bit.¡± Artemis said, their voice monotone and direct. ¡°Does that mean I can set up my toys yet? I hate waiting!¡± Cried Hephaestus, lightly kicking her feet in a feigned tantrum Leo chuckled at the antics his team got up to. ¡°Hephaestus, you know we can¡¯t set up defenses until the game actually starts. We¡¯re lucky we can get Artemis¡¯ drones up and going to do recon.¡± Hephaestus simply groaned loudly as she slumped more on the bench. A few minutes later a voice boomed into the air while a countdown flashing 5:00 appeared in the sky, ¡°Welcome contestants, to the 5th annual Finals of Samurai Rush! We know the rules of the game are well known to you, but for the sake of any new fans watching we¡¯ll go over the basics.¡± Leo¡¯s team gathered together to get ready for when the game would eventually start. ¡°First things first, the simulation is accelerated by three times, so one hour in the real world equals three hours for our Samurai.¡± ¡°The goal is simple: save as many civilians as possible while also killing as many Antithesis as you can. The game will be split into three stages with each team acting in their own version of the city.¡± ¡°The first stage will be a rush of smaller models who are here to scope out where the largest concentration of biomass is at. The second stage will be an attempt by the plants to break whatever defenses our plucky young Samurai have gotten setup. The third and final phase, should you all make it there, will be the chance for our Samurai to go on the attack to take out the hive once and for all.¡± The announcer held for a dramatic pause to let the rules sink in, ¡°You will have five minutes to set up any defenses you think you will need before the first Antithesis appears in the city. Good Luck¡± As the announcer signed off a trumpet sounded and the countdown went to 4:59. Leo got right to work, sending his team out. ¡°Hephaestus, work with Artemis to figure out where best to place your turrets. Minos, since we don¡¯t yet know where the plants are coming from I¡¯ll need you on standby ready to go.¡± Minos nodded, picking up his shield and hoisting his LMG in the other hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready¡± He stated. ¡°Pegasus, you¡¯re on civvie duty for now. Get them rounded up and into the nearest shelter. We can look at escorting them to the megashelter in the center later to make defense easier.¡± Pegasus nodded before taking off with a trail of dust in her wake. Artemis and Hephaestus took off down one of the streets presumably towards the nearest sewer entrance. Leo and Minos hung around while Leo worked on getting his augs to display a readout of his team''s health and energy status. ¡°How''s the helmet treating you?¡± Leo asked Luke while getting everything set up ¡°It works like a dream. I¡¯m always surprised at how well maintained your helmet is despite its age¡± ¡°Well yours would be that good too if you didn¡¯t throw it in the van every time we needed to pack up. Without a case I might add¡± Leo chuckled Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Luke grumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t throw it that hard. Besides, the cases just add more bulk and we barely fit everything in my van the first time around.¡± Leo just laughed at his friend before gesturing vaguely at the countdown, now reading 0:30. ¡°We can worry about how much junk we can fit in your trunk later. Best be ready.¡± Luke groaned while double checking his LMG and shield. ¡°What we should worry about is your awful sense of humor.¡± Leo called out over the team comms, ¡°Check in. How we doing?¡± ¡°Hephaestus and I are both good. We got turrets set up on four out of five objectives. Ten seconds out for the last.¡± came Artemis¡¯ voice. ¡°Pegasus is standing by in the Northeast mall. I¡¯ve already identified the shelter as being in the Southern corner of the first floor.¡± Pegasus¡¯ voice came over with a distinct sound of chewing. Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Pegasus, did you seriously buy food at the mall?¡± ¡°Mmm-maybe?¡± Leo could imagine the wide eyed innocent look she would give him as he just sighed. ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s your points. We have 10 seconds left. Artemis, what¡¯s the status of the last turret?¡± Hephaestus¡¯ voice came over. ¡°Turret is set. Moving back to plaza. Artemis is busy with her drones.¡± At this point, the countdown slowly went down to zero. As soon as it did the NPCs in the plaza froze as a message scrawled across everyone''s augs: ¡°INCURSION DETECTED! PLEASE EVACUATE TO THE NEAREST SHELTER!¡± Artemis spoke into the team comms. ¡°Looks like we were right. Two separate incursion sites coming from the sewer entrances. Sending pings to the map. Turrets have it handled for now so we will work on civvies.¡± Leo noticed two red dots appear on his HUD map. ¡°Sounds good. Looks like you¡¯re closest to the Southeast shelter. Minos, you¡¯re on Southwest, I¡¯ll take Northwest.¡± Leo got confirmation from his team before he watched Minos start loping toward his shelter. Leo set off at a jog towards the shelter he was in charge of while also telling civilians to get moving. On the way, he noticed an NPC who seemed to have tripped and twisted their ankle, making them unable to walk. Leo stopped next to him and pulled a syringe out of his gun. ¡°Here, this will fix your ankle¡± He said, before poking the man''s leg with the syringe. The entire thing seemed to melt into the man''s leg before they watched the swelling go down. The man got up, thanked Leo, and took off running towards the shelter. Leo finally reached the shelter and started ushering civilians inside. He was keeping an eye out for any stray antithesis but did not expect any to escape the turrets they had set up. Suddenly, He heard screaming coming from a couple streets over. Looking at his map he still only saw the two incursion sites. ¡°Artemis! It sounds like I have Antithesis at my location. Did we miss a site?¡± A couple seconds passed while Leo rushed towards the street. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it. It seems they somehow managed to take out one of the turrets at the site near you.¡± Artemis was calm and collected as she relayed the information. ¡°Hephaestus, I thought you could see the status of your turrets?¡± She asked over comms. A couple seconds passed with no answer. ¡°Why is she not answering, it¡¯s too early for one of the higher models that can mess with comms¡± Artemis wondered aloud. Leo glanced at his HUD showing his team status. The bars for Hephaestus were grayed out. ¡°Looks like she disconnected somehow. I¡¯m not sure how, I checked everyone''s gear before diving in. Lets hope she can get back in soon, until then, this just got harder.¡± Leo finally made it to the street the screams came from and saw a bunch of Model Three¡¯s tearing into nearby civilians. ¡°Over here! Get to the shelter! I¡¯ll hold off the plants!¡± he shouted as he queued up an acid ball from his gauntlet, knowing the acid wouldn¡¯t hurt any civilians. He chucked the ball at the nearest group of the large dog like aliens and watched as they melted into a puddle. He glanced at his point total which now showed 150. He helped the NPC that was knocked down to his feet and gave him a gentle shove towards the shelter. As Leo walked the street, he threw acid balls at any Antithesis he saw, slowly gaining points. He also shot any civilians he saw with wounds using his Biotic Rifle, watching as their wounds healed and they took off running for the shelter. By the time he cleared the street he ended up with 400 points both from kills and from his healing efforts. Usually for healing, he ended up getting double what he spent on the magazine for his gun, each shot netting him anywhere from 2-3 points depending on the severity of the wounds. Leo glanced at his HUD and saw the Hephaestus still hadn¡¯t rejoined. At this point it had been about 30 minutes in the real world. ¡°I don¡¯t think Hephaestus is joining back anytime soon. How are we doing?¡± Minos answered, ¡°I¡¯m holding out well enough. Got most of the civvies in the shelter.¡± ¡°My section is clear, where do you need me?¡± Came Pegasus¡¯ voice. ¡°I could use some help, I¡¯m not built for horde management without Hephaestus here.¡± Artemis said, the barest hint of stress coming through her voice. Leo made a snap decision, ¡°Go, Me and Minos will be fine for now.¡± His team taken care of, Leo went back to clearing out the Antithesis from around his shelter. He ended up needing to buy some Hummingbirds a couple times to gear up some of the security guard NPCs that finally showed up, lowering the amount of pressure on him considerably. Leo made use of his hard light rings to funnel the Antithesis into a narrow kill corridor making clearing them out much easier. While he was clearing out the plants, Leo glanced up at his HUD and noticed that both Artemis and Pegasus were grayed out as well. ¡®What the hell is going on. Artemis¡¯s gear was basically brand new and Pegasus treats hers like a baby.¡¯ ¡°Minos, any idea what happened to the others? It¡¯s like they all disconnected?¡± He asked into the team comms hoping to get an answer. ¡°I got nothing man, but the horde has definitely increased in the last minute or so.¡± Luke sounded breathless and Leo heard his LMG even without using the comms. ¡°We may need to call this. If the tournament is having this many issues there is no way we can complete this level.¡± Leo said. Forfeiting was not something he wanted to do, but with the majority of his team gone and likely unable to get back there wasn¡¯t much of another choice. ¡°Man, I really wanted to get this win too. I feel like we had it in the bag. Let me know when, I¡¯ll pull out¡± Luke said, disappointment heavy in his voice. Leo thought about their chance before eventually deciding on a course of action. ¡°Call it. We need to figure out what''s going on outside.¡± ¡°You got it boss. See you on the other side.¡± Luke said before Leo saw his name gray out as well. Mentally preparing himself for the disorientation from pulling out of the mesh, Leo followed after his friend a few moments later. Chapter 3 [CHAPTER 3] Waking up from the mesh, Leo thought he heard screaming. That was normal, there was something like 500,000 people in the stands around the stage. As he recovered more from the disorientation the screams took on a more sinister note. Instead of screams of cheering fans, they sounded like screams of pain and fear. Suddenly a scream of pain came from right next to him, finally breaking Leo out of his funk. Ripping his borrowed helmet off and pushing himself out of his chair, Leo finally saw the cause of the screams. In the midst of the stampeding crowd prowled something Leo had only ever seen on videos and in his Samurai Rush games. Antithesis were tearing their way through a crowd packed in so tight they could hardly move to get away. As he watched, two Model Threes tackled the tournament official who had double checked his work on Luke''s helmet and tore out his throat. Leo watched as he fell and gasped his last while reaching toward Leo for help. ¡®Luke! His chair was to the right of mine , or was my chair to the right of Luke¡¯s since we switched?¡¯ Leo shook the intrusive thought out of his mind as he turned toward where he last saw his best friend, only to see Luke throw an Antithesis off of him, showing that his gym time wasn¡¯t for nothing. As Leo watched, another Three snuck up behind Luke and pounced on his back, bringing the large man down. ¡°Luke!¡± Leo screamed as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Without much thought, Leo swung the helmet in his hand at the Model Three with a scream of rage. Though the Three tumbled off of Luke¡¯s back, it was only a couple feet. Leo¡¯s adrenaline running high and still in the mindset of his game Leo tried to queue up a ball of acid in his hand. Realizing too late that he no longer had any abilities, Leo watched as the Three got up and tore a chunk out of Luke''s shoulder. The sound that came out of Luke would haunt Leo¡¯s nightmares for a long time, a sound so full of pain and fear, it shut off the part of Leo''s brain that let him realize how stupid his plan was as he tackled the Three to the ground. Staring into the face of an Antithesis from point blank range is normally something that would incite fear into the most battle-hardened of mercs, but for Leo it only served to fuel his rage as the green and black of the things three-hinged jaw was currently stained red. Leo took the helmet and bashed the head of the Antithesis below him. As thuds turned to squelches and squelches turned into the thud of helmet on stage, a brief sharp pain spiked through his head, almost like a brain freeze turned to 11. System Initialized. The voice Leo heard was smooth and deep with a country accent that sounded like it came from his hometown up in Montana. Leo sat in shock for a second. ¡®I have to be hallucinating. People like him didn¡¯t become Samurai, not when he had pretended to be one for the last 6 years. But situations like this are exactly how samurai are born isn¡¯t it? Just in case it was real, it would be a waste to ignore this gift.¡¯ Before Leo could think to speak his ideas out loud a voice spoke in his head again. Leo glanced over at his friend who was still not moving. "Do it. Connect it to my augs" Class I Kinetic Firearms unlocked! Points reduced to - 60 New Purchase: Hummingbird Mark I Points reduced to - 50 In front of Leo appears a small box with a stylized Phoenix on the lid. It looked just like the sticker his dad gave him for his mesh helmet. Ripping the lid off Leo saw a familiar handgun. A large square barrel with three dozen needles visible in the muzzle, a barely curved handle with a square button instead of a trigger. Picking it up, Leo idly noted that it was slightly heavier than the one he usually used in the Mesh. Stolen novel; please report. A familiar visual glitch happened as Leo¡¯s augs refreshed, now showing a targeting circle wherever he pointed the pistol. Aiming it at a nearby Model Three trying to get at Luke, Leo squeezed the trigger. Four of the needles raced out of the barrel and impacted it in the head and the Three simply slumped over, sliding a couple feet closer to its goal. Target Eliminated! Reward - 10 Points ¡°Glad to see it still works the same.¡± Leo said as he slid towards Luke¡¯s prone form. ¡°Aegys, is Luke still¡­..¡± Leo couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Looking at his friend, the one he had grown up with and started their dream Esports team with, Leo saw the ragged wound where his neck met his shoulder. Before Aegys finished their sentence, Leo had sighted onto a nearby model three and pulled the trigger, dropping it immediately. Target Eliminated! Reward - 10 Points ¡°Buy it.¡± Leo said, his voice strained as he tried not to break down. Class I Medical Utilities unlocked! Points reduced to - 20 New Purchase: Class I Nano-Regenerative Suite Points reduced to - 0 A box appeared on the floor next to Leo, much the same as before. Opening it, Leo saw a syringe with a black liquid inside. Lei did as he was told and watched as the liquid was injected into his friend before shifting to hold his friend''s head in his lap. He watched as the wound on Luke¡¯s shoulder began closing, but before it could finish, the movement stopped. ¡°Aegys, what happened? Why isn¡¯t it fixing him?¡± ¡°Well then give me something for them to use. I can¡¯t let him die like this!¡± Leo cried, frantically trying to come up with plans on how to heal Luke. Leo¡¯s world lost all color at that. How could he survive when he let down his best friend? Samurai were known for performing miracles, if he was one of them now why couldn¡¯t he do the same? Why was it fair that he be held back from saving his friend by some made up number decided on by some alien ¡ª Leo felt a touch on his arm. Luke stared up at him, his face deathly pale, his smile shaky. ¡°Hey man, looks like your dream came true.¡± He winced as blood spurted out of his neck. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Leo asked "Saw... boxes. Samurai." Leo wiped a tear from his eye. Of course Luke would focus on someone else''s fortune rather than his misfortune. ¡°Doesn¡¯t do me much good. I tried saving you and fell short. Some Samurai I am.¡± Luke tried to sit up before slumping back to the floor. "Too... late. Not... enough." Luke was visibly losing strength as his voice got weaker the longer he talked. ¡°You should rest. I can go kill some of those plants and get the points I need to save you properly.¡± Leo begged his friend as he tried to make him more comfortable in his sitting position. "Too long... Help people..." Luke gestured to the surrounding stands where the screaming still hadn¡¯t stopped. ¡°I¡¯m sure the security teams will step in soon enough. I need to go get some points so I can buy some¡ª¡± Leo was interrupted by a strong grip on the back of his neck. Luke pulled him closer until their foreheads were touching. Blood flooded out of the wound on his neck but Luke ignored it, "Go! Save them! Phoenix..." Luke held Leo¡¯s head there for another second before a spurt of blood caused him to wince in pain before he lost all strength in his body, falling over onto the floor with a final exhalation. ¡°Luke!¡± Leo exclaimed, rushing to check on his friend. Leo stared at his best friend¡¯s body for a second. ¡°Aegys. No one else dies if I can help it. Do you have a record of my build in the game?¡± ¡°Yes. First thing should be either the cloak, or the wrist launcher. No need for the heatsink upgrade just yet. What are my points?¡± ¡°Well then,¡± Leo said, tucking the helmet with the Phoenix sticker into his friend''s arms before standing and turning towards the stands. ¡°Lets get some points.¡± Chapter 4 [CHAPTER 4] Briefly observing the stadium around him, Leo attempted to figure out where to start. ¡®Aegys, where is the shelter in this place?¡¯ Leo looked around for a moment before Aegys put a compass at the top of his vision. ¡®Thanks. Let¡¯s clear the North stairwell first and get the shelter opened up, if it isn¡¯t already¡¯ Turning north, Leo saw an ocean of people and Antithesis up in the stands, leaving him about ten feet between the stage and the seating. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Leo moved towards the stairs. Taking aim at his first target he dropped the Model Three before switching as fast as he could to the one next to it. Targets Eliminated! Reward - 20 Points ¡®This is too slow. Aegys, can my augs handle two connections at the same time?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll deal with it later. Keep a Hummingbird in each hand please.¡¯ Leo felt a weight settle into his left hand before a new aiming reticle populated his vision. Testing his new damage output he fired at a nearby Three while simultaneously targeting the one next to it with his other weapon. Now able to alternate his firing, Leo became a walking turret as he waded into the crowd. By the time he emptied his first Hummingbird he was officially at the bottom of the stairs leading to the entrance of the basement. Targets Eliminated! Reward - 110 Points Dropping the empty Hummingbird, Leo felt a familiar weight once again fill his hand as Aegys supplied a fresh one. New Purchase: Hummingbird Mark I Points reduced to - 120 Seeing Leo wading through the Model Threes, multiple people flocked towards him ¡°You¡¯re a Samurai? Please save us!¡± ¡°Please help!¡± ¡°Samurai!....¡± Many voices clamored around Leo since he cleared all the nearby Model Threes. ¡®Aegys, can these guns be used on people?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s fine. Get me one each for the next ten people we come across.¡¯ Leo saw multiple boxes appear in the hands of nearby people, each with a stylized phoenix on the lid New Purchase: Hummingbird Mark I x10 Points reduced to - 20 He raised his voice to be heard. ¡°Our goal is the shelter at the bottom of the stairs! Clear out any Antithesis you see and bring as many people as you can save!¡± At his words, the people who had boxes tore them open and pulled out the Hummingbirds. These versions were colored in shades of orange and red with wings engraved on the sides. A couple of them flinched at the visual glitches but in a moment all were turning towards the stairs. Leo walked towards the stairs leading his impromptu militia while shooting any Antithesis he came across. With the people around him shooting as well as himself, they managed to make it down the stairs and to the door of the shelter much easier than Leo had anticipated. Already, two of the people around him had spent all their ammo but they clutched the guns still. ¡®Probably trying to keep them as collectibles¡¯ Leo mused briefly. Stolen story; please report. Looking at the door to the shelter Leo saw that it was closed. Looking to the control panel next to it his heart jumped into his throat. Shelter Lock Enabled The words scrolling across the screen were the worst possible outcome. Someone had locked the shelter doors from the inside, something that was only meant to be used to stop people inside from freaking out and trying to run for it. As he jabbed a finger at the screen, a face popped up. ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± ¡°What do I want? I want you to open the fucking door! There are people who need to get in!¡± Leo told him, barely keeping himself from yelling. The man on the screen was visibly sweating, his eyes darting around nervously, ¡°No can do. We open this door then the Antithesis will get in and we are too important to take that risk.¡± Leo felt the blood rush to his head. ¡®Can we open the shelter?¡¯ As Aegys finished talking, the screen in front of Leo beeped and the doors began opening. ¡°What have you done? You¡¯ve killed us all!¡± Cried an outraged voice from inside. Leo turned to the crowd of people behind him. ¡°Everyone inside, now!¡± As people streamed inside the shelter, Leo stepped to the side. ¡®Aegys, How many points do I have?¡¯ Leo was shocked, ¡®How did I get so many?¡¯ ¡®Well, looks like I¡¯ll be upgrading sooner rather than later. Get me the two rings and the full cloak¡¯ Class I Hard-Light Technology unlocked! Points reduced to - 400 New Purchase: Hardlight Wall Emitter (Ring) x2 Points reduced to - 340 Class I Mythical Phoenix Catalog unlocked! Points reduced to - 220 New Purchase: Armored Phoenix Mantle Points reduced to - 120 Two boxes appeared at his feet. The larger of the two was the size of a boot box and the smaller one was slightly larger than a ring box. Both boxes were covered in feather designs in red, orange, and yellow with a phoenix on the lid. Opening the larger of the two, Leo was met with a cloak that was simultaneously familiar and new. Holding it up he could see that the cloak appeared to be made of large feathers. Putting it on, Leo noticed that part of it hugged his sides while another part settled over his shoulders. Once he settled into it he was shocked at how much movement he had while wearing it. Nodding to himself he moved on to the smaller of the two boxes. Opening it he saw two rings that had what looked like three small rubies set into each. Processing this new information as he finished putting on his new gear, ¡®Let''s worry about that later. For now, we need to clear the other stairwells. What weapons can I buy similar to the Hummingbird to help the people hold this entrance?¡¯ ¡®Good enough. Buy ten guns and as many magazines as I can get¡¯ New Purchase: Cerberus SMG x10 Points reduced to - 70 New Purchase: Cerberus SMG 30-round magazine x40 Points reduced to - 30 The area between the shelter door and the stairs was still full of people, but now just off to the side was a small mountain of boxes. ¡®Aegys, can you send a notification to people nearby?¡¯ ¡®¡°Those who are willing to protect others, meet Phoenix at the entrance to the shelter¡± add an acknowledge button and limit it to the first ten¡¯ Before long, Leo had a group of ten people standing near him and the pile of boxes. The group consisted of a handful of the security guards as well as a couple fans wearing jerseys of the different teams, two of which were the purple of Leo¡¯s team. ¡°Each of you takes a gun and two magazines. Each magazine holds 30 rounds.¡± Leo looked at the guards. ¡°Which one of you is the senior officer?¡± A man stepped forward, He was a little taller than Leo and had a well-groomed beard. ¡°I¡¯m putting you in charge of organizing this area. There are twenty extra mags in that box. Anyone who needs in, gets in. I don¡¯t care what dipshit in there says.¡± Leo gestured vaguely at the shelter. The guard looked at Leo with an expression bordering on respect. ¡°Yes sir¡± Leo nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll need three people to come with me to secure the next stairwell.¡± After a brief deliberation, three of the guards handed their extra magazines to the senior guard and formed up near Leo. The senior guard started barking orders at people that were left. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move.¡± Leo said, turning around and walking down the hall. The three guards spread out behind him, weapons ready. Chapter 5 [CHAPTER 5] Moving down the hallway, Leo and his three guards were on guard for any Antithesis. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan. We are going to each stairwell and kit out a group of people much like I did back at the shelter. One of you will stay behind at each spot to oversee the defense. Any questions?¡± Glancing back at the guards, Leo saw them shake their heads. ¡®Aegys, can we set up a standard package of six Cerberus SMGs and 30 additional magazines to buy at each stairwell?¡¯ Leo grimaced a bit at that. ¡®Nothing to do for it now I guess. As soon as I have the points, buy the kit¡¯ As the group walked, the sound of footsteps came from in front of them. Around the bend came a man holding a small child. Seeing this, Leo picked up the pace. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked. The man rushed to Leo. ¡°Samurai! There are Antithesis that followed us down the stairs. They managed to attack Jenny here before we could escape!¡± At that Leo looked closer at the child in the man''s arms, seeing that her clothes were covered in blood, ¡®Aegys, Nano Regen and Hemo Restore¡¯ New Purchase: Class I Nano-Regenerative Suite Points reduced to - 10 New Purchase: Class I Hemo-Restore Points reduced to - 5 Two boxes dropped into Leo¡¯s hands. Opening the first one he saw a syringe with a red liquid and injected it into the child¡¯s leg. The second box contained what looked like a large patch. Taking a guess Leo stuck it to the child''s leg and watched as it seemed to disappear. ¡°Continue down this hallway, the shelter has been secured¡± Leo said, pointing the man down the hallway. Giving a nod, the man rushed away while Leo and his team continued towards the stairs. The closer they got, the more blood covered the walls and floor. Leo froze when they came across a Model Three standing over a prone body. Before he could react, one of the guards let loose with his SMG. ¡°Better than letting it continue.¡± he said without much emotion. Leo stared for a second before he was shaken out of it by a hand on his shoulder. One of the older guards looked at him, ¡°It¡¯s never easy son. But it gets better. The best we can do is spare their remains in the hopes we can get their family some closure.¡± Leo nodded after a moment, gathering himself. ¡°Thanks.¡± Leo kept moving, stopping only briefly to see if the person was alive. Before long Leo heard shouts and crying along with an odd thumping noise. Picking up the pace, he came across a group of people. Many of them were laying on the ground obviously injured while a small handful were bracing against the doors to the stadium center. Observing the team holding the door Leo spotted a familiar figure. ¡°Kat!¡± She whirled in his directions before her face lit up in relief. ¡°Leo! I¡¯m so glad you made it! What¡¯s with the new threads?¡± she asked. ¡°Somehow I became a Samurai. Figured I might as well stick with what I was familiar with. How about you? You look like you upgraded a bit too.¡± Leo looked her over. When he last saw her she had on comfortable shoes and sweatpants and their team''s jersey. Now looking at her she had sturdy boots and what looked like a leather jacket. In her hands she held a stubby shotgun. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°No shit, you too? You¡¯ll have to tell me the story later. We have a bunch of people here who can¡¯t move and the Antithesis are beating that door with everything they have.¡± As if to enforce her point, there was a loud bang and Leo watched as the door bent inwards a bit. ¡°I¡¯m too short on points to be able to get anyone up and moving right now. I do have my hard-light walls if we want to try for a killbox.¡± Kat chewed her lip for a second. ¡°It would definitely help to get our point totals up. I¡¯m sitting on less than 20 after getting my gear. We don¡¯t have much firepower though.¡± Leo gestured toward the guards that came with him. ¡°I brought my own. While we keep the door cleared I¡¯ll get Aegys to buy some medical stuff. Some of the people who are up and moving can work on applying it.¡± Kat thought for just a second before nodding. ¡°Sounds like a plan. Let¡¯s get set up then.¡± Putting actions to words, Kat spun around and went up to an older woman who appeared to be directing and pointed her in Leo¡¯s direction. ¡°Tell me what you need. I¡¯ll get somebody on it¡± the woman said as soon as she walked over to Leo. He was taken aback by the brusque tone for just a moment before gathering himself. ¡°Right. As I get the points I can buy some medical supplies to start getting the injured able to move to the shelter. I¡¯ve already secured the entrance and cleared the section of hallway between here and there. What I need is for people to take the supplies and get them to those who need them.¡± She nodded quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll get it handled. Just don¡¯t let the plants break through.¡± With that, she turned and started barking orders at some people who were standing nearby. That handled, Leo turned towards his three guards. ¡°I need you guys to take down anything that gets through the doors. I won¡¯t have time to get more ammo so if you run out, start getting people moving.¡± The three guards nodded. With everything handled as best as they were able Leo got into position in front of the doors. ¡®Aegys, can the hard-light walls hold up to the weight behind those doors?¡¯ It is unlikely they would hold if you were to try to fully block the entrance. I would suggest using them to funnel the Antithesis through a narrow gap. Nodding Leo held his hands out. ¡°Kat! Death Funnel!¡± She nodded before she prepared her shotgun. ¡°Now!¡± With his shout, the people holding the doors backed off quickly while Leo activated his ring. In front of the doors two curtains of flame appeared to flow from the top of the doors downwards, each solidifying in a 10ft x 10ft square of flame with a narrow gap in the center. With a bang the doors slammed open and then all hell broke loose. With a roar Kats shotgun pulped the head of the first Model Three to make it through the gap. Target Eliminated! Reward - 6 Points For the next few minutes Leo focused on keeping the hard-light walls in place while shooting his Hummingbird at whatever he could lock onto, his three guards filled the narrow gap with as many bullets as they could, and Kat tossed some grenades through the doors making both their points skyrocket. While the Samurai focused on keeping the plants out of the door, the civilians got to work distributing the medical supplies that piled up behind Leo. Boxes containing Hemo-Restores and Nano Regenerative Suites went out almost as fast as Leo could buy them until soon enough every injured civilian had moved out of the area and towards the shelter. ¡°Kat! I think we got all the civilians out of here. How are you on points?¡± Leo asked. He had long since paused the kill notifications. ¡°I¡¯m sitting at around 2000 right now. Haven''t had a chance to spend much beyond some explosives.¡± She said while chucking a grenade through the doors. Leo glanced back at his guards who had started herding people to the shelter before turning back to Kat. ¡°Get moving to the shelter and set up. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re sticking with turrets?¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the plan. How about you? That pea shooter won¡¯t hold the horde back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a plan. Send the guards back.¡± Kat took off running and Leo focused purely on blocking the doors with his hard-light walls, replacing them quickly as they broke. ¡®Aegys, I need some guns that can hold this horde with just those three.¡¯ ¡®Load three of them with whatever can deal the most damage to the Antithesis and give them to the guards¡¯ ¡°Weapons inbound. Help me hold back the horde while Kat gets set up!¡± he shouted as the guards came back. New Purchase: Mark I Hydra LMG (Incendiary) x3 Points reduced to - 1425 The guards immediately ripped open the boxes that appeared nearby. Pulling the weapons out Leo noted that the weapons were styled in shades of red and orange with feather designs all over. The guards immediately set up on either side of him so they could fire through the door. Chapter 6 [CHAPTER 6] Leo and the guards held the door for quite awhile before they decided enough time had passed for Kat to secure the shelter entrance. ¡®I need something that can help with a fighting retreat as well. A damage obstacle of some kind¡¯ I would suggest the Class I Area Denial Catalog for 100 Points. It has many options to accomplish what you want to include razor wire and various mines. I would stay away from the more explosive mines due to the confined space and instead opt for the incendiary mines as your cloak will shield you from the heat. They can be stuck on any flat surface. ¡®Get me five to start with. Can you arm them remotely so we don¡¯t trip them when we run?¡¯ Certainly. Standby Class I Area Denial unlocked! Points reduced to - 1325 New Purchase: Incendiary Mines x5 Points reduced to - 1310 Leo pointed at one of the guards when the box appeared. ¡°Get these set up around here. Once I drop the walls we need to book it down the hall and then it¡¯s a fighting retreat.¡± Leo refreshed the hard-light walls as he noticed the current ones were getting faint The batteries in your rings are about to die. You can manage at most one more wall to block the doors. ¡®Damn. We¡¯ll need to look at upgrading them later, among other things.¡¯ Leo looked over to the guards as they set the last mine. ¡°You ready?¡± he asked. Getting nods from the others Leo took off running down the hall until he was around the corner and just able to see the doorway. ¡°Shit, I hope Kat is ready with her turrets. Can¡¯t believe I forgot to set up comms¡± Would you like me to connect you to Samurai Katerina? ¡®I thought the networks were overloaded?¡¯ While the standard networks are overloaded, Samurai act on the Protector networks. It would take much more traffic than Earth''s population to make them struggle ¡®Then please do¡¯ ¡°Kat, we are getting ready to head your way. Are your turrets ready?¡± The response came a moment later. ¡°I will be by the time you get here. Just make sure you stay ahead of the plants.¡± Suddenly the doors burst open and Leo watched as one of them flew across the short hallway. Immediately afterwards, a sea of antithesis came rushing through while the guards opened fire. Not wanting to be caught lacking, Leo decided he needed a weapon. ¡®Aegys, get me one of those LMGs. I can¡¯t be stuck here with no weapon¡¯ The LMG in question weighs roughly 25 lbs when fully loaded. Given that you no longer have anything else connected to your augs, you will be able to use your Wrist Mounted Chemical Synthesizer with minimal heat issues. ¡®Get it. As soon as we have a moment, remind me to upgrade my augs¡¯ Of course. Standby. Class I Antithesis Biomass Denial unlocked! Points reduced to - 1450 New Purchase: Mark I Wrist Mounted Chemical Synthesizer Points reduced to - 1350 Leo caught the bracer that appeared in the air in front of him. A moment later he had a new icon on his HUD with three familiar options. Suddenly the temperature in the tunnel skyrocketed when the Antithesis hit the mines. His face felt a little tight but oddly enough his body merely felt like he was standing next to a campfire. ¡°Aegys, three incendiary mines every ten feet please¡± Standby As Leo and the guards moved down the hall, he activated his chemical synthesizer. In his hand appeared a glowing ball with liquid inside. Throwing the ball in front of the charging Antithesis Leo watched as they were consumed by flames. ¡°This should hold them for now. Get to the shelter!¡± Leo and the guards turned their backs on the horde and ran for the shelter as fast as they could, the sound of flames chasing them the whole way. While Leo ran down the hallway Aegys would buy the incendiary mines and place them on the walls and floor. Leo could see Kats turrets before he was able to see the entrance to the shelter. As he and the guards ran, Leo shouted at the defenders, ¡°Incoming horde!¡± and watched as the front of the shelter became a flurry of activity. In a small gap appeared Kat yelling to Leo and his guards. ¡°If you don¡¯t hurry up and get in here I¡¯m not responsible for the new holes in your bodies!¡± The group slid through the gap seconds before the turrets making up the defensive line lit up with gunfire. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Kat turned from setting up a final turret in the gap Leo had just ran through. ¡°This should hold for now, but soon enough there are going to be too many bodies in the hallway and the Antithesis will be able to push closer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got my gauntlet, but that will only last so long, and I don¡¯t have the gear to upgrade much further yet.¡± Leo said, taking a quick inventory. ¡°How long would it take you to get those upgrades? If we can get your crowd control it would strengthen our chances of surviving this.¡± Kat asked as she glanced nervously at the horde. If you were to get the upgrades I have listed for you it would take approximately five minutes to install. However, I would recommend 20-30 minutes for recovery after. ¡°Aegys says about 30 minutes. Can you hold for that long?¡± Kat thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll manage. Go get yourself taken care of and I¡¯ll make sure you have a defense to come back to.¡± Leo nodded and went inside the shelter. At the entrance was one of the stadium guards who saluted as Leo passed. ¡°Sir! Welcome back.¡± Leo just smiled awkwardly, ¡®I am really not used to this.¡¯ Out loud, ¡°No need to salute. Do you know if there is a room available? I need to do some shopping.¡± The soldier immediately pointed to a door off to the side. ¡°We made sure this room was empty for you and Samurai Kat.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Leo said as he headed for the door. Inside was a simple room with a desk, chair, and small cot. Sitting on the cot, ¡®Alright Aegys, what do we have, and what is my point total?¡¯ First and foremost, you have a total of 2732 points from your run through the hall. ¡®That¡­That¡¯s a lot of points. I didn¡¯t think there was that many Antithesis in the hall¡¯ You are also continuously getting points since the Greek Fire you use sticks around quite stubbornly. In terms of upgrades, you should first look at upgrading your augs to support the gear you will be purchasing. There is already some mild heat damage from your current set trying to support the Hummingbirds as well as the hard-light rings. ¡®That would explain the headache.¡¯ Yes well, I would suggest buying the Class I Command, Control, & Communication (C3) catalog along with the Mark I Overwatch augmentation upgrade. I can combine the Overwatch with some gear from your Mythical Phoenix catalog to make it compliment some of the other gear. Total cost would be 150 points. ¡®Sounds reasonable. What''s next?¡¯ Next, you need some armor beyond just your Phoenix Cloak. From your Mythical Phoenix catalog you would want the Phoenix Down Bodysuit for 30 points. This will protect your body from heat damage with much more coverage than the cloak while also being able to feed directly to the heatsink. Along with the Flamewalker boots for another 30 points, this will allow you to walk directly through most flames while taking no damage. They are also extremely moisture wicking and come with smart insoles to make every step a dream! Leo chuckled. ¡®No need to go all salesman on me. Iit will definitely look better than running around with my jersey.¡¯ Leo smirked while idly picking at the holes in his jersey. ¡®Anything else you want to recommend?¡¯ Just one last thing. You need a face shield of some kind. ¡®I would rather not cover my face if I can help it. People don¡¯t usually react too well to a featureless mask¡¯ Not a problem. With your Hard-Light Technology catalog we can get you a heat shield that will not cover you visually for 40 points ¡®Sounds good. Go ahead and get all that. I also need some upgraded hard-light walls. These ran out far too fast.¡¯ Of course. The Mark II Hard-Light Wall emitters are a direct upgrade. Boasting longer battery life as well as more durable walls. They should stand up to a direct attack by anything up to the mid-teens in terms of Antithesis Models. They are 80 points each. ¡°Sounds perfect. Go ahead and get it all and let me know where to start.¡± I would suggest starting with the armor. Once you start the augmentation upgrade you are not going to want to move for a bit. Standby. Class I Command, Control, & Communication (C3) catalog unlocked! Points reduced to - 2632 New Purchase: Mark I Overwatch augmentation upgrade Points reduced to - 2582 New Purchase: Phoenix Down Bodysuit Points reduced to - 2552 New Purchase: Flamewalker Boots Points reduced to - 2522 New Purchase: Hardlight Heat-shield (Face) Points reduced to - 2482 New Purchase: Mark II Hard-Light Wall Emitters (Ring) x2 Points reduced to - 2322 Multiple boxes appeared on the floor around the cot, all of them with stylized phoenixes on the cover and one of them actually looked like the flames were moving. I would start there. Fairly certain Aegys was as excited as a kid on christmas, Leo grabbed the flaming box. Inside was a folded set of clothing that looked like a suit without the jacket. Once he put it on Leo noticed that it was extremely soft and fit him like a second skin. ¡°Is this the bodysuit?¡± It is! It is made from the down feathers of the Phoenix race. It will keep you warm in extreme cold and cool in extreme heat. It is also entirely fireproof. The pants and shirt actually connect while you wear them, but can be taken apart and worn separately. Leo smirked at how excited Aegys was. At the bottom of the box was a set of boots. Putting them on Leo saw that they came up to mid-calf and had a small heel on them. It felt like walking on the softest blanket in the world. Leo picked one of the last smaller boxes. Inside were two rings very similar to his current ones but with slightly larger gems. He picked up the final box and saw a pendant in the shape of a Phoenix. ¡°The face shield I¡¯m assuming?¡± he asked. Correct. When it detects any temperature spike that would injure you it will conjure a hard-light shield to block the heat. It will also block some light debris, but you will need to watch for a dedicated attack. Leo put the necklace on before picking up the final box. Opening the lid Leo saw two small disks about one inch in diameter as well as a small pill Place one disk at the base of your neck and the other on your temple, then lay down. You should also take the pill as it will lessen the pain. Taking a deep breath, Leo did as he was told. Once he took the pill he laid down. ¡°How will I know it¡ª¡± Suddenly his world went white before fading just as quickly to nothing. Chapter 7 [CHAPTER 7] ¡°-eo, Leo wake up!¡± There was a sharp pain followed by the sound of a slap. ¡°If you die here I swear I will kill you!¡± Leo opened his eyes only to screw them shut a second later at the stabbing pain. ¡°Wha- what happened?¡± I¡¯m sorry Leo, while the damage to your cranial tissues was minor, you are apparently very sensitive to any changes. Despite the pill working to limit any sensation you nonetheless felt the installation of your aug upgrades ¡°What does that mean? Will I still be able to see? Do I have brain damage now?!¡± Leo started panicking a bit. Nothing quite that serious. It merely means that in the future we will need to take extra precautions before upgrading your augs or introducing any additional gear. Leo sighed in relief. ¡°Okay, I can work with that.¡± He tried opening his eyes again. Slowly the room came into focus, and then kept focusing until he could see details he never would be able to before. Your new aug upgrade allows you to see details far beyond your previous eyes. It will also enable you to control more gear without the risk of heat damage. ¡®Well that¡¯s good.¡¯ Leo sat up in the bed, only then noticing that Kat was kneeling next to the bed with tears in her eyes. ¡°Leo. I¡­I thought you weren¡¯t going to make it. Are you okay?¡± Kat asked. ¡°Yea, I¡¯m fine. Apparently I am extremely sensitive to any changes with my head-meat. Speaking of, Aegys, what exactly happened?¡± A crackle came from a speaker near the ceiling. ¡°Due to your sensitivity there was a massive adrenaline spike shortly after the installation started causing your vital signs to fluctuate wildly. I informed Samurai Katerina that you required immediate medical assistance.¡± Kat piped up. ¡°I rushed in here and hit you with some stabilizers but you still wouldn¡¯t wake up. You¡¯ve been out for almost two hours now¡± ¡°Two hours! How are the defenses, did anybody get hurt?¡± Leo asked ¡°Nobody is injured. We had a couple scares with some Model Fives and a single Model Six, but nothing we couldn¡¯t handle. We could use your help to get rid of the buildup though.¡± Kat said, standing up. Leo stood up but almost sat right back down after a wave of dizziness hit him. It quickly passed and he stepped towards the door. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± Kat stood in front of him. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? We can give you some more time if you need.¡± Leo shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Best way to calibrate the new gear is to use it.¡± She looked rather unconvinced, but finally nodded and left the room. Following after her Leo noticed a few people watching them with adoration in their eyes. Stepping through the entrance to the shelter, Leo noticed a couple things right away. There was no longer a constant stream of people coming into the shelter, instead through the door Leo could see a cleared area with people running back and forth to man the defensive lines. ¡°Did we finally get everyone into the shelter?¡± he asked. Kat glanced back, ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s everyone, but we haven¡¯t seen anyone else running around up top and the swarm of Antithesis has slowed down. Instead of a constant wave of them we get groups of up to twenty at a time trying to push to the lines.¡± Leo nodded. ¡°Ok, we let me get the hallways cleared of biomass and you can work on any upgrades you need.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really need any upgrades right now. Well, I do need them, but any meaningful upgrades I get are going to need more room than we have. Buying all these turrets fully built is expensive so I want to get a production area, but we don¡¯t have the room for that so I¡¯ll just build up my points for later.¡± Leo thought for a second before nodding. ¡°That makes sense.¡± He moved to one of the lines of turrets. Past the line and into the hallway there was a mountain of Antithesis corpses. As he watched, a Model Three clambered over the top before the bark of gunfire to his right caused the Model Three¡¯s head to burst. Immediately after one of the soldiers called out. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we have another one that melted.¡± Kat rushed over. ¡°Shit, I¡¯m spending more replacing barrels than I am buying turrets.¡± Leo looked over after throwing a couple acid balls at the piles of plant gore. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Kat shook her head. ¡°Nothing unexpected. The turrets were firing almost constantly so a lot of the barrels had built up heat. It¡¯s causing them to lose any structural integrity they had and droop like guys over fifty¡± Worry not Leo. There are treatments available to Samurai that make that a non-issue ¡°I can probably help with that. My cloak can absorb the heat from them to keep them from breaking down. Also, Aegys shut up.¡± Leo fought down a laugh at his AIs response. ¡°That would be wonderful! But you would have to do it slowly to avoid the metal warping.¡± Kat said, jumping up from her crouched position. ¡°No problem. The Phoenix Cloak does it passively so it should be fine, right Aegys?¡± Leo asked. There should be no problem Leo gave a thumbs up as he moved to the other side of the defensive square. After throwing another few acid balls at the pile of Antithesis there he looked toward the doors that led to the main stage of the stadium. ¡°We should probably head out and see if we can save anybody else. Maybe figure out if there is a hive nearby.¡± Looking over at Kat, Leo saw her biting her lip. ¡°I¡­I know we probably should, but the idea of actively walking into a hive terrifies me. Besides, I¡¯m better built to defend an area, can¡¯t really move turrets around too easily.¡± Leo smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay to be scared. Besides, somebody needs to keep the shelter safe. I¡¯ll head out later and see if I can¡¯t find anybody that needs help. I¡¯ll send them your way so you can keep them safe okay?¡± Kat nodded, relief clear in her eyes. ¡°Sounds like a plan. For now, let''s get these hallways clear.¡± Leo tossed a few more acid balls on either side of the hallway before moving towards the doors to the stadium. Looking out he saw a field of dead Antithesis spread out all over. A couple of Kats turrets next to the entrance idly panned back and forth, constantly looking for more enemies. ¡®Aegys, I don¡¯t think my acid is enough to cover all of this. Do you have anything better?¡¯ Part of the Class I Antithesis Biomass Denial catalog would be the Mark I Flesh Melter. They are programmed to find any organic materials and break them apart. Each use will cover a 30 foot radius circle. After deployment I would not recommend walking nearby for approximately 15 minutes. ¡®Sounds perfect, if also terrifying. Get me enough to cover this whole area please¡¯ Of course. Standby New Purchase: Mark I Flesh Melter x4 Points reduced to - 2310 A box appeared with a button on top. After pushing the button a cylinder rose up with four soda cans, smoke pouring out of the opening in the box. ¡®Is there a reason smoke is pouring out of this box?¡¯ I thought it would look cool Leo just shook his head as he grabbed one of the cans. Seeing a pop tab he cracked it before throwing it into the field of dead Antithesis. Seeing nothing happen Leo asked, ¡®Did you get me a dud?¡¯ The Mark I Flesh Melter is a slow acting nanite. It is meant as a utility item rather than a weapon ¡®Huh. Well okay then, guess we¡¯ll have to wait before going on a search mission anyway.¡¯ Leo tossed the last three cans around the area and walked back into the basement. Looking over at the guards, ¡°Make sure no one walks into the field of dead plants for the next fifteen minutes.¡± before continuing on to the shelter. Once he got back to the entrance, Leo noticed that the hallways were once again clear of bodies and the air smelled faintly of mint. Kat was standing in the center of the defensive square staring into space. ¡°Hey Kat, if you want to go take a break I can handle this for a while.¡± She shook her head a bit before smiling, ¡°Thanks Leo. I spent all of last night studying the other teams so I¡¯m not exactly awake enough for an actual alien invasion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us are awake enough for that.¡± A couple of the nearby guards chuckled. ¡°But you go get some rest. I¡¯ll be here when you¡¯re done.¡± She nodded before turning and walking into the room he had used earlier. Leo settled in the center of the cleared area so his cloak could soak up any nearby heat and waited for her to wake up. Chapter 8 [CHAPTER 8] A few hours had passed with the defensive turrets rattling off a couple rounds every once in a while as a stray Antithesis wandered by. A couple of survivors heard the sounds of gunfire and risked the journey to the shelter, arriving long after the flesh melters had finished their work. Leo was in the process of clearing out the built up Antithesis bodies in the hallway when there was a loud yawn from the shelter entrance. He glanced over to see Kat rubbing her eyes before slipping on a new trench coat that had multiple hardened plates attached. Leo tossed the wrapping of the field ration he found earlier into the pile of Antithesis bits that were burning nearby. ¡°Morning sleepyhead. Looks like you slept well.¡± He said, laughing. Kat waved a hand in his general direction before suddenly stopping. Before Leo could ask what was wrong a cup appeared in her hand with steam coming out of the top. She took a sip and smiled contentedly. Leo stepped over. ¡°Whatcha got there?¡± ¡°Coffee. Probably the best damn coffee I¡¯ve had in awhile. It¡¯s not that hot, coffee flavored water either, it¡¯s the real deal.¡± she said, taking another sip. ¡°Seriously? How did you get it? I could use some.¡± His eyes were locked on the cup of soul liquid. Kat turned slightly as if protecting the cup in her hands. ¡°Just ask your AI, and stay away from mine!¡± She drank deeply before wincing as the, presumably, hot liquid burned her tongue. ¡°We can get coffee from them too? I thought it was just weapons and armor?¡± ¡°It shocked me too, but there are whole catalogs with just regular stuff. Clothes, food, drinks. Plus you don¡¯t have to buy the catalogs, all Samurai have access.¡± Leo thought about this revelation for a moment. ¡®Aegys.¡¯ ¡®Do you have coffee?¡¯ Leo took a deep breath. ¡®Do you possibly know where to get coffee?¡¯ Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡®You¡¯re an ass.¡¯ New Purchase: Dirty Bean Water Points reduced to - 2309 Somehow Leo could feel the sarcasm rolling off his resident AI as a paper cup appeared in his hand. He chose to ignore the name as he took a tentative sip and felt the heat suffuse his body in that unique way a warm drink in the morning does. As he savored the feeling he noticed the depth of flavor the coffee seemed to have, far outpacing any coffee he had ever bought from a shop. Noticing some of the people nearby glancing over at him and Kat with obvious longing, Leo decided to take pity on them. Moving over to the wall near the shelter entrance he asked, ¡®Aegys, is it possible to get a coffee stand that can serve everyone out here?¡¯ Wincing a bit at the idea of willingly buying decaf, but realizing that not everyone likes caffeine, ¡®Go for it. They need it.¡¯ If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. New Purchase: Field Coffee Bar Points reduced to - 2307 Next to the door appeared a plastic folding table that held 6 large coffee jugs and a couple of stacks of cups and lids. Three of the jugs were marked green and said ¡®Decaf¡¯ on them. Turning to the crowd of defenders, ¡°Don¡¯t crowd the table too much, there is enough coffee for everyone.¡± There was immediately a line of people that moved remarkably quickly as everybody loaded up on coffee. The two Samurai stood nearby, watching as the defenders shuffled through the line rather quickly. Leo turned to Kat as she finally started to wake up. ¡°I need to head into the stadium to see if there is anybody left. Possibly look at getting some better assistance getting these people out of here.¡± Kat just nodded. ¡°I would come with you but¡­the idea of willingly going out of a defensive area scares me more than I¡¯d like to admit. You¨CYou didn¡¯t see what they did to Jess.¡± Kat stared into space for a moment before taking a large drink of her coffee. ¡°You¡¯re right, I didn¡¯t see what they did to Jess. But I was with Luke when I pulled out of the sim. I can¡¯t let what happened to him happen to anyone else.¡± Leo watched as Kat¡¯s eyes widened before they started shining with tears. ¡°They got Luke too?¡± Even if Leo was deaf he would have heard the pain in her voice. As his wordless nod the tears in her eyes began to make tracks down her cheeks. Pulling her to his chest Leo held her as her body rocked, His cloak somehow big enough to wrap around her too. Some of the people nearby looked over at them but were polite enough to not say anything. After a couple of minutes Kat pulled back, wiping her eyes. She reached out to grab the edge of his cloak, ¡°Your cloak is amazingly soft and warm. It would make the perfect blanket.¡± Leo nodded, noticing her change of subject but letting it go. ¡°It really is. There were a couple of times while I was watching out here that I almost fell asleep.¡± They stood like that for a few more moments before Leo drained the last of his coffee. ¡°I should probably get going to see if there is anybody out there, will you be okay here?¡± She nodded, glancing at his face. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Worst comes we have the shelter.¡± she paused for a moment. ¡°Do you really need to go out there? I¡¯m sure there are other Samurai heading this way, we could hold the shelter and make sure we keep these people safe.¡± Leo was nodding before she finished speaking. ¡°I need to do this. I can¡¯t let more people die if there is something I can do about it.¡± Kat stared into his eyes for a long moment before nodding. ¡°I get it. Just make sure you come back safe.¡± Leo gave her a small smile before turning and heading to the entrance to the stadium, not noticing how Kat refused to let go of his cloak until he was out of reach. Going through his gear, Leo cataloged each item in a mental list. His armor was all in good condition. Glancing at his HUD he saw that his hard-light rings and his chemical bracer were all fully charged. ¡®Aegys, just for the sake of symmetry please get me another chemical synthesizer.¡¯ New Purchase: Mark I Wrist Mounted Chemical Synthesizer Points reduced to - 2207 Unpacking the box Leo attached the second bracer, seeing the status pop up next to his original. Gear set, he set out into the main section of the stadium. As he exited the stairway he saw that the field he had set the flesh melters in had been cleared of Antithesis. Leo walked over to the stage in the center of the giant room, keeping an eye out for any stray Antithesis. Once he got there he noticed that no bodies were left. Settled against one of the mesh chairs he saw a helmet with a phoenix sticker on it. Picking it up he turned it to face him, staring into where someone''s eyes would be. After a few moments Leo set the helmet on the chair Luke had used before drawing two globes of liquid into each hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn''t save you. But I¡¯ll make sure to not fail anyone else¡± he said before tossing both globes onto the chair. As soon as the liquid met the air the entire chair went up in a fireball. As soon as the flames started a bar had appeared off to the side of his HUD. Leo asked about it while moving to the second floor of the stadium. ¡°Aegys, what is this bar that just appeared?¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± After the fire he just started the bar had barely a sliver. Walking through the empty seating Leo glanced around and noticed something strange, ¡°Aegys, why isn¡¯t there any blood? I get there being no bodies, but no blood seems a bit strange.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure someone would have noticed an established hive under the center of Vegas. Which means there is probably a new hive nearby.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± Chapter 9 [CHAPTER 9] Leo called over the comms, ¡°Kat, Aegys and I think there may be a new hive that has set up nearby. You may want to make sure your turrets are prepared for another horde just in case.¡± ¡°Thanks for letting me know. I¡¯ll get things set up here, you just make sure to keep yourself safe.¡± came the response. He made his way up the northern stairs to the second level, intent on searching the level for both Antithesis and survivors. As he carefully picked his way through the scattered trash and signs that had been tossed everywhere in the panic, Leo was discussing his situation with the AI who had taken up residence in his head. ¡°Alright Aegys, I need to know what I could be walking into. Assuming there is a new hive nearby, what models should I expect and what kind of behavior?¡± Leo thought about this information as he carefully made his way down the halls, listening at the doors to various stalls to see if he could hear anything before slowly opening them to check for survivors. ¡°I¡¯m assuming I¡¯ll see a lot of Threes and Fives, maybe some Fours hanging around somewhere. If the hive is faster than we think or it takes too long to find it may start pumping out some Eights.¡± At this point Leo had made it about a quarter of the way around the second level ring and could just see the edge of the eastern stairs around the bend. He had yet to see any sign of either bodies or even blood. ¡°I¡¯ve had to do a lot of research the past few years to be ready for the Antithesis in Samurai Rush. I think my biggest hang up is that a lot of the gear that is in the game was changed for balance or copyright reasons. Like the technical load for using the rings and the wrist bracer, that was never a problem.¡± Leo stepped into a fast food joint after listening for movement inside. He looked around and noticed that the stove was still on even though the top was clear of any food. Turning the dials down on the range he moved over to the walk-in fridge. Briefly looking over the door, Leo spotted some scratches that marred the previously unblemished surface. Sidling up to it he tried pressing his ear to the door to listen for any sounds. Before he got too close though, he accidentally kicked a can that was lying on the floor. Freezing in place, he stopped to make sure no Antithesis heard him. While he didn¡¯t hear any Antithesis, he did hear some quick shuffling inside the fridge. ¡®Aegys, is there any way for me to check inside the fridge without opening the door?¡¯ Leo thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll set a hard-light wall to stop the door from opening more than a couple inches.¡± He said quietly. Swiftly putting his plan into action, Leo set a hard-light wall at an angle to stop the door from opening more than a couple inches. Slowly, he pulled the latch and opened the door. Before he could open the door more than an inch, there was a loud bang and Leo felt something punch onto his stomach throwing him to the floor. ¡°You may eat me, but I¡¯ll take as many of you plant fuckers down as I can before I let that happen!¡± a voice screamed out from the fridge before the iconic racking of a shotgun reached Leo¡¯s still ringing ears. ¡®Thanks for the pep-talk chief.¡¯ Groaning in pain, Leo levered himself into a sitting position. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t think humans taste too great. Too many chemicals and micro-plastics in our food.¡± he called out as he stood back up. ¡°You¡­You¡¯re human? Oh thank god! I thought I was going to die!¡± There was a clattering of something falling to the ground before the fridge door slammed into the hard-light wall Leo had erected. ¡°What is this? Why won¡¯t the door open?¡± the young man said, repeatedly trying to slam the door open. ¡°Oh yea, kinda forgot I put that wall there. Easy thing to miss while getting shot at.¡± Leo dismissed the wall as he spoke and watched as a young man wearing a white and red striped uniform stepped out. He wore a similarly colored visor over sandy blond hair. A face with the barest hint of facial hair told Leo this kid could only be fifteen or sixteen. ¡°You¡¯re a Samurai. I just shot a Samurai. Ooh, I¡¯m fucked.¡± He stood there staring at Leo in shock. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Leo chuckled, ¡°Relax, it was an entirely justified response. My fault really for standing in the doorway like an idiot. What''s your name, and are you hurt at all?¡± ¡°My name is Sylvester, but I go by Syl. Not really hurt anywhere, I was in the fridge umm doing inventory when the incursion alarm went off.¡± Leo caught sight of something littering the floor inside the fridge. ¡°In the rush I guess one of the guys kicked the can I use to prop the door open which locked me in there.¡± Leo smirked when he realized what he saw was cigarette butts. ¡°Don¡¯t these walk-in fridges have emergency releases inside for just this occasion?¡± he asked. Syl rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, but the company is cheap. This one has been broken for months and they refuse to fix it. Anyway, by the time I managed to jimmy the latch open and look outside, the hallway was full of those dog-like monsters. I snuck over the manager''s office to grab his shotgun but one of them apparently heard me. It started pushing at the outer door and I rushed back to the fridge. I decided to just close it and hope I could get out later since I wanted to keep the beast from getting to me. I¡¯ve been in there for a few hours now and let me tell you, it¡¯s cold as shit in there. So once the door was closed¡­.¡± Leo just nodded, listening as the obviously nervous teen rambled on about his harrowing experience. While he was talking, Leo heard what sounded like metal hitting the ground. He shifted over to the counter to peer out into the long hallway. Peering carefully through the scattered debris Leo saw a flash of movement, shortly after he saw what might have been a Model Three. He turned back to Syl, ¡°Hey, Syl?¡± ¡°...and then I started getting really cold and these uniforms are so thi¡­¡± ¡°Syl!¡± Leo said more forcefully while grabbing his shoulder. The teenager started a bit at that. ¡°Yessir?¡± ¡°Just call me Leo for now. Do you know of any other people that are nearby?¡± Syl thought for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I heard some people in the shop across the hall back when I first hid but¡­¡± he got a far away look in his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think there is anybody nearby.¡± Leo nodded. ¡°So here¡¯s the deal. There is an Antithesis down at the end of the hall. I am going to escort you to the shelter, I can¡¯t leave you here.¡± ¡®Aegys, get me a Hummingbird please. Can we do no box this time?¡¯ New Purchase: Hummingbird Mark I Points reduced to - 2197 Leo held out his hand to catch the pistol that appeared a second later. ¡°Also here, it will work a bit better than that shotgun. Just point it at the Antithesis and pull the trigger once the circle turns red.¡± Syl got wide-eyed when the pistol appeared. ¡°Yessir! No problem.¡± While he got used to the new aiming reticle, Leo peeked out into the hall and saw that the Model Three was creeping closer. Turning back to Syl, ¡°Alright here¡¯s the plan. Out the door and to the right I need you to run for the North stairs and get to the shelter. Do not stop running for anything, you got it?¡± Syl nodded, tightening his grip on the pistol. Leo moved up to the door and counted down, ¡°Three, two, one!¡± before bursting out of the door and waving Syl to run ahead of him. As they both ran for the stairs Leo heard a crash come from behind them. Risking a glance back he almost stumbled. Rushing down the hall was the Model Three they saw earlier leading a small swarm of other Model Threes and even what looked like a Model Six. ¡°Syl, Keep running!¡± Leo called before spinning around with two orbs of Greek Fire in his hands. He tossed both globes towards the rushing Antithesis before continuing his rush to the stairway. Normally, the Antithesis make no noise. Not a chirp, bark, growl, or roar. They will be completely silent while tearing through anyone in their path. This swarm apparently did not get the memo as there was an intense squealing coming from the swarm. Leo and Syl made it to the stairway. Before they descended Leo placed hard-light walls to block the entrance. Drawing up an orb of the chemical concoction he did what Aegys suggested. As soon as the orb touched the wall it changed. Instead of looking like a wall of flames rising from the ground, it looked like liquid fire falling from the ceiling. ¡®What does that do?¡¯ ¡®Good to know.¡¯ Out loud, ¡°Syl, let¡¯s keep moving to the shelter and get you protected. I¡¯ll need to go up the eastern stairs to clear them out.¡± At Syl¡¯s nod the two moved down the stairs until they could see the shelter entrance and Kat¡¯s turrets. Kat herself saw them coming down the stairs first and rushed to Leo. ¡°Leo! What happened? Are you okay?¡± she asked while inspecting him for any injuries. Leo chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just found Syl here and then spotted some Antithesis nosing around after he shot me. Had to make a rush for the shelter to drop him off before I head back up to clear them out.¡± Kat¡¯s eyes widened before she whirled on Syl. ¡°You shot him! Why would you shoot him!¡± Syl looked like a deer in the headlights, something that Leo had only seen once when he was a young kid and the deer still roamed near the town he grew up in. He grabbed Kat¡¯s shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s fine Kat, he was trying to protect himself from the plants and I made the stupid decision to stand in the doorway as I opened it.¡± She just looked at him. ¡°Are you really fine?¡± ¡°All I got was some light bruising. Nothing a little bit of rest won¡¯t fix and all else fails, I have a super pharmacy living in my head¡± Kat looked at him for a moment more before sighing. ¡°Fine. But stop getting shot at.¡± Leo gave her a sloppy salute before turning to go back up the stairs. ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am, Samurai Ma¡¯am¡± As he passed by one of the guards Leo thought he heard, ¡°Smooth.¡± Chapter 10 [CHAPTER 10] Leo jogged up the stairs to the second floor. Before getting all the way to the top he slowed, listening for any noises from the Antithesis he¡¯d left there not five minutes prior. He didn¡¯t hear anything but that doesn¡¯t mean much when the thing you are listening for doesn¡¯t make much noise to begin with. Edging farther up the stairs he caught sight of his hard-light wall still standing. Going a few steps farther did not show any Antithesis anywhere near the opening of the stairwell. ¡°I wonder where they went.¡± he muttered under his breath before dispelling the wall and stepping into the hallway. Leo peered down both directions to try and catch sight of any of the plants nearby. Certain that no Antithesis were hiding nearby he stepped out to plan his next move. ¡°Aegys, how long will my hard-light walls stay in place?¡± ¡°What do we have?¡± A plan formed in his mind. ¡°Please get me one of those big enough to block this entire hallway. Will I be able to set an effect like I did last time?¡± ¡°Get me one for now.¡± New Purchase: Mk II Hard-Light Bulwark Points reduced to - 2147 The box that appeared was rectangular in shape, two feet long by a few inches wide. Opening his new present Leo picked up what appeared to be a staff with a phoenix head on one end and tapered to a point on the other. Following the directions given Leo pressed the button. A bright laser shot into the floor boring a hole before the staff tore itself out of his hand and stabbed into the floor. A second later it extended to stand four feet tall and what looked like wings of fire burst from the sides of the staff, settling against the edges of the corridor. ¡°Flashy.¡± he commented before pressing an orb of fire into the wall. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. It will definitely make me stand out in a crowd though.¡± Confirming the wall was working Leo turned and began walking back towards the shop where he found Sylvester. As he walked he kept an eye out for any survivors, glancing into the various shops and quietly calling out. A short while later he made it back to Sylvester¡¯s shop. Glancing at the sign Leo couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Hey Aegys, I think I found your coffee shop.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s possible I guess. Best get moving then.¡± Leo turned away from the shop and began his trek farther down the hall. Before Leo got more than a few steps away, Aegys called out a warning at the same time as a spiked tentacle stabbed into his right shoulder and yanked him over the counter and into the shop. ¡°Agh, fuck!¡± Leo reached to his hip where one of the Hummingbirds sat and pointed it towards a writhing mass of tentacles he saw on the ceiling. Before he was able to get a lock-on, another tentacle smashed into his hand, throwing the gun across the room and shattering a few of his fingers. Unable to move one arm and with the other hand being almost pulverized, Leo only had one option left. With all the adrenaline rushing through his veins Leo screamed, ¡°Burst!¡± and screwed his eyes shut. A moment later another spike tipped tentacle took him in the back of the knee. ¡®Shit, guess that doesn¡¯t work like the game.¡¯ was the only thought Leo could have since it felt like liquid fire was pouring through his leg and shoulder. At this point his hand was more numb than painful, especially when compared to the two tentacles still writhing around in his shoulder and leg. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®But the only bracer I have is on my right hand. I should have gotten another.¡¯ Leo¡¯s mind was going foggy and he watched as a drop of ruby red fell into a small puddle on the floor. It seemed to glitter as it fell before it splashed into the rest, muffling the incessant noise in his head. The tentacle in his shoulder twitched just hard enough to send a shock of pain through him, and with it a blast of adrenaline that cleared his thoughts just enough to realize, ¡®I¡¯m so stupid.¡¯ He activated both bracers at the same time to start filling orbs of fire and launch them in every direction he could point them. Soon enough the entire shop was a sea of light and heat as it went up in flames. Leo gasped as the tentacles that still held him suspended began spasming, ripping his shoulder and knee to shreds. Moments later he fell to the floor as they burnt to ash. Target Eliminated! Reward - 15 Points Mentally toggling an icon in his HUD that looked like a flame with a circle and line through it, Leo felt a wave of cold come over him. Cracking his eyes open, Leo saw what looked like a film of frost on everything around him. ¡®Poor guy just got fired.¡¯ Leo giggled then groaned as the movement shifted his shoulder. ¡°Ae¡­¡± he coughed out a bit of blood. ¡°Aegys, heals please.¡± New Purchase: Class I Nano-Regenerative Suite Points reduced to - 2142 Leo dragged the box closer using his forearm and managed to flip the lid off. Inside were two cylinders that were attached to a mouthpiece in the middle. ¡°How am I supposed to use this with no functional hands? I can¡¯t exactly press a button.¡± He stuck his whole face into the box and managed to snag the mouthpiece with his teeth. Getting it set into his mouth he clamped down and breathed as deep as he could. What followed could only be described as breathing an electric cloud. A numbing feeling spread from his chest and down each limb, finally settling in the areas he was injured. New Purchase: Class I Hemo-Restore Points reduced to - 2137 He reached over and moved the box closer again before flipping the lid off. Inside was a tube, crimson red with a sort of plastic stopper at one end. A yellow arrow pointed towards the stopper. Just like Aegys said, a few seconds later Leo could just barely feel his hand. Moving it too much produced a dull grinding feeling that probably wasn¡¯t too good for him so Leo quickly grabbed the tube and pressed it into the side of his neck. He didn¡¯t feel anything and was about to ask what went wrong before Aegys said, ¡°Fancy.¡± Leo tried to sit up and lean against the counter. Despite some stiffness and some minor grinding feelings he was no longer in any pain. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± he asked. ¡°No, not that thing. I know what Model Fours are, I¡¯m just upset that I didn¡¯t think to look up. No, I was asking about the fact that this room went from Dante''s Inferno to Mr. Freeze¡¯s lair in a couple seconds.¡± ¡°Ok, so the lack of molecule energy caused any liquids to freeze¡­I didn¡¯t think it was this powerful. What if there are people nearby? Will they get caught in the radius?¡± ¡°Well I can¡¯t have everything I guess.¡± While they were talking, Leo periodically tested his injuries. Noticing they still hurt a bit he settled down to wait a bit longer. ¡°Is there any way to make my body stronger? Armor only works on what it covers and I don¡¯t really want to wear a power armor suit everywhere.¡± ¡°Would that cause me to grow feathers? I am rather fond of my skin.¡± Leo asked nervously. ¡°Ok. I¡¯m assuming that would take awhile so remind me of it once we have enough downtime.¡± Leo sat there feeling the litany of injuries he had received. There was an exhaustion that had settled deep into his bones. ¡°Aegys, I think I need a nap. Something tells me my two hour lights out session earlier was by no means restful and becoming an Antithesis chew toy did me no favors.¡± ¡°Get me another hard-light bulwark and something easy to consume. Maybe something to sleep on that isn''t a fast food restaurant floor.¡± New Purchase: Hard-Light Bulwark Points reduced to - 2037 New Purchase: Class 0 Field Ration Points reduced to - 2036 New Purchase: Class 0 Bedroll Points reduced to - 2035 Leo opened the bulwark and set it up to block the entrance to the shop before opening the larger box to reveal what looked like a rolled up sleeping bag. He unrolled it and watched as it seemed to inflate into a self contained air mattress with a sleeping bag attached. The smallest box contained a squeeze tube. He settled into the bedroll and ate the squeeze tube which tasted like exactly nothing. ¡°Aegys, please let Kat know I¡¯m okay. Wake me up if something happens.¡± Chapter 11 [CHAPTER 11] Leo woke up with a dry mouth and a slight headache. ¡°Aegys, how long was I out?¡± ¡°Another field ration and a bottle of water please.¡± New Purchase: Class 0 Field Ration Points reduced to - 2034 New Purchase: Bottle of Water Points reduced to - 2033 Leo stood and did some stretches while eating his breakfast. Once he was sure his injuries wouldn¡¯t take any more damage from moving he stood up and walked to where his Hummingbird lay smashed to pieces next to the stove and picked it up by the handle. The barrel dangled from a wire and one of the rounds slid out and clinked against the floor. ¡°I need a new weapon. These take too long to lock on before I can fire.¡± Leo thought for a few moments. While the idea of him possibly becoming something other than human was not necessarily a pleasant one, the fact that he would still look human and wouldn¡¯t lose any functionality in terms of senses made it a non-issue. ¡°Get me two pistols and go ahead and buy the Gene Editing catalog for later.¡± Class I Genetic Manipulation Unlocked! Points reduced to - 1783 Class I Bursyamo Catalog Unlocked! Points reduced to - 1633 New Purchase: Mk II Flame Talon Pistol x2 Points reduced to - 1433 A single box appeared on the counter nearby. Stepping over, Leo opened it to see two sleek pistols staring back at him. Each had a standard pistol grip with grooves where his fingers would sit. Through a clear window in the side of the grip Leo could see an orange and red crystal that seemed to flicker with flames. The barrel was elegantly curved and had metal shaped to look like wings coming off the barrel. The entire thing was done in shades of red, orange, and yellow making it seem to be made of flames. Leo tucked his remaining Hummingbird onto the back of his belt before picking up the new weapons. As soon as he did, they began to glow and the bar in his HUD, which he idly noted was full and seemed to be on fire, lost its flames and a sliver of its charge before his attention was once again stolen by his new pistols. Each one had sprouted wings of flame from barely noticeable openings along the barrel. Holding them out in front of him, Leo sighted down the barrel. The first thing he noticed was that there was a familiar targeting reticule that appeared, but with a twin. The second was that the wings of flame seemed to disappear from his sight, leaving it unhindered. Leo thought about the wings disappearing and marveled at how they seemed to furl into the metal ornamentation like real wings. ¡°These are amazing!¡± Leo aimed at the half-burned mass of the Model Four and pulled the trigger. With a brief flare of heat the pistol hummed in his hand as it spewed crystal shards. As each shard impacted a growth of the same crystal sprouted and consumed the body in a small area around the impact site. Each growth could probably fit in a shoe box. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Will the crystal cause any issues by just sitting there? I don¡¯t want them to harm anybody who stumbles on them.¡± ¡°How long does it take to decay?¡± Leo nodded as he turned to leave the shop, stopping only long enough to douse the Model Four in acid and pick up his hard-light bulwark, settling it onto his back. Stepping into the hall he called Kat. ¡°Hey Kat, figured I¡¯d let you know I¡¯m up and moving. Need to finish my track around the second floor before I try and figure out where to go from there. How are things on your end?¡± ¡°Leo! Oh thank the goddess you¡¯re alive. Why did you think it was a good idea to sleep in the middle of an active incursion? You could have been killed! If it wasn¡¯t for Amyntor telling me that you were alive and in no danger I would have been dragging you back by your ear!" While Kat ranted at him Leo had a vague impression of a floating envelope for some reason. Shaking the thought out of his head he once again began walking down the hallway, this time specifically keeping an eye out for hidden Model Fours and one of his new pistols in hand. ¡°I had a run in with a Model Four that decided I would make a good pi?ata. I managed to kill it but I needed to sleep to let the medical stuff work its magic. Got some new weapons and a plan for some more extensive upgrades later, but I can¡¯t do that until I can be sure there¡¯s nobody left hiding up here.¡± Leo peeked into a pretzel shop leading with his weapon. He could almost hear the facepalm when Kat responded. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re talking about getting attacked so badly you needed to sleep with such a casual attitude. At least tell me there was something positive about this.¡± ¡°Well, I got some new weapons, got a roadmap for some upgrades, and had a realization that some of my gear does not work like it did in the game.¡± Leo had continued moving down the hallway checking shops here and there while still calling out quietly. It may not be the smartest thing to do, but he had no other way to reliably get people''s attention if they were hiding. ¡°Leo. I¡¯m going to need you to do me a favor.¡± Leo got a strange shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the possibility of meeting a killer alien. ¡°I need you to finish your search of the second floor and get your ass down here so I can slap some sense into that thick skull of yours.¡± ¡®Aegys, I need som¡­.¡¯ Grumbling at his AI¡¯s unhelpful nature, ¡°I think I¡¯d rather hug a Model Four again.¡± ¡°I heard that!¡± Kat yelled through the comms. Quickly turning off the comms Leo continued down the hallway. If he moved any slower it was only so he could more thoroughly check for survivors and hidden Antithesis. Leo came across a small handful of Model Threes and took them out with some well placed shots from his new weapons. At this point, Leo was just passing the southern stairwell when he spotted something that made him pause. There was a digital ad wall in the middle of the hall. Normally there would be nothing to make him pause, ads littered every available surface in just about any building you went in, but this one had a couple things wrong with it. At first glance it looked like any other ad with words spouting how great the product was, but at a closer look, they were really just random letters that looked like English. What really made him stop though was the fact that it was standing in the middle of the hallway. A hallway that was a field of thrown debris from the evacuation and other broken ads that fell off the walls or got shoved out of the middle of the hall. ¡®Hey Aegys, does that ad wall seem a bit odd to you?¡¯ ¡®Hmm, it¡¯s possible I suppose. But something doesn¡¯t seem right.¡¯ Leo walked forward slowly with a pistol in one hand and a ball of fire in the other. He got three feet away from it before he realized what was wrong. Chapter 12 [CHAPTER 12] As Leo stepped closer to the strange ad wall he noticed that the bottom did not quite meet with the floor and the transition from plastic base to glass screen was oddly fuzzy rather than the usual clean line of a mass-produced tool of capitalism. Lastly, he noticed that the screen was missing the subtle glow that most screens had. Leo noticed all this in the split second between when he stepped within three feet of the ad wall and when said ad wall decided it wanted to try its hand at being a facehugger. Luckily, Leo was already on edge and had his new weapon ready and promptly filled the rambunctious signage full of alien crystal. Target Eliminated! Reward - 25 Points ¡°Holy shit! I thought you said we shouldn¡¯t have to worry about Nines yet?¡± he exclaimed while sidestepping the flying corpse. Once it was dead it had reverted to what looked like a loose pile of silvery leaves and floppy flesh. ¡°Well shit. I was never the one in charge of spotting Nines while in the game. Plus in there they only ever turned into basic stuff, never something with multiple materials and definitely nothing with words. Is there any way for me to spot them easier?¡± ¡°Do it. I can¡¯t afford to get ambushed again.¡± Leo waited for a moment for the box. ¡°Umm, Aegys, did your teleportation stop working?¡± Leo thought about it and felt his attention be nudged towards something glowing on the ground on the other side of where the Nine was. It wasn¡¯t enough that he couldn¡¯t ignore it, but if he thought about it then it was very clear. Moving closer to the glow he saw that there seemed to be some drag marks that led to the Model Nine, and if he followed them backwards they led to the southern stairwell. ¡°Nice! Do I need to have a specific target in mind, or just a general idea?¡± ¡°Perfect, this is just what I need.¡± Leo continued his walk down the hall while looking into various shops for survivors and keeping an eye out for Antithesis. His new upgrade would periodically highlight something that was a result of a passing Antithesis or recent human activity, but he saw neither. He began to round the hallway towards the western stairs when he felt his attention get grabbed almost physically as his new upgrade pointed him towards one of the larger shops in the stadium. Known as ¡°The Nexus¡± it was a shop aimed at providing high level gear styled after whoever was playing at the time. Leo spotted some mesh helmets and some jerseys in black, red, and green. There was also a small section that was purple. As he followed the signs shown by the Predators Gaze, Leo noted that his team''s section seemed almost fully stocked. Focusing back on the task at hand, he tracked the footprints, shoved clothing racks, and toppled shelves that were shown to him which led to a locked door with an employees only sign on it. Leo was trying to think of a way to figure out if there were people inside without repeating his experience with Syl when he heard something that gave him pause. Going as still as possible he strained his ears to make sure he wasn¡¯t going crazy. A second later he heard it again, the sound of a cough followed by some shushing. Leave it to a group of people to be loud while trying to be quiet. Leo glanced around to confirm that there were no Antithesis around that he could see before he sidled up to the door with pistol in hand and knocked on the door in the notorious five-knock pattern. Any ambient noise that may have been coming from behind the door stopped. A few moments passed before someone called through the door, ¡°Who is it? You better not be one of them plants.¡± ¡°If I was a plant, then I probably wouldn¡¯t have knocked in the first place.¡± Leo chuckled as he heard the sputtering from the otherside. ¡°I¡¯m a Samurai. I¡¯m here to get you all to the shelter down in the basement, we already secured the entrance and the surrounding hallway.¡± As soon as he finished, the door was pulled open to reveal a heavy-set man wearing a lanyard that identified him as Nexus staff. ¡°A Samurai? Finally, we have been stuck here for hours. We have some people who were injured in the evacuation. The best we could do is use some of the jerseys on the shelves to try and bandage them.¡± ¡°Those jerseys will come out of your paycheck Evan!¡± came a nasally voice from the back. ¡°Oh go hug a Five Gary, at least then you¡¯d be useful!¡± The heavy-set man, Evan apparently, turned back to Leo. ¡°As I was saying, it''s good that you¡¯re here. We have a bunch of injured people that need help. By the way, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around before, what''s your name?¡± he asked while ushering Leo into the back room, closing the door behind them. ¡°It¡¯s Leo, I just became a Samurai a few hours ago so I don¡¯t have a Samurai name yet.¡± Evan looked closer at Leo¡¯s face. ¡°Wait a minute, Leo from the Myths? Holy shit! I barely recognize you! I was hoping I would get to meet you after the game today so you could sign my jersey!¡± At that, Evan lifted up his work shirt to show he was wearing a fan jersey with Leo¡¯s gamer tag, Phoenix, on the front. Leo was shocked at the scene in front of him. A large, six foot man was standing in front of a small crowd of people while pulling the front of his shirt up high enough for Leo to see ¡®Phoenix¡¯ spelled out on his upper chest. ¡°You want an autograph. From me? Why?¡± ¡°Why not? You and your team are one of the best up-and-coming rookie teams in the history of Samurai Rush! Once I get this signed I¡¯ll be able to hang it on my wall and show it off! Even more so now that you¡¯re a Samurai!¡± Evans'' excitement was infectious and caused a small smile to break through Leo''s shock. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Tell you what, let me take care of those injured people you said you have and then we can see about getting you an autograph. Where are they?¡± he asked. Evan pulled his shirt back down before turning to lead Leo further into the storage room. Finally getting a chance to look around Leo noticed a lot of shelving was shoved along the walls to open up the middle and boxes were stacked for use as seats or even tables in some cases. As soon as Evan turned around though, a man was in his face shouting at him, though he had to stand on his toes to get close. ¡°You would just love to get us all killed wouldn¡¯t you? Opening the door just because you heard a knock and assumed it was a human. What if it was an Antithesis? We would all be dead! Not to mention you handing out the merchandise just so people could bleed all over it! For free! You should have at least made them pay for it! Mark my words Evan, you¡¯ll be fired for this! I¡¯ll make sure you never get a job anywhere in this city!¡± Leo stepped between the two and stared at the man, anger flashing in his eyes. ¡°Gary I assume?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Vice Assistant Manager Gary to you kid. I can¡¯t believe you would wander in here dressed like that, pretending you¡¯re a Samurai. You¡¯re just a low tier rookie player in the tournament. No way someone like you became a Samurai.¡± Gary was red in the face from all his yelling. Leo was getting rather sick of this guy''s attitude. ¡®Aegys, what are the chances I can remove the heat from just his clothing?¡¯ ¡®How long will it take to make the changes? Also, what are the chances his clothes shatter off his body?¡¯ Leo mentally smirked.¡®Perfect.¡¯ The whole exchange only took a few milliseconds before Leo felt something fill his left hand. ¡°Nice to meet you. What seems to be the problem here?¡± Leo held out his hand while he smiled at Gary. Gary settled down a bit at being acknowledged, the red in his face receding a bit and a self-satisfied smile stretching across his face. He reached for Leo¡¯s hand. ¡°Finally, you have some sense. Since I¡¯m in cha¡­¡± Whatever he was about to say was cut off as a violent shiver racked his body. A moment later all the clothing on his body shattered and fell off his body, leaving Gary standing in his birthday suit. ¡°Ooh, it seems like it got a little cold here. Here, use this to cover up.¡± ¡®Aegys, get him some clothes please.¡¯ New Purchase: Phoenix Jumpsuit Points reduced to - 1855 Leo held out his hands and a box appeared in them while some people in the crowd laughed quietly. Gary took it robotically and opened it. Inside was a jumpsuit in various shades of red, orange, and yellow. As he held it up, he saw that the back had a Phoenix design on the back with the word ¡®Phoenix¡¯ across the shoulders. ¡°I am a Samurai, and now I¡¯m in charge. Consider yourself lucky I don¡¯t charge you for the clothes.¡± Leo moved past Gary over to an area where he saw some people who had various jerseys and a few bandages wrapped around them. ¡®Aegys, what¡¯s the best move here? Do I just buy Nano-Regen and Hemo-Restore for all of them?¡¯ ¡®Do it.¡¯ New Purchase: Handheld Medical Scanner Points reduced to - 1805 Leo opened the box at his feet and pulled out what looked like an old barcode scanner. Pointing it at the person who seemed the most injured Leo got a pop-up in his HUD once he pulled the trigger.
Medical Scan Category Medical Scan Results
NAME Stephanie Smith
AGE 25
STATUS Bleeding, Lacerations, Punctured Liver
RECOMMENDED TREATMENT Hemo-Restore, Woundstop, Nano-Regenerative Suite
Name: Stephanie Smith Age: 25 Status: Bleeding, Lacerations, Punctured Liver Recommend: Hemo-Restore, Woundstop, Nano-Regenerative Suite ¡°Huh, neat. Aegys, if you would be so kind as to buy whatever they need and label the boxes in the order they need to go in along with directions?¡± As the boxes appeared next to the person he scanned, Leo pointed at a girl who was watching him from nearby. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked. She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°T¡­Tori sir.¡± ¡°Please, just Leo. I need you to come over here and administer these to Stephanie here. They are pretty simple but they also have directions listed on the lid of the boxes.¡± Tori nodded before shuffling over and opening the first box. As she did Leo turned to Evan. ¡°Evan, I¡¯m going to scan all these people and get them recovering. I need you to pick some people to help administer the treatment.¡± ¡°No problem boss!¡± Evan immediately turned to pick a few others to help while Leo scanned all the injured. The whole process took about 45 minutes to get them all scanned and then to get all the treatments applied. New Purchase: Various Medical Supplies Points reduced to - 300 Leo looked around from where he sat while the last of the injured people got treated. He saw more than a few people looking at him with newfound hope. ¡°Evan, how is the food situation here?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any food at all. This was never meant to be a shelter, just storage for the shop.¡± Leo nodded. ¡®Aegys, get enough food and water for all of them. Leave me 100 points at minimum.¡¯ New Purchase: Emergency Rations x94 Points reduced to - 112 Two large boxes appeared on either side of him. ¡°Evan, there is food in both of these boxes. Get one pack passed out to everyone here and make sure those that were injured get theirs first. I need to call the shelter and let them know what¡¯s going on.¡± With that, Leo stepped away from the building crowd and back towards the door to the main shop. Before he called Kat he realized the door was only bolted with a deadbolt. He set his hard-light bulwark against the wall before calling. ¡°Kat, I found a group of survivors at The Nexus. I fixed up their injuries but it will be an hour or so before they are in any shape to move. We are safe for now and I¡¯ll let you know when we head out.¡± The response came almost immediately, ¡°Sounds good. Just make sure you don¡¯t try saying hello to any more Model Fours and get back here safely.¡± Leo just chuckled as he settled down to wait. Chapter 13 [CHAPTER 13] Leo ended up waiting for about an hour as he watched the injured people slowly get up and moving. A few of them had new outfits as some of them wore more blood than clothing. While he waited Leo played some board games on his HUD with Aegys while discussing plans for the trek to the shelter. Needless to say the only games he won were games of chance. Standing from where he sat near the door, Leo addressed the room. ¡°Alright everyone, it seems like we are ready to get out of here. First things first, who here has any fighting experience?¡± Two of the people who were injured stepped forward. The one of the left spoke up, ¡°We¡¯re both guards for the stadium and I¡¯m a retired PMC platoon sergeant.¡± ¡°Perfect, come up here. Aegys, like we discussed.¡± The two guards moved closer. New Purchase: Hard-light vanguard shield x2 Points reduced to - 60 New Purchase: Cerberus SMG Points reduced to - 50 New Purchase: 9mm SMG Magazine (30 rds) Points reduced to - 46 A medium sized box appeared in front of both of the guards. ¡°In each of these boxes is an SMG with two extra magazines, a belt to hold the magazines, and a ring. I¡¯m assuming you both know how to use an SMG?¡± Once they both nodded Leo continued. ¡°The rings will project a hard-light wall two feet above and to the side of you. As long as it stays blue, it will block the attacks from anything below a Five or a Six. If it goes orange then you are close to running out of energy and need to either stop getting attacked, or close it to let it recharge. If it goes red then you have approximately three seconds to find other cover. The light on the rings also shows the status. Any questions?¡± Both guards shook their heads and Leo motioned them to gear up. While they did that he turned back to the crowd. ¡°I need three people who know enough about guns to point the dangerous end at the enemy.¡± Three people stepped forward, one guy and two girls. The guy was average height and wore glasses. ¡°I play AR shooter sims.¡± The two girls looked like twins. They each had half of their black hair dyed, one blue one purple. ¡°We play mesh shooters.¡± Leo nodded at them. ¡°Good enough. These are for you.¡± New Purchase: Mk I Hummingbird x3 Points reduced to - 16 A box appeared at each of their feet. ¡°These will connect with your augs and display a crosshair. Point it at one of the Antithesis and once it turns red, pull the trigger. You only get eight shots so use it wisely.¡± They all nodded, picked up the boxes, and moved over to the two guards. Leo addressed the crowd once more. ¡°Alright, here''s the plan. We are going to leave the store and follow the hallway over to the northern stairwell. Once there we will go down to the shelter and get you all safe. You will need to stay close, and stay quiet. We don¡¯t want to ring the dinner bell for the plants. If either myself or these two guards tell you to do something, do it. It may save your life. Get ready to move.¡± Leo called out, ¡°Evan, I need you here.¡± while he moved over to the group of five he gave weapons to. Once Evan got there, Leo reached behind his back and pulled out his last Hummingbird. Handing it to Evan, ¡°This is for you. It has eight shots, the same deal as these three.¡± He nodded at the three he gave Hummingbirds to. He looked to the guards and brought them in to talk quietly. ¡°All of my experience is leading my team through city streets in a game, which I¡¯ve already been reminded multiple times today does not equal real life. I¡¯ll tell you my plan but if you two have any feedback please tell me. I¡¯ll most likely lean on your experience in a PMC.¡± Both guards briskly nodded as the older one spoke up. ¡°Sounds like a plan. The biggest thing I can think of is to have you at the front with us two behind and to the sides. Have those four you gave pistols to in the back just in case. Can that wall plug the hallway?¡± he gestured at the hard-light bulwark blocking the door. ¡°It can. You think we should use it to cover our back just in case the Antithesis come from there?¡± Leo asked. ¡°Exactly. It will make sure that those four will only need to deal with small-fry and should keep any kind of horde from coming up behind us. Other than that we just move as fast and as quiet as possible.¡± Leo thought for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Agreed, I¡¯ll go check the hallway to make sure it¡¯s clear and set up the bulwark. Then you two can get the group moving out..¡± he stepped away and looked over the crowd. ¡°Make sure you are ready to go, we move out in a couple minutes.¡± With the crowd getting ready Leo moved to the door and de-activated the bulwark. He cracked the door open slowly and peered out into the store. After a few moments watching carefully and looking for clues from Predator¡¯s Gaze Leo was sure there were no Antithesis in the store. He quickly moved to the store entrance keeping his footsteps as light as possible. He glanced both ways down the hallway and, once he was sure there was nothing there, set up the bulwark off to the side effectively blocking that section of the hallway. He waved towards the door where the guards were and watched as the group of survivors streamed towards the hall. Leo began moving down the hall glancing into stores with Predator''s Gaze active to try and catch any hidden Antithesis or survivors. The walk to the northern staircase would take about five minutes if he was walking at a normal pace. With a group of survivors behind him and all of them trying to stay quiet it would take ten minutes if they didn¡¯t encounter anything. Of course, once he had that thought, Murphy decided to rear its ugly head. One of the shops they had passed by was one dedicated to Antithesis horror games. A common advertisement for these stores were motion activated hologram projectors which would project a picture when someone stepped too close. One of the survivors must have triggered it because suddenly a shrill scream pierced the silence quickly followed by multiple others. They all waited as the world seemed to hold its breath once the screams died down. A few breathless moments later they relaxed a bit as it seems they got lucky with no nearby Antithesis. Leo looked back to see a sheepish looking young woman. ¡°Please try not to trip the ads again. Let''s go.¡± the last part he directed at the entire group and they continued on their trip. They got a few more meters down before two Model Threes came running down the hall. Leo barely had a chance to point his gun at them before both SMGs the guards carried barked, pulping the heads of the Antithesis. Targets Eliminated! Reward - 14 Points Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡®Wait, I thought Threes were ten points?¡¯ ¡®Interesting. We¡¯ll have to look more into this later.¡¯ Leo looked at the guards, ¡°I barely had time to realize they were there. How are you two so fast?¡± The guards chuckled lightly, ¡°Lots of practice. The biggest is that our weapons aren¡¯t holstered.¡± He nodded at Leo''s pistols resting in their holsters. He sheepishly pulled out one of the pistols. ¡°Yea, that might make a difference. Let''s keep moving.¡± The group kept moving, taking out a couple more Model Threes and even a Model Four that Leo spotted hanging out behind a support pillar. Finally arriving at the northern stairs, they ran into a problem. The Bulwark Leo had placed when he originally climbed the stairs was blocking the way, and the staff was on the other side. ¡®Well shit. Aegys, am I able to deactivate the bulwark remotely?¡¯ ¡®Oh thank the gods. I really did not want to have that conversation¡¯ Leo navigated to the menu that Aegys helpfully highlighted for him and watched as the wings of the bulwark folded inwards. The entire group trooped down the stairs and eventually reached the defenses in front of the Shelter. ¡°Leo! Took you long enough!¡± Kat shouted as she walked over and punched him in the shoulder. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I had to pick up some people. How are things going here?¡± Leo was looking over the defenses. People seemed more relaxed and the coffee bar looked rather empty. ¡°Nothing too crazy. Had a short rush of some smaller Models, but not nearly as much as we would expect to have at this point in an incursion. How was the second floor? Beyond getting kebabbed by a Four.¡± He chuckled at that. ¡°Wasn¡¯t too bad. Found this group huddled in the backroom of The Nexus. Got them down here where there would actually be some food.¡± Kat nodded as they followed the last of the group into the shelter. Leo was still looking around when his attention was caught by his Predator¡¯s Gaze. He held his hand up to Kat to tell her to wait as he walked over to the wall near the shelter door. Glowing to his sight were four separate lines that seemed to go from the shelter to down the hall, both on the floor and the walls. ¡®Aegys, any idea what these might be? I was still on the lookout for Antithesis tracks.¡¯ Leo had an idea, but was really hoping he was wrong. ¡®Fuck me, I just can¡¯t get a break. How do we fight them? I can¡¯t just go kill all the people who are infected.¡¯ Leo turned to Kat and gestured off to the side. Once they were out of earshot of the door, ¡°Aegys just confirmed, there is a Model Seven Infestation in the shelter. I have a solution for it, but we need to close everybody up in the shelter for twenty minutes. We¡¯ll need to keep an eye out for people puking as they will have been infected.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Model Sevens? How did they get in? We¡¯ve been watching the doors this whole time?¡± ¡°They snuck along the walls. I may need your help buying stuff, I¡¯m short on points after my adventures on the second floor.¡± She nodded resolutely. ¡°Of course, whatever you need.¡± Leo led them back towards the door where he spotted the senior guard that he put in charge what felt like days ago. Seeing him walk over, the guard stood at attention. ¡°Welcome back sir.¡± Leo waved him off. ¡°None of that, what was your name again?¡± He relaxed his stance. ¡°My name is Reid sir.¡± ¡°Leo. Now, we have a bit of a situation I need your help with.¡± Leo said while leading Reid off to the side. He explained the situation and watched as his eyes widened. ¡°This is definitely not a good situation. I will work on getting people inside and get some guards stationed around the shelter to watch for people. Give me five minutes.¡± Leo nodded at the man and he hurried off, calling to some nearby guards. Leo turned to Kat. ¡°I¡¯m likely going to need help buying the Model Seven Proofing Pills. I only have a little over 100 points after fixing up that group and getting us down here.¡± ¡°Of course, whatever you need. I have a surplus of points and nowhere to really use them right now. I¡¯ll get a station set up to make sure that everybody gets one.¡± Leo set off to set up the foggers. ¡®I can set these off remotely right?¡¯ He saw a spot highlighted with a flaming circle up near the corner of the ceiling. New Purchase: Anti-Parasitic Fogger x5 Points reduced to - 95 An orb the size of a baseball appeared in his hand and he tossed it up into the corner where it stuck to the wall. After making sure it wasn¡¯t about to fall he hurried around the shelter to set the others. One went on the ceiling in the middle of a room, one went into an air vent, and the last two went in their own corners. After getting the foggers set up, Leo headed for the entrance where he found both Kat and Reid waiting for him. Reid looked at him. ¡°Are we ready sir?¡± ¡°Foggers are set up. Kat, we have the pills?¡± She nodded at a nearby table with multiple boxes on top. ¡°Ready.¡± ¡°Perfect. Aegys, can we send out a notice to everybodies augs?¡±
WARNING! WARNING! A Model Seven infection has been detected! Samurai Phoenix is releasing the cure, please do not panic. Samurai Katerina is distributing Model Seven pills after the treatment.
WARNING! WARNING! A Model Seven infection has been detected! Samurai Phoenix is releasing the cure, please do not panic. Samurai Katerina is distributing Model Seven pills after the treatment. Leo watched as everybody froze when the orange box appeared in their vision. A few yells broke out before quickly dying down as everybody looked to the entrance. Clearing his throat, ¡°You read that right, we will be closing the shelter doors to effectively clear this infection. Some of you will end up puking, that means you were infected and it has been cleared. Once the foggers are done, form a line and we will get everybody a Model Seven pill after we scan you to make sure you¡¯re clear.¡± He nodded to Reid who then pushed a button to close the large door. As soon as the door finished closing a button appeared in Leo¡¯s vision. Mentally ¡®pressing¡¯ it he watched as the foggers he set up lit up with the visage of a Phoenix before orange motes of light began to gently filter out and into the crowd. ¡®You have way too much fun with this don¡¯t you?¡¯ Chuckling at his AI, Leo handed his medical scanner to Kat, who looked at him questioningly. ¡°We need to scan them as they come up. It will populate any medical issue they have so you should be able to tell if they are still infected.¡± Chapter 14 [CHAPTER 14] ¡°And that¡¯s the last person.¡± Kat said as she slumped into a chair someone had brought up to them. Leo shoved the last of the pill boxes into a nearby trash can. ¡°I¡¯m just glad we¡¯re not on puke duty.¡± Kat chuckled. ¡°If they didn¡¯t almost worship us already, I¡¯m pretty sure they did after we gave them that Protector-grade cleaning stuff. It practically makes any mess disappear without a trace.¡± He couldn¡¯t deny that as he watched one of the people on that particular duty sprinkle some of the white powder on the result of the latest person being de-Sevened. The pile seemed to shrink on itself before the person cleaning simply vacuumed it up. ¡°It¡¯s kinda crazy how useful some of this Class 0 stuff is.¡± Kat simply nodded as she tipped her head back to rest against the chair. They sat like that for a few minutes, providing the Model Seven pills to a couple stragglers who had to shove their way to the front. Eventually she spoke up, ¡°So, what''s the plan from here? I don¡¯t think you ever found that Hive, and the local network is still overloaded.¡± Leo sighed and sat on the table while he thought. ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain those Sevens came from the hive. Using my Predator¡¯s Gaze I¡¯m sure I can figure out where it¡¯s at by following their path.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going back out there? Directly to the hive?¡± she asked, giving him a look. He just nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the best way to make sure we end this incursion as fast as possible. Hopefully once it¡¯s cleared we can get some other Samurai to help with the clean-up.¡± Kat was still watching him, her face unreadable. ¡°What?¡± He asked. She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to be jealous of your ability to just go into a hive, or if I need to try to smack some sense into your head. I decided to figure it out later, when do we leave?¡± ¡°I was going to finish getting this mess cleaned up and then head out so probably in about ...Wait, what do you mean ¡®We¡¯?¡± Leo froze partway through his sentence. She scoffed. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to let you go off on your own again? Last time you did that you apparently got hurt so bad you had to sleep it off. And that was after you took Samurai grade meds!¡± Leo took a breath and then let it go. He had no argument. Something in her expression told him nothing he could say would change her mind either. ¡°Exactly. So, when do we leave?¡± she asked He sighed, ¡°We¡¯ll take off here in a few minutes. Make sure we got everyone and get the defenses set up again. How are you on points? You¡¯ll likely need some more fireproof gear.¡± Achievement: Save 100 People Reward: 1 token Leo focused back on Kat to see her staring into space, presumably listening to her own AI. ¡°I¡¯m guessing Kat is getting the rundown as well? ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯ll save it for later. What are my points at?¡± He saw Kat focus back on him. ¡°Ready to go?¡± She nodded. ¡°In a minute. Apparently I can use your catalogs to make sure you don¡¯t burn me to death accidentally.¡± ¡°Take your time. I¡¯m gonna get the door open and get defenses set up.¡± With that, he activated the door panel to check the cameras while Kat entered the room he used when he got his upgrades. Cycling through the few cameras he could see Leo did not see any Antithesis so he opened the doors and turned to Reid. ¡°Hallway¡¯s clear. Get your guys out there and man the defenses. Me and Kat will be heading out soon to hopefully clear the hive that is set up somewhere.¡± Reid stood at attention, ¡°Yessir!¡± before gesturing at a few nearby guards. ¡°I thought I said there was no need for the formalities?¡± Leo asked, exasperated. Reid just smirked. ¡°Yes sir.¡± before stepping out the door to direct. Leo chuckled. ¡°Asshole.¡± As he was stepping out, he noticed the two guards from the second floor were still following him. ¡°Did y¡¯all need something? Also, what are your names?¡± The older of the two stepped forward at attention. ¡°Sir! My name is Ethan Hawkins and this is Matthew Burns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the formalities. Just call me Leo, or Phoenix if you want to. Anyway, what can I do for you Ethan?¡± Leo said, waving off the other man''s strict demeanor. Ethan relaxed a bit. ¡°A few things actually. I¡¯m not sure about Burns here, but I prefer my last name,¡± Burns nodded. ¡°So we would prefer you use them. Second, we wanted to join you to the hive.¡± ¡°You want to do what? That¡¯s going to be dangerous for us and we have Samurai tech protecting us!¡± Hawkins just nodded. ¡°We are aware of that. We have experience in assaulting hives from our PMC days and could be valuable assets for you.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Leo put his hands on his head as he paced before turning back to the two guards. ¡°Absolutely not! I can¡¯t be sure I can protect myself, I won¡¯t put two others at risk when I can¡¯t guarantee their safety.¡± ¡°Sir¡­Leo, it¡¯s not only that. Me and Burns talked it over while you helped cure the shelter. The trek down here reminded us why we joined the PMC all those years ago. The excitement, the feeling of actively helping. It¡¯s something we didn¡¯t know we¡¯ve been missing. Please, let us help.¡± Hawking was almost pleading with him. Leo put his face in his hand as he thought. ¡®Aegys, what do you think?¡¯ ¡®Do people really do that? Follow a Samurai in the hopes of getting chosen?¡¯ He nodded. It made sense that the Protectors would avoid that. He looked back at Hawkins and Burns. Their expressions were resolute but with some undercurrent that Leo couldn¡¯t quite make out. ¡°You know what you¡¯d be throwing yourself into right? I can¡¯t guarantee your safety and you very well might die.¡± They both nodded, a single, sure nod. ¡°You both know that this doesn''t mean you¡¯ll become Samurai right? I have no power to even recommend you.¡± ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t even know what I would do with those abilities. I¡¯d be frozen with indecision.¡± Burns finally spoke up. Leo idly noted that his voice was the kind you would expect to hear in a meditation class, smooth and relaxing to listen to. Leo stared at them for a handful of seconds, waiting to see if they would back down. ¡°Alright, fine. Let me message Kat and see what she says. If she has no issue, then you can go.¡± He pulled up his messages with Kat.
L: Hey, those two guards I brought from the second floor want to join us.
K: Seriously?! They know they could die right?
L: I grilled them already. They are ex-PMC and are dead-set on going. I swear they almost gave me puppy-dog eyes.
K:...
K: Fine, but make sure they know that we can¡¯t guarantee anything.
L: Already done
L: Hey, those two guards I brought from the second floor want to join us. K: Seriously?! They know they could die right? L: I grilled them already. They are ex-PMC and are dead-set on going. I swear they almost gave me puppy-dog eyes. K:... K: Fine, but make sure they know that we can¡¯t guarantee anything. L: Already done. ¡°Seems like she¡¯s okay with it. I can at least make sure I won¡¯t accidentally cook you. Aegys, what can we do for them?¡± ¡®What about weapons, will the SMGs I gave them earlier still be fine?¡¯ ¡°Do it.¡± He looked at Hawkins and Burns. ¡°These are for you two. They will protect you from most ambient heat that I¡¯ll cause, but don¡¯t go standing in any bonfires please.¡± A large box appeared in front of each of them. New Purchase: Firebird Gear Package x2 Points reduced to - 130 ¡°Additionally, you have access to thirty points each to buy ammunition and medical supplies. Once we get to fighting, I authorized you to buy a new weapon so long as I have points since the SMGs I gave you earlier are only really good against the single digit models. Aegys will connect to your augs to facilitate the purchases so all you need to do is speak to him. Any questions?¡± Both guards shook their heads. ¡°Good. Go get suited up then and meet me outside the doors.¡± Leo watched as they picked up the boxes and went to a vacant room nearby to change. He headed out to the hallway and helped make sure the defenses were getting set up. After he noticed more than a few people eyeing the coffee bar with sad eyes, Leo refilled all of it after getting rid of the two full decaf dispensers. Some time later Hawkins and Burns walked out. Instead of their previous black and purple uniforms from The Nexus, they now wore light body armor that was charcoal black with veins and accents of red, orange, and yellow. It made it look like they wore the remains of a smoldering fire. The cloaks similarly were charcoal black but the light would catch as they moved making it seem like small gouts of flame. ¡®If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say you wanted to be a fashion designer.¡¯ Out loud, ¡°How''s the new armor?¡± Hawkins replied for both of them, as seemed to be normal. ¡°It¡¯s amazing! It beats even the highest grade custom armor we ever had. Doesn¡¯t hurt that it¡¯s impressive to look at as well.¡± ¡°Hah! I wish I could take credit for that part. Aegys definitely has a flair for the dramatic. All we need to do is wait for Kat and then we can head out. In the meantime, let me set you guys up with the team comms.¡± Both of them nodded and moved off to the side where they started talking to a couple nearby guards who looked extremely jealous. Leo stood there for a couple more minutes, after they accepted the comms invite, working through a map Aegys had found to try and figure out where the Hive might be when a voice spoke up from behind him. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± He turned around to let Kat know they could leave immediately before he froze. She stood in the shelter doorway wearing a black ankle length duster with silver armor plating. As she walked he saw she wore black calf height combat boots which led to close fitting armored pants that highlighted the curves of her legs. The body armor he saw peeking out from the opened front of the duster showed that it was similarly close fitting, but boasted more robust armor that still allowed high mobility. Across her chest was an assault rifle. The last thing he noticed as she came to a stop in front of him was the choker she wore. He was finally able to tear his gaze up to her bright green eyes as she smirked at him. ¡°Earth to Leo, you doin¡¯ alright there?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­uhh¡­hmm¡­¡± He opened and closed his mouth as he tried to get words out. Aegys snickered. Suddenly an arm went around his shoulders. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go whenever.¡± Kat glanced at Hawkins. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you two are the guards he mentioned?¡± ¡°Got it in one! I¡¯m Hawkins and that there is Burns. Phoenix here hooked us up with some basic gear and an allowance so we shouldn¡¯t be too much dead weight.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m assuming Leo gave you the rundown?¡± ¡°Yup, we know how dangerous it is. We were both PMC who did assaults on hives and decided we missed the excitement. I got the map here as well so we can navigate if needed.¡± She just nodded. ¡°Good to hear. Let''s get going then.¡± She led the way down the hall following the path Leo had marked out earlier with her duster billowing slightly behind her. Hawkins leaned closer to Leo. ¡°You may want to close your mouth there son. Gonna catch a few Model Ones.¡± He slapped Leos back hard enough to make him stumble and walked off laughing while Burns followed. Leo hurried to catch up and followed the paths highlighted by Predator¡¯s Gaze. Chapter 15 [CHAPTER 15] Leo caught up to where Kat was leading their party. They walked in silence for a couple minutes as Leo followed the trail of claw marks, dried liquids, and various other marks left by the passing Antithesis. Finally he gathered his whirling thoughts enough to ask, ¡°That¡¯s a lot more new gear than I expected. Anything interesting?¡± Kat began listing off her upgrades as they walked, still keeping an eye around them. ¡°Not too much. The armor distributes some kinetic energy to reduce how hard I get hit and the duster has some piercing protection. They both also have some heat mitigation tech in there from your catalogs. Beyond that I¡¯ve got my shotgun and a bunch of fancy bullets. Ran out before I could get much in the way of turrets, but I can buy them later.¡± He nodded. ¡°Sounds like some good gear.¡± They continued on in silence. Leo couldn¡¯t be sure, but he thought he heard some snickering from behind them. But when he looked all he saw was Hawkins and Burns marching along, straight-faced. He turns back and almost misses where the track he was following suddenly swerved into an air vent near the ceiling. ¡°Well shit, what now? Are we able to get a blueprint of the building to figure out where that goes?¡± Aegys spoke up in the comms. ¡°I pulled a blueprint from the shelter network earlier. Looks like that air vent has a maintenance access in the next mechanic¡¯s closet. Ahead on your right.¡± A short distance ahead one of the doors started glowing. Hawkins let out a low whistle. ¡°I could get used to having AI help during ops. Makes life a lot easier.¡± Burns just grunted in acknowledgment as they all hurried forward. Leo was about to open the door when Hawkins stopped him. ¡°Hold on now, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s behind that door. Do either of you have some kind of camera we can stick in there?¡± Both Kat and Leo looked at each other before shaking their heads. Hawkins just sighed. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan. I¡¯ll pop up this shield while one of you opens the door, that way if anything jumps out at us it¡¯ll hit the shield. Questions?¡± There were none so he got set up in front of the door and Leo got ready to open it. Opening the door quickly, Leo got ready to shoot something but nothing happened. A moment later Hawkins relaxed. ¡°Seems nothing wanted to play, still, better safe than sorry.¡± ¡°Thanks Hawkins.¡± Leo said as he led the way into the small room. Inside there wasn¡¯t much beyond what you would expect to find in a maintenance closet. Some cleaning chemicals, tools, a mini-fridge. Set into the back wall was what the team needed, an access door letting them into the air vents and other various pipes used to make the stadium function. He pulled out one of his pistols and slowly opened the door to reveal a bare hallway just tall enough for someone to walk without stooping and barely wide enough to not brush his shoulders on the walls. He pulled back out and looked at his team. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a tight fit in there. Especially for you Burns.¡± The man just shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll go in first since I can put up a shield, Kat should probably take the rear in case some Antithesis decide to come in behind us. That puts you two in the center, make sure to keep some distance between each other so we don¡¯t all get squished together.¡± Hawkins spoke up, ¡°If we do come across something in there, make sure to take a knee if you can. We won¡¯t be able to fire around you otherwise.¡± Leo nodded before turning back to the tunnel and delving in. ¡®What should I be on the lookout for here? I have a couple ideas already but I¡¯ve recently had the thought that my game knowledge doesn¡¯t exactly translate all the time.¡¯ Aegys snorted. ¡®Sounds good. Please make sure the others are aware as well.¡¯ He continued down the hallway for about five minutes before he began to see evidence of the Antithesis in the form of vines growing within the various pipes and cables on the wall. Glancing at the ceiling above them he could make out some more Antithesis matter there. He pointed it out to Hawkins behind him before continuing on. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The tunnel was starting to feel claustrophobic. There were no alternate hallways, no doors leading out, and seemingly no end in the distance. All Leo could see was a gentle curve going in front of him. Finally, he spotted something different. There was a set of stairs set into the right side of the hallway. Raising a fist above his shoulder Leo stopped to observe the hallway. The vines he had been following seemed to come from this tunnel. Leo spoke quietly into the team comms, ¡°Looks like we have an offshoot tunnel where the vines are growing from and they go both back where we came from and towards the rest of the tunnel. I think we found our entrance to the hive.¡± Kat responded, ¡°Finally. I was starting to get claustrophobic here. Let¡¯s get in and burn this thing out.¡± He glanced back to see the other two nodding so he turned into the stairs and began to descend the steps. After a couple seconds he came to a landing with two hallways going to either side. As he got closer, his attention was pulled to the ceiling above the landing where he was just able to make out the form of a Model Four. Raising his pistol he filled it full of crystal. The corpse thudded into the landing with the tinkling of falling crystal. ¡°We¡¯ll need to be on the lookout for hidden Antithesis. Just took out a Model Four.¡± Target Eliminated! Reward - 15 Points ¡°Holy shit, I didn¡¯t even see it there.¡± Came Hawkins awed voice. ¡°What did you even hit it with?¡± Leo realized he had not fired his pistols since he ran into the Nine. ¡°Some pistols I got before I met y¡¯all. They fire crystal shards that play havoc with Antithesis bodies. Gotta be careful with ambient heat though.¡± The group continued moving down the long stairway as Hawkins replied. ¡°Well shit. Think I could get one?¡± ¡°I might be able to swing one for you later. No guarantees though.¡± Leo looked around carefully as they passed another landing. ¡°Hell yea. I¡¯m gonna get a minigun and turn a Four into a fancy chandelier.¡± Leo just shook his head and kept sneaking down the stairs. The farther he went, the more the air changed. The smell of metal and grease turned into the damp smell of dense vegetation. The air got more humid as the walls turned from the gray of concrete to the greens and browns of the Antithesis vines and roots. The group reached the bottom of the stairway where there was a large room with lockers, presumably full of gear, on the walls around them. On the opposite side of the room stood a door, or rather, what used to be a door. Instead there was a roughly broken opening with roots and vines exploding out of the opening and consuming the entire room. Leo paused on the last step, not willing to step into a room that reminded him so much of every pre-boss room he had seen in any game. Instead, he spoke quietly into the team comms. ¡°I think we found the final approach to the hive. We should probably pause here and figure out our game plan.¡± Burns spoke up. ¡°Naw, back up to the last landing. I¡¯d like to have some distance in case we get surprised. We¡¯ll have a better chance of avoiding the hive taking notice.¡± Leo slowly backed up the stairs, keeping an eye on the shattered doorway to watch for any Antithesis coming in. Once the room was out of sight and he was on the previous landing he relaxed marginally. ¡°Here¡¯s the situation. It looks like there are a bunch of roots that broke through a door down there. We may have to clear them out before we can get through because it would be a tight fit for any of us. I can only assume that the hive is just on the other side, but I¡¯m not sure. I would expect a heavier Antithesis presence if that was the case.¡± Hawkins spoke up, ¡°It is a bit odd. Most of the hives we assaulted before would have many more Antithesis before you could ever get close. Do we have any way to get eyes on the situation without sending one of us through the door? A drone of some kind?¡± Leo shook his head and looked over at Kat. She shook her head as well, ¡°Buying this new gear cleared most of my points. I have just enough to buy more ammo if I need. Usually Echo would be the one to buy all the drones so I didn¡¯t even think about it.¡± Hawkins sighed heavily. ¡°Nothing to be done for it then. Aegys, what is on the other side of that door? Do the blueprints show anything?¡± ¡°Nothing beyond a large room. The blueprints are blank beyond the various entrances to it almost like what was supposed to be there was removed. There is no record left anywhere in the system either. It may have never been uploaded.¡± They all sat there for a few moments trying to think of a way to solve their problem before Leo spoke up. ¡°Sitting here thinking won¡¯t get us anywhere. For some reason there are no Antithesis over here so me and Kat can¡¯t gather points to solve the issue. Aegys, my acid should melt through those roots without issue, correct?¡± ¡°You are correct. You should be able to concentrate the acidic compound to melt through rather quickly.¡± ¡°At this point I think we should stick to the oldest advice in the book, ¡®No plan survives first contact.¡¯ and make it as simple as possible. I¡¯ll melt through the roots and then we move through the door. Beyond that is what Samurai are best at, we can buy whatever gear we need to adapt. If we get overrun, we retreat through the door and I set up hard-light walls to delay anything coming after us. Questions?¡± Nobody had any and so, with plan in mind, the team made their way down the stairs. Upon reaching the room they had to carefully cross to the door since the floor was covered in roots. Leo stopped in front of the door and tried to peer through but could see nothing through the various leaves and vegetation that filled the door. He glanced at the rest to make sure they were ready before beginning to charge his gauntlets with extra concentrated acid. Chapter 16 [CHAPTER 16] Leo set the ball of acid against the roots and began to smear it on as many as he could reach. The moment they came into contact the roots started hissing and smoking as it melted to the floor. Once the beginning of the door was clear, he tossed a few more balls of acid through the doorway to help clear the way. Soon enough, he could see a murky light through the door so he turned to his team. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re through, let¡¯s go.¡± Leo forged through the few remaining plants in the doorway to find himself in a large, circular room. He estimated it was a couple hundred feet from one side to the other. Covering every surface were Antithesis hive constructs including pools of some liquid on the ground, thick branches with bulbous pods hanging from them, and a large pillar like tree directly in the center. He noticed multiple monkey-like Model Tens tending to the pods. ¡®What do you mean it¡¯s too established?¡¯ Leo thought about this as the rest of the team came through the door. Hawkins let out a low hiss, ¡°This is one big baby hive. Do we even have anything big enough to damage it?¡± Burns spoke up with a sharp note, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, looks like the plants noticed our entrance. If we¡¯re going to do something, do it now.¡± With that, he stepped forward and began firing at the few Antithesis that had noticed them first. Leo shook his head to clear his shock at the size of his first hive. ¡°He¡¯s right. Hawkins, Burns, take care of the small stuff and buy ammo as you need it. Kat, secure our evacuation just in case we need it later, then focus on expanding our base here. I¡¯ll work on getting something that can take out the hive.¡± The group jumped to their assigned tasks immediately. Hawkins joined Burns up front and began firing into the incoming horde of Model Threes and Fours. Kat set about placing a couple turrets around the doorway before setting one on either side of Hawkins and Burns. ¡®Aegys, what have we got that could damage the hive?¡¯ Leo thought for only a second before answering. ¡®Fast and decisive, you already said this hive is abnormal, I don¡¯t want to risk letting it build something big.¡¯ ¡®What are my point totals now?¡¯ He was about to respond when he heard a shot from Hawkins. ¡°Hey boss! We got anything stronger than these SMGs? They don¡¯t seem to be doing anything to the new guys.¡± Leo looked at the horde to see a couple bear-like Model Sixes lumbering towards them. He quickly queued up a ball of fire in one hand and pulled one of his pistols with the other. Throwing the orb into the horde, he pulled his other pistol and fired both at one of the Model Sixes. As the shards of Solitite hit, they penetrated the thick, bony plates that covered the Six and Leo watched as it quickly stumbled before crashing to the ground. Target Eliminated! Reward - 30 Points ¡®Grenade, now!¡¯ As soon as he had the thought, an orb appeared in Leo''s hand. He idly realized it was warm, similar to picking up something that had been sitting near a fire, before he chucked it directly at the second Model Six coming their way. The orb sailed through the air before smacking the Six in the face. A moment passed before everything around the Six was consumed in a sparkly red cloud that quickly settled onto the ground, forming a spiky outcropping a couple feet in any direction. Target Eliminated! Reward - 30 Points ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to also make lawn decorations.¡± Leo commented. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡®Good to know. Back to plans, what do I have access to that could help solve this hive issue?¡¯ He began firing into the horde and tossing acid balls, greek fire, and the occasional grenade as he and Aegys talked. Leo noticed a small swarm of Model Ones flying their way. ¡°Kat, Fliers at 2 o¡¯clock!¡± A couple of her smaller turrets began firing into the incoming swarm as Leo continued thinning the horde. ¡°I¡¯m going to start moving around the pillar. Aegys needs to scan it so we can take it down.¡± Hawkins called over to him. ¡°We¡¯ll cover you, just don¡¯t get trapped, none of us are equipped to pull you out!¡± Leo nodded and began moving around the room. He was constantly shooting, throwing chemicals, and chucking grenades to keep from getting overrun. Now that he wasn¡¯t in a defended position, he began using his hard-light walls to keep from getting flanked. ¡°What?¡± Leo asked as he watched a Model Ten skewer itself on one of the crystal growths from his grenades. ¡°What does that mean for our plan?¡± He continued his journey around the pillar, his pistols never stopping their stream of crystals for long. A fresh wave of Antithesis headed his way, an ocean of Model Threes, Fours, and Sixes. Leo saw an opening in the wave and sprinted up a large root. Once he reached the top he had a wide view of the entire floor. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of plants.¡± He set hard-light walls all around him and charged them with flames before turning towards his kill funnel and chucking the grenade Aegys summoned. He brought both pistols to bear and held the triggers, spraying the incoming Antithesis with razor sharp crystals. Mere moments into his slaughter, one of his pistols suddenly cracked and stopped firing. ¡°Umm, Aegys? I don¡¯t think guns are supposed to crack like that.¡± He resumed firing into the oncoming horde, throwing grenades at any groups of heavily armored Sixes he saw. Before long the wave broke and Leo had a moment to rest. Leo sat on the root to catch his breath while still keeping an eye out for any Antithesis who thought he looked like a good snack. Luckily, Kat and the rest of the team were good at keeping attention on themselves. ¡°How much do we need to get that Hive Buster?¡± Leo tapped into the team comms. ¡°I¡¯m heading back. We¡¯ll retreat through the door before I destroy the hive.¡± After getting confirmation from all three of his team, he began running back towards them. A few groups of Antithesis were climbing out of pods nearby and Leo tossed a grenade at each, causing the pods to be replaced with crystal growths. Finally slipping back behind the defensive line, Leo took deep breaths to get his breathing under control. Hawkins looked over at him while carrying a sleek rifle with various crystal growths accenting it. ¡°So, where¡¯s this fancy hive destroyer you got?¡± Leo chuckled. ¡°Get through the door and I¡¯ll pull it out. Aegys, can you buy the stuff but delay the delivery?¡± Class II Bursyamo Explosives Unlocked! Points reduced to - 2865 New Purchase: Hive Buster Bomb Points reduced to - 2565 They all backed through the door, Kats turrets starting to take the brunt of damage without the extra support. ¡°Get it. Hawkins, here is the fancy hive destroyer.¡± As he spoke, a four foot long box appeared. Leo flipped the lid open to reveal what looked like a large tube with two handles. One end flared open and the other held a cylinder with a cone shaped head. Hawkins glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Is that a fucking RPG? Shit, if I knew those worked I¡¯d be dropping hives left and right.¡± Leo chuckled at the man''s animated reaction. ¡°Not quite. Aegys added some alien tech to make it actually effective.¡± Aegys spoke up over the comms, ¡°Indeed. If you tried using a regular RPG against a hive, you might as well sneeze on a Model Three. Leo, all you need to do is aim it at the hive and pull the trigger. The warhead will penetrate the hive structure and then rapidly crystallize the internals.¡± Leo picked up the Hive Buster, it was significantly lighter than it seemed, and took aim at the hive. ¡°I¡¯d recommend dropping to one knee. Not sure if you need the stability to keep from getting knocked over, but aiming would probably be easier.¡± Burns piped in. Leo dropped to one knee and immediately noticed the difference. Aiming carefully, he brought the hive into the sights. ¡®Ready?¡¯ He breathed out slowly and as soon as his lungs were emptied, he pulled the trigger. They all watched as the warhead streaked towards the hive and held their breath waiting for it to impact. Right before impact, several glowing motes of light came streaking through the air before blossoming into intense fireballs, destroying many hive structures and setting off the warhead in mid-air. Chapter 17 [CHAPTER 17] They all watched as the glowing motes of light blossomed into massive fireballs, consuming nearby Antithesis and incinerating them. One of them impacted the warhead streaking through the air before detonating and setting off the warhead. The world seemed to hold its breath for a moment before suddenly all the heat was yanked from the air. Leo was so focused on the warhead that he was able to watch as a shard of brilliant red crystal exploded into a star before growing exponentially. He watched as the fireball was consumed almost as fast as it was created. Movement on the edge of his view pulled his attention, and he watched as all the crystal growths he caused with his grenades similarly seemed to suck in the flames and explode in growth. The few patches of Greek Fire he had used to block the Antithesis during his rush around the pillar swirled into nearby crystal growths, feeding the unstoppable growth. Aegys¡¯ urgent voice broke him out of the trance he was in watching the Solitite grow and he rapidly placed a hard-light wall on the cavern side of the doorway. The moment he did, he noticed a group of Solitite rapidly growing towards the doorway before it pressed against the wall mere inches from Leo''s nose with a tink. The room crackled and the small group heard the tinkling of falling crystal as everything seemed to come to a stop. ¡°What. The. Fuck. Just happened?¡± Hawkins whispered. ¡°Umm, Aegys? Any ideas?¡± Leo asked The AI spoke through the comms, ¡°I am not sure. There are no known variants of Antithesis that would be able to launch fireballs like that.¡± ¡°Well obviously something happened. Was the hive destroyed in all that?¡± Kat asked Aegys managed to sound unsure. ¡°Unknown. I would suggest going back now that the Solitite seems to have stopped growing. Be extremely careful though, many of the crystal growths will have points only a singular molecule thick.¡± Leo took a deep breath to settle the adrenaline coursing through him before dropping the hard-light wall and carefully edging past the few points of crystal that had grown towards the doorway. Once past those he got his first full look at what the cavern had become. What was once a sim cavern thick with green plant life and the smell of damp vegetation had become a crystallized wasteland. Vines had become ropes of glittering red crystals. Digestive pools had grown large crystal structures that looked like explosions frozen in time. In a few spots there were Antithesis that looked like animals stuck in spikey amber. Most impressive of all though, was the central spire. What had originally looked like the twisted trunk of a massive tree with roots crawling across both the floor and ceiling was now a twisted mass of shimmering red solitite. The light in the room seemed to play across it as if a living flame was trapped inside. The crunch of crystal beneath boots signaled Hawkins and Burns stepping up behind him while Kat stopped at his side. ¡°It¡¯s¡­beautiful.¡± She breathed. ¡°Absolutely terrifying but¡­¡± No one had anything to add to that. They all stood there for a couple minutes, staring around the cavern in a mixture of awe and fear. Suddenly there was a loud crack that seemed to echo around the area and Leo saw a shower of crystal from around the back of the central pillar. The sudden sound had all of them dropping into combat stances. As one, they all began stalking around the pillar with weapons trained and ready. They rounded the pillar, passing by an enormous amount of frozen Antithesis, just in time to see a figure burst from a hole in the ground with a shower of Solitite shards flying through the air. Leo managed to get a couple hard-light walls above them to act as umbrellas as they all stared at the person standing in front of them. The person wore high-heeled boots that went up to their thighs, a black and purple corset that did not look comfortable to fight in, and a flowing cloak in the same colors. They lifted their head, a large witch hat on top, and caught sight of the small group. In her hand was a staff with a glowing orb on top. Leo thought she looked familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite place her. He was about to say something when she called out with a smile on her face. "Oh my, I hope you kiddos are alright! I should have guessed that a Samurai weapon would have a catch to it. Do any of you need medical attention?¡± She asked brightly as she brushed some stray crystals off her hat. Leo stared for a moment. He never expected someone to bust through the ground into a hive which was already underground, much less someone dressed as a witch. ¡°Umm, I thi¨C¡± Suddenly, her hat spoke, "You can darn well tell they are fine just spooked." Leo tried to speak up, but the witch continued on over him. "Yes, but it''s polite to ask and I feel it''s my responsibility to be the adult here and fix my errors." She scolded. "Indeed, the queen of never wrong admits a mistake, cute." The hat snarked. "Hush you!" The witch poked at her hat before looking back at Leo. "Sorry, for him. Anyone hurt? And do you need help clearing up this quite lovely mess?" She asked, looking intently at the party with a smile. Leo¡¯s brain finally caught up after the whiplash of the conversation. Something about the witch seemed off to him. Her eyes were extremely focused, almost like a mountain lion who spotted its prey. There was something in the way she moved, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. Her smile, too, seemed odd in a way that refused description. Human, but also, not. Leo cleared his throat and shook off his thoughts. ¡°No, none of us are hurt. As for the mess, I¡¯m not sure how I can get rid of it.¡± She walked closer, again pinging something in his brain that made him slightly uncomfortable. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not an issue. I¡¯m sure we can figure out how to get rid of this just as soon as I can scan it and figure out what exactly it is.¡± She turned towards a nearby group of crystals and stared intently while mumbling to herself. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Kat apparently got over her own shock and blurted out, ¡°Are you the Witch of the West?¡± The Samurai, since she couldn¡¯t be anything else, spun to look at Kat with a brilliant smile, one that didn¡¯t give Leo the shivers. She swept her hat off her head and flourished a bow. ¡°The one and only.¡± The hat spoke up with a sigh. ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯ll have to resize the hat again if you keep doing that.¡± In response the woman, Witch of the West, simply threw her hat. Leo watched as it flew for a second before discorporating into a black mist which flowed back toward her and reformed on her head. Leo looked over to Kat to see her almost vibrating with excitement. Apparently, so did Witch, since she smirked as she walked over. ¡°Look at you! You must be a new Samurai. What''s your name?¡± Kat''s eyes got wide as Witch strode up to her. ¡°I-It¡¯s Kat Ma¡¯am.¡± Witch¡¯s eyes widened as she gasped. ¡°You really are new! You don¡¯t even have a name yet! Oh! You¡¯re too adorable!¡± Suddenly, she grabbed Kat and hugged her to her chest. Leo tried not to look too much, but it wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°What do you do? What¡¯s your theme?¡± She asked the young woman trapped in her arms. Kat looked like a deer caught in headlights as she answered. ¡°Umm, I do a lot of turrets and static defenses.¡± A thoughtful look came over Witch¡¯s face. ¡°Hmm. I got it! How about Redoubt since you set up a defensible position close to the fighting?¡± Leo was fairly certain that Kat couldn¡¯t smile any brighter, but somehow she did. ¡°I love it!¡± She squealed. Leo was sure he could see actual stars shining in Kat¡¯s eyes. Letting her go, Witch turned towards Leo. ¡°And you must be the one with the eye for crystals. What¡¯s your name?¡± He cleared his throat, a little less starstruck than Kat, but still nervous meeting an established Samurai for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m Leo, Miss Witch. But I guess my Samurai name would be Phoenix.¡± She pouted slightly. ¡°Darn. Well one name is better than nothing I suppose. Plus, it looks like your AI decided on your theme already.¡± ¡°Now, about these crystals. As pretty as they are, I¡¯m assuming the people who own this space don¡¯t want them staying?¡± Leo saw a new entry pop up in his team comms channel right as Aegys began speaking. ¡°About that. I am Aegys, Samurai Phoenix¡¯ Vanguard AI. The crystal around us is actually a silicone-based crystal known as Solitite. Solitite reacts quite violently with heat, as you saw, but has a naturally occurring counter known as Inhibis. There is an item called the Solitite Disruption Sphere which will cause the Solitite to stop expanding and, if enough is present, will cause the Solitite to dissolve. Leo, you would need to buy at least five to cover enough to bring the concentration of Solittie below the self-sufficiency level. Eight will completely eradicate the Solitite.¡± He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get eight then. No reason to leave a possibility it will come back.¡± Witch was obviously excited. ¡°New materials? Now this, I have to see.¡± New Purchase: Solitite Disruption Sphere Points reduced to - 6945 A box appeared on a nearby crystal growth. Leo opened it to reveal eight smooth, black orbs that had a mirror finish on them. ¡®Thanks¡¯ Eight waypoints, much like ones he had seen in games, appeared in Leo''s vision. As he made his way to each spot, Witch of the West followed him. ¡°You must have killed a lot of Antithesis to be able to afford something like this.¡± She gestured at the crystal surrounding them. ¡°Are you also new?¡± She asked as they walked. He nodded. ¡°Me and Kat were initialized at around the same time. We were part of the Samurai Rush gaming tournament.¡± ¡°Interesting. I might have to look into that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pretty fun game. But as for killing Antithesis, I haven¡¯t actually killed all that many before we got to the hive. Why wouldn¡¯t I be able to afford it?¡± She looked thoughtful. ¡°From what I understand, most gear is priced based on a few factors. How advanced the technology is compared to Earth, How complicated it is, and the damage potential both immediately and in the future. For something like this which can become self-sufficient and take over an area, I would imagine it would have a steep price.¡± Her hat spoke up. ¡°I can answer that for you. I¡¯m Merlin, Witch of the West¡¯s AI. I was speaking with Aegys about Solitite. The concentration needed to become self-sufficient here on Earth would have been almost impossible for Phoenix to reach on his own without planning to do exactly that. What happened here was basically a perfect storm of coincidences. Phoenix had thrown multiple crystal grenades, which cause bursts of Solitite growths that usually only last a few minutes, all around the area. When he launched the Hive Buster, which contained a condensed Solitite crystal, you launched your fireballs causing the Solitite to absorb the heat and rapidly replicate, quickly reaching the singularity needed to become self-sufficient.¡± Leo set down the fourth orb and they continued on. ¡°Well, at least I got a shield up in time. We almost had our entrance blocked off.¡± Witch waved her hand. ¡°You would have been fine. I put up a shield before launching the fireballs just in case y¡¯all got hit by shrapnel. Can¡¯t be too careful.¡± They walked in silence as Leo placed the final few orbs. When they reached the rest of Leo¡¯s party, Witch spoke up. ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s get these things activated and make sure this hive is dead. I need a shower.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get through the doorway first. I don¡¯t exactly want to dissolve a crystal into the top of our heads.¡± Leo pointed up at some of the hanging crystals. The motley crew of people trooped carefully across the field of sharp, glittering crystal. Hawkins and Burns looked every which way to make sure everything was dead, Kat stared awestruck at Witch of the West, who in turn pocketed a few chunks of Solitite, and Leo led them all to the doorway. Once they were all through Leo placed a hard-light shield in front of the doorway. ¡°We should be good to activate the orbs, right Aegys?¡± ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± He glanced back and got nods. ¡°Go for it.¡± They all peered through the doorway as the orbs they could see burst into clouds of black glitter. The glitter stuck to the Solitite before eating away at it. Hawkins sucked in a breath. ¡°I would not want to be caught in that. Looks dangerous.¡± Aegys spoke up. ¡°Actually, you would be fine. The biggest danger to being in that room right now is¨C¡± Suddenly a large crash sounded as a piece of crystal that was on the ceiling came crashing down. ¡°¨CThat. The Inihibis actually breaks off into rounded shards so there is no worry of lacerations.¡± Hawkins only gave a non-committal ¡°Huh.¡± in response. Around ten minutes after it started, Aegys told them the Solitite was gone and they could go back in. The group waded through the gray dust and saw that the center of the room held a large, cylindrical pillar. ¡°So that¡¯s what the hive was covering. Any idea what it is?¡± Kat asked. Merlin spoke up from his place atop Witch¡¯s head. ¡°It is a power generator for the building. It looks like it¡¯s in a sort of sleep mode due to overheating. When fully active though, it would let off lots of electro-magnetic radiation. Probably the reason for the hive''s abnormal ECM shielding.¡± Witch nodded. ¡°Makes sense. In other news, I¡¯m not picking up any signs of Antithesis. Looks like they were all crystallized.¡± Leo just slumped a little. ¡°Finally. I never imagined being an actual Samurai could be so tiring¡± Witch patted him on the back. ¡°Poor kid. Let¡¯s get you somewhere with food and a bed.¡± As they turned to leave, Hawkins said, ¡°At least we don¡¯t have to sweep all that. I feel bad for the janitorial crew.¡± Witch stopped. ¡°Good point!¡± With a wave of her hand, a cloud of black left her cloak and began sweeping around the room. Everywhere it passed was clean of any dust. The rest of the team gave her a look. ¡°What? It¡¯s good silicon, I can use it to make stuff.¡± They collectively shook their heads as they headed back to the main level. Chapter 18 [CHAPTER 18] The group made their way up the stairs and through the narrow tunnels back to the basement level. As they walked, Kat interrogated the Witch of the West. ¡°So what are you doing here? I would think a Samurai of your ability wouldn¡¯t worry too much about a small incursion like this one.¡± Witch glanced over, ¡°This incursion was anything but small. Actually, me and a group of other Samurai were taking out a massive stealth super-hive that has been hiding underneath the area here for quite awhile. I just so happened to pick the arm that led up to you four.¡± Leo looked over sharply, ¡°Super-hive? How big was it?¡± Witch got a thoughtful look over her face, ¡°It was big enough to start popping out Models in the upper thirties. Unfortunately we lost a couple Samurai but the hive was killed in the end.¡± She seemed sad for a moment before seeming to shake the feeling off. ¡°Well shit. Good thing we got the small part of it, I don¡¯t think any of us would have survived anything in the twenties, much less the thirties.¡± Leo shivered as he tried to imagine what kind of horrors the Antithesis had at those levels. Samurai Rush only had models in the upper twenties, any model in the thirties had a tendency to resemble cosmic horrors rather than something he could imagine. Witch sighed, ¡°I¡¯d like to say I wouldn¡¯t have let that happen, the fact of the matter is we had no idea you all were here until I showed up.¡± The group continued to walk in silence for the next few minutes until they eventually reached the maintenance room Leo¡¯s group originally came through. They all quickly made their way through the small room and into the basement hallway. Hawkins was the last one through the door and as soon as he had room he stretched his arms above his head. ¡°Ooh, feels good to get out of that place. Started to feel like the walls were closing in.¡± Leo just chuckled as they continued on to the shelter entrance. As soon as the guards saw them come around the bend they all cheered. Reid, the guard Leo had put in charge, came out of the shelter and spotted them. ¡°Welcome back,¡± he called, ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°There was a hive set up in some sort of power station in a sub-basement of the stadium. We managed to take it out thanks to some help from the Witch of the West here.¡± Leo gestured over at Witch, who waved. ¡°We didn¡¯t stop to clear out any remnants, but apparently Witch¡¯s group had a couple Samurai who specialize in that sort of thing so they will come check the stadium out.¡± Reid relaxed a bit, ¡°So does that mean we can get out of the shelter?¡± Witch spoke up, ¡°I would suggest staying put for a while longer while we check the surroundings. I would say at least a couple more hours before we can start sending people home.¡± Some of the guards groaned at that, but most just nodded. ¡°Makes sense,¡± Reid replied, ¡°just let us know when. We¡¯ve had a couple people try to leave already. Before you go, Samurai Phoenix,Samurai Kat you wouldn¡¯t happen to have some more ammo would you? The guns and turrets are running low and some are out entirely.¡± Leo nodded and moved to the center of the defensive area to buy some more ammo while Kat said, ¡°I actually have a Samurai name now, it¡¯s Redoubt,¡± with a smile before she went around to each turret to reload and do maintenance. New Purchase: Phoenix Ammo Depot Points reduced to - 6930 In the middle of the defensive area appeared a large box with a big red button on top. Hawkins noticed and ran over. ¡°Please tell me I can press the big red button.¡± Leo looked over to see the large man practically begging with his eyes. ¡®Aegys?¡¯ Leo just nodded and struggled to hold back a laugh as Hawkins pumped his fist in excitement. Hawkins smashed the button down and then stepped backwards when the top of the box flew off. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The sides of the box fell down and everyone around watched as a Phoenix seemed to rise from it, unfurling its wings to reveal the ¡®feathers¡¯ were actually various different magazines for the guards'' guns. Hawkins raised his arms in celebration, ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± and all the guards broke out in laughter. ¡®I bet you feel proud of yourself.¡¯ Aegys said, smugly. Witch walked over, ¡°And I thought I had a flair for the dramatic. At least it¡¯s good for morale.¡± Leo just shook his head, ¡°So what¡¯s next for you?¡± ¡°Mostly some cleanup here and then back home I guess. I¡¯ve got some more research to do. What about you?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure. I was supposed to be here in Vegas for a couple weeks because of the tournament, but now most of my team is¡­gone,¡± Leo choked up a bit before clearing his throat, ¡°and the tournament won¡¯t let a Samurai compete. I¡¯m not sure what Kat has planned, but we may end up going home to Montana. At least long enough to tell their families.¡± Witch nodded as she gave him a quick hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss. If you both want a ride home I can take a little time off and take you, Devoy might enjoy that.¡± Leo was shocked. ¡°Are you sure? Don¡¯t you have a lot to do here?¡± Witch just waved him off. ¡°What are they gonna do, fire me? I just got done with a super-hive, I deserve a break.¡± ¡°Thank you Witch, I appreciate the offer. Once we¡¯re done with the stadium I¡¯ll let you know.¡± ¡°Of course Leo, and please, call me Mori. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to go work on clearing the main floor.¡± She strode off up the stairs. Leo walked over to where Kat was working on a turret. ¡°Hey Kat, I had a quick question for you.¡± She didn¡¯t look up from what she was doing. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Mori, Witch of the West, offered to give us a ride back home once this is over. I think I¡¯ll take her up on it and figured I would ask you too.¡± Kat stood up and brushed her hair out of her face and smiled. ¡°Of course I¡¯m coming with you. Knowing you, you¡¯d probably get into trouble without me.¡± He smiled back. ¡°Good. Well, once you¡¯re done here let¡¯s go do a sweep of the building and try and get these people home. ¡°Sounds good,¡± she replied, going back to her turret, ¡°Just need to fix this one and then we can go.¡± Leo moved towards the stair and leaned against a wall to wait. A minute later both Hawkins and Burn walked over. ¡°What¡¯s the plan boss?¡± Asked Hawkins. Leo thought for a moment before responding, ¡°We¡¯re going to do a sweep of the area and make sure the majority of the Antithesis are cleared out before getting those people out of there,¡± he nodded towards the shelter, ¡°once that¡¯s done and the cleanup is started, Witch offered me and Kat a ride back home.¡± ¡°Solid plan. So where¡¯s home for you two?¡± ¡°Montana. Me and Kat only came down here with our friends to take part in the Samurai Rush tournament. Unfortunately the other three didn¡¯t make it.¡± Leo looked down at his feet. He still couldn¡¯t believe his best friend, Luke, was dead. Luke¡¯s mom was going to take it rough. He was startled out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Burns, ¡°It¡¯s gonna be okay. So long as you keep them in your heart, they never truly die.¡± Leo was caught in Burns¡¯ empathetic stare for a few moments before he nodded. ¡°Thanks Burns. You too Hawkins,¡± both men nodded at him and Burns stepped back. ¡°What about you two? I¡¯ll let you keep the gear so no need to worry about that.¡± Both men looked at each other before Burns nodded. Hawkins smirked and looked back at Leo. ¡°Actually, we¡¯d love to continue helping you out if you don¡¯t mind. Neither of us has much in the way of family here in Nevada and working as mall cops just doesn¡¯t seem exciting anymore.¡± Leo was shocked. ¡°Are you sure? I mean, I don¡¯t mind you two coming, you¡¯ve proven to be invaluable, but I don¡¯t want you to feel pressured just because of the gear.¡± Hawkins shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. We¡¯ve both been feeling pretty lost the last couple years. This excursion reminded us of why we joined the PMC in the first place. Besides, you can¡¯t beat cool tech.¡± With his last comment, Hawkins flourished his cloak. Leo just laughed. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll see if Witch is willing to take us all. But if not, I¡¯m sure I can get you guys some fancy flights up there.¡± ¡®Something to look into later. For now, I haven¡¯t exactly had a lot of time to come to terms that I¡¯m a Samurai yet.¡¯ Before they could say much more, Kat walked up. ¡°Did I miss anything?¡± ¡°Not much,¡± Leo said, ¡°These two are going to come up to Montana with us. I figured it would be helpful to have the help.¡± Kat just shrugged, ¡°I have no reason to say no, help is always appreciated. We should get going though, I heard some muttering from the shelter. I think people want to leave.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Leo agreed, ¡°The faster we clear the area, the faster we can go home.¡± The group ascended the stairs back to the main level and started clearing out the building. Chapter 19 [CHAPTER 19] The group made it up to the main floor of the stadium, observing the aftermath of the stage they occupied hours earlier. What was once stadium seating packed with screaming fans was now eerily empty and full of broken chairs. The stage where four teams once laid in Mesh chairs now had those same chairs scattered and knocked over. One chair was nothing more than a burnt pile of ash on the stage. ¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t expect it to feel so¡­empty,¡± came Kats subdued comment, ¡°What happened here?¡± She asked, pointing at the burnt chair. Leo was staring at the spot, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. ¡°That was me. Luke died here and I wanted to honor him somehow. But when I came back up his body was gone.¡± They stood there for a few moments before Leo turned away. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we need to clear the area.¡± The four of them moved to the second floor and began walking down the hallway, checking each shop. In a couple of them Leo found evidence of Antithesis and they quickly took them out. Eventually finding themselves back at the northern stairs, the group went up to the third floor. ¡°I never made it up here last time, I have no idea what to expect,¡± Leo said, cautiously peering both ways down the hallway. ¡°The third floor is mostly high end bars and viewing rooms. It¡¯s where the business people come to make deals,¡± Hawkins informed them, ¡°It¡¯s also where the announcer box sits.¡± ¡°You know,¡± Kat said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing the announcers in the shelter. You think they¡¯re okay? Anton was always my favorite during the streams.¡± Leo shrugged. ¡°We can always check the box and see if they holed up there.¡± He started walking down the hall and checking into random closed rooms. ¡°I don¡¯t think many Antithesis came up here, I¡¯m not seeing any tracks or evidence. Unless my Predator¡¯s Gaze is already broken.¡± Aegys spoke up, ¡°There is no issue with your gear, there is simply no evidence to suggest the Antithesis made it up here. The group continued walking, checking inside conference rooms, viewing rooms, and even seeing a fully stocked bar with drinks still on the counter. Eventually they reached a room with a sign out front reading ¡®On Air¡¯. ¡°I think we found the announcers box. You think we should knock?¡± Leo asked. Kat walked up to the door and knocked. ¡°Anybody in there?¡± They waited in silence for a few moments before she reached for the door handle. Before her hand touched it they heard a voice, ¡°Are they gone?¡± Hawkins stepped up. ¡°The Antithesis are gone. Can we open the door?¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± came the tired voice. Hawkins nodded and Kat, who opened the door, and they got their first look at the occupant. Sitting in the middle of a room filled with monitors and audio equipment was a middle aged man in a wheelchair. A shotgun rested across his lap as he smiled at them. He looked at all of them but chuckled when he saw Leo and Kat. ¡°You know, Samurai aren¡¯t supposed to compete in the tournament right?¡± ¡°Anton? We weren¡¯t Samurai. We got initialized a few hours ago.¡± Kat asked. ¡°The one and only,¡± the man did a short bow. Leo came forward. ¡°Are you okay? What are you doing here?¡± Anton sat back up with a groan. ¡°I could be better. It¡¯s been what, a day or so? They don¡¯t exactly let us bring food in here. Plus my meds are back in my room down the hall,¡± he let out a cough. ¡°As for what I¡¯m doing here, It¡¯s not exactly easy running from killer plants when you can¡¯t run.¡± Leo stepped closer to him, ¡°Let me take a look real quick,¡± he pulled out his handheld scanner and ran it over the man. Name: Anton Sokolov Age: 34 Status: Dehydrated, Pre-starvation, Spinal Inflammation Recommend: Nutrient supplement, water, Class II nano-regenerative suite ¡®Aegys, why would I need the Class II nano-regen instead of Class I? Reducing inflammation isn¡¯t something difficult.¡® ¡®Can I afford it?¡¯ If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡®Do it, plus the nutrient pack and water.¡¯ Class II Medical Utilities Unlocked! Points reduced to - 6630 Tokens reduced to - 0 New Purchase: Class II Nano-Regenerative Suite Points reduced to - 6530 New Purchase: Medical Ration Points reduced to - 6527 On a desk nearby appeared two boxes. Leo opened one to reveal a nutri-paste tube and a bottle of water. He handed it to Anton. ¡°Here, eat and drink these and then I have something to help with your back. After that we can get you down to the main floor.¡± The man looked at Leo as he took the offered food. ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t Samurai from the start?¡± Leo snorted. ¡°No chance. But I guess I¡¯ve had a lot of practice. Now eat so we can get moving.¡± He turned back to Hawkins and Burns as Anton ate. ¡°Would you two mind checking out the rest of the hallway? At this point I don¡¯t think we have anything to worry about, but I still want to check the rest of this floor.¡± ¡°No problem boss,¡± Hawkins said while Burns just nodded, ¡°We¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± Leo looked at Kat. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you want to stay here?¡± ¡°Absolutely, those two can handle themselves just fine.¡± Anton cleared his throat and Leo looked back to see that he had finished already. ¡°Not the tastiest meal I¡¯ve had but you know what they say. Hunger is the best seasoning.¡± Leo opened the second box and held up the inhaler that was inside. ¡°Ready?¡± He asked. Anton reached out for it. ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be, give it here. I¡¯m not entirely invalid yet,¡± he laughed. He held it to his mouth and breathed deeply as he depressed the button. After he held his breath for a few seconds he let it out. ¡°Man that feels funky, like staticky fire in my lungs.¡± Leo chuckled. ¡°That means it¡¯s working. As soon as the other two make it back we¡¯ll get out of here. Unfortunately you won¡¯t be able to walk for a couple hours, but after that you should be good to go.¡± They settled down to wait and a short few minutes later both of the guards showed up. The third floor was clear and they all made their way to a set of elevators with Leo pushing Anton. They arrived at the main floor and quickly made their way out the main doors. Once outside they saw a welcome sight. Arranged around the massive parking lot were military vehicles with soldiers running around. Mori was talking to one soldier that seemed to be older and more experienced than the others. As soon as she caught sight of the small group, she waved them over. ¡°Hey there kiddos,¡± she said once they were close enough, ¡°I see you found another one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the announcers, Anton Sokolov. We found him in the announcers booth since he couldn¡¯t make it down to the shelter,¡± Kat said. The older soldier stepped forward, she waved at a couple soldiers who were running by before turning back. ¡°Colonel Feugate, BlackStone Security, pleasure to meet you. We can take care of Mr. Sokolov here.¡± The two soldiers carefully took Anton and wheeled him to a tent nearby. ¡°So, the Witch of the West here was telling me about the situation inside. Anything new you two would like to add?¡± Leo glanced at Kat who shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m assuming not really. We made our way back to the second and third floors but didn¡¯t see anything. The big items would be the hive we took out in the sub-basement, which wasn¡¯t on the stadium blueprints by the way, and the shelter full of civilians.¡± Colonel Feugate nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I got from Mori here. We haven¡¯t seen any sign of the Antithesis for the last hour or so. I¡¯m going to start sending in crews to perform final sweeps and get the civilians out of there. If you three wouldn¡¯t mind hanging around for an hour or so I would appreciate it, but I can¡¯t exactly make you stay.¡± She turned to Hawkins and Burns. ¡°As for you two, I haven¡¯t seen you in a couple years, I thought you retired.¡± Hawkins laughed out loud while Burns just smirked. ¡°Mira! Long time, no see! Looks like they finally decided to put someone competent in charge,¡± as he talked he walked over and grabbed the colonel in a hug. She just shook her head with a smile and slapped him on the back. ¡°Yeah, yeah. What about you? Something tells me the stadium doesn¡¯t supply gear this nice.¡± Hawking stepped back. ¡°Nah, this is all Phoenix here. We decided the mall cop life wasn¡¯t for us, we missed the excitement. Speaking of, could I ask a favor?¡± Mira nodded. ¡°Anything for a friend.¡± Hawkins stepped close and whispered something in her ear. A smile slowly formed on her face as she laughed. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± She straightened her back and her face fell into a commanding look. ¡°Sergeant Hawkins! Sergeant Burns! Front and center!¡± The two guards stepped forward and stood at attention, staring into the middle-distance. ¡°You are hereby ordered, under Chapter 5, Section 2.7.4 of the BlackStone Security Service Manual, to return to active duty effective immediately. Failure to comply will result in punitive measures including but not limited to fines, confiscation of belongings, or indentured servitude. What say you?¡± Both Hawkins and Burns smiled widely before shouting, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am! Reporting for duty ma¡¯am!¡± Colonel Feugate smiled as well as she continued, ¡°Your first order is as follows. You are to follow the orders of Samurai Phoenix for a term of one month, at which point your duty to BlackStone Security will be considered accomplished in full, that is all. At ease!¡± Both guards relaxed and turned back to Leo. Hawkins said, ¡°And that is how you get out of a contract.¡± Leo just laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just going to pretend I know what happened.¡± He turned to Mori. ¡°Speaking of, Are you able to bring them to Montana with us as well? If not I can get them transport, I just don¡¯t have access to my own transport yet.¡± Mori just waved him off. ¡°It¡¯s no problem. The Witchcraft has more than enough room.¡± She turned back to Col Feugate. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get those people out of the shelter, shall we?¡± The two women went off into the organized chaos, leaving Leo, Kat, Hawkins, and Burns standing around. Leo looked around before settling on Hawkins and Burns. ¡°Did you two have anything you needed to grab?¡± Both shook their heads and Hawkins responded. ¡°Not that we¡¯ll miss. Just some clothes and simple things we can grab later.¡± ¡°Well, I guess we just wait for Mori to be ready to go,¡± Kat said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go sit down. I feel like I haven¡¯t been able to relax in weeks.¡± The group all went to find somewhere to sit out of the way. An hour later they saw a stream of people leaving the stadium. Two hours later Mori came back out and finished setting things up with the colonel. Three hours later they were all in the air, flying rapidly to Montana where Leo was simultaneously excited to go home, and nervous at having to see his friends¡¯ parents. Im back!! (ish) Hello friends! First things first, I apologize for the longer than planned hiatus, but I promise I have a good reason for it...or rather, two good reasons. Me and the wife just had twins! I had no idea how much taking care of two babies would get in the way of me writing but I am slowly coming back and getting back into a schedule! Second, I am probably going to be much more sporadic with my posting then I was before. My current plan is a minimum of one chapter a week though.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I ended up deleting my Discord server since I never had the time to do a whole lot with it and I''m pretty terrible at keeping up with updates on there anyway, I''m sorry if any of y''all were wondering what happened to it. BIGGEST NEWS FOR NOW: I am working on the next chapter of Phoenix and will post it as soon as it is done, so keep an eye out for that. Thank you all for sticking around even though I haven''t posted, it means a lot to me!! Chapter 20 [CHAPTER 20] They were flying at just under Mach One over Utah, at least according to the speed gauge and location tag Aegys populated in Leo''s vision, when Mori spoke up for the first time in an hour. "You have anyone expecting to meet you when we land?¡± Leo shook his head to clear his thoughts. ¡°Not really, but I can give my mom a call. She¡¯s probably worried about me anyway.¡± She nodded, ¡°Not a bad idea. We¡¯ll be nearing Bozeman in about 45 minutes, I can drop you off just about anywhere you need to go.¡± ¡°Thanks Mori, I¡¯ll let you know,¡± he said before turning towards Kat, ¡°Did you want to call your folks or stop at my place first?¡± Kat stared out the window for a few seconds before answering, ¡°I¡¯m gonna head home. I¡¯ll message you later, ok?¡± Leo hesitated before nodding, ¡°Of course. You know where I¡¯ll be.¡± He sat back in his seat and dialed his mother. After a couple rings she picked up sounding frantic, ¡°Leo? I heard about what happened in Vegas, are you ok baby?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine mom, I¡¯m actually on the way back home now and I¡¯ll be there in about an hour.¡± ¡°An hour? You must have been in the air for a while then, why didn¡¯t you call earlier?¡± She sounded exasperated. Smirking he responded, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about it when we land ok? I¡¯ll see you at home.¡± ¡°If you think I¡¯m going to stay at home and wait for you to get here you have another thing coming young man. I¡¯ll meet you at the airport,¡± she sounded like she was getting ready to leave as she spoke. ¡°Mom, please! Just stay at home, you¡¯ll see why then ok?¡± Leo begged her. ¡°Hmph, fine then. You better hope I don¡¯t box your ears as soon as I see you for worrying your poor mother.¡± Chuckling, ¡°I love you too mom, I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± He cut the call and glanced up to see Mori smirking at him, ¡°You planning on surprising her with your new status?¡± ¡°Yea, it¡¯s easier to just show her than to answer the thousands of questions she would no doubt have if I told her over the phone.¡± She just shook her head as she turned back to the front of the Witch-Craft, ¡°Well you have a little over half an hour to figure out how to do that, we¡¯ll be dropping off Kat first since her place is closer.¡± Leo leaned back in his chair to wait. ¡®Well, I would like to keep a focus similar to my Samurai Rush character since that is what I¡¯m used to.¡¯ ¡®True¡­¡¯ ¡®Which means that having my focus on healing other Samurai is a waste of potential.¡¯ Leo nodded, what Aegys said made sense considering his recent experiences. ¡®So, what would you suggest?¡¯ ¡®That sounds like a good idea. How much would that run me?¡¯ Mori¡¯s upbeat voice came from up front. ¡°Look alive kiddos, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡®Lets save this for later¡¯ Leo looked towards the cockpit where Mori sat and saw Megacity-Bozeman in the distance. The many skyscrapers and mega-buildings giving the surrounding mountains a run for their money. As they flew in he noticed that they were nowhere near the line to the gates. ¡°Uhm, Mori, aren¡¯t we going to go in through the gate? Otherwise the air defenses will¨C¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She spoke up, smiling over her shoulder, ¡°Nothing to be worried about. Merlin will make sure the targeting systems leave us well enough alone. Perks of the job.¡± Leo walked back to Kat who looked to be napping. Shaking her leg gently, ¡°Hey, looks like we¡¯ll be dropping you off soon.¡± Kat just nodded tiredly, ¡°I heard. Just trying to figure out what to tell my folks.¡± He just gave her a small smile and sat back in his seat. A few minutes later Mori landed on the landing pad of Kats building. ¡°Here you go Kat, call me if you need anything!¡± ¡°Of course, thanks for the ride!¡± Kat smiled and waved at Mori before stepping out of the Witchcraft and into her building. Mori smoothly rose back up and headed off to Leo''s building, a short 5 minute flight later he was gathering his stuff ready to step off. ¡°Make sure you stay in touch okay? Anything you need I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Thanks Mori, I¡¯ll make sure to keep in touch,¡± he waved and watched as she took off into the distance. Sighing, he turned and walked to the elevator and punched in the code for his floor. Once he arrived in front of his door he decided to knock on the door rather than just walk in. He could faintly hear the sound of the TV go quiet and rapid footsteps approaching the door. The door was whipped open to reveal a woman just slightly shorter than Leo. She had brown hair done up in a bun and warm chocolate eyes. As soon as she laid eyes on Leo, she looked shocked, ¡°Leo? Is that you? What am I saying, of course it is but¡­what are you wearing?¡± Leo relaxed and smirked as soon as he saw his mom in the doorway. "Hi mom, mind if I come in first before you interrogate me?" ¡°Bah! If there was any question still then that just answered it. You¡¯re definitely my kid. Come in, come in.¡± She quickly ushered him to the couch, ¡°let me get you some tea.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it mom, I can get it, come sit. I have a lot to tell you.¡± ¡®I¡¯m assuming I can get some pretty good tea?¡¯ His mom froze in the kitchen entryway. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s not a problem for me to whip some up.¡± ¡°I promise, it¡¯s actually better this way. Come sit.¡± She warily walked over and sat in her rocking chair, ¡°What is this about Leo?¡± ¡°So, you know the situation that happened in Vegas during the competition right?¡± She nodded slowly, ¡°Of course, I was watching your game and then the incursion alarm went off.¡± ¡°Well, quite a lot happened, and this is probably one of the bigger things¡­¡± he gestured at the coffee table. ¡®Aegys, two cups of peppermint tea with honey please.¡¯ New Purchase: Peppermint Tea Set Points reduced to - 6526 A stream of flames seemed to flow from his hand to the table before coalescing into the shape of a phoenix. The phoenix looked at Leo¡¯s mom and bowed before disappearing in a flash of flames. In its place were two mugs and a teapot in various shades of red, yellow, and orange. The handle was in the shape of a phoenix with the head resting on the rim and the wings seeming to hug the body of the containers. ¡°Dramatic much Aegys?¡± Leo said out loud, holding his face in his hand. he replied smugly. Shaking his head, Leo looked back up at his mom. ¡°Sorry about that, it seems that Aegys, my AI, has a flair for the dramatic.¡± His mom was sitting, staring at the mugs. He saw a range of emotions flicker across her face before she dragged her eyes back up to Leo¡¯s, ¡°So¡­does this mean you¡¯re a Samurai now?¡± ¡°Apparently. There is a lot to tell you. You may want to try the tea first though,¡± Leo put actions to words and picked up his own mug. Taking a sip he was immediately hit by the bracing taste of peppermint quickly followed by the calming taste of honey. He watched as his mom picked up her mug and admired the artistry of it before taking her own sip. As soon as the liquid hit her tongue she seemed to sink further into the rocking chair and relax. ¡°That is the best tea I think I¡¯ve ever had.¡± ¡°You know Aegys, if you¡¯re gonna keep butting into this conversation you might as well have something to speak with.¡± New Purchase: Superior Optimized Natural Generation with Bass Integration and Refined Dynamics Points reduced to - 6525 On the table appeared another Phoenix who waved this time before leaving a phoenix statue in its wake. ¡°There we go. Hello Ms. Adair, my name is Aegys, The Protector AI assigned to Leo. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± Leo¡¯s mom took another sip of her tea as she stared at the new speaker, ¡°This is gonna take awhile isn¡¯t it. Well, you might as well get started.¡± For the next couple of hours both Leo and Aegys described the situation in Vegas and what happened. Many times they had to stop and explain something as Leo¡¯s mom asked questions but for the most part she simply listened. Leo did brush over the few times he almost died as well as some of the more gruesome details of what he saw, but he was pretty sure she knew and would ask later. When he was done she stood up and motioned for him to do the same. As soon as he did she grabbed him in a hug, ¡°My baby, I can¡¯t believe you had to go through all of that. I am glad you are back but I am also sad that your friends didn¡¯t make it.¡± Leo was shocked for a second before he melted into the hug. A special warmth that only comes from a hug from someone who loves you without limit hit him and he felt a prickling in his eyes and was surprised to find them wet with tears. Quickly wiping them dry he said, ¡°It¡¯ll be okay. I was going to reach out to their parents and coordinate a funeral for them.¡± His mom held on for a minute longer before pulling back. ¡°That sounds like a wonderful idea. Let me know if you need any help, okay?¡± ¡°Of course mom. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I would like a shower and probably something a little less flashy to wear.¡± He held his cloak out to his sides causing the feathers to glow in different colors. Chuckling, his mom waved him away. ¡°Of course, go. I¡¯ll be out here talking with Aegys for a bit.¡± ¡°Leo, help. I¡¯ve heard of this from your media, don¡¯t leave me with her,¡± came the faux-panicked voice of Aegys. Leo just laughed as he walked through the apartment to his bedroom. He took his cloak and body suit off and laid them gently on his bed before padding to the bathroom across the hall and hopping in the shower. ¡®Aren¡¯t you talking to my mom right now?¡¯ ¡®Showoff,¡¯ Leo laughed, ¡®but sure. Where did we leave off?¡¯ Chapter 21 ¡®So, where did we leave off in our gear talks?¡¯ Leo asked while soaping up his hair. ¡®I remember now, we got interrupted before you could tell me the cost.¡¯ Leo whistled, which just sounded like spluttering thanks to the water running down his face. ¡®That¡¯s quite a bit for a new cloak, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just get a stronger cloak and buy Nano-regens whenever I need?¡¯ ¡®Valid point, add it to the list. What''s next?¡¯ Leo stopped for a second. ¡®What about my ability to siphon heat? Is there something that can weaponise that?¡¯ Leo washed the conditioner out of his hair and got started with the body wash. ¡®Hmm, maybe in the future I can get to the point of having a passive draw that takes care of the low level Antithesis.¡¯ Leo finished washing off and leaned against the shower wall, letting the hot water wash over him. ¡®What about body mods? I know many Samurai modify their bodies to be tougher.¡¯ ¡®Cybernetics is pretty self-explanatory, and not something I really want to go for. I was never really into the idea of becoming a robot. What about the other two?¡¯ He asked with a furrowed brow. Leo turned the shower off and stepped out. ¡®A little better, but what about this Gene Modding?¡¯ Leo froze with the towel around his waist. ¡®Seriously? How does that work?¡¯ A picture appeared in Leo''s augs of a person who seemed to be more raccoon than human. A fluffy, ringed tail waved idly behind them while large eyes blinked out from a masked face. A few normal raccoons could be seen sitting on their shoulders and wandering around by their feet.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡®I¡¯m not sure I want to change my race, but the idea of making my base form stronger definitely sounds a lot better than adding metal or even a biological computer to my body.. Is there something we can use from the gene modding path to help me deal with high temperatures? A few times while clearing out that hive I noticed myself getting rather warm even with the cloak and body suit.¡¯ Leo grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt from his dresser before sitting on his bed. ¡®How expensive are we talking? I¡¯m sitting on a decent chunk of points.¡¯ Leo thought quietly while he idly picked up a puzzle cube from his nightstand. ¡®Would I still look human though?¡¯ Leo fiddled with the cube a little faster as his thoughts raced. ¡®How effective are these feathers compared to similar gear?¡¯ Leo slumped a little at that. More shielding from heat sounded like a good enough idea that he was considering getting them anyway. Leo relaxed. ¡®That sounds good. What would you recommend first?¡¯ Leo set the puzzle cube down and laid back on his bed, ¡®What are the pros and cons of one over the other?¡¯ Leo got up from his bed and spoke out loud, ¡°Alright, how much can I afford if we¡¯re doing the nanite infusion option?¡± Leo nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°You mean sight, smell, taste, and hearing? I see no reason not to. Go ahead and add it, as long as it doesn¡¯t make me look funky¡± Leo whistled at the price tag, almost half of what he had saved up. ¡°Go ahead and get everything except the cloak. I¡¯ll start the treatment now and save the cloak purchase for when I¡¯ll need it.¡± Bursyamo Genetics Catalog Unlocked! New Purchase: Bursyamo Genetic Template (Modified: Human) New Purchase: Gene Editing Nanite Treatment (E.M.B.E.R Dispenser) New Purchase: Biological Mimicry Modification (Feathers) New Purchase: 5-senses upgrade (Modified Human) Point Reduced to - 3,425 A small box about the size of a large bar of soap appeared on his bed. Opening it, Leo found a plastic handle with a phoenix head on top. Leo could almost hear the smile in Aegys¡¯ voice. Pulling back the Phoenix head, Leo watched as a silvery pill slid out from the ¡®neck¡¯ of the toy. He fought down a smirk as he asked, ¡°Aegys. Did you give me the pills that are meant to change my genetic code in a fucking candy dispenser?¡± Leo sighed as he popped the first pill into his mouth and swallowed. ¡°Whatever you say. I still think it¡¯s just a PEZ Dispenser.¡± He smiled as Aegys went on a rant about the innovation of medication dispensers on various alien worlds. Walking into the living room, the smell of cooked food wafted in from the kitchen so he sat on the couch to wait, truly relaxing for the first time since he became a Samurai. Side story: Death Dealer John Mercer stands on a makeshift stage in the middle of a bustling shopping mall, performing for a sparse and distracted crowd. His outfit is worn but still stylish, a clear relic from better days. The mall¡¯s overhead speakers blare an out-of-place pop song as he shuffles a deck of cards with practiced ease. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± he calls, his voice full of forced enthusiasm, ¡°prepare to be amazed! I will now make this very real, very ordinary twenty credit chip¡ª¡± he holds up the holographic card for emphasis ¡°¡ªcompletely disappear!¡± A toddler claps. A teenager mutters, "I''ve seen this one on YouTube." John sighs inwardly but pushes forward, a wide smile plastered on his face. He executes the trick flawlessly, making the card vanish and then reappear inside a sealed bottle of soda he¡¯d "borrowed" from a nearby vending machine. The trick is solid¡ªyears of perfecting sleight of hand¡ªbut the crowd barely reacts. A few passersby drop cred-chits into his tip jar, more out of pity than amazement. As he transitions to his next act, a loud thud sounds nearby. He turns to see a security guard with a security baton pressed into the box he stood on. ¡°Hey, buddy, you got a permit for this?¡± John gives a disarming smile. ¡°A permit? Officer, I¡¯m just here bringing a little magic to the fine shoppers of¡ª¡± He glances at a nearby store. ¡°¡ªDiscount Shoe Warehouse.¡± The guard crosses his arms. ¡°You¡¯re blocking foot traffic.¡± John sighs, mutters something under his breath, and turns back to the audience. ¡°And now, for my final trick¡ªthe disappearing magician!¡± With a dramatic twirl of his cape (it¡¯s really just a long jacket, but he makes it work), he grabs his tip jar and vanishes into the crowd. He makes his way to the food court, counting his earnings¡ªbarely enough for a nutri-bar. He slumps into a plastic chair and exhales, staring at the ceiling. ¡°Well, I suppose I should go try in a different part of the mall. A few more performances like that and I might be able to afford a halfway decent meal instead of whatever it is they put in those bars.¡± He levered himself out of the chair and began ambling around the mall in search of a new spot. The mall took up two whole floors of the megabuilding he was in so he had plenty of options. Eventually he decided on a spot in front of some store called Bill¡¯s Sports Warehouse, which looked more like a large shed than a warehouse. There was a toy store just a few shops down which would hopefully draw in some kids dragging their parents over to see the magic. John looked around to see if there were any security guards. Seeing none he flared his coat out behind him and spun his tattered top hat in his hands as he called out, ¡°Hello shoppers one and all, come see the mystical mastery, the physically improbable, and the downright impossible. No holograms, no cyber arms, nothing but pure magic!¡± He put extra emphasis on the last word to try and snag some attention. ¡°Prepare to be fooled, baffled, and amazed!¡± He singled out a young man walking by, ¡°You there, young man in the blue sweater, come and draw a card, any card!¡± The young man stopped and pointed at himself, ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, you! Come, draw a card and witness the magic.¡± He walked over cautiously, ¡°This isn¡¯t some weird attempt at mugging is it, because I have a gun.¡± John shook his head good naturedly, ¡°Of course not, and I would expect nothing less of a strapping young man such as yourself!¡± He fanned the cards out and made the deck seem to wave like water. ¡°Now, pick a card, any card!¡± The young man carefully drew a card from the worn deck in John¡¯s hands before holding it up to take a look at it. ¡°It¡¯s a¨C¡± ¡°Ah!¡± John called, cutting him off, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what it is, just remember it. Show it to the young lady here, just so we have more witnesses.¡± He gestured to a young lady who seemed to be out for some weekend shopping with her friends. The young man showed her the card before they both looked in askance back at John. ¡°Now, young lady, please take this deck of cards,¡± he handed the deck to her, ¡°And have the young gentleman here place the card anywhere in the deck. I¡¯ll turn around so I don¡¯t see where it¡¯s at.¡± Putting action to words, John spun around with a flourish, catching the eye of a young girl no older than nine or ten. He waggled his eyebrows at her which caused her to giggle and her mom to look at him sternly. He simply winked at the woman before the two behind him called out.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He spun back around and took the deck of cards back from the young lady. ¡°Now, We shall shuffle the deck!¡± John began a complicated set of maneuvers that made it look like he shuffled the deck repeatedly as he struck up a conversation, ¡°Young man, what is your name? It¡¯s not polite to just keep calling you young man after all.¡± ¡°The name''s Sean sir.¡± He turned to the young lady, ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Caitlyn.¡± ¡°Lovely names, both of you!¡± As he said that, John flicked a card from behind his back to in front of him, catching a look at the card he noticed it wasn¡¯t in the right spot in the deck ¡®Gotcha!¡¯ The young lady, Caitlyn, let loose a small smile at that trick. ¡°Now, young Sean, do you remember what your card was?¡± At his nod, John continued, ¡°Was it, perhaps, the deuce of hearts?!¡± John whipped the deck in front of him and, with a dramatic flourish, pulled the two of hearts off the top of the deck and held it in front of him facing the two young people before slowly spinning around to show the small gathered crowd. ¡°Whoa! How¡¯d you do that?¡± cried Sean. John waggled a ginger at him, ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t you know, a magician never reveals his secrets. The real question is, why did you draw the two of hearts?¡± he asked with a wink and a subtle nod to Caitlyn. ¡°One might think it was simply meant to be!¡± Caitlyn¡¯s friends started to giggle and both her and Sean had the barest hint of a blush when John wheeled around with a flourish, ¡°Ah! What is more magical than young love!¡± There was some scattered applause and whistles and a few people tossed cred-chips into his hat or sent transfers to his augs. With a flourish of his hand over his hat he suddenly tipped it over. Gasps turned to murmurs of wonder as none of the cred-chips fell out. ¡°Now, what shall my next trick be? Who wishes to be subjected to the mystical arts?¡± He caught the eye of the little girl from earlier, ¡°Perhaps, a present for the loveliest lady here?¡± He glanced up at the mothers face and sent off a point-to-point message simply asking permission. After a brief look of shock she smiled softly and nodded. The girl, meanwhile, was none the wiser and was squealing in excitement as the magic man stepped closer. John knelt on one knee in front of her and pulled out a deck of cards. ¡°Now young miss, I need you to draw a card much like Sean over there did ok? Once you do, go ahead and show it to your mother.¡± He fanned the cards out and once again made them move like water. Once the young girl drew the card she excitedly showed it to her mother while John stood back up. He looked at the mother, ¡°Now, Miss¡­¡± ¡°Call me Jade.¡± ¡°Miss Jade, what card did your lovely daughter here draw?¡± Jade peered at the card in her hand, ¡°It looks like an Ace of¡­Roses?¡± John froze. ¡°Roses? I don¡¯t think that''s one of the suits in a deck of cards is it?¡± A chorus of ¡®no¡¯ and calls of there only being four suits in a deck of cards rang out. John put a hand to his chin, ¡°Hmm, perhaps¡­.¡± He looked over at Jade and her daughter, who seemed rather concerned. ¡°May I see that card?¡± Jade handed it over and John seemed to inspect it closely. ¡°Yup, this is definitely an Ace of Roses,¡± he showed it off to the crowd, ¡°and that can only mean one thing!¡± Suddenly, he knelt on the ground and flicked the card so it flew up in the air over the little girl''s head before bursting into flames! From the flames dropped a single, perfect red rose right into the girl''s hands. ¡°That means she is the Princess of Roses of course!¡± With a wide smile John stood up and bowed deeply with a flourish of his cape. The crowd, which had grown considerably, broke out in applause and he watched as the cred-chips came flying in. The little girl, on the other hand, was practically vibrating in excitement as she clutched the rose. Jade sent him another point-to-point message expressing her gratitude. As the crowd dispersed back to their shopping, John strolled his way to the nearest food court to get himself a much deserved lunch. He ended up picking an asian style place and splurging on a medium sized meal. ¡®Man, I¡¯m lucky that the last crowd was so willing and engaging, especially that little girl.¡¯ He smiled at the memory of her smile. She would remember this trip to the mall for some time, he was sure. He finished his food and decided to wander the mall for a bit, not to look for a new spot but rather to possibly window shop since he had some extra money for once. As he wanders he spots a fabrication shop. ¡®Perfect, I still need to replace that card and rose I used. Maybe I can pick up a few new props too.¡¯ Stepping into the shop, the attendant perks up a bit, ¡°Hello, and welcome to KaleidoWorks Fabrication! If you need it, we can make it. As long as it¡¯s not a weapon.¡± John leaned against the counter with an easy smile, ¡°No weapons here. Just need a custom job done for my act. Are you able to print flash paper with color pictures on it?¡± The clerk nodded. ¡°Of course, do you have a design in mind or did you want to use our design kiosk? It¡¯s only 10 creds per design.¡± John shook his head. ¡°I have a design file for both items I need currently,¡± he flicked the file over and watched as the clerks augs flashed, ¡°How much for three of each?¡± ¡°Total cost is going to be about 60 creds and it will take an hour to finish it all, payment is due upfront.¡± John grimaced at the price, but ultimately passed over a few of the cred-chips he earned earlier. ¡°I¡¯ll be hanging around for a bit I suppose, just let me know when they''re done?¡± The clerk turned to a monitor and started tapping instructions into it, ¡°Of course sir, I¡¯ll get those prints started.¡± John settled into one of the couches in the store and pulled up a book he was reading on his augs.¡¯Might as well get some reading in while I¡¯m here.¡¯ Q/A Stuffs Hey Y''all! I''ve had a hell of a time getting chapters finished. I found a nice coffee shop that is near work so I can get out there and get some writing done during my lunch break, unfortunately I am still working partial weeks due to paternity leave so I only get about two hours to write per week. Such fun! Luckily (or unlucky depending on perception) my paternity leave ends in a couple weeks so I''ll be back to work five days a week, which means five whole hours of writing! Yay! Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Anyway, back to the meat of this post, I decided to open up for questions! This can either be for me to answer about plans I have for Leo and Kat, they can be for the characters themselves, or anything else you can think of! I''ll take as many of the questions as I can and post another answer chapter later, probably when I have trouble writing again lol. Feel free to ask anything since it will also help to solidify any vague ideas I may have bouncing around the vast emptiness of my brain space. Though I reserve the right to pull a River Song.