《The Pilot of Wrath》


 Chapter 1 – Everything is New, Again.

    Chapter 1 ¨C Everything is New, Again.


    On a very momentous and exciting day, a favorite for the System, a clock ticked over to the start of a new cycle. The System began its initiation process for the first time in 10000 standard years, turning its full attention to the seed worlds. Its first process was to initiate an active ping against reality to give positive returns for its selection programs. The sensors it used measured imprints on the fabric of reality, scanning and collating the history of every living being. While it waited for the return of the ping, the System made sure all its processes and templates were up to date, notifying the Exchange of the start of a new cycle.


    The System had already selected its newly constructed cradle worlds, located strategically through its territory, some more hazardous than others but all structured for the growth of new inhabitants. It had to be careful in its placement and populating of these worlds, lest they become dead sectors¡­ again.


    Moments later, the first returns of its sweep came back. The System began sorting through all the data, measuring each individual against its selection criteria. Every world, every race and every being were an open book for the System. It filtered out those too young, those that had too many worldly commitments who would be a detriment to take. It discarded the criminally condemned, and those whose remaining life would be spent in penance for their crimes.It did pluck a few that were wrongfully convicted or whose crimes didn¡¯t justify the punishment, something the System never understood about mortals and their legal systems.


    The System however, selected those of all walks of life. Common bakers, conquering nobles, decorated soldiers, a man at his lowest, the village librarian, a young woman running for her life. Millions of people across hundreds of worlds in its seed universe all were put into the column marked ¡°Selected¡±.


    After the candidates had been selected, the System sent the invitation. Each of the selected beings would get a glowing mark placed on their hand and a message. The message was simple and had a few options because everyone deserved a choice, a chance to decline and continue their lives. The message was automatically translated to the person''s native language when they received it, the System was not making the mistake of using universal common again.


    ¡°You have been chosen for ascension to a newly created world. Please select from one of the following options, all current worldly possessions will be valued, and appropriate compensation metered out.¡±


    <ol>


    <li>I accept and will wait the 3 days for ascension.</li>


    <li>I accept but wish to ascend now.</li>


    <li>I decline and wish to stay.</li>


    </ol>


    While most chose to accept the 3-day delay, there were always the outliers that wanted to stay or, more commonly, those that wanted to ascend now. For beings that wanted to ascend right away, they still arrived at the Exchange at the same time as the others. The System would put them in a stasis for transporting them through the void between universes and keep them in stasis until the Exchange was ready for them. The travel was not instant, nor even as fast as the sensor ping, but it was crossing several barriers in reality over the course of a couple days.


    With the invites sent, the System began communicating with its representatives in the Exchange, receiving updates, comments, and requests from the denizens of its ¡°working¡± universes. There were 2 plains, 3 if one was to be pedantic but the System did not count the Exchange as its own plain since it existed in both. After several hours of communication and planning with its representatives, the system received another sensor return. This return was from the ping it had sent at the beginning of its selection process but returned from a much more distant source.The system had to put its representative on hold while it investigated.


    There, a contact in one of the extra-system universes, 2 contacts. The System checked its records and was familiar with the planet in question. Some of the System¡¯s Godly residents would occasionally travel away from the System on something called ¡°Vacation¡±. It inspected the contacts, examining them carefully as to why they would generate a return. If it was some of the Gods messing about then the System would ignore them.As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t a case of divine hoodlums, instead it was much more confusing.


    Two mortals, tagged as System beings, were living on that planet, which was a significant breach in operating protocols. The System initiated a forced ascension on both beings, putting them through the same process as the others after collecting all the information. There were some risks in forcibly recalling them, besides the compensation the System was obligated to give them, but what were the odds that one of them would be in physical contact with another being at the time? Either way it would be some time before they arrived at the Exchange, they would just have to start later than their peers. The System would let the Exchange representatives figure it out, that is what it paid them for anyway. The System noted their races, seeing that both were ¡°Demi Human¡±, the other half being a race known as the Veiled.


    The System looked closer at the beings it had recalled. They were very highly qualified, coming from a world with rather advanced technology. Creating a complete profile of the mortals, the system was quite pleased at what it saw. While it couldn¡¯t outright give them everything on a silver platter, mostly due to balancing rules and contracts, perhaps the System could arrange some encounters for these unique hybrids. Then another thought struck the System, these were the first of the Veiled that had the potential to go all the way to the divine ranks.


    There were interesting times were ahead for the enlightened races of the System, that was to be sure.The System itself was very pleased with this outcome, so pleased that it was humming a little tune as it returned to its work. Maybe things would change, and the stalemate would finally be broken. The cost it was willing to sink into this unexpected project might cause a delay of the next ascension, but it was sure the working universe could go a little extra time without reinforcements.


    On a very ordinary and dull Friday afternoon following a very exciting Thursday, in a corporate board room somewhere in South America, a meeting was taking place. Matt was not officially part of this meeting, he was just the living shadow of his employer, Tobias. While Tobias was sitting at the table with 8 other people, well 5 people and 3 holographic projections of people, Matt stood behind him, near the wall. He was currently in his armor with his helmet sealed, rifle slung and only half listening in as his boss argued with his peers. Matt was just the personal security for his friend turned employer, a little hired help since the normal security was just awful.


    Being bored, Matt started daydreaming about his life and what choices he had to make to end up in this exact situation. Enlisting at 17 was a major part but it was blind luck that he met Tobias in training. Both of them made the choice to volunteer for mechanized infantry brigades but ending up in the same platoon was again happenstance. They both did 5 years before getting out, Matt went into contracting while Tobias was head hunted by an energy company to do R&D. They had kept in contact over the next few years until Tobias came to Matt with a job offer, one that came with a very handsome paycheck.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Turns out that corporate warfare was a very real thing. Mostly done through proxy but, it was clear to anyone who was doing what if they looked close enough. Tobias was given the lead position on a potentially groundbreaking project focusing on high yield, low waste energy production. He had turned heads with his advancement of robotics and was looking to pair it with a suitable power source. The military was of course interested since they were already using some of his designs in bipedal armored fighting platforms otherwise called mechs by everyone with more than 2 braincells.


    Matt ended up zoning back into the conversation at the table as voices began getting raised.


    ¡°I''m telling you that we need to consider additional security measures. The attack last night was the most aggressive yet and this project is at a crucial point.¡± Tobias said.


    ¡°We have already increased our patrols around the compound and implemented a larger security patrol cordon. Other than contracting an entire police force, what would you have us do?¡± shot back Bradly.


    ¡°Well, we can look at moving additional security assets down here or we can relocate the project to other facilities.¡± Another board member said via Hologram. He was pushing for the project to be under him to get the additional funding Tobias had said.


    ¡°This may have been only an isolated incident, the work of those eco nut cases.¡± Bradly doubled down on his stupidity. ¡°When the wall and labs are fixed we can reassess the situation via our intel networks.¡±


    Matt was still only partly listening to this conversation, tuning in and out as he checked though video logs of what the ass hats in suits are calling ¡°an incident¡±. Matt thought that ¡°incident¡± was a little soft for over a dozen armed men blowing a hole in the compound¡¯s exterior wall and assaulting the research labs. He wasn''t exactly complaining, it was the whole reason Tobias hired him. It had been a while since he was in such a fierce close quarters firefight, the feeling brought back many memories. As he was once again taking a trip back down memory lane to his army days and contracting time, a muttered comment brought him back to focus.


    Pierre mumbled to the group ¡°Well, we could always fork him over and then our problems would be solved.¡±


    Matt knew this comment was about Tobias and he took a step forward to stand right over his friend''s shoulder, armor creaking as he gripped his rifle tighter. He didn''t say anything but imagined the impassive face of his helmet, with its ocular lenses pointing right at Pierre, got the point across. Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the other members flinch at the implied threat.They had all seen the video evidence of what Matt could and would do to anyone that showed aggression toward Tobias.


    Tobias took the initiative and spoke first. ¡°Perhaps we should table this for now, we are already meeting next week and can discuss matters then, after we have time to settle down.¡±


    Nobody disagreed, and they almost tripped over each other to get out the door. The ¡°call in¡± members avatars faded away as they disconnected. Not a single person even tried to say any pleasantries on their way out the door. With everyone else out of the room, Tobias sighed as he shut his laptop. He leaned back in his chair and gave Matt a tired glance before starting to pack his things.


    Matt was wearing his full assault armor, curtesy of Tobias and his tinkering. Green and brown tiger striped armor plates made of titanium-ceramic composite, over a black base layer with a fully sealed helmet. The ballistic base layer was actually a highly sophisticated suit that looked like a wet suit but was much more complex. It contained synthetic muscle fibers that allowed for enhanced movements while fully supporting the weight of the armor. There was a grid of highly conductive wire running along the synthetic muscle fibers that acted as climate control, heat was either pulled away or pushed toward the skin based on the user¡¯s needs. Matt loved the armor despite the downside of the battery lasting only 60 hours before needing recharging or a swap.


    Besides the ballistic protection, the armor also allowed him to carry a stupid number of magazines. More than enough to last a several hours long firefight, and Matt wanted every round of it. His rifle was chambered in the new 6x44mm Extreme Velocity Ammunition, or EVA and most called it, a slim cartridge that cut the case diameter by half due to its extra spicy propellent. The standard projectile was designed with an inverted jacket over a tungsten penetrator, making it great for hard and soft targets out to 1000 meters.


    His rifle was his pride and joy, equipped with the best wirelessly linked optics, light and Infrared emitter money could buy. The fact that it had seen a lot of use just last night made the cost even more worth it. Despite having over 50 centimeters of barrel, the rifle was a compact bullpup design. The normal issues with the bullpup layout were mitigated by the large magazines and electronic fire control. The extra weight wasn¡¯t an issue when paired with his armor and being fit solved the weight problem anyway.


    ¡°Hey man, how about a little throwback night huh? Let''s grab some pizza and beer while we play some split screen like the good old days.¡± Tobias said, a little excitement in his voice at the prospect.


    ¡°Hmm, as long as the beer is cold and the games are good, I¡¯m in.¡± Matt said. His voice clear as day through the speaker in his visor.


    ¡°Come on man, pop the top. Work is over for the week, and you don''t need to wear that helmet all the time. Honestly, I am starting to think you like it better in there than out here.¡±


    Matt had to think about it. While he had nothing against having his head and face uncovered, it didn''t give him the same separation he liked to have in his security role. Still, he broke the seals and let the joints expand as he slipped it off his head. Looking at himself in the mirrored wall, he saw the same pale complexion and dark hair as he did every morning. Eyes still an odd shade of hazel and framed by a smattering of small scars, a parting gift from a grenade years ago. He clipped his helmet to his belt as they walked down the hall.


    ¡°Hey, I got word from my lawyer that everything should be settled, and all assets are in your name as of yesterday morning.¡± Tobias said.


    ¡°Thanks Toby¡± Matt said with a sigh. ¡°I''m honestly grateful that you were able to help. It was just a nightmare with my aunt trying to make a money grab.¡±


    ¡°No worries, bro, it''s the least I could do. They were good people and I know you''re hurting at the loss. You didn''t need that in your life and your parents wouldn''t have wanted it either.¡±


    Matt had to agree. While he never knew his biological parents, James and Kathy raised him in their stead. His mother had died shortly after he was born from some sort of organ failure, and his father didn''t make it much longer. James and Kathy were an older couple living next door to his parents. They would watch Matt while his parents were working and seemed happy to do so, since they couldn''t have kids of their own. After his dad passed in a work accident and no other family, James and Kathy adopted Matt, raising him as their own. They even had the adoption papers framed on the wall in the living room.


    Matt''s adoptive parents sadly died in a car accident on their way home from their cabin in Maine. They left everything to Matt in their will. Everything besides money was all in storage now, waiting for him to take possession. The 2 properties had sold for a significant sum and the money was just sitting in his account, a painful reminder despite the touching gesture. The betrayal from their family hurt all the worse, however.


    Tobias made a humming noise before asking another question. ¡°So, I talked to my parents, and we have an offer for you. My mom doesn''t want you to be alone for the holidays coming up and dad agrees. I was told in no uncertain terms ¡®You bring that sweet boy home for Christmas, or I swear I¡¯m coming to get both of you and dragging you back by your ears¡¯¡± he said in his best impression of his mom, Hilda.


    Matt laughed ¡°Haha, well with a threat like that, how can I say no? I better make my reservations tonight to spare you the pain and suffering.¡± Honestly, he didn''t want to be alone either, he didn''t have anywhere to stay anyway besides his apartment in the research facility. It was a nice place but, as with every other place he ever lived, it was spartan to say the least.He also wasn¡¯t a fan of the climate this close to the equator, jungle being one of his least favorite environments, right next to cities.


    ¡°Bro, I know it''s not the same, but you still have us as family. Whether you want us or not, we are here when you need us.¡± Tobias said as he stopped at the door to their apartment.


    ¡°Thanks, Brother¡± Matt pulled Tobias into a hug, feeling slightly bad since he was wearing his armor andTobias wasn''t. Having someone in armor pressing against you when you only had a shirt on was not pleasant. As Matt started to take a step back, a bright light enveloped him and Tobias before everything went dark.Matt¡¯s vision went almost totally black before a warm golden glow appeared directly in front of him.

 Chapter 2 – Exchanging Information

    Complete silence and near total darkness were all that Matt could see. The darkness was only nearly total because of one odd exception, a single line of text. Those not at all comforting words read: please be patient, transportation in progress. Matt had no idea what the context for those words was or from whom they came from but none the less, they did not completely ease his discomfort. He had originally panicked; his senses being nearly totally taken from him. After some time, he was able to calm himself, perhaps because he couldn¡¯t feel anything but likely because he had no other choice.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure how long he was in the void, minutes, or days. While conscious, or at least aware, he had no metric for the passing of time. No heartbeat, no breathing, no blinking, not a single bodily function to hint at the passage of time. He was beginning to wonder if this is what waited after death until the message changed.


    Arriving in 10¡­


    Arriving in 9¡­


    The text counted down number by number until it hit 0.


    Welcome to the Exchange.


    With another flash of light, Matt found himself standing in a different room, still holding on to Tobias as detail started flooding in. Matt quickly spun and started backing up, pushing Tobias into the wall he had seen over his shoulder. His rifle raised and pointed at the¡­ office desk? Where the hell were they? The room looked like a plain but nicely made office.


    As Matt took in more of the room, he saw the desk was wooden, not particularly fancy but solidly built. A couple monitors sat atop it, thin and sleek, they look to be state of the art. He then noticed the door in the corner of the room opposite of the desk. The room was completely mundane in its decoration, even having those cheap prints of nature scenes framed on the walls. The room being only five meters square, it wasn¡¯t big but had plenty of room for the desk, chairs and filing cabinets. As he was about to shove his helmet back on and ask Tobias about what happened, there was a soft knock on the door.


    ¡°Ah, Hello. I see you have finally arrived, sorry for being late, I¡­.¡± the man, person, elf? Stopped short just inside the doorway as he looked straight at the business end of Matt¡¯s rifle. ¡°Umm, I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m interrupting?¡±


    ¡°Who are you and where are we?¡± Matt spat. He wasn¡¯t going to close with the man, especially as he was still halfway out the door. That could lead to a whole other problem if there was any alarm to be raised or reinforcements he couldn¡¯t see. For some reason, Matt¡¯s default reaction wasn¡¯t shock or confusion but aggression and readiness to commit a great deal of seemingly unjustified violence.


    ¡°Also, what are you? If you don¡¯t mind, that is.¡± Tobias pipped up from behind Matt. Tobias had his hand wrapped around the drag strap of Matt¡¯s armor, ready to either pull him away or hold on as they advanced.


    ¡°Ah! Where are my manners. My name is Theil, we are in my office in the Exchange, and I am an elf. I would welcome you to sit and we can discuss your onboarding into the System.¡± The elf, now identified as Theil, cheerfully supplied, seeming to now disregard the business end of a gun pointed right at his face.


    ¡®System? Exchange? Fucking what?¡± Matt asked in harsh, biting tone as his mind raced to figure out what was going on. He had to admit the elf looked for all the world, like a banker in any major city on Earth. He was wearing a grey, slim cut suit, a rather fancy blue tie, white shirt, and dress shoes. Matt even spotted what look liked a name tag above the breast pocket of the jacket. His brown hair was a respectable length and neatly combed behind his long ears, which were the giveaway for his race. His skin was a healthy tan and not a single blemish could be seen. He was of a slim build and rather short, Matt would place him at a meter and a half tall at most.


    ¡°Eloquent as always my friend.¡± Tobias mumbled.


    Theil sighed and looked up at the ceiling as he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Why me?¡± he asked to no one in particular. ¡°Look, if it gets your butts in those chairs, I¡¯ll give you a rundown then we can do details. Deal?¡± He gave Matt a placating smile before gesturing to his desk.


    Matt nodded, he dropped his rifle to a low ready position, still pointed mostly at the elf¡¯s center of mass. His blood pressure had come down a little after the initial shock and was beginning to think rationally. He watched as Theil walked over, rolled his chair out and sat down in a rather dignified manner. Theil then looked Matt in the eyes and began.


    ¡°You were on a planet that resides outside of the System and its controlled universes but, for some reason, were marked as belonging within this universe and its plains of existence. The System then initiated its protocols to pull you in immediately and begin the integration process.¡± He then looked at Tobias. ¡°You were unfortunately a side effect of the emergency recall procedures. I am sorry, but on the bright side, we can bring you onboard too.¡± He said the last bit with a little uptick in his voice like a reporter trying to put a spin on something.


    ¡°Well, alright then.¡± Tobias said. He walked out from behind Matt and pulled out a chair across from Theil, sitting down, glancing back to Matt. ¡°So, Theil, what is this system and these plains?¡±


    Matt just sighed, let his rifle hang on its sling then walked over to sit beside Tobias. If this is what they had to deal with, he might as well go with the flow. He briefly wondered if the chair could hold his weight in is armor but risked it anyway. The elf so far had not presented himself as a threat and seemed to just be trying to do his job. Matt could respect that as he had worked customer service jobs in high school and knew how the grind went.


    Just as Matt settled in, the chair not even letting out a creaking noise, there was another knock at the door. After a brief pause in which the rooms current occupants all looked at each other, a second person strolled in. This being was also wearing a suit but that¡¯s where the similarities stopped. Matt and Tobias just stared at what stood before them.


    The being was for lack of a better word, made of shadow, he had substance but light penetrated his skin by a few millimeters, illuminating a swirling vortex of darkness under the skin. There were harsh angular lines of white running along the skin that could be seen. His eyes had white sclera, but the iris and pupil were a deep red. His teeth were perfectly straight and white but also more pointed than what a typical human would have. Short white hair topped his head, cut to a low fade and the top swept off to the side with some sort of hair product holding it in place. Matt estimated him to be about the same height as himself at around 190 cm, only a little taller than Tobias. He stood just inside the door holding his briefcase, giving Matt and Tobias a onceover before his eyes settled on Theil.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Good morning, I hope I have the right room.¡± He said in a surprisingly high voice before consulting a tablet that suddenly appeared in his hand. ¡°New initiate from an extra-universal world, right?¡±


    ¡°Y - Yes, this is them, well one is supposed to be here the other was a b -bystander.¡± Theil choked out as he gestured to Matt then Tobias. He was suddenly looking very pale, like all his blood was being drained out of him.


    ¡°Perfect, I am Edmond and will be your legal representation today.¡± He held his hand out to Matt who, out of reflex, took it. It was a firm handshake and felt like warm skin despite the off nature of this being. Matt didn¡¯t have any sort or reaction to the man other than being a little overwhelmed at the entire situation which seemed to please Edmond greatly.


    ¡°Matt Shultz and this is my friend Tobias DeCamp¡± Matt introduced himself and Tobias. Edmond smiled, nodded, and greeted Tobias just the same. ¡°Why do we need legal representation?¡±


    Edmond grinned wide as he pulled up another chair to sit. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need me, this isn¡¯t a trial or anything like that. I am here to make sure your integration to the System goes smoothly and you both get what you deserve to.¡± He put some extra emphasis on the word both. ¡°I must say it is a pleasure to meet Expats from another universe, none of the grade suppression applies to you. Now, Theil was it, shall we get started?¡±


    Theil looked like he was about to have a stroke, or maybe faint, Matt wasn¡¯t familiar enough with elf facial cues to tell what was going on. If he had to sum it up, fear was the front running emotion in the poor elf. With a shuddering breath he started rummaging around in his desk drawer. Just as Matt was about to ask him if he was well, the elf shook himself out of it and began.


    ¡°The System is a collection of universes, three universes and the Exchange to be exact. The system itself is the governing entity over these universes and it separated them into three sections. First, the Seed Universe where unintegrated beings of a variety of races reside. The other two are the working universes, named Higher and Lower in reference to the technology level of each. This is the Exchange, and it exists as a central hub, connected to both, providing service to the denizens of both Higher and Lower.¡±


    Tobias was the first to but in. ¡°So, this System, it allows growth of its denizens and shows it with stats I assume and why does it do this?¡± He looked like the Cheshire cat with how big his smile was.


    ¡°In a way, yes. Once a being becomes part of either of the working universes, their body will change and grow, with the System acting as a framework for them. This is partly from being exposed to dense mana and partly from the essence of other beings.¡± Theil glanced over at Edmond who smiled and nodded for him to continue. ¡°The levels are broken into grades with F being the lowest and the highest being divine beings or gods as they are called by most. There really is no limit on growth unless you reach a bottleneck that you can¡¯t pass or die. Beings born in the plains are limited to S grade and while ageless at that point, they can¡¯t ascend any further. The System was created to nurture the peoples of these universes and care for them. At some point it decided we needed additional power to handle some of the threats that work their way in. We can begin the integration process as soon as you are ready.¡±


    ¡°How does this Integration process work then?¡± asked Matt. The explanation seemed to make sense. Nothing was done for free, but it seemed the System cared for its people, albeit in an odd way.


    ¡°Well, this all gets broken down into three main blocks. First is the actual integration which will register you with the System, highlight your affinities, give your unique perk, and repair any damage, effectively bringing you to perfect health. Then we have class qualifications and selection, it¡¯s a more nuanced part but equally important. Finally, we have the actual Exchange portion where we tally funds, and you select equipment before you go off to your starting planet.¡± He again glanced over at Edmond who just smiled and nodded, again not weighing in with anything.


    ¡°I will be acting as your personal Exchange representative for the remainder of your life here in the Universes. I will help manage your accounts, property, and any investments you wish to make in the future. Most of that is restricted until the initiation phase is over. To get started, you need to choose which plain you wish to go to, Higher or Lower, then we can begin the integration.¡± Said Theil as he looked between Matt and Tobias.


    Matt and Tobias looked at each other before nodding. Both saying at the same time ¡°Higher.¡±


    Theil hummed before producing a small box from his desk drawer. ¡°That is a wise choice, I can see from your equipment that you come from an advanced planet so it will give you quite the head start. I have here an integration stone, you only need to touch it and the rest will happen automatically. Ah, just a warning, this might hurt since it will be introducing you to mana and forcibly fixing any injuries you have.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Tobias raised his hand. ¡°We both have augmentations that we willingly had implanted. Will those be removed as part of this process?¡± he rubbed at the base of his skull absently as he asked.


    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t think so since it only enhances right? Its not an injury or illness, right?¡± at our nods, he continues. ¡°In that case, it will stay put. Given that you have both chosen the Higher plain it would likely have been in your future anyway.¡±


    That was a relief to Matt. He was very fond of his armor and weapons. They had cost him a lot of time and effort to acquire. He took great pride in his equipment, always making sure it was just perfect and all components were properly maintained. And most of all, he finally finished configuring his settings connection his implant to his armor, it was just the way he wanted it.


    ¡°I guess ill go first.¡± Said Tobias as he placed his hand on the stone.


    From the stone came a warm amber glow. It traveled up Tobias¡¯ arm and spread across his chest to then engulf his whole body. In just a moment after the process began, the glow sank into his skin, and he flopped back in his chair with a very goofy smile on his face. Matt knew that smile, it was the same one he had when completely and totally sloshed.


    ¡°Well?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°That was amazing.¡± Tobias sighed. ¡°Every slight ache and torn muscle is totally gone, my joints don¡¯t hurt anymore either. Honestly, I feel like I¡¯m eighteen again. All fresh and ready to face the day.¡± Tobias looked at Matt and gave him a shit eating grin. ¡°You might have a different experience.¡±


    Matt was inclined to agree. He had many scars, fractured bones, even shrapnel in his body still and from what the elf said, all that would be fixed. With a sigh, Matt propped his rifle against the desk, took off his glove and reached for the stone. Edmond¡¯s eyes were locked on Matt as he reached forward, almost like a kid watching his birthday cake being brought out. As soon as Matt touched the stone, he felt the changes wherever the glow spread.


    As the glow covered Matts body, a prickling sensation could be felt over his scars, not painful but not pleasant either. As the glow reached the first of his major injuries, the chewed-up surface of his bicep, the pain started. He could feel the shrapnel being forced out of his bicep, burning a line on its way to the surface of his skin. He clenched his jaw at the pain before the feeling was instantly soothed after the glow spread past the area. His shoulder was a much more pleasant experience, the constant dull ache fading away to nothing almost instantly. This went on, some areas having worse pains than others until finally the light receded.


    ¡°Th- Ackha¡± Matt started then hacked as he felt a poking sensation in his mouth. He held up his hand and spat three fillings out into his palm. ¡°That was not at all what I expected.¡± Theil passed a trash can over the desk and Matt dumped the fillings in. He would have to fish out the bits of shrapnel from the base layer of his armor later.


    Theil turned on his computer monitors and looked at the screen. He taped an Icon and a detailed page popped up showing Tobias¡¯ information. He nodded then clicked a second icon and a nearly identical page displayed Matt¡¯s information. Nobody noticed that Edmond had moved and was leaning forward from over Matts shoulder as he read the screen.


    ¡°It worked.¡± Edmond said to under his breath. His voice was filled with many emotions, joy, sadness but most of all, relief. ¡°It actually worked. We had hoped but to see it myself¡­¡± He trailed off as he saw Matt giving him the side eye.


    ¡°Care to share with the rest of the class?¡± Tobias said.

 Chapter 3 – High Class Stuff

    Theil, Matt, and Tobias all looked at Edmond as he settled back into his seat, looking only slightly embarrassed. Matt had a strange feeling about what was going on. There was a part of him that now felt more substantial after the integration. It could be the fact he was completely whole again, but it felt deeper.


    ¡°It is a long story and one that I will share with my client in private, after we finish these steps.¡± Edmond said with a knowing glance at Matt. A glance that said ¡®trust me¡¯ in no uncertain terms.  ¡°Theil will be aware of everything that he actually needs to know for this process once he continues.¡±


    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s move on.¡± Theil said as he looked back to the screen displaying Tobias¡¯ information. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Hmm Tobias, everything looks in order. What do you think?¡± Theil then turned the screen and enlarged the text box showing the information for Tobias.


    Name: Tobias DeCamp


    Race: Human


    Average Level: 0 (F)


    Strength: 5


    Dexterity: 5


    Endurance: 5


    Constitution: 5


    Perception: 5


    Intelligence: 7


    Wisdom: 5


    Affinity: Void


    Trait: Brilliant Mind


    Perk: <Not Selected>


    Titles: N/A


    Skills: Common (Language), Identify (Inferior)


    Theil hummed as he read the screen then graced everyone with his thoughts. ¡°While the base 5 is to be expected, the extra in Intelligence is probably due to the trait you have. Bad luck on the Void affinity however, not the most useful in the grand scheme of things.¡±  He looked over to Tobias before saying. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah. What did you mean about the void affinity and what¡¯s that about traits and perks?¡± asked Tobias. Matt also wanted to know since this probably pertained to him.


    Theil went on to explain that affinity was the element or concept that you naturally had the greatest connection to. It would be the easiest to manipulate and have the lowest cost. The void affinity was difficult to harness or imbue into anything since it had the habit of rapidly deteriorating everything it contacted. The Trait was also a natural born part. Everyone had a special trait that would influence their path. Matt then tapped the trait box to expand it, reading what it said.


    Brilliant Mind


    The path to any creation is laid out before you. No process, requirement or use is beyond your grasp. Develop what you desire and let your creations spread.


    ¡°We will select perks after we find out your class qualifications and you make the selections. That way you can make an informed decision¡± Theil finished before looking to Matt. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    Name: Matt Shultz


    Race: Human-Veiled


    Average Level: 0 (F)


    Strength: 5


    Dexterity: 5


    Endurance: 5


    Constitution: 5


    Perception: 5


    Intelligence: 5


    Wisdom: 5


    Affinity: Plasma


    Trait: Aura Dominance


    Perk: <Not Selected>


    Titles: N/A


    Skills: Common (Language), Identify (Inferior)


    ¡°What is plasma?¡± Asked Edmond as he eyes Matt¡¯s status sheet, studiously ignoring the part that said ¡°Human-Veiled¡±. Matt made a mental note to drag that info out of him one way or another.


    Thankfully Tobias was able to weight in. ¡°It¡¯s the fourth state of matter, typically a super-heated gas but has a density greater than air. Think of fire as a good example but not necessarily the only example.¡±


    Matt looked between Theil and Edmond before shrugging and taping his trait to read more. He was interested to see what a plasma affinity was but more curious about this aura trait.


    Aura Dominance


    You have complete control over your aura and its emissions. With the simplest urging, your aura can go from completely contained to a widespread cloud of oppression. Influence your surroundings with your will.


    Matt thought that sounded rather ominous, but he also had no frame of reference. Until just a few moments ago, he though auras were made up by hippies that wanted to sound enlightened. What next, crystals and chakras? He was unsure but had a feeling the knowledge wouldn¡¯t evade him for long.


    ¡°I noticed we both have two skills; Universal Common and Identify. Was that part of integrating?¡± asked Matt. He was pretty sure but just wanted to confirm.


    Theil once again got his wits about him to respond. ¡°Yes, the Common language was imprinted on you as you traveled to this universe, everything is in this language to prevent misunderstandings. The Identify skill was granted as part of the integration. Let¡¯s move on to class selection.¡±


    Matt and Tobias nodded along, still scarcely able to believe what was happening. Matt was wondering if this was some strange dream still. Tobias was counting his lucky stars at the chance to explore this new universe.


    Theil tapped his screen a few times and a new window showed, displaying a menu with the title Class Selection. He looked again to Tobias as he explained that the System analyzed them and selected some classes based on their qualifications. While they could deny the selected class and choose a different one, it was without fail the best fit at the time. Apparently future class selection and evolutions would happen as they increased in level and grade.


    Please Select 2 Classes: Recommended Options


    Primary Class: Forge Master (Rare)


    A master of the forge leads his subordinates to great new items and equipment both from system templates and original designs. A Forge Master is the main source for design, construction, and repair.


    Stats per Level:


    Strength: +1


    Dexterity: +2


    Endurance: +1


    Constitution: +1


    Perception: +2


    Intelligence: +2


    Wisdom: +3


    Free Points: +3


    Secondary Class: Defender (Common)


    A defender makes best use of a prepared position to fight from. The better the defenses of the position, the more effective the defender will be in his engagements.


    Stats per Level:


    Strength: +1


    Dexterity: +1


    Endurance: +1


    Constitution: +2


    Perception: +1


    Intelligence: +1


    Wisdom: +1


    Free Points: +1


    ¡°Well, that looks pretty decent for starting classes, one rare and one common is better than average.¡± Theil said as he reviewed the pre-selected options. ¡°Did you want to look at the other classes or go with these? Again, the system displays the best fit, but you still have a choice.¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    After a quick browse for other secondary classes available, Tobias decided to stick with the Forge Master and Defender classes. The other options available were either a lower quality or a poor fit.


    ¡°Seeing as I will be working in R&D again, what¡¯s a good perk for that?¡± Tobias asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what R&D means but in relation to the Forge Master class I might recommend this one.¡± Theil said as he pulled up his recommendation.


    Please Select a Perk


    Cost Reduction


    Cost Reduction allows the user to get a better deal on all System based transaction. Any System generated design, material or completed object will have a reduced cost in the Forge or Exchange kiosks. Any design, material or object sold by an individual, either face to face or via the exchange will not receive a discount.


    ¡°Ok I guess that brings up my next question. What is the currency? Is it like, all barter or is there something else?¡± asked Tobias.


    ¡°You can of course barter or trade directly, but the Universal currency is called Credits. We will be going to that once we get into equipment.¡±


    In the end Tobias also took the Cost Reduction perk, he had no immediate use for it, but it would likely come in handy in the future. Theil had been hinting at things being optimized for them and was very helpful in explaining the ins and outs of how classes and levels worked. Matt was very happy at the additional detail since it turned out they would not be getting a tutorial phase.


    Finally, it was Matt¡¯s turn to get his class. He was hopeful that it would be a good class despite the dubious nature of his origins. As it turns out he was in for a shock.


    Suggested Class:


    Construct Pilot -> Skirmisher (Epic)


    Construct Pilots are the pinnacle of the combat classes in the Higher Plain. While they are only allowed one class, this is compensated by the power of that class. Pilots are equipped with a construct perfectly suited to them so they can face the dangers of their world.


    The Skirmisher sub class specializes in medium to close range combat. Adept at closing with and breaking from enemies, this class is considered the mid fielder of Pilot classes with ample growth potential.


    Stats per Level:


    Strength: +4


    Dexterity: +4


    Endurance: + 3


    Constitution: +3


    Perception: +3


    Intelligence: +4


    Wisdom: +2


    Free Points: +5


    The room was silent except for one person, Edmond. After reading the class choice he jumped up from his chair with a whoop and began a little dance. Matt was honestly surprised at the normally placid Veiled to show this much emotion, let alone do a little dance. The rest just watched him, but Matt saw a gleam in the eye of Theil. Matt was confused at only having one class, but Theil explained that pilot classes were given extra stats and had the additional burden of the construct which would prohibit meaningful growth of a second class. The construct would essentially act as a power amplifier to Matt¡¯s base stats, growing with him over time. Matt thought this was likely due to his experience with mechs back on earth and wondered how this would affect his class and the construct he would get.


    ¡°Well, this is truly a momentous occasion. Pilot classes are rare but more common for those freshly integrated. I¡¯m not sure how the System decides but you are the first pilot I have had on my books.¡± Theil said after Demond calmed down and retook his seat. ¡°I think we should get the Matt¡¯s perk selection out of the way before we talk about starting equipment.¡±


    Matt Ended up selecting a perk called resource generation. According to Theil, it would be extremely beneficial for the class. It was a simple, no nonsense perk that Matt could see being very useful.


    Perk


    Resource Generation


    All user resources regenerate 10% faster. +5% per grade.


    Turns out there was a second door in the office. On one wall, a rectangle opened and exposed a short hallway which opened to a much larger space. Theil motioned for Matt and Tobias to lead the way down the hall. The hall opened into what looked like an aircraft hangar with a series of tables and a massive open area. There was what looked like an MRI machine stood on end, in one corner and what appeared to be a security conveyor belt near it. The odd-looking equipment aside, what immediately grabbed Matt¡¯s attention was the items on the tables.


    Neatly laid out was everything he owned, All his weapons and armor, his books, electronics and even the contents of his kitchen. Everything that had been in his apartment, was now catalogued neatly before him. Matt also notices a second row of tables holding everything Tobias owned, including his half-finished coffee from the meeting room. Matt was just staring at the display before him as he heard the excited voices of Theil and Edmond coming up behind them.


    ¡°Hey! What the hell is this?¡± Matt said as the duo approached. ¡°How did all our stuff get here?¡±


    Theil appeared to be at a loss of words, but Edmond covered for him ¡°Matt, when the System transported you here, it also brought all your worldly possessions. It does this in case you wish to take any of it with you or wish to sell it to the System. Relax, this is where I come into a more prominent role.¡± Edmond shifted his gaze to Theil who looked like the wind had suddenly left his sails.


    Edmond got straight to it. He and Theil moved to a computer and began going over numbers. Matt saw bank accounts and other documents being displayed on the screen as the two dived into clauses, contracts, and regulations the system had apparently put in place. He heard the ¡°tutorial¡± mentioned a few times and there was some debate over the ¡°refusal option¡± which Edmond won out on. They went on for almost an hour with the lawyer bringing up dozens of items to consider. Left with nothing else to do, Matt and Tobias made use of the contents of their apartments.


    ¡°Well, that should be everything.¡± Edmond said as he stepped over to Matt and Tobias who had broken out a bottle of whiskey and some glasses. Tobias offered a glass to Edmond and Theil, who both accepted gratefully. ¡°You both are very wealthy men now. That might change as you select gear, but I don¡¯t see how either of you will spend it all.¡±


    Theil went on to explain that each class was allotted some starting equipment, but it was by no means required. They could also integrate their personal items at a net zero cost unless they wanted enchantments added to them. They walked and talked their way over to the monitors that displayed the totals.


    Account Balances:


    Matt Shultz: 2,853,793,160


    Tobias DeCamp: 5,630,145,096


    Matt was not sure what that meant for actual buying power but also knew one simple fact: Big Number = Good. He saw that the total consisted of his bank account, system compensation for various rules broken and the last line of ¡°missed tutorial¡± which made up a good portion. Tobias had even more from his account but also the ¡°wrongful transportation¡± line item netting him 3 billion.


    ¡°So, what do we do with it?¡± Tobias asked.


    ¡°Well, now you integrate and shop. After that is the main event for mister Matt.¡± Edmond said with that perpetual smirk back on his face. He then sauntered over to one of the recliners that Matt and Tobias had just vacated, inspecting it before taking a seat. His job apparently done but still hanging around just incase.


    ¡°Indeed, if you wish to bring any items with you, you can integrate them by placing them in that scanner.¡± Theil said, pointing to what looked like a pair of security conveyors at an airport. ¡°Then we can investigate additional pieces of equipment in the System shop and Exchange. I would recommend you taking your current weapons and armor as they look to be far more advanced than the usual starting equipment.¡±


    Matt and Tobias moved to Matts tables since it had most of the useful stuff. In the end, Tobias picked out a light set of armor and helmet, covering only the torso and head along with some fatigues. Luckily, they were both the same size so the clothes and armor would fit perfectly. Then they picked out one of the PDWs that Matt had. Chambered in a straight wall, high velocity, 7mm cartridge, it had a respectable magazine capacity and good terminal ballistics for its size. Tobias ended up with clothes, a small rucksack, simple armor, weapon, some communications gear, and numerous other things. All went into the scanner and didn¡¯t come out the other end.


    Matt managed to strip off his armor while Tobias was getting sorted out. He shook out all the debris from his under suit, seeing the shrapnel falling to the ground. Then he grabbed his own soft goods as well as another weapon. He wasn¡¯t leaving his rifle, but he decided to bring a tool that doubled as a weapon. The Tomahawk he selected was one part axe and one part industrial can opener. The back spike and pry bar at the end of the handle being excellent for getting into places. Matt Placed everything on his own conveyor and watched as it disappeared into the scanner at the end.


    Truth be told, Matt felt rather silly standing there in his underwear as he fed things along the conveyor. He considered putting on other clothes but would prefer his armor if he was going into unknown territory. After a couple minutes and about ready to put something on while he waited, the machine started rolling out in reverse. The items that came back out were not exactly the same as what went in. Matt walked over to the conveyor and looked at what came back. It was all in pristine condition and had an odd feeling of quality to the items. He was about to ask what changed when Theil spoke up.


    ¡°Use the Inspect skill. Just focus on the item and it should give you a return.¡± Theil said. ¡°You should now have limited access to your skills. We block them in most of the exchange to prevent any accidents and peoples privacy.¡±


    Matt focused on the Grey-Green fatigues and window popped up in front of his vision.


    Fatigues, Set (Common)


    A simple and rugged uniform meant for general purpose wear in mild weather conditions. Provides no bonuses to stats. Enchantments: Self Repair, Enhanced Comfort.


    Matt thought that was a nice touch, he did prefer to wear these over his complete armor when not under threat of an attack. He hoped that he would manage to get some use from them wherever he ended up. As he looked through the rest of the more mundane items, he noticed the same theme, everything was better quality and had at least the repair enchantment. After asking about that, Theil informed him that he just had to channel mana into the item for the repair to start. The repair feature also functioned as a self-clean. Not having to worry about laundry would be a nice change of pace.


    After the more mundane items, the conveyor finally revealed what Matt had been waiting for. Without a moment¡¯s delay, he inspected his armor and weapons.


    Pilot Armor, Semi powered, Set (Rare) (Upgradeable)


    This armor consists of a base layer which acts as climate control, soft armor, and strength enhancement. The hardened sections are attached directly to the base layer, providing protection against a myriad of threats. Armor is capable of sealing and providing a limited amount of breathable air in toxic environments. For maximum benefit, matching helmet must be worn. Enchantments: Self Repair, Enhanced comfort.


    Armor Effects: +5% to physical stats. Resistant to piercing attacks, slashing attacks, blunt attacks chemical attacks, extreme weather.


    Pilot Helmet, Powered, Set (Rare) (Upgradeable)


    This helmet is the final piece to the Pilots armor and allows user access to the full benefits of the armor set. The helmet consists of hardened plates over an impact absorbing under layer. Comes equipped with communications equipment and vision adaptation for daylight, night vision (infrared) and thermal sources. Includes rear view overlay. Helmet uses Neural interface to function. Enchantments: Self repair, Enhanced comfort


    Armor Effects: +5% to all mental stats. Resistant to piercing attacks, slashing attacks, blunt attacks, chemical attacks, extreme weather.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Was all Matt and Tobias could say as they read the descriptions. Matt couldn¡¯t wait to try it on again and started the process of working his way into the base layer. ¡°How does the battery work now? Is it magic or something?¡± He wondered out loud.


    Theil cleared his throat to bring the attention to him. ¡°In a way, yes, the battery is recharged by channeling mana into it.¡± He started before continuing with a little more hesitation. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, Matt, but I took the liberty of adding the enhancements to your equipment at a small cost to your reserves of credits. All in, it cost about ten point six million. I would of course clear any significant purchases with you, but I assumed you would be agreeable to this expense.¡± The last statement was halfway into a question.


    ¡°Yeah, this is more than ok, excellent initiative, Theil.¡± Matt had just about finished up his armor when he saw his rifle and tomahawk making their way down the line. Again, he inspected the items as they reached him.


    Enhanced Combat Rifle (Rare) (Upgradeable)


    A rifle chambered in 6x44mm EVA, capable of engaging targets beyond 1000 meters. Equipped with optics, lights and emitters designed to function with the Pilot Helmet. Capable of semi or automatic fire to a rate of 600 rounds per minute. Fires from a 50-round detachable magazine. Enchantments: Self repair, Affinity Imbuement


    Enhanced Tomahawk (Uncommon) (Upgradeable)


    A simple tomahawk design capable of piercing or slashing damage. This weapon is at home breaking through either locks or armor. Enchantments: Self Repair,  Affinity Imbuement


    ¡°Theil, I¡¯m assuming you spent some cash on these too?¡± Matt asked. Getting another nod, he just gave a thumbs up which clearly confused the elf. ¡°Good work. Now, talk to be about these ammo pouches.¡±


    The armor came equipped with a magical ammunition pouch, it allowed Matt to channel mana into it and produce fully loaded magazines up to a maximum of 6. The dump pouch on his belt would recycle empty or partial magazines, reducing the mana cost to create a new one. One of Matts worries disappearing with this handy solution to the supply chain problem. The grenade pouches had a similar effect, but each pouch produced a single grenade at a time. In total, he had 300 rounds or rifle ammo, 1 frag, one flash-bang and 1 smoke grenade at any given time. His tomahawk stored into a slot on his right thigh, tucking neatly out of the way and keeping the hooked blade from getting snagged on anything.


    Matt looked over and saw that Tobias had already equipped his gear and wandered back over. Matt had to admit, seeing him back in armor brought up some fond memories, terrifying memories in some cases, but mostly good ones.


    ¡°Shall we move on now?¡± asked Theil. ¡°Then we can get to the good part and make use of all this extra room and Matt¡¯s surplus of funds.¡±

 Chapter 4 – Construct-ion time

    Matt stepped into the machine the looked suspiciously like a MRI that someone stood on end. He was told to wear and carry everything he would normally fight with, so it became a tight fit. The rigid sections of his armor didn¡¯t do well in what was essentially a tube less than a meter in diameter. Still, after adjusting the way his rifle hung in front of him, he was able to close the door. Another warm, amber light started moving down from above him, this time without the pain of the previous experience. It worked its way down over the course of a few minutes before retracting back to the ring above him.


    A soft chime sounded, and the door popped open, allowing Matt to step out. He looked over to the monitor next to the machine and saw the results of the scan come rolling in. The display showed what looked like a mech made of a golden wire frame, generating from top to bottom. Theil explained that the construct would be modeled after him using the same system-based invasion of privacy. After the frame completed, Theil entered a command and the large pad in the open area of the hangar started to glow.


    ¡°Matt, I assume you wish to get the most out of this as possible?¡± Theil asked and got a nod. ¡°Then its going to cost a significant sum of money. About one point three billion to be exact.¡±


    ¡°Holy fuck!¡± Matt gasped. ¡°Are we making a mech or a battleship.¡± He looked to Tobias who just shrugged and gave a thumbs up. Clearly, he didn¡¯t care but wanted to see the results.


    Theil looked at Matt with an odd expression. ¡°Its neither, this is your construct. Are you feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, just do it.¡± Matt said. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to spend it on anyway.¡± Theil input the amount of credits into the display and hit the enter button, confirming the choice.


    All eyes were on the glowing light, even Edmond got up from the lounge chair he had parked himself in to come watch. ¡°Would it be possible for me to purchase that lovely chair and the remainder of that bottle from you?¡± he asked Tobias. ¡°The whiskey was delightful, and the Lay Zee Boy is simply divine.¡±


    Tobias looked over to him and just smiled before saying. ¡°Tell you what, you can have both chairs and all the drinks we have. Hell, take the whole liquor cabinet. Consider it a small thank you for all your help today.¡±


    Edmond looked shocked, his eyes getting a little misted around the edges. ¡°Thank you! This is truly an amazing gift, and one I will not forget as long as I live. I shall spread tales of your generosity amongst our people, and all shall know of your sacrifice.¡±


    Tobias laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s no trouble at all, I don¡¯t need them, and I know it will all go to a good home. The drinks are top shelf too, I recommend you take the book labeled ¡°Everyday Cocktails¡± as well. It¡¯s a good primer and there is more to the art of drinking than just a glass with ice. Matt might disagree but that¡¯s his loss.¡±


    Just as they finished their side bar, the glowing light receded, and Matt got his first good look at his construct. Clad in bare metal with a black sub layer, it stood upright on digitigrade legs, toping 7 meters in height. The head was an angular shape, reminiscent of his own helmet but slightly longer with a couple antennas poking out the top. The eyes were a series of camera lenses hidden behind clear diamond shaped protective coverings. The body of the construct had an angular torso with hard sided pouches around the waist, matching the ones on Matt¡¯s armor. Arms, articulated just like humans, were attached at the shoulders, and ended in five fingered hands. There was something that looked like muscle under the standoff armor plates on the upper and lower sections.


    The leg sections were robust in design with the same muscle and armor arrangement as the arms. The triple jointed legs looked like they were built for explosive speed and stability over static defense. The foot pads were large, and spade shaped, appearing to have fold out sections, likely to reduce ground pressure. Attached to the upper thigh was an identical tomahawk to the one that Matt had, only this one was much bigger.


    Matt then saw the gun. He called is a gun because something that large could not be classified as a rifle despite it looking very similar to his own. He guessed the bore to be over 20 millimeters in diameter and it had an odd design to the rear end. Instead of a traditional stock assembly, it had what looked to be a clamp on the end of a L shaped extension. Probably because the optics were slaved to the pilot interface and didn¡¯t need a traditional cheek weld.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Come take a closer look and I can open the interface for you.¡± Theil said as he walked toward the construct. ¡°This area is technically a forge so we can make some alterations but not many due to System limitations. But you will need to make a couple selections before we move on to additional purchases.¡±


    They walked forward and Theil pulled up another monitor set alongside the pad which the construct was standing on. As Tobias and Edmond inspected the mech, Matt opened the menu, and it displayed information about his construct.


    Construct Forge Interface


    <Unnamed>


    Class: Skirmisher


    Armor Points: 500/500


    Energy Points: 500/500


    Equipment:


    Defense Slots: 1/1 ¨C Composite Standoff Armor (Rare)


    Weapon Slots: 2/2 ¨C 25mm Auto Cannon (Rare), Tomahawk (Uncommon)


    Utility Slots: 1/1 ¨C Advanced Sensor Suite (Rare)


    Construct Core Enhancement: 0/1 ¨C N/A


    It looked straight forward to Matt, armor and energy values based on his own stats except multiplied by 10. He clicked the items in each of the slots to open them to read the details.


    Composite Standoff Armor (Rare)


    This armor is made from a titanium alloy designed to provide protection against physical damage but lacking against directed energy weapons. Tie down loops allow the pilot to attach secondary concealment methods. Enchantments: Self repair.


    25mm Auto Cannon (Rare)


    A cannon chambered for 25x130mm, designed to engage targets out to 3000 meters. Capable of firing a wide variety of ammunition, currently limited to Armor Piercing Explosive (APE). Ammunition is fed at a rate of 250 rounds per minute from 50 round magazines. Enchantments: Self Repair, Affinity Imbuement.


    Advanced Sensor Suite (Rare) (Upgradeable)


    The pilot interface allows for the use of cameras in multiple spectrums. Pilot may toggle between daylight, Infrared and thermal. Includes rear view overlay and allows access to high power communications equipment. Enchantments: Self Repair.


    ¡°What¡¯s the Construct Core?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Each construct contains a core that is soul bound to the pilot. Once you bind yourself to the core, you will have complete access to its systems. If a pilot dies and his constructs core remains intact, it may be bonded to a new user if they take the pilot class.¡± Theil said as a rather sad look grew on his face. ¡°Some pilots hunt others for their cores to gain power, letting their core absorb that of the fallen construct. The cores can have a bad reaction to this and may lead to the new pilot going insane as it corrupts them in a final act of vengeance.¡±


    Matt thought that was a pretty shitty thing to do. Why would people try to steal cores when there were other, more dangerous things to deal with. ¡°That sounds awful. What is a core enhancement?¡± he asked, trying to pivot away from the topic.


    Theil then explained that much like a perk, he would select an enhancement for his construct core. As Matt, and by extension his construct, grew in power, he would open more slots for his construct¡¯s equipment. Matt tapped the blinking line for Core Enhancement and read through the options. Again, just like his perk, they didn¡¯t have rarity assigned and seemed to be tailored to him. After reviewing the list of options, he narrowed it down to two choices.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Awakened Core


    The core of this construct has a dormant sentience that waits to be harnessed. The personality of the cores may vary but they are always subservient to their original pilot. Benefits vary based on the individual construct. May have adverse effects on mentality.


    War Cry


    The core of this construct contains a great power that is concealed by its frame. Emit a pulse of energy that can cause enemies to be stunned or flee at a glimpse of your true power. Energy recharges over time, cooldown and power based on grade.


    Matt thought about it. He liked the War Cry option, but it was redundant to his trait. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing to have a backup, but he needed a broad level of power now, rather than doubling down on one niche aspect. In the end he had to pick Awakened Core, despite not knowing exactly how that worked. He made his choice then looked back at Theil for the next steps.


    ¡°Ready for this?¡± Theil asked. Matt nodded as he was led to a pedestal that raised from the floor with a familiar looking stone atop it. ¡°You know what to do next.¡± Matt reached out to touch the stone, bracing for more pain.


    Pain was expected, perhaps some slight discomfort or maybe a tingling. Instead of any of that, Matt got a System window popping up in his vision.


    Do you wish to begin the bonding process with your construct and its core?


    Matt agreed and was surprised to see the mech kneel, the front of the chest armor opening in three segments, one on the bottom and two on top. Getting the feeling he was supposed to climb in, he walked forward and to look inside. The reflective, white interior was set up like the mechs he was familiar with from Earth. There was the main seat with what appeared to be manual controls as well as a secondary seat located behind and above, the classic tandem orientation. There was ample room around the seats with some storage and tie down points along the walls. A prompt once again appeared before him.


    Take a seat, Pilot.


    This message seemed different from the previous ones. The other System messages he received had a light air to them, neutral if not friendly in their nature. This message, while not overtly hostile, had an odd quality to it, more like the welcome your family gives you when you visit for a holiday. Matt didn¡¯t delay any longer, putting on his helmet and climbing in. He sat in the pilot chair resting his arms and leg in the proper spots, noticing the lack actual controls for his hands and feet. Just as he settled, clamps extended out from the chair and locked onto his armor panels. He felt a probe touch the contact point at the base of his neck heard a click. His vision shifted as a new overlay was projected onto his retinas, showing the camera¡¯s view from the eye lenses. Then the front hatch snapped shut and plunged him into total darkness.


    A rumbling voice spoke into his head, not through his helmet speakers but in his mind. ¡°Hello, Pilot.¡± The voice said, a definite masculine tone to it. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Matt Shultz.¡± Matt said out loud.


    ¡°Hmm, Matt. You are an interesting one.¡±  The voice hummed in his head before saying over his helmet speakers. ¡°While we can speak out loud, you can also speak directly to me with your mind. Do not worry, I can¡¯t read your thoughts. Well, I can read the surface ones that control movement and speak intent, but nothing deeper.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Something like this then?¡± Matt responded with his mind, hoping he got it right.


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± The voice continued in his mind once more. ¡°Do you wish to form the bond now? There isn¡¯t much else you can do without it.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Stand by, this will be¡­ odd.¡± The voice said just as Matts senses faded away to nothing.


    Matt regained awareness, once again not knowing where he was or how he got there. This time was different than previous experiences, he had complete control over his body and there were motes of light floating around him. Out of the void between the lights came a figure, walking towards him. The figure was nearly identical to his construct only scaled down to match in height with Matt. It stopped a meter away and looked at him for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°It was a rather bold decision to awaken me before creating the soul bond with the core.¡± It spoke. Matt immediately recognized the voice as that of his construct. ¡°Especially not knowing what would happen when you did.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, it seemed like a good decision to me.¡± Matt responded.


    ¡°Oh, it was a good call to be sure. Now we can do this properly, with consent from both of us. I¡¯m sure the System will appreciate that, its all-in favor of consent after all.¡± The figure laughed.


    Matt had to chuckle at that given his circumstances. ¡°So, what is your name anyway?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I have one? By my understanding, pilots always seem to pick some silly name for their constructs on their own.¡±


    Matt thought for a moment before responding. ¡°Well, you are clearly a person. An individual I mean. I¡¯m sure you would like to at least choose your own name rather than end up with something you hate.¡±  Matt had to admit, with how the construct acted, he would have assumed it had a name already to match its mature personality.


    ¡°Well truth be told I have a name already, well kinda. My core was named by the system when it was created but, I¡¯m not really a fan of it. The system gave me the title Horizons¡¯ Vanguard. Its etching itself onto the hull just above the hatch as we speak.¡± The construct replied. ¡°If I were to name myself it would probably be a fragment of my actual name.¡±


    Matt had to think about that. Hor is definitely out, for obvious reasons. Can¡¯t just call him vanguard. After a couple minutes of thinking, it clicked. ¡°What about Van?¡±


    ¡°Van. I like it.¡± The construct or Van as he was known now said with an uplift in his tone. ¡°It¡¯s short, unassuming, a real name, and doesn¡¯t sound like something made up by a pretentious ass-hat. Thank you, Matt.¡±


    Matt laughed out loud. Van certainly had personality that Matt liked right off the bat. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you like it since I suck at names.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well we should complete the soul bond. We will have plenty of time to talk in the future.¡± Van reached out his hand to Matt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all instinct at this point.¡±


    Matt took the offered hand and felt a warmth spreading along his spine, behind his heart. He was lost in the sensation when the void slowly faded, taking Van¡¯s avatar with it. He found himself back in his seat, nothing having changed. The clamps released from his armor and the hatched opened back to the world outside.


    Matt climbed out, returning to the monitor showing his construct. He selected the additional options and input the commands for his paint scheme which was applied by some magical means. He decided to make it match his own armor with striping in light green and dark browns.  As an added touch, he painted the engraved name plate the matte grey of the bare metal with the lettering done in matte black.


    After Matt had bonded with Van and finished the paint job, the group went over to yet another terminal. Theil prompted the terminal, and it produced their class starter equipment. Matt had been excited about what came with his class but ended up being extremely disappointed. The starter gear looked to be made at in the late 1800¡¯s, the revolver that was part of the pilot class was a black powder cartridge gun and while well made, was far inferior to his equipment. Other than the potions they got, none of it was useful. Theil then broke out some good news, telling them that they could purchase separate equipment.


    Tobias got himself a tablet and then spent a large portion of his funds by downloading every design, journal, and textbook he could from Earth. This came at the cost of billions of credits, but the information would be priceless to him and his Forge Master class. He also bought some information from the System. The books he bought had a very familiar yellow and black cover with a slightly insulting title. Matt was for sure going to borrow the copy of ¡°How the System Works for Idiots¡±. They both ended up with storage items. Each was a ring that once attuned to, has a surprising amount of space within.


    Storage Ring (Common)


    A spatial storage device with an internal volume of 15m cubed. Ring allows for the storage of anything that the user can pick up and fits within the size restriction. Items in storage remain in stasis unless otherwise stated.


    They purchased some high-quality rations and camping equipment, immediately storing the items in their rings along with what they had integrated earlier. Matt also bought some tools to use in preparing fighting positions such as a shove, saw and shears. Tobias then asked a very important question. A question that nobody could ever forget to ask, especially after getting an awesome class and a giant mech.


    ¡°So, what can you tell us about where we are going?¡± Tobias asked Theil.


    ¡°The planet you will be going to is currently locked into its introduction phase. Sadly, you have missed the Tutorial, as it only lasts 3 weeks. We also can¡¯t guarantee you will enter near one of the population centers since they haven¡¯t officially established their territories yet.¡± Theil explained as Matt and Tobias shopped. ¡°What I have been authorized to give you is a waymark to the nearest proto city, that will point you in the right direction.¡±


    Matt thought that was a bit of a cop out by the System, but it would give him time to get used to his class and working with Van. By the sounds of it, they would be placed in a location that was safe for their arrival but no guarantees for how long. With that in mind, he purchased some additional healing items. The potions were limited in quality until they had passed certain phases of the introduction. Theil said it was because the system wanted to push the new initiates to develop farther on their own, rather than relying on access to the system store and the Exchange.


    Theil spoke as Matt and Tobias finished their preparations. ¡°This is where we part ways for now. I will be monitoring your progress and managing your accounts while you are in System. Most likely I will be seeing you in another six months or so, after a couple planetary events.¡± He then looked to Edmond, giving the floor to him.


    Edmond walked forward and handed Matt a small black bound book. ¡°This has a lot of the answers I promised you. Sorry I can¡¯t answer your questions in person, but I will be sure to visit you when I am able.¡± He then looked over to Tobias. ¡°Tobias, it was a pleasure getting to know you. I thank you again for your generous gifts and -¡± He was cut off by Tobias.


    ¡°Hey man, just call me Toby. We are friends now and only my mom calls me Tobias anymore.¡± He said and gave him a firm handshake and a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Next time I see you, drinks are on you though. Alright?¡±


    Edmond just laughed and said. ¡°You expats crack me up. It¡¯s a deal Toby. Make sure to drag Matt along too.¡±


    Matt and Tobias climbed into the mech giving a wave as the hatch sealed itself shut. They were both strapped in with Matts view from the mechs eyes being projected onto his retina and Toby powering on an auxiliary viewing screen to see the outside world. Matt then instinctively urged his mech to stand, the connection perfect, a flawless replication of his neural commands. He looked to Theil and Edmond before nodding, the head of the mech nodding along. Theil waved his hand and with that, Matt and Tobias were bathed in amber light once again.

 Chapter 5 – A Day of Firsts

    Chapter 5 ¨C A Day of Firsts


    This time the transportation had no noticeable delay to it. Matt wasn¡¯t sure if that was due to proximity or other mechanics, he wasn¡¯t aware of, but he didn¡¯t have to wait long either way. As the light faded, he got a good look at where they had been set down. His lenses didn¡¯t need any time to adjust to the light and he was able to instantly view the terrain around him. Just as he began to scan over the area, two System messages popped up in his vision.


    Welcome Initiate!


    The planet before you holds many secrets to discover and even more challenges for you to overcome.


    Welcome Matt, I hold high hopes for your future in the Higher Plane. ~ The Universal System


    Ok, that¡¯s kinda creepy. Matt thought as he read the second message. ¡°Hey Toby, did you get a system message just now?¡± He asked, hoping that he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°Yeah, just a welcome message that tells me to look at another window for specifics. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I got two messages and I¡¯m not sure about the second one.¡± Matt said. He then told Tobias about the second message. Tobias was not sure the second message was a bad thing but agreed that it was more than a little ominous. Without any more to discuss, Matt returned to his original task of seeing where they had been placed.


    They had landed atop a rocky spur in what appeared to be arid scrub planes and foothills. The area reminded him of some of the places in the Americann southwest, narrow canyons with stunted trees and bushes. He crouched as he panned across the landscape in front of him, knowing large movements were not the best decision in that moment. Reaching forward, he ran the action on the autocannon, chambering his first round in case of any pop-up enemies. After completing his first pass with his daylight cameras, he toggled thermal and repeated the sweep. The rocks were throwing up some mirage already but not enough to mess with the powerful cameras.


    ¡°I have nothing right now, Toby. Looks like we have time to decide on how to proceed.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s check the waypoint Theil gave us to see what direction we need to move.¡± Tobias said, already adjusting his display to his liking.


    ¡°Right, before that, I need to make some introductions. Van, care to say hi?¡±


    Tobias looked around and was about to ask who Matt was talking about when over the cockpit speakers came a voice. A voice that promised safety and brutality in the same deep rumble.


    ¡°Well met Tobias, I am Van or as the System had named me, Horizon¡¯s Vanguard.¡± Rumbled Van, clearly delighting in the confused looks Tobias was shooting at the back of Matts head.


    ¡°Who the fuck is that!¡± shouted Tobias.


    ¡°That would be the construct core for my mech. I was allotted one core enhancement and chose the Awakened Core enhancement. It brought Van out of a sort of sleep mode. He was always there and aware but restrained until that enhancement was chosen.¡± Matt supplied. As he spoke, he mentally rifled through the menus in his display to toggle on the waypoint.


    ¡°Well Van, its uh, good to meet you.¡± Tobias floundered. Van was clearly entertained because the speakers transmitted his rumbling chuckle.


    Matt finally managed to toggle on the waypoint nested in a compass along with his ammo counter, armor display and energy display. He noticed there was a discrepancy in his energy level, so he asked Van about it. ¡°Hey Van, what¡¯s up with our energy levels?¡±


    Horizon¡¯s Vanguard (Van)


    Armor Points: 500/500


    Energy Points: 500/500 (500/2500)


    The core responded instantly. ¡°This mech as you call it, has a reserve energy cell that can be filled to allow autonomous operation, it was standard on this design but not in use until I was awakened.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean I don¡¯t have to be actively plugged in for you to move? So, Toby and I can get out and you would be able to move and fight on your own?¡±


    ¡°That is exactly the point. Its normally an advanced feature but because of your choices, you have access now. Very fortunate for you in our present situation. You will have to channel mana into it in order to fill it, but at max capacity it will grant me a significant amount of autonomous time.¡±


    Matt had to agree. On Earth mechs suffered the same problem as all armored vehicles, they could be out maneuvered by infantry in close confines like jungle and cities. The modern doctrine still required a combined arms philosophy to be effective in most theaters of war. This would allow Matt and Van to work as suppressing and assaulting elements by themselves, assuming that the enemy could be suppressed in such a manner.


    Matt would explore that detail more in the future, for now, he had a mission to attend to. The waypoint was pointing them to the south-east but gave no distance for how far away the city was. There was a gentle incline to his left that led to the top of the ridgeline, the perfect path to higher ground that would let him get a better view of the local terrain. He stood back up and moved up the slope, marveling at how smooth the movements of the mech were. There was almost no jarring, and he could feel feedback from the mech, almost as if he was the one walking on the rocky ground.


    As they reached the peak, they saw a wide plateau stretching before them, canyons a couple hundred meters below on one side and flat dessert for a several kilometers on the other. Matt gave the area a quick once over with just his head poking above the lip of the canyon, looking for anything that might want to pick a fight. Not spotting anything, he turned back around but the rear facing camera still overlayed the view into his primary display.


    The canyons were shallow ravines that spread out, sloping away from the plateau in a wide fan. Far in the distance the scrub and hill gave way to a forest, the far side of which could not be seen for their current vantage. The border of the forest had to be dozens of kilometers away from their current position but that shouldn¡¯t be a problem for Van to cross quickly. From here Matt could also see movement among the rocks and brush, too far away to identify clearly through the growing mirage.


    ¡°Looks like we will be moving through some sort of creatures before we make the tree line. No idea what they are but I¡¯m sure we will find out soon enough.¡± Matt plotted a route in his mind as he spoke, finding natural paths through the canyons that would allow for easy retreat if they became overwhelmed.


    ¡°Well, I guess you will get to test out your big stick sooner rather than later.¡± Tobias said. ¡°Hey, Van. Can I channel mana into the battery or does Matt have to do that?¡±


    ¡°It can be filled from any source of mana, regardless of the type, it will be converted to E.P. automatically.¡± Van said projecting a chart on screen.


    ¡°Then I will work on topping you off while we move. Not like I¡¯m doing anything else with it.¡± Tobias said as he pulled out his tablet. And Matt began moving back into the ravines.


    Matt clicked his tongue as he laid eyes on the creatures they had stumbled on. After a couple hours navigating the canyons and ravines, moving in the general direction of the waypoint, they had come across¡­ something. Matt had dismounted to stalk forward and peek around the edge of a boulder. His helmet relaying what he saw to Tobias and Van, so he wasn¡¯t leaving them in the dark. He finally used identify on the creature sitting a couple hundred meters away.


    Unknown. Level: Unknown


    The creature looked like a mix between a Gila monster and a cow, large in the body with a reptilian head and skin. It had broad black and yellow stripes covering its pebbly skin, its long purple tongue slicked out as it sunned itself on a flat rock. Matt hadn¡¯t seen I move much so he wasn¡¯t sure how fast it was, but he wasn¡¯t taking chances. He returned to the mech and climbed back in.


    ¡°Did the identify come across on the display?¡± he asked Tobias.


    ¡°Yeah, for all the good it did, but the thing looks damn ugly. Probably poisonous too judging by the color.¡± Toby said.


    ¡°Yup, not risking anything. I say we shoot first and ask questions later.¡± Matt said as he reconnected and stood up, having to adjust to the sudden perspective change.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Matt couched the butt of the autocannon under his arm and pressed forward. Creeping as slowly as he could to not give away his approach. His gunsight cleared the edge of boulder before the rest of his mech and he lined up the shot. He placed the reticle right where the neck met the shoulder, having to take a front-quartering shot. Bang-Thump. The first time Matt had actually fired the auto cannon and he was not disappointed. The shot crossed the distance so fast he didn¡¯t hear a separate impact but he heard the small thump of the round detonating inside the beast. Head separated from shoulder and the whole thing slumped forward and fell off the rock, smacking wetly onto the ravine floor.


    You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 12


    Bonus Experience earned for killing an enemy above your effective level.


    Class Pilot has reached level 1.


    Stat points awarded.


    Title Earned


    First Steps: You have taken your first steps into the System, gaining experience for the first time. Continue to grow and prosper.


    + 10 to all stats


    Skill Upgraded


    Inspect (inferior) -> Inspect (Common)


    You can now inspect unknown creatures and objects, gaining additional insights.


    Matt was very happy with the results of that first engagement but before he could dive into his stats, he heard a rumbling from down the canyon. He edged further around the boulder and saw 4 more of the creatures trotting up to where the first had landed. They looked around for the source of the noise and what killed their companion while Matt used his new identify on each of them.


    Venomous Rock Monitor Level 11


    Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14


    Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14


    Venomous Rock Monitor Level 16


    ¡°Shit.¡± Matt said as he now shouldered the auto cannon. He took a firing stance and lined up the shot with the first of the lizards. Pulling the trigger, he felt the recoil as his sights moved slightly off his point of aim, but the first shot hit one of the level 14¡¯s in shoulder joint, blowing a hole out the back side. He didn¡¯t wait to see the effect as he moved to the next one, this time taking it in the head. The headshot bounced off, impacting the canyon wall above and behind the creature. It stumbled back as the level 11 and 16 rushed him.


    With enemies coming in fast, Matt began to back pedal, using his rear camera overlay to avoid any tripping hazards. He switched to full auto and centered the reticle over the lead monster and held the trigger. Bang, Bang, Bang. Whiz, Thump, Thump. The first shot went wide, skipping off a rock near the creatures¡¯ feet while shots two and three were much more effective. The Second and third shot impacted the neck and shoulder, both exploding and ripping the beast apart. Matt shifted to the level 11, delivering another three-round burst with all rounds hitting the target. Only two exploded with one of them passing through completely and hitting the one in the rear that was still dazed from its head getting hammered.  this time, the round exploded on contact and dopped the last level 14.


    Matt took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings, looking for any other creatures coming to check out the fighting.


    ¡°Well done, Matt.¡± said Van. ¡°That was all of them from this group. I am pleased with your performance and the effect of the auto cannon.¡±


    Matt had to agree, it went better than anything he did in the mech simulators back on earth. This felt much smoother, almost like he wasn¡¯t fighting through a neural interface at all. ¡°Thanks Van. I¡¯m going to check my system messages.¡±


    As the fight was underway, he felt the presence of system messages, but they didn¡¯t automatically pop up to distract him. He opened the log to see what was waiting for him.


    You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14


    You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 16


    You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 11


    You have killed: Venomous Rock Monitor Level 14


    Experience earned for killing enemies above your effective level.


    Class Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 2.


    Stat points awarded.


    This was something to take in. The System didn¡¯t award experience until a fight was completed, it was nice to not deal with a bunch of repeating messages but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t count on any extra stats mid fight. He shared his findings with Tobias who didn¡¯t seem surprised, saying that was what he expected based on games he had played. He did wonder if it applied to mixed enemies or only to cohesive groups like the Rock Monitors seemed to be. Matt didn¡¯t know but had a feeling the answer was in one of the books Tobias had bought. He checked his ammo counter, seeing 41/50 rounds in his magazine. He decided to leave it be, not wanting to use mana to generate more at the moment.


    Tobias suddenly spoke up. ¡°Hey, on this little road trip, I think we should look for opportunities for me to get some experience in. If we can maybe prepare a position and lure something in to fight that would probably be a good way for me to level.¡± He reasoned. ¡°Also, Matt, you should get some testing in with your rifle, we know the auto cannon works wonders but we should test your other weapons too.¡±


    ¡°Good call, let¡¯s see what we stumble on as we go, it might be a good to try small and large enemies, maybe let Van go wild for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I would not go wild.¡± Van huffed.


    Matt now found himself in the odd position of explaining human expressions and that not everything was meant in a literal way. He pushed forward, walking past the monitors and getting a good look as he closed in. The damage was gruesome, normally the 25mm would be used against buildings or vehicles, not flesh and bone. The reactive nature of the projectile made it look like something had burst out of the creatures, if that something happened to be on fire. He was also struck by how big the creatures really were. They must have stood at 3 meters at the shoulder and maybe 4 and a half long. They had wide, squat bodies and the legs ended in clawed hands. The mouths were filled with needle like teeth but worst of all was the sizzling sound coming from where their saliva leaked onto the ground.


    Matt counted his lucky stars that they hadn¡¯t gotten close enough to take a bit out of his mech. He has a suspicion that, with the feedback he was getting through the neural link, he would feel every hit his mech took. A feature he was not looking forward to testing. He had moved past the piled bodies and down the ravine, coming to another intersection when Tobias came up with a simply amazing idea.


    ¡°Hey Van, do you have a way for me to plug my tablet in so I can project sound from it onto the internal speakers?¡± Tobias asked in his most innocent voice.


    ¡°There is a bracket directly under the secondary display, if you place your tablet into it, it can project any manner of media.¡± The core responded with a tone more curious than anything.


    Without further ado, Tobias placed his tablet in the holder. Within seconds music was playing, not just any music but the heavy tones of a famous German industrial rock band. Apparently books and schematics weren¡¯t the only thing Tobias had downloaded. Matt stopped short of the intersection and checked his status before he went any further.


    Seeing that Tobias had put some mana into the reserves, Matt thought he should contribute as well. He asked Tobias and Van how that worked and found out more than he had bargained for. It turns out that he would just have to focus on the reserve battery and will his mana into it. What Matt didn¡¯t like is that he was essentially sitting on that battery, directly below his seat was the possibly volatile collection of condensed mana. He had nothing to worry about however as the mana didn¡¯t react the same as the battery packs he was familiar with. There was nothing to leak or rupture, the energy being stored in a crystalline matrix that was completely inert.


    ¡°Van, I should probably know this, but you are referred to as a core. Do you have a physical housing? Like is there an actual core to this mech?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is. Its directly behind you, in the column separating the two seats. Do you want to see it?¡± Van sounded proud of this for some reason.


    Matt was instructed to lift a panel on the column and then slide the carriage up to expose the core. It looked like something out of the Steampunk 101 playbook, all brass and crystal. The core was 30 centimeters in length and 10 centimeters in diameter but instead of a tube, its sides were faceted with 10 sides. Each facet was separated by a brass divider that was styled to look like twisted rope. It honestly reminded Matt of a stylized lantern; a concept reinforced by the gem that sat within. The gem was a bright blue color, an elongated diamond each end tapering away from the center. The gem also had 10 facets on each of the tapers, matching the housing. It was a work of art, living art that pulsed with a heartbeat like sequence, a beat that matched Matts heartbeat exactly.


    The implications of the core¡¯s nature were beyond Matt at the moment. But he still expressed his awe to Van. ¡°It¡¯s glorious.¡± He said, feeling beautiful wasn¡¯t the right word to describe it.


    ¡°Indeed, it is, truly fascinating.¡± Added Tobias.


    Matt replaced the core and then began channeling mana into the battery, his meager reserves only adding a small amount the tank. Matt checked his stats, thinking he should have done this sooner after his level up.


    Name: Matt Shultz Level: 2 (F)


    Race: Human-Veiled


    Health Points: 216/216


    Stamina Points: 190/216


    Mana Points: 237/237


    ------


    Strength: 13 (24)


    Dexterity: 13 (24)


    Endurance: 11 (22)


    Constitution: 11 (22)


    Perception: 11 (22)


    Intelligence: 13 (24)


    Wisdom: 9 (19)


    Free Points: 10


    Affinity: Plasma


    Trait: Aura Dominance


    Perk: Resource Generation


    Titles: First Steps.


    Skills: Common (Language), Identify (Common)


    Some would say that when moving in unfamiliar territory you should never be distracted by unimportant things like rocking out to music, chatting with your best friend and a mech core while reading your stats. Bad things might happen to those not paying attention and the experience would be used a valuable teaching moment if you survived. That is why Matt vowed to never willingly admit this to anyone as he saw a flash of movement before he was rocked to the side, sympathetic pain flaring over the link.

 Chapter 6 – Crushes and Traps

    Chapter 6 ¨C Crushes and Traps


    Matt stumbled to his left as the beast rammed him, half skidding, and half stepping. He didn¡¯t get a good look at it but saw a smooth surface rising up to the mid chest of his mech, the surface made up of octagonal plates. He managed to stay upright but lost his auto cannon in the scuffle as he kicked away. He soared back a dozen meters, powered by the powerful legs of his mech, and got a good look at the thing that nearly steamrolled him. It looked like a giant turtle, but with longer legs that let it stand at 5 meters tall. he used identify on it.


    Tortoise Crusher. Level 18


    So, he wasn¡¯t far off in his first guess, but it didn¡¯t solve his issue of being separated from his primary weapon. With no other options he reached down to the giant tomahawk in his thigh holster, hoping that it would be enough to pierce the hide, or in this case the shell, of this beast. The Tortoise realigned on him and pulled its head back into its shell. With the head now protected by the horns coming off the top and bottom shells, it charged.


    The tortoise was surprisingly fast in the charge, but Matt backpedaled at an angle away from the beast. He managed to get out of the charge path, despite the slight course correction the tortoise made. As it passed, he lashed out at its front leg with the bladed side of his weapon, he hoped it would be able to bite in and¡­ Crunch. The blade separated the flesh easily but lodged in what had to be an incredibly dense bone. With a jerk, Matt was able to free the weapon from the leg, immediately side stepping toward his auto cannon. The turtle hobbled in the direction of its charge for a few more steps, blood gushing from the half meter long cut in its right leg.


    The tortoise rotated around again, trying to line up on Matt who was still backing toward his primary weapon. This time instead of charging right away, it paused and eyed Matt, looking for a weak point. It was a bad move on the tortoise¡¯s part as Matt finally came within arm¡¯s reach of his autocannon again. Matt transferred the tomahawk to his left hand as his right found the grip of the cannon. He raised it with the stock again couched under his arm, not waiting for a perfect firing solution, he flipped the selector to auto and pinned the trigger back.


    Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang¡­ Matt dumped half his remaining magazine into the beast at less than 100 meters. Some shots hit the shell, either clanging off or blowing chunks out of it, but there were a few that found the gaps. Those shots that found the opening in the shell were for lack of a better term, highly effective. At least 5 found flesh and delivered their payload directly into the depths of the beast. The tortoise continued on for a couple meters just from momentum before falling to the ground, blood and viscera spilling from the wounds in rivers of red.


    You have Killed: Tortoise Crusher. Level 18


    Experience Earned.


    ¡°Fuck, that was brutal.¡± Matt said, almost gagging at the sight.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± Tobias said as he rustled around behind Matt doing, something. ¡°I only had my lower restrains on when the turtle hit us. Way to inter-. Awe damnit all!¡± he said. As Matt turned around to look at him. ¡°My book is torn up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Matt just looked at Tobias, his disappointment nearly equal to his relief at the problem only being a book. He just turned back around, switching his attention back to the outside and taking a look at the status of his mech.


    Horizon¡¯s Vanguard (Van)


    Class: Skirmisher


    Armor Points: 875/1100


    Energy Points: 807/1300 (1150/2500)


    Matt reached out to Van mentally while Tobias got right with Jesus or whatever he was doing back there. ¡°Van, are you ok? We took quite a hit and I¡¯m not sure how Armor Points work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am fine, the mech exists separately from me. It is essentially just a shell that I occupy. The core of my being can not be damaged in that way.¡±


    Matt was relieved, he went on to learn that there was a display option showing which parts of the mech were damaged. It unfortunately wasn¡¯t color coded, but it did have tags describing the extent of the damage.


    Construct Damage:


    Left upper leg armor ¨C Crushing.


    Left lower torso armor ¨C Crushing.


    Left lower arm armor ¨C Piercing, crushing.


    While the damage was not very widespread, it was limiting him. He could feel the armor plates rubbing against each other through the link. His mobility was also slightly impaired, having only noticed as he resumed less frantic movement. Thankfully, Van explained that he wouldn¡¯t need a trip to the repair shop and some quality time with power tools and probably a welder to fix the mech. The armor would slowly repair itself over time using mana or Energy Points as it was called when converted for the mechs use.


    Matt reloaded the autocannon and stored the expended magazine in his expense pouch using this as a perfect time to find out how much it would cost to create a new one. He channeled Energy points into the ammo pouch and was shocked to see the reserve plumet by 200 points. After the cost of repairing his armor, and replacing the magazine, he was down to less than 400 Energy Points. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment, he had additional magazines, 5 to be specific so he had some sustainability. Matt would need to have a long think over how to handle energy management in the future.


    Moving back to the intersection where the ambush had taken place, Matt inspected the hole that the tortoise had ambushed them from. It had been dug into the canyon wall under a natural overhang. The tortoise was nearly the same color as the walls and floor of the canyon, creating a perfect environment for it to lay in wait. Matt peeked into the mouth of the hole but didn¡¯t see anything inside besides scrape marks from where the creature had dug in. Looking up, Matt considered the sun and how long they had been moving. Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to stop for the night.


    When Matt proposed the idea to Tobias, they both agreed that an early night would be a good idea. They ended up finding a raised outcropping that they could easily climb in the mech, a good place to set up camp for the night. Matt reached down and plucked some of the shrubs that covered the area, getting several bushels to camouflage their camp but mostly to break up the silhouette of the mech. They began preparing the site, Tobias clearing an area for them to set sleeping bags and a fire while Matt started tying on the brush to the armor panels on the mech. Once they were done prepping the site, they broke out some of the rations and Tobias threw a couple books at Matt.


    Matt caught the books and read the covers, only slightly annoyed at the titles. They were titled: Piloting a Construct, The System and the Higher Plane, and lastly Classes and Leveling. All the books were apparently written for ¡°Idiots¡± according to the black and yellow covers. Matt had seen Tobias buying a bunch of books and while he planned on borrowing them, this felt insulting.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, I kinda figured you would forget to get anything that would shed light on our current situation so, as usual I have to pick up the slack in the knowledge department.¡± Tobias snarked. It was typical of him, always invested in knowledge and the greater ¡°Why¡±. Even when they were in the Army, Tobias was heavily invested in correspondence courses which had led to his success in the R&D circles.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Matt broke out a notebook and started writing a list. A list of things he would like to have based on his recent experiences and some of what he knew from Earth. ¡°Toby, your class is all about designing and making stuff right? Like do you gain experience from designing things or does it have to be making them?¡± Matt had a hope and a dream that would ensure there were some levels for Tobias on this road trip.


    ¡°Not sure, it mentions it in the class description so I would have to try it.¡± Tobias said as Matt handed him the list. He read it over and thought about how he could actually make a design or what would count as a template to the system. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a shot. Can I take a look at your cannon for the sling?¡±


    Van maneuvered the cannon over so Tobias could inspect it. He produced his tablet and stylus, taking note of the hard points on the weapon and the armor on the mech. He asked about the weight of the cannon, and any spots that had to stay clear for the action. After about 20 minutes of futzing around and circling the mech, he suddenly stopped.


    ¡°I just got a level!¡± Tobias half shouted. He lowered his voice before he continued. ¡°I had everything planned out, but I only completed the design when I specified the material requirements¡± Tobias turned the tablet around showing Matt the design. ¡°It¡¯s a simple two-point sling but the front contact point is at the midpoint, just in front of the receiver. It should allow retention without getting in the way. Only problem is we don¡¯t have the means to make it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, I can deal with it for now. Maybe when we get to the city, the forge will have something we can use.¡± Matt said, not sure what the city would actually have, or what the forge could do. ¡°My hope is that on our way you can create more designs and level one of your classes. Put that big brain to use instead of just being a passenger princess.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Well maybe if you¡­¡±


    They bantered back and forth for a while longer before deciding on a watch schedule. They agreed to split it into 3 parts since Van could act as a sentry and would warn them of any approaching danger. Tobias and Matt also channeled mana into the reserve of the mech, planning on doing this several times over the course of the night but never letting their mana pool drop below 50%. With the watch settled and their stomachs filled, they settled in for the night.


    The night ended up being uneventful, Tobias saying he heard some distant noises on his shift but didn¡¯t see anything. The Mech had its battery almost topped off which was a relief, but Matt still added larger battery to his wish list for the future. Matt ended up sleeping in his armor, minus his helmet, not wanting to be caught out if some critter came calling. It wasn¡¯t the best sleep he ever had but he was also used to operating on little sleep while in the field. They had a quick breakfast and then mounted up again with Matt electing to keep the bushes on the mech since they still were in the desert terrain. They had only been moving for an hour when Matt saw what could be a golden opportunity for them.


    A pack or , in this case, flock of about a dozen bird like creatures. The avians stood about 2 meters tall and had large crests on their heads, which stood on long necks. They looked like a cassowary other than the coloring being more muted in color. They dug into the ground with 3 toed feet, tipped with long talons that looked like they meant business. Matt used identify on one of them.


    Crested Thrasher level 8


    All the birds were of a similar level, ranging from a low of 7 to a high of 9. Matt suspected they would be fast using darting, hit, and run tactics. He shared his findings with Tobias, and they decided to take this one on foot with Van acting as backup fire support incase things turned ugly. They prepared a position on the slope of the ravine wall. The plan was for Matt to throw one of his flashbangs at them then fall back to Tobias and they could set up a kill zone.


    Matt crept up to the flock of birds, at the max range for how far he could throw a grenade in his armor. He could lob a frag about 100 meters with the lighter flashbang going a bit farther. He gripped the body of the grenade, thumb holding down the spoon a jerked out the pin. Without further delay he hurled it at his feathered foes. The grenade arced toward them but Matt didn¡¯t stay around to watch as he took off, sprinting back to where Tobias was waiting. While he ran, he monitored the birds in his helmets reverse camera. The grenade smacked right into one of the level 7¡¯s before detonating. The birds were stunned, allowing Matt to increase his lead to nearly 200 meters before they noticed him and began chasing.


    The birds were fast, easily half again as fast at Matt but he still had a lot of distance on them. Rounding a bend in the ravine, he ran up the trail on the sloping wall, sliding into the fighting position next to Tobias. The waist high rock wall was more for concealment than anything since the birds didn¡¯t have anything to shoot them with. He braced his rifle on the top of the wall and watched the bend where the birds would be coming from. Tobias right next to him with his PDW, braced in a similar position. The birds started coming around the corner, slowing and looking around for where Matt had gone. Tobias waited for them to move past the base of the trail before firing his first burst, taking the level 9 in the center of mass with a quartet of bullets.


    Matt started in on the lower-level ones at the rear of the group, hoping to confuse them. They dropped quickly from double taps, legs kicking as they fell to the dusty ground. Tobias had kept his bursts short, able to drop 3 of them before the birds were able to home in on them. The 6 still standing birds started rushing toward them, shrieking as they ran, but they still had 50 meters before they reached the base of the steep incline. 4 birds as they made the base of the hill. 2 birds by the time they made it to the upper slope. 1 bird, angry beyond belief, leapt over the wall and launched a kick at Matt.


    The level 9 bird raked its talons at Matt who kicked away, rolling in a backward summersault as he avoided the 20-centimeter-long claws aimed at his throat. Tobias fired his last 2 rounds from behind as the bird oriented on Matt. One round taking it in the leg and the other going wide and impacting the canyon wall. The leg gave out and the bird flopped to the side, still kicking with its one good leg.


    Matt stood and pointed his rifle at the thing, not firing since he wanted Tobias to get the experience. A not so smooth reload later and Tobias his PDW back in action and fired a burst into the back of the creature, ending its suffering. Matt did a quick scan over the area, seeing only a couple still twitching, nerves firing their last impulses long after they were dead. He looked over to Tobias and gave him a thumbs up, the gesture being returned, albeit a little tremor in the gesture.


    ¡°Other than the last one, that plan worked very well for you two.¡± Van said over their coms. He had observed the whole thing from a little farther back in the shadow of the canyon wall.


    ¡°I thought so.¡± Said Matt changing mags and stowing the mostly empty one in his dump pouch so it would recycle as a new one generated. He would have liked to start the engagement with a frag grenade, but Tobias had brought up that wouldn¡¯t leave many for him. Given that the whole point of this endeavor had been to get Tobias levels, he had to agree. ¡°How did you do?¡± He asked Tobias.


    ¡°I got 3 levels from that in my Defender class. Looks like the classes level separately like I thought.¡± Tobias said, a smile spreading across his face.


    ¡°Good deal. Now let¡¯s load up and move on, I would like to hit the edge of the forest by the end of the day.¡± Matt was pleased with the results too, he managed another 2 levels and then noticed something.


    You have killed:


    Crested Thrasher Level 7


    Crested Thrasher Level 7


    Crested Thrasher Level 8


    Crested Thrasher Level 8


    Crested Thrasher Level 9


    Bonus Experience earned for killing an enemy above your level.


    Class Pilot - Skirmisher is Level 4.


    Stat points awarded.


    Turns out the amplification effect of the mech was a 10 times multiplier. Meaning that if he wanted bonus experience, he would have to fight enemies 10 times above his level when using the mech. It made sense in a balancing way, the power of his mech was incredible and almost made fights unfair, if fair mattered in a fight to the death. Matt would take every advantage he could get and wouldn¡¯t feel bad about it.


    Matt continued moving through the ravines, noticing that the walls had rapidly shrunk in height to the point that they were barely taller than his mech. They stumbled upon a couple more of the birds in ones and twos, but they ran off before Matt could begin to target them. After another few kilometers, the cleared the last of the now short ravines and saw the scrub plane laid out before them, the edge of the forest now visible in the distance. Before moving into the flats, he did a thorough search of the area. The mirage coming up prevented him from seeing much but the brush couldn¡¯t be hiding anything too large, still he scanned for several minutes before committing to the open area.


    Matt asked a question that had been on his mind since he took his first steps in this mech. ¡°Van, how fast is this mech?¡± He had wanted to open it up, but the confines of the canyons and ravines never gave him much chance with the turns and possibility of another ambush.


    ¡°I am unsure of the exact speed but there is a way to find out.¡± Van said back, excitement tinging his voice.


    ¡°How do you not know?¡± asked Tobias. ¡°I thought you knew everything about the mech.¡±


    ¡°Remember that I am 2 days old, while I have much knowledge of how things work, I don¡¯t fully know the capabilities of this construct.¡± Van replied, again reminding Matt that while his mentality was mature, he had little actual experience.


    Not seeing any enemies, Matt pressed forward. Moving into the short brush at a walk, then a trot, then a run, before going into an all-out sprint. The ground flew by with the slightly jarring pace. He brought up a secondary overlay to his display and a speedometer popped up. 64 kph showed in the lower left of his vision, faster than the mechs back on Earth, they topped out at around 30 on flat paved roads. He thought that was a little suspect for such a large machine but then remembered 2 things, Stats and magic. His dexterity was 32 with his armor so 320 in his System constructed mech. They would be at the tree line in no time at this speed.

 Chapter 7 – Bump in the Night

    Chapter 7 ¨C Bump in the Night


    The kilometers fell away behind them as Matt jogged forward. He did slow from the full out sprint so a more sedate pace that didn¡¯t jar his vision and was much more sustainable. They were at about the halfway point when Matt saw bushes rustling and a trail of dust running an intercept course on the mech. He came to a stop in an area with much less dense vegetation, an area a few hundred meters across. He watched the dust trail change direction, reorientating on them and coming in fast.


    ¡°Contact, 2 o¡¯clock, coming in fast.¡± He called out to Tobias, not that his friend had anything he could actually do in the rear seat. It was mostly habit and it didn¡¯t exactly hurt to call out. He got a word of acknowledgement from Tobias and readied the cannon. What came out of the brush was the worst thing that Matt could imagine.


    Matt hated the jungle for many reasons, chief among them was the plentiful and massive insects. Not only were they often toting some sort of venom, but they were also just creepy. While he tolerated them and could adapt to being constantly surrounded while in the jungle, he still had a visceral hatred of them. That is why when the 12-meter-long centipede reared up at the edge of the clearing, he didn¡¯t hesitate. Selector to auto and trigger pinned to the rear was the play of the day it seemed.


    The bug realized is made a series of mistakes. Its first mistake was to stop its undulating movement, the second mistake was to rear up in a threatening pose, its third mistake was existing. 15 high velocity, explosive projectiles streaked toward it. A line of impacts and the following explosions stitched their way up its body wreaking havoc on its underside. The centipede was flipped over from the force of the impacts, flopping onto its back briefly from the barrage. It was wounded and bleeding heavily but at least its armored top side was facing the right way now. The bug knew that it could now limp away and ¨C Crunch.


    Matt had advanced the entire time he was firing and, when the centipede turned to flee, he stomped down on its tail section. This pinned the barbed tail to the to the ground, removing one of its possible weapons. Matt then fired directly into it from point blank, stitching another line up its back. The rounds completely ignored the chitinous plates, blowing right through them and into the gooier core of the beast. The creepy crawly spasmed as Matt finished off the rest of his magazine, making sure to hit every section of it at least once. He didn¡¯t stop until his bolt locked back, magazine empty.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to handle it.¡± Van commented.


    ¡°I hate bugs, ok. They are disgusting and creepy and I just don¡¯t like them.¡± Matt said, changing mags and backing away from the corpse.


    ¡°Yeah, no shit. I¡¯m pretty sure its ancestors felt that smackdown.¡± Tobias added, not one to miss some clutch commentary.


    Matt realized that the fight was over before he even identified the creature. He almost didn¡¯t even bother, not wanting to soil his mind with the information. In the end he relented and did the right thing, knowledge is power as some like to say.


    Acid Barbed Centipede Level 32


    These creatures grow at alarming rates, often growing long enough to completely encircle their prey. They rely on their hard shells to get close enough to sting their prey with their barmed tails, injecting them with acid to partly dissolve them.


    Huh, I guess you get some flavor text if you ID an enemy you kill. Matt thought to himself. He opened the system message that was vying for this attention and told Tobias about his discovery.


    You have killed Acid Barbed Centipede Level 32


    Experience earned.


    Class Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 5.


    Stat points awarded.


    Skill selection options available.


    Matt was surprised at the level up but then figured he must have been close after the birds. He was more surprised about skill options, assuming that his class would only get upgrades at a forge. As much as he wanted to pick some sweet skill, they were not in a position for him so dive into that. The edge of the forest was close, so he pushed on, wanting to get out of the open as soon as possible.


    They made the tree line not an hour later, pushing through the smaller growth at the forests edge to emerge under an emerald, green canopy with trees hundreds of meters tall. This forest was not dense with undergrowth and few of the trees had low hanging branches. Matt was happy to see that the trees themselves were spaced far apart, the upper canopies reaching for dozens of meters in every direction from the crowns. He moved to a position at the base of a particularly large tree, circling once to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything lurking nearby.


    Matt told Tobias what was going on and they elected to take a short break after Matt was done. Tobias likely wanted to know what it was like and grill him about the details afterward, so Matt dived in and opened the System message.


    Pilot ¨C Skirmisher Class skills available


    Sharpened Sight (Common)


    Increases the users¡¯ sight and allows the user to see father. Affords the user better vision in adverse lighting conditions.


    Dodge (Common)


    Allows the user increased dodging ability. only activates when evading attacks.


    Crushing Stomp (Uncommon)


    Pin downed enemies, preventing them from moving or deliver a final blow. Can be used to unbalance smaller enemies in close proximity.


    Repost (Uncommon)


    Deliver an attack at increased power and speed after successfully evading or blocking an attack. May only be used with melee weapons.


    Imbue Weapon (Rare)


    Imbue your weapon with your affinity granting additional abilities and power to your attacks. Weapons may suffer damage depending on affinity if not enchanted with Affinity Imbuement.


    5 skills to choose from was more than Matt had hoped for and they seemed pretty straight forward. He wasn¡¯t sure how they would work if he selected one, but he knew which one he was leaning toward. He remembered that several of his weapons had the enchantment Affinity Imbuement ability added to them. This also confirmed that not all skills were equal judging not only by the rarity tags but also by how awful the first two were. So, without further ado, he picked the Imbue Weapon skill.


    A warmth spread to Matt¡¯s extremities, starting at the weird spot between his heart and spine. When the warmth reached his brain, knowledge started trickling in, telling him exactly how to use the skill. It wasn¡¯t like learning something in a classroom, having to take notes or repeating a process to make it stick. This knowledge was firmly rooted in place once it settled in, and he knew that nothing could make him forget.


    The entire process was over in less than a minute. Matt told Tobias that he picked his skill and that it was one of 5 options. Tobias, not to be denied his due, proceeded to interrogate the poor pilot about every little detail. With night falling faster in the forest due to the dense canopy above, they set up camp. After eating dinner, Tobias began a new line of questioning.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So, what did you put your free points into? I put mine into Constitution and intelligence mostly, a few into perception. I think that it¡­ will¡­ Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Tobias said, halfway through a lecture before seeing the look on Matts face.


    ¡°I forgot to allocate mine. Fuck I forgot all about them being a thing.¡± Matt mumbled before pulling up his status sheet. Sure enough, there were the 25 points sitting in the ¡°Free Points¡± column. He reviewed his stats, seeing they were mostly balanced and had a long think about how he fought or in this case, would want to fight. He also considered his complaints and failures from the past 2 days before making his decision. After allocating the points by willing them into the individual categories, he took another look to review.


    Name: Matt Shultz Level: 5 (F)


    Race: Human-Veiled


    ------


    Strength: 27


    Dexterity: 29


    Endurance: 24


    Constitution: 22


    Perception: 22


    Intelligence: 29


    Wisdom: 17


    Free Points: 5


    Matt decided that he would continue his method of being fast with a lot of stamina but also put points into Intelligence to help with all the mana he was using for ammunition. He put a token 2 points into each of the other stats so they wouldn¡¯t sit stagnant. He wasn¡¯t sure if this strategy was going to work but he could always adjust later at his next level ups.


    After telling Tobias his allocation, Matt broke out his books. He wasn¡¯t a big reader in an educational sense, he read for entertainment and for when he had to fix something but needed instruction. The book he chose to read first was Piloting a Construct, for Idiots and despite the insulting name, it was just like the publication of a similar series on earth. No assumption was made on behalf of the reader, and it was written with a clear and linear path to build knowledge. It was a very engrossing read to say the least, time flew by as he learned some very important facts about his construct and its core.


    Saying a construct was made based on its pilot was a serious downplay on the enormity of the situation. A construct was named such because it was a physical manifestation of the pilot¡¯s soul and given form by their subconscious will. The core of the construct was an even more complex creation, being an actual soul. The cores all had a personality that was meant to mesh well with their pilot and could even project their influence on them without being fully awakened. It was a partnership made to be perfect, but it was not without risk.


    A pilot could influence the nature of the core through their subconscious thoughts and emotions leading to as the system put it ¡°adverse consequences¡±. Pilots that held joy in their hearts could make rather chipper cores and ones that harbored deep seated fear could end up with timid cores. What all this boiled down to was, the power amplification effects of the constructs and cores could also amplify the nature of the pilot. If a pilot was an insidious bastard, he or she may slowly be corrupted to an even worse person as they grew with their construct. Matt paused after this section, looking over to Van and Tobias.


    ¡°Toby, I need a favor from you. A favor that might be an ongoing thing.¡± Matt started, waiting for Tobias to look up from his own book before continuing. ¡°If I ever start going off the rails, I¡¯m going to need you to set me back on the right path. A real deep dive, come to Jesus, reality check.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, Sure. Can I ask why?¡± Tobias said, setting his book back down.


    Matt explained what he had just read as Tobias nodded along. He outlined some of his worries, but also admitted he didn¡¯t know the full extent of this given that Van was awakened, and they had a different starting relationship than most. Tobias swore that he would personally pimp slap Matt if he ever had delusions of grandeur. After that followed a brief tangent on if Tobias needed to have a fur coat and gem encrusted chalice behind glass with a warning about uppity pilots.


    Matt was about to dig back into his book but glimpsed something in the darkness. The tell-tale reflection of eyes, dozens of sets moving back and forth between the trees on the opposite side of the mech. He was about to alert Tobias when Van suddenly boomed over the external loudspeaker.


    ¡°Contact. 200 meters, ranging from my 11 to 3 o¡¯clock.¡± Van called out the contact as he leveled the cannon.


    ¡°Shit, Tobias let¡¯s go.¡± Matt said as he shoved his helmet back on his head. He toggled to his Night vision setting with a thermal overlay and identified the shapes in the trees. Tobias spinning around and backing up to form a triangle with Matt and Van.


    Forest Wolf. Level 10


    All of the wolves he used identify on were in the level 9 to 13 range which they knew they could handle, but oh boy were there a lot of them. Matt counted at least 11 of them on his side and knew there were likely more that the other 2 were looking at.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start shuffling our way to the most open area we can and get away from the tree. We don¡¯t need any of them using it as cover to get close.¡± 2 affirmations later and they slowly edged their way to an open area, the wolves keeping a set distance away on Matts side. Well, the humans shuffled while the mech took much larger strides before reaching an area he thought would work.


    ¡°Van, please don¡¯t crush us.¡± Tobias said, trying to remind the core that he was standing over some very squishy humans. ¡°Matt, I think now is our moment. If we start off, then we might gain the initiative instead of waiting on them.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t say a word as he picked a target that happened to hold still for a little too long. His rifle barked and the wolf flinched, running a few meters before dropping. Matt could see the gouts of blood, hot in his thermals despite the lack of light. From behind Matt, Tobias clicked on his rifle light and fired twice before everything went to shit.


    The wolves rushed in toward them in pairs, one slightly behind the other as they arced in. Matt pivoted and dropped the front runner with a shot to its lower jaw. Its tumble and the flash of his rifle must have spooked the one behind because it changed course, leaving its partner to slide toward the group as it ran away. Matt got a good look at the dead wolf, and they were big, well tall was a better word. They were narrow in the chest like most wolves but must have been a meter and a half tall at the shoulder and weighing more than Matt out of armor. He focused back on the fight taking single shots at the ones circling in the distance and double tapping any that came close.


    The wolves mostly attacked Tobias and Matt, using charges of 2¡¯s or 3¡¯s wolves but always losing at least one before they broke away. None seemed to be going after the mech, staying far away from it as Van tracked them back and forth with the cannon. Matt and Tobias talked back and forth, calling out downed enemies and any large group movements that they could see. It was pretty steady until Tobias had to change his mag. Magazine changes only took a couple seconds, but the wolves capitalized on that as a group of 6 rushed in from Tobias¡¯ left, intent to do a literal dog pile. It was unfortunate for them that Van had been tracking this group and fired a 5 round burst as they crossed the halfway point.


    The concussion from that cannon up close and when not buttoned up shook the teeth in Matt''s head. The noise was dampened by his helmet and earcups for the radio, but that didn¡¯t do anything for the blast. Bits of dirt and wolf rained down after the cannon stopped firing, a series of small impact craters all that marked where they had been. Matt fired at a passing trio of wolves before his bolt locked back and he had to do a mag change. Once again, a trio of wolves rushed in, this time as Van was facing away, not being able to cover Matt like he had for Tobias.


    Matt¡¯s mag change was fast, he was proud of his sub second reload but it only allowed him to bring his rifle level to fire a double tap before the wolves were on him. Only 2 made it in, the third having a smoking hole in its face and powder burns on its fur. The first wolf went for his calf while the other went high, taking him in the chest. The first was unable to pierce he armor on his lower leg but that didn¡¯t stop it from gnawing its way up toward the exposed knee joint. The second hit Matt like a hammer, seeming to speed up at the last moment to take him to the ground. Matts hands found its throat as he tried to hold it away from him while he kicked his free leg at the first one using him as a chew toy.


    Trying to punch the wolf in the face wasn¡¯t working for Matt but as he considered trying for his tomahawk, he felt a stabbing pain in the back of his knee. the first one found the edge of his greave and tasting blood, tried to double down on its biting. Matt roared in pain as he heard a burst of round from Tobias and the wolf on his leg went slack. Switching tactics, he rammed his hand a forearm down the second wolf''s throat, causing it to gag and pull away as he freed his tomahawk. He choked up on the handle and rammed the spike side into the wolf¡¯s neck, trying to do a clapping motion with the hand that was down its throat. After a couple hits, he found spine and the beast went slack, letting Matt roll onto a knee and level his rifle again.


    While the two wolves were going at Matt like the family dog trying to get the squeaker in a brand-new chew toy, Tobias and Van had been laying down some grade-A hatred. The wolves had started moving in after Matt had gone to ground trying to capitalize on there being one less person to deal with. This tactic only opened them up to more continuous fire from Tobias as he didn¡¯t have fleeting glimpses at his targets, able to engage more at a time. The closing wolf circle had also brought them into tighter packed groups for Van and the cannon. The bursts were short at only 3 to 5 rounds, but the explosive nature of the ammo meant that each round had a kill radius, rather than individual targets.


    Matt pulled the fragmentation grenade from his pouch, finally having a group dense enough to use it on. He jerked the pin out and side armed it toward a cluster of wolves, giving plenty of lead for the fuse to burn down and detonate. Another brief flash, and a slightly bigger crater than the 25mm rounds lead to a rain of dirt and wolf bits. Matt had expected them to break off and retreat after losing so many, but it seemed that they were all committed to bring down the trio. Matt thought it was strange but didn¡¯t question it as he picked off the stragglers, short bursts downing each.


    Matt ran out of targets and saw in his rear overlay that Tobias and Van had also stopped firing, leading him to assume they were in the clear. He once again swapped in a fresh magazine, scanning the trees for any more lurking wolves but didn¡¯t see any. His leg was on fire, pain flaring at every twitch of his leg muscles. He called over to Tobias and told him he was wounded as he clicked on his helmet''s white admin light to inspect the damage.


    Tobias and Van moved to cover Matt as he tended to his wound, each taking up a position on opposite sides of him. The light revealed that his base layer was punctured in several places, quite the shock since it was partly composed of a Kevlar weave and Matt knew it was resistant to puncture from his own testing. Dark red blood was running from the wound, telling him his artery wasn¡¯t punctured at least. He pulled off his helmet and fished out one of the healing potions from his storage ring, deciding now was the time to test it.


    ¡°Cheers you bastards.¡± He said to the wolf corpses around him. He pulled the cork and downed the red potion that tasted like nothing but water. He then turned back to his leg, holding his helmet to shine a dim light on his rapidly healing wound.

 Chapter 8 – Testing, Testing.

    Chapter 8 ¨C Testing, Testing.


    After Matt¡¯s leg had healed from the potion he drank, a matter of only half a minute, they had decided to break camp and relocate. Their former site was only a few dozen meters from where they had made a rather effective stand. Tobias had noted that there were 48 wolves in total, or at least that¡¯s how many he figured at since more than a few had ended up in smaller bits over a wide area. Matt also thought the situation was strange, normal wolves would not have fought to the last like these had but maybe that was just Earth wolves.


    They ended up loading back up into the mech and moving another kilometer into the forest and set up shop on a gentle rise, giving a decent view of the surroundings. Matt pushed mana into his armor, repairing the shredded base layer around his knee and also generated a couple new magazines to replace the ones he had used in the fight. He still marveled at how such complex items could be generated and repaired just with mana, then remembered the cost. 3 magazines and the repairs to his armor had cost him nearly 400 mana points, most of which was repairing the armor.


    Tobias suddenly spoke up from where he was leaning back against a large rock. ¡°Despite that whole encounter being awful and us getting semi ambushed, I got some sweet gains.¡±


    Matt pulled up his System notifications and read through them, finally getting a decent recounting of all that had happened in the form of kill notifications.


    You have killed Forest Wolf. Level 10


    You have killed Forest Wolf. Level 9


    You have killed¡­¡­


    Bonus experience earned for killing enemies above your level.


    Class Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 8.


    Stat Points awarded.


    ¡°I got 3 levels out of that.¡± Matt said, realizing how much of a difference the bonus experience could make in progression. ¡°How did you do?¡± he asked Tobias.


    ¡°4 levels and a skill selection now that my Defender class is up to 5.¡± He paused before continuing. ¡°Mind if I take a look at skills?¡± He asked. Matt just gave him a thumbs up as he scanned the wood line, toggling between thermal and regular night vision.


    ¡°Hey Van, how are you holding up on power reserves?¡± Matt asked in his mind.


    ¡°Good enough, I only used about 400 points between generating a new magazine and operating on my own. How are you feeling? I was nervous about your injury, but it seems you handled yourself well.¡±


    Matt explained some of his past military and contracting experience and how he had been wounded before. He didn¡¯t like the pain and couldn¡¯t exactly ignore it but could manage in most cases unless it was a severe wound to his vitals or something. Matt hadn¡¯t had that experience but imagined that he would not be able to continue fighting if that was the case. He currently didn¡¯t feel anything from where he had been bit, the potion completely healing the injury.


    Tobias came out of his daze after a short while, taking extra time to allocate stat points after getting his first skill. He ended up with a common rarity skill called Huddle Up which gave him a small boost to resistance when fighting defensively with others in close proximity. This reminded Matt that he didn¡¯t know the practical effects of his Imbue skill, it may have helped in the fight, or it might not have. With that in mind he set a plan to have a testing and training day after they woke up. They could try out skills and some other things that had been put on the back burner since they started the journey. Setting a watch schedule, they settled in for the remainder of the night.


    The System had observed the fight Matt and company had, much like it observed everything that had happened. It considered for a moment how that would have gone for a similar group from its seed worlds. Its conclusion was that the wolves would have won, easily won in fact. This observation led the System to believe it had made the right decisions on some of its schemes. While it had no control over the initial funds and design of Matt¡¯s construct, it did make some small changes to how things should have gone. The diverted arrival zone was a test to see how the young pilot would handle no support and also proved him to not be a solo player by how he had helped Tobias level.


    The System was also pleased to see how Matt acted with the core of his construct. Changing the text size to be half a point bigger and the color to be 5% brighter was easy and made it stand out from the list of other enhancements. Matt, having discovered the burden of pilots early on in his readings was just plain good luck, well not luck per se since that worked completely differently. Still, the System was pleased and decided to give another nudge, this time to a powerful being, hoping to create an encounter for the trio. It wasn¡¯t going to give them any handouts, but it wasn¡¯t going to be completely malicious either.


    Matt eyeballed the enormous tree that he arbitrarily decided to use as a test bed. It was about a meter thick by his guess, round things were hard to measure when he only had his rifle as a known length. He decided to first test how tough the tree was, to set a base line for his future comparisons, without further delay, he pulled out his tomahawk.


    Matt knew about how much it would cut into a hardwood like oak or maple, and he took a firm but relaxed swing at the tree with the blade side. The blade sank in around three centimeters, perfectly average by his recollection since tomahawks were not made for felling large trees. He repeated the process with the spike end, getting nearly double the penetration. Next, he tested his rifle from a distance of 25 meters, firing a single shot into the middle of the trunk. There was no exit hole which confirmed that the bullet was likely fragmented inside the wood, even the penetrator not making it through.


    Base lines set and tomahawk back in hand, Matt focused on his skill urging the mana to flow into the tool. He noted it consumed 5 mana per second, 10 mana per second when he forced more in at a faster rate. The blade glowed with at first an orange red light before moving to a bright yellow with the increased mana. He could also smell ozone, similar to when electricity arced between two points, confirming that this was his plasma affinity. He lined up with the tree once more and did his best to swing the blade with the same force as his first tests.


    The blade sunk into the trunk of the tree until the handle bounced off the trunk, kicking the tomahawk back out from the rebound. Matt was shocked at how little resistance there was and inspected the mark from where the blade had hit. There was a deep cut mark in the tree, the same width and length as the blade, also it was slightly smoking. He took a closer look and saw that the inside of the cut was charred, not blackened like when fire burned a log but more, caramelized looking.  Tobias wandered up from where he had been watching and took a peek.


    ¡°Shit man, too bad you didn¡¯t have a sword or something cause that¡¯s halfway to a lightsaber.¡± Tobias laughed, poking his pinky finger in the hole. ¡°I wonder what that will do with a bullet?¡±


    ¡°let¡¯s find out.¡± Matt said as he wandered back to where he fired his first test shot from. He aimed a fresh spot on the trunk, channeled mana into the skill and fired another round.


    ¡°I saw splash behind the tree.¡± Tobias said. He had been off at an angle in relation to Matt, managing to catch the small eruption of dirt on the other side of the tree.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Matt slung his rifle and wandered over to the hole in the trunk. It took some doing but he was able to line up the hole and see light on the other side. Wandering around to the far side of the trunk, he was a good-sized tear out in the bark, roughly the size of his thumb. Tobias then called him over to where he was poking at the ground with a knife.


    ¡°Careful, it¡¯s still smoking hot, glowing a bit actually.¡± Tobias said as he poked at the now slightly deformed bullet which was cooling off in the dirt. ¡°I¡¯ll pour some water on it, maybe help cool it a bit quicker.¡±


    Way more water than they originally thought necessary, and the bullet was cool enough to touch. Matt thought it looked normal, but Tobias pointed out how it was still in one piece, the jacket not separating like it normally would. It clearly hadn¡¯t been hot in the barrel otherwise it would have turned to fragments when it left the muzzle. Matt then nudged Tobias and pointed at a large rock, halfway sticking out of the ground. With a nod, Tobias joined him as Matt took aim and tested a non-imbued round.


    After several rounds of very accurate, serious, and scientific testing that wasn¡¯t at all 2 guys shooting a bunch of shit in the woods, Matt and Tobias had some hard data. What the plain bullet wouldn¡¯t penetrate, an imbued bullet would, unless it was thick rock or very thick trees. Honestly, the rock testing was kind of a bust since if the bullet went through, they couldn¡¯t find it and if it didn¡¯t, they couldn¡¯t dig it out to see how deep it went. Matt did notice that at longer ranges, the imbued bullets had an effect similar to tracers, an orange streak marking the bullet¡¯s passing.


    Matt had used the down time to continue reading and also gave Tobias another list of things to work on. He put on there a blast shield for the end of the cannon after the previous night¡¯s fight the probably left the humans with TBI or at least CTE from the concussion. He also asked for a suppressor for his rifle, something that would be nice to have but not needed. Tobias had been working on his other item designs, netting enough experience to get to level 5 in Forge Master.


    After a couple hours testing and probably disturbing the local wildlife for years to come, Matt and Tobias loaded up and set off again. The waypoint was still pointing them in the same direction, deeper into the woods. Van had been asking to test the cannon with imbued rounds, but they decided they would have to wait for something bigger to test against.


    ¡°Hey, Toby. Got a question for you.¡± Matt started after an hour of travel. ¡°How would you go about doing a coaxial or similar secondary weapon for Van?¡± He had been thing about the wolves and how Van had been limited to holding fire till the smaller enemies grouped up. He could of course have fired at individual enemies, but it would be wasteful, like using a Semi Truck to haul a single brick.


    ¡°I would probably try and mount it to the mech¡¯s head.¡± Tobias began. ¡°It provides the best vantage and would track wherever you look, kind of like the chin mounted gun on attack helicopters.¡± Tobias paused for a minute before continuing on about how a true coaxial attached to the cannon would be sub optimal incase there was damage to the gun.


    Matt and Tobias talked back and for the about it for a while before Van brought up that they couldn¡¯t really design anything until they had a forge. Tobias could design mounts, guns, feed systems and everything else but it wouldn¡¯t mean anything without having a way to make it and modify the mech. They also didn¡¯t know what the capabilities of the forge were or the associated costs, another thing to wait on.


    As fate would have it, Matt wouldn¡¯t have to wait long to test out the cannon and its version of imbued projectiles. They stumbled on the tracks of something big, well they assumed it was big by the size and depth of the prints left behind. Tobias agreed to following the trail and getting some additional training in. They followed the trail for a few kilometers as it wound its way through the trees. The creature must have been going to a specific place since it didn¡¯t seem to stop at any point in its journey.


    Matt had been using the thermal overlay, hoping that it would highlight their prey through the trees and sparse undergrowth. He had been right, finally spotting a large mass of something party obscured by trees. He used identify as soon as he spotted it, still over 500 meters away.


    Giant Steel-Flank Boar. Level 28


    Matt moved to be obscured by one of the larger trees that allowed him to keep a line on the boar. Crouching down, Matt shouldered the cannon and fired a normal round, straight at what would be the vitals on a normal boar. Bang-Thump. Matt didn¡¯t see the effect since it was fired through some obscuring brush, but he did see the boar turn face them. With a bleating cry, it charged, and Matt realized they might have made a mistake.


    The beast charged at over 40 kph, far faster than Matt expected but he still had time to fire a salvo of rounds. All but one hit the boar in the face and chest, small explosions marking the dull metal that made up its skin. Matt saw the rounds had little effect and fired an infused round. It penetrated, the trace showing a hit to the boar¡¯s right shoulder before Matt dodged to the left avoiding the charge. The boar squealed in pain as its leg gave out, causing it to tumble into a tree, knocking it over in the process. It was not to be deterred however, rising once again to its feet it rushed at Matt again aiming to gore him with its tusks.


    Matt back peddled and fired another trio of shots at the boar, only 1 hitting it in the chest and passing through, coming out at the middle of the boar¡¯s other flank with a fountain of blood. Matt circled around and fired a dozen more shots into it, all being complete pass throughs. The boar was definitely slowing but it had managed to close the distance and smashed Matt with its head as he tried to avoid the downed tree. Matt was knocked flat on his back, painful feedback coming from his left side and his rifle once again thrown from his grasp.


    ¡°Go for the Axe!¡± Tobias yelled over the sound of the mech crashing to the ground.


    Matt followed his friend¡¯s advice and rolled over getting back on his feat and pulling his tomahawk from the scabbard. He noticed that his mech left leg wasn¡¯t responding and his display confirmed it.


    Left lower leg: Crushing Damage


    Left upper leg: Piercing Damage


    Matt felt every bit of those notifications, the gouge carved by the boar¡¯s tusk acting as a pinching sensation in his hip. He pushed mana toward the upper leg damage, willing it to regenerate and restore mobility to the hip joint. He rotated his way to face the boar as it came around a tree and forced mana into his oversized tomahawk imbuing the blade in plasma. The boar once again charged as Matt rotated to the side so it would pass him.


    The boar missed him by what felt like centimeters, but Matt struck true with a sweeping upward slash at its throat. He saw the blade sink in and yanked back as hard as he could, ripping the bearded portion through the iron hard skin like a can opener. He was rewarded with a tearing noise and a bright red gout of blood spilling from the wound.


    The boar passed, freeing the tomahawk from its throat and took a few stumbling steps as it tried to turn around and face the giant metal man. Its efforts were in vain as its front legs buckled, forcing it to its knees. The boar tried to stand up once more, but a yellow hot spike descended towards the crown of its head, punching through the hardened hide and skull before hitting its brain. With a shudder, the boar died, snout planted in the ground and its blood creating a meters wide pool around it.


    Matt stood over the boar, watching for any signs that it would get back up before moving off to go find where his cannon ended up. He found it a moment later sticking in the ground by the barrel like a giant lawn dart. Matt groaned at the thought of having to strip it down to clean out the bore before he remembered the power of magic and the Self Repair enchantment. After he cleaned out his cannon barrel and finished repairing the armor on his mech, he checked the notification that had been buzzing in the back of his mind.


    You have Killed Giant Steel-Flank Boar. Level 28


    Experience earned.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is now level 9.


    Stat points awarded.


    Congratulations you have defeated an apex beast above your level.


    Title Earned


    Slayer of Legends: With fleetness of foot and strength of arms, you have defeated an apex beast.


    +5% to dexterity


    ¡°Well, that was almost bad but kinda worth it in the end.¡± Matt said. ¡°Good call on the tomahawk Toby, sorry for the rough ride on that one.¡± He then checked in with Van mentally, confirming that he was fine. There was an odd sense of rage that came through the bond, but Matt felt it wasn¡¯t directed at him and instead at the now dead boar.


    Too bad we didn¡¯t get any bacon from that thing Matt thought as the moved away from the creature to set up camp in a more secure area. On the way, Matt willed his free point into his stats, feeling the rush from the increase so close to a level up even while keeping 5 points in reserve. While they moved, Tobias completed a design for the blast deflector netting himself another level.


    They found a nice place to set up camp near a small creek, finally able to refill their water supplies and clean up after a few days of being constantly on the move. It wasn¡¯t as bad as it had been in while they were in the army since they had magical self-cleaning clothes. Matt still enjoyed some time sitting in a slightly deeper part of the creek, letting the cool water run over him and thinking about how much his life had changed.


    As he climbed out and dried off, he randomly decided to inspect the flowering bush that was near the stream bed. He felt so incredibly stupid when it clicked with him on all the good loot they had been missing out on. He crammed himself back into armor before jogging off to tell Tobias how they had both been colossal idiots.

 Chapter 9 – Arranged Encounters

    Chapter 9 ¨C Arranged Encounters


    Tobias enjoyed having an interesting book to read, especially if it was in a beautiful spot next to a burbling stream despite having to wear armor while doing so. What he did not enjoy was someone acting like a 3-year-old on Christmas morning grabbing him by the dummy handle on his back and dragging him off the log he was sitting on. He liked it even less when said toddler in powered armor flipped him around to look at a flower. It was a nice flower he would give him that but what was so imp¡­ If Tobias could have face palmed, he would have but his arms were being pinned to his sides as Matt held his face bare centimeters from a flower.


    Pearlescent Iris (Uncommon)


    This Iris can be found where there is an even balance of light, shade, and a source of water. Useful in many concoctions and brews to calm the mind and soothe the body.  The flowers are the most valuable part of the plant and should only be picked after full bloom.


    ¡°Loot, how in the hell could we have forgotten about loot?¡± Tobias asked rhetorically as Matt placed him back on his feet. ¡°It¡¯s like the most basic component of any adventure or survival game.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and we have been passing up a lot of it. The lizards, the birds, the wolves.¡± Matt started listing all the things they had skipped over during their journey.


    ¡°Not the centipede?¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all valuable there, honestly we should have burned it¡­ twice.¡±


    Tobias sighed and started to pluck the tiny flowers off the stems as Matt walked off down the stream bed identifying everything as he went.


    After an hour of searching the entire area, Matt had come up with a type of ivy that could have enhancing effects and several small chunks of a metallic ore that he had cracked open with the help of the Van. A flat rock and a gentle stomp were enough to split the rocks open to expose the ores. He had gone wild, trying to identify everything but many things gave no return, being nothing more than what they first appeared. Turns out if it looks like grass, smells like grass, and acts like grass, it¡¯s probably just grass.


    Matt and Tobias briefly considered returning to the giant boar but decided to skip it, not wanting to set themselves back by several hours when they still didn¡¯t know how far they had to go. Thus, they settled in for the night, vowing to be more vigilant in their travels.


    The next day found Matt and Tobias moving along again, this time with the knowledge that there might be good things all around them. They had stopped 4 times before noon to collect some items, mostly plant life but also an odd vein of quarts that was exposed on a rocky outcropping. The terrain had become more undulating as they moved farther into the forest, having an almost bumpy look from afar. They didn¡¯t meet any large creatures but did get a chance to ambush some smallish dinosaur things that the System dubbed pseudo-ankylosaurids. They were about 3 meters long and had long spines running along their backs.


    Matt had originally wanted to avoid them but the little dinos had other ideas, all 7 of them charging at Matt and Tobias as they were collecting more plants. A Frag grenade and some well placed shots later, and they were inspecting the corpses of the odd little beasts. Matt ended up using Imbue weapon and cutting off one of the half meter long spines, finding it to be made of some metallic substance. As he was swinging the spine around Tobias had an idea.


    ¡°Matt, can you cut one of these open? I want to take a look inside and see if there is a core or anything.¡± Tobias explained.


    Without any reasonable objection, Matt used the hook on his tomahawk as a gut knife and slit the belly of one of the dinosaurs and stepped back as a pile of awful spilled out.  Tobias used a branch to poke around before finally just getting on his knees and shoving his hands inside. Matt used the excuse of keeping watch to wander away from his friend doing a reenactment of a movie scene shot on an ice planet. He clambered up a small pile of rocks and surveyed the area.


    ¡°Van, what was that feeling of anger I felt in the fight with the boar?¡± he asked his core via their mental link. ¡°I could feel it almost like an itching in the back of my mind.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t anger, at least I don¡¯t think it would be described that way.¡± Van said after a moment. ¡°It was more of a desire, or passion from the heat of the moment. I wanted to fight, to commit to the battle. I wanted to see our enemies fall, crushed, annihilated by our prowess.¡±


    Matt knew that feeling. He knew very well the high one could get from battle and the withdrawal after the fact. He had seen it and felt it when still serving in the army. ¡°Do you think it was a bad thing? I¡¯m still a little freaked out at what the book said about our bond and the amplification effects.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it could lead to us succumbing to some dark desire. I get a sense that this is partly who we are meant to become. Let us see how it develops before we make any assumptions.¡±


    Well, you know what happens when you assume.¡± Matt said in what equated to a mental mutter. Which he later regretted when he had to explain more idioms from earth and its culture, a topic Van seemed to find much interest in.


    A call from Tobias had Matt slide off the rocks and wander back over to see his friend holding a small red gemstone. It looked almost like an agate, dull in the shade but with a slightly too bright sheen in the sun. Tobias said he found it behind the creature¡¯s heart or what he assumed to be the heart since he had never cut open a dinosaur before. 30 minutes and several small stones later, Matt and Tobias reboarded the mech and continued the long walk through the woods.


    ¡°Look dude, I¡¯m not saying its something but I¡¯m saying it looks a bit off and we should be cautious.¡± Matt said as he and Tobias looked at the arch made from 2 trees tilting over and meshing their branches. The effect looked like a doorway, almost too much like a doorway for Matt¡¯s taste.


    ¡°Well, what can you see with the mechs sensors? Anything that would make you think it was a trap or something?¡± Tobias said, knowing full well that there was nothing on thermal or infrared.


    ¡°No, but still, you have to admit we haven¡¯t seen anything like this in these woods.¡± Matt reasoned before finally just going for it. ¡°If this is some sort of magic space portal thing that takes us to some godforsaken region of this planet, I¡¯m going to slap you.¡±


    Matt guided the mech under the arch, a near perfect fit with less than half a meter of clearance above and to the either side. The trees had grown suddenly thicker leading up to this ¡°door¡± and before they knew it, they had been funneled right into it. 2 steps later they were through and into the small clearing they had seen from the other side.


    Matt swept the muzzle of the auto cannon across the clearing before stopping with his sight hovering over a small cabin with a matching shed. There was even a curl of smoke coming out of the brick chimney to tie the whole scene together. He was about to start edging his way around the perimeter of the clearing when the door to the cabin opened and a man stepped out, looked right at them, and waved. He seemed happy they were there as he called over to them.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Hey, welcome, come on over and have a chat with an old man for a while.¡± The stranger called.


    Matt was confused by a lot of things. First being that they seemed to have wandered into a lone homestead in the middle of an endless forest. Second being that the man seemed no older than 40, just a hint of grey at his temples. Third being that his voice carried like it was being projected by a megaphone. Lastly and most importantly, Matt could almost sense a power coming off of him, palpable to his senses but just at the edge. The aura of the man had a welcoming air to it, something that gave the feeling of a proud shopkeeper showing off his creations.


    Matt looked over his shoulder at Tobias who just shrugged. Matt not having much else to add moved the mech forward to stop a respectful distance away. He was closer but not so close he would be looming over the stranger.


    ¡°Hop on out, I have some coffee fresh out of the press. We can chit-chat for a while and ill tell you who I am.¡± He said, eyeballing the mech up and down several times before taking a step back and pointing at the cabin. Matt took a closer look at him. Middling height with a dark complexion, he was wearing what looked to be an apron over his white shirt and black trousers.


    ¡°Van, when we get out, close up and keep an eye out. Ill try to keep you in the loop as we see what¡¯s going on.¡± Matt said as the mech lowered and the hatch opened, allowing him and Tobias to hop down.


    The strange man gave Matt a good look up and down before doing the same to Tobias. With a gesture and a word, he bade them to come inside. The interior of the cabin was not at all like the outside, it looked completely modern, like a very high-end kitchen attached to a large sitting area. Matt had some major disorientation from the transition. The man waved toward the kitchen counter where a French press was sitting with 3 mugs, a sugar jar, and a small carafe of cream.


    ¡°Help yourselves. Sorry I don¡¯t have any cookies; I am limited in what I can offer initiates during the introduction. Hope you understand,¡± he said, grabbing one of the mugs and filling it with what smelled like a very bold roast.


    Matt decided to be a polite houseguest and took his helmet off and clipped it to his armor. He also kept his rifle but let it hang on the sling as he and Tobias each poured a coffee, skipping the cream and sugar. They followed the stranger into the sitting room and settled onto the chairs across the low coffee table from him.


    ¡°Son, you can put your gun down if you want, not gonna need it here,¡± he said to Matt since Tobias had opted to leave his in the mech.


    ¡°Thank you but it¡¯s ok, I don¡¯t want to just prop it up in the corner or something.¡± Matt responded, quickly finding a reason to keep it within reach.


    ¡°How about right there?¡± The stranger said pointing at a wooden rifle rack that had suddenly appeared next to Matt. Absolutely baffled, Matt looked back to the man who sighed and added. ¡°This is a reflection of my realm where I can conjure just about anything as long as it doesn¡¯t need to be permanent.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t know what that meant but he did know that he was probably out of his depth on this, so he put his rifle on the rack and picked up his mug. Tobias was staring expectantly at their host, an excited look on his face.


    The man took a sip of his coffee before getting started. ¡°Nothing but to get into it, I guess. I am Kran En¡¯Halkath, otherwise known as The Boundless Vendor. I am one of the divine entities in the system which are often referred to as gods. My Focus is in the making and selling of things in the Higher Plane though I have some clout in the Lower Plane so don¡¯t write me off as a one trick horse.¡± He frowned before correcting himself. ¡°No, that¡¯s not how they say it on Earth. One trick pony, right?¡±


    Tobias and Matt just nodded after a confused glance at each other. Kran En¡¯Halkath continued on after getting the affirmation. ¡°This world, in its infancy anyway, has the potential for many things to happen, one of which is these sorts of encounters. I had taken the opportunity to put myself in for one of these chance encounters and it looks like it paid off.¡± He looked at Matt and Tobias again with that investigating gaze. ¡°Well, for one of you it will pay off, if you accept that is.¡± This last part was directed at Tobias.


    ¡°Ok, well I¡¯m Tobias and this is Matt. Couple questions just to start with if you don¡¯t mind mister Kran um- En¡¯Halkath.¡± Tobias said after a minute of digesting the information that had been dropped in their laps.


    The god just sighed before saying. ¡°Just, call me Hal. That¡¯s a normal sounding name on Earth so it shouldn¡¯t be a struggle. Not like a title means anything to you two since grade suppression doesn¡¯t work on extra-universal beings. I have a feeling our relationship would devolve into a more casual one anyway.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then Hal. What do you mean only one of us?¡± Tobias spit out as fast as he could.


    Hal, not expecting that one to be the first question or maybe trying to piece together what Tobias has said took a moment to respond. ¡°Are you at all familiar with how mortals and gods interact? Normally we extend the offer of a blessing to the mortal, it doesn¡¯t work on other gods, don¡¯t ask why. The trick to the blessings is that the mortal has to be aligned with the god in some way.¡±


    ¡°Matt and I are not aligned in any way, most importantly in our classes, not that I have a class anymore but that¡¯s something you will learn about later. Ahh, but don¡¯t misunderstand, I hold no animosity toward you, Matt, only that we have different goals. Now Tobias, you and I have many more things in common, you are a creator by trade and passion which falls under the purview of us creator gods.¡± Hal paused a moment and took a sip of his coffee which Matt had to admit was very good. After deliberating for a moment, he elaborated. ¡°The ranks of the divine are generally broken into sections. Some focus on creating, some on fighting, aspects of the soul, society and so on.¡±


    ¡°How does this blessing work? What is the point and what does it do?¡± Matt asked before Tobias could derail the conversation.


    ¡°Ah, a good question! Most just accept it and don¡¯t question someone of a god¡¯s power level. It is a two-way sort of arrangement. For when you perform deeds or gain experience under the purview of my aspect, I gain a little power. You can also gain benefits, both to your creations and your path, borrowing from my aspect.¡± Hal answered, being sure to note this was good for both of them.


    After receiving the blessing, Tobias and Hal went back and forth a while longer, questions and answers coming from both of them. Matt sat back and listened while they talked, finally realizing the presence he felt was actually the aura of the god. He had a trait that revolved around aura but this was the first time he experienced anything in relation to it. He wondered how long it would be until he could make more use of his trait and what form that would take.


    After a couple hours of pleasant conversation, they exited the cabin. Hal taking the opportunity to question Matt about his equipment and his mech. ¡°I must say, Earth has certainly advanced a great deal since I was last there. Your level of technology is amazing when you consider there was no System to help. I¡¯ll say you are quite far ahead of the people on this world, but that¡¯s to be expected when looking at the Seed universe.¡± Another bombshell that Hal refused to elaborate on, par for the course in Matt¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°Can you tell us how much farther it is to the city we are going to?¡± Tobias asked him.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t tell you, that would break the rules the System has in place, and I don¡¯t want to owe it compensation.¡± Hal said, clearly having been in that exact situation before. ¡°But I will warn you, the enemies you face will get stronger as you close in, until the last little bit anyway.¡±


    ¡°Welp, thanks for telling us that much at least. I guess it¡¯s time for us to go. Been a real pleasure talking with you Hal.¡± Tobias said before he climbed up into the mech. Matt said his goodbyes and climbed back into the pilot seat, sealing the hatch. Once his vision shifted back to the mech¡¯s, he saw that the house, and shop were gone, replaced by a small clearing. The dense trees had even vanished, returning their surroundings back to the sparse undergrowth and rolling terrain that they were familiar with.


    As Matt moved out, he wondered if he would have a divine encounter like Tobias had. He wasn¡¯t sure about how common they were but found the concept interesting.


    Kran En¡¯Halkath watched as his guests left the dimensional rift that he had used to pull in a bit of his realm. He knew Tobias would be a good thing and much was to be gained from him and his knowledge. He also had an odd feeling about Matt, the ¡°Human¡± companion of his newest blessed mortal. Veiled was an odd race to be mixed with and he wasn¡¯t sure the nature of that mixing, Matt looked completely human, inspect only returned ¡°Human-?¡±. His class, temperament and nature were a bit strange too, in his godly opinion.


    As it always did for him, the spark of inspiration took hold in his mind and he began to see a deal, one that would profit him immensely. Well, it would be a profit if she didn¡¯t beat him to within an inch of his life for wasting her time. With that in mind, he departed to contact an old customer of his, time was of the essence in making deals after all.

 Chapter 10 – Stone Foundations

    Chapter 10 ¨C Stone Foundations


    The morning after meeting a literal god, kilometers fell away behind Matt as he followed the marker in his display. The terrain was getting even more rocky and hilly, with the trees thinning out a bit. He had spotted some smaller, low-level beasts but they bolted as the mech grew closer. Matt felt that both he and Tobias had to get some levels on them before they made it to the city. He wasn¡¯t expecting trouble but at the same time wanted to be prepared in case they didn¡¯t receive a warm welcome.


    Tobias had agreed to the leveling idea, immediately pulling up his tablet and flipping through gods only knew what data he had on there. Matt kept his eyes open, so to speak, for anything that could provide levels for them. It was a fine balance to move quickly but also not so fast to spook any prey. After fording a small river, Matt ended up finding the end of the trees, well sort of the end.


    The forest gave way to a series of low rolling hills, rocky outcroppings popping up along their slopes. Matt could see the breeze blowing causing the grass and rocks to sway along with it. Wait, rocks don¡¯t sway. Using the extra magnification of his mech, Matt focused on one of the shifting rocks and was able to use identify. The thing was humanoid but made completely of stone, grass and rock sticking out from the seams in the rock.


    Plains Stone Golem. Level: 20


    He estimated that the nearest of them was at about 800 meters, he really needed to get active ranging capabilities. Lining up with his autocannon, he fired a single normal round. Boom, pop, 2 reports echoed through the hills. There was a bust from the explosive round hitting the golems shoulder and some of the rock crumbled off. A decent sized chunk from what Matt could guess since he didn¡¯t quite know the size of the golems. After the round hit, the golem turned to look his way, every golem turned to look his way, all 23 golems turned to look his way.


    ¡°I¡¯m noticing a pattern here.¡± Said Van.


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t exactly think that one through.¡± Matt had to admit, he probably wouldn¡¯t have engaged if he knew exactly how many piles of rocks golems were actually. ¡°Gotta get some better sensors.¡± He mumbled as he lined up on the closest of the golems that had decided to come after him.


    As it turns out the giant creatures made of stone were not all that fast on their feet. Matt fired 3 more rounds at the one he first engaged; slow fire able to keep all the shots on target. The first hitting it in the upper torso with the remaining 2 hitting in its waist. Each hit took varying sized chunks out of it but not enough to completely down it. 3 more shots and it finally broke apart, crumbling to the ground with a final step. He switched targets, the next closest had closed another 50 meters but was still a fair distance away.


    Matt decided to try an imbued shot on this next one, having plenty of time with the lumbering stride of the golems. The shot went out, streaking across the field and smacking into the golem¡¯s head. It crumbled on the spot, bits of rock forming a mound just high enough to stick up from the grass.


    ¡°That was much more effective. You should do that more.¡± Van said, getting a snort from Tobias.


    Head shots became the order of the day. Matt crouched down gaining a little extra stability as he practiced switching from one golem head to the next, orange-yellow streaks crossing the distance in a fraction of a second. In the end he had to make up 2 shots that he had taken on some of the golems farther out, but not a terrible performance considering this was the first time he had engaged at what was considered mid-range for his autocannon.


    After clearing all the golems, Matt opened his system messages, automatically skipping all the kill notices to get right to the good stuff.


    Class Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 10.


    Stat points awarded.


    Skill selection options available.


    This is what Matt had been hoping for, he knew it was close after the fight with the dinosaurs. Without any pressing matters he dived into his skill selection options.


    Outnumbered (Common)


    Gain a minor additional boost to all physical stats when outnumbered by 3:1 or more.


    Push Through (Uncommon)


    Boost all attacks and regeneration by 10% in exchange for a period of increased fatigue. The length and severity of the fatigue period increases with amount of time skill is active.


    First Strike (Uncommon)


    Gain a bonus to attack damage when you are the first to engage an enemy. Bonus damage scales inversely to opponents¡¯ awareness of you.


    Passive Mana Sense (Rare)


    Become more sensitive to the use and concentrations of mana around you. You become able to sense beings with mana, able to judge the volume and potency passively.


    Construct Power Surge (Rare)


    Gain significant additional strength and speed while in your construct and direct it at an enemy. This ability exchanges Armor Points for attack power and speed.


    While Matt liked the idea of the First Strike and Push Through skills, the last 2 being of higher rarity drew his eye. Construct power surge would potentially be useful in one-on-one fights with tough opponents, he felt it could cause problems if the fight ended up dragging on. The Mana Sense on the other hand would be useful all the time and it was passive, so it didn¡¯t use any resources. He wondered if that skill would have helped with the wolves, let him know they were lurking before he got lucky and spotted them.


    With that decided, Matt picked the Passive Mana Sense skill. His mind was immediately flooded with sensations that he never knew existed and a new awareness grew in his mind. While he could vaguely sense the mana in Tobias, the big source was the core behind him and the battery under his seat. He didn¡¯t need to look at them to be aware of where they were, instead feeling they were close and their direction in relation to him. It wasn¡¯t just his surroundings that he could now sense.


    Looking out at the field of broken rock, he could almost see the light brown smear of mana leaking from each pile of shattered golem. It dissipated as it wafted from the stones, mixing with the air. As he focused on a dead golem¡¯s mana, it became more opaque, more tangible to his vision until he went back to looking at the scene as a whole.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s kinda trippy.¡± He said, Tobias immediately asking what was trippy. I picked the skill Passive Mana Sense and now I can see the mana in everything around me. It is also letting me know of concentrations of it closer to me.¡±


    ¡°Big plasma axe, check. Sensing the unifying force of the world, check. Only becoming a warrior monk left till you become a true Jedi.¡± Tobias snarked. ¡°They probably wont grant you the rank of master however.¡±


    Matt laughed ¡°Probably a good thing since I have some issues with the whole monk thing.¡±


    They ended up collecting some more cores from the golems and some metals as well. Not every golem had metal in them but they all had a shiny brown marble that emitted the same mana as Matt had seen. They ended up handrailing the tree line for a little while until Matt was able to sense something else. It was the same type of mana, earth he was assuming but much denser. They found out exactly what it was as they crested a low rise in the hills.


    Plains Stone Colossus. Level: 30


    This one was at least twice the size as the golems and only 500 meters out into the shallow valley. Matt had a quick conversation with Tobias and Van to come up with a plan. It was a very detailed plan that started with fire an imbued round and ended with at its head. Matt, firmly approved of this plan and lined up a shot, it wasn¡¯t nearly as difficult as the golems since the head of the colossus was twice as big. Boom, Smack. The round hit the head, taking a large chunk off before arcing over the next hill. In a very slow and meaningful way, the monster turned to look at them before roaring and beginning a charge.


    While the colossus was about as quick as the golems, its longer stride meant it closed the distance much faster. Matt fired 3 more rounds at it, 2 making contact with its face and staggering it. Still, it kept coming, perhaps a bit slower but no worse the wear for no longer having anything above its shoulders. Matt had a back up plan and decided now would be a good time to use it. He switched targets, moving almost all the way down its body and targeting it knee joint.


    3 imbued rounds slammed into its knee in quick succession. Stone went flying from the back as the super-heated rounds ripped their way through. It was a successful play on Matt¡¯s part as the colossus went to step forward again, leg crumbling before it pitched forward and smacked the ground with a thud. Matt could feel the impact from his seat, the reverberation shaking his vision. From its prone position he could see the remains of its head from the top, so he fired a few more times into what remained.


    As the rest of the head broke away, Matt could see an increase in the mana density from the neck joint. He hoped that this meant there was a weak spot inside it so he made a slightly bigger hole, blasting away into the torso. These shots didn¡¯t pass through, the body absorbing enough energy to catch the bullets. On a whim, Matt fired the remainder of his magazine as normal shots, no imbuement just explosive armor piercing. 9 of the 11 shots found their way inside the chest cavity, all of which exploded. The colossus was blasted apart from inside, the bulk of its torso remaining intact like a carapace, focusing the blast inward. Matt changed to a new magazine and fired 3 more times into the cavity he had made. The second shot must have hit something vital because it started to break apart as the last on was still in route.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure what happened, one second, he was laying some hate on a 12-meter-tall stone giant, the next a wave of brown mana burst forth and knocked him flat on his ass. The colossus had been a little less than 300 meters away and the force of the blast still had the power to topple his several tons mech. He rolled over and got back to his feet, not really any damage but startled at the blast of power.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Tobias yelled.


    ¡°I know, that was a lot of power in-¡° Matt began to respond.


    ¡°No, not the explosion, well kind of.¡± Tobias interrupted. ¡°I got a sort of message from Hal. He said that was probably the core being damaged and rupturing. I didn¡¯t know he could just message me like that.¡±


    Matt thought about when Hal had told them about how blessings placed a mark on the ones being blessed. The mark would allow the god to know what they were doing but Matt didn¡¯t know that it was instantaneous. He would have to keep that in mind, having another person at least aware of what they were doing felt like being spied on. In the end, he kept these thoughts to himself and moved to inspect the crater where the colossus had been.


    The crater was a meter deep but at least 10 in radius, most of the blast had been directed up and out. Grass and sod had been ripped out in almost a perfect circle then scattered in every direction for a hundred meters from the center of the crater. There was no sign of the colossus, its rocky form having completely disappeared. Tobias wasn¡¯t sure of where it had gone or what had happened, Hal was not exactly giving them any hints either. Matt did notice that there was no more of the mana hanging around either.


    With nothing to loot or even inspect from the fight, Matt had to push onward. They briefly discussed if they should stop for the night or try to push through and gain some extra travel time. In the end they decided to stop again. They found no reason to tire themselves out when they didn¡¯t know the distance left to go. There was still ample daylight left to keep moving for a few more hours and Matt was still looking to get some more levels under his belt. He wouldn¡¯t have to wait long either.


    A group of strange looking deer had wandered from the edge of the forest and into the grass lands. Deer might have been a bit of a poor initial assessment; they were quadrupeds and had antlers like deer but that was about where the similarities ended. As Matt focused on them, he saw the elongated snouts like that of an elephant, but they had leathery red skin instead of fur. The antlers looked strange, wide set and with a lot of straight tines sticking up from the nearly horizontal main beam. Each of the deer immediately started plucking tufts of grass and shoving them into their mouths, completely focused on eating rather than the head of a mech poking above a hill.


    Trunked Red Ruminant. Level 18


    Matt saw that the heard had an average level of 16 with only a couple outliers. They were perfect for him and Tobias to get some levels in since they were considered ¡°Small¡±. So, Similar to the bird situation, they prepared a defensive position at the ridge of the hill. It was really just them finding a couple suitable rocks to hide behind, acting as cover and a place to brace their weapons. The creatures were spread out in one of the boulder fields, mixed in with the grass and rocks for some cover. Because Matt had the longer-range weapon, he initiated the attack.


    He fired a shot and hit one of the creatures in the neck, dropping it on the spot with a gout of purple blood spraying from the wound. The remaining 2 dozen animals looked first to their fallen comrade then to Matt before tilting their antlers toward him. Matt was expecting them to charge but instead he heard an all too familiar snapping sound. The deer could shoot back, and they were very accurate given the noise of another one of the points smacking into the boulder he was behind. As he covered, he radioed to Tobias that he would take the heat for a minute before Tobias would take a shot, letting them switch back and forth.


    Tobias popped out from behind his boulder and fired a couple rounds, hitting 2 deer. Sure enough, the heard switched fire to him, continuing their slow suppression of their new target. Matt popped back up and took a sight picture on the next highest ranked beast he could see. Before taking the shot, he planned out the next 3 that he would go for. He also saw that the fired antlers were slowly regrowing so waiting them out would not work. He told Tobias as much as he fired 6 rounds, 2 on each before the deer switched back to shotting at him.


    This went on for a couple more rounds with Matt and Tobias switching back and forth, never having to move from their position. At one point Matt heard a sharp ping as a stray antler bounced off his rock and hit the mech in the side of the head. It didn¡¯t even leave a scratch in the armor from where it hit. Matt¡¯s turn came and as he popped back around his boulder, he saw a change in the heard. They had formed up into a line with a few meters between each one, trotting forward as they fired.


    ¡°Hey Toby, their advancing up the hill. Coming pretty quick too.¡± Matt radioed to Tobias. ¡°Get a fresh mag and when I start firing, you start too. We can catch them in the open and on the move.¡±


    Getting a thumbs up from Tobias, Matt changed mags and braced his rifle hard into the boulder. He started working his way from left to right, putting 3 rounds at each before just moving on to the next, not waiting to get any feedback from his target. Tobias popped out from behind his cover and started doing the same but working from right to left. The Heard became confused and tried to split their fire on both of them but, caught out in the open as they were, quickly fell to the combined fire. Less than a magazine later, the fight was over with the remaining deer never making it withing a hundred meters of Matt and Tobias.


    As they inspected the corpses, they found that the antlers actually shed off rather easily, so they collected them up and then grabbed as many cores as possible. Matt decided to get the flavor text on the creatures and used identify on one of them.


    Trunked Red Ruminant. Level 16


    This variety of ruminant is naturally born with the skill to fire the tines of their antlers at high velocity. A heard animal by nature, they use a large volume of fire to defeat enemies.


    Creatures using skills, Matt had suspected as much with the charge ability he saw the boar and tortoise use. Reading the description confirmed his suspicions about beasts and the ability to use skills, it made sense when they had mana. He would have to keep this in mind for their future fights, but he also wondered if the stone golems had used any skills, not that he could identify anyway. They picked up everything they could before moving off to go find a place to set up for the night.

 Chapter 11- Reaching out.

    Chapter 11- Reaching out.


    Matt stalked his way deeper into the rolling hills that bordered the forest, looking for some golems and their larger colossus brethren. He hoped that there would be more since he wanted to get some more levels. It was part of their new plan that they had concocted in camp the night before.


    Matt had spent a great deal of effort trying to improve his mana sense and found some success. He didn¡¯t quite manage to sense any more of his own, but he was much more sensitive to the mana around him. Through some experimentation, he was able to sense Tobias up to a couple hundred meters but nothing from Van unless the cockpit was open. It seemed that his mech was sealed up tight against any mana leakage.


    Skill usage had been a little trickier. Matt could sense mana and where it was but, given that it was within a person, it took him a while to notice the patterns. Tobias used his new skill from his latest level up called intercept. Basically, it allowed him to pick a target coming toward an ally and then use mana to fuel a charge to get there first. It would make a great skill if they fixed his problem of being a little squishy compared to Matt. After getting body checked way too many times as he ¡°attacked¡± Van, Matt was able to pick up as the slight surge of mana before it dissipated after use.


    It turns out they didn¡¯t have to venture very far into the hills to find more of the stone monsters. Walking along a ridge, Matt was able to spot dozens of them in one of the valleys he overlooked. They were sitting in the open doing¡­ whatever it was golems did. Only problem was the range, they were nearly 2 kilometers away and the valley was moderately steep walled, preventing an easy approach or retreat. On the other hand, this might be a golden opportunity for more testing.


    Matt crouched down, leveling his autocannon, and doing some slight calculations for range. His estimation was that the golems were just at the 2000-meter range so that¡¯s what he held for. One final look at his surroundings, and he fired an imbued round. Boom¡­thunk. He saw the tracer effect and watched the flight as the 25 millimeter round split the air on its way to the golem. He saw a flash and watched the golem fall to a pile of stone before finally hearing the sound of the impact.


    The other golems all paused and looked around, not seeing where the shot had come from. Matt switched targets and fired again, once more seeing another fall. He repeated this for every golem in the valley, netting a level in the process.


    ¡°How accurate is that thing?¡± Tobias asked from the back seat. ¡°I don¡¯t remember them being that accurate back on Earth, even the mounted ones.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We could test it sometime, but I don¡¯t have a giant piece of paper to make a target on.¡± Matt was also impressed; it wasn¡¯t exactly rapid fire but still. ¡°Maybe the System doesn¡¯t account for shot dispersion?¡± Tobias didn¡¯t know the answer to that, and neither did Matt so they kept on hunting the golems, after collecting the loot from this first batch of course.


    ¡°That¡¯s what, 70 or 80 of these things?¡± Matt asked as they picked up cores and ore from another group with an average level of 18. They hadn¡¯t had much in the way of long-range practice since the first group, so it had all been much closer. Matt had even taken to practicing with his tomahawk on some that got close enough. Still 2 more levels was progress. Only one more to go before his next skill.


    ¡°I, for one, have about had enough of them.¡± Said Van. He had been getting a little restless.


    ¡°We can move deeper in.¡± Tobias suggested. ¡°Maybe there will be another colossus or something.¡±


    Matt liked the idea and since they had decided to stay here until the next day, they had some time to explore a while before moving on. He pushed farther into the hills, keeping to one of the ridgelines so he could see into the near by valleys. In the far distance he could see the ground rising up into what looked like mountains. He would have to keep it in mind for exploring later.


    Another 5 hill tops later, and they found something worth hunting. It was not just one but 2 of the colossus creatures. A long way off again, 2500 meters by Matts guess. After a brief conversation about trying to take on 2 at the same time, they decided to go for it. Matt settled into the crouched position, his mech resting on its haunches while he lined up the shot. He went for the lower level, thinking that it would be the best to take down fast and get it out of the fight first.


    Plains Stone Colossus. Level 32


    Bang¡­thump, Boom. This time the round hit in the creature in the lower abdomen. Matt had been aiming for the head but guessed the range wrong and oh boy did it go wrong¡­ for the colossus. The imbued bullet penetrated like always but before the golem could even react to the shot, it detonated. A mushroom cloud of that same brown mana grew from the blast, ripping through the surrounding grass and knocking over the colossus that had been next to it.


    Matt watched as the shock wave rippled through the grass in the valley. It was still an impressive explosion even from this distance. He must have gotten a lucky shot and hit the core with his first round. After a brief conversation they decided to close in on the second one. It had only just picked itself up, suffering only some grass stains for its trouble. It looked around and saw the mech charging toward it before moving to intercept.


    As Matt closed, he fired a few rounds at the second colossus, non-infused since they wanted to try and harvest the core from this one. It took some time, but he was able to find the rhythm and his explosive rounds began impacting on its stone body. Each impact staggered the level 35 creature a little as they closed. When they were within 500 meters, he changed magazines and put a few imbued shots into its leading leg, seriously crippling it.


    The colossus was not to be out done apparently. It summoned a boulder in its hand before hurling it at Matt. The move was surprising because he hadn¡¯t seen any of these monsters use skills, but it was also heavily telegraphed. Matt dodged to the right as he closed in, putting a few more rounds into the creature other leg, effectively locking it in place. A few more boulders were thrown while Matt circled it, but none connected at this range.


    Matt targeted the shoulder joints next, warry about hitting the core on accident again. He did have to change magazines a second time since the stone body was amazingly resilient. After one arm was hanging limp, he put a few more into its head. One of the last few headshots must have found the off switch because it crumbled so fast a stray imbued round went into the hillside behind the colossus. After a quick search of the surrounding hills, they hopped out and went to collect the spoils of the battle.


    The dynamic duo would find that hunting the colossus variant of the golems was much more profitable. The remains were packed with ores and the core was the size of a volleyball. Matt also got his needed level from the creatures, another thing to look forward to after they harvested the valuables. This particular one also had a number of gems in it. Small amber ones no bigger than Matts thumbnail but a couple dozen of them to go into the storage rings.


    Earth Attributed Gemstone (Common)


    A small gemstone holding earth attributed mana. Useful for many creations and can be used as either a mana source or focus.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Loading back into the mech, Matt went off in search of other things to fight, finding another group of the golems but not much else. Deciding to call it a day, they returned to camp and Matt finally opened his System message for his Skill selection.


    Class Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 15.


    Skill selection options available.


    Nimble (Common)


    You are steadier on your feet over varying terrain.


    Charge (Common)


    Gain enhanced momentum and attack power when charging.


    Long Shot (Uncommon)


    You deal increased damage on enemies beyond 1000 meters. Enemies are more likely to be crippled at range.


    Choice Target (Uncommon)


    More easily identify the biggest threat among enemies that are in a group. Damage is slightly increased on the Choice Target.


    Run and Gun (Uncommon)


    You have increased accuracy when moving quickly over any terrain. There is no penalty for range when using this skill.


    This set of choices wasn¡¯t as good as he hoped, no rare skills but he did see one he wanted. Matt immediately picked the Run and Gun skill, a slight coolness filled his mind as he absorbed the information. The skill didn¡¯t only work when he was in his mech, it also transferred to when he was on foot. He thought this would be nice to have since he didn¡¯t always have cover available thus making movement even more important. He would have to test it later, hopefully before he needed to use it. As nice as the skill was, Matt had another skill he wanted to work on, or rather, his trait.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I feel anything.¡± Tobias said. ¡°There might be an aura, but I can¡¯t sense it right now. Maybe it¡¯s something that strengthens over time.¡± He finished, speculating at Matt¡¯s unique trait.


    ¡°Maybe. Hey Van, is there anything you can pick up on?¡± Matt said to the mech kneeling a few meters away. Perhaps the core could feel things differently than the humans.


    ¡°Nothing more than what our bond should convey.¡±


    Matt thought about it, trying to remember all the different ways aura had been described to him. He eventually settled on reviewing his trait description. Maybe the key to it was somewhere in that.


    Aura Dominance


    You have complete control over your aura and its emissions. With the simplest urging, your aura can go from completely contained to a widespread cloud of oppression. Influence your surroundings with your will.


    Nothing changed as he had leveled but Matt wasn¡¯t sure if he should have expected it to or not. He did zero in on the second line, the part about urging his aura to do¡­ stuff. Matt wanted to test it and decided that an unaware Tobias would make a good test subject. Van was clued in on his plan, but Tobias had just returned to his books and tablet, lounging against the trunk of a tree on the other side of the clearing. Matt focused in on how annoyed he felt at Tobias who could just casually devote himself back into a task like that when they had been talking just a minute ago.


    Matt thought back and remembered how Tobias always did things like this, instantly hopping from one thing to another when it caught his fancy. It was incredibly annoying since he often became so focused on a task, he blocked out the world around him. Matt could smack him for his borderline ADHD. After thinking about it, this time he actually would smack him. A shudder ran down Tobias¡¯ spine and he flinched, ducking his head forward before he looked right at Matt, eyes wide open.


    ¡°Shit man, I could have sworn you were about to hit me.¡± Tobias said. ¡°Like, I thought you were right behind me, and I was about to get slapped in the back of the head.¡± Tobias had started to get up and move over to Matt. It turns out Matt was suddenly more interesting than his designs.


    The two began another round of testing. Tobias said that he could somewhat feel Matts general mood when he was standing close to him now. Matt practiced pulling in his aura but realized that unless he willed otherwise, its natural state was retracted. An unexpected bonus was that Matt could now sense Tobias who had an aura of curiosity, a desire to know things and figure them out. They tried to have Tobias pull his aura in like Matt, but it seemed that he was unable to do that.


    The next logical step for Matt was to try other things besides the intent to do harm, it wouldn¡¯t do to have only the one emotion or intent. He tried to flex his intent and will Tobias to feel something, but every attempt was a dead end. He then tried to internalize his feelings and then push them outward. He started with projecting an aura of trust with a wildly different result.


    Tobias said it was like Matt became a very honest looking person, at least in his words. Tobias said that he wasn¡¯t about to spill secrets or that he felt at all compelled to do anything, but he seemed more¡­ likeable or honest. Tobias thought it was weird and he couldn¡¯t pin it down.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure about this trait, it was very abstract in his opinion and he didn¡¯t like the implications of influencing other people like that. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t rule it out since it could come in handy if he ever needed to do any negotiating. Either way, he was stuck with it.  He ended up practicing a while longer before calling it a night.


    The next day saw them return to moving through the woods again, the border of the hills falling away to the south. Aura training had only progressed to the point where Tobias tried to sneak up on Matt before he could sense him. Tobias didn¡¯t have much success, but they found that Matt only had a range of 50 meters that he could reliably pick up on approaching beings.


    The travels in the morning brought a new sight, birds, big ones. A flock of 4 birds with 5-meter wing spans soared just above the trees at one point. They either didn¡¯t notice the mech or didn¡¯t care as they silently glided overhead. Their feathers were a lustrous dark blue with white stripes along the leading edge of the wings. As much as Matt had wanted to watch them, the trees quicky blocked his view.


    Their path brought them alongside a large lake that Matt had originally mistaken for a clearing or more grasslands till he pushed through the brush and saw the water. It was a beautiful sight stretching for kilometers out in front of them with pebbled shores bordering the water and trees. But given that the lake stood exactly in their path, they had to skirt around it. Matt chose to take the northern side of the long but narrow span of water, since it looked to have less obstructions.


    The pebbles gave quite a bit under the feet of the mech, causing it to sink in and slow down with every step. Matt was forced to deploy the fold out sections on each foot of the mech to decrease his ground pressure. The effect was similar in concept to snowshoes, spreading an equal weight over a wider area. It actually worked very well, most likely due to Matt being able to fell much more with every movement than the mechs back on earth. They ended up trotting along the beaches until they came to the source of the lake and the source of a problem.


    A large river was feeding into the lake, wide and flat at the mouth but reasonably slow moving. The river would not be much of an obstacle to cross but the 3 Stone Colossus on the opposite side would cause issues. Matt backed away and crouched in the edge of the tree line to observe the enemies on the other side of the river. They were in the low 30¡¯s for levels and as he was looking for a position to fire from, all hell broke loose.


    From the trees on the opposite riverbank came a grunting squeal as one of the iron side boars charged the trio of colossus¡¯ knocking them over like bowling pins into the shallows of the water. They stood up as the boar circled and lined up for another charge, but the water had something else in it. Several tentacles shot from the water, each of the stone giants getting at least one wrapping around their mid sections. With a yank, all 3 were dragged in, barely getting a chance to try and fight back.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡±


    ¡°No way¡±


    Matt, Tobias and Val all said at once as Matt stepped deeper into the forest, making his way upriver for a better place to cross. None of them fancied being on the menu for some tentacle monster that lived in the lake, Matt didn¡¯t even get a chance to use identify. Matt personally thought this would ruin deep water for him for the rest of his life. What did he even have that could take on something of that size while being wrapped up and submerged. The boar it seems had also decided to pound sand and get the hell out of there.


    Matt was a little sour about loosing out on the experience from the colossus¡¯ but that was made a little better when they found a place to cross. They ran right into the same boar that had started the incident at the lake, rooting around in the undergrowth. A half dozen imbued rounds to its face quickly ended the fight, a nice sized core that looked to be made of metal was the consolation prize. Matt thought the round had maybe a little more power than the last one they faced but he wasn¡¯t sure.

 Chapter 12 – High Stakes and Grand Plans

    Chapter 12 ¨C High Stakes and Grand Plans


    The woods alongside the lake were mostly peaceful. Small creatures scampered through the undergrowth, each on their own path to greatness. A small squirrel like creature had just found a rather lovely berry bush that it was planning on plundering. It crawled down its tree, pausing as it reached the ground. The squirrel knew that predators lurked on the ground, and it needed to be careful. It didn¡¯t see anything, so it darted toward the berry bush, reaching its prize after a few bounding hops. The berries were fresh and sweet, perfect fuel for its active life of trying to survive.


    A rumble through the ground and the snapping of branches alerted it to the coming danger. The squirrel didn¡¯t hesitate as it used its one skill. Flee was both a useful skill and the reason it hadn¡¯t been eaten yet. Moving like a red-brown bolt of lightning, the squirrel darted up the tree it came down from then through the branches to nearby trees moving out of the path of the coming noise.


    The snake that had been lurking under the berry bush, waiting for a meal to come its way, flicked its tongue in annoyance. It felt the reverberation in the ground and curled tighter around the base of the bush. Maybe it would find new prey sooner than later, after all, it could stalk as well as ambush.


    Matt made good time through the trees bordering the lake. The sun was starting to set and the reflection off the lake was casting orange shadows through the trees at interesting angles. He wanted to push as far as he could to get away from the lake but would have to settle for just moving deeper into the forest.  He hadn¡¯t been feeling as tired the past few nights, sleeping for shorter times but feeling just as rested. Tobias said it was part of the leveling process and eventually he would only sleep when he wanted to or if severely drained of stamina.


    Matt used the mech¡¯s tomahawk to clear some trees around a small clearing. He wasn¡¯t going to set up a camp site with brush and trees right up against them. He liked to have clear line of sight for anything approaching in the night. After setting the mech in an overwatching position he climbed out with Tobias and began making camp with a fire to warm up their rations. He would like to have something else to eat but they hadn¡¯t found much to hunt that looked edible or was in a state to be eaten after fighting it. Settling in, he reviewed his stat page.


    Matt Shultz. Level 16


    Human ¨C Veiled


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher


    Health: 670/670


    Stamina: 701/760


    Mana: 895/920


    ----


    Strength: 70


    Dexterity: 92


    Endurance: 76


    Constitution: 67


    Perception: 54


    Intelligence: 92


    Wisdom: 43


    Free points: 8


    Affinity: Plasma


    Trait: Aura Dominance


    Perk: Resource Generation


    Titles: First Steps, Slayer of Legends


    Skills: Imbue Weapon (Rare), Passive Mana Sense (Rare), Run and Gun (Uncommon)


    Matt thought his character sheet was coming along nicely. He had a reserve of free points that slightly bugged him. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should be putting more points into other stats. He considered wisdom to help with mana regeneration, but he had a perk that took care of that. He also considered if he should put more into his constitution stat, he was very fast but more in a glass cannon sort of way. It was hard to rationalize what he needed when he had to consider his mech and himself.


    Also considering what his trait was truly capable of, Matt wondered how he could make better use it. In his limited testing, he had felt like he had complete control of his internal energies. While so far his main ability was to project his aura and its emotional states out, there was more that he was missing. He felt like the main ability was still buried and only occurred within himself. When experimenting with Tobias, he felt that same aura moving within him, pushing and pulling as it went.


    As he was thinking about the nature of his trait, Matt sensed a presence creeping its way into their camp. It was coming from the same direction they had approached from. He could sense its intent, cold, curious and filled with malice. Matt couldn¡¯t pinpoint its location yet as the presence was at the far limit of his range. He snapped his fingers to get Tobias¡¯ attention, then pointed in the direction of the presence. Matt put his helmet back on and spoke to Van in his mind as he started to pull up his NV and thermal overlays.


    ¡°Do you see anything? I can feel something slowly coming up on us.¡± Matt asked Van.


    ¡°Nothing, I am looking through thermal but can¡¯t see any heat coming through.¡±


    ¡°Try adjusting the gain. Move through the range slowly to see if you might get a variance in the spectrum.¡± Matt said as he did the same.


    He worked both the thermal and infrared spectrums, trying to pick up anything either giving off heat or reflecting the fire light. The thermal spectrum was the first to get a result. In the edge of the clearing there was a slight flare in temperature funning along the ground. He saw the line extend for several meters along a twisting path that shifted, undulating back and forth.


    Matt relayed this to Van and Tobias. Now that he had something to go on, he pointed his rifle and used the IR laser and illuminator to point a beam in its direction. The invisible light reflected of a thousand tiny diamond shapes bringing the creature into view. A snake, a 10-meter-long snake that had stopped and looked right at him, eyes reflecting the infrared light when the fire didn¡¯t. Matt clicked on the high-power laser, shining the 1-millimeter-wide beam right into its eye. Before he could pull the trigger, the snake lunged.


    Tobias fired at the movement, immediately skipping past semi and into full auto. Most of the round went wide, zipping into the wood or impacting trees. A few of the rounds connected and they did some damage but didn¡¯t pierce very deep. Matt had some better luck, his rounds causing the snake to flinch away as it circled. Matt tried to use infused rounds which just passed through if they hit the undulating body at all.


    Van also acted, not bothering with his autocannon, he went straight for the tomahawk, immediately pushing mana into it to cover the edge in plasma. He stomped forward and tried to crush the snake under its foot. He missed his first stomp, but the snake struck at his ankle joint, fangs glinting in the fire light. There was of course no reaction to the venom and the snake seemed confused as it tried again to bite the mech. Matt reloaded his rifle and used the opportunity to identify the creature.


    Shade-Stalker Asp. Level 18


    Matt took the opportunity to aim a shot on the snake, firing 3 rounds into its back as it bit Van for a second time. Van for his part held still, lining up to swing the tomahawk at the shifting snake. The snake decided that the mech wasn¡¯t a worthwhile target and uncoiled itself in time to avoid the tomahawk that parted the ground where the snake had been. A gash was torn into the loamy soil igniting it briefly as it was superheated.


    The snake had changed targets, now looking directly at Matt. It coiled up and struck out at him but couldn¡¯t complete its attack due to the massive foot that stomped on its tail. The snake hissed in pain as it writhed under the foot of the mech. Tobias and Van pumping rounds into its scaley sides.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure how many times they had shot it, but it seemed to heal through all the holes pierced in its hide. Matt changed to his third magazine as the serpentine bastard slipped out from under the foot of the mech. Van stomped at the snake again, swinging the tomahawk once again. This time, the snake couldn¡¯t completely avoid it, taking a long cut down its back that smoked from the plasma imbued edge. The snake hissed again, and lashed out with its fangs, this time mostly finding Matt¡¯s armor, mostly.


    Pain flared in Matt¡¯s hip as one fang found his thigh armor, and another found the soft base layer just above it. He could practically feel the venom enter his blood stream, the snake having a smug look in its eyes. Could snakes look smug? He wasn¡¯t sure but he knew one thing, that snake had made a massive mistake. Matt twisted at the waist, lifted the butt of his rifle up above his shoulder and slammed the muzzle right between the serpents¡¯ eyes. He pressed it in as hard as he could, digging it into the scales as he pinned the trigger to the rear and dumped all 50 rounds from his magazine into its head.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Scales, blood and bone all sprayed in every direction from the muzzle blast. One contact shot was enough to part flesh from the muzzle blast alone, but 50 of them was enough to give the snake a new mouth atop its head. The snake instantly died in a spray of gore and the strobing flash of Matt¡¯s rifle.


    Tobias rushed up to Matt and, with immense care, pulled the remains of the snake¡¯s head from his hip. Matt immediately fell to his butt; the counterweight of the snake had been the only thing holding him upright. He could feel the nagging of system messages in the back of his mind. He opened them, looking for anything that might help with the venom.


    You have been injected with a mild hemotoxin.


    You have killed Shade-Stalker Asp. Level 18.


    Bonus experience earned for defeating an enemy above your level.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is now level 17.


    Stat points awarded.


    Matt could see his health points ticking down at a steady pace. He was hoping for a system message saying how long the venom would last or its total damage but wasn¡¯t so lucky. He could do one thing, however. He put all 13 free points he had accumulated into his constitution, doubling his health pool. He hoped it would be enough to fight off the venom.


    ¡°Matt, talk to me. You got bit. What¡¯s happening?¡± Tobias fired off as he propped up Matt¡¯s head and started to open his helmet.


    ¡°Mild hemotoxin. Put all free points into con. Health slowly dropping.¡± Matt gasped back. He wasn¡¯t in rough shape health wise, but it sure did hurt. Since the original bite nearly a minute ago, he had dropped 200 points, but the rate was starting to slow. ¡°Wait for potion. Rate is slowing.¡±


    ¡°That is fucking stupid. We have potions.¡± Tobias said as he pulled one out of his storage ring.


    ¡°Its fine. Aura will fight it.¡± Matt choked out. ¡°Testing something. Will take potion if health drops below half.¡±


    Both Tobias and Van just looked at him. Van¡¯s eyes glowing green against the night sky as a backdrop. Matt thought that was odd, his eyes never glowed before. He checked on his health points to see that the rate had reduced again but had yet to stop. Matt tried to visualize his body and where the toxin was. He forced himself to focus, to stay lucid through the pain. He willed the venom to stop spreading, willed it with every fiber of his being. It stopped.


    Matt felt the burning subside slightly. He could feel the burning where the venom had spread to, but it had stopped advancing. More importantly than where the venom was, he could feel an almost physical wall of energy blocking its path. Matt pushed the wall toward the parts of his body that had been affected, it obeyed.


    As Matt could now feel this internal power, he could better utilize it, and use it he did. He focused his energy into a metaphorical bulwark and started working it along the envisioned battle lines of his body, constantly pushing against the invader. Slowly, steadily the burning receded as he entered a nearly trance like state, his attention focused on the battle raging in his abdomen. As he gained ground, the venom strengthened, almost like it was more concentrated and therefore stronger to resist.


    The venom could fight all it wanted, Matt would not go quietly, and he started to develop a hatred for the invading toxins. He imagined it as an enemy that needed to be slaughtered to the last for their crimes. Matt thought he felt the venom flinch, weakening subtly in its defense, ceding territory to him in the process. He then imagined the way that he would crush it. He imagined that he would encircle it, trapping it with no hope for retreat or reinforcement. He imagined how he would demoralize it and break its spirit before the end. He swore that this invader would know nothing but fear and terror before it came to its violent end.


    Suddenly and without any warning the resistance of the venom was gone, and his aura billowed outward with the sudden absence of something resisting it. Matt suddenly became aware of the outside world and the people standing over him.


    ¡°What the fuck was that!¡± Tobias shouted.


    ¡°I have no idea, but it was powerful.¡± Van replied. Matt could feel that they had both taken a step backward, the mech moving much farther than his human companion.


    ¡°Matt, can you hear me? What is happening?¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, I can hear you.¡± Matt replied. He could sense the worry coming from both of them. ¡°I think it¡¯s all gone now. The poison I mean.¡± Indeed, it was. His health pool had leveled out at around 60% and he didn¡¯t feel the telltale burning coming from his hip.


    ¡°What happened with the venom? Do you need a potion? What was-¡° Tobias began.


    ¡°One at a time, Tobias.¡± Van said.


    Matt began to explain what he had done and that he was going to test how fast his health recovered without a potion. It had never been so low and would make a good benchmark for how health points worked. He then found out what had happened from their perspective.


    It turns out at some point he had gone completely still except for facial expressions. He then started leaking his aura enough for Van and Tobias to feel it clearly. It had started as a feeling of defense and protection before working into a ¡°vicious bloodthirsty intent¡± that freaked out Tobias. Van had been more resilient to it, perhaps due to the bond but he said it was still impressive. Then just around the time that Matt came to, there was a surge of power to the aura.


    They said it was like imagining a predator that gave a victory roar after slaying a rival. Tobias described it as feeling both inspired and suppressed by the feeling. Van felt his own blood lust rise but without any suppression effect. It was about this time when Matt couldn¡¯t take the constant feeling of notifications in the back of his mind.


    You have overcome a mild hemotoxin with unconventional methods.


    Trait ability has been enhanced, and power has increased.


    Error.


    Trait enhancements unsuitable for current grade. Trait enhancements available upon reaching E grade.


    Matt stared at the System messages. Not quite believing what he was reading and feeling more than a little cheated. He had fought hard and deserv-.


    Your body and soul are not able to handle the enhancement. You will receive your just deserves when you reach the next grade at level 25.


    His train of thought completely derailed at the sudden pop-up message from the System forced its way into Matt¡¯s vision. Another personalized message from the System was once again reassuring in its tone but ominous in its existence. He told Tobias and Van about the development. Their reactions were not what he was expecting. While Tobias seemed to accept and understand why the System had limited him, Van was furious. The anger that Matt could feel radiating off the core had much more substance to it compared to previous emotions. Matt could see the aura, a pale green matching the glowing he had seen from the mech¡¯s eyes earlier.


    ¡°Van, its ok. If the System says that having the trait enhanced would damage my soul, I think it has my best interest in mind.¡± Matt reasoned. He could see the aura recede as he tried to radiate calm from himself. Tobias actually sighed, rolling his neck and shoulders. The calm aura seemed to affect both of them equally. Matt sat up and looked at both Van and Tobias, hoping that using his aura influence wasn¡¯t inappropriate.


    ¡°Look guys, I¡¯m sorry about using my aura influence but right now I could really use some sleep. Matt said with a tired voice. ¡°Let¡¯s figure out the watch and get some rest. We have all day tomorrow to talk about tonight.¡± He looked around, noticing that something was missing. ¡°Um, where is the snake?¡±


    Tobias looked abashed as he answered. ¡°I put it in my storage ring. It was just small enough to fit. Is that ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, just making sure it didn¡¯t somehow come back from the dead and slither off somewhere to plot its revenge.¡± Matt said with a chuckle. Tobias and Van were adamant that he does not take a watch that night. Van almost insisted that both he and Tobias sleep while the mech stood guard. Tobias said he wouldn¡¯t take a watch, but he would wake up and top off the mana battery.


    Far from the planet Matt was on, 2 beings stood. They looked through a scrying window that looked suspiciously like an Ultra High-Definition television, the kind that didn¡¯t go on sale. They watched the fight with the snake and then the fight Matt had internally with the venom. They saw the explosion of aura that was eventually tamped down by the System and watched the following conversation.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Hal said to his companion, hoping that she would be satisfied with Matt and not think he wasted her time. ¡°You have been watching him for a couple days now, surely he must be interesting if you devoted so much time to observing him.¡±


    ¡°At first I thought you were doing this for your own pet project¡¯s benefit, but Matt is truly interesting.¡± Replied The Eternal Warden otherwise known as Victoria. ¡°What was his affinity and trait? Did he say?¡±


    ¡°His affinity is something called plasma, whatever that is, and he didn¡¯t provide his trait.¡± Hal said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be going far out on a limb to say it¡¯s something with either aura or other internal energies after this display.¡±


    Victoria knew what plasma was, a high-level concept that went beyond simple fire or lightning. She was actually very interested in him and the choices he made. His war gear was exquisite, clearly highly valued by him, the construct he generated being a separate wonder entirely. She also noticed that he chose the Awakened Core upon its completion, a very interesting first choice.


    ¡°What world did you say he was from?¡± Asked Victoria. She was deeply curious despite her blas¨¦ tone. ¡°An extra-universal world, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the name of the world is Earth, but also known as Terra and Sol Three.¡± The creator god replied. ¡°It is a bit silly since 2 names are the same as calling it dirt and the other just references its location to its sun. Honestly, I would figure they would be more creative given what we see of those two.¡±


    Earth was a world that Victoria knew. She had visited there before and had a slight reputation amongst the mortals. It had been centuries ago, a simple blink for her in relation to a human¡¯s typical lifespan. Matt however wasn¡¯t human, well, not completely anyway. The Veiled had been up to something as per usual, maybe another one of their experiments.


    ¡°What is his relation to the Veiled?¡±


    Hal shuddered then thought for a moment before replying. ¡°Sorry every time I think of that race, I just remember that lawyer that has bent me over for contract violations several times. As far as I know, he has no formal relationship with that race or the factions they belong to. He is at the moment, a free agent as they say.¡±


    ¡°Good. I will place my marker on him, so others don¡¯t get any funny ideas.¡± Victoria would contact Matt soon but wanted to do so in private, without the one called Tobias around. She wasn¡¯t as social as some of the other gods and some things were easier one on one. ¡°This is excellent work Hal. I will arrange some compensation for you very soon.¡±


    Hal beamed as he replied. ¡°Truly a joyous transaction. I will see myself out and look forward to working with you in the future.¡± He said, backing out of the room.


    ¡°Goodbye old friend. Oh, and one more thing.¡± Victoria added before the coward could flee the room. In a deadly serious tone of voice, she added. ¡°You will not speak of Matt or Van to anyone that doesn¡¯t absolutely need to know. I don¡¯t have to remind you what happens when bad actors play the benevolent god.¡±


    ¡°Indeed not, Victoria. My lips are sealed on anything to do with either of them.¡± He replied, a little fear in his tone. With nothing more to say, he left quickly, wanting to get far away from her realm and its aura.


    Victoria sat alone after the visiting god left, his relatively weak presence almost leaving an after taste in her senses. She watched the sleeping human, contemplating his nature and his actions. She wished that she knew more of his origins but sadly the only way she could do that was to travel all the way to his planet. Even if she did, the information would likely not be what she wanted. This mortal impressed her, his resolve, and tactics as impressive as his construct. Perhaps he would be more than just another blessed to add to her base of power. She would wait until meeting him before deciding that since the consequences of it failing were too high to make that call so soon. In the meantime, she would observe, perhaps there would be more that Matt would show her.

 Chapter 13 – Not everything is trying to kill us

    Chapter 13 ¨C Not everything is trying to kill us


    The morning after the visit from a certain scaled visitor, Matt awoke to the sound of Tobias and Van chatting. It seemed they were deep in conversation which means that Matt had overslept since they usually had calm quiet starts to the morning. His side didn¡¯t hurt at all, and his health points were back to full which was nice. Matt did not fancy trying to go through the day with the deep ache that he had last night. He sat up and stretched his back, twisting to both sides as far as his armor let him.


    ¡°Rise and shine sleeping beauty.¡± Tobias said from the side of a small fire.


    ¡°Beauty? While Matt is objectively handsome, I don¡¯t think ¡°beauty¡± is an apt description. Are you attracted to him Tobias?¡± Van said in his normal sincere voice, clearly not understanding another reference.


    ¡°Van, its another earth expression. A lighthearted jibe at people that sleep late and references an old fairy tale about a girl that is cursed to sleep until her one true love awakens her.¡± Matt said after a yawn.


    ¡°One true love? Tobias I am sorry, but this doesn¡¯t answer my question. Are you romantically interested in Matt? Van doubled down on his ignorance.


    Tobias, for his part laughed before answering. ¡°No, Van, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m straight as an arrow.¡±


    Seeing where this was going, Matt headed off the follow-up line of questioning. ¡°Van that¡¯s just another saying that I can explain later, or you can piece it together from context.¡± Matt stood and inspected his rifle and helmet, brushing away as much dirt and dried bits of snake as he could. He really wanted to get out of this armor, just for a little while. He sighed and pushed mana into his armor and rifle, the self-repair enchantment cleaning off all the crap still stuck to it.


    Matt moved over to the fire and mad himself a coffee and a bit of ration pack, the coffee was decent, the ration was not so decent. Still, he ate and drank before doing his morning hygiene routine, a habit that he was happy stuck with him. maybe if we are lucky, we will find another creek today and I can wash off properly without the self-cleaning taking care of it, he thought to himself.


    While the self-cleaning part of the enchantment was good, it wasn¡¯t the same as having actual water to wash off with. To Matt, even cold water would be nice, and the thought of a hot shower was almost a fever dream at this point.


    With camp broken down and the area sterilized as best they could, they set off. Matt was hoping to reach level 20 in the next day or two. He would really like to be level 25 and make E grade before they reached the city but, not knowing how far they had to go, he wasn¡¯t sure how realistic that was. Tobias was earning some decent levels at least, his creator class at level 14 already. It wasn¡¯t surprising since all he had to do while they traveled was work on designs for things.


    After about an hour Matt and Tobias stopped to collect some orange herbs growing out of a pile of rocks that had some affinity for earth mana. As they were picking the flowery stalks they heard a noise, or several noises. Deciding to investigate a little they moved toward the commotion on foot hearing yips and growls as they approached. Matt stalked forward staying in the shadow of a large tree then peeking out to get a look. He had suspected wolves based on the sounds, but he wasn¡¯t exactly expecting them to be attacking a small blue-green humanoid creature.


    Forest Deep-Dweller. Level: 21


    The pack of 20 wolves, all around level 20, were circling the deep dweller, attacking when they had the opportunity. A number of the pack had paid the price and laid dead and bleeding on the forest floor. As the watched, one of the level 19 wolves lunged forward trying to bite at the deep dweller¡¯s ankle. The deep dweller waved its hand in an odd gesture, a spear of wood shooting up from the ground at its feet and taking the wolf in its mouth. The wolf dropped, blood leaking from around the wood spear sticking out the back of its neck.


    ¡°What do you say we help the little guy out?¡± Matt said over the radio to Tobias.


    ¡°Sure, then we can see if it is friendly or not.¡± Tobias said as he crouched and braced his PDW against the trunk of a tree.


    Matt stayed standing, bracing his own rifle, and picking some targets on the edges of the pack. He fired hitting the first wolf with 2 rounds to its heart and lungs before switching to his next target. Tobias worked his way in from the other side, firing short bursts at each wolf and moving on as quick as he could. In the opening salvo, they had taken down 6 of the 19 remaining wolves, the rest turned to face their new attackers. The wolves former target took this opportunity to spear 2 more from behind, impaling them on more spears of wood. Down to 10, Matt thought to himself.


    The wolves pivoted to attack Matt and Tobias, some crossing the 100-meter distance in a flash, or they would have, if they hadn¡¯t put themselves more in the line of fire. The 3 front runners didn¡¯t make it halfway before they fell to shots in and around the face. The rest began to break and circle, trying to flank Matt and Tobias. The deep dweller managed to take one more before the pack got out of what Matt assumed was its range.


    Like the pincers on a crab, both groups of wolves closed in, one group of 4 to Matt and another group of 3 to Tobias. They weaved through the trees on their arcing path, some managed to put a tree between a bullet and themselves. Matt dropped 2 more, hearing Tobias call out that he downed all of his and was changing magazines.


    The last 2 wolves closed on Matt, their final approach bringing them out from behind a tree 20 meters away. He put his last 4 rounds into the one in the lead as he felt the bolt on his rifle lock back and had a dead trigger. Dropping his rifle to let it hang on its sling, Matt pulled out his tomahawk, pushing mana into it and igniting the blade. The last wolf closed the remaining few meters with a snarling leap, but Matt pivoted, swinging the tomahawk around in a slash that split it from shoulder to hip.


    The smoking carcass fell to the ground, flayed open and sliding across the leaves. Tobias called an all clear over the coms and moved closer to Matt to provide cover. Matt stowed his tomahawk, reloaded his rifle and turned to face the deep dweller. Now that the fight was over, Matt could take a closer look.


    The small creature was barely over a meter tall, wounds covering its coarse skin. It wore a simple tan tunic with a satchel over its shoulder and secured with a waist belt. It had emerald, green hair that was muted in color and translucent in the broken light coming through the canopy overhead. The deep dweller held its hands up in a warding gesture as they approached, as if expecting another fight.


    Matt tried to radiate a calming aura, putting some emphasis on being honest and trustworthy. He held his hands to his sides, palms showing to the diminutive being. It seemed to work as the deep dweller lowered its hands and blinked large brown eyes at him, looking Matt up and down, clearly curious. Matt decided a little show of faith was in order and slowly raised his hands to his head, removing his sealed helmet, showing his face.


    The deep dweller looked shocked for a moment when the helmet came off, probably thinking Matt¡¯s normal appearance was that of angled metal and lenses. It looked between Matt and Tobias a couple times, probably noting they were both humans. Matt decided to try a bit more, not getting any feeling of hostile intent from the deep dweller.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Matt said, as calmly and sweetly as he could. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The deep dweller didn¡¯t answer with words, instead making a soft trilling noise like a songbird. It made some small gestures that Matt couldn¡¯t figure out before pausing to let him continue.


    Matt shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand. Can you understand me?¡± He started before adding. ¡°Nod for yes and shake for no.¡± He finished, showing the gesture as he said the words. The creature nodded showing he did understand.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    Nod


    ¡°Do you want a healing potion?¡±


    Nod


    Matt produced a healing potion from his storage ring eliciting a series of squeaks and a trilling that sounded like laughter as the deep dweller clapped its tiny hands. Matt handed over the potion and it gulped down the red liquid without a moment¡¯s hesitation. The cuts and bruises on its skin began to rapidly heal, restoring a healthy glow to its rough texture.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡± Matt asked once the healing had finished, and the deep dweller looked back to him.


    Shake


    ¡°Sounds good then. My name is Matt.¡± He said then gestured to Tobias. ¡°This is my friend Tobias.¡± He got a nod at each name before it pointed to itself and gave 2 short whistles and a hum. Matt repeated the sound and it smiled, nodding again.


    ¡°We are trying to reach a city nearby.¡± Matt pointed. ¡°In that direction. Do you know about it?¡±


    Shake and a frown. It honestly looked sad it couldn¡¯t help.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, we didn¡¯t expect you to know.¡± Matt said as he kneeled down. ¡°We are passing through, and on our way, there is all.¡± The little creature sat down across from Matt and tilted its head.  Matt took out a canteen and took a sip of water, he offered it to the deep dweller, but it shook its head at the offer. He shrugged and put it back in his storage ring, getting another trilling at the sight.


    The creature clearly like it when things went in an out of the storage ring, so Matt decided to entertain it for a while. He pulled out and put away item after item going from large item to small and back a few times before he produced a long blade survival knife in its sheath. The deep dweller¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of the knife, so Matt handed it over.


    The deep dweller turned it around in its hands, looking more like a short sword for the tiny humanoid. It fiddled with the clasp, so Matt mimed how to open it. Carefully it drew the blade halfway out of the sheath, admiring the blackened metal.


    ¡°Tell you what, you can have it.¡± Matt said. The deep dweller looked at him in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a spare and I don¡¯t need it.¡± The creature sheathed the blade again and tried to find a place to put it on. Matt pulled a spare chinch strap out of his ring and gestured for the knife, holding the strap to show what he meant.


    After a moment of fiddling to get the buckle through the loop on the sheath, he handed it back and explained how to work the buckle. The deep dweller placed it around its waist and tightened it down before holding up its arms to let Matt see.


    ¡°Looks good.¡± Matt said and gave a thumbs up. The deep dweller mimicked the gesture perfectly just miniaturized. ¡°Well, friend, we should be going. It was nice to meet you and maybe we will cross paths again.¡±


    Matt held out his hand for a shake, but the deep dweller just looked at the gloved appendage, not knowing what to do. Matt then gave Tobias a handshake to demonstrate. He held out his hand to the little creature who took it in a very firm, yet tiny grasp and shook. A big smile showing its teeth, which happened to be a solid piece, completely flat all the way along the arch. Tobias held out his hand and got another handshake before they parted ways, Matt putting on his helmet and waving as the deep dweller watched them leave.


    Van had moved closer while they fought the wolves, so Matt didn¡¯t have far to go to reach the mech. The little deep dweller was still standing there when they climbed in, its eyes wide as it watched the hatch seal shut and the mech stand up. Matt waved a hand, getting a small wave back in return before he backed away and started on his path again.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know not everything on this world isn¡¯t trying to kill us.¡± Matt said after they had gotten back on track.


    ¡°No kidding, but I¡¯m surprised you of all people made a friend.¡± Tobias said.


    ¡°What? Why can¡¯t I make new friends?¡± Matt asked a little puzzled. ¡°Plus, it was a good test to find out if there is anything friendly out here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much that you can¡¯t make friends, more that you don¡¯t make friends.¡± Tobias reasoned. ¡°Besides a very select few, I don¡¯t think I have ever seen you act remotely chummy with anyone.¡±


    Matt chuckled at the simplified explanation. ¡°Well then, maybe that will be my new life¡¯s resolution. I will try to make more friends.¡± He paused before adding. ¡°Van was my first new friend, I guess. I can¡¯t count Theil and Edmond since they were just doing business.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Matt, it¡¯s nice to hear you say that we are indeed friends.¡± Van rumbled. There might have been some sarcasm in there, but Matt wasn¡¯t sure.


    As they moved on, Matt reviewed his system messages that he had been putting off. Besides the kill notifications for a bunch of wolves, he had some other, more important ones to look at.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 18


    Stat points awarded.


    Title earned: Friend of the Deep Dwellers


    You have shown kindness and honesty to the intelligent denizens of the wilds, marking you as a friend to their race. + 5 wisdom.


    Matt thought it was rather nice of the System to confirm that he had made a friend or maybe friends in this case.  He was also a bit closer to his next skill and beyond that, reaching E grade. Matt wasn¡¯t sure how that worked or what to expect but was hoping for only good things. A defensive skill would be nice to have or maybe a movement skill.


    Matt thought he was a pretty perceptive person, especially since he had a stat for it now. He had been able to spot almost all their enemies before they were attacked thus turning the tables on any foes they happened upon. He also knew that most small enemies would not engage the mech, instead waiting for a softer target. Still, with the use of thermal imaging overlaid on the daylight optics of the mech, targets would stand out allowing him to spot even the small game that inhabited the woods. All these factors led to him being absolutely 100% surprised when a tree they were walking past, suddenly swung a massive branch at the mech.


    The natural flinching dodge everyone has as an instinct is what saved Matt from taking the brunt of the impact, instead getting a glancing blow into his right side. The tree, thing, pressed its advantage and kept close,  moving on thick stump legs as it swung haymakers at the mech. Matt managed a kick at its center of mass, when it telegraphed another swing, knocking it back to give some breathing room.


    Treeant Brawler. Level 31.


    Knowing a little lore of Earth fantasy about treeants, Matt didn¡¯t bother much with the autocannon. He fired a few rounds into its leg, blasting bark and wood away but barely slowing it. It didn¡¯t matter much since it was just a few shots to stagger it while he drew the tomahawk. He immediately imbued the blade and met another incoming attack with the plasma imbued edge.


    The weapon bit, no, sheared its way into the arm of the monster, damp wood spitting and steam rising as the tomahawk burned its way through the wood like arm. The treeant roared in pain, its canopy of leaves rustling like the tail of a rattlesnake. Matt pressed the attack and swung at its torso, scoring a deep smoking cut deep into its body. The monsters scream cut out and it stumbled back, bending down to cover its exposed chest cavity. Again, and again the tomahawk came in, landing blow after blow, removing chunks of bark, leaving smoking scabs where it had passed.


    After a half dozen chops into the back of the monster, Matt got the kill notification. With his adrenalin rush receding, He had the foresight to boot the thing over onto its back, the gaping rent in its front wide open.


    ¡°Well, that was, umm¡­¡± Tobias began, at a loss for words.


    ¡°Messy?¡± supplied Van.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go with that.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t much care how they describe the fight with the treeant. He was just happy it was over and that he didn¡¯t suffer any serious damage. He scanned the area, looking for any other lurking monsters, putting a few shots from the autocannon into some of the more suspicious looking trees. One of which charged at them, starting another impromptu lumberjack competition. He also flipped the second treeant over and cut it open. Tobias could collect the cores or other loot and Matt could check his System messages.


    You have killed Treeant Brawler. Level 31


    You have killed Treeant Brawler. Level 30


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 19


    Another level, so close after the last one. Matt was starting to have a suspicion about the experience and leveling mechanic to the System. In his opinion, the harder the fight the more experience and the better skills he was offered. When he fought the golems back in the hills, everything had been done at long range, barely a fight because of how far away he could engage them from. Consequently, his skill choices were not the best, no rare skills in that selection. Of course, he now knew that he could select skills he had passed on in the past. He would have to keep that in mind for future leveling.


    Tobias had pulled out a couple dark green cores from the tree monsters and a couple gnarled root like things that Matt didn¡¯t even want to guess about. With all the looting and foraging they had done; their storage rings were getting pretty full. He briefly wondered about the trade system that people used, credits, barter, or both. Time would only tell since they still hadn¡¯t seen the drop off in monster levels, so they still had a way to go before they reached the city.

 Chapter 14 – Hunting for loot and levels

    Chapter 14 ¨C Hunting for loot and levels


    Everything had gone wrong. It started great, or at least normal for Matt and Co. with traveling through a forest where nearly everything wanted to kill them. The terrain had gotten rocky and hilly along with still being surrounded by massive trees. They had been handrailing a cliff face that ran slightly parallel to the route they had taken. Along the bottom this cliff, they found a cave opening where everything started going awry.


    Well, the cave opening wasn¡¯t a problem, not even where it was located since it was right at ground level. The beginning of the mess they were in came when Tobias said they should check out the cave. It was too small to bring the mech, so they went on foot, the tunnels were large, just not large enough to fit 7 meters of mech. Matt had noticed prints in the dirt making up the floor, so they expected some trouble at least.


    The cave entrance was fine, the first couple hundred meters were fine despite the roof lowering to only 4 meters off the floor. The walls were still wide, nearly 20 meters at the far edges where the roof sloped to meet the rocky floor. Matt had to switch to NV with thermal over lay again to see in the low light, preferring to use his IR lights to see instead of white light. His thermal showed the first living being before he could make it out in his night vision. It was a bear, a very large bear, Matt estimated it would make a polar bear look small.


    Cave Bear. Level 19.


    Matt and Tobias both moved into the cover of the rocks to one side of the cave and watched as the bear ran¡­ right past them. It saw them, looked right in Matt¡¯s eyes and kept booking it right to the exit. Then Matt heard Tobias say some very choice words before he heard the skittering and rattling. He turned back to look at the source of the noise coming from deeper in the cave.


    Cave Spider. Level 12


    There were several issues. One issue was definitely not the low level of the spider, no, it was that it was skittering along the ceiling. Another issue was the size, it was a meter long, covered in hair with giant eyes reflecting back in the IR light. The last and probably the worst issue was that there were dozens of them, a veritable wave of 8 legged horrors coming up the tunnel.


    ¡°Frag out!¡± Were the first words Matt said. ¡°Flash Out! Run!¡± Were the next.


    The Frag bounced along the cave floor landing in a sandy depression at the apex of the next bend in the tunnel. The flash bang landed further out nearly around the corner, barely bouncing before its fuse burned down and it detonated. Hissing and screeching from far too many spiders followed the flash bang detonation. Those same god-awful noises were drowned out when the frag detonated.


    Tobias had a little bit of a lead; he had started running as soon as he heard the warning about the frag grenade. Matt easily caught him since he had his powered armor, then passed him, prepping a second frag by pouring mana into the regeneration pouch. As he made it another 10 meters past Tobias, he stopped and started suppressing the spiders, going right for full auto and emptying his magazine into the wave of arachnids. They were densely packed enough that he didn¡¯t need to pick individual targets. After the magazine ran dry, he didn¡¯t reload but instead bounced a second grenade right in front of the leading spiders.


    Boom. The second grenade went off, throwing more dust and debris up in the air. The concussion from the grenades was awful in a cave, but it had the effect of knocking spiders off the walls and ceiling. Tobias began shooting into the spiders and Matt reloaded as he ran, calling Van on the radio and telling him they were coming in hot. He reached the next spot to fire from once he heard Tobias stop shooting and started the process over. They bounded 5 times before they reached a turn that showed the cave opening and a mech crouching in the entrance, Autocannon pointed down the tunnel.


    ¡°Go, GO, GO!¡± Matt shouted, waving Tobias toward the open cockpit of the mech as he loaded his last magazine and sent a long burst down the tunnel. He couldn¡¯t hear the spiders very well after all the gunfire and explosions echoing in the tunnel, but he could see them through the thermal camera regardless of the dust in the air. Tobias made it and threw himself into the cockpit, like an Olympic diver that didn¡¯t know up from down and crashed into his seat.


    Matt was right behind him, vaulting over the mech¡¯s support arm holding the autocannon and pivoted midair to crash into the pilot seat. The hatches sealed shut before he even stowed his rifle. He regained control of the mech, Van having set it up almost at the perfect angle for a barrage right into the tunnel.


    Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang¡­ Matt put all of the first magazine into the cave, bright flashes showing the rounds detonating against the floor and walls. He changed magazines and backed away, the thermal cameras showing a mess of still warm spider bits splattered around. Matt watched and waited, never facing away from the cave.


    2 more magazines went into the cave and tunnel. Matt saw the swarm still had some life, so he dumped a second into the tunnel, sweeping the muzzle across to be sure he got a good area of effect. The third magazine was for emotional support, for himself not the spiders. The slow chugging rate of fire from the autocannon was cathartic, a mantra of purging the infestation from the world.


    Matt mentally told van to keep an eye on the cave and to shoot first, ask questions later if he saw anything, before he turned around and stared at Tobias.


    ¡°It will be fine, you said.¡± Matt used his most sarcastic tone on Tobias. ¡°There is probably a bunch of cool stuff in there, you said. Let¡¯s check it out, probably just one or two animals, you said.¡±


    For his part, Tobias almost looked ashamed as he replied. ¡°Well how the fuck was I supposed to know there were hundreds of giant spiders?¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not saying you did it, I¡¯m blaming you for it.¡± Matt shot back.


    ¡®Good levels though.¡± Tobias murmured under his breath.


    Matt took a look, and it was startling. He had nearly 200 kill notifications and had racked up 2 levels, taking him past level 20 and right to 21. That seemed to make it slightly more worth it. Matt shuddered at the thought of those spiders. He briefly wondered what happened to the cave bear, but Van said it had bolted off into the trees without looking back.


    ¡°I think we cleared them out if you-¡°Tobias began.


    ¡°No. The next time I come back here, IF I come back here, I¡¯m bringing better equipment. Probably got to have shotguns, flame throwers, Molotov¡¯s maybe a nice thermobaric device.¡± Matt said, wondering if they could get a couple tankers full of gasoline to fill the tunnel before lighting it up. It would be poetic justice for the skittering bastards, Matt thought as he pulled up his notifications.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 20.


    Stat points awarded.


    Skill selection options available.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 21


    Stat points awarded.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going to pick my skill while we have a minute.¡± Matt said before opening the skill selection. The results were better and worse than he had hoped. The first of which was almost insulting.


    Flee (Common)


    Gain extra speed when fleeing from an enemy.


    Steady Aim (Common)


    You will be steadier when aiming.


    Quick Draw (Uncommon)


    The process of switching between weapons is faster. Applies to melee, ranged and other weapons.


    Mana Blast (Uncommon)


    Release a blast of affinity mana in up to a 180-degree arc in any direction. Power is variable based on mana input.


    Break Contact (Uncommon)


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    When making a tactical withdrawal, speed is increased. Bonus damage when providing cover for allies also retreating.


    Matt looked at the skills, 2 were good, 2 were meh and one was just insulting. He was having a tough time with choosing between mana blast and break contact. Both could have been helpful in the cave and even quick draw might have been helpful. He tried to think of what would be the most benefit for the most situations. If he was thinking about every encounter he had so far, mana blast would be the best option.


    Selecting mana blast, he felt the information in his mind then a warmth in that place between his spine and heart. The warmth grew hotter, then scorching hot before radiating out and through his limbs. The experience was not pleasant but not outright painful as it was balanced by the coolness entering his mind. He instantly knew this was going to be a great skill to exploit. He would have to test it and make sure that his interpretation of the skill could indeed do what he was thinking. If the skill worked the way he suspected, it might make Tobias very happy.


    ¡°Van, I¡¯m going to test my new skill, Tobias hop out. If this works, you might get to see the end of that cave today.¡± Matt said as he opened the hatch, grabbed his rifle and jumped out.


    ¡°What are we doing? Is this about your new skill?¡± Tobias asked as he followed Matt to the cliff face.


    ¡°Something like that, I have to do some testing and need you to spot for me.¡± Matt replied as he stopped about 50 meters from the grass covered rock wall. He set Tobias off to his flank and told him to observe what happened. Matt reached into his mind and focused on the skill, then directed it toward the cliff face.


    A wave of yellow-orange mana rippled out from him in a 90-degree spread, scorching the leaves on the ground between him and the cliff. The wave was indeed a conjuration of his plasma affinity. It crossed the 50 meters distance and hit the wall of rock and grass, splashing as it made contact. It wasn¡¯t behaving exactly like fire, but it had some physical substance to it. He stopped and turned to look at Tobias who just stood off to the side, mouth slightly agape, staring at the now smoking cliff.


    ¡°Well? How long did it take to cross that distance? How high was the wall of mana? Come on man, details.¡± Matt said at the completely stunned researcher.


    ¡°It, uh, wow.¡± Tobias started off strong with a whole lot of nothing before getting back to his senses. ¡°So, it was probably a little over a second to go from you to the wall. As for the height, that¡¯s hard to say since it wasn¡¯t consistent. It started at your height, like it came from the surface of your armor. Then it grew to about 3 or 4 meters before leveling off.¡±


    ¡°Ok, other than the time and the start, that¡¯s about what I expected. How about this one?¡± Matt said as he readied another mana blast. This time he concentrated it into a narrow line, it still had some spread but didn¡¯t start out nearly as wide. He kept it to a narrow 5-degree cone and tried to use the same amount of mana as the first.


    The near straight line of plasma shot out and slammed into the burnt part of the cliff. It hit with substantial force this time, burning a shallow channel in the rock face. The mana was a much lighter color for this test, more a light yellow than the yellow orange of the first one. Matt looked over at Tobias to get his input.


    ¡°Much faster this time, I couldn¡¯t guess at a the time it took but it looked to reach a height of maybe 5 meters. Also, there was more impact to the rock, which might mean better concentration unless you put more power into it?¡±


    ¡°I tried for the same but was short by about, hmm, 2% I think.¡± Matt reviewed his mana levels and confirmed that it was indeed a hair under 2% less mana usage from the first one. ¡°I can go up to 180 degrees in an arc in any direction, not just the one I¡¯m facing. Another plus seems to be that it is plasma affinity, so it acts like fire.¡±


    ¡°And you plan to use this in the cave?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, I plan to use it whenever I can but yes, for any more bugs.¡± Matt shuddered; he didn¡¯t want them anywhere near him but at least he had a tool to keep them at bay. ¡°So, lets reload and head in again.¡±


    As it turned out, Tobias was right, there weren¡¯t many spiders left. Well, to be fair, there weren¡¯t many left up to the point that they had previously made it to. Matt only shot a couple that were wounded, leaking a purple blood, or whatever spiders had, onto the floor. When they reached the point where they had been before the wave of arachno-freaks came rushing at them, they stopped and listened. Hearing nothing, they moved deeper into the tunnel. The tunnel didn¡¯t have any branching paths, just one winding route which Tobias said was strange for a natural cave.


    There also hadn¡¯t been any cave ins, even from the grenades going off. Matt assumed that was because of the relatively dense earth mana that he could feel all around him. Either way, Matt was thankful that the roof had stayed where it belonged. Advancing around the bend where the first grenade had gone off, Matt saw a few piles of bones. He couldn¡¯t tell what they were but, most seemed to be scattered into small clusters.


    They kept pressing on, stopping every so often to listen for anything else that might be lurking. Another 100 meters and they started seeing the webs. They were sparse at first, only in the corners of the walls where some larger rocks were nearby. Slowly, the webs became denser, coating almost the entire floor and walls. Matt had a plan for this and the new skill to use it.


    Matt cast his mana blast, willing it to push farther than the 50 meters it had gone outside. To his surprise, it worked, consuming more of his mana but also burning hotter than before. The webs that it touched instantly turned to ash, barely any smoke from them as the front of the blast moved past. It was in this manner that Matt and Tobias moved deeper into the cave, still stopping to listen at every bend in the tunnel.


    Bones littered the floor where webs had been, some falling from sack like masses of web that were stuck to the walls. This time Matt recognized some of them, a few of the skulls were distinctly canine in nature. It appeared that a pack of wolves had tried to venture into the cave at some point or they had been brought in if the spiders hunted outside. Matt hadn¡¯t seen any webs in the forest but that didn¡¯t mean that spiders didn¡¯t go outside. He would have to hope he wouldn¡¯t find out about the hunting habits of giant arachnids.


    Eventually Matt and Tobias came to a halt in front of a wall of web. A very porous wall but probably great for the spiders since anything else would stick to it. Matt had Tobias set up behind a boulder with a clear line of sight to the web wall while he went closer. Matt hefted a flashbang in his left hand, a frag ready to go if needed. He decided to make a narrower mana blast, not quite as narrow as his testing but he didn¡¯t need the full arc to make an opening to look through.


    With a thought and an urging from his will, Matt cast his mana blast in a 20-degree arc, penetrating deep into the web wall. He stepped back as the entire mass of webs started to catch fire. It burned like when touching a 9-volt battery to steel wool, sparks and flame spreading rapidly. Matt hadn¡¯t expected that so he back peddled, redepositing the flashbang into its pouch and leveling his rifle. He wasn¡¯t sure if anyone was home but wanted to be ready just in case.


    Matt strained his ears, listening for anything that stood out over the whooshing flames. He heard a popping, a wet popping noise followed by some hissing. Soon he got the notifications about what had happened.


    You have killed Cave Spider ¨C Hatchling. Level 2


    You have killed Cave Spider ¨C Hatchling. Level 1


    You have killed Cave Spider ¨C Hatchling. Level 1


    You have killed Cave Spider ¨C Hatchling. Level 3


    You have killed Cave Spider ¨C Hatchling. Level 4


    You have killed Cave Spider ¨C Hatchling. Level 1


    The list of kill notifications went on and on, growing as the flames spread through the giant tangle of web. He told Tobias what was happening, getting a ¡°good riddance¡± in return. Tens of meters of dense web burned away and hundreds of kill notifications rang in Matts mind as the fire raged. It was just enough to push him up 2 more levels, having been close to leveling already. He used the time to put the free points into his stats, finishing just as the fire ran out of web.


    ¡°Oh, well this is interesting.¡± Tobias said suddenly. ¡°Check your notifications.¡±


    Matt would have given him the side eye, but he was still sealed up in his helmet. Doing as told, he opened his notifications and scrolled to the bottom, both confused and delighted by what he saw.


    Quest Complete (preemptive) ¨C Infested Woodlands.


    The woodlands have become infested by cave spiders that have destroyed the eco system (Original).


    You have found a nest of cave spiders and destroyed it, preventing the collapse of the local eco system. Quest rewards granted in full. (Modified)


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good and a little ominous.¡± Matt said. There were quests but they were already happening, but he didn¡¯t know the trigger for how the quest was supposed to go. ¡°Would the System give the quest or is it initiated some other way?¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± Tobias said.


    ¡°You have a pile of books that you bought and have been reading every night. I assumed you to have more info than I do.¡± Matt deadpanned back.


    ¡°Oh, yeah they haven¡¯t mentioned anything yet but maybe I can narrow it down tonight.¡±


    They both looked back to what remained of the webbing, it was all but completely burnt away now. Matt decided to go a little closer to inspect the damage. As he entered past where the original web wall was, he saw 2 boxes, gilded in a silver like metal sitting in the last stretch of cave before the tunnel ended. They were both the same size of about a meter long and half a meter tall and wide. He walked up to one and inspected it, noticing there were no locks or anything on the seams.


    Reward Chest (Rare)


    He called Tobias over to take a look. With a glance and a shrug, they each picked a box, or in this case chest, and opened the lids. Matt saw a series of items in the box and pulled them out to inspect them one at a time. He saw Tobias doing the same a couple meters to his left with his box.


    Viper Hood (Rare) (Upgradeable)


    This hood can be worn over armor and can be extended to a full-length cloak at will. Passively obscures the user¡¯s information when worn and can actively be used to blend into the user¡¯s environment making them all but invisible for the cost of mana.


    The hood looked like the viper hoods he was familiar with from earth, a couple short ¡°Sleeves¡± with a hood meant to be worn over a uniform or equipment. Where the ones on earth had a netting and tie down points to add jute fibers and vegetation, this had neither. It was colored in a lighter camouflage pattern much like the modern styles from back on earth. Matt immediately put it on and noticed it fitted itself around his armor, not at all catching on the armored plates. He played with the length adjustment, going from covering his shoulder blades all the way down to his ankles before turning back to the box.


    Construct Equipment Token (Rare)


    Can be used to enhance or increase equipment slots on a pilot¡¯s construct. Can only enhance up to rare quality. Can create additional slot for equipment selection at a forge.


    Well, that was neat, Matt thought, all his current equipment was of rare quality already so he couldn¡¯t upgrade but he could add more. He was debating what to use it on when he inspected the third and final item, another token.


    Personal Equipment Enhancement Token (Epic)


    Can be used on one piece (or set piece) of personal equipment. Can only enhance up to epic quality. Can be used to create epic quality equipment at forge.


    It turned out this little venture turned out to be worth it, spiders and all. He got a very usable item right off the bat and some tokens to enhance the mech and one item. Matt wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted to enhance at the moment but had a long walk to think it over. As he looked back, the box dissolved into light, completely vanishing. Tobias walked over and asked if he was ready, so they left, back tracking out of the cave.

 Chapter 15 – Prime time

    Chapter 15 ¨C  Prime time


    On the way out of the cave Matt learned what Tobias had gotten from his chest. Something called a rendering pad which allowed him to construct 3D models in real time with material specification. Apparently, it would let him go from a render to a completed object in the forge. Another item was a deployable energy shield that he only had to charge with mana, He hadn¡¯t had a chance to test it, but it sounded interesting. The last item was another upgrade token for personal equipment.


    When they reached the end of the cave, Van was still waiting for them but this time there was the carcass of something. Matt wasn¡¯t sure what it was, and he asked the core what had happened.


    ¡°The bear came back. This time it didn¡¯t just ignore me.¡± Van said. The corpse was mangled, not from the autocannon but from the tomahawk. ¡°I didn¡¯t see it approach so things got messy.¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡± Matt said as he inspected the raking claw marks on the mech¡¯s armor. ¡°Was it a good fight?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I have had better.¡±


    Matt pushed more mana into repairing the damage as he caught Van up on what had happened in the cave. While Matt repaired the damage to the mech, Tobias fiddled with his new energy shield. It was a small ring with a handle crossing the center. Tobias held it out in front of him and pushed mana into it. A shimmering barrier of mana snapped into being, creating an oval shaped barrier more than large enough to cover him.


    Matt noticed that the mana shield was not pure, it was Tobias¡¯ affinity tinting it a darker color. As he watched Tobias pushed more mana into the shield, adjusting its shape but also the density. It grew darker and darker until it was like looking through a heavily tinted car window. He could still see through it but there was something off about it.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with the shield?¡± Matt asked. Tobias snapped it off and looked over at him.


    ¡°It is designed to use the affinity of the user. I thought void was supposedly difficult to do that with, but it appears the System doesn¡¯t have issues with making things for it.¡± He rattled off. ¡°This has implications, Matt. If I can replicate this, there are amazing possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Well, the first is Void Shields. Like in 40k. Incoming projectiles and the like are shunted into the void. Why try to defeat the kinetic energy when I can make it no longer exist, completely nullifying it.¡± Tobias was ranting now. ¡°This needs testing lots of testing and study. How is mana consumed, at what rate, does input matter, does the density affect performance?¡±


    Matt liked the idea, he didn¡¯t know much about 40k, only some of the more popular lore. A shield that didn¡¯t rely on just defeating projectiles through mass and density had to be a good thing.


    ¡°Do we want to set up for the rest of the day so we can test some things? I know it¡¯s still early, but I would rather test gear before we need it.¡± Matt asked, giving his reasons for an extended stay.


    ¡°Works for me. Oh, look there.¡± Tobias said, pointing to a small break in the trees.


    Matt looked where Tobias was pointing and saw what looked like a deer. His identify called it a woodland stag. The creature bust have not liked the look of them because it trotted off into the woods, not quite running but quickly moving none the less. Matt said he would go after it, thinking some venison sounded good for dinner. He shoved his helmet back on and stalked off in pursuit of the stag, promising to stay in touch with Van and Tobias.


    Matt wasn¡¯t worried about losing his way in the forest, the cliff was a hard barrier that he could always orient to then follow back to camp. His thermal outlining the deer as it pushed through the brush, Matt followed. He wanted to get a clear shot on it so he wouldn¡¯t have to track a blood trail after shooting. It was keeping up a good pace as Matt followed, staying always just a little too far ahead to try and shoot.


    Tracking a deer through the woods was a very mentally taxing experience. The woods had developed a lot of undergrowth in this area, no longer the nice open forest floor as when they first entered. The brush didn¡¯t matter much to the mech, but it was sometimes dense enough to obscure smaller game. Matt was so focused on the deer that he didn¡¯t even notice the brush thickening around him and the arch that he walked through.


    ¡°Damn it all, not again.¡± Matt said as he sensed the mana suddenly change and found himself in a clearing again. This clearing didn¡¯t have a cabin, instead having what looked like a manor with brick walls, small windows and a very heavily built door. With a sigh, he approached the front of the building, seeing the door open and a tall woman step out and onto the wide walkway.


    The woman was not only tall but very well-muscled, traps and arms well defined even through the long sleeve shirt she wore. She was wearing what looked like a long sleeve green t-shirt, black jeans and some sort of boot. Immediately Matt noticed the difference between her and Hal. Even her red hair was cut on the shorter side and pulled back into a ponytail. She stopped a few meters from the door and waited for Matt to approach.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll cut to the chase and get this started.¡± Matt began once he was close enough. She smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Matt, a pilot and am traveling with my construct, Van, and my friend Tobias.¡±


    ¡°Well met Matt.¡± She began. ¡°You are indeed a bold one. Why don¡¯t you come in so we may discuss matters further.¡± The last part wasn¡¯t a question, but it wasn¡¯t a demand either. To Matt it seemed like the next line in a script being read.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Matt said, following her inside and noticing a stark difference to the House Hal had shown them. The interior of Hal¡¯s cabin had been decorated like a very modern high-rise apartment, right down to the modern art. This house in contrast was much cozier or perhaps homy was the word. The brick ended, replaced by bright colored walls and wood floors, a large entry way had several doors leading to what Matt assumed was the rest of the house.


    As the goddess led Matt through the home, he began getting nostalgic for his adoptive parents¡¯ house. It wasn¡¯t any one thing about the house that did it, but the entire ambiance of walking through made him feel safe. After a walk through the halls, whey entered a sitting room or maybe it would be called a lounge. There was a fireplace on the far wall, logs stacked but unlit, with a flagstone hearth. The goddess sat in one of the armchairs near the fire and gestured for Matt to take a seat across from her.


    Matt stood his rifle in the corner behind the offered chair before saying. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but Van and Tobias are waiting for me, not sure if they will panic at me being gone overly long.¡± Matt really hoped she wouldn¡¯t take offense at that, but he decided being upfront would be a good policy for interacting with gods who could end him with a thought. It turned out he had nothing to worry about.


    ¡°Matt, you have nothing to worry about. Time is nearly stopped in the outside world, or I should say, its accelerated in here.¡± Her voice was rich and smooth but felt like there was an edge just beneath the surface. ¡°Even that stag you tracked is just on the other side of the clearing, ready for when we are done here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, in that case lets proceed.¡± Matt said.


    She gave that same smirk before she started. ¡°I am known as The Eternal Warden, but my given name is Victoria. My friends call me Tori, though not in public.¡±


    ¡°Are we friends?¡±


    ¡°I think that yet remains to be determined, young pilot. I have high hopes for our future together, but we have some things to iron out first. I have been watching you for several days, ever since Kran En¡¯Halkath brought you to my attention.¡±


    Matt just stared at her. ¡°Hal told you about me, what was in it for him?¡±


    Victoria hummed and tilted her head from side to side as if debating on what to say. ¡°How can I put it, Hal is a merchant and as such he has quite the nose for good business. We have interacted before in a professional capacity, I never could associate with the merchant types for too long, nothing against them but we don¡¯t get along. There is also the fact that I have a reputation as well as the suppression effect even over other gods.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m just a bargaining chip for you two?¡± Matt asked, trying to keep his tone neutral over the thought of being nothing more than property to be traded.


    ¡°Oh, no. Not in the slightest. He traded information not your patronage. The agreement we make will be between us and no one else.¡± She looked a little abashed at how Matt read the situation. ¡°As I said, I have been watching you to get a feel for who you are as a person as well as your capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that, it¡¯s a little creepy that you were just spying on us. We knew that Hal was looking in since Tobias is blessed, but I didn¡¯t think others would be.¡± Matt said, trying not to shiver at the complete loss of operational security.


    ¡°Matt, this is the first phase of the integration, all the gods can look in on you mortals. This is how they find those that they want to extend offers to and form partnerships with. Besides, you don¡¯t seem to mind the System watching everything you do. They are limited in the information they can give others however, I can¡¯t tell you what someone else is up to on another continent.¡± Victoria explained.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s move on. Why were you watching me for days?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I would have kept watching but you are progressing at a startling pace. I¡¯m of half a mind that the tutorial is too soft on the others, granted they have other things to focus on besides fighting but that¡¯s semantics. It is important to me that I met you before you reached your E grade evolution.¡± Victoria laid that right out for Matt but went on before he could ask why.


    ¡°The reason I wanted to meet you before that is because I think I can offer more than just a blessing. Having seen how you fight and how you act, I would like to make you my prime apprentice. Its not just a blessing but also a legacy, a method in which I help you more than you help me.¡± Victoria said.


    Matt asked what that entailed, and Victoria went on to explain that as her prime apprentice he would have many more opportunities for the future. Where a normal blessing had some impact on a person¡¯s experience, it was a mostly one-way street with the divine being that gave the blessing getting the most from the experience gain. A prime apprentice would gain more than the divine being not only in the way of experience but also from knowledge.


    Victoria then said that she didn¡¯t need the power, though she would get some, she had plenty already. What she wanted was an ally for the future, playing the very long game. She refused to elaborate on what she needed an ally for because the System wouldn¡¯t let her until phase 2 of the integration.


    ¡°You know Matt, I am allied with several pilots that became gods and they would have killed for the start you had. I believe it¡¯s in part to your worlds influence and what weapons and armor they have but also the choice for your Core Enhancement. It normally comes later but to start with an awakened core is brilliant.¡± Victoria said after explaining her position on why she wanted to make him a ¡°Prime¡± as they called them.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s defiantly been helpful, but I don¡¯t really have much to compare to, I haven¡¯t met any other pilots or anyone for that matter.¡± Matt replied, sounding a little tired toward the end.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, you will meet other initiates soon.¡± She said in a very comforting yet mysterious tone.


    They continued talking for a while longer, Matt asking questions about the relationship and about her in general. She was a combat god, her focus was on those that stood strong against dangers, hence the bit about being a warden in her title. She also said that for this part of the 1<sup>st</sup> phase, she couldn¡¯t offer much in the way of tutelage and nothing in terms of material support but that would change in phase 2.


    Matt addressed his major concern about gods and blessings. ¡°So, what happens if I do something you don¡¯t like?¡±


    She gave him the side eye. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Like, if I decide not to engage an enemy because it¡¯s too strong. Or having to break contact from a superior enemy like with the spiders.¡± Matt said, giving some examples. He could feel her aura expanding after his question but then receded almost instantly when he gave examples.


    ¡°Ah, well that¡¯s not really a problem, just don¡¯t sacrifice others to a fight and completely abandon them for no reason.¡± Victoria answered, easing up on the glare. ¡°Not every fight is winnable and there is no valor in needless sacrifice. Dying for honor is a major factor in why so few initiates make it to C grade let alone the higher grades.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± Matt was happy that he wasn¡¯t going to have to be some zealot for this to work.


    ¡°Matt, we are very aligned, as much as an F grade mortal and a god can be.¡± Victoria began in a soothing tone. ¡°We are more than just focused into the same path; our values and beliefs are also similar. I don¡¯t know much about your life outside the System and don¡¯t need to right now, you can share later if you want. Failure is to be expected at some point, not every fight is winnable. ¡°


    ¡°You would know better than I do.¡± Matt said. All around, he was feeling pretty good about this. His aura sensing ability had shown her to always be honest except for the questions that the system wouldn¡¯t let her answer.


    ¡°Indeed, I do.¡± Victoria began. ¡°Now, Matt, do you accept my blessing and to become my prime apprentice?¡±


    Matt nodded and she reached forward, touching the pad of her thumb to his forehead, holding it there. He felt a tingling warmth spread from the spot and flow through him. He closed his eyes and tried to sense what was happening. It was like the incident with the venom, but his internal energies didn¡¯t fight the golden glow spreading through him. The energy was also not trying to kill him, instead doing something that Matt wasn¡¯t completely sure of. Once the warmth reached the end of his extremities, Victoria pulled her hand away and Matt opened his eyes.


    To Matt it looked like Victoria was a little tired, like she could use a nap or a very large cup of coffee. ¡°That really took a lot out of you, didn¡¯t it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes, but I will recover in a few moments.¡± Victoria said before leaning back and observing him. ¡°Take a look at your notifications while we wait.¡±


    Blessing Received: The Eternal Warden.


    Blessed is those who hold the line.


    Matt reviewed the simple message before saying. ¡°Pretty straight forward if you ask me.¡±


    Victoria laughed. ¡°This is why I wanted to get to you before E grade. As you grow, the complexity of the blessing and its legacy grows. This is but the first part of a greater saga. In time, you will influence it with your own deeds and the power of your will.¡± She was starting to look better, having regained much of the color in her face.


    They continued to make small talk for a while longer. Matt learned how to commune with her for future talks or when he needed to get ahold of her. It would take some mana, and some other materials were required. He also spoke broadly of earth¡¯s history, catching her up on some major events. It turned out that the last time she had been there was some time in the 9<sup>th</sup> century. Matt found that interesting since so much had changed since then which led him to asking a question that had been on his mind.


    ¡°What does fighting look like at the higher ranks?¡± Matt asked. Wanting to know how much would change for his future style of combat.


    Victoria hummed while she thought about how to answer. ¡°It¡¯s much the same as what you know right now but the power scale is much larger. A fight between two B grades could easily level the forest you have been walking through. Weapons might change a bit as you develop into higher levels of technology. Speaking of which, go easy on the others you meet, you had a great head start over them.¡±


    ¡°I will keep it in mind. Can I ask your opinion on what to use my upgrade tokens on?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I was wondering if you would ask. If I were you, I would upgrade your helmet. That will give you the most improvement to your fighting right now. It will also allow some crossover to the construct, but I fear it will not work when you disembark.¡±


    Matt thought for a minute on that. ¡°Are you sure I shouldn¡¯t use it on my tomahawk?¡±


    ¡°Ah, extra-System beings and your disregard for grade suppression. A normal mortal would not question my suggestion, but I am glad you did. I don¡¯t want a yes-man, and this shows you are very much a free thinker.¡± Victoria seemed genuinely happy at his question. ¡°Is your, um, tom-hawk, your most powerful weapon?¡± Matt shook his head and she continued. ¡°While it may be very effective, it¡¯s not your main fighting weapon, so no. This is also considering your rifle, while it could be upgraded, it would not give you much more of a tactical advantage right now.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I see your point. I¡¯ll use it on the ole bucket when I get back to camp.¡± Matt said. ¡°Thanks for the advice, I¡¯ll consider my equipment more carefully in the future.¡±


    ¡°A wise decision.¡± Victoria said with a sage nod of her head. ¡°Now I think we are about out of time here. Come, grab your gear and I will show you out.¡±


    They walked back to the front door and stepped outside. Matt could just see the stag, just past the edge of the clearing, facing broadside to him. He turned to his host and patron and said his goodbyes. ¡°Thanks for everything Victoria. I guess I will be hearing from you soon.¡± He said and extended his hand to her.


    ¡°Please, just Tori. It was nice to finally meet you in person Matt. Good luck and don¡¯t die too soon.¡¯ She replied as she took his hand, giving a firm shake with a sly grin.


    Matt laughed, shoved his helmet back on and unslung his rifle before pulling the viper hood back over and activating the camouflage enchantment. He turned toward the deer, seeing the cabin wink out of existence in his rear camera. Taking careful aim, he put a single round in the deer¡¯s head, dropping it where it stood. He decided to gut it there rather than back at camp, so he went about the messy business.


    The walk back was indeed simple, he was able to follow his own tracks right back to the cave entrance where Tobias had already set up a fire. Van was the first to greet him upon his return since Tobias had his nose pressed firmly into a book.


    ¡°Matt, something is different. What did you get up to out there?¡± The core asked as the mech¡¯s head turned to face him.


    ¡°Had a little divine encounter. Help me string this up and I¡¯ll tell you all about it.¡±

 Chapter 16 – Kick the Hive

    Chapter 16 ¨C Kick the Hive


    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that some old lady lured you out into the woods and invited you into her house to give you a special gift but didn¡¯t want anyone else to be there?¡± Tobias said as he bit into a chunk of grilled back strap.


    ¡°Well, when you put it like that it does sound weird.¡± Matt said while rotating the skewers around the fire. He had thankfully remembered enough from his time with his adoptive father to be able to dress out the stag he shot. The fresh meat was amazing with a little salt and pepper rubbed in before letting it cook over the open flame. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should call Tori old. She didn¡¯t seem vain but why risk it with a god that other gods are afraid of.¡±


    ¡°Aight, fair point. This prime business sounds interesting though. Did she say any more about how it¡¯s going to affect your skills and leveling?¡± Tobias asked after conceding to not insulting a divine being that could probably destroy the planet they were sitting on.


    ¡°She said something about records and that this blessing will be more to my benefit than to hers. Also, that it¡¯s a long play. She has been watching us since Hal dimed on us and apparently, she likes what she sees.¡± Matt pulled a skewer away from the flames to let the meat rest a little. He saw the look on Tobias¡¯ face and had to cut him off. ¡°Not that way jackass.¡±


    ¡°If only she lobbed a scimitar at you from a pond¡­¡± muttered Tobias.


    ¡°Nice reference on multiple levels but I will have to wait and see. There were some allusions to other things going on in the Higher Plain, but she couldn¡¯t say much about it. Turns out the System has some restrictions on what info gods can hand out.¡±


    After Matt returned and he had hung the deer up to bleed for a while, everyone had sat down to go over details of the exchange. Matt had noticed that he could sense the blessing Tobias carried now that he had one of his own. Tobias, for his part also could sense it and for the first time they tried to identify each other. The results were lackluster, showing the race and level information but nothing more. Van returned a much different result when Tobias tried to use identify on the mech.


    Construct ¨C Threat level: High


    They wondered about it for a while before an idea struck Matt in the form of Tobias throwing the book about piloting at him. It was said in the book that some Identify skills could give additional detail about other constructs, most only returned a threat level in relation to the identifier. Tobias theorized that the threat level was also on the scale of constructs and not in relation to their own ability. A sound deduction since Van could easily shred them both in a fight.


    Matt had plans about that scenario. Constructs should have the same vulnerability as their counterparts back on earth. Dense vegetation and urban environments were the downfall to all armor unless properly supported. He had yet to meet any other beings on this world to flesh out that idea, but it was floating around in the back of his mind.


    Van butted into the conversation suddenly. ¡°Matt, this blessing, it affects both of us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Matt asked, now very curious about this blessing.


    ¡°I mean that I now carry it. I just inspected myself and have an exact copy of what you do. I think this might be due to us being soul bonded after my awakening.¡° Van finished, giving some insight into why this was the case.


    Tobias gave him a shrug while Matt thought about the bond and its strange properties. The feedback of emotions he got from Van was always present to some capacity and this blessing just added to his questions about how things work. The amplifying nature of the bond was still a worry, but Tori must know what she¡¯s doing and that it would be a package deal. He would have to table the question for now and circle back to it when he next spoke with his patron.


    ¡°Well, should we do some testing of your shield and my hood?¡± Matt asked, not making any progress at wondering about System nonsense and soul magic. ¡°I also got a little tip on what to upgrade with one of my tokens.¡±


    Testing the shield was interesting if predictable. They started at low power by throwing things at it. Small rocks completely disappeared when hitting the void barrier and larger ones passed through but with most of their mass completely eaten away. At high power, there wasn¡¯t anything that they could find that would make it through, anything throwable that is. By being absolutely reckless, they tested Matt¡¯s rifle using both normal shot and imbued projectiles.


    Why was what they were doing reckless? Well, it was breaking a fundamental rule of gun safety by pointing a gun at something he didn¡¯t want to destroy. Tobias held the shield up and as far away as he could while crouching behind a rock while Matt shot at the edge farthest from him. They found that the imbued rounds could pass through at lower power but with more mana used to maintain it, they lost mass. They used the backdrop of the cliff to estimate impact and the imbued rounds that made it through only had a quarter of their normal energy on impact.


    ¡°I would say that is a very successful test.¡± Tobias said with Matt agreeing.¡± Let¡¯s not test it on your tomahawk since it might severely damage it.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, I think we have proved that it¡¯s going to stop almost anything that isn¡¯t coated in plasma. Should we try out my cloak or upgrade my helmet first?¡±


    They decided to test the hood first since they didn¡¯t know what the helmet would do when upgraded and didn¡¯t want to contaminate the results. The hood had a major obscuration of Matt¡¯s information when identified. It completely obscured his information and gave no return for species or level, only showing a dash in both categories. Going a step further, he climbed into the mech and had Tobias test it again. No change this time, the hood only working on his person.


    The camouflage feature seemed to work very well. Tobias would completely lose track of Matt when he held still but even when moving, there was a significant reduction in visibility. Tobias described it as the scenery moving more than something moving within the scenery. If Matt moved quickly, at a jog or run, the effect was much more localized, and it became clearer that something was there. A sprint completely negated the effect, and it looked like a brown-green blob rushed through the trees.


    The testing so far had been pretty successful and shown the absolute overpowered nature of the rewards they had gotten. Matt brought out the upgrade token he had gotten from the loot chest and then held it up to his helmet. Nothing happened until he touched the edge of the token to his helmet causing a System Prompt to open.


    Use Personal Equipment Enhancement Token (Epic) on Pilot Helmet, Powered, Set (Rare)


    Naturally Matt accepted the prompt, his helmet and token vanishing from his hand for a moment before returning in a warm golden glow. Outwardly, the helmet looked to have remained the same, no changes to the appearance. Matt used identify on it.


    Pilot Helmet, Powered, Set (Epic) (Upgradeable)


    This helmet is the final piece to the Pilots armor and allows user access to the full benefits of the armor set. The helmet consists of hardened plates over an impact absorbing under layer. Comes equipped with communications equipment and vision adaptation for daylight, night vision (infrared) and thermal sources. Includes rear view and tactical overlay. Provides threat detection field. Provides enhancement to both Trait and Affinity. Provides real time recording and transmission of activities. Helmet uses Neural interface to function. Enchantments: Self repair, Enhanced comfort, Threat Detection


    Armor Effects: +10% to all mental stats. Resistant to piercing attacks, slashing attacks, blunt attacks, chemical attacks, extreme weather.


    Matt was beyond happy with the upgrade, some might even say ecstatic over the additions or at least most of them. Recordings wouldn¡¯t be a massive advantage but could help with larger operations if they ever made it to a city. He held it out to Tobias to inspect and relayed the changed to Van over their mental link.


    ¡°That is quite the improvement.¡± Tobias said. ¡°The threat detection field interest me. Does it sense movement or something else?¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    There was only one way to find out and Matt shoved the helmet back on his head, the interface booting up almost instantly. Overlaid into his display was a ghostly 3D representation of his surroundings, barely at the edge of his vision as projected through his interface. He turned around in a circle and noted not only how it moved but also the shape of Tobias filled in as a blue color.


    ¡°It¡¯s a 3D projection and it looks like it accounts for our F.o.F. tags already.¡± Matt told Tobias as he walked around the camp site. ¡°You and Van are highlighted as blue while everything else is a grey color.¡±


    ¡°What happens when we move, and you stay still?¡± Tobias asked as he got up and started walking around.


    Matt had to think how to describe it. ¡°When you are moving, it¡¯s not exactly a perfect representation of you, more of a vague human shape. Van, can you move a bit too?¡±


    The mech started circling around at the edge of the camp and Matt could see that its shape also distorted until it stopped for a few seconds. Having figured out how it worked, at least in practice, Matt decided to test the range and moved off into the wood line.


    The display showed a general view of his surroundings for 100 meters, but only large, solid objects returned good results. Matt called Tobias to move into his range and say the same humanoid shape resolve in at the edge with a blue tint. When Matt stood still, When Matt stood still, the terrain sharpened in focus and Tobias¡¯ figure became clearer. With another half hour spent acclimating to the new HUD, Matt returned to the mech and climbed in.


    Matt had his suspicions when he climbed into the mech, but it was confirmed when he connected with it. His new threat detection field expanded to cover 500 meters, amplified by the sensors built into the construct. He was hoping it would be subject to the full 10X amplification, but it seems that there was still something holding that ability back. Hopping back out, Matt went into the cave to see how that affected the detection field. It was as expected, areas with solid walls were completely opaque.


    Matt and Tobias spent the rest of the day testing their equipment and working on other endeavors. Tobias broke out his new modeling tool and Matt tested the capabilities of his aura and Mana blast with the new, upgraded helmet. The mana blast ability was impressive when Matt used it on foot but became devastating when used in the mech. The focused attack went from cutting a shallow groove into the rock wall to ripping a meter¡¯s deep fissure into it. One noticeable change in the power was almost detrimental, the mana blast now had a noticeable recoil depending on the strength and how focused the arc was.


    The next morning saw the trio moving through the forest again, closing in on the waypoint marker that had been both guiding and taunting them for days. There was still the denser undergrowth in this section of the forest, but the trees were growing larger again. Matt could feel a much denser level of what he assumed to be nature or plant mana; he hadn¡¯t decided what to call it yet. Either way, it was probably the cause of the vines that he could feel tugging at the feet of the mech.


    To prevent any total snags, Matt had readied the mech¡¯s tomahawk in case he needed to cut his way out of the vines. The multi ton mech hadn¡¯t had any issues so far but that didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t eventually. One curious thing had popped up over the last hundred meters and was starting to concern him. His threat detection field had returned faint red contacts at the far edges of his detection range.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m getting faint contacts at the edge of the field, it¡¯s all at ground level and only there for the briefest moments.¡± Matt told Tobias since Van was already aware of the situation.


    ¡°Anything concrete or do you think it could be false positives? We are moving pretty quick and haven¡¯t completely figured out how it works.¡± Tobias asked before trying to make rational sense of the phenomena.


    Matt stopped and started to scan with the various cameras in the mech, flipping through them and trying to spot anything that might be the cause. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s almost like it is picking up on terrain.¡± Not seeing anything, Matt started to advance again but the mech foot was stopped short as it tried to lift off the ground. ¡°Oh, shit.¡± He identified the mass of vines that were around the mechs feet.


    Choker Vine Hive. Level 30


    The vines began to writhe up the legs of the mech and tighten, attempting to pull him toward the center of their mass. Matt could now see the outline of the creature or in this case creatures. There were 5 of them, almost evenly spaced around him and larger vines were rushing from them through the undergrowth. Deploying his Tomahawk, he ignited the blade with plasma and began to sweep it across the vines that were now beginning to climb up the mech¡¯s legs, attempting to crush the armored plates.


    After a couple swings, Matt wasn¡¯t making much progress, so he decided to try another tactic. He used mana blast in a wide arc toward 3 of the incoming vines. The wave of superheated energy swept outward, incinerating the tangle around his feet, and colliding with the larger vines as around 50 meters. While he couldn¡¯t see the effect with his eyes, Matt saw all 3 flinch back from the heat. He switched his attention to the other 2 incoming tendrils just in time to have both slam into the waist of the mech, almost knocking it over.


    ¡°Brace.¡± Was all Matt said before concentrating a narrower cone toward the tendrils that had hit him. Pushing a lot more mana into this blast, he released the ability. As the 45-degree arc shot toward the 2 vines, he was blasted in the opposite direction, toward one of the now retreating vines he had burned.


    Matt decided to take the fight to the plant monster and traced the path of the vine back toward a gaping hole in the ground. There were other large vines surrounding it, but he ignored them as he charged in readying another mana blast. This one was narrow, and he tried to concentrate it downward into the pit, using his willpower to influence the ability. It worked, a lance of plasma rocketed along the ground, burning through everything in its way as it raced into the core of this vine monster.


    The vines all around went slack, wilting like blanched spinach as the pit began to burn. A hissing echoed from the core of the plant monster as smoke billowed out of the hole. Matt didn¡¯t stay to watch, pivoting and moving to where the next one was. His trip there was slowed by more vines trying to intercept him almost as if it knew what was about to happen. All the attempts to stop him were defeated by swings of the tomahawk that sliced right through, leaving smoking edges from where it had touched.


    The second plant monster went down much like the first, a hissing plume of smoke and fire. As he pivoted to the next target, Matt found the large vines already in route for him. Before a mana blast could be fired off, the first of the 3 hit him in the chest armor. Matt stumbled as the second and third took him in the legs, wrapping tight and crushing the armor plates.


    ¡°Crushing damage to lower leg armor. Mobility has been reduced.¡± Van said over the cockpit speaker, likely for Tobias¡¯ benefit since Matt could feel the feedback over his link.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a test I didn¡¯t think I would need to do.¡± Matt said as he prepared another overpowered mana blast. He released the skill again and was blasted backward. He barely stayed on his feet as the 2 vines turned to ash for several meters down their length. The last vine that had been the first to hit him came in again like a lance, aiming for the waist of the mech again.


    Matt swept the tomahawk down from right to left, slightly cutting but mostly deflecting the tendril with the haft of the weapon. He took the chance and swung again, this time cutting off a large portion with the imbued edge of the blade. Matt took the opening made by the retreating vine and chased after the other 2. Closing in on the relatively close cores of the monsters, he prepped another focused mana blast.


    Twice in quick succession, Matt used the skill. Igniting the first, he quickly pivoted and closed on the second, a line plasma released as he closed within 50 meters. With only one remaining, he turned to find the severed tendril of the last choker vine hive shooting toward him again, the severed stump having already begun to regrow. Dodging the attack, Matt rushed past and closed in on its core, not stopping the run until he was nearly on top of it.


    The tendril had begun to rapidly retract into the opening, attempting to coil around the foot pads of the mech but Matt was ready and sent another mana blast right down the opening of the pit. The vine flailed in its death throws, knocking the mech flat on its back.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± shouted Tobias, clearly having been rattled from the sudden impact with the ground. ¡°Good thing helmets exist, because the pad on this seat didn¡¯t do shit to absorb that.¡±


    Matt righted the mech, a shockingly easy process compared to the ones back on earth that had complicated righting procedures. He was able to roll onto his shoulder and push up off the ground, the arms more than strong enough to lift its bulk. ¡°Everyone good?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Blunt impact and crush damage. Nothing major but we should repair it before moving on.¡± Van said. Matt could see the damage display and noted that this was the most severe they had gotten to this point.


    ¡°Lower leg armor had been fragmented in some places.¡± Matt said, reading the list off. ¡°Abdominal armor is deformed, impinging on hip joints and reducing torso rotation.¡±


    ¡°So how did that feel?¡± Tobias asked, having been told that Matt could feel what the mech felt.


    ¡°Felt like I went 3 rounds with a muay Thai fighter.¡± Matt could say that with confidence since one of his instructors in the army had been one. Regardless, he started pushing mana into the self-repair feature of the armor, hoping to restore it quickly. He identified the remains of the vine monster while he waited and before he reviewed his notifications.


    Choker Vine Hive. Level 30


    This creature is a plant creature that has formed a hive with others of its species. It is a trap monster, lying dormant until prey stumbles into its net of webs. The others in the hive weave the vines into a net and use the primary tendrils to pull apart any prey before retrieving the larger portions for consumption.


    Matt did not fancy being literally pulled apart and consumed, probably being slowly digested over a thousand years. A shiver ran down his spine and he decided to check his notifications.


    You have killed Choker Vine. Level 30


    You have killed Choker Vine. Level 30


    There were 5 notifications, all for the same monster at the same level but missing the ¡°Hive¡± part of the name. Matt figured that the hive aspect multiplied the danger of the monster since one wasn¡¯t much of a threat to him. He wondered briefly how large the hives could become, was there a maximum limit or could they spread to cover entire countries? It would be a problem for a later as there was a more pressing message.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Skirmisher is level 25


    Class evolution available


    Evolve now? Y/N


    Skill Selection Options Available

 Chapter 17 – Looks Shifty to Me

    Chapter 17 ¨C Looks Shifty to Me


    Matt and Tobias secured the area as best they could, thankfully the fight with the plant monsters had left a large swath of the brush burned down. Matt told Tobias about his plan to do the level 25 evolution and pick his skills. Neither knew what to expect from the evolution process since the books Tobias had gotten didn¡¯t mention anything. Crouching down in the mech, Matt pulled up the System message again.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Construct is level 25


    Class evolution available


    Evolve now? Y/N


    Matt selected the option to go through the evolution and a system screen popped up with a series of class choices. He read through them, seeing a trend to them like he did with the skills.


    Construct Pilot -> Marksman (Rare)


    The Marksman sub class specializes in medium to long range combat. Adept at taking advantage of long lines of sight to methodically lay fires onto targets from extended ranges. This class falls behind in melee, preferring to engage at range whenever possible.


    Stats per Level:


    Strength: +4


    Dexterity: +6


    Endurance: + 4


    Constitution: +4


    Perception: +6


    Intelligence: +6


    Wisdom: +4


    Free Points: +8


    Construct Pilot -> Gladiator (Epic)


    The Gladiator sub class specializes in close range combat. Adept at closing with enemies to engage them in brutal melee fighting, this class is considered the epitome of shock troops, disrupting the enemy from within their lines.


    Stats per Level:


    Strength: +8


    Dexterity: +8


    Endurance: + 8


    Constitution: +5


    Perception: +1


    Intelligence: +2


    Wisdom: +2


    Free Points: +8


    Construct Pilot -> Gun Fighter (Epic)


    The Gun Fighter sub class specializes in fast paced combat using a wide variety of means to engage enemies. Adept at utilizing terrain and structures to keep situational advantage. This class utilizes movement with bursts of overwhelming firepower to dictate the terms of the fight.


    Stats per Level:


    Strength: +5


    Dexterity: +7


    Endurance: +7


    Constitution: +5


    Perception: +6


    Intelligence: +7


    Wisdom: +5


    Free Points: +8


    Matt read through the choices, immediately discarding the Gladiator class. It was a poor fit for what he wanted to do, he only engaged in close combat when necessary. He did consider the Marksman class but the lack of skill points and the possibility to limit him in close combat was not ideal. He had done some time on a fire support team and knew they could be devastating in a combined arms strategy. He picked the third choice and felt it lock in, a golden glow covering him before he heard a brief yelp.


    When The glow receded only a moment later, Matt was confused. He had been in his mech with Tobias sitting in the seat behind him but that was no longer the case. Now he stood next to the mech, and Tobias was sprawled on the ground in front of him. Another change was the mech itself, while having the same appearance, it was now larger. Matt asked Van to stand at full height and noticed it had grown another 2 meters now topping 9 meters in height.


    Matt looked at Tobias as he stood up. ¡°Umm, what happened here?¡±


    Tobias brushed himself off and huffed at him. ¡°There I was minding my own business while you stared off into space doing your¡­ whatever it was. Then there was that warm golden glow, and everything phased out of existence for a second before snapping back in.¡± He was brushing the charred remains of vine monster off himself as he recounted what happened. ¡°Thus, I fell a couple meters and landed flat on my ass.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s weird. Sorry, I wasn¡¯t expecting to literally disappear for a couple seconds.¡± Matt said as he helped brush off some ash from Tobias¡¯ back.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyway, what happened with the evolution?¡±


    Matt had to stop and refocus on what had originally led to his fiend being covered in ash. What had changed besides some words and numbers on a screen? The mech had grown in height and a little bulk but still had the same outward appearance. He would have to investigate that more after he found out what was going on with himself.


    Closing his eyes and focusing internally, Matt tried to sus out what had changed. He could feel that same energy behind his heart, stronger and more defined than before. Unsure of what that meant he moved on to a more physical inventory of his status. His limbs felt stronger, like there was more power in them but wasn¡¯t sure. Also, the slight fatigue that he usually had was gone, leaving him feeling more energetic than before. Matt wasn¡¯t sure anything beyond that had changed and he opened the system message that was nagging at the edge of his mind.


    Prime Apprentice evolution successful.


    Title Gained: Prime Evolution.


    Trait Enhancement Completed


    Aura Dominance


    You have complete control over your aura and its emissions. With the simplest urging, your aura can go from completely contained to a widespread cloud of oppression. Detect the aura and intent of others in your vicinity. Dictate your surroundings with your will.


    ¡°My Trait finally upgraded.¡± Matt told Tobias. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it in a minute, I have a skill to choose.¡± He finished before Tobias could even get a word out.


    Skill selection options available


    Stealth (Common)


    Hide better from enemies, using your environment to remain undetected.


    Tracking (Common)


    Use your senses to better pick out the spore of enemy movement.


    Ambush (Uncommon)


    Utilize stealth while you lay in wait for your enemies. Better identify locations to set up ambush points.


    Powered Displacement (Rare)


    Teleport through the void to any point you can perceive within a short distance. When teleporting from one location chose to depart in silence or with a blast of mana.


    Titanic Rage (Rare)


    When in your construct, amplify your inner rage to push beyond your limits. Use the amplification of your core to enhance your fighting abilities.


    Matt read through the list one at a time, passing on the first 2 instantly but taking a minute longer to inspect the ambush and teleport choices. He didn¡¯t want the rage ability, perhaps if he went with the gladiator class but not for gun fighter. He would like the ambush skill but didn¡¯t know how much he would use it unless there was a protracted ground war. In the end it wasn¡¯t as close as he first thought, the mobility of a teleport skill was too good to pass up.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Selecting the skill, Matt felt the knowledge impart itself on his mind again. While he would do testing, he knew that moving himself would be much easier than moving the mech. The ability would consume stamina unless he left behind a mana blast which would need mana. Looking back to Tobias, who had gotten much closer and was staring him right in the eye lenses.


    ¡°Oh buddy, you are not going to believe this.¡± Matt said, taking his helmet off and starting to detail everything that had happened in the past few minutes. Tobias seemed very interested in the teleport ability, wanting to study that in more detail when they had time.


    After describing the events of the evolution to a near manic scientist, Matt turned his attention to Van. ¡°Hey Van, how are you doing with all this?¡± The core had been silent for the conversation, but Matt could feel him much more clearly over their mental link than he could in F grade.


    ¡°I feel strange. Maybe its normal but I haven¡¯t existed long enough to tell what¡¯s normal and what isn¡¯t.¡± There was an edge to his voice, like he was bursting at the seams with something but couldn¡¯t let it out. ¡°There have been some other changes to the mech. While it did grow in height, it feels like the other functions are the real changes.¡±


    Matt was intrigued by this, not expecting any changes and the book didn¡¯t say anything about them. He moved to climb into the cockpit, and now it truly was a climb. Where before he could take a large step and get a foot on the lower hatch, when the mech was crouched down. Now it looked like he would need to jump up to land on the lower hatch. Seeing the problem, Van moved the mech to couch with the autocannon resting butt down in one hand. The hatch opened and Van placed his other hand halfway between the ground and the open hatch, so Matt had a step to climb up.


    Immediately Matt saw the cockpit was bigger, not just in the way the whole mech had grown either. It was at least double the size, with 2 narrow walkways about 2 meters in length running on either side of the seats. The rear seat had moved back, no longer having the co-pilots legs straddling the pilot seat. All the manual controls remained within arm¡¯s reach of the seats but seemed to have some articulation to reposition them as needed.


    Matt looked at the space inside, then at the size of the torso, then back inside. He dismounted and moved to get a side profile of the mech. Trying to rationalize what he was seeing inside with how physics was supposed to work. ¡°Van, is there something going on here? There¡¯s no way that cockpit fits in this space.¡±


    ¡°I will push the changes to your display for review. If you think this looks odd, imagine how it feels. I am still trying to come to terms with having a space inside the mech that doesn¡¯t actually fit.¡± Van partly lamented over the seeming incongruity.


    Tobias had climbed up and was hanging halfway inside, calling out to Matt. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s load up and get this show on the road. You can have your mental breakdown later.¡± As usual he was excited about the nature of the ever physics denying system.


    Matt followed his friend into the mech, taking his seat in the pilot¡¯s chair and linking with the internal systems. The process was faster than it had been, which was saying something because it was very quick before, taking less than 2 seconds. Now the connection was almost instant, only a short blink before his consciousness merged with the mech. He was surprised that he could still feel his actual body and move it independently to some extent. Another change to him and the mech after the evolution, he pulled up the system window Van had sent to review the other changes.


    Van had been thorough in his evaluations, detailing all the changes that had occurred. The changes were grouped in categories with headers above descriptions. Matt wasn¡¯t sure every description was absolutely necessary, but he appreciated the attention to detail. He picked out the key changes and read into those more.


    Interior:


    Space has been expanded to approximately 3 times original size. Internal storage lockers have also been expanded but remain ancillary when storage devices are available.


    Sensors:


    Threat detection field ¨C The field has been expanded, estimate maximum range of 1000 meters with complete resolution at 600-700 meters (Requires testing and evaluation)


    Optical Sensors ¨C Resolution of all optics has been greatly increased (Requires testing and evaluation for infrared and thermal cameras. New sensor visual sensing options may be available with use of mana sight and aura skill. Range finder is now fully operational.


    Physical:


    Armor - thickness remains the same but armored sections are now larger in area. Possibility of increased armor value for glancing shots.


    Size ¨C The increase in size may have positive benefits to overall speed and reach due to longer limbs. Ground pressure is likely increased due to additional mass.


    Matt was still reading though some of the updates when a presence invaded his mind, then a voice accompanied it. ¡°An excellent class evolution my prime. I established this connection so you can simply think your thoughts at me to respond.¡±


    With a shiver running down his spine from the mental contact, Matt responded to Tori. ¡°Thanks, the other two choices just didn¡¯t fit and this one had the best rarity.¡±


    ¡°A fine enough reason. However, rarity isn¡¯t everything when it comes to skills. A skill can be upgraded but a class cannot. You will learn about that later, on your own. Use the skills, cheat the System, and make them your own. Goodbye, Matt, keep up the good work.¡± After her parting words the invasive presence in his mind faded away.


    ¡°Toby, you were right.¡± Matt started, looking over his shoulder as he continued. ¡°Gods randomly popping into your head to drop a knowledge bomb is not pleasant.¡±


    ¡°Ah, she delivered some divine wisdom I assume?¡± Tobias asked.


    ¡°Yeah, something like that. Mostly a congratulation on the evolution but a bit on how skills work.¡± Matt knew that would lead to a long conversation, so he began moving as he recounted what he learned. They had to get back on track after their extended break and Matt was eager to test the new enhancements and skills.


    A few kilometers later, Matt found a nice clearing that was a couple hundred meters across. They did a thorough job in making sure the area was relatively free of threats before dismounting, Matt moving to the center of the clearing. He refreshed himself on the workings of the Powered Displacement skill, making sure he understood how it worked.


    Matt envisioned a spot 25 meters away and willed the skill to work. His vision went black for a moment and while that was disorientating, the sudden lurching of his body, not once but twice, was far worse. It felt like the worst case of vertigo he ever had mixed with severe sea sickness. He fell to the ground, frantically pulling off his helmet and vomiting onto the grass. After clearing out everything in his stomach, he rinsed out his mouth with water and stood up again. He looked up to see Tobias running over to him, Van not far behind.


    ¡°What the hell was that man?¡± Tobias asked, helping to steady Matt when he got close enough.


    ¡°Apparently, teleporting isn¡¯t a super smooth experience.¡± Matt said before swishing more water in his mouth and spitting. ¡°Blegh, how did it look form the outside?¡±


    ¡°You were standing in one spot and then suddenly you were over here.¡± Tobias said. ¡°That¡¯s before you fell down and puked anyway.¡±


    Van decided to weigh in as well. ¡°Did you mean to end up in this spot?¡±


    Matt looked and couldn¡¯t really tell. The grass all looked pretty much the same except for this spot having a pile of sick now coating it. He suddenly had an idea and pulled out his tomahawk before walking a few meters away. He pushed his mana into the edge and started mowing down a patch of grass, creating a charred spot a meter in diameter. He then repeated the process in intervals of 10 meters moving out in a line from the first spot until he had a line 100 meters long. He then returned to his first circle and stowed his weapon in its thigh holster.


    Focusing on the skill again, Matt willed himself to teleport to the first circle in the line. A flash of black and his vision shifted to the new location. He felt queasy again but not as severely as the first time. He looked down and found that he was perfectly centered in the circle. His stamina had dropped a decent amount but not as much as he feared, only 5% having been used by the skill. He walked back to his starting point and readied another teleport, this time aiming for the circle at the end of the line.


    Another blink in the darkness and Matt arrived at his targeted destination, this time he felt that it was about the limit for how far he could go. Despite the distance, the stamina usage was the same as the first attempt. With a smile and a thumbs up to Tobias and Van, he began an exhausting session of testing. He had to take several breaks to let his stamina recharge, using the time to get input from Tobias and Van. The detection field and his helmets rear camera allowed him to use the skill and target any location he could see with those as well as his physical eyes.


    A couple hours later and Matt had figured out a decent amount about his new skill. He could orient himself into facing any direction but also found that momentum could be preserved through the teleport. The addition of a mana blast when departing was hard to master, needing much more focus to make it a seamless process rather than him just using mana blast then teleporting. He then looked at the mech and decided it was time.


    ¡°Van, ready to try it?¡± Matt asked his core.


    ¡°More than ready.¡± Van replied as he crouched down and opened the hatch.


    When Matt tried the teleport the first time, aiming at the furthest mark in the grass, it failed. Apparently, he could not go the full 100 meters like he could when dismounted and the skill didn¡¯t activate. He started working his way back from there until it succeeded. He reset and found that just shy of 30 meters was the sweet spot. The entire time he was testing, Tobias had been watching from the sidelines, looking for who knows what.


    Crouching down, Matt called out to Tobias and opened the hatches. ¡°Toby, get your happy ass in here.¡±


    ¡°What makes his posterior happy?¡± Van asked.


    ¡°Just an expression buddy.¡± Tobias climbed up and took his seat behind Matt, strapping in before asking what was going on. Matt just pulled an empty container out of his storage and passed it back to Tobias before explaining. ¡°This is for you, just in case. We are going to try a teleport with you as a passenger.¡±


    ¡°I um don¡¯t think that¡¯s a great idea.¡± Tobias said. He knew Matt had an iron stomach and didn¡¯t normally get motion sick. The prospect of something that upset Matt¡¯s stomach was not something he wanted any part of.


    ¡°That¡¯s what the bucket is for. Alright porting in 3¡­ 2¡­¡± He didn¡¯t reach one, going before the count had finished so Tobias couldn¡¯t object any more.


    ¡°Oh god, I hurgelg¡± Tobias started before losing it into the bucket. ¡°I should have just made myself puke before this.¡± He finished and summoned a canteen out of his storage ring.


    Matt opened the hatch and helped Tobias climb out and get back on firm ground. ¡°I wanted to get it out of the way before we needed to use it in combat. The last thing I would need is to be covered in sick when I¡¯m trying to fight.¡±


    ¡°I would also not be happy with you being sick in my interior.¡± Van added with a growl in his voice.


    Tobias was finally able to get back to his feet. ¡°Why do I assume that this wasn¡¯t the only time?¡±


    ¡°It gets better after the first time, and I didn¡¯t even feel it after the third.¡± Matt said.


    It turned out that it took 5 more teleports for Tobias to be completely resistant to the effect. On the plus side, the makeshift bucket wasn¡¯t needed again. They had since loaded up and moved on from the clearing that was now covered in scorch marks. It wasn¡¯t long before they came upon some monsters that were all too familiar.


    Treant Brawler. Level 32


    Treant Brawler. Level 34


    Matt saw the tree monsters from a few hundred meters off. The head of his mech was now at roughly the same level as the tops of their canopies. He was happy that they didn¡¯t have a height advantage anymore but now he had the problem of staying hidden. Both monsters were standing in a stand of small trees, probably trying to blend in but failing since they were so much larger.


    The threat detection field had picked up on them from a little over 600 meters out, but Matt didn¡¯t make visual contact until much closer. He had stopped when he finally found a clear path to the treants, thinking on how to engage. After a brief deliberation, he came up with a plan and took aim at the level 34 monster.


    Boom, Thunk. The imbued 25mm round ripped right through the first one and Matt targeted the second and fired again hitting it in the center of mass. Both creatures turned and began lumbering his way on their short stumpy legs. He propped his auto cannon against a nearby tree, where it would be safe, and walked forward several steps before stopping. Pulling out the giant tomahawk, he waited for them to close in. Both treants closed in, having enough sense to attack from opposite directions but before their stump like hands made contact, the mech vanished.


    In the sudden absence of the construct, a wave of superheated plasma burst forth, engulfing both monsters. They recoiled from the fiery wave of mana, shielding their faces as best they could. Before either could lower their arms, a tomahawk descended from behind, slicing deep into the back of the level 34 monster. It screeched as its body locked up and it fell forward, faceplanting into the dirt with a thud. The second began to turn around but was bisected by a line of plasma fired from point blank into its back.


    The second monster was dead before it knew what happened and Matt moved in to finish off the first as it rolled on the ground. The tomahawk arced down once, twice then a third and final time as the downed treant was chopped in half by a plasma covered blade. It went limp on the ground, both halves smoking from the charred cuts along what remained of its body.


    ¡°Brutal.¡± Tobias commented.


    ¡°Efficient.¡± Van rebutted.


    ¡°A start.¡± Matt finished. He retrieved the autocannon from its resting place and stowed the tomahawk. They looted the cores and materials quickly before moving on. Matt had just discovered a new and terrible way to wage war. His heart sang at the prospect and Van reciprocated the feeling over the bond. They stalked off into the woods, moving ever closer to their objective.

 Chapter 18 – The Decline

    Chapter 18 ¨C The Decline


    Matt fired a series of short bursts, each one taking down a wolf as they circled him and Tobias. There were only a few remaining in the pack after the brief but furious encounter. Matt and Tobias had been taking a break at a small stream, using the opportunity to refill on water and collect some more herbs that had been growing on the banks. Van had detected them approaching from quite a way out, closing in fast from downwind.


    Having known the treat was coming, Tobias and Matt had time to prepare a hasty defense, separating only a few meters and picking fields of fire. Van had decided to move in behind them and use his height to spot and provide cover. The level 20 something pack had burst from the undergrowth face first into a hail of bullets and a couple grenades. Of the 32 wolves, only 18 had made it out of the impromptu ambush alive.


    From then on it had been a series of short bursts and magazine changes while the pack circled, trying to get behind the trio and close in. Matt changed his magazine and turned to face a wolf rapidly approaching from his 8 o¡¯clock but before he could pull the trigger, a flash swept the beast up and away. In its haste, the wolf had passed a little too close to the mech and Van kicked out, punting the wolf straight into a tree. There was a wet, muffled crunch as the mech¡¯s foot connected and a second crunch when the beast hit the tree.


    Matt looked around again, not seeing any more enemies in his detection field but wanting to confirm with is eyes. There was a nagging from system messages in the back of his mind, but he cleared the area before checking them. Tobias called a clear from his side with Matt and Van both echoing the same. Matt picked up his empty magazines and put them in his dump pouch, recycling them and conjuring more. He broke the seals on his helmet and pulled it off, looking over to Tobias who was walking his way.


    ¡°That went way better than last time we fought wolves.¡± Tobias said. He slung his weapon and wandered over to where one wolf had skidded to after taking a round to the face. ¡°They seem to have been using a couple skills. A few used that dash ability when they broke out of cover.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I could sense the mana being used. I couldn¡¯t pin down the type, but they also had a strange aura.¡± Matt paused, sipping some water and saw Tobias looking up, waiting for him to continue. ¡°When I sense your aura or even that of the treeants yesterday its very densely packed around you. These wolves have it dispersed, only gaining density when they group together.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s the deal with that?¡±


    ¡°No idea. I¡¯ll let you know if I find out.¡±


    Van knelt down and decided to offer his theory. ¡°It probably has something to do with the pack mentality. Individually they are weak but together they are stronger than they should be, they seem faster and stronger when they are together.¡±


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure if that was right, but it sounded good. ¡°I like it more than anything else we have come up with.¡± He thought briefly about the aura he felt before continuing. ¡°There is still something weird about the aura though, I can¡¯t pin it down yet.¡±


    The wolves delt with and the rest of the herbs collected, Tobias and Matt loaded back into the mech and set off. The woods were starting to clear a little from the dense brush and the enemies they had found over the last few dozen kilometers had been on the lower-level end of the spectrum. Matt wondered if this was the enemies getting weaker like Tori had mentioned. He didn¡¯t have a way of asking and probably wouldn¡¯t get a response even if he did ask, System interference and all.


    Matt opened his System messages to read over the log while they moved, Van promising to keep an eye out for trouble. There was the plethora of kill notifications, 12 to be exact, but also a level up.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gun Fighter is level 26


    Stat points awarded.


    Having 28 free points after this level up, Matt decided to allocate them. He put 4 into his primary stats, or the primary ones for his class at least. 4 each into dexterity, endurance, and intelligence then 2 into the rest. That left 8 remaining incase there was a sudden need for them in any one category. He zoned back in halfway through a conversation between Van and Tobias.


    ¡°¡­ Would be nice to have. The need to drop a weapon when deploying another is sub optimal.¡± Van said.


    ¡°How far is your reach? I mean, can you reach your arm all the way over your shoulder or behind your back.¡± Tobias was clearly asking questions with a plan in mind.


    ¡°Oh, its pretty far.¡± I have the same range of motion as Matt does.¡±


    ¡°What did I miss?¡± Matt asked after Van responded to Tobias.


    ¡°I¡¯m working on ideas for the autocannon. You guys can¡¯t just be dropping it or setting it down all the time, but I also don¡¯t want anything that will get hung up if you need to get out quick.¡± Tobias said, nose buried in his modeling display.


    ¡°Ok, with that in mind, what do you suggest?¡±


    Tobias hummed and shrugged his shoulders before responding. ¡°Well, I was originally looking at making a sling, but it would have to be awfully strong to hold that cannon. My next though was some how locking it onto the back of the mech but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s viable.¡± He paused, looked at his hand, then face palmed. ¡°It¡¯s literally right in front of me.¡±


    ¡°The only thing in front of you is Matt.¡± Van point out, oh so helpfully.


    Tobias sighed. ¡°Not like that, Van. Storage rings is what I mean.¡±


    Matt perked up hearing that. He hadn¡¯t considered using a storage ring, it had enough space to hold the weapon in theory. ¡°Think I can store it through the mech?¡± He asked both Tobias and Van, holping one would have the answer.


    ¡°Worth a try.¡± Tobias said. ¡°Worst thing that happens is it doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    Stopping the mech, Matt tried to focus. He could feel the ring on his hand but imagined it on the hand of the mech, superimposing it in his mind. Then he concentrated on the thought of stowing the autocannon into his ring. To his immense surprise, it worked, the giant gun blinking out of the mech hands.


    ¡°Holy shit, it worked.¡± Matt said. He didn¡¯t have high hopes going into this little experiment but was very happy with the result. ¡°Now the opposite.¡± Focusing again he willed the weapon back out of the ring. Instead of reappearing in the mech hands, it materialized hovering in the air right in front of the mech, promptly falling to the ground.


    ¡°Well one out of 2 aint bad.¡± Tobias said with a little chuckle.


    ¡°Yeah, funny but if I need my weapon, I don¡¯t want to just yeet it onto the ground and have to pick it up.¡± Matt huffed. Still, he picked the autocannon up and tried again. It went into the ring without a problem just as before. He focused, visualizing holding the gun in both hands of the mech, being very clear about the mech¡¯s hands. The second try ended up working, and it was summoned into the exact place it had left from.


    ¡°Hey, nice!¡± Tobias cheered. He patted Matt on the shoulder to congratulate him, not failing to notice Matt¡¯s hand touch his own weapon where it was in its mount. The rifle vanished into Matt¡¯s ring, obviously being more secure in there than in the mount beside the pilot seat. Tobias didn¡¯t say anything as he did the same, causing his PDW to be stored into his own ring. They would just pretend that they knew about that all along.


    Matt practiced the summoning and stowing of the autocannon a few more times before moving on, confident that he could use the ability if needed. He kept the weapon ready, preferring to have it in hand rather than having to summon it in the heat of the moment.


    They traveled for a little over an hour after the testing with the storage ring before happening upon another familiar enemy, or so they thought at first. Matt was looking at the boar that was rooting around in front of him, not 200 meters away. It was the same shape and appearance as the ones before but much smaller.


    Steel-Flank Boar. Level 23


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Where the previous ones were massive, their backs the same height as the shoulders of the mech, this one only came up to its waist. Matt was very confused, he saw the ¡°Giant¡± part of the name was missing but didn¡¯t expect them to come in 2 varieties. With a shrug, he raised the cannon and fired a normal round, hitting the boar just behind the shoulder.


    Unlike with the larger ones, the round went straight in, punching through the armored hide like it was nothing. Once inside, the round did its job and of course, exploded. A gout of gore sprayed from the entrance wound and the beast fell over like it had been hit by a truck. It didn¡¯t get up.


    ¡°Toby, was that what..¡± Matt began but was cut off by 3 more boars rushing onto the scene and charging straight at him. Matt just leveled the gun and fired a salvo of rounds, most hitting the boars in the head and neck. All 3 crumpled and rag dolled, sliding a few extra meters on pure momentum. ¡°As I was¡­¡± he was cut off again as 2 more rushed from behind a stand of trees and charged. He saw them coming from a long way off but didn¡¯t recognize them in his detection field, they moved too fast from the far edges and their profile was weak.


    Wash, rinse, repeat is what Matt thought as he put down 3 more small groups that converged on his position. After the last ones had been delt with and a new magazine was loaded, Matt waited. He waited for a solid 60 seconds before trying to finish his sentence.


    ¡°Ah, as I was saying. Are these just juvenile ¡­¡± Another small boar came blazing into the clearing that was now littered with bodies. ¡°You have got to be shitting me!¡± Matt roared. He didn¡¯t fire this time, instead he stowed his autocannon and pulled out the tomahawk, rushing forward to meet the attacker head on. A kick to the face of the boar stopped its charge with a crunch and an imbued edge split it right down the spine.


    Tobias, deciding to just skip past another restart of the question, weighed in. ¡°I think they are the same species as the big ones but haven¡¯t hit the level 25 evolution yet.¡± He said, watching the camera feed on his display to see if anything else decided to come out to play. Nothing did.


    Matt just grunted. He didn¡¯t want to start a jinx this early into his new life as he still held some of the superstitions from his time in the military. He wasn¡¯t a tanker back on Earth, but he would be damned if anyone would be bringing apricots in his mech. Wait, does this world or System even have those?


    Moving away from the dead pigs, Matt moved farther into the trees. He was getting some feedback from his sensor field, but nothing was large. Most of the returns seemed to be moving away from him and were seemingly weak returns. He was beginning to associate the ¡°weak¡± sensor returns as low-level enemies or at least low threat. Either way, the rest of the afternoon was uneventful as they strolled through the woods.


    At some point in the journey, Matt wasn¡¯t sure when, they decided to dismount and try to find some enemies on foot. The plan had been that since it seemed that nothing wanted to fight with the mech, maybe they could get some good fights without it. They had some success, getting the drop on some more of the smaller armored dinosaurs, deer and even another group of the small boars.


    Matt was slightly disappointed about the levels; however, nothing had been above level 15 for the past few engagements. Only larger groups or especially durable beasts like boars even gave them a problem. The only plus side to this was a couple levels for them and a good number of cores and some other materials.


    Matt had made it to level 28 after a full day of looking for fights, with Tobias getting his fighting class up to level 23, gaining much more from the ordeal. Eventually the decision was made to stop for the day and then make as much progress as possible afterward.


    Tobias was stirring the coals of the fire, while Matt stared into the flames, thinking about all the things they had done over the past days. How long has it been now? Something like 2 weeks? He huffed and sat back, leaning against a log that had been dragged into the camp site.


    ¡°What¡¯s got your panties in a wad?¡± Tobias asked.


    Matt sighed. ¡°Oh, nothing. Just thinking about everything that has happened since we got here. I was hoping to find some more good fights, but it seems we have hit the drop off that we were told about.¡±


    ¡°Not much we can do about that. Maybe after we contact the city, you can venture out and do some leveling and exploring.¡± Tobias sounded a little down as well. Matt wasn¡¯t always the best with people, but he knew the major cues in body language. His aura detection helped but he hadn¡¯t mastered reading all the emotions yet.


    ¡°How are you holding up? Since we got here, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Well at first it was all so exciting, everything was new, and the feeling of adventure was fresh.¡± Tobias paused before going on. ¡°I think its hard to keep motivated when it¡¯s been a pretty steady cycle of fight, walk, experiment.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t know if he was dodging the question, but he pressed him anyway. ¡°Ever think about home?¡±


    Another long pause and some more poking at the fire. ¡°Yeah.¡± Tobias swallowed hard. ¡°The last few days it¡¯s been hard to keep my mind focused. I¡¯m constantly wondering about my family and how we left. There wasn¡¯t any closure for them, I was just gone. What¡¯s worse is there¡¯s no body or anything.¡±


    Matt moved over and put his arm around Tobias, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze to let him know he was there for him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know if security footage caught anything or if the company would tell anyone what happened if it did.¡±


    Tobias was growing a little hoarser as the emotion was allowed to come forward. ¡°Thanks. I miss them you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°Ah, shit. Dude, I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Tobias sniffed and wiped his eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to compare with your parents.¡±


    ¡°No, I know that. Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s, ah, it¡¯s in the past for me¡± Matt said, being genuine about his feelings on the matter.


    ¡°Still, it sometimes is hard to remember what you lost when I get caught up in everything. You know man, just¡­¡± Tobias trailed off before turning to face Matt. ¡°Thanks brother.¡± That was all he needed to say before Matt gave him a hug and a couple thumps on the back.


    ¡°No worries. We still got each other, so that¡¯s something. You know I¡¯m here for you if you need anything.¡± Matt said after breaking the hug and shuffling over on the log, back to his original spot.


    After the rather depressing conversation, Matt tried something he had been meaning to do but didn¡¯t have time for previously. He pulled out a book from his storage ring. This book was a small black notebook, given to him by Edmond the lawyer that had been at their integration in the Exchange.


    Edmond had said to read it to get information on his race and some answers to his questions. With a deep breath he opened the book, intent on at least starting it. The first page was blank. Matt flipped the page, just assuming it was an extra. The second page was blank. Matt flipped through all the pages, finding nothing but blank paper.


    ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± Matt muttered.


    ¡°Who is?¡± Van asked. Tobias perked up at the words, looking to Matt for more.


    ¡°That Edmond guy gave me this book and said to read it when we got to a city. Well, its blank, not a thing in it.¡±


    ¡°We are not in a city yet.¡± Van said. ¡°Why would you try to read it before hand?¡±


    Matt just looked from the face of the mech to Tobias and back again. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting him to be literal. I assumed that it would be along the lines a suggestion, general guidelines.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Van said, clearly moving on from the topic.


    ¡°Soooo. The book is blank?¡± Tobias said, trying to lead Matt back on topic.


    ¡°Oh, right. Yeah, all the pages are blank. Think its some sort of magic? Or maybe some System BS?¡±


    Tobias shrugged his shoulder. ¡°No idea. I don¡¯t know how all that works. Or I don¡¯t know yet.¡± He took the book from Matt and inspected it. ¡°There aren¡¯t any markings on it but who knows. Maybe try again after we get there?¡±


    Matt shrugged and took the book back, stowing it in his ring again. He would try it if he remembered anyway. His next item that he wanted to work on was his aura. He sat back, relaxing his body as much as possible and closed his eyes. He worked on slowing his breathing and trying to meditate.


    Matt had meditated in the past, or at least he thought he had, it was usually an attempt to clear his mind more than trying to reach an enlightened state. This time, he was trying to purposely feel that internal energy like he had with the blessing and the snake venom before. He knew it was there and only had to find it now.


    Mind starting to calm, Matt had the slightest sense of vertigo. Almost like having the spins after drinking. While the sensation was not pleasant, he could almost feel something at the edge of his consciousness. He stayed relaxed as he willed his mind to follow the sensation, closing in on the directionless energy.


    What seemed like hours went by as Matt focused the feeling, pulling it toward him all the while. There was what looked like a blue haze that was starting to condense. It was faint at first but seemed to be growing thicker, more defined. He pulled more, trying to keep the momentum he had gained.


    ¡°Matt?¡± Tobias voice and a shake on his shoulder brought him back to his surroundings.


    ¡°Huh?¡± As eloquent as ever, Matt looked up at Tobias who was standing over him looking very concerned. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°You were kinda out of it for a while, I assumed you had fallen asleep but then you started, um something.¡± Tobias looked up at Van, the mech stared back with its eye lenses faintly glowing blue. ¡°There was this sort of pressure, kinda like an aura but I couldn¡¯t feel an intent or emotion like before. It felt, I don¡¯t know, just like you? Like your normal presence. Then your eyes started glowing behind your eyelids. I was going to let you do your thing but then I could taste ozone and thought maybe it wasn¡¯t intentional.¡±


    ¡°I was detecting a surge of power.¡± Van said. Thankfully he elaborated without them having to ask. ¡°Your power Matt. I remember the resonance of your soul when we first met. It was like that but less concentrated.¡±


    Matt had to just take that in and digest it for a minute before he could order his thoughts. ¡°I think it was part of what I was doing. I tried to meditate and work on my aura, my control over it. I was hoping to sense it now that magic and all that is real.¡± He explained what had happened with the snake bite and when he got his blessing. His recounting was a little flawed, but Tobias and Van seemed to get the impression.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if you should not do that around people or if you need supervision but it was pretty wild.¡± Tobias had backed away and was speaking from his seat on the log. ¡°Maybe try it when you venture out on your own but have Van around in case something happens?¡±


    Matt agreed, he wasn¡¯t about to do something disruptive in a city if he could help it. He was however going to be exploring it in much more detail later. Nothing left to while away his time, he worked out the guard rotation with Tobias and went to sleep. He hoped he city would be nearby and they could move on from this never ending road trip.

 Chapter 19 – Free Agents?

    Chapter 19 ¨C Free Agents?


    Many kilometers had been put behind Matt that day. Several hours, 2 pit stops and not a single fight. The enemies they had seen were all less than level 10 and the pack of wolves hadn¡¯t even wanted to play, turning tail at the first sight of the mech. Matt was beginning to get bored, the monotony of weaving his way through the woods was wearing on his patience. At least in the open hills and plains, they had been able to open the tap and push the speed.


    He was cresting a small rise when he saw a gap in the trees. Not just a gap but he could see clear sky between the trunks. It instantly caught his attention since normally that space would just have more tree. Regardless, he came to a full and sudden stop. He pushed the mechs optics to the limit and ran through the range of every spectrum he had.


    Nothing but the normal daylight camera showed anything. There wasn¡¯t anything producing heat, IR or mana which would hint at another godly encounter. Tobias had put down his modeler when Matt stopped and was looking at his display, seeing what Matt saw.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Tobias questioned.


    ¡°There.¡± Matt zoomed in on the gap in the trees. ¡°That gap, there isn¡¯t anything beyond it. If it was just a small clearing, we would see trees on the other side along with the light.¡±


    ¡°Think it¡¯s the end?¡±


    ¡°One way to find out.¡± Matt said as he began moving again, going much slower than before and using trees to obscure his advance.


    He moved up in 100-meter increments, stopping at larger trees to reassess the terrain. The trees were ending, gaps now showing more and more light through them. After his 3<sup>rd</sup> stop, he saw more than just the light and open air. He saw the clearly defined line of a wall, moving horizontally across the trees. He ran through the exact same procedure with his cameras and an image began to render in his vision.


    ¡°Well, I guess we are here.¡± Tobias said.


    ¡°Indeed. How do we approach this?¡± Matt was not sure how they should make first contact and decided to defer to Tobias who was much savvier about these things.


    Tobias thought about it for a minute before responding. ¡°I say we go slow; don¡¯t want to come rushing out of the trees and spook them. That wall looks like it¡¯s pretty close to the edge of the woods if I¡¯m getting the scale right.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t have anything to add and after asking Tobias if he had any more guidance, he tried to adopt a less threatening posture. Stowing the auto cannon was not an option for Matt, instead he kept it at a low ready, angled down to his left. He started moving forward at a very slow pace, intent on giving any guards plenty of time to spot him.


    The edge of the forest was overgrown with brush and other undergrowth, but Matt was able to pick his way through without getting hung up. He kept his eyes straight ahead, seeing that there was a gate like entrance to the right of the wall. Standing outside that gate were 2 guards or at least 2 constructs. He couldn¡¯t quite get a good look but as he got closer, clearing the last of the brush and small trees, they both turned and leveled weapons at him.


    Matt had expected this and raised his mech¡¯s left hand in a wave, stepping into the clear and getting his first clear look at the 2 guards. Their constructs were almost the same height as Van, but their shape was completely different. Both looked to be inflated armored knights just neatly 8 meters tall.


    Their arms and legs were much thicker than Matts mech and the torso had a barrel shape to it. Both heads had what looked like sallet helms, vision slits and all. The most startling part was the colors. Matt almost expected shining steel plate but instead it was a riot of colors, heraldry covering every part of the chest and pauldrons. All they are missing is some giant feathers sticking up from the helmets, Matt thought. His identify came back with a threat rating of low which, judging by the armament, was probably accurate.


    Both had what looked like sabers belted in scabbards at the waist which was none of Matt¡¯s concern. The big issue he had with their weaponry was the fact that they were toting ancient looking single shot rifles. He focused on the actions of the weapons, zooming in as far as his optics allowed. He saw the lines confirming they were breach loading but also saw the ammunition along the belt. Each round looked to be 40 or 50 millimeter in diameter with short stubby cases, hinting at low velocity and possibly black powder.


    Matt kept his left hand raised and stepped clear of the wood line by about 50 meters then stopped. The open area from the wall to the woods was only 300 meters or so and he didn¡¯t want to give the feeling that he was encroaching. He waved his hand and then waited, keeping still, and making sure his muzzle was pointed away from them.


    The 2 appeared to have a brief conversation because they turned to each other, and Matt could faintly hear shouting. Do they not have any comms? Finally, they separated, Matt saw a man on foot go running off through the gate, most likely to alert some higher up. One of the knights, as Matt began to think of them, slowly walked out toward him, stopping around 200 meters from the wall. He motioned Matt forward. Matt obliged and walked forward until he was only 20 meters from the knight.


    Matt just stopped and stood still, not sure what he should do next. Just as he was about to consult Tobias and Van, the knight knelt, and the chest armor opened like a pair of double doors. Out stepped a man, or what Matt assumed was a man since he was covered in fur and had a striking similarity to a tiger. I swear if his name is Tony¡­ Matt thought to himself did the same, kneeling and opening the hatch.


    Matt hopped out with Tobias right behind him, a surprise judging by the look on the mans face. Matt mentally told Van to keep an eye out for any funny business, then clarifying he meant ambush. Walking out to the middle point between the 2 constructs, Matt stopped short by 2 meters. He identified the man seeing he was of a race called Felid and was only level 12. Matt then took the initiative, speaking first.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Matt, and this is Tobias. Its nice to meet you.¡± Matt said as he gave the cat man a once over. His garb was very similar to his mech except he only had a breast plate and upper leg armor that Matt thought was called cuisse. His helmet was an open-faced variety, leaving everything open from the eyebrows down to the chin. Instead of armor paint, he was wearing a short tabard that stopped just below his belt line.


    ¡°Greetings Matt, I am Rohm. I am the officer of the watch for this shift.¡± He paused, looking at Matt, eyes darting all over his still sealed armor. ¡°Um, if I can ask. What are you?¡± He seemed to only give Tobias a glance since his helmet was open faced, clearly showing he was human.


    ¡°Ah, where are my manners.¡± Matt said as he popped the seals on his helmet and pulled it off. ¡°I am human, I know you can¡¯t identify me, it¡¯s from a piece of equipment I wear.¡± He gestured at the viper hood around his shoulders.


    Rohm seemed to relax a little at this but continued with his questioning. ¡°Where did you come from? We haven¡¯t seen anyone from another settlement, and they are too far away to have reached us in this time.¡± He paused again and eyed the mech. ¡°Although, your construct is a¡­ unique design so maybe its just fast.¡± He chuckled a little nervously.


    ¡°We got a late start and were dropped off in some desert canyons to the northwest, on the other side of the forest.¡± Matt didn¡¯t hide that. They had talked in detail about what they would and would not divulge when making first contact. ¡°It took is over 2 weeks but if you were to try and rush through it would probably be shorter.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes sense, if its true. Not that I have any reason to doubt you. The System and Exchange is an odd thing to be sure. I assume the promise of sanctuary is what brought you to us?¡± Rohm said, asking after their reason for being there.


    Tobias chimed in for this one. ¡°Yes, we were given a direction to the nearest city, and we just followed along until we found it.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    While Tobias was chatting with the guard, Matt was looking at the inside of his construct. It had a metal seat in the middle but there were a series of cables and levers to both sides. It looked like operating one of these was a lot more involved than with his own mech. He refocused on the conversation after this brief inspection, not wanting to miss anything.


    ¡°As only an officer in the guard, I don¡¯t have the authority to grant you citizenship, but I can escort you to the governor. Luckily, he is close by as they are working on the layout of the areas around the wall. You can follow me, and I will show you to him. Be warned, any hostility well be returned in kind.¡±


    Matt shrugged and shoved his helmet back over his head. They boarded the mech and watched as Rohm tried to get settled back into his. It looked to be a painstaking process with several straps that had to be buckled before he could seal up. After he closed his hatch, he turned and led them toward the gate. Matt got a good look at the city, its walls not exactly what he expected.


    Where Matt expected to see cut stone block, it was more like concrete. The layout also wasn¡¯t a circle or oval as he had first thought. What they were walking toward was the inner point of 2 protrusions. It looked like they had made a star fort, like what had been made on earth in the 1800s only much bigger. Matt was impressed as they approached the 15-meter-high gate. As they passed through the gate, Matt estimated the lower part of the wall to be 15 meters thick with a gentle taper to a thickness of 5 or 6 meters at the top.


    The interior was barren for the first several hundred meters save for what looked like a series of barracks with a bunch of constructs kneeling in the field next to them. The buildings farther in looked to still be under construction with hundreds of people moving about, everyone building or working on something. In the distance he could see a few larger buildings that looked to be made in the same fashion as the walls.


    There was a parapet along the interior atop the concrete meaning the base of the wall was much thicker than the crenelations. The actual fighting portion could only have been a meter thick at most. Immense by the standards of Napoleons time by not by the standard of the modern military. Of course, aircraft made walls like these all but useless.


    Rohm led them along a dirt road to the edge of what appeared to be a ring road or at least the dirt beginnings of one. He moved off to the side, kneeling in a grassy corner of the 2 roads to dismount. Matt followed suit but found that they ended up waiting on Rohm to get out with the elaborate series of belts and pulleys holding him up.


    ¡°Van, close the hatch and keep watch, don¡¯t engage anyone but don¡¯t let anyone in. Let¡¯s pretend you are not sentient either, not sure how that would go with this crowd.¡± Matt told Van mentally before Rohm made his way over to them.


    ¡°Please, Matt, Tobias, follow me.¡± Rohm gestured and started walking.


    Matt decided to walk abreast of the man, taking the opportunity to chat with him as they walked. He didn¡¯t have much time to get conversation going before they stopped at a group of people with some surveying equipment. Rohm asked them to wait and walked over to a tall green skinned man wearing simple white shirt and brown trousers over black boots. Matt identified him as an orc, just as he suspected but saw his level was only 13. Rohm got his attention and then waited patiently until he was finished speaking with the surveyors.


    The orc finished his conversation then turned to Rohm, reaching out to shake his hand and greeting him warmly. Matt got a good feeling about this guy right away. Rohm then gestured to Matt and Tobias both of whom gave a small wave. The orc immediately started moving their way with a big smile showing some tusks poking out from his lower lip.


    ¡°Greeting! I am Franklin but everyone just calls me Frank.¡± The orc said, as he held out his hand to both Matt and Tobias. He immediately took a half step back after the handshake, most likely to not loom over them. ¡°Captain Rohm told me you were latecomers to the initiation and missed the tutorial then had to travel cross country?¡±


    Matt took off his helmet and smiled, still having a good feeling about the guy. His aura was friendly and warm feeling with a sense of honesty. ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it. There are more details but that might be better over drinks at another time.¡±


    Franklin laughed softly, reminding Matt of an uncle that was amused by the kids at a family gathering. ¡°Drinks would be grand if I ever found the time. I will hold you to it, maybe after I get the city going.¡± He patted himself down, dust coming out of his clothes with every pat. ¡°Regardless, Matt, it seems you are a pilot which is good. Rohm tells me your construct is quite the sight. Can I see it?¡±


    Matt obliged and they began walking over to where they had left the mech, Franklin taking the opportunity to ask more questions. ¡°So, Tobias, what do you have for classes?¡±


    Tobias didn¡¯t miss a beat and laid it out. ¡°I have a defender class but am more focused on my Forge Master class.¡±


    Franklin and Rohm both stopped dead in their tracks, the big green man being the first to speak. ¡°A forge master? Thank the gods above, I was so worried.¡± Seeing the confused looks from Tobias and Matt, he elaborated. ¡°I was able to attract many talented people to this settlement, but we were unable to secure a forge master. I thought it was a little unfair since some cities got 2 or even 3. It was my hope that one of our acolytes could get the class at level 25.¡±


    Barely taking a breath, Franklin continued the explanation. ¡°I was given the governor class and as such I had to make the plans for this city to be. I chose the location and shared a plan to hopefully get enough people to join me. All this was done in the tutorial, after we had the weeklong introduction to the system and out classes. As I said, I was able to bring many talents to our cause, most have been excellent, but we have some that haven¡¯t quite worked out as I had hoped.¡± He looked over to Rohm who sighed and muttered something about a lord while shaking his head.


    Tobias was the first to continue the conversation. ¡°We came here looking for a place to operate from and I have been itching to actually see a forge.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t actually seen a forge?¡± Rohm asked.


    ¡°Not unless the one in the exchange counts but I get the feeling that one is kinda unique.¡±


    Franklin and Rohm nodded knowingly before the governor spoke again. ¡°Well, I am willing to make a deal with the two of you. How much do I need to pay you for your services? I am willing to offer quite the compensation to make it worth your while.¡±


    Tobias looked at Matt who decided to take back over. ¡°Listen, we aren¡¯t looking for any special privileges, in fact we didn¡¯t expect any compensation besides what the free market will allow.¡± Seeing the confused looks at the words free market, Matt elaborated. ¡°The consumer pays for goods directly from the producer who can set and negotiate prices for service. The idea is that it allows direct supply to those that want it rather than given to everyone regardless of need or want. You know what, we can have that discussion later, I have no idea what you have in place for a government or economy and don¡¯t want to upset the apple cart.¡±


    ¡°What we actually want is to retain our agency, and a place to stay.¡± Tobias added. ¡°I want a place to live and work on my designs. Matt wants a place to operate from while he explores and grows stronger. If us offering some services that align with our personal goals is enough, I don¡¯t see us needing anything more than a gentleman¡¯s agreement on the matter.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s really all you want or need, I suppose we can arrange that. Would you be able to help us with development of the city?¡± Franklin was coming around to the idea, clearly not having expected things to go this way.


    ¡°I will do what I can in the matters of technology.¡±


    ¡°I can help with training and security. We have a lot to fix just from what I have seen.¡± Matt added. He had a laundry list of things that needed fixing.


    Rohm winced at Matts words. After seeing his look of confusion and getting the go ahead from Franklin, he spilled what he was thinking. ¡°We might have a problem there. The commander of the guard, Lord Alfron Princote, has not taken kindly to anyone encroaching on his command. He also tries to rule with an iron fist and takes punishment to the extreme.¡±


    Franklin sighed, adding to Rohm¡¯s explanation. ¡°He was one of the things that didn¡¯t work out so well. When I first spoke to him, he seemed to be a good fit. He was a noble on his home world and had military experience along with the pilot sub class of commander. It has been my biggest regret so far. We had to build a prison just because of him.¡±


    ¡°So why not just fire him?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°He would take that as an insult to his honor and immediately try to duel the person. He is the highest-level combatant in the city and uses that to his advantage.¡± Rohm explained the situation.


    ¡°So, he is the reason your barracks are all grouped together, and your pilots are so low level?¡± Matt asked and got a nod from Rohm. ¡°Does he have command over every combat focused person or just the pilots?¡±


    ¡°It is his opinion that pilots are the only combat classes and everyone else is pretty much just a serf under his rule. He barely respects my position and probably would have challenged me for command if I wasn¡¯t in control of the hub.¡± Franklin said.


    Matt was irritated at that. He had served with some officers that thought just because they had a college education, they were superior to non-commissioned officers and lower enlisted. It rankled at him and brought up some very strong emotions related to his experience. Apparently, the emotions were doing something because both Franklin and Rohm stook a step back, looking at him in fear.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Matt said as he immediately clamped down on his aura, trying to exude the calm feeling that he had practiced. ¡°I have some bad experiences from my previous life that left me with more than a little animosity toward such people.¡±


    As if they were summoners and the entity in question could hear them, a voice cut across the open area they had stopped in. They never made it to where Matt had left Van, having stopped short with the revelation of Tobias¡¯ class.


    ¡°Whose constructs are these and why are they not contained to the marshaling yard!¡± A man shouted. The group turned to see a tall man waving his arms and berating everyone in ear shot.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Rohm said. He was shaking a little and his ears flattened to the top of his head as he lowered his gaze.


    Having looked around, the man spotted their group, probably recognizing Rohm and Franklin. He instantly began stomping his way toward them with his hand on his saber as he marched their way.

 Chapter 20 – Reckless Stupidity

    Chapter 20 ¨C Reckless Stupidity


    Matt and his group watched the ranting human march up to them, obviously angry. Matt observed and took in what this Lord Alfron Princote was wearing. He was a moderately tall man, with pale skin and a mop of brown hair flopped over to one side. He seemed to have a black military uniform, with a high collar neatly buttoned above a shining steel breastplate. The saber Matt had spotted wasn¡¯t the only weapon on his hip as there was also a highly polished revolver in a belt holster opposite the sword. Finally, Matt used identify.


    Human. Level 18


    Level 18 was not bad from what Matt had seen of this group but a whole 10 levels below his own. He has heard quite a lot about this guy from Rohm and Franklin but would reserve his own judgement for now. He could also feel that the man had a blessing of some sort but there was no telling from which god. It turned out he wouldn¡¯t have to wait long since the lord had finally crossed the distance from the mech to the small group.


    ¡°Governor Franklin.¡± Alfron began, his tone very condescending. He then addressed Rohm ¡°Captain Rohm, is that your construct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Alfron, I was¡­¡± Rohm began before he was cut off by Alfron who turned and addressed Matt.


    ¡°And you. I assume that the other one is yours?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we just got here.¡± Matt said, waving his hand to Tobias. ¡°We were just¡­¡±


    Alfron cut him off before he could say any more. ¡°I will have you know that failing to have your construct standing in the marshaling yard is a punishable offense. Since you are new, I will let it slide this time.¡±


    Matt dead panned him for a moment before responding. ¡°I am not one of your guards to order around. We only arrived here less than an hour ago and were negoi¡­¡± Matt was cut off again and the pattern was becoming obvious.


    ¡°Then consider yourself conscripted.¡± Alfron sneered. ¡°You will take your construct to the marshaling yard with captain Rohm and then we can see about fixing the exterior.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Matt asked, skipping past the first part. He planned to circle back to that in a more creative manner. Franklin and Rohm seemed to be ok with Matt handling the situation on his own for now.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Alfron sputtered. ¡°It¡¯s garish and completely unsightly. It is dishonorable to try and conceal yourself on the field of battle. And further¡­¡±


    Now it was Matt¡¯s turn to cut him off. ¡°Bullets and blades don¡¯t care about honor. I will not be a conscript in your frankly unimpressive military. So, you can take all this talk of rules and gallantry and shove them up your ass for all I care.¡± Surprisingly, Matt was allowed to finish his sentence, most likely because Alfron was just staring at him, mouth handing open and face turning red.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± The stunned man unfortunately didn¡¯t stay that way for long. ¡°Such gross insubordination from a level zero. I will cut you down myself. I challenge you to a duel!¡± the last part was shouted and everyone that hadn¡¯t already been looking at them was now staring in shock.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Alfron was stunned again. ¡°What do you mean no? Are you a coward after all?¡±


    Matt sighed. ¡°I mean no because dueling is stupid. All that happens is one or both people die, leaving the city no better off.¡±  Matt paused then turned to the Governor, having an idea float through his mind. He couldn¡¯t be sure if it was his or if it was Van¡¯s influence, but it stuck. ¡°Frank, is this guy really necessary? It seems he is doing more harm than good.¡±


    After a moment to consider, Franklin gave his assessment. ¡°He is the only commander we have.¡± After a pause, he continued. ¡°Unless your offer stands?¡±


    Matt nodded then turned back to the still red-faced lord. ¡°I guess you are in luck, I changed my mind. So how does this duel work? Want to use our constructs or do we duke it out on foot?¡±


    ¡°Humph, I see you found a spine after all, pity you¡¯ll never get any levels to actually use it.¡± Again, Alfron sneered, looking Matt up and down. ¡°Let¡¯s fight on foot, I don¡¯t want to damage your construct core when I kill you.¡± He then promptly turned and strutted out into the open field next to the where the interaction had taken place. He scraped his heel over a spot in the ground then walked about 50 meters and did it again.


    Tobias was giving him a look that read ¡®I hope you know what you are doing¡¯ and followed them toward the area that Alfron had picked. There was nothing of value in the area and the only back drop was the walls of the city. The growing crowd of spectators decided to stay back on the other side of the road, keeping a few hundred meters between them and the hasty arena.


    Matt understood what it was Alfron had marked out, starting points. With a smile at the others, he put his helmet back on and took his place. Rohm began to follow, saying he could officiate, but Franklin decided to take that role. He said it would bring some legitimacy to the fight.


    ¡°Any rules?¡± Matt called out to Alfron.


    ¡°To the death.¡± The man shouted back as he drew his pistol and saber. Matt noted he used his left hand for the pistol and his right for the sword. Matt shrugged and pulled out his rifle, getting in a squared off stance with his muzzle pointed down, mimicking Alfron.


    ¡°If there is no way to resolve this peacefully?¡± Franklin questioned, seeing 2 head shakes he sighed. ¡°Then, in 3¡­2¡­1. Begin!¡±


    Alfron was the first to move, mostly because Matt wanted to see what he would do. He leveled his pistol at Matt and fired, the round went very wide, passing to the left of his torso by what felt like more than an arm span. With a yell, he charged, saber low and behind with the revolver still pointed at Matt. Alfron began to cock the hammer to fire another shot but that was when Matt acted.


    Snapping his rifle up, Matt flipped the selector switch, rotating past semi and straight to auto. He centered his sight on Alfron¡¯s chest while he was still 30 meters away, then pulled and held the trigger. A long burst of over a dozen rounds crossed the distance in a flash and hit the man in the chest plate. There must have been some defense skill active since Matt noticed mana rushing to the area along with a yellow shimmer rippling from the impacts. Still, regardless of the penetration, it stopped Alfron in his tracks. Matt then let loose a second burst, this time imbued with his plasma affinity.


    There was no stopping the second burst that Matt fired. 5 rounds, all imbued with his plasma, ripped right through both the front and back of the armor, carrying a spray of metal and viscera out the back. He saw a burst of light and mana as the first broke the protective shield, but nothing after the man dropped to the ground in a heap. Advancing a little further, Matt saw he was still alive, so he moved at an angle to see the man¡¯s face. The expression was of fear and disbelief. Matt just stopped 10 meters away, looking him in the eyes.


    ¡°To the death.¡± Was all Matt said before he put a final round through Alfron¡¯s head, ending the fight.  As he turned to face Franklin and the crowd of now stunned onlookers, his rear camera picked up on some movement. In the distance, next to all the other constructs around the barracks, one fell face down into the dirt. The onlookers from the duel all began whispering to each other but not loud enough for Matt to hear over the distance.


    Matt stood over the body of the former commander. ¡°Pathetic. Not even a level out of you.¡± He said to the corpse. The fight was exactly as he expected, short and brutal. Matt didn¡¯t want to stretch the experience out and longer than it had to be.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about killing the man. On one hand it wasn¡¯t Matt¡¯s first time taking a human life but on the other it was very sudden, the circumstances feeling odd to him. Hearing footsteps he looked up to see Tobias walking up to him with Franklin and Rohm hanging back, eyes wide with an unfamiliar expression on their faces.


    ¡°Tamp it down bro.¡± Tobias said.


    It took Matt a moment to figure out what Tobias was talking about, but then realized his aura was flaring out over the area around him. He reigned it in and Tobias gave him a nod, walking over and clapping him on the shoulder. ¡°I got to figure that aura shit out. I can¡¯t keep letting it go nuts when I¡¯m not paying attention to it.¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Tobias turned to the other 2, still waiting at a distance and waved them over. ¡°It¡¯s not the most convenient but it doesn¡¯t actually hurt anything. Well, it doesn¡¯t hurt them yet. After it¡¯s changes at your evolution there is no telling how powerful it will get in the future.¡±


    Matt turned to Franklin who had made his way over. ¡°So, what now?¡±


    The orc hesitated for a moment. ¡°Um, well. Everything he had is yours by right of conquest. His title, position, equipment and other belongings all rightfully belong to you now.¡± Rohm was nodding along, seemingly confirming the words.


    Thinking about it for a minute, Matt came to a decision. ¡°His construct goes to the forge for Tobias to do whatever with. As for his other things, give it to whoever needs it.¡± Matt took a breath, steeling himself for the next part. ¡°I want neither his title nor position. I am happy to take an advisory role, but I will not be the commander of the fighting forces.¡± He looked at Franklin. ¡°I leave you to pick the next commander.¡±


    Without missing a beat, Franklin clapped Rohm on the back. ¡°Well Rohm, I think it goes without saying, as the next most senior in the chain of command, this falls on you.¡±


    Rohm didn¡¯t exactly look happy about the situation, but his aura felt more determined than anything else. Matt didn¡¯t know of the succession before but seeing as Rohm was the only other person he knew; it was fine by him.


    Rohm bowed deeply from the waist and addressed Matt specifically. ¡°Thank you, Matt. You have done a great service by removing that tyrant from our midst. I will not let you down.¡± He stood straight again before continuing. ¡°I have a small request. Can you address the rest of the pilots and inform them of the change and your plans?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do you one better.¡± Matt said, looking to both Franklin and Rohm. ¡°Gather anyone that is a combat focused person and have them assemble for a quick meeting. Um, on second thought. How many people is that?¡± Matt had to back pedal on his statement, unsure of how much he was biting off.


    ¡°Of our 50 thousand citizens, give or take, about half had originally wanted to focus on combat related classes. Not all are of a soldiering profession like pilots, probably only a quarter of our total, probably less.¡± Franklin said as he rubbed his chin.


    ¡°Ok, so 10 to 15 thousand?¡± Matt asked getting a nod from Rohm. ¡°Shit that¡¯s a lot more than I thought. Hmm, here is the plan. Frank, can you survey the populace to find out who wants to be military so we can get firm numbers?¡± Getting another nod, he moved to Rohm. ¡°I will go with you to meet the pilots today.¡±


    ¡°We should probably schedule a meeting for broad plans if there are major changes being made.¡± Tobias said to Franklin. ¡°How about with us and a few key leaders?¡±


    ¡°Sounds great.¡± Franklin said. ¡°I will calm the masses and get things ready. How about we meet tomorrow morning?¡±


    Matt and Tobias agreed. Rohm lead the group to the pilot¡¯s area where a crowd had already gathered around Alfron¡¯s fallen construct. A few saw them coming and ran over after spotting Rohm.


    ¡°Captain Rohm, what¡¯s happening?¡± asked an elf as she got close enough.


    ¡°Alfron is dead. He tried to honor duel Matt here and lost. He lost badly, not even getting a hit in.¡± Rohm told her.


    ¡°You must be joking.¡± She looked at Matt, a funny look appearing on her face.


    Matt saw where this was going and stowed his hood in his storage ring. The elf gasped and covered her mouth. Rohm looked shocked at the reveal, finally being able to see Matts level. Franklin was behind Matt, muttering under his breath about stupidity and foolishness.


    The elf woman immediately bowed and spoke to Matt. ¡°Commander Matt, I apologize. Please forgive me for not showing the proper respect.¡±


    Rohm facepalmed while Tobias laughed. Matt raised her up so he could talk to her properly. ¡°I am not the commander. I don¡¯t want his title and passed it to Rohm.¡± Seeing the confused look on her face he continued. ¡°My name is Matt Shultz, I¡¯m new to the city, just arriving an hour ago. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I am called Jess, lord Matt.¡±


    ¡°Knock it off with the lord stuff. I don¡¯t care about titles and come from a nation with a rocky history involving nobility.¡± He looked her up and down, seeing that she was not wearing the plate armor of other pilots. ¡°I assume you are a pilot? What is your specialty?¡± He had identified her as a level 6 but, as per usual, didn¡¯t get more than race and level.


    ¡°Well, I am auxiliary. Lord Alfron didn¡¯t care for women in ¡°His¡± guard but couldn¡¯t do anything sine myself and a few other women are pilots.¡± She shot a nervous look at Rohm who just smiled kindly.


    ¡°Rohm, what is the average level of pilot?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°I would guess that of the 200 of us that only 30 are above level 10.¡± Seeing the look from Matt, he explained. ¡°Lord Alfron kept us in a guard position. We rarely fought anything with most of us only getting to where we are because of the 5 levels we got from the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Alright Rohm, Jess. Gather the pilots for a quick meeting. This shit is changing now.¡±


    Both of them sped away, Jess running to the barracks with Rohm going to the group of pilots. Matt confirmed with Franklin that he would be present for this meeting to prevent any hearsay and back Matt¡¯s story. He went to go retrieve his mech while Tobias walked with Franklin over to the marshaling yard. Diverting slightly back to the scene of the duel, Matt shoved the corpse into his storage. No sense leaving it out in the sun.


    Matt climbed in the mech and moved over to the assembled pilots. Van began commenting on his fight after getting a quick brief on the situation. The general theme of Van¡¯s thoughts was he wished it was a mech fight so he could properly crush the man. Matt promised that they would have future fights but for now he had to have a talk with his ¡°peers¡±.


    It would be said by everyone present that this was not the most inspiring speech and indeed left the majority of those gathered rather confused. Matt approached in his mech, he knelt and left a hand hovering above the ground so everyone could see him when he stood there. Looking out to the small crowd, he saw all the various races, elves, felids, humans, and a scattering of other beast folk, even what he thought were a couple dwarves.


    Taking off his helmet, he cleared his throat and began to address the group. ¡°Hello. My name is Matt, I traveled here with my friend Tobias. We arrived not long ago, and it seems I found a bit of trouble parading around in the guise of a ¡°commander¡±¡±. There was a little laugh from some of them, proving once again that Alfron was not well liked. ¡°He challenged me to a duel about honor or something and he lost.¡±


    ¡°The end result is that Rohm is now the commander of the military in this city since, frankly, I couldn¡¯t be bothered with that.¡± Another laugh but more strange looks. ¡°I will be acting as an advisor to Rohm for now with our first task being to fix all the mistakes that have been made. You have been on the ground for the same amount of time that I have, but your levels are just¡­ awful.¡±  A couple people nodded but even more looked offended until they identified Matt and saw the disparity.


    Matt continued for a little while longer, telling the pilots that there would be a more formal meeting the next day. He fielded a handful of questions about some of the plans but deflected most of them until the next day. Thankfully, Rohm took over and dismissed the crowd, telling them to return to their duties for now. Before leaving, Rohm offered him space in the barracks, but Matt declined, saying that he would camp out tonight.


    Rohm took his leave, promising to get a list of pilots, their roles and questions or complaints for the meeting the following afternoon. After he left, Franklin invited Matt and Tobias on a brief tour of the settlement. He explained that it could not be referred to as a city until the local area was ¡°subjugated¡±. He said there had to be a greater average level of the populace than the local beasts which grew in level moving outward from the walls. At a certain range, the settlement would become a city and there would be additional stages to the growth after that.


    Matt was unaware of this but was able to confirm the levels increasing in the forest the farther out they went. While they talked, Franklin guided them to a small building with nothing inside except a table, some crude chairs and a map. The map being hand drawn and showing the city and the surrounding area. He explained that they only had accurate surveys a kilometer from the walls and the rest was just based on visual observation from the walls themselves.


    Another map, much more heavily marked than the first, showed the star shape of the settlement. This one had a series of grid lines lightly overlaid showing a much more accurate scale. The settlement had 6 points to the star with the V between each point having a gate. The internal size was a little hard to pin down, but Matt saw that from inside point to its opposite was over 6 kilometers across.


    There were markers for a few building projects and Tobias asked how they built the walls so quickly. They then had a half hour explanation of how the settlement point system worked and what Franklin had decided to do.


    ¡°Ya see, in the tutorial we were all given some basic guidance on our classes, mine focused more heavily on my governor class than my defender class. After I made it to level 5 and selected my first skill, I was allowed to open the city planning and control hub. It is populated with a basic city, and you can trade based on that value.¡± Franklin paused to make sure they were still following along.


    ¡°I chose to forgo some of the niceties in favor of a better location, resource wise, and a better perimeter wall. I only kept the forge since I was hoping to get a Forge Master like I said earlier. The way I see it, we can build everything else and buy things from the forge if we cant.¡± Franklin explained.


    ¡°So, the forge can make buildings?¡± Tobias asked.


    ¡°Well, no. It can make tools and some things like a metal forge or any parts but it¡¯s a hefty sum. You can offset the cost to summon those items if you have designs, materials or are replicating something that was already made.¡± Franklin looked a little ashamed of his admission.


    ¡°Smart play.¡± Matt said, giving Franklin a thumbs up.


    ¡°Oh, well someone finally thinks so.¡± The orc laughed. ¡°Truth be told I think the novelty wore off after the first week of roughing it. We focused on housing and kitchens before anything else. I wanted to make sure the people are fed and housed first.¡±


    ¡°What resources are in the area?¡± Tobias asked. ¡°You said that you picked a better location. What did you mean?¡±


    Franklin pulled out the map of the surrounding area again and pointed to some marked locations farther out than the 1-kilometer survey range. ¡°The hub showed me a general layout of the area with resources that could be found. Here we have metal deposits, doesn¡¯t say what kind so don¡¯t ask. And over here is plenty of stone for buildings. There are mineral deposits to the south a way and of course we have plenty of water and wood around.¡± He stopped there and looked back to them. ¡°I am hoping you will be able to give us some insight to what lies deeper in them woods and some ways to make it safer in here. We have our first system event coming up in a couple months and I¡¯m a little nervous about it.¡±


    Matt was excited and asked the question before Tobias could. ¡°What kind of event?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a settlement defense. I hear from the tutors that it will be the early make or break for any city.¡± Franklin deadpanned.

 Chapter 21 – Meetings and Demonstrations.

    Chapter 21 ¨C Meetings and Demonstrations.


    Matt woke up bright and early the day after they found the city. He had decided to just sleep in the mech, stretched out on the walkway to either side of the seat. It wasn¡¯t his best night of sleep, but he had worse in the past and he only needed a few hours as of late. He popped the hatch and hoped down from the mech, walking to meet Tobias at the map shack for breakfast. The small building was also where Franklin would be bringing the various leaders at some point that morning.


    After the map tour Franklin had given them, Tobias had elected to wander around for a while on his own. Matt originally wanted to follow him, but Tobias said he was just going to walk the walls before crashing at the map building. Matt had let him be, knowing that Tobias could handle himself and they had the radios just in case. He was also still mulling over the System event that was still a ways out.


    Opening the door to the small building, Matt found his friend just sitting up from his bed roll on the floor. ¡°Morning sunshine.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Ah, sup.¡± Tobias said with a yawn. ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡±


    Matt then left to set up the cook stove and start breakfast, well he started coffee first since he tried to have his priorities straight. Sure enough, Tobias wandered out and followed his nose to the cup of coffee Matt had set aside for him. The food was just a dehydrated meal of some kind of sweetened oats and left over venison that he fried in a pan with salt and pepper. The food was simple but would keep them going, especially Matt who didn¡¯t feel as hungry after his evolution.


    ¡°Thanks man.¡± Tobias said as he sat and sipped his coffee. ¡°Any sign of Frank or his people?¡±


    ¡°Not yet but it¡¯s still early.¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, Matt spotted a gaggle of people walking down a road leading to some of the long houses. He immediately picked out Franklin since he stood head and shoulders above the rest. Matt waved as he spotted him and got a wave in return. Matt and Tobias topped off their mugs and waited for the party to come to them since the shack was the agreed upon place.


    Matt was the first to greet the group of people, mostly Franklin but the rest were included by proxy. ¡°Morning Chief. Are these the folks you wanted us to meet?¡±


    ¡°Ha, chief. I never thought I would be called that again.¡± Franklin laughed. ¡°Yup, this here is everyone that has a hand in planning the future of our city.¡± He went on to introduce everyone and what they did. It was an eclectic group, not only in race but also in the jobs they had. There was a cartographer, black smith, engineer, and other crafting or trade types.


    It was shortly after the introduction had finished that Rohm wandered up to the group. He looked tired, ears drooping, and eyelids half closed. Matt felt for the man so handed him his nearly full cup of coffee. Rohm accepted it, sniffed, and then took a little sip before letting out a long sigh. One little sip seemed to set him in the right mood, and he perked up as Franklin introduced his group to Matt and Tobias.


    ¡°This here is Matt, a pilot that came to us yesterday and the primary reason that we don¡¯t have to deal with Alfron anymore.¡± Several in the group perked up, looking at Matt with newfound respect. ¡°His friend Tobias is a forge master and they both have offered their help at the cost of some friendship. I would also like to reintroduce Commander Rohm who has taken over the combatants of our city.¡±


    Several of the crowd looked confusedly from Matt to Rohm before Matt filled them in. ¡°I didn¡¯t want the position and after lord dipshit picked the wrong fight, Rohm was next in line.¡± A few nods and mumbled words of understanding rippled through them. Matt heard Tobias whisper to Rohm, asking if it was a rough night. The Felid mumbled something about filling him in later.


    One of the people in the group went in and retrieved the 2 maps. She pinned them to the wall outside the shack so everyone could see without crowding around a table. Franklin began speaking after she was done.


    ¡°Thanks Alyssa. So, Matt, where do we begin?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about the ongoing works and what the current priorities are. No sense in covering things multiple times.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Franklin began to lay out what the current plans called for. ¡°We have enough long houses to put a roof over our heads but it¡¯s not ideal. Nobody is particularly thrilled about them. We are currently working on some of the crafter¡¯s shops, we wanted to put them near the forge to make a sort of manufacturing district.¡±


    Matt could see the foundation in the distance and now knew what they were. The governor continued his explanation and how the roads were laid out. But stopped after some generalized plans, not anything concrete. The roads were a spoke pattern in the middle with an exterior ring road running along the interior points of the star. Matt noticed that there wasn¡¯t anything planned for the inside points of the star and had some ideas about that.


    After a brief consideration Matt broke his plan into 3 main groups. He divided it into military, along the perimeter, and crafter or civilian, in the middle. The third was what he called quality of life, he had to ask about that since he didn¡¯t know about resources just yet.


    ¡°Here are my thoughts. Let¡¯s leave the division of combat and crafters like this.¡± Matt borrowed a pencil and traced a line just inside the ring road. ¡°Everything outside the ring road will be for defenses and everything inside will be housing, crafting and entertainment.¡± There were a few mumbles at the mention of entertainment. ¡°Do we have any public spaces set up or is it all open air?¡±


    One of the engineers stepped forward and spoke. ¡°There was some debate yesterday about diverting resources from the pilots to helping make some other things.¡± The man spoke in a quiet voice, his aura showing some fear. Matt smiled and gestured for him to continue. ¡°Some of us proposed the idea of making some bath houses and building some rough pavilions that could act as bars or restaurants for a little while.¡±


    ¡°Great idea.¡± Matt said, getting a genuine smile in return. ¡°Those will go aways to helping to ease tensions and give our people something to do. Even if these structures become defunct, we can repurpose them later.¡± Matt looked to Rohm next. ¡°Rohm, you and I will be putting the pilots and other combat classes to work, I¡¯ll detail that later, but the building teams will have no shortage of wood and stone in the near future.¡±


    ¡°Where are you getting these materials from?¡± the cartographer asked.


    ¡°We will be clearing a much larger perimeter around the walls. The 300 or so meters from wall to woods is not enough. I think we should make use of the materials rather than just burning it all back or something.¡±


    Franklin gave Matt the side eye. ¡°What do you mean 300 meters isn¡¯t enough?¡± Rohm also looked interested in the answer as he moved around to join the crowd.


    ¡°Why would it be?¡± Matt asked back.


    Rohm was the one to answer. ¡°That¡¯s as far as our weapons are effective to. Sure, we can lob rounds farther but not with any accuracy.¡±


    Matt and Tobias shared a look before the forge master took the reins. ¡°Matt¡¯s personal weapon can engage targets accurately to 1000 meters. In his mech, we engaged golems past 2 kilometers, with effective accuracy and damage.¡± Matt summoned his rifle and held it for the crowd to see.


    ¡°I¡¯m calling you out on that one.¡± One of the acolytes from the forge said. ¡°There is no way that is possible. Our weapons are highly advanced already and can¡¯t manage that.¡±


    Tobias was the one to respond. ¡°Advanced for you perhaps, not for us. We come from a very technologically advanced world where some fights were settled from dozens of kilometers away because of the weaponry available.¡±


    Franklin, who had witnessed the duel proposed a solution. ¡°Matt, would you be willing to give us a demonstration?¡± Rohm also looked excited, wanting to see the results.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Sure, lets head outside and I¡¯ll show you.¡± Matt said as he started walking to his mech. The crowd followed along mumbling among themselves about how it was a lot of big talk. Matt went to his mech while the rest of the group continued to the nearest gate. He briefly explained what was going on to Van as they followed behind. A few of the pilots also got curious and trailed behind, wondering what was going on.


    Once they got outside the gate, Matt hopped out and wandered over to Franklin. ¡°So, pick a target out there, probably something that would show a hit well.¡±


    ¡°How about those rocks, over at the edge of the woods.¡± Franklin pointed to a few boulders sticking out of the ground, moss covering most of their upper surface. The pile of stone was a little over 400 meters by Matts estimation.


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    Clearly not expecting the question Franklin hesitated before responding. ¡°Um, the 2<sup>nd</sup> from the left?¡±


    Matt nodded and stepped away from the group of pilots and city planners. He gave them a little distance while he put his helmet on, not wanting to deafen them. Raising his rifle, he aimed at the fated rock. Pulling the trigger once, a shot rang out and a splash of steel and copper hit the rock dead center, sending moss flying out. He looked back to the spectators.


    ¡°Lucky shot!¡± one of them yelled. Matt just turned back to the target and proceeded to slow fire 20 rounds into the rock. Every single one hitting the middle, spraying dust and moss everywhere. He only stopped at 20 because the rock cracked and broke apart. He slung his rifle and walked back over.


    ¡°So, just luck huh?¡± He asked the man that had called him out. From the edge of his vision, he could see the pilots had gathered and were muttering amongst themselves. One of them looking at his own rifle with a frown.


    ¡°How about you show the autocannon?¡± Tobias prompted. ¡°Next rock to the right and work your way down the line if my prediction is accurate.¡±


    Matt just climbed into the mech and raised his cannon, sighting in on the boulder. One round and it split down the middle, he moved to the next and repeated the process. 10 shots later, he stopped and ejected the magazine, setting it on the ground. He climbed out and waved the crowd to approach, pilots included.


    ¡°This is only a fraction of the technology we want to employ, there are many other arms that will allow men on foot to take down a construct.¡± Tobias said to the gathered people. ¡°Matt, since you have a good number of them already, do you want to do your thing with the pilots?¡±


    Matt nodded and waved them over before talking to Franklin who still looked stunned. ¡°Hey Frank, I¡¯m going to chat with the pilots now and ill circle back to you. I want to go over some ideas I had about the combat area of the city.¡± He looked to Tobias. ¡°You are too. Go check out the forge and I¡¯ll call you on the radio when I¡¯m done here.¡±


    Tobias agreed and departed with the rest of the group. Matt heard him trying to explain what a radio was as they left. Rohm walked over to Matt and told him that he had sent a runner to get the rest of the pilots.


    ¡°That was quite the demonstration.¡± Rohm said. ¡°I am very interested in the details of this autocannon I think you called it.¡±


    ¡°I can show you some time. I want to do a review of your weapons as well. I know of their type but never used one in person where I come from.¡± Matt said. ¡°Our world developed guns like your hundreds of years before I was born, much less before I enlisted. It turns out one thing our world was good at was making weapons.¡±


    ¡°I am both intrigued and horrified.¡± Rohm said with a chuckle. ¡°I must ask. Does it bother you, the whole killing a man thing.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Matt did not expect that question. ¡°Being honest, the circumstance was weird but no. I killed men before the System and I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be the last.¡± He considered his next words and how he wanted to express them. ¡°There will always be people that need killing. All kinds of them. Bad people, good people and those that are somewhere in between. I would prefer to do things peacefully, but I don¡¯t think that will always be possible with how this System has arranged things.¡±


    Rohm didn¡¯t say anything for a minute but then seemed to come to a decision. ¡°I think you are right. I pray to find the courage of my convictions when the time comes.¡± As he walked away to greet the pilots, Matt was deep in thought. I might have to introduce the concepts of chaplains. Mental health is probably going to be a problem, a big problem.


    Matt zoned back into Rohm talking to the pilots. ¡°¡­He has some plans for how things are going to progress, and we will be part of it. As a reminder, he has my full backing in the development of our defenses which includes us.¡± He looked to Matt who stepped forward to address the gathering.


    ¡°Here is the deal, we need to make a larger exclusion zone around the walls. This 300-meter range we have is nowhere near enough. Frankly, I would like to get a few kilometers but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen right away so I will settle for doubling our current amount.¡± Matt said. He saw a few starting to question him but the pilots that witnessed his demonstration filled them in.


    ¡°The crafting focused people will need a lot of timber and stone for their construction so we will be helping them. We will be using our constructs to aid in this process.¡± Matt paused to let that sink in. just as he was about to continue a hand raised. Matt pointed to the man and gestured for him to speak.


    ¡°Why are we helping them? Can¡¯t they do it themselves?¡±


    ¡°They could but not as fast. Besides, this whole combat versus crafter divide ends yesterday.¡± There were some grumblings, but he pressed on. ¡°Tell me, who built your barracks? Who is making the products that you will use? The food you will eat?¡± He paused again. ¡°Just because they don¡¯t focus on combat doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t contribute, this city needs to grow stronger and quickly, giving them materials helps their classes and gives them stats.¡±


    ¡°I will also be meeting with non-pilot combat focused people and roping them in to all this. Where I come from, our constructs would be worthless without infantry and artillery supporting them. After we settle our perimeter, I plan to introduce all of you to what is called a combined arms strategy.¡± Pausing once again to gauge reactions, he pressed on. ¡°Just because a fight isn¡¯t happening now doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t.¡±


    Rohm decided to be the new front man for the pilots. ¡°Lord Matt¡± He began but back tracked after the look Matt shot him. ¡°Eh, Matt. How should we organize?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way. Anyone that has a melee weapon for their construct fit for felling trees raise your hands.¡± Matt counted 13 hands raised above the crowd. ¡°Alright you 13 front and center. Everyone else will form groups evenly amongst them. Half of each group will be dragging felled trees inside the walls; the other half will provide security in case we stir up and critters.¡±


    Rohm stepped up and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°I can lead this operation and direct the materials toward the sawmill. There should be a group amassing made up of those combat focused people that are not pilots. Franklin was having them meet at the forge for you to talk to.¡±


    Matt thanked him and climbed back into the mech, making his way inside and toward the forge. He hoped Tobias would be there with good news. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to making it up on the fly for over 10 thousand people and would have to organize them into groups to train individually. Maybe I can get Frank to help me with this.


    Matt made his way to the forge, he had to circle around the ring road to get to it since he didn¡¯t want to cut through all the people in the center of the city. This gave him a chance to see the living conditions. It wasn¡¯t great.


    He passed dozens of the long houses on his way. Each one looked to hold at least 100 people if not more. Spaced around were several pavilions acting as kitchens for the people, covering the work area but no seating for dining. He remembered one of the city planners mentioning a shortage of wood for building and it seemed that Matts plan would help in more than just the security of the city.


    When Matt actually arrived, he was somewhat stunned at the size of the building. It was at least 5 stories and ran almost 200 meters per side. There were a series of large hangar doors running down 2 neighboring sides of the building. Each door large enough to fit his mech with plenty of room to spare. He stopped outside one of the open doors and dismounted to walk in on foot.


    The inside of the forge was absolutely breath taking in more than one way. Inside each of the doors was a large rectangular pad that looked just like the one from the exchange. Connected to the pad was a series of display and control terminals. He looked up and, on the ceiling, there were many manipulator arms set on tracks. A low railing separated each pad from the rest of the work floor.


    Beyond the high visibility safety railing, Matt saw an open area which was clearly designated to be a machine shop. Unfortunately, instead of the lathes, mills, saws, or C&C equipment he expected, there were rows of cots. Dozens upon dozens of cots stretched over the area. In the corner, near what looked to be an office, stood Tobias with a cluster of people gathered around him.


    Tobias was in the middle of a planning session with those gathered around him but noticed Matt approaching. ¡°Ah Matt, just in time. We, um, need to have a talk with Frank about this forge.¡±


    ¡°Is it a forge, warehouse or barracks?¡± Matt quipped back.


    ¡°Well, what it is and what it¡¯s supposed to be are kind of linked.¡± He pointed to the office. ¡°If you will join us in there, we can go over what I discovered.¡±


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure about what had been ¡°discovered¡± but from the tone of his friend¡¯s voice, it could be amazing, bad, or both. He managed to pick his way through the crowd and followed Tobias into the office while those outside disperses a little. Inside was a few desks with monitors atop them, white boards of some kind, and a few waist high black tables. Around one of those tables sat Franklin and a lizard person that Matt didn¡¯t remember seeing before.


    ¡°Matt, glad you could join us. I would like to introduce Mike, our lead forge acolyte, and the senior representative of their group.¡± The green scaled man offered a hand to shake, Matt took it, noticing it was rather warm to the touch.


    ¡°Pleased to meet you. I hope we can finally make some progress on gods be damned building. We have been scratching our heads for weeks trying to figure out how to access the systems in here.¡±


    Tobias wandered over with a couple stools to sit on. ¡°It seems we need to have a discussion about credits. The news is, not the best but not the worst either.¡±


    Franklin and Matt sighed and at the same time asked the question. ¡°How much?¡±

 Chapter 22 – Pay to Play

    Chapter 22 ¨C Pay to Play


    ¡°How much?¡± Matt and Franklin asked at the same time.


    Tobias just looked at them and smirked. ¡°Well that all depends on what you want.¡±


    ¡°Get to it. Just tell us what the deal is so we can make a decision.¡± Matt said. He knew Tobias had a little flare for drama at times.


    ¡°Ok, ok. So, it goes like this. The building is technically tier locked. As a forge master, I was able to unlock the base functions of this office and the forge hub. Everything besides the construct pads needs to be purchased.¡± Tobias started but was cut off.


    ¡°I am so sorry; I thought the forge was ready to go when it was included. I didn¡¯t know it had some functions that couldn¡¯t be accessed.¡± Franklin apologized.


    Tobias just smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone knew that, but it does lead to the next part of our problem. We need to decide on what to purchase and in what order. There are several categories with many options in each. Our limit will be the average level of the forge workers, when it comes to what we can buy.¡±


    Tobias went on to explain that they started with a level one forge that upgraded to a level 2 when Tobias arrived and touched a control panel. That action had allowed access to the restricted areas on this level. The formerly restricted area happened to be the design and purchasing lab they were standing in.


    The black table they were sitting around was a design table and could be used for 3d renderings that could be stored or sent to the pads outside. Any object could be summoned¡­ for a cost. Tobias explained that there were ways to offset that cost such as using your own design, copying an existing item, and putting your own materials into it.


    The example Tobias used was to summon a sword. If he wanted to summon a sword, he could use the shop feature and pick from a list of items and enchantments. The cost in credits to do this was astronomical, but it could be done. If he input his own design, the cost would be lessened, it would go down even more if he supplied the design and raw materials. It turned out that replication was also possible but was limited to consumable or expendable items and instead of credits, it cost mana.


    Franklin had a frown for the first time that Matt had seen. ¡°At this rate we would run out of credits very quickly.¡± He looked at each of them and continued. ¡°I personally donated all my remaining credits to the settlement coffers. There was already a good amount in there from my selections when designing the city, but they won¡¯t last long with the cost of these items.¡±


    ¡°I would be willing to donate some of mine to help with the startup costs or to get some of the things I personally want.¡± Tobias said. ¡°But that¡¯s not all. These summoning pads are a 2-way street. We can sell things from them to the system, getting credits in return.¡±


    Tobias then went on another very long-winded explanation of how it worked. The general idea was that the more refined a material was, the more they could sell it for. He used the example of iron. If they sold the ore, the price was set by the ton but if it was refined and smelted into ingots, the price was set by kilos. They could also work it into a steel or other alloys to get even more. The more work they were willing to do themselves, the more they would get in return. They could also sell completed items. If a jeweler made a strength enhancing ring or something similar, they could sell it through the forge for what appeared to be a hefty sum.


    ¡°So, this is where I make my recommendations.¡± Tobias had the same look and tone as when he had to deal with the board of directors. ¡°I say we meta game the system. If we sink costs upfront, we can get a jump start on our production. I also think we should fill the machine shop and expand the forge.¡±


    Mike perked up at that. ¡°What do you mean expand the forge?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the final layout of the building. We can upgrade it not only in capability with our levels, but also in size. If we open the pads up to everyone to use as they wish, we can prevent a bottle neck in their use by having more available. We can also set the fee to use them at whatever we want.¡± Tobias briefly outlined his plan for the pads.


    Franklin thought about it for a while and after some discussion with the others, they came to the decision to set a 5% use fee for the pads. That was only for the selling of items since the cost to buy things was so high at the moment. They also decided on their purchases. They went with an expanded forge that had a foundry for refining ores into useable metals. The area reserved for the machine shop was then cleared out of cots with much grumbling from everyone there. Then Tobias went wild and bought every piece of level 2 equipment he could find.


    Matt decided to donate half of his remaining funds to the coffers of the forge since he would most likely be directly benefiting from it. Franklin and Mike looked absolutely flabbergasted at the amount he so casually spent. The governor muttered something about it being more than his current reserves for the city. Within the blink of an eye, the room was filled with machines and Tobias nearly danced on his way out to inspect it all.


    The amount of equipment was astounding. There were multiples of everything that Tobias bought so there wouldn¡¯t be choke points on equipment. When purchasing, he had designated the spots for it all to go, and the scattered light show proved that the system had installed them automatically. After he reviewed the layout, Tobias gathered the acolytes and started showing them the equipment. They seemed to have forgotten that they now had to find new places to live in light of the shiny new tools.


    Franklin and Matt decided to let the forge staff do their thing, since they had another meeting to attend. They walked out of the forge and found a sizeable gathering forming on the grassy lawn nearby. It wasn¡¯t the full amount that Franklin had estimated but folks seemed to still be trickling in. Matt walked over to one of the larger groups to enlist their help with his plan.


    ¡°Hi folks. Think I could get your help with something?¡± Matt asked the group of around 50.


    One elf stepped forward and offered a hand. ¡°My name is Kleis. I think we can make something happen.¡±


    ¡°Good to meet you, I am Matt. I was hoping that we could have the crowd break up by class and then send a few representatives for me to talk to. That way I¡¯m not trying to shout to a huge crowd. ¡°


    Kleis looked over his shoulder and got nods from his group. ¡°I think we can manage that. It might take us some time, but we will see it done.¡±


    Matt smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Thanks, Kleis. It looks like we have most of the folks here so send them my way when ready.¡± With that, they had a quick huddle then split off in pairs. Matt watched them go, just observing how they handled the process.


    After about half an hour, the crowd of several thousand had been divided into tight groups arranges across the lawn. Before Matt could even think to start calling people over, each group had around 8 to 10 representatives break away and head for Matt and Franklin.


    As they arrived, they bowed before introducing themselves. Matt knew he wouldn¡¯t remember all the names as he was surrounded by nearly 100 people. He did note that a good number of them were from Kleis¡¯ group. After the last of them came up, Matt settled them all down and got started.


    ¡°Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Matt and I hear you all want to focus on your combat classes.¡± He got nods and words of acknowledgement from everyone. ¡°Great, first things first. Don¡¯t bow to me or call me lord. I am not a noble and don¡¯t need any special treatment for my ego. Second, this is going to be an introduction and a chance to organize. We will not be training today or assigning specific roles.¡± He saw some disappointed looks but a lot more understanding faces in the gathering.


    Matt went on to outline how things would be working now. He told them that there were no restrictions on leaving the gates to hunt and level but did advise caution. He found out that there was a relatively large healer crowd, and many had a healer class secondary to their combat classes. They briefly covered party composition, but it seemed that they would be working in larger groups until they had higher levels. A move that both Franklin and Matt agreed with.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Franklin then took over and told them that the forge would be up and running soon. He went into detail about the selling aspect of the forge but asked them to check with other crafters before selling. Everyone agreed that it was better to level the people of the city before they sent resources away to who knows where.


    Matt dismissed them with the ask that they come check in with him in a few days. He said that it wasn¡¯t micromanaging but wanted updates to adjust his plans. They all promised to stay in touch and dispersed back to their groups.


    Matt watched them go, hearing the excited voices carried by the wind as they wandered off. ¡°Frank, I have an idea but didn¡¯t know your plans and wanted to talk to you about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what now?¡± The orc asked as they walked away.


    ¡°You see the inside area of the star points?¡± Franklin nodded. ¡°Did you have a plan for those or is it open for debate?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have anything specific. Why do you ask?¡± Matt was getting the side eye from the governor.


    ¡°Perhaps its best if I draw it out. Let¡¯s head back to the map shack.¡± Matt said. Franklin agreed to meet him there and Matt went to pick up Van to traverse back to the building with all the plans. When he got there, Franklin wasn¡¯t far behind him, needing only a few minutes to finish the trip. Matt had gone the long way around, getting a look at the rest of the settlement he had missed on his way to the forge.


    Having acquired paper, Matt traced the shape of one point on the star from the city map that had more detail. Franklin had just walked into the room when Matt had finished tracing. ¡°Good timing, here is what I¡¯m thinking.¡± He began to outline his plan for the governor. He made several of the tracings to draw over and each one was slightly different in appearance.


    Franklin studied the drawings, flipping through them in order. ¡°This is an ambitious plan, Matt. While I¡¯m sure we have the masons for the project, time and materials are a concern.¡± He looked at the drawings once again before letting out a long sigh. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea. Let¡¯s put it on the short list and we can get to it after we build some of the other infrastructure.¡±


    Matt asked that Franklin share the plans with Tobias as well as the others involved in developing the settlement. Saying his goodbyes, he left to go check the progress of the pilots working outside, having seen several constructs dragging trees through the gate. When he got outside, he was honestly shocked at what he saw.


    Stacked neatly in tall piles, were hundreds of trees, their branches sheared, leaving only the useable parts behind. The pilots had sorted them by size and cut them into uniform lengths by some unknown means. Nearby, but still out of the way of the log piles, there was another pile consisting of the corpses of animals.


    As Matt watched the progress, he saw that it wasn¡¯t just the pilots out there. Dozens of other people were on the ground helping organize and process the materials. One group was running large 2-man saws and trimming trees to length before they were stacked by nearby pilots. A second group was processing all the animals, stripping them of hides and meat.


    Rohm saw Matt and hurried over to him in his own construct. ¡°Matt, just in time. We have cleared out a decent amount of the trees on this side of the city, but we are finding huge deposits of stone. None of us have any tools to remove it and I have already sent a runner to fetch some of the builders and masons.¡±


    Matt thought about the problem for a moment before responding. ¡°I might be able to help. The forge is now up and running so we might be able to get some heavy equipment out here to help.¡± He made a quick call over the radio to ask Tobias if they could rush some pickaxes and shovels sized for the constructs. Tobias said that it would be easier and cheaper to summon them rather than make them from scratch since they had no raw materials yet.


    ¡°Ok, Rohm. Send a couple pilots over to the forge, Tobias will have some tools for moving all that stone by the time they get there.¡± Matt paused and looked at the pile of beasts. ¡°Had any trouble with the local wildlife?¡±


    Rohm laughed. ¡°At first, we did. Lots of people were a little jumpy and panicked. That didn¡¯t last long and soon it became more difficult to keep the crews together. Once the levels started rolling in, it was all we could do to keep them from rushing off into the woods looking for more.¡±


    Matt had to explain how his chat had gone with the non-pilot combatants. Rohm was surprised at the turn out but promised to assign some pilots to act as support for the folks on foot. He also said that most of the beasts they had encountered were in the level 5 to level 10 range, barely a threat for a mob of pilots. There had been one hold up that was due to a personal request from one of the city planners.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± Rohm said as he sat with Matt on one of the felled trees. ¡°It might be a bit of a hassle now, but it will be worth it in the future.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I blame them. The interior is rather bleak. Having some trees to break up the monotony would be nice.¡± Matt reasoned. Rohm had told him of the city planner and her request. She came running out shortly after the pilots started their deforestation efforts and begged with Rohm to help her.


    She was a type of demon whose culture held nature in especially high regard. It was the main reason that she chooses this settlement over others. At first Rohm had thought her to be asking them to stop but what she actually wanted was a little trickier. She had gotten the go ahead from Franklin to set aside some areas around the city as parks and green spaces. What she wanted from the pilots was for them to uproot some of the smaller trees rather than clear cut them.


    The pilots of course were very confused but were in a good enough mood that they obliged and started transplanting some of the saplings. She was still out near the wall with a shovel and large bolts of what looked like burlap. Each sapling had its root ball bundled with some soil and then watered to keep them alive until she could transfer them. Rohm had asked some of the pilots to help carry the saplings in when they moved back inside the walls that evening.


    ¡°After today, I think the carpenters and masons will be plenty stocked for a while.¡± Matt observed. ¡°Hopefully that means they will be able to get started on personal homes and shops soon.¡±


    ¡°Honestly the barracks isn¡¯t so bad, but I would like to have some bath houses up and running soon.¡± Rohm had a wistful look to his face.


    ¡°Are your people big on community baths?¡± Matt asked and got a weird look from his new friend.


    ¡°What, just because I am part cat, I cant like water and a hot bath?¡±


    That wasn¡¯t at all where Matts mind had gone but he decided to clear the air. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. On my home planet, where there were only humans, but some cultures had public baths, and some didn¡¯t. The culture around them varied from place to place, so I was just wondering how common it is for our demographic.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± Rohm looked embarrassed at the outburst. ¡°While I haven¡¯t asked, it would seem that it is going to be popular since it was front loaded on the list after your meeting.¡±


    ¡°It was not part of my culture, but I guess I will have to adapt. I still really do miss showers.¡± The confused look on Rohm¡¯s face made Matt explain the concept. It seemed to spark something in the felid since he got a very contemplative look on his face. Matt took that moment to make his excuses and returned to the forge to check in on Tobias.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s it going?¡± Matt said. The words startled Tobias who had been nose deep in his new terminal and hadn¡¯t noticed Matt standing in front of him for the past minute.


    ¡°It¡¯s great!¡± Tobias nearly shouted before regulating his voice. ¡°Ahem. We have made a lot of progress and even with the load of giant digging equipment we have plenty of points and mana to spare.¡±


    Matt laughed at the proverbial kid in a candy shop. ¡°Glad to hear it. Listen I have a request.¡± He got a nod from Tobias, so he went on. ¡°I need a new ammunition type. I have high explosive, and an armor piercing with my affinity, but I need something that does a little extra damage on squishy things.¡±


    ¡°So, like a fragmenting round? Kinda like a hollow point where it expands super-fast or splinters when it hits?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m open to suggestions but it¡¯s a definite weak point in my current load out. From what Van says, if I introduce it to my weapon and mech, it will allow me to generate them with mana.¡±


    Tobias leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. Matt just let him do his thing, knowing better than to interrupt him. ¡°I think I can make something like that. Can you leave a couple of your rounds here for me to experiment on?¡±


    ¡°I can leave a whole magazine for you to tinker with. Both types actually, one rifle and one auto cannon.¡± Matt paused, an idea from the trip finding its way back to the forefront of his mind. ¡°And can we figure out some sort of anti-armor weapons?¡±


    Tobias started taking notes on his tablet. Typing faster than Matt could ever hope to. ¡°I will come up with something. Also, that might help with our combat classes and their weapons. What they have now is just¡­ sad.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± one of the acolytes yelled and shot Tobias a scathing glare.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Tobias yelled back. She huffed and walked off. Headed to where the cots had been moved.


    ¡°Take your time.¡± Matt said. ¡°I will be headed out tomorrow. I plan on doing a little sight seeing and maybe trying that meditation thing again. I felt I was on the brink of something last time.¡±


    Tobias rubbed the back of his head and looked away. ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. I kinda panicked when that happened the first time.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I think you are right, and I need to do that alone and far away from people.¡±


    Matt said his goodbyes and promised to come back for breakfast the next day before he left. He didn¡¯t want to loose his momentum but also had things he wanted to do besides babysitting the city. If the worst happened, Tobias could get him on his radio. Another thing we need. Communications will be a massive benefit. How many times have I seen someone running by to deliver a message? Hell, its probably a class or a skill for all I know.

 Chapter 23 – Charting the Uncharted

    Chapter 23 ¨C Charting the Uncharted


    Matt was moving through some more woodlands, thankfully very open in terms of undergrowth. He had ventured outside the gates of the settlement again and was on his way to explore and level. Before leaving, he had talked with Franklin and Rohm, informing them of his plans. Franklin had suggested that he pass through the area marked for being rich in ores by the System. Rohm had begged him not to go alone and take some others with him.


    In the end, they settled for Matt going alone and maybe passing through the potential mine location. Franklin seemed to understand but it took a demonstration of speed to mollify Rohm. Before leaving he had dumped all his random finds with the crafters. Plants, minerals, monster cores and everything else he had collected. All he kept was some of the venison they had harvested on the way to the city because, well, a man has to eat.


    ¡°Are we looking for anything specific?¡± Van asked once they had left the walls far behind.


    ¡°No but I do plan to have a looping route on our way back. If we can spot anything interesting, it will be good to report it.¡± Matt told his core. It was odd not having Tobias there. His friend had occupied the ¡°copilot¡± seat for so long that it felt a little lonely without him.


    It also felt a little boring. They hadn¡¯t encountered anything dangerous so close to the city. Tobias would have called them trash mobs for providing next to nothing in resources or experience. It was relatively lucky that none seemed to be interested in getting close as he traveled.


    The route Matt had picked was in the general direction of some tall hills or low mountains. They were still covered in trees to the altitude couldn¡¯t be that great, but the peaks were viewable from the walls of the city. I gotta ask about the name of the city. I can¡¯t keep calling it ¡°the city¡± or ¡°the settlement¡± all the time. Maybe it doesn¡¯t have a name. huh, feel sorry for whoever gets that job.


    The terrain was generally sloping uphill, but one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell by looking at their immediate surroundings. Small hills and valleys were common in this part of the forest so there was a constant up and down. The only way Matt could tell was by getting a good look at a distance and by turning around and getting lucky with a clear line of sight toward the city. Kilometers fell away behind Matt as he moved toward his esoteric objective of good fights and a place to meditate.


    After a few hours of travel Matt did find a few monsters that wanted to tango. Unsurprisingly, they were of the plant variety. Matt was starting to notice a trend with the types of monsters and their disposition. The 3 treeants all in the low 20¡¯s for level were quickly dealt with via his tomahawk and mana blast. After a quick hop out to sift through the charred remains for valuable materials, Matt was back on the road.


    Around midday Matt found a little clearing atop a small hill that would be perfect for his little experiment. He and Van quickly cleared the area, making sure there wasn¡¯t anything lurking just inside the trees. After finding a whole lot of nothing, he settled down to try his meditation.


    Matt planted himself right in the middle of the open area with Van taking up a watch position at the edge. The plan was for Matt to try his thing while Van made sure nothing attacked while he was distracted. Sitting and relaxing to the point that he could calm his body was the first part and arguably the hardest. Matt so badly wanted to go galivanting about, fighting and looting to get some levels but had to set some priorities. Eventually he was able to clear his mind to the point that he could feel that vapor like energy again. The vertigo was still there but not as severe as the first time he tried this, but it seemed the blue haze hadn¡¯t dispersed.


    Repeating his actions from last time, Matt relaxed into a focused state, pulling the energy in to him and condensing it. He had no idea what would happen, but it felt right, like it was something he was supposed to do. The haze grew more and more opaque as he went. The wall of blue becoming clearer and moving closer, no longer at the far edges of his senses.


    Matt kept pulling at the energy which was now a tangible wall in his mind. The space around his metaphysical body slowly shrinking until there was nothing between him and the glowing blue mass. Acting on instinct, he suddenly clenched down on it. It responded. The walls surrounding him went from a slowly thinning mass to a solid sphere around his body.


    He felt a system message nagging at him, but he ignored it. There was a feeling of something else guiding him, an instinct to continue the process. Like packing a snowball, Matt kept squeezing the energy around him. Applying constant, steady pressure, he compressed it until it wouldn¡¯t get any denser. Feeling like this wasn¡¯t the end, Matt applied as much force as he could muster and crushed the ball around him. The sphere and the hollow core surrounding Matt both collapsed and there was no longer anything separating him from the now roiling blue energy.


    The sensation of pain flooded Matt¡¯s mind, but it wasn¡¯t the only thing flowing into him. Completely overriding the pain was power, a lot of power. It was raw, super-heated energy and gave Matt a taste of ozone, not that he could actually taste at the moment. This energy flooded through his actual body and worked its way from his skin through every muscle and bone heading for one place. That core that was between heart and spine, where Matt had felt all his energy come from previously.


    The feeling was of that core swelling and expanding but never actually growing in size. Minutes turned to hours as the energy continued its march to his core. Finally, it slowed, then stopped before the mind-numbing pain receded. Matt returned to the meditative space and saw that it was no longer a black void with a blue mist. It was now a field of that roiling blue energy radiating out from him with the void on the outside.


    Matt opened his actual eyes and returned to the real world. In the middle of what once was a small grassy meadow sat Matt but instead of grass he was sitting in a pile of ash and black glass. It was only a thin layer of glass judging by the cracks running through it. He immediately noticed that it was no longer mid-day, the sun having just set and the sky a deep purple with the moon rising behind him.


    ¡°Van, what the hell happened here?¡± Matt rasped. His voice was hoarse, and he was forced to take off his helmet and summon some water from his ring. HE turned to look at his mech and saw that its eyes were glowing a bright blue.


    ¡°I am not completely sure.¡± Van said as he took a few tentative steps toward Matt. ¡°It started much the same as last time but got much more¡­ intense.¡± He went on to explain how things progressed from his perspective. In the beginning Matt¡¯s presence had flared and enveloped everything around him, including Van. Then it felt as if all the ambient mana was being drawn in, becoming densest around Matt.


    Van said the mana remained the same for a while until it was suddenly compressed and disappeared into Matt. After the mana entered him, he began to emit that blue light from his helmets eye lenses. Then it burst out in a 15-meter radius, burning, and melting everything in its path except for Van and the mech. Shortly after, Matt awoke and there they were.


    Matt couldn¡¯t gain much more from the retelling, but he also has system messages nagging at him. Without further delay, he opened them.


    Congratulations! You have achieved aura condensation.


    Trait has evolved into: Condensed Aura Field.


    Congratulations: Through the merging of your trait and affinity


    you have achieved a state of advanced aura and affinity manifestation.


    Trait has evolved into: Sovereign Aura Domain.


    Sovereign Aua Domain:


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    You have complete control over your aura and its emissions. Detect the aura and intent of others in your domain. You now have complete control over your affinity within your domain and can nullify invasive mana. Dominate your surroundings with your will.


    It didn¡¯t escape Matt¡¯s notice that he had upgraded his trait twice in a row. That might have had something to do with the horrible pain he had experienced. Alternately, the pain might have just been the cost of doing business with things like this.


    ¡°Matt, there is also the matter of your presence. It is extremely dense and ever present.¡± Van was looking at him now, crouched down to bring his face closer. ¡°You might need to try to control it more before we return.¡±


    Matt focused and noticed that his aura was rolling off him in waves. He focused and was able to fully retract it instantly. Van confirmed that it was no longer present, but I still feel like there was something going on. He would work on it later since he was exhausted and was in desperate need of sleep. It seemed that fate was not going to let that happen or at least a certain god was not going to let that happen.


    ¡± That was rather impressive, Matt.¡± Tori¡¯s voice rang in Matt¡¯s mind. ¡°You managed to create a type of domain, and at such a low level. While it is part of your natural born trait, it is still very impressive.¡±


    Matt responded back in his mind. ¡°Thanks, I guess, I am not sure about what that means or how it works. Any chance the System will let you fill me in?¡±


    Tori laughed before responding. ¡°It is like a field that surrounds you. You will have absolute control over your mana¡¯s affinity within that space and some influence over other¡¯s mana. As an example: You could summon your plasma much easier and control it to a finer degree within the field. It would be much more potent than outside your field. If someone else was to try and use a spell or ability against you, its power could be greatly reduced or nullified completely depending on the power difference.


    Matt listened close to the explanation but thought he saw a problem. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that interfere with allies using abilities when they are near me? Like if a healer tried to cast a healing spell on me?¡±


    ¡°No, you would have to consciously block that ability and actively fight against it. There is a downside or what some might call a ¡°feature¡± when it comes to domains, your presence. If you want to fix this, you will have to actively try to hide your presence. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem with the trait you have but you might want to practice.¡±


    ¡°Tori, what do you mean by presence?¡±


    Matt could feel her debating how to phrase the answer before she replied. ¡°The people that are in your field will get a sense of your intent and will. They wont be able to pinpoint your location or even know it is coming from you specifically, should you be in a crowd. If your intent is to harm them, they will feel a danger subconsciously like when you get a bad feeling or have a shiver run down your spine. From my experience, the effects also depend on their alignment to you, allies versus enemies.¡±


    Tori then said that was the limit of her time for the connection and wished him luck, promising to stay in touch. She also reminded him that he could perform the ritual from his end, and it would last longer. Matt tanked her for the help and then felt her presence fade from his mind. Is that presence what system natives feel when around higher leveled people or something else?


    Tori was watching Matt as he climbed back into his construct, or ¡°mech¡± as he called it. No doubt he was going to rest after his ordeal. Some sleep was definitely well deserved after what he went through. It had been an incredibly risky process that he had unknowingly undertaken. Most of the veiled race trained for decades or centuries to condense their aura traits. Tori assumed that¡¯s where he had gotten it from, nothing else would explain it.


    Having the nagging of a system message in her head, Tori opened the window. It was the typical warning from the System about sharing too much at this stage of the integration, or so it seemed. As she read it, something felt off. There was more¡­personality in the message. Most of these warnings just alerted that the connection would be forcibly terminated if any more was shared. This one cautioned her about limiting Matt¡¯s growth by giving away too much detail on his race and trait.


    Tori thought that was curious. It wasn¡¯t the first time the system had to tailor a message for her, but it was the first time she had seen one customized in relation to an E grade. Still, she would be more careful, there were worse penalties that could be imposed for her initiating the information sharing.


    The messages preceding that warning were also interesting and told a little more of the story. One was about Matt beginning the condensing process. The other two were about him evolving his trait. The double trait evolution was the biggest shock to Tori. Her getting notified of her prime doing something was normal, but to have seen back-to-back trait advancement was unexpected.


    ¡°Matt Shultz. What acts will you preform in this plain? What triumphs will you bring? What horrors will be wrought upon your enemies?¡± Tori mumbled under her breath before turning away to continue her meditation. She was putting more importance on the opening of the barriers than in previous generations of integrations. It was all because of one little mortal from one of her favorite worlds to play on.


    Matt had woken late to his surprise. After the System, he had been filled with much more energy, needing less and less sleep over time. He then went ahead and absolutely stuffed his face with food. He didn¡¯t feel hungry at all the night before despite not having an evening meal, so it made sense that he ate 4 times his usual amount.


    After breakfast, Matt got back on the trail. He wanted to make it up the side of one of the major hills in the area to see if there was anything interesting at the top. He was planning on surveying the local area to the best of his ability before working his way back and stopping by the potential mine site. His wandering and general goal had led him to walking his way up a ravine. He briefly thought about backing out, taking a new route to avoid getting stuck but figured he had no time limit and could explore a little.


    The ravine was relatively wide but with steep and rocky slopes leading up from a mostly flat bottom. It wound deeper into the hills, never keeping a straight line for more than 200 meters. Matt could get a general sense of the terrain through his threat detection field but that was due to the wildlife and vegetation giving returns more than the rocky walls. As he moved deeper in, he noticed the lack of creatures. Most times some small, low-level beasts were ever present but now, there was barely any.


    Matt soon found the reason that most of the critters were either small birds or high up on the ridges to either side of him. At the very edge of his detection field, he saw a large contact and stopped moving. He waited and watched the sensor return, waiting for it to resolve into a more definite shape. Unfortunately, he would have no such luck. After nearly 15 minutes, the creature wasn¡¯t moving, and the image wasn¡¯t getting any clearer.


    ¡°Nothing to be done except to use the ole mark 1 eyeball.¡± Matt joked.


    ¡°I am not familiar with that designation.¡± Van said, clearly missing the joke.


    Matt advanced slowly and briefly explained the meaning of his quip for Van to add to his ever-growing lexicon. He was now only a few hundred meters and a sharp curve away from the sensor contact. It had grown a little in clarity but not enough for him to be sure of what it was. Peaking the head of his mech around the bend, Matt laid eyes on his prey.


    Granite Ursine Guardian. Level 40


    That was a pretty fancy name for what Matt could only describe as a ¡°giant ass stone bear¡± but figured it got the point across. The creature was laying across the floor of the ravine, taking up nearly a third of the flat bottom as it basked in the mid-day sun poking through the tree canopy. From tip to tail it was likely over 20 meters long and built like a¡­ well, like a brick shit house. Instead of a furry coat, it was armored with what looked like flagstones, only small tufts of black fur showing in the gaps. Claws half as long as Matt was tall, tipped each paw and he could only guess at the teeth the creature had.


    Matt ducked back into cover around the bend, keeping an eye on the guardian. ¡°So how do you think we should do this?¡± He asked Van.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± The mech replied with a little humor tinging his voice.


    ¡°And what exactly do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Every time we try to plan something it always goes sideways. You are very good at thinking quickly under stress.¡± Van said with a back handed compliment.


    Matt barked a laugh. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying I just make it up as I go along?¡± Van didn¡¯t respond but Matt had the impression of chuckling from his bond with the core. Regardless of Van¡¯s teasing, Matt readied his autocannon and peaked back around the corner. The bear hadn¡¯t moved so he took aim at the creature¡¯s head, hoping to end it with one imbued shot.


    As Matt lined up his reticle, placing the chevron over the space between ear canal and eye socket, the bear¡¯s eye snapped open and looked directly at him. Instinctually Matt pulled the trigger and sent an imbued round zipping down range. Before the round even impacted, a brown glow covered the bear, creating a barrier that Matt recognized as an ability from the mana. The round hit the barrier with a smack followed by a loud zing as it glanced off and impacted the hill behind with a hefty thwack.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Van said, disbelief and shock in his voice.


    ¡°Uh-oh.¡± Matt said as he saw the bear get to its feet, shaking its head with a low growl.


    ¡°Time to do that thing where you think really fast and make shit up.¡± Van mumbled into Matts mind.


    Matt didn¡¯t say anything in reply, just pinning to the trigger to the rear and putting shot after shot into the now standing bear. The imbued round hit the brown shield and after the 5<sup>th</sup>, they began to penetrate. The issue was, while the shield was now failing in that area, the stone was not. The bear then fell back to all fours and roared before charging. Matt emptied the rest of the magazine into the bears face before ducking behind the bend in the wall and reloading. This is going to be one hell of a fight. Matt thought as he slammed the new magazine in and readied for the bear to come around the bend.

 Chapter 24 – Just Trying Something

    Chapter 24 ¨C Just Trying Something


    The only thing worse than having a gunfight at the dead end of a box canyon was having a gunfight with a walking tank at one end of a box canyon. In this situation, Matt and his mech were not the tank. The giant bear that was 5 time the size of the mech was the tank and seemed to be just fine doing what tanks do best, taking hits.


    Matt had backed around the bend of the canyon, staying close the wall until he was far enough back to move to a more open spot. The first magazine from his autocannon hadn¡¯t had all that much effect on the shield and stone plating of the creature but he wasn¡¯t going to stop trying. It was at this point that he was really wishing for some AT capabilities. One or two shaped charges would crack that thing wide open or at least put it down long enough for him to target some vitals.


    ¡°Van, see if you can come up with an idea better than me just pumping shots into it like a pledge at a frat house.¡± Matt said as he waited for the bear. His detection field was showing it rapidly approaching the apex of the corner.


    Matt didn¡¯t have to wait long. A few moments later the bear rounded the corner in hot pursuit and got a 25mm surprise delivered at 1200 meters per second, straight to the face. The shield flickered for a fraction of a second before the round punched through and smashed it in the face. The bears head snapped back only to return to its original position, blood and broken stone covering its face.


    ¡°That seemed like it worked. Do that more.¡± Van said.


    The bear roared again and charged at Matt who only got 2 more rounds off before it closed the distance. The bear reared back to swipe a now glowing paw at Matt who decided to use his teleport ability rather than try to dodge or tank the hit. As usual with this ability, he left a little plasma surprise behind.


    The fan of plasma shot forward into the bear, causing the glow around its body to flicker significantly before going out completely. The creature roared again, this time in pain, as its body was engulfed in the superheated gasses. Matt had reappeared off the creatures left, keeping away from the walls of the ravine where he fired a few more rounds at the thrashing bear.


    The effect of the rounds was hard to determine right away since the plasma was lasting longer that it had in the past, but Matt kept at it. After a dozen shots landed, the fires went out and the bear oriented on him again. This time, instead of charging, it swiped its paw through the air again causing arcs of brown mana to shoot towards Matt.


    Matt didn¡¯t have time to teleport or even think about dodging as the lines of energy slammed into him. One moment he was on his feet and the next he was flying through the air before slamming onto his back. Without missing a beat, he rolled to the side, avoiding the follow up charge and stowed his autocannon. Matt drew his tomahawk as he got back to his feet, ready now for a proper close quarters fight. He could feel the damage caused by that ability and knew he had serious damage to the front armor of the mech, but he had to ignore it for now.


    As the bear turned to face him again, Matt saw the spot behind its shoulder blade where he had focused his fire after teleporting. It looked like someone had taken a jackhammer to a concrete sidewalk. Cracks ran through the overlapping segments of stone and a little trickle of blood seeped from the wound. A few perfectly round holes could be seen at the center from where rounds had made it through intact.


    Matt and the bear began to circle each other in the narrow canyon, a scant 25 meters between them. Less than one full rotation and the bear charged again, not bothering with its ranged attack. Matt had seen what it was trying to do with his rear camera, but he wouldn¡¯t be pressed into the wall so easily. Once the bear was close, he teleported, once again leaving a mana blast behind to occupy his new friend.


    The bear clearly knew what the plan was and turned as soon as Matt disappeared. While it might have expected another teleport, it guessed wrong and turned to the left, assuming that he would reappear in the same spot as the first time. With its body engulfed in the wave of plasma, it didn¡¯t notice that he had reappeared to the bears former right and was now behind it.


    Swinging the spike side of the tomahawk, Matt pushed as much of his mana into it as he could. The formerly yellow-orange glow had turned a pale blue and easily pierced the stone hide of the bear. It roared as the point bit into its body but that wasn¡¯t the end. Matt changed the blade that was receiving the mana, leaving the spike as its plain steel and the blade now acting as a can opener. Using the leverage of the handle, Matt pushed as hard as he could and split entire chunks of stone, ripping them from the monster.


    Dismissing the tomahawk to his ring, Matt kicked hard, flinging himself away from the rampaging bear. ¡°Really glad that worked.¡± Matt said to himself as he resummoned the tomahawk. He took the initiative and closed with the bear which squared up to him, ready to receive the blow. It didn¡¯t have a chance as Matt sent another mana blast at the bear, this time in a thin line that impacted so hard the monster was knocked over.


    Matt didn¡¯t bother with another teleport as the bear had already fallen to the ground. Instead, he stowed his tomahawk and resummoned the autocannon. He lined up on the first wound he created and fired a few imbued rounds into the hole on its flank. After the first three, he switched to normal armor piercing explosive and emptied the remaining 15 rounds from his magazine into the hole.


    The bear was not taking its abuse quietly and roared in rage. It was burned deeply across its torso from the last mana blast and had huge chunks of its stone armor missing. Knocked down as it was, all it could do was roll to try and hide the wound in its side. Just as Matt fired the last round out of his magazine, the bear rolled over its back, covering the now gushing wound in its side and regained its footing.


    Seeing the bear back on its feet, Matt began wondering how much vitality it had before he noticed it was swaying and blood was now dripping from its mouth. Its breath was coming in great heaving gusts, practically spraying the frothy pinkish blood from between its teeth. Seeing this, Matt knew the battle had turned to one of attrition, the bear bleeding out or him running out of mana to make more ammo. With a fresh magazine in the cannon, Matt couched the stock under his arm and brought the barrel level, assuming one of the assault firing positions.


    The bear and pilot squared off, having a good old-fashioned stare down for a handful of seconds, both waiting to see who would make the first move. The bear, running on limited time was the one to break the standoff. It skipped its usual roar, instead sweeping its paw up from the ground, sending the arcs of brown mana rushing toward Matt. He had expected this and teleported once more this time getting a little more creative with his exit position. The bear watched as the construct disappeared and began its turn to reorient and fend of the attack. What it failed to notice was the giant, multi-ton mech pop into existence 15 meters above it.


    Matt discovered that he could indeed teleport into the air, what he also discovered was that it was not at all recommended. His body screamed at him from the mana consumption, his reserves and the mech¡¯s almost completely wiped out. Still, he pushed through the blinding headache and focused, plummeting like a rock and landing hard atop the bears neck and riding it to the ground. He pushed the muzzle of his auto cannon into the back of its head and pinned the trigger back.


    The bear had pancaked below him, limbs going out from under it as his mech bore down from above. 50 rounds of A.P.E. ammunition delivered from literal point blank was apparently enough to do the job. Matt wasn¡¯t exactly sure how many it took but 50 is what he had and 50 is what he used. A spray of stone, blood and bone was all he could see for a few seconds as the ammo counter ticked down and the creature spasmed beneath him.


    Once the bolt locked back on his cannon, Matt jumped clear of the bear in case that hadn¡¯t been enough. He watched closely as the monster twitched and spasmed on the ground. Waiting patiently, tomahawk in hand, he tried to ignore his headache as the life faded from the bear. Silence was all he could hear for minutes afterward. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, a system message appeared in his mind.


    You have killed: Granite Ursine Guardian. Level 40


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gunfighter is now level 30


    Stat points awarded.


    Skill Selection Options Available.


    Matt breathed a sigh of relief; he didn¡¯t expect the damn thing to get back up but there was no telling with its constitution. He allocated his stat points, feeling a wave of relief at the boost to his mana capacity and regeneration. He would still need some time to regenerate, even with his perk. Given there was nothing else to occupy him, he opened his window for skill selection.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Pierce (Common)


    Empower an attack to pierce deeper than it normally would. Ignore some kinds of armor.


    Rend (Uncommon)


    Deal extra melee damage by removing portions of the target. Additional damage increased as wound size increases.


    Decoy (Uncommon)


    Create an illusion or noise of either yourself or construct to distract enemies. Illusion or noise will follow predetermined actions.


    Identify Weakness (Rare)


    Pinpoint weak points in armor or sensitive areas in a target. Area will remain highlighted until skill is allowed to end. Highlighted area will remain visible from any angle.


    Shaped Mana (Rare)


    Create temporary constructs using mana affinity. Constructs can take any simple shape and will remain as long as skill is channeled. Strength of constructs varied based on amount of mana channeled.


    This skill selection had a couple interesting options. Matt rather liked the decoy skill and could thing of several cases where it would have been useful. The only problem was that Tori had specifically mentioned mana constructs in relation to domains. The Shaped Mana skill would be exactly what she had mentioned. This made it a no brainer or mostly since he still actually needed to select the skill thus needing some mental ability.


    Selecting the shaped mana skill, he once again felt the sensation of knowledge flowing into his mind. It was surprisingly simple to use, as far as skills went. All he had to du was imagine a shape and where he wanted it. The shape could be moved but he guessed it would be easier to summon a second one and cancel the first. It would require some testing and playing around to get firm information.


    Matt glanced over to the body of the bear. He was going to have a hard time breaking that down but would at least try to get the core. Maybe pelt it out with the tomahawk if he could flip it over. While he was waiting, he identified the beast.


    Granite Ursine Guardian. Level 40


    An Ursine variant of a guardian that developed an affinity for earth mana and a unique defensive layer. The guardians are typically stationary beasts that act as gatekeepers to protect treasures or high value areas.


    Matt perked up as he read the flavor text that came from defeated enemies. He bypassed the terribly understated part about defenses and skipped right for the good stuff. Treasures and high value areas. He wasn¡¯t sure what constituted a high value area, but he was sure that treasures were always good. He would continue to rest and recover for a while before going to check out the end of the ravine.


    As it turns out, creatures lost a lot of durability after death. For Matt, retrieving the pelt and core was still a bear of a time, pun intended. The core was roughly the size of his fist and had a lovely brown color that made it look like a piece of amber. The pelt ended up fitting in his storage with plenty of room to spare but he did forgo any meat. Bears on Earth had parasites that could make people very sick, and he wasn¡¯t about to risk it.


    After retrieving everything he could from the bear, Matt moved on to the end of the ravine and took a look from the opening. It was a mostly circular shape, backing into a sheer cliff and was over 100 meters across in most places. He could see where the bear had liked to sunbathe judging by the 4 little scrapes in the ground. He also noticed that there wasn¡¯t much in the way of carcasses or remains of other creatures. This was odd to him since he wasn¡¯t sure how the bear sustained itself without food.


    Matt scanned the clearing before entering, using every available spectrum including mana to try and spot any traps. There wasn¡¯t anything on the ground, but he did see a crack running vertically along the back wall. He cautiously advanced into the natural caul-de-sac, ready to teleport if anything triggered or attacked him. Nothing did and Made a few laps around the perimeter making sure to get a view from every angle.


    Not seeing anything of note, Matt dismounted and approached the opening in the cliff wall. He already had one bad experience with random openings in cliffs, so he went cautiously. The gap was big enough for him to comfortably walk in, leaving some room on either side of his shoulders. The walls became smooth after the initial opening, but the floor was covered in gravel and larger rocks.


    ¡°He Van, I¡¯m going to check out what is in here. Not sure if its anything valuable but its worth a peek.¡± Matt said as he leaned in, trying to se around a slight bend.


    The mech turned, facing away from the opening. ¡°I will stay here and make sure we don¡¯t get any surprises.¡± The core rumbled as it leveled the autocannon toward the entrance of the clearing.


    Matt didn¡¯t say any more and slowly crept inside the gap in the stone. While there was light coming from the outside, he made sure to turn on his night vision and thermals just to be on the safe side. The passage turned to the left after only a couple meters and Matt stopped, poking just his head around the corner. He saw only a little more tunnel before a hard bend to the right.


    Advancing down the second leg of the tunnel, Matt stopped again when he came to the turn. Once again poking his head around he was not greeted with the sight of more tunnel, instead his night vision washed out from the moderate light coming from a circular room.


    Turning off his night vision cameras, Matt surveyed the room, still only exposing one side of his helmet. The room at the end of the tunnel was small, only 5 meters across with a ceiling bust over 3 meters in height. Sitting right in the center was a pedestal with a clear glass orb atop it. Matt first thought the ball was the source of light but then noticed that the entire ceiling was the source of the illumination. Other than the orb on its pedestal, the room was empty, so Matt used identify on the orb.


    Trial Orb


    Well, that¡¯s not helpful. Matt thought as he moved closer and stepped into the room. After confirming the room was truly empty, he filled Van in on his findings which was redundant due to the cameras on Matt¡¯s helmet. Still, it allowed them to have a quick discussion which resulted in Matt walking up to the orb and placing his hand on it.


    You have activated a trial orb. Requirements: E Grade


    Requirements met. Please select trial type:


    Combat


    Creation


    ¡°Huh, it says trial orb and is giving me the choice of either combat or creation trials.¡± Matt said to Van over the radio.


    ¡°That means combat since you don¡¯t have a non-combat class.¡± Van replied.


    ¡°Think I should do it now or wait a while?¡± Matt asked. ¡°My resources are full and I¡¯m well rested.¡±


    Van didn¡¯t respond right away, weighing the options. ¡°I think you should try it now. We don¡¯t know if there is a time limit or if it will disappear now that the guardian is dead.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t care either way, but Van had a point, so he selected the combat trial. His vision blurred, faded then went black. After a moment his vision came back, and he found himself standing in a blank room with a System screen floating in front of him.


    Welcome to the combat trial. This trial is designed to test your strengths and weaknesses in a variety of situations. Rewards will be based upon performance and your ability to overcome challenges. Note that while death is not possible, pain certainly is.


    Your first challenge will begin as soon as you are ready. Ready? Yes/No


    Matt selected the yes option and a door opened in the wall to his left. He looked at it for a moment, shrugged and walked over. As he reached the threshold, another System window popped up with the details of the trial.


    Ranged Combat Trial.


    Participant will engage targets in varying conditions from both static and moving platforms. Score will be determined on number of targets successfully engaged in given time at each position. Step through the doorway to begin.


    Matt stepped through the doorway and into the first trial. Inside was what could only be described as a small arena of grass, trees and boulders. Directly in front of him was a glowing square with the number 1. He readied his rifle, checked his magazines, and stepped onto the platform. A countdown flash before him, starting at 3 and ticking down to 1.


    When the 1 disappeared, a diamond shaped target materialized 50 meters in front of him out of the grass. He sighted and fired a single round, hitting the target in the middle and causing it to shatter with a very satisfying ringing noise. Immediately after, a second target popped up at 150 meters and he engaged again. This continued for 8 more targets, the distance moving back and forth with the closest at 25 meters and the furthest at 400.


    Things started getting a little trickier after the 10<sup>th</sup> target. They started with semi covered exposures, some behind bushes other partly covered by trees and rocks. 10 more targets down and they changed once again, this time to half exposure, forcing him to consider the drop of his round. The targets peeking over rocks at 300 meters were tricky, but he got them all. After the 30<sup>th</sup> target he got another surprise with movers.


    The moving targets appeared all at once and moved at various speeds and directions. Some moved very quickly from left to right, others moving directly toward him or quartering away from him. It was honestly the most fun he had at a static range in a long time and the 10 targets disappeared far to quickly. He was running 40 out of 40 so far and looked forward to the next segment.


    Once the last moving target broke, the scene before him shifted and he was looing at a perfectly flat grassy field. Poppin up from that grass was 10 more targets each one spaced in 100-meter increments in a straight line moving away from him. He didn¡¯t need instructions to understand this segment. Getting down in a prone position, he took aim at the first target.


    100 meters was an easy shot, and it broke almost as soon as Matt was prone. If he was being honest, everything out to 600 meters was easy but 700 was where he was pushing his rifle a little more.  The cartridge he used was very flat and very fast, but the weight wasn¡¯t as heavy as a 6mm bullet could be at only 100 grains. Still, with no wind in the chamber all he had to do was bear down and focus on his fundamentals while remembering the hold.


    The 1000-meter target took a few seconds. Not because Matt necessarily needed it but because it was the last round in the magazine, and he knew this trial wouldn¡¯t allow a make-up shot. A steady breath out and waiting for the perfect moment, he broke the shot. There was no bullet wake, either because of the ambient humidity or because that didn¡¯t exist, but time still did. He counted the seconds and was almost worried when he targets shattered, a few more seconds and he heard the ringing of an impact.


    Matt got back to a knee and changed magazines, proud of himself for acing that course. Just as he was feeling good about his performance, a system message popped up.


    1<sup>st</sup> phase complete. Please exit firing position for reset and start of 2<sup>nd</sup> phase.

 Chapter 25 – Solo and Classroom

    Chapter 25 ¨C Solo and Classroom


    The second phase was much like the first except for this one, Matt was moving, or the platform was. Once he stepped onto it, the square lifted off the ground and began moving in a figure 8 pattern giving interesting shots on some targets. He again completed the test with a perfect score due to the reduced range of the last segment. Had that gone out to 1000 meters again, he might have had some more trouble.


    Matt stepped off the platform and another system message popped up informing him that the ranged combat portion of the trial was complete. He then left the chamber and returned to the main hall as he was thinking of it. After crossing the threshold, the doorway disappeared back into the wall. He returned to the center and waited for the next message.


    Your second challenge will begin as soon as you are ready. Ready? Yes/No


    Not needing any rest and having generated 2 replacement magazines Matt accepted and another door opened, this time to his other side. He walked to the archway and read the pop-up message from the System.


    Combined Combat Trial.


    Participant will engage targets in varying conditions simulating combat. Score will be determined on number of targets successfully engaged and amount of damage taken. Step through the doorway to begin.


    Alright, now we¡¯re talking. The range was kinda fun, but this seems more like what I expected. Matt thought to himself as he stepped through the doorway and into the second trial chamber. Instead of a scene shown before him like a stage, he was now standing in the middle of the forest from before. The countdown began and he readied himself for whatever was about to happen.


    The first ¡°target¡± appeared from behind a tree nearly 200 meters away. Instead of a diamond shaped target, this one was shaped like a wolf, just made of the same crystal material. Matt snapped his rifle up and waited, the wolf in a full run straight at him. He could hear the movements, pounding feet, rustling grass and breathing as it closed. What he was looking for finally showed as the wolf crossed the limit of his threat detection field, and it showed in a red outline.


    One shot to the face dropped the wolf, causing the target to shatter with the ringing noise of the previous trial. Instantly after the target broke, Matt saw 2 wolves pop up in his rear-view camera, this time much closer. He spun, firing a short burst while they were still close and breaking both targets. The next target wasn¡¯t wolves, it was some sort of bull creature. He tried to identify it, but the skill didn¡¯t return any information.


    Matt squared himself to the bull creature and it lowered its head before charging at him. He probably could have guessed this would happen but still fired a couple rounds at its lowered head, the third one seemed to break through, and the target shattered. The next targets appeared right away, this time consisting of a bear and 2 wolves. Matt was beginning to see how this trial would go as he took down the faster wolves before dealing with the bear.


    Ten rounds of seemingly randomly sorted enemies had been thrown at Matt. 10 rounds had been successfully beaten back, well 9 rounds had but the last one was a mix of 5 wolves, 2 bears and a boar looking creature with 6 legs. The last round had forced Matt to abandon his position, not being able to stay put once the heavy hitters closed in on him. Through the usage of his teleporting ability and a flash bang grenade, he had managed.


    A System message popped up along with another glowing square, telling him to step into it for the next segment. He did as asked, after regenerating the used magazines and topping off before the next trial. After stepping onto the square, everything faded away only to be replaced by what looked like the inside of a castle. A castle might be the wrong term, but he was standing in an open space with battlements all around him. There were stairs leading up and down, along with several doorways leading out of the area. From wall to wall was 200 meters by his first estimate but he didn¡¯t get much time before his first target appeared.


    Stepping from inside the doorway was a humanoid shape dressed in armor and holding one of the single shot weapons that the people in the city had. It didn¡¯t pause as it turned and began aiming at Matt. He didn¡¯t let the target fully draw a bead on him before he put a double tap into its center of mass. The target broke and disappeared but just as quickly was replaced by another on the battlements.


    Matt was beset from all sides, one target at a time. Each one popping up from a random location until he had taken down all 10. The second part started and instead of only riflemen, some armed with sabers and revolvers started showing up and actually moving to engage him. This brought a new dynamic to the trial as Matt started moving around the inner walls of the keep. Some of the targets managed to get a shot off but seemed to have accuracy issues as all the rounds zipped by and impacted the walls behind him.


    After playing a game of ballistic tag with one of the sword wielding targets, the next phase began. Groups of 2 or 3 targets started appearing all over the courtyard, immediately moving to try and shoot Matt. For this part, he started using more of the cover provided by doorways and small side rooms. This turned out to be a bit of a mess since while he was safe from fire coming from the courtyard, he was now unable to see approaching swordsmen.


    On 2 occasions he was surprised by pairs of the sword and revolver wielding targets rushing from a blind spot. Matt¡¯s sensor field not showing them until they were just outside the room in one instance. The second problem was that this part of the trial was not ending after the first 10 groups. More and more of the targets kept appearing around the area, forcing him to relocate several times.


    After 15 minutes of some intense close quarters fighting, Matt finally took a hit. One of the revolvers got a shot off as he crossed a window and took him in the leg armor. The shot glanced off, but he still registered the hit and returned fire, shattering the offending target. He cleared the room and hallway quickly before changing to a fresh magazine.


    Matt was getting worn down, the endless numbers starting to overwhelm him and not letting him get a break for more than a few seconds. As he took his moment to rest, he could hear the clomp of booted feet in the hallway next to him. His field showed a group of 5 entering from the exterior landing that connected the hall to the battlements. Sighing heavily, he pulled a frag grenade from his pouch, primed it and tossed it through the open doorway. The grenade clattered dully on the stone wall and floor before exploding a couple seconds later, just as the group passed its resting spot.


    Explosions and scattered rifle fire became the norm for another 10 minutes. Matt began racking up more hits to his armor from the targets coming up from behind him while he was busy with crowds in front. The pistol shots didn¡¯t do much, but the rifles had a much greater impact, denting his armor in some places. He began using mana blast and teleporting around to stay moving and clear targets. This section of the trial became a trial of attrition as he burned through more and more of his resources.


    After Matt turned the corner of a hallway and shot the 4 targets within, he began moving down its length. At the halfway point a squad of 5 riflemen materialized behind him and immediately fired a volley of the large bore rounds into his back, knocking him to the ground. He managed to sweep the hall with a long burst of rifle fire, breaking all of them before they could reload. As the last target broke, a chime sounded, and he was instantly teleported out of the simulation.


    Matt reappeared in the main hall, still in the fetal position. The pain faded instantly as his body was enveloped in a green glow. He stretched out on the floor and groaned as the bruises were instantly healed. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how long the 2<sup>nd</sup> phase had lasted but it was an exhausting ordeal to constantly fight endless waves of enemies, regardless of the power difference.  Matt estimated them to be around level 5-10 based on their physical ability and speed. Only a few moments had passed before a message popped up.


    Your final challenge will begin as soon as you are ready. Ready? Yes/No


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°No.¡± Matt groaned. He needed to take a break after that last trial. While his injuries had been healed, his resources were still dangerously low. He had used all his stamina and mana between teleporting and generating more munitions. He had used a frightening amount of grenades and they were not as cheap to make as new magazines. He was happy that he finally got to use a smoke grenade instead of just flash and frag. ¡°Heh, Thermals for the win.¡± He laughed at the memory of targets bumping into walls and doorways while he could see them perfectly.


    After a couple hours of him just laying on the floor, Matt sat up with another groan before stretching and getting to his feet. Just as he started to wonder about how he would get the message back, it popped up and he accepted. The final doorway opened, and he stepped up, getting the system message once again as he reached the threshold.


    Leadership Trial


    You will be assigned 5 students and must instruct them on topics pertaining to combat. Your score will be based on the effectiveness of your teaching and guidance.


    Matt was certainly not expecting that. Perhaps a defensive action or maybe something involving larger enemies but not teaching. Still, he stepped through the doorway and into a room with 5 of the humanoid analogs. Each one was holding a rifle at port arms and there was a table before them with another one of the rifles. As he approached, all the rifles changed to mimic his exactly and a screen appeared.


    Marksmanship Instruction.


    Using the available teaching aids, instruct the students on the use of the rifle. After a 2-hour period, a practical test will be given, and your score will be based on performance.


    ¡°Well shit, time to break out those hip pocket classes.¡± Matt said and laughed. He surveyed the group and the table with a replica of his rifle on it. There was a lot of nuances to the use of attachments, but at the same time, it was all basic in function.  Whiteboards had appeared behind him after he stepped forward easing his plan significantly.


    ¡°Can you all understand me?¡± Matt asked the group and got 5 nodding heads in return. ¡°Can you talk to me?¡± 5 shaking heads this time. ¡°Right, this might be a little rough. Do your best to ask questions if you need. We don¡¯t have much time and a lot to cover.¡± With that, Matt launched into his impromptu class.


    Matt started with the basics, not of the rifle but basic concepts of ballistics and marksmanship. He covered how the guns worked, how bullets traveled through the air and how that related to the shooter. The next part was the actual physical marksmanship. Firing positions and how the body was supposed to be held, the concepts of breathing and sight picture before covering trigger control.


    The actual function of the weapon was a down and dirty version of what Matt actually knew. He gave them enough to operate the guns and use the optics that were attached. They wouldn¡¯t use the lights and lasers since they didn¡¯t have the required helmets.


    Finally, Matt had them do some dry fire practice. He watched closely as each ¡°student¡± took aim at a mark on a whiteboard and pulled the trigger. The twitch of a muzzle was enough to tell him something wasn¡¯t right or there was sympathetic motion happening and he corrected as he went. This all ended with him explaining that they would have to use best judgement for firing position and use of fundamentals to balance speed and accuracy.


    Before Matt knew it, the time was up. The back wall of the pseudo classroom opened up to reveal a 500-meter-long range. There were 5 positions clearly marked and the students automatically moved to take their positions. A single magazine appeared before each of them, and they loaded up, chambering a round just as he had shown.


    ¡°Start in the kneeling position, it gives the best balance of stability and flexibility. Move to prone if the targets are only stationary.¡± Matt called out to the group. They all obeyed, and a system prompt appeared in his vision asking if he wanted to start the practical test. Matt accepted and watched with bated breath as the first targets were summoned into existence.


    The range started like the end of his first trial. 10 of them popping up at regular intervals and extending in straight lines directly away from the firing point. Like clockwork, all 5 of the students fired at the first target before moving to the next. By the 4<sup>th</sup> target, they shots were a little more staggered, not a volley like it had been at the start.


    Matt was pleased to see that all the targets had been hit, even the ones at 500. Then the second part came, and targets started popping up at various ranges, one after another. There were a few misses in this part, shots being rushed and going low or flat out missing at longer ranges. 30 targets were shown for each and of the 150 total shots, he counted 12 misses. Matt thought that was pretty good for only 2 hours of teaching.


    The last 10 targets turned out to be all movers. Each one having a random path like Matt had in the first trial. He shouted encouragement and last-minute guidance to the shooters, hoping they could hear him. It seemed to work since there were a total of 8 misses on some of the harder, long-range movers. After the last round was fired, he ran up to the line and congratulated the expressionless soldiers, telling them they all did a great job. Again, he wasn¡¯t sure it mattered but he was going to act like it did.


    The trial grounds phased away, but the students remained, now standing after moving away from their firing points. Matt was wondering what the next challenge would be when a message conveniently sprang to life. A new classroom was presented along with the text of what he had to do.


    Using the available teaching aids, instruct the students on how to attack an enemy position. After a 2-hour period, a practical test will be given, and your score will be based on performance.


    ¡°Oof, squad attack with only 6 of us.¡± Matt said after reading the system message. ¡°Tough, generally inadvisable really, but doable.¡± Matt turned to the whiteboard before glancing over his shoulder. ¡°Alright lads, gather round. We are doing movement to contact and squad attack.¡±


    Matt once again started drawing on the whiteboards. The detailed explanation of movement and then attacking a fixed position made his earlier work with ballistics look like a kids finger painting. For this part, he kept the actual drawing and instruction light, preferring to do practical applications and walk throughs.


    Matt outlined how the squad would move toward an expected enemy position, detailing the layout of the 2 teams in the wedge formations. He then covered some basic hand signals and some details on how to spot an enemy using target indicators.


    For the attack part Matt was not only highlighting positions, suppression, and the shifting of fires but also the use of terrain. How the assault team would have to use their best judgement on the route to take and how to approach. After a few walk throughs to get the motions down he had just enough time to cover what he thought they should do if the enemy was a beast or large monster.


    Before long, Matt¡¯s time was up, he really wished he had more since this topic was part of a much more nuanced nature than marksmanship ever could be. The application was where things went wrong, not the theory. He sighed and turned to face the wall that was fading away to reveal a wooded expanse stretching out before them.


    ¡°Alright guys, its time. Remember the teams and who does what job. If you suspect something or see something strange, halt the movement and we can assess from there.¡± Matt said and looked at the 5 blank faces before him. ¡°Got it? Ok, lets go.¡±               The group of 6 stepped off into the woods, moving in the only direction possible for the test.


    As fate would have it, the test didn¡¯t take long, only 20 minutes before something changed. Matt received a hand signal from the point man to stop and the entire squad crouched down into the tall grass so only their heads showed. Matt moved up to the point man and was directed to a group of 5 similar humanoids guarding a flag of all things.


    Matt pulled the rear team up a little and had a quick but hushed conversation, outlining the plan and delegating responsibilities. He set up his team on a small rise with rock and brush cover that had good line of sight through the trees. His assault element was sent on a looping route using a small dip in the terrain they had passed to pull up at a 90-degree angle.


    Seeing the assault element in position by one of them standing up while in cover of a large tree, Matt kicked off the attack. Him and his 2 students started firing at the enemy from around 400 meters out. To his surprise, they actually dropped one of the defenders right off the bat, but the rest were quick to get into cover and begin return fire.


    Matt kept up the suppression, making sure to alternate which of his 2 students were shooting so they never had both reloading at the same time. Like clockwork, the assault element arrived and hit the defenders hard, like a train hitting a moped. One of the enemies on the far side of the assault element was able to pivot and return fire, striking one of his and causing him to shatter before the other 2 put him down.


    The assault element pushed through the objective and set up as best they could with only 2 people while Matt and his team pushed up and to the other side of the objective. Once the area had been secured, he walked up and yanked the flag out of the ground and the simulation ended, woods, and his students fading away. ¡°Thanks guys, you did great.¡± Matt said somberly as the scene faded to black.


    Matt returned to the main hall, with his fist clenched around nothing as the flag had also dematerialized. He knew the attack was a success, but it still sucked that he lost one. He wondered if he had more time to teach if it would have made a difference. He sighed as he remembered the fragile nature of the humanoid targets. A hit that a normal person could survive would instantly down and shatter on of them. He would have to think about that later because the System interrupted his thoughts with a well-timed message.


    All challenges complete. Trial complete.


    Rewards being calculated. Rewards Granted


    Well, I guess its time to see if this was worth it or not. Other than the last part, I had a good time¡­ mostly. Matt thought as he watched the chest materialize.

 Chapter 26 – Gotta Watch Your Back

    Chapter 26 ¨C Gotta Watch Your Back


    Tobias was standing in front of a dozen people, Franklin not included, that had barged into the forge shortly after Matt left the city. He was not thrilled about the delay in his work, but the group was insistent on him being involved in this scheme. He wasn¡¯t so sure about it and was trying to dodge the questions to the best of his ability.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t think this is such a good idea.¡± Tobias began to say but was cut off by the spokesman of the group.


    ¡°Lord Tobias, please.¡± The dwarf called Sothrun began. ¡°When else will we get another opportunity like this?¡±


    Tobias sighed. ¡°Just Tobias, none of the lord stuff. What I am saying is that Matt probably should have a say in the matter.¡± He looked over to Franklin, the big orc standing to one side with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Frank, come on, back me up here.¡± Franklin just shrugged and nodded to the dwarf.


    ¡°You know very well what Matt is capable of, having seen it firsthand.¡± Franklin said after a slight hesitation. ¡°Look at what he has done in just 2 days of being in this city. How much change has happened with his mere presence.¡±


    Sothrun saw his opportunity to pile on. ¡°That man could single handedly destroy this entire settlement. And that¡¯s with him being at level 28!¡± He was building some momentum now. ¡°Imagine what he will be capable of when he returns, how much more powerful he will be. This is why we must strike while the iron is still hot.¡±


    A chorus of agreeing from the crowd behind Sothrun spurred him on. ¡°You know him best, said it yourself. That¡¯s why we are coming here, hat in hand so to speak, begging your help.¡± He paused and looked at his comrades again. ¡°We already have a nice spot to do it all picked out. All we are asking is for you to help with some planning.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you win.¡± Tobias said, getting a small cheer from the craftsmen. ¡°Show me the blueprint and I¡¯ll help advise on what he would like for a house. Remember his plan though, the pilots will be living along the ring road, so they don¡¯t disrupt the interior and its population.¡±


    ¡°Of course, lor¡­ eh, Tobias.¡± Sothrun said and summoned the large blueprint from his storage device and spread it on the table. ¡°So, here is the plan so far. We will be asking your help with amenities and aesthetic.¡± He then started going into detail about the house they wanted to build. Tobias couldn¡¯t do anything but go along for the ride, hoping Matt would accept the gift with some grace.


    All challenges complete. Trial complete.


    Rewards being calculated. Rewards Granted


    Matt watched as a chest appeared in the room before the pedestal. It was completely made of silver but with gold accents and trim. He approached the chest and used identify to see that it was an epic tier reward chest. He assumed that was due to his performance in the trial and not the nature of the rewards. Or maybe I just didn¡¯t do so hot and this is what everyone gets. He opened the chest and saw 3 items, a book and a rectangular piece of metal, and some sort of clear crystal with a bit of red in it. He used identify on everything just in case.


    Training Codex ¨C Blank


    A codex that allows the user to impart information by attuning to it and focusing their mind. Those that use the codex will be able to gain the knowledge and insights of whoever imparted the information. There is no limit to the uses of the codex, but it can only be filled once.


    Matt had to re-read that a few times to be sure he got everything. If he understood properly, he could download his knowledge into this book and others would be able to absorb it. This would make for an excellent tool that would bring the combat focused people up to speed on everything Matt knew about fighting. His suspicion was that this was the reward for the final challenge, given that it focused on teaching and leadership. He moved on to the next item after storing the codex.


    Summoning Token - Permanent Familiar


    A token that will allow the user to summon a perfectly suitable familiar to live and grow beside them. The familiar will be mentally linked with the summoner, able to comprehend all thoughts and spoken words.


    A familiar was likely the direct result of Matt getting shot in the back during the second challenge. He had been perfectly capable of handling any frontal attacks while in the castle but was unable to guard his back, even with the rear facing camera. He was a little nervous about what he would end up summoning given his mixed heritage and his nature as a pilot. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t be some giant golem or something that couldn¡¯t fit in small spaces. Having a familiar that couldn¡¯t always go with him would be a major bummer. Stowing the token, he identified the crystal.


    Trial Report ¨C Matt Shultz


    A complete record and evaluation of Matt¡¯s performance in the combat trials. Includes observation about strengths and weaknesses as well as theoretical solutions to failures.


    So, a graded test report. Matt thought to himself. He would read the report as it would be nice to know the System¡¯s insights onto the trial. The information would pair nicely with the video recordings from his helmet.


    Once Matt had claimed and stored the rewards, the orb began to glow and a message appeared, asking if he was ready to leave the trial. Since there was nothing left to do, he accepted and was teleported out to the cave. The orb was still in its same place and identify didn¡¯t show any changes. He hoped this meant that others could take the trial but would need to get someone out to test it.


    Not 5 seconds after arriving, Matt received a mental message from Van. ¡°I see you have returned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, anything happen while I was away?¡± Matt asked as he started to exit the cave.


    ¡°Nothing notable, you were gone for nearly 12 hours. What happened in the trial?¡±


    Matt began filling in Van on everything that had happened as he climbed back in the mech. For his part, Van quietly listened without interrupting as he recounted the events. Van seemed particularly interested in the second challenge and how it might have differed with him there.


    After the tale of how Matt got shot in the back by a volley of rifle fire, and the humanoid students he had to train, he brought up the rewards. Van had wanted Matt to use them right away but relented to good sense when Matt admitted he was exhausted and needed a nap before anything else. So, he stretched out on one of the aisles and immediately fell asleep.


    Matt woke several hours later, feeling much better after the sleep. He made a quick bite to eat since it was now mid-day and pulled out the summoning token. It looked like a metallic lozenge. It wasn¡¯t big, fitting easily across his palm but it had a decent heft. He looked at it, wondering if it was made of a super heavy metal or filled with something denser than the silver he could see from outside.


    After confirming with Van that he should use the token, Matt pushed some mana into it and immediately, everything went black. He was starting to see a theme for any time he needed to upgrade something or use an ability that wasn¡¯t his. Sure enough, he found himself in that weird void space where he had first met Van.


    This time, Matt wasn¡¯t the only thing in the infinite blackness. All around him were hundreds of glowing lights, every color was represented, and some were not colors but more like textures. Each one was a ball, nearly 30 centimeters in diameter with whisps of something seeping off them. He looked around him, seeing the balls all just floating, not moving in any way. Identify proved useless and he didn¡¯t get a single return for his efforts.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Getting curious, Matt walked over to one and extended his hand, not planning to touch it but just getting close. As he approached, the ball seemed to shy away, never allowing him to get closer than a meter with his outstretched hand. A little perplexed, he started walking through the array of orbs, not sure exactly what he was meant to do.


    As time passed, Matt was getting more and more frustrated. He wasn¡¯t given any direction and none of the stupid orbs would let him approach. As he wandered through the field, he felt something. A feeling tugged at his mind, gently pulling him to his metaphysical left. He turned to follow the feeling, the sensation growing as he moved.


    Matt passed dozens more balls, most just moving away to let him slip by. Finally, after the calling had been growing, he zeroed in on its source. A black ball with a scale like texture sat before him. Its colors shifted as he observed it. He had seen some of the others change colors or their textures but none of those would let him get close to observe for long.  This orb was holding perfectly still besides its colors.


    Reaching a hand forward, the ball didn¡¯t move. He closed even more and watched it start to ripple and change colors faster and faster until finally, he made contact. Instantly, the orb stopped what it was doing before beginning to glow. All the other orbs began to fade away, but he barely noticed, his attention fully taken by the ball that was getting ever brighter.


    With a sudden stop, the color stabilized, and the brightness of the light quit growing. Matt wasn¡¯t sure what had happened but then he was yanked forward by the hand and the ball pushed itself into his chest. The void around him shifted and he found himself standing in a new location with something else in front of him.


    Matt knew without a doubt that this had formerly been the ball of scale and color, it had the same presence, or perhaps soul. Now it looked like a species of big cat. No, a cat wasn¡¯t quite right, its head was too triangular, and it had far too much muscle. It looked like jaguar had mixed with a lizard or some other scaled creature. If he was being honest, it was hard to tell since it wasn¡¯t the physical being and instead what he assumed was a soul projection. He was also surprised to find that he could sense its curiosity and some underlying emotion that he felt like he should know but couldn¡¯t recall.


    As Matt was watching the cat¡­ thing, it stood and approached. He raised his hand, and the beast ducked below before pushing the top of its head into the underside of his palm. Matt thought it was cute, as he ran his hand over its head or the projection of its head. He had no idea if it could feel his hand or just get the general sense of it like he currently felt. Before he had much time to ponder the matter, the projection pulled away.


    The beast circled once before sitting on its haunches and lifting its paw up in the air, waggling it at Matt. He walked over and placed his palm in the center of the offered paw, having gotten the sense that this was what needed to happen. Slowly, the world around him went from black to a warm golden glow and he found himself standing back in the real world, with a very unexpected sight in front of him.


    What had been a vague, glowing shape of a large cat shaped thing was now clearly not that. It had become a black, scaled, horned monstrosity that would normally strike fear into the hearts of men¡­ if it didn¡¯t have its head cocked to the side with its tongue hanging out. The creature was still sitting on its haunches with its head a little taller than Matt. He didn¡¯t want to disturb the, so far, not hostile creature, so he used identify to start things off.


    Flanker Drake ¨C (Familiar). Level 30


    The Flanker Drake is a variant of the classic drake species that hunts and fights in small groups. It uses its ability to camouflage in conjunction with its immense strength and speed to take down prey many times larger than itself.


    There were more system messages now vying for his attention, but Matt ignored them, focusing on his new friend. He could tell a few things right away from his psychic connection or whatever it was called. Mainly that his drake was much more intelligent than it looked at the moment and the strange face was a momentary issue from being teleported into a new dimension. Its mind probed at Matt¡¯s, searching, and feeling out the very foundations of his consciousness as it slowly regained its fine motor control.


    The mental connection was strong and very similar to the one Matt shared with Van. He could sense the emotions and intent but not have a mental conversation with words. There was a lot of sensation being thrown his way, sights, smells and tastes among them. It was an odd connection when compared to Van but still a very intense bond was being formed.


    Suddenly and with a shake of its head, the drake regained its proper composure. It adopted a regal pose and examined Matt with its eyes more fully. Sensing the intent, Matt backed a step away, took off his helmet and rotated in a slow circle, arms out for the drake to inspect. As he came back to facing the creature, he found its nose almost touching his own, bright blue eyes wide with curiosity as it sniffed at him through slitted nostrils. The drake then backed up and then turned broadside to Matt, letting him inspect his new familiar.


    It was much longer than he originally thought, nearly 3 meters in length not counting the thick tail which was half again as long. It was not completely scaled either, having large rigid scales on its top sides only, leaving its belly covered in softer looking skin. Its head was shaped like a blunted arrowhead from the top-down view but had 3 horns, 2 large ones on top of its head and one smaller one on its nose, all pointed backward. Its feet were not what Matt expected, not that Matt was sure what to expect. Each foot had 4 long toes with a 5<sup>th</sup> short one at the back, but the claws seemed to be recessed into sheathes at the ends.


    Sensing Matts curiosity, the drake lifted its paw again for inspection and then extended its claws. It was able to grab and hold things with or without its claws by the looks of things. Matt marveled at the dexterity and turned to see the drake smiling at him, showing off a very impressive set of teeth. The lips pulled back to reveal the front canines to be long but very robust, clearly for piercing and holding on while the rest looked to be better for crushing.


    ¡°Absolutely beautiful.¡± Matt murmured as he got a good look. The Drake then rippled down its length, changing color and somehow texture. Its scales either stood up or laid down giving different appearances as well as colors. ¡°I bet you could hide in an open field filled with flowers and none would be the wiser.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t get words back but got a mental impression that felt like yes and had some feeling of experience behind it. He also got some vocalization, a trilling that sounded like a bird or maybe frog chirping.


    ¡°Well in that case, I will have to wait to see it myself. What is your name if you have one?¡±


    Confusion at the concept of a name, or a name formed from words that is. The drake made a short hum and a croak in answer, giving the impression that the drakes name was those noises.


    ¡°Sorry but I don¡¯t think I can say that. Can I give you a name in common? Just so I can refer to you but something?¡± Matt asked and then got a nod along with the mental confirmation. After confirming that the drake was male, Matt started trying some names but varied the sound to get some diversity to narrow things down. He finally stumbled upon one that the drake liked after several minutes of trying.


    ¡°How about Echo?¡± Matt asked and got slow nod of approval along with lips curling up in a smile again. Apparently, dragons or at least drakes could smile, and it was very pretty although incredibly unsettling. ¡°Alright then, Echo it is. Welcome to the family buddy.¡±


    Echo moved in closer and nuzzled at Matt¡¯s shoulder, prompting Matt to move his hand up and scratch at the soft skin under his jaw. A few seconds of scratching lead to a thumping as a tail repeatedly slammed into the ground, lifting dirt and small rocks with every impact. Getting visual confirmation, Matt doubled down and soon had Echo rolled over and getting belly rubs. Once Matt got clipped by a foot but thankfully his armor took the brunt of the hit, and it wasn¡¯t hard enough to move him anyway. While he doled out belly rubs, he read the other system messages that had been nagging at him.


    Congratulations on summoning a familiar!


    Summoned familiars cannot be permanently killed unless the summoner is also dead. You may resummon your familiar by retrieving its core and filling it with resources. While your familiar does not require food, it may still have the tendencies of its previous life and prefer to eat on occasion.


    This creature is a summoned familiar and shares your affinity as well as a mental connection with you. It will always grow and level at the same rate as you through a shared Experience Pool.


    You have unlocked the party system!


    Matt ended the belly rubs and stood up, watching as Echo rolled over and sprang to his feet. That explained where the summoning token had vanished to after he used it, the token became Echo¡¯s core. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what you had in mind, but I was on a bit of a quest to reach the summit of that mountain.¡± Matt explained to Echo. ¡°Feel like going on a little adventure?¡±


    Echo looked up to where Matt had pointed and nodded. He gave a little growl before stretching and looking back to Matt who climbed into the mech before setting off down the ravine to find a way out. The entire way, Echo stayed either to his front right or roamed out, scouting ahead and sending back visions and impressions. He didn¡¯t seem to like the mech very much, never getting close and always having his hackles up.


    ¡°So how do you feel about Echo?¡± Matt asked Van as they retraced their path down the ravine.


    ¡°He will be a valuable addition to our party.¡± The core replied.


    ¡°That reminds me, we unlocked party system, but I have no information about it.¡± Matt was about to go into the menu when a voice cut in and interrupted his train of thought.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that yet, I can explain when you actually do a communion ritual for once in your damn life¡± Tori¡¯s said as her voice cut into his mind. ¡°Maybe you can do the ritual on this little adventure so we can talk about some very pressing matters that have come about from your recent actions.¡±


    Matt promised he would do the ritual at the first chance he got. He secretly planned to make it as obnoxious as possible and preform it on the summit of this hill but that was for later. He would have plenty of time to think about it on his trip after he got some practice in working with Echo.

 Chapter 27 – Brass Tacks

    Chapter 27 ¨C Brass Tacks


    It took Echo a while to adjust to the mech and Matt residing mostly inside it. He had been very cautious at first, never really coming close unless Matt was getting out or the mech stood still. He had liked the autocannon even less. The first shot making him flinch and back away growling at the source of the noise. After some mental back and forth about how it worked and what Matt could do in it, the drake seemed to change from distrust to general apathy. Echo did insist on showing off for Matt which lead to their current situation.


    The grass in front of Matt rippled like a pond as a breeze wafted across the clearing. If it weren¡¯t for a series of high-power cameras and a certain mental connection, he would have thought that there was only grass before him. Within the sea of green was Echo, stalking his way across the clearing toward one of the giant metallic boars. The boar in question was rooting around on the far side of the clearing, none the wiser to what was approaching from behind.


    Echo had ¡°told¡± Matt of the boar, describing it as prey instead of an enemy worthy of consideration. Matt just decided to watch and let Echo do his thing, curious to see how this would play out. He still was posted up with the autocannon just in case there were any issues.


    The boar was in the low 40s for level and rather large for its species, not much of a problem for Matt in a mech but he wasn¡¯t sure how Echo would handle it. Almost on que, he received a mental prod from Echo and watched as the drake attacked.


    Waiting until the perfect moment Echo sprang onto the back of the boar. He bit down on the back of its neck, teeth piercing into the steel like skin of the beast but not deep enough to draw blood. He wrapped arms and legs around the spine of the boar as best he could reach, digging in razor sharp claws to hold on. The boar of course did not hold still for all of this, beginning to shake and buck, trying to rid itself of the drake that was now clinging to it.


    Matt watched the impromptu rodeo with mild amusement until his mana sense alerted him to energy being concentrated. He was about to intervene until he realized it was coming from Echo and settled back down to watch. The mana began to coalesce around Echo¡¯s mouth and Matt thought he heard a faint inhale before a blinding wave of plasma blasted out from the drake¡¯s mouth. a clean hole was blasted through the boar¡¯s neck and the beast fell to the ground. Echo held on but adjusted to avoid being crushed and rode out the muscle spasms from the dying boar.


    ¡°Well, um, that was something.¡± Matt said. ¡°It looks like he has the same affinity as me.¡±


    ¡°Is that from the summoning or is it just luck?¡± Van asked. ¡°We know very little about what is actually involved in that process.¡±


    Matt was inclined to agree with Van. There was a lot that he didn¡¯t know about the system and was only finding things out piecemeal. He was hopeful that Tori would be able to give him more insight unless the system limited her again. He started walking over to where Echo had downed the boar, looking at the relatively contained damage from the fight.


    Matt brought the mech right up to the downed boar. ¡°Well, Echo. That was a lot faster and cleaner than how my fights usually go with these.¡± The drake looked up from his perch and cocked his head at Matt, asking what he meant. ¡°I¡¯ll show you on the next one.¡±


    Echo seemed to like the idea of ¡°the next one¡± and bounded off into the woods, leaving Matt to try and skin the boar. He felt like this would be a good opportunity since it was still relatively intact compared to the ones he normally turned into a mess of holes and burns. This might be my time to learn a thing or two about how to hunt properly for materials. Or not as he got a mental image of Echo flaying a deer to ribbons.


    The rest of the day continued with Matt and Echo hiking up the slopes, occasionally stopping to murder something. Echo had seemed very impressed with the imbuement properties of Matts weapons which lead to the drake showing off its versions of that same ability. Echo was able to imbue its claws and teeth but could also do a reaching swipe like the bear guardian, extending the range of his claws. The mana blast it had formed on the boar had a relatively limited range of about 50 meters and lost a lot of power at that distance.


    Matt had learned that Echo was a master of powerful takedowns and rapid flanking maneuvers, probably the reason for its species name. He also learned that the drake had some staying power for prolonged engagements. A few of the treeants had ganged up on them, forcing Matt and Echo into a longer fight than they had previously. The 5 tree monsters went down easily, if not quickly, but managed to put some hits onto both of them. The Mech had suffered dented armor, but Echo only had some damaged scales that quickly healed.


    It made Matt happy to see that his companion wasn¡¯t a glass cannon, especially after taking a few hits from the heavy hitting treeants. They ended up stopping on a rocky outcropping for the night, having gotten carried away with fighting instead of climbing. Echo had found a nice shallow opening in the rocks for them to camp in and was already curled up in the small space.


    Pulling out a couple items from his storage, Matt began the process of making the ritual circle for contacting Tori. It wasn¡¯t anything elaborate, but he did need to create a representation of her domain. Given that she was a god of the defenses, he decided to make a small earthen fighting position.


    Using a knife and an entrenching tool, Matt formed a small-scale representation of a foxhole. He used the entrenching tool to make the small hole and then shaped it with the knife. Forming the grenade sumps and fighting platform was difficult in the loose soil but he persisted, making it as perfect as possible to get a better ¡®connection¡¯. The system did not allow this formation to be premade, but it allowed the reuse of designs and encouraged bringing materials to improve on them.


    After finishing the hole and placing a bit of cloth over top to represent a tarp providing shelter from the elements, Matt pulled out the catalyst. The catalyst he chose was a section of armor plate that he had taken from his duel with Alfron. The ritual would end up consuming the catalyst but that was ok with him. Given the ruined armor was from his own victory, it would be even more powerful than if he used some scrap or similar item.


    Matt placed the roughly hand sized piece of armor between him and the replica fox hole before saying the incantation. ¡°I Matt Shultz, a most humble supplicant, seek guidance from my oh so divine patron, the lovely, graceful, scarry and powerful Victoria, The Eternal Warden.¡± He said with as much overacting as he possibly could, really harnessing his inner Shatner. Technically, all he needed for the ritual to work was a domain representation, a catalyst and then a statement of who he was and who he wanted to talk to. Being an ass about the whole thing was just a bonus for him.


    Matt fell a sudden shifting like he was being teleported but not as severe as his ability before hearing a voice. ¡°You are lucky nobody else heard that.¡± Tori said. ¡°You might be labeled a blasphemer by some of the overly devout.¡± Matt opened his eyes to find that they were seated in the same sitting room as their first meeting.


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± Matt asked, a little concerned about some A grade having it out for him.


    ¡°No, anyone that matters would understand given you are not from our System. They might not like you very much but wouldn¡¯t dare harm one of my primes.¡± Tori said as she poured a cup of tea for them both. ¡°Matt, you continue to exceed my expectations whether by luck or some other factor I am not sure.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Asked Matt as he took his cup and sniffed at the fragrant brew.


    ¡°I mean that you should not be level 33 now. What is it that is driving you to level so fast? Even other Expats never pursued power with such zeal.¡±


    Matt had to stop and think for a few moments before coming up with a good answer. ¡°It¡¯s probably the freedom. There was so much in the way back on Earth always holding me back. Well, now I am the master of my own destiny.¡± He paused for a second, getting a read on Tori¡¯s reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything holding me back, not even a short lifespan but I also see the dangers out there. We need strength to survive, and I don¡¯t plan to be mediocre in this new universe. I want agency and the only way to have it is through overwhelming strength.¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Tori nodded along as Matt spoke, sensing that he was being honest and wasn¡¯t just power hungry to be a dictator. He wanted power to be his own master, dictate the terms of his life and rise to power. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that you are not trying to become a dictator like some of your peers are wanting to do. Not that I could tell you about other settlements even if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°So, there are other settlements? How big is this planet?¡±


    ¡°Dozens of other large settlements and many smaller ones scattered around. Your current planet is much, much bigger than Earth. Again, I won¡¯t give you specifics, but there were trillions of beings brought into this initiation and spread across hundreds of planets in both the planes.¡± She paused a moment as if thinking. ¡°Perhaps when you return to your city, you should brows the forge shops for general information. It will be expensive but I¡¯m sure you can afford it.¡± She said with a smile that had more meaning than Matt could figure out.


    Matt decided to get to the point of this meeting before his catalyst ran out. ¡°So, what was it you had to talk to me about? It sounded kind of urgent and I get the feeling that you have a warning or specific path for me.¡±


    Tori smirked a little as she replied. ¡°Indeed, I thought I would have enough time to save up for communications directly, but you are advancing too fast.¡± Seeing the confusion on Matts face, she pressed on. ¡°The System limits me initiating contact by having a sort of point system. The more I tell you when I reach out, the more it costs.¡± That explained a lot of what Matt had wondered about in his messages from the goddess.


    ¡°So, Matt.¡± Tori began. ¡°We need to talk about 3 things. The first is your trait and the domain you made. The second is about your new familiar and the party system. The final one is in relation to your construct, its core, and your path as a pilot.¡± She ticked off the items on her fingers.


    Matt sat and listened intently as Tori gave him the lecture of the century about why he was beyond vexing to contain as a prime. His trait and its inherent ability allowed and guided him in his development of his proto domain. She said up front that she would not directly help with his efforts there since it could taint the result. Basically, he had a half-formed domain that was based on his affinity and his aura trait, the other part of making a full domain would come later, if he lived long enough.


    Tori spent far longer on his familiar than she had on his domain issue. ¡°To get a familiar summoning token in a trial is an excellent reward and I think balanced considering your situation and performance. That the familiar is a draconic species is even more impressive since that was more up to your soul than your performance.¡±


    Matt was confused and asked for clarification. ¡°What situation and what about my soul?¡±


    Tori sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she replied. ¡°You are running solo when you need a team. As you should well know, constructs don¡¯t do well when isolated, so far you have been the exception. As for your soul, that was what you were seeing during the summoning ritual with the token. You entered a System assisted soul space to find a summon. It made sure that you would be compatible and have complimentary¡­ personalities.¡±


    Continuing with her tirade, Tori elaborated on the other issue. ¡°But this brings about a problem. Most don¡¯t get access to the party system until after the first of the System events for their settlement. You skipped the process, and you will need to set it up very carefully since you can only do it once per grade. You want to get the most benefit from it since you will be stuck with it until after your next evolution.¡±


    The goddess went on to tell Matt that the party system was hard locked to either D grade or after completion of the first settlement trial, depending on if the person was an initiate. He could essentially cheat the system and bring others in, giving them access to the party system. For it to be permanent, he had to set a withdrawal penalty otherwise the System would not let them keep access since they did nothing to ¡°earn¡± it. A credit penalty was recommended but Matt could set any number of options.


    ¡°What is so special about summoning a draconic species for a familiar?¡± Matt asked before he forgot.


    ¡°They are of a very proud and intelligent lineage. At the higher grades all beasts get a level of sentience and can adopt human forms, but the draconic ones are sapient from the beginning. They mentally develop like any human, elf, or other such species.¡± Tori paused again before continuing. ¡°This may or may not cause problems for you in the future. Hard to say honestly.¡± She finished giving him a knowing look.


    ¡°Got it, System stuff.¡± Matt said. ¡°So, about my mech, Van and my path? What¡¯s the deal with that?¡±


    Tori sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers in front of her. ¡°What do you know about the pilot class and the amplification that comes with the core?¡±


    Matt pulled out his insultingly titled book for pilots. ¡°Mostly just what¡¯s in here.¡±


    Tori sighed in apparent relief. ¡°Good, so you know about the amplification and how it is more than just power. You probably noticed in your trial that you didn¡¯t have any emotional ¡­ feedback?¡±


    Thinking back to the combat trials, Matt had to agree. ¡°I was much more my clinical self. I still got excited, and the adrenalin was definitely flowing but I didn¡¯t feel the same as when I fight with Van.¡±


    ¡°That is to be expected since you were cut off from him at a soul level.¡± Tori said. ¡°Your fight with the guardian was much more heated from what I saw. Did you notice the difference between that fight and the trial?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m feeling much more¡­um I¡¯m not sure of the word. It¡¯s not exactly a rage but I want to utterly defeat my opponent, crush them completely in a physical and mental way. I had a similar experience with the venom of that snake.¡± Matt saw the confused look and told the story of how he fought the venom off on that night. He described the emotions and his perspective of what he felt and thought during the incident.


    ¡°System damned insanity.¡± Tori said under her breath, rubbing her temples after Matt finished telling the story. ¡°Wrath.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Wrath is the word you are looking for, though truth be told, I¡¯m not sure if I should tell you.¡± She sighed before continuing. ¡°It¡¯s one of the more stable amplified emotions, more controllable than pure rage but not requiring an event to kick off like vengeance does.¡± She glanced over at him ¡°Its also not inherently good or evil if that helps your conscience.¡±


    ¡°So, what does that mean for my path?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°It means that you should probably avoid any of the berserker type classes that rely on close combat.¡± Tori said. ¡°You have a good thing going with your mixed fighting style and if you hone it, things will only get better or at least more focused.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to do that.¡± Matt said.  ¡°Thanks for all the advice and guidance, Tori.¡±


    Tori stood and Matt followed suit. ¡°Its not a problem and I am glad we had this chat. In the future, I will just ping you and you can use this method to contact me, unless it¡¯s very urgent. Also, there is this.¡± Tori handed Matt a small booklet. ¡°It has the diagrams for ritual circles that will allow you to include your familiar and your construct core.¡±


    Matt took and stored the booklet. ¡°This doesn¡¯t break the System rules?¡± He asked.


    Tori laughed before responding. ¡°No, it makes no difference if I give you a few notes or if I tell you exactly how to do it verbally.¡± She clapped him on the shoulder and looked him in the eye. ¡°Now, go get some rest and finish what you set out to do. Oh, and good luck with the drake.¡±


    With a snap of her fingers, Tori dismissed Matt and the communion ritual, returning his consciousness to his body. Matt opened his eyes and yelped as the first thing he saw was Echo¡¯s face, not a centimeter from his own. The Drake stared at him with its brilliant blue eyes, before snaking its tongue out to lick his face.


    Matt flinched from the rough surface of its tongue which caused Echo to let out a chirping noise that sounded a little too much like laughing. He sauntered back over to the shallow cave and swept it clear before circling a couple times and laying down. Matt stood up and followed the drake, summoning his bed roll on his way. He conversed briefly with Van while he set up for the night, finding out that he actually remained in his exact position during the ritual.


    Matt skipped making any dinner, not feeling at all hungry and kicked back on his sleeping pad. He would have just slept in the mech again, but he didn¡¯t want to leave Echo out all by himself for the night. A sentiment that the drake evidently appreciated since he curled his tail around Matt and pulled him closer to his side. Then the massive head of the drake came over and rested atop his lap, effectively pinning him to the ground.


    ¡°I guess this is good night then.¡± Matt said, getting a low whistle from Echo that he interpreted as ¡°most definitely¡±. With nothing else to do, he slowly scratched at the softer skin behind Echo¡¯s jaws, eliciting a purring from the drake. Matt slowly drifted off to sleep, pondering his chat with Tori and the brief thought about not having asked about his shaped mana ability floated through his mind before sleep took him.


    Franklin looked at the holograms floating over the design tables in what had become Tobias¡¯ lab. ¡°I don¡¯t see what this has to do with a belts and feeding.¡± The orc said, getting some noises of agreement from the acolytes also in the room. ¡°But you say that this is basic where you are from?¡±


    Tobias looked up from his notes. ¡°Oh, yes. Basic infantry weapons like this are very common. Honestly its not hard to use or manage compared to some of the guided weapons that we used.¡± He paused for a sip of water before going on. ¡°Once we get into guided and smart munitions, we will need to actually deploy infrastructure to support them.¡±


    Franklin looked to the acolytes for any hint of them knowing what the human was talking about. He got nothing showing any comprehension of the advanced weapons. ¡°Ok, so what do we need to produce these? And the Ray-Dee-Oh¡¯s you mentioned, they seem useful.¡±


    ¡°Well, the radios can be made pretty cheap if we are willing to spend the money to clone the components and assemble them ourselves.¡± Tobias said. ¡°We could actually set up an entire re-trans and sensor network for about a million, something we will want to do eventually.¡±


    ¡°Ok, well what should we do first?¡± Franklin said. He then held up his hand to stall for a moment. ¡°Look, Tobias, we have the money to fund some things but lets make this as cheap as possible for as long as possible. Give me a solution that makes sense.¡±


    Tobias nodded, fully understanding where the governor was coming from. ¡°Ok so here is what I think to get the most bang for our buck.¡± He then laid out the plan to equip the entire settlement with small arms and communications. The weaponry was mostly contingent on Matt coming back to let them run the scanners on all his equipment. The forge being level 2 and fully operational was going to change everything. Tobias was excited for when they hit level 3 in just a couple weeks if his estimate was correct.

 Chapter 28 – Will You Take Me Higher

    Chapter 28 ¨C Will You Take Me Higher


    Morning came very early for Matt, so early that the sky was still dark, not a smudge of dawn on the horizon. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t the best morning he ever had. His legs were all pins and needles from having the weight of Echo¡¯s head cutting off the blood flow all night. The drake in question had decided that now was the time to get started and wasn¡¯t taking no for an answer.


    With a groan, Matt sat up and rubbed his legs to get the blood flowing again. After several minutes of mild agony, he stood, stretched and packed his things. Echo paced around the area, sniffing at the ground and the air as he prowled. He watched the drake for a while before noticing that he could actually see almost perfectly despite the absence of daylight.


    ¡°This is trippy. I guess I never noticed since I kept a day night cycle.¡± Matt said as he finally realized how stats actually affected him. His perception didn¡¯t let him ignore darkness, or not yet but limited its effects. He could tell it was night but could see very clearly as if it were still light out. He was having a hard time rationalizing the thought when Echo came bounding up to him and pawed at his feet, urging him to get moving.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m moving.¡± Matt said as he vaulted into the cockpit of the mech. ¡°Alright Van, you ready? I want to hit the summit today and see if we can make any progress back down toward the mines.¡±


    The core grumbled back his response. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t actually need sleep, so the time of day is meaningless. Most nights I just sit and watch the smaller creatures around the camp.¡±


    Matt knew about the cores nocturnal activities being few to none but didn¡¯t want to think about what lurked around after he went to sleep. With a nod and a wave to Echo, he started making his way out of the rocks and back to the ridge he had been following. The hike up was mostly uneventful and the only creature they stumbled upon was a bear that was wandering directly away from them. They decided to let it go, or Matt decided, and Echo grumbled, literally making a grumbling sound in his throat for 15 minutes.


    Within a couple hours, they had reached the peak of the mountain, which despite being a significant boost in elevation, seemed like the normal forest to Matt. His suspicion was that altitude was different given that his environmental sensors didn¡¯t show any drastic changes to temperature or air pressure despite the few kilometers difference in elevation. There was a mostly cleared area at the top with only a couple large trees occupying the relatively flat summit. The other trees around the peak had conveniently stayed below the top, creating a clear line of sight all the way around.


    Matt was wondering why until he saw the broken off limbs and sheared tops of the trees that would have reached that height. Instantly, he knew that they had wandered into somethings home. Before he was able to tell Echo to back out, his threat detection field started showing movement coming from the sky beyond the treetops. Echo came bounding up to him, growling the whole way and Matt got a good look at the beast that called this peak its home.


    The bird was massive, having a wingspan easily reaching 10 meters. Its feathers were a cloudy grey with flecks of blue along the flight feathers. Its long, pointed beak traced back to a crested head with eyes that glowed yellow as they stared Matt down. A shrieking call from the thing spoke of its intentions and he was able to identify it.


    Storm Caller Rok. Level 45


    ¡°Well shit.¡± Matt said as Van and Echo expressed similar opinions. ¡°Echo, see if you can¡¯t use the trees to take cover and ambush if it gets close. I will try to be the bait and the trap for this.¡±


    Echo went tearing off into the ring of broken trees, displaying a frightening level of speed and agility for such a dense creature. Matt advanced up the rest of the way to the summit and noticed the nest that was constructed between some of the trees clustered near the center. He didn¡¯t see anything in the nest, so it wasn¡¯t a matter of them threatening an egg but just a bird being territorial. Matt had experienced birds like that before, unfortunately for the rok, there wasn¡¯t a government trying to protect it as a ¡®endangered species¡¯ like back on earth. Seriously, how are seagulls protected? There are billions of them on every beach.


    Matt watched as the bird circled once, changing elevation erratically as it went. He wasn¡¯t sure how smart the bird was, or if it knew he had some 25 millimeter presents to give it, but he respected the tactic. Before he was able to line up a shot, the bird dipped below his horizon, created by the rim of the hilltop and the remaining trees. His field was telling him that it was moving away but dropping in elevation, as it came back into view much further away, he saw its plan.


    The rok began to drift side to side as it flew back toward him, a pale mist beginning to form over the leading edge of its wings. As it got closer it arced harshly, banking to the side and flapping its wings, sending a roiling cloud to blanket the area. Matt couldn¡¯t see much through the dense cloud but that was only with his normal cameras, thermal and his passive mana sense telling a different story.


    After delivering its payload, the rok had moved off a little way and began flying in a tight circle, creating a whirl wind as it did. Bracing for some sort of air attack, Matt leveled his autocannon and took aim, leading the giant bird. Knowing that a one-shot hit wasn¡¯t going to happen, he sent a salvo out towards his feathered foe. Unsurprisingly, the half dozen rounds missed, also unsurprisingly, the rok decided to jink and evade rather than continue its patters. Seeing the change in flight path and the sudden deceleration, he was able to fire a few more well aimed shots, predicting the flight path.


    Bang, Bang, Bang, thwack. A 3 round burst got one hit, but it was a solid impact. Matt saw one of the legs start to dangle as the rok screeched again, this time arcing around and firing a blast of lightning at him. The bolt moved so fast, there was no way for him to dodge, instead he ended up taking it in his frontal chest armor. The blast didn¡¯t so much hit him as it flowed through and into the ground. He felt his legs buckle and the ground came up to meet him as the mech was dropped and landed badly in a half crouch over uneven ground.


    A warning was flashing in Matt¡¯s vision about armor being compromised due to heat and some damage to the servos that controlled motion. He pushed mana from the battery into the regeneration of those components. He could see the rok pass overhead after its lightning attack, it banked to the north and dropped below the tree line again.


    Matt began righting himself again, getting back on his feet from the awkward position he had fallen in. He could feel the concern rolling off Echo in waves but pushed calm and determination through the bond, aided by his aura trait. Feeling his drake companion settle back into its ambush position, Matt swung around and started searching the sky where the rok had disappeared. He backed up a few dozen meters to have better footing and to try something a little different.


    Within a few moments, the rok reappeared in the sky over the trees and started to orient on Matt for another attack. He fired a few bursts at the rok, working his way over and pushing it on a path that put it over where Echo was lurking. Getting lucky, he got a hit on its wing, but it glanced off and disappeared into the forest below. The hit caused the giant bird to wobble and loose altitude bit matt didn¡¯t stay and watch, dashing to his left and spraying a few more rounds to keep its attention.


    As it dipped even lower to avoid the spray of bullets, the rok¡¯s dangling leg was suddenly seized and a great weight jerked it down toward the mountain. It tried to flap and managed to gain a little altitude but not enough to clear the hilltop. After a less than graceful belly landing, the rok felt the weight disappear from its leg and saw what had ensnared it. Echo leapt from the ground and landed hard on one of its wings, grabbing with clawed paws and delivering a crushing bite to the major wing joint.


    Matt saw the vicious assault from Echo and was again amazed at the agility and physicality of the drake. It had jumped nearly 20 meters straight up and grabbed the paralyzed leg of the rok. After they had crashed, Echo instantly crippled its wing thus making this fight end on the ground. Matt came to a stop and changed magazines in the autocannon, having run dry while forcing the bird to the ground. He finished charging his weapon just in time to watch the rok right itself, balancing on one foot.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Echo was circling in its blind spot, but the bird had eyes only for Matt. It reared its head back and started collecting mana in its beak, preparing another lightning attack. Matt started moving again, running at an angle that forced the rok to hop if it wanted to keep him in its vision. As he moved, Matt started putting rounds into the giant bird, taking chunks out when hitting but not without issues.


    It turned out that the rok was rather hard to actually hit. There was a lot more fluff and feather than Matt first thought. Half of the 20 rounds that he fired passed right through the down and out the other side with a puff. The ones that did contact something solid had good effect, but the vitality of the creature was much higher than he would have expected. He would have assumed that any avian creature would be dexterity focused but this one had dedicated a lot to constitution. It didn¡¯t matter, he was just biding his time for the next part.


    With one massive hop, the rok was able to get ahead of Matt and unleashed its lightning attack. An attack that Matt had been waiting for when he instantly cast his teleport, appearing to its flank as Echo attacked from its injured side. Drawing his tomahawk, he advanced while Echo brought the creature down with a bite to its neck, dragging its face to the dirt. Matt ran forward, imbued the blade and swung for all he was worth at where neck met body, separating it and cauterizing the stump at the same time.


    You have killed Storm Caller Rok. Level 45


    Class Pilot ¨C Gun Fighter is level 34.


    Stat points awarded.


    Echo roared to the sky with the death of the rok, and Matt joined him, projecting his own voice from the mech¡¯s external loudspeaker. His blood was still hot with the thrill of the fight, having overcome an enemy that could have wiped the floor with him. His wrath finally sated, Matt could assess the damage in more detail.


    The fight was over and both Echo and Matt stepped back as the body flopped for a while, neurons still firing in its muscles despite no connection to the brain. Looking over, Matt saw that Echo had some twitching going on. When he asked about it, the drake sent a mental image of being shocked when he brought the head to the ground. Matt wanted to check him out, but he seemed to handle it far better than his own mech. He checked his displays and found that lightning blast had fried a quarter of the servos in the frame and sub layers along with severely charring the armor plate it touched.


    Matt moved over to the nest, checking to see if there was anything in there that was valuable before he would claim the carcass of the rok. After the beating he took, he planned on taking that as a trophy to make use of. A feather mattress and pillows came to mind. Reaching the nest, he peered inside and noticed the drake head pop up over the opposite side, looking in too.


    There wasn¡¯t any egg or chick in the nest which was nice for his peace of mind. There was however a large, rough stone that gave off a distinct flavor of mana. There were veins running through the surface, glowing a bright yellow along with the pale-yellow mana wafting from it.  He just had to identify it since he had no idea what it was or if it was even safe.


    Essence Stone: Electric


    The essence stones are natural treasures, elemental deposits that can have a variety of uses for the evolution of beasts. Crafters greatly value them as a concentrated form of elemental energy for enchanting.


    Matt looked up and met Echo¡¯s gaze. ¡°Oh yeah, we are so taking this with us.¡± The drake rumbled its approval. He hopped up over the edge of the nest and climbed out of the mech, intending to stow the stone in his storage ring. As he approached, he found that it wasn¡¯t the only thing in the nest.


    Littered all around the stone was a treasure trove of beast cores. They ranged in size, but Matt was able to recognize a few, those belonging to the creatures he and Tobias had fought during their journey to the city. Not wanting them to go to waste, he picked up every one of them, taking far longer than he thought as he kept uncovering more as he went. Finally, after half an hour of picking up cores, Matt stored the essence stone in his ring before returning to the body of the rok and doing the same.


    After cleaning up his mess, Matt stood at the edge of the hilltop and surveyed the surrounding area. He walked all the way around, getting a good view in every direction. He could see the vague outlines of the settlement in the direction he came, noting that the area looked a little more open than he remembered but not sure with the distance.


    After a detailed survey, using the magnification of his optics as best he could, Matt pulled out the rough map that Franklin had given him. Orientating it on the city and lining it up with the hilltop, he was able to get a rough idea of where the mine area was supposed to be. Making a mental note of the terrain and putting in the location of some points from his route, he stowed the map and sealed up the hatches.


    ¡°Ready, Echo?¡± Matt asked, turning the mech¡¯s head to look down to the drake. Getting a nod and a trilling noise in response. With that, he began his climb down, moving toward a depression in the forest canopy in the area of the mines.


    ¡°What in the hell is that thing?¡± Matt asked nobody in particular. ¡°It has to be the ugliest fricking, I¡­ I don¡¯t even know what.¡±


    ¡°You have the identify skill, right?¡± Van said.


    Matt indeed had the skill but was almost afraid to use it. The mass of flesh, eyes and chitin was almost too disturbing to even think about identifying. Still, after a few moments of delay to steel himself, he did, and immediately regretted his decision.


    Amalgamated Insectoid Guardian. Level 40


    With a shiver running down his spine, Matt told Van and Echo what it was. The guardian was smack dab in the middle of the depression making up the mine area. The trend of putting guardians around high value area was not lost on him and might lead to a way for him to pinpoint these locations.


    The problem for Matt wasn¡¯t the guardian, despite it filling him with a hatred that burned at nearly the same temperature as his plasma. The issue was that the Guardian was not the only thing in the depression. Scattered around were hundreds of smaller insects. Smaller being relative since the guardian itself was a 15-meter-wide ball of yuck. The smaller bugs had lower levels, but they also had a lot of bodies.


    With one more shiver, Matt backed away from the area, using the ridgeline to stay out of sight. As much as he wanted to purge them all with fire and steel, he knew this would be a great opportunity for the other pilots. There was no way he was going to do this alone and fully intended to make the other fighters work for it. There was just something about having them join in his righteous crusade against the bugs.


    Matt picked up the pace after getting some distance between himself and the mine. He tried to avoid the thudding footfalls of the mech disturbing the local wildlife as much as he could. His mech¡¯s leg assembly and digitigrade stance was a far cry better than the other pilots constructs, however. They actually thundered along, shaking the ground with every step, well, most did. He had noticed some variance in the constructs, mostly in size but several had different overall stances and weapons.  He would have to assume this was due to the process of how they were originally made at the exchange, being based on the pilot and their equipment.


    Matt planned to take a few days to train with the people of the city, and hopefully use the codex. He was planning on creating it that evening since his path should bring him back to the city late the next day. If the Codex worked the way that it was described on the package, it would be a massive boon for the people of the settlement. He planned on filling it with tactics rather than technical information since that would change way faster than ¡°How to clear a mined wire obstacle¡±.


    With the endless ideas of what to fill the codex with keeping Matt distracted, Echo was having fun on his own. The drake had taken to ranging out and away from his summoner, fighting and exploring for the most part. It also wanted to find the spots that would make good rest areas, mainly lots of comfy rocks to sleep on. Echo liked the rocks, especially when they were still hot from the days sun. He was getting kind of hungry and might have to find something to eat rather than just kill at some point.


    After frolicking through some trees and snatching a few small critters, Echo saw the perfect pile of rocks to sleep in for the night. He sent Matt a mental image and the intent to settle in for the night, getting that feeling of agreement in return. He was confident that he could train the human, helping him stalk and fight better wouldn¡¯t be necessary but Matt had a thing or two to learn about dens.


    ¡°That little lizard would have you living in a cave for the rest of your life if you let it.¡± Van rumbled to Matt as they moved off toward the rock pile.


    ¡°Yeah, or a rocky mountain side.¡± Matt replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think its going to be a problem but will be something to consider when we get back to the settlement. I might need to find a place to make a house with a heated stone patio, not to mention the 10-meter-tall garage.¡±


    ¡°I will not be shoved into a garage every night.¡± Van huffed, clearly resenting the idea.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Matt said before mumbling. ¡°Not like you know what a garage is anyway.¡±


    They arrived at the rocks to find Echo doing his impression of a kid on a jungle gym. He was hopping from the tops of the rocks and then prowling around and under them. He was sniffing in every crack, pawing at the ground and rubbing against every rock. Matt just laughed and started setting up camp, trying to get it all taken care of early. After all, there was food to eat and a codex to fill.

 Chapter 29 – The Codex Does Support This Action

    Chapter 29 ¨C The Codex Does Support This Action


    Matt was not sure what he had expected to happen. He had set up a fire, using his domain to conjure a small flame to light the pile of wood. Then he got out the cook set and set it up, making sure to wait for a bed of coals before setting the grill down. Then after the embers were ready, he pulled out a few steaks of the ever so prevalent deer meat. He intended to season them before grilling but was suddenly interrupted.


    Echo had appeared over his shoulder, peering down at the slabs of meat on the wire rack. He didn¡¯t immediately try to eat them but instead sent a questioning hum toward Matt, asking what was happening. Matt started talking him through the process, promising to share the majority of it with the drake. The answer seemed to mollify the beast who wandered over to the opposite side of the fire to observe the cooking process very closely.


    The drake was strange to say the least. Matt had interacted with dogs and cats back on Earth, but Echo seemed to be a mix of both. It had the prey drive of cats but the boundless energy of a Labrador. It was almost like a giant monitor with a dog¡¯s personality, running cat software. Matt thought this because Echo was sitting on its haunches and drooling slightly as it watched the cooking meat. Just like his friends golden back in high school.


    Regardless of the drake¡¯s quirks, he didn¡¯t move other than to get a better view of what Matt was doing at each step. Soon all 4 steaks had been cooked to a nice even medium, with almost perfect grill marks. Removing the whole grill from over the coals, Matt set it aside to let it rest for a few minutes, having to reassure Echo that this was part of cooking.


    Soon enough it was time, Matt plated one of the cuts for himself and then sliced the remaining 3 into large chunks for Echo. He had seasoned one of them to see if his companion liked the taste of salt and pepper but didn¡¯t want to fully commit in case it wasn¡¯t a hit. He shouldn¡¯t have worried.


    Matt tossed a chunk in the air, arcing it toward Echo who snatched it so fast he almost missed the movement. It was interesting to see the drake chew but he somehow mimicked Matt in the action, seeming to savor the taste before swallowing. Matt decided to cut out the middleman and just dumped the rest on a slab of rock, keeping the salt and pepper one off to one side.


    Matt watched his companion pick over the cooked meat as he ate. Pulling out the codex and looking it over while he finished dinner, thinking about what to put in it. He was almost finished eating when he heard a sound that he hadn¡¯t heard Echo make before. A strange gurgling followed by a deep hum. When he glanced over, the drake was actually starting to tear up. It had made it to the seasoned steak and was clearly in favor of the addition.


    ¡°Here you go buddy.¡± Matt said as he deposited the rest of his meal in front of Echo. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± He laughed and returned to his spot beside the fire. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but he thought there was a small tear running from the corner of the drake¡¯s eye.


    Shaking his head and pulling out the codex, Matt committed to filling it. He opened the first page and a System window displayed over the first page of the book.


    Training Codex ¨C Blank


    Do you wish to impart knowledge into the codex? Y/N?


    Matt chose yes, planning on having to focus hard to make sure all the info he had was imparted correctly. That would not be necessary as fate would have it.


    Training Codex: Knowledge Transfer Menu


    Please choose the type of information you wish to impart into the codex:


    Technical


    Procedural


    Personal


    This was not what had been on the package. It was however a welcome surprise and Matt selected procedural, assuming that was the ¡®how to¡¯ option. He wasn¡¯t sure what personal was, but it didn¡¯t sound like something he was really needing and would ask Tori about it later. His wondering was interrupted by a new system window, this one much more¡­ strange.


    Place both hands on the codex. Prepare for memory scan.


    Note: Do not resist memory scan or data corruption may occur.


    Matt did as he was told and steeled himself for what he assumed would be painful. It was not painful in the slightest, but it was somewhat unpleasant. The scan involved his own mind being dragged through his memories, going back to his youth when his adoptive father had taught him about hunting. He saw his classroom training and field training in the military which blended into his deployments then his time as a contractor before finally working toward the present day.


    Every memory was sped through, but the effect dragged on, seeming to slow down at crucial times in his life. The time he learned how important setting up proper security was after getting jumped by an enemy fire team while in a patrol base. The time he experimented with using LMG¡¯s as rifles in a squad assault. When he began working in conjunction with larger elements to capture objectives and secure cities. Every event where he learned or gained wisdom was dissected, inspected and recorded.


    Hours passed as the codex scanned Matts mind and compiled information into the pages of the book. As the memories replayed and forced Matt through the trauma of his past, he tried to hold on to his sanity. The emotions flickering back and forth within him as he was forced to see friends die again or feel the relief of a successful defense. This feature of the codex was truly making him work for it.


    Just as Matt was about to call it quits and try to back out, the codex reached the point of his integration. He sighed with relief and was able to coast on some of the less traumatic memories. Soon after, his mind returned to the real world, letting him see that Echo had curled up next to him and was watching intently. The codex in his lap suddenly snapped shut and he held it up, inspecting it again now that it was filled.


    Tacticians Codex (Rare)


    This codex contains the total combat knowledge from the pilot known as Matt Shultz. With an exchange of mana, instantly gain the tactical knowledge of an advanced world and retain it permanently. Codex has unlimited uses.


    Matt was pretty pleased with himself. Not only had he completely filled the codex, but it was also classified as a rare item. Naturally, the first thing he tired to do was use the item. That failed with only a window saying that he could not use it since he made it. Then he tried to have Echo use it, which worked¡­ mostly.


    As the drake had to be told what to do, it wasn¡¯t as simple of a process but eventually Echo was able to push mana into the book. He snarled, showing all his teeth, as the book began to glow, and a blue light was cast on the paw touching the surface. After a little more than a minute, the glow receded, and Echo let his lips back to their resting place. He backed away and shook his head before making a whistling noise that sounded like a whine.


    After a very brief exchange on imagery, Matt learned that, while the book had imparted knowledge, it was very strange and unfamiliar to Echo. The use of words and numbers to explain concepts was a very foreign idea that caused issues when the drake had to translate what it all meant. The final impression from Echo was that people should do people things and drakes do drake things, honestly flawless logic.


    Another early wake up courtesy of the resident familiar had Matt on the road before the sun was up. He found out that Echo liked to get moving soon after the rocks lost their warmth from the previous day and cooled off. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t handle the cold, but the lack of radiating heat meant there was nothing attractive about the location anymore. Matt was utterly perplexed but just followed along, only needing a few hours each night anyway.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The route that Matt had ended up on, due to the terrain, was taking them further away from the settlement than he originally intended. Kicking them out into the open terrain and rolling hills several kilometers away from the city. Matt knew this clearing was dozens of kilometers long with the settlement at one end of it. The relief of being out of the woods was immense and caused him to sigh and relax ever so slightly. Just having an unobstructed view for more than a hundred meters was nice. Echo apparently also liked the new terrain.


    The drake was, for lack of a better word, frolicking in the tall grass that made up the massive clearing. The grass was nearly as tall as Matt in some places, and Echo was using these patches to dive under then pop up at the edge, leaping to the next spot of tall grass. This went on for almost half an hour in the post dawn light that washed from the eastern edge of the clearing.


    Matt knew that they were relatively close to the settlement and only needed to follow the tree line. The monster levels in the area would be low due to their proximity to the settlement and its population. A fact that didn¡¯t prevent him from telling Echo to keep his eyes open for any large, tasty looking animals. He assumed there had to be more deer or perhaps bovine animals in the area. So, with a very excited companion, Matt set off for the city, hoping to see the walls by noon.


    Matt and Echo had some good luck while in route to the city, getting the drop on a heard of deer all under level 10. Echo had actually stalked them, getting the drop on 2 at the same time with Matt taking another with his rifle as it ran from the drake. They paused to dress the kills and let them hang for a little while to bleed them. After a quick hour break, they set out once again, rounding the slight curve in the tree line and spotting the high walls of the city.


    ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the deal, Echo.¡± Matt began. ¡°I think you need to stay close and walk right beside me. I don¡¯t want them to panic and think you are a threat or anything.¡± Matt finished explaining to the drake. ¡°Actually, let¡¯s try something.¡± He was hoping that Tobias would be listening in or had his radio nearby.


    Matt keyed up the radio, broadcasting in plaintext since he hadn¡¯t set any encryption. He should have the range if he was broadcasting from his mech, just needed someone like Tobias to be listening. ¡°Any station this net, this is Matt. Radio check, over.¡± He said into the mic built into his helmet. He paused, waiting a full 10 seconds before repeating the message.


    ¡°Matt, this is Tobias. Read you lima, charlie, over.¡± Tobias¡¯ voice came over the radio, shockingly clear given the distance.


    ¡°Hey man, can you let the folks on the east gate know I will be coming in a little bit with a friendly creature as a dismount. Break.¡± Matt had to pause to think how to describe the situation. ¡°The dismount is my new familiar and is a drake. Coloration is black and covered in scales. How copy? Over.¡±


    A very long pause before Tobias responded. ¡°Roger, one mech one dragon RTB via east gate.¡± The voice sounded both excited and exhausted. ¡°I will meet you there. Tobias, out.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t exactly the correct radio etiquette, but they also didn¡¯t have anyone sharing the network to worry about. It was a problem that Matt would fix with his codex and if they ever set up a radio network. He was very excited to see what Tobias had been working on for the past few days. It should be good considering how excited Tobias had been with the prospect of using the forge.


    Matt looked down to Echo and decided to fill him in, using the mental link to send a series of images and thoughts at him. They set off shortly after, picking up the pace a little as they closed with the city. He was surprised to see the trees around the walls had been cut back but another few hundred meters, giving almost a kilometer of distance from the wood line to the wall. The pilots had been working hard to clear it all out.


    As he approached, Matt also noticed the patrols moving along the wood line and zoomed in on them with his powerful cameras. They had set up a foot patrol with a couple constructs tailing them as they moved along the tree line. There looked to be 12 people on foot supported by 4 constructs for each group. They didn¡¯t venture far into the woods and when crossing large open areas, the constructs would screen the dismounts, moving to be on the outside of the patrol.


    ¡°It seems Tobias has been putting in some work more than just at the forge.¡± Matt said, deciding to comment to Van about the patrol.


    ¡°It does, I know he served with you, but I did not take him for much of a commander.¡± Van replied.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t. This is pretty basic stuff but still, I almost expected to find the pilots still out here waging war against the trees, not looking like a proper fighting force.¡± Matt said just as one of the patrols spotted him and started to change course, putting them on a route to intercept him. That was fine, as long as they weren¡¯t jumpy and didn¡¯t mistake Echo for a threat.


    One of the pilots must have been more familiar with Matt since they broke away, moving faster than the rest of the patrol after a brief conversation. The construct ran out in that heavy footed gait they seemed to favor and crossed the remaining several hundred meters at a run. Matt finally recognized the mech by the heraldry still emblazoned on the chest armor.


    Matt raised his hand and boomed over the loudspeaker. ¡°Well met Commander Rohm!¡±


    Stopping to let Matt come to him, Rohm unsealed his hatch and yelled back. ¡°Matt! Welcome back, Tobias has a whole¡­ what is that!¡± He cut off as he spotted Echo moving in the grass around Matts ankles.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is Echo, my familiar. I think he¡¯s friendly? I haven¡¯t had him around people so I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Rohm just stared at him, mouth agape, jaw flapping slightly. After a few moments of trying to make sense of what Matt just said, he was able to string words together. ¡°Um, I¡­ I think I¡¯m going to go ahead and warn the others.¡±


    Matt laughed. ¡°You do that. I¡¯ll be right behind you then. Oh, Congrats on the levels by the way.¡± Indeed, Matt was impressed by the level growth amongst the group that he had seen so far with Rohm having almost reached 20.


    Rohm waved as he closed the hatches on his construct and then thundered off to warn the others not to panic when they saw the level 34 drake if they saw it. Echo was doing his impression of a patch of grass and honestly kinda killing it. He looked like an ever so slightly darker and shorter bit of grass, even swaying with the breeze. Matt was honestly impressed with his ability to camouflage instantly. Waiting for a respectful amount of time for Rohm to get ahead, Matt set off toward the walls once again.


    Matt made it into the east gate without any issue and saw Tobias waiting just inside. Being considerate of other traffic, he moved off to one side before he dismounted and caught his friend up on his adventures. He immediately noticed the growth inside the walls had been explosive, buildings popping up everywhere across the open area inside the star fort. He thought he even saw some roads being laid down at the center around a wide, stout tower.


    ¡°You guys gave been busy.¡± Matt said, commenting on the building initiative.


    ¡°Clearly not as busy as you.¡± Tobias shot back. His hands were on his hips, and he had a severe look on his face. ¡°I can feel it, your aura is¡­ different. You have a presence around you now.¡±  He sighed deeply before continuing. ¡°At least it is relatively contained. You really need t¡­¡±


    Matt had forgotten about the aura issue and immediately withdrew it completely. Within half a second, there wasn¡¯t a trace of his aura or intent leaking out. ¡°Is this better?¡± Matt said with a smirk.


    ¡°Well, um, yeah it is.¡± Tobias faltered. ¡°You made your breakthrough?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t tell you about it now, but I can answer any questions that you have after watching the recordings.¡± Matt tapped his helmet to emphasize his point. ¡°We have a lot to talk about and Frank is going to want to be a part of it.¡±


    Tobias agreed and Matt made the introductions for Echo who seemed a little cautious of Tobias until the researcher made the offering of some smoked meat. After that, there was an understanding between them, good dragons get snacks. After the introductions, they started making their way to the forge so they could talk in Tobias¡¯ office. Well, Tobias and Echo walked while Matt climbed into the mech for the short journey.


    The extra height and the alternate route allowed Matt to get a rather complete view of how the city was developing. There were marked areas all over the place. He couldn¡¯t look in any direction without seeing a series of wood stakes or the beginnings of a building. The ¡®roads¡¯ were also being more clearly defined with stakes marking them. and he thought he could see gravel on the ones leading to the center.        Finally, he made it to the forge and didn¡¯t have to wait long for Tobias and Echo to join. Judging by the look on his friend¡¯s face, the trip had been harrowing.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what happens when a drake pokes its head into a restaurant suddenly?¡± Tobias asked, using his tone that said don¡¯t bother answering I¡¯m telling you anyway. ¡°Everyone freaked the fuck out!¡± he shouted. ¡°I had to force my way past to calm them and the only thing that did it was mentioning that he was your familiar.¡±


    ¡°When did we get a restaurant?¡± Matt asked. He had already seen the visual side of it through the link he shared with Echo. ¡°I was only gone for like 5 days.¡±


    ¡°Really, that¡¯s what you take from this?¡± Tobias dead panned before he scrubbed his face with his hands and returned to his more normal tone of voice. ¡°It¡¯s more of a dining hall that serves preset meals, but the food is decent. My guess is the smell lured him in and he at least had the good graces to only poke his head through the door.¡±


    ¡°Awe, did you want some more cooked meats?¡± Matt said to Echo in the voice people used for puppies while scratching behind his jaws. ¡°Tell you what, I will make some for you tonight with the deer we got today.¡± Echo seemed to like that idea as he began humming in that odd pitch again.


    Tobias looked between them with a bewildered expression before throwing his hands up in the air and storming off to his office. He shouted something about going to see if Franklin was there yet. Matt didn¡¯t mind, he was enjoying his time just being out in the open without having to watch his back or with a mission to complete. He was about to follow after Tobias when he heard a voice call out and turned around.


    ¡°Matt it¡¯s good to see you a¡­ What in the hells is that?¡± Franklin shouted as he got a good look at Echo. It seemed Matt was going to have a reoccurring problem with the townsfolk.

 Chapter 30 – Can You Blame Them?

    Chapter 30 ¨C Can You Blame Them?


    They say you never stop learning new things. That day, Matt learned that the design terminals in the forge that allowed for 3D designs to be projected and worked on, also played his helmet recordings. Franklin and Tobias both stared at the display, watching his fight with the bear guardian, Tobias more studious while the orc was borderline horrified. This was his first-time seeing Matt and the levels of brutality he was capable of when paired up with his construct.


    After the fight was over, Matt stopped the playback, he had to brief them on his findings and suspicions about guardians and high value items. ¡°Listen, Frank. I would greatly appreciate it if you didn¡¯t tell others about Van being awakened.¡± He paused, letting the stunned man gather himself. ¡°I am reading you into this because I don¡¯t think you will betray me but also because you might need to leverage this in the future.¡±


    Franklin nodded, swallowed, and took a breath before responding. ¡°So, you are not solely a ranged fighter.¡± The statement was redundant. ¡°I swear not to tell anyone about this, but please can we fast forward through the similarly gory fights?¡± Franklin looked a little paler than normal, losing the color in his face and holding his stomach.


    ¡°Yeah, no worries. The reason I stopped it is because I wanted to talk about its name, or the guardian part of it. The creatures that have a guardian title seem to be protecting high value area or items.¡± Matt fast forwarded through his skill selection and level up, skipping right to the moment he contacted the trial orb.


    Matt had learned the recording wasn¡¯t just a visual and audio sort of recording but also captured his identify usage and any system windows. He learned that he could scrub that data from the playback but chose not to. He decided to show some trust to the governor, and Tobias would always be his confidant so with just the two of them it was easy. If he wanted to use this for training material, he would remove a lot of data to prevent a lot of uncomfortable questions.


    ¡°This is what the bear was guarding.¡± Matt began to narrate as he played the video. They watched his discovery of the trial orb and then him entering it. He then showed them a highlight reel of his exploits before producing half of his rewards since the other half was napping in the corner. ¡°This codex was the second reward I received. I already filled it with information and its ready to be used. Tobias, before you ask, the option was to input Technical, procedural, or personal info.¡±


    ¡°This is quite the impressive item.¡± Franklin said as he examined the large book. ¡°It says unlimited uses but are there any other criteria?¡±


    ¡°No clue, I figured we could run it through the ranks and find out. Probably best to do it in batches and have someone ready to record failures.¡± Matt replied. Franklin and Tobias agreed with his assessment and said they would come up with a plan to use it. He then showed the rest of the video, skipping to the high points. The fight with the rok was mostly skipped for Franklins¡¯ sake but the visual survey of the surrounding land was not.


    ¡°This is the perfect time to try out my plan.¡± Tobias began to polish his palm before adjusting the controls on the display and having Matt restart the recording. ¡°I was hoping to piggyback off your recordings and wrote this program to capture and convert images to terrain maps.¡± The idea was a good one and Matt was hoping it worked. Fortunately for all of them, it worked flawlessly.


    Tobias immediately converted the map to a 2-dimensional version and sent it to his and Matts tablets. Matt was impressed with the quality and detail of the maps, and he was able to manipulate it pretty easily. He did notice that the areas around his path were much more detailed, showing that the program had been running the whole time and this was the test for large scale. Matt then produced the elemental stone for Tobias to hold onto and work him magics on.


    ¡°Now¡± Matt said as he started the recording to show the mines, playing it through to get the map updated. ¡°It¡¯s time we talk about the crusade we will be conducting. I fear that we cannot suffer these vile beings to exist right upon our doorstep any longer.¡±


    Franklin looked up. ¡°What crusades? Matt, I didn¡¯t take you for a zealot.¡±


    Tobias facepalmed. ¡°He isn¡¯t but he also hates insects with a passion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not, but we can¡¯t let this abomination stand.¡± Matt replied in a falsely tired voice. He then showed the video of the mines area, playing it right next to the newly created map. ¡°Where the trial orb only had one guardian for whatever reason, this one is different.¡±


    Matt went on to explain the situation that they could see and what he had picked up on that the recording wasn¡¯t quite showing. Franklin and Tobias both listened intently as he outlined the plan that he had come up with over the past day and a half, getting feedback from them on timelines and feasibility. He wanted to use the trials along with some power leveling to bump their power up before assaulting the mines.


    The trials would be a great opportunity, but they also weren¡¯t sure of when to send people. Franklin eventually won out with some common sense of letting those that reached level 20 go but only after they had their time with the codex. He said that if the suspicion about performance dictating rewards was correct, the could gain much more from trial with that method. Matt also pointed out that there was a creation trial, and they should send some of the higher-level people to do that as well.  Tobias fully backed him on that and volunteered some of the forge personnel to go in the early waves.


    With the exploits of Matt fully accounted for, they moved on to what had developed while he was gone. Franklin gave a general summary about levels increasing for nearly everyone in the settlement and mentioned the building initiatives. The squat tower in the middle of the settlement was going to be used as government offices as well as a command center for any combat operations.


    Tobias reported that they had been making components for radios and repeater towers but hadn¡¯t yet installed them. He wanted to test the manufacturing process and function before committing to putting them in the hands of the populace. Just the radios would be a massive undertaking if they wanted everyone to have one. Matt then asked about the repeater sites.


    ¡°Well, I was hoping that we could set quests for the teams to take on. It would help with their levels and help get a network set up for the future.¡± Tobias said. ¡°I just don¡¯t know if any of our teams are up to traveling out to the optimal range to set them up.¡±


    ¡°Well, what if they only go as far out as they can?¡± Franklin asked, ¡°Is there any problem with them being set up closer and moved later?¡±


    Tobias thought for a moment. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that we would need to move them twice but other than that I don¡¯t see a problem as long as the terrain makes sense.¡±


    The talk of teams jogged Matts memory. ¡°So, about the teams. What¡¯s the story there?¡±


    Franklin was the one to explain. ¡°When the initial work was going into the tree clearing project some of the, uh dismounts?¡± Getting a nod from Matt and Tobias he continued. ¡°The dismounts went out to do some hunting and we tasked the pilots to guard them as they did so. The practice kind of stuck and now the hunting parties are mixed with those in constructs and those on foot.¡±


    It made sense to Matt and was probably the way he would have done things. ¡°So, I accidentally got access to the party system.¡± Seeing the confused look on Franklins face and Tobias screaming into his hands, he elaborated. He explained the system and how it worked, also detailing that he could ¡®give¡¯ it to people for a credit penalty and they could do the same if they set it up like he did. Franklin was ecstatic about the prospect of giving out the party system and was already planning on organizing team leaders to get it from Matt.


    ¡°How fucking lucky can you be?¡± Tobias asked while Franklin was just about dancing his way out of the office.


    ¡°Well, if you ever left the forge, you would be more than level 23.¡± Matt shot back.  ¡°Getting close there, what¡¯s holding you back?¡± he said, offering his fist for a bump.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Tobias returned the bump. ¡°It¡¯s the combat class. I have my Forge Master class at 24 and ready to go but I need to get my second class up to the threshold to evolve. Turns out you need to do both at the same time for whatever reason.¡± He was sounding annoyed at the end of his rant.


    Matt knew that Tori would have some insight into the topic and would try to ask her about it later. ¡°What was it that you needed my help with?¡±


    Tobias looked at him for a couple seconds before jumping out of his seat. ¡°Right! I need to scan the crap out of you and all your stuff.¡± He said as he made his way out of the office and toward one of the pads that ran the perimeter of the machining area.


    Matt was then told to go get Van and bring him onto the pad so they could scan him. When that was over, they scanned all of his equipment that could be removed. So, he was forced to put his rifle, magazine pouches, individual cartridges, grenades, radios, helmet, armor and more onto the pad. Over the course of a couple hours, part of which he was standing around in only his boxers, all his equipment was scanned. The process went on and on, even after one of the other forge techs ran over to talk to Tobias. Matt noticed she stared at him a little too long and gave him a wide berth as she passed.


    ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± Matt asked Tobias after she left.


    ¡°Oh, we hit the threshold a while ago but I¡¯m still getting all your stuff to get a jump on the next tier for the forge.¡± Tobias said idly as he ran the scanners.


    Matt sighed. ¡°No, not that part. She acted like I was the boogieman, and her aura was filled with fear.¡±


    This comment caused Tobias to stop and give Matt his full attention. ¡°Remember how you just showed up and casually killed the most powerful person in the settlement?¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t feel that was fair, the guy was either going to dule him or shoot him in the back, so a fight was impossible to avoid. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t reall¡­¡± He was cut off before he could finish the rebuttal.


    ¡°Then you up and change everything these people know about power and growing stronger?¡¯ He was on a roll and not stopping for comments. ¡°Then gave that power away, showing them that everyone can grasp it for themselves. Then you just up and fucked off for a few days to gods know where and came back at level¡­ what level are you?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-four.¡± Matt said quietly. Tobias had to ask since he was still wearing the viper hood and it obscured his information.


    ¡°Thirty-fucking-four!¡± Tobias hissed. ¡°These are good, honest people but they don¡¯t know whether to love you or be afraid of you. It doesn¡¯t help that your aura now oppresses them unless you actively control it.¡± He calmed a little before going on. ¡°Just give them some time and let them see you as a normal dude. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to go joke and smoke with them a little either. Hell, bring Echo so they get used to him too.¡±


    Taking the words to heart, Matt made sure they were done with the scans before leaving. Tobias told him to stop by the next day for some updates and he left out the same bay door that he had brought the mech through. He wandered out to the grassy area near the forge, sitting down in the shade of the mech while Echo came up and sat beside him. He had gotten a little wakeup call from Tobias and was just wondering how to solve it when someone familiar walked around the corner of the forge.


    Rohm was walking in his general direction. Matt waved at him as he looked in his direction and the commander changed directions to head straight for him. He had taken off his armor and was walking around in just his pants and tunic. It was the first time Matt had seen him not wearing his armor and was surprised by how lean the man was but also by the tail flicking out behind him.


    ¡°Evening commander.¡± Matt said, standing and offering his hand for a shake.


    ¡°Greetings Matt. Are you and the governor all done for today?¡± Rohm asked. He was keeping Echo in his line of sight, not quite trusting the drake.


    ¡°Yeah, I was just at a loss for what to do. I found some kind of distressing news and didn¡¯t know where to start to deal with it.¡± Matt explained. ¡°Echo, come say hi.¡±


    With a stretch and yawn showing all his teeth, Echo got up and moved over to greet Rohm. The poor Felid didn¡¯t know what to do when the drake sat and was eye level with him. Matt coached him how to give the good scratches and palmed him a piece of jerky to feed Echo. Matt did explain the circumstances of how he met Echo, giving the commander a measure of relief that it was just some wild animal he took a liking too.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s there to do in this town now that there is a startling amount of buildings up?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Well, we have the baths set up, there is a bar and a couple eateries. Most of the food is some sort of grilled meat right now but the bar has a type of mead that isn¡¯t half bad.¡± Rohm started listing things off and gesturing to where they were in the city.


    ¡°Can you show me around?¡± Matt asked. ¡°Tobias said I should socialize with the locals since they are somewhat terrified of me.¡± He decided to be blunt about his dilemma and it paid off big time.


    Rohm¡¯s face grew excited, and he gestured to Matt and started walking. ¡°I would be happy to, please, follow me. This actually might help with my problem.¡±


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure where they were going but Rohm did explain what his issue was as they walked, Echo trailing not far behind. According to Rohm, the local combatants were divided in how to treat him. On one hand they respected him, and he didn¡¯t have any issues with good order amongst the ¡®regulars¡¯ as he called them. His problem was that they knew he wasn¡¯t top dog and didn¡¯t know if his rule would change if Matt came back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they will see that you don¡¯t have any desire to take the position when talking with you.¡± Rohm paused briefly as they passed a small group of people coming from the other direction on the road. ¡°It also might help ease the rumors.¡±


    ¡°What rumors?¡± Matt asked, genuinely curious about what some people were saying about him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to be upset. Honestly, I¡¯m kind of curious to what Tobias was alluding to.¡±


    ¡°Some people say you are a monster disguised as a man who wields weapons beyond the realm of mortals. Others say you are an honest to God savior and we should worship you.¡± He then paused, coughed and said the last part very quietly. ¡°Others believe you are a psychopath that could snap at any moment and burn the whole city.¡±


    ¡°Probably don¡¯t have to worry about any one in particular.¡± Matt said. ¡°Is it because of how I handled lord what¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°Well, that and you being level 28.¡±


    Matt laughed and, seeing they were unobserved, dismissed his hood. ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    Rohm stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide as he looked at the Matt and saw the level. ¡°Oh, this might not go so great after all.¡±


    Matt grabbed him by the shoulder and, in a hushed voice, explained his position. ¡°Look, I am not going to sit around and wait for the everyone to catch up or pass me by, so they feel better.¡± Rohm¡¯s eyes were still wide as Matts fingers relaxed their grip on his shoulder. ¡°It would be best for everyone involved that you act like it is no big deal. We are friends, Rohm and the more we show people that, the better.¡±


    Pushing a calming aura out, Matt swept it over Rohm and his slight fear. Instantly he could see the man relax, carefully, he switched to his neutral aura and tinged it with his honesty emotion. He would just be himself and let others near him feel that he was not putting on a front. He hoped that this aura trait was good for more than just dominating everything within its radius. After Rohm got himself back under control, he continued leading the way. After another few hundred meters, they rounded the corner and he pointed to a large building standing mostly by itself.


    There was a tall perimeter wall running around the back of the building and Matt could sense the aura¡¯s within as being relaxed or jovial. Then he was able to read the sign on the front of the building and gave Rohm the side eye.


    Ezra¡¯s Baths and Spa


    ¡°So, you brought me to the baths?¡± Matt asked, not quite believing the sight in front of him.


    Rohm looked a little hurt at his skeptical tone. ¡°I can guarantee they are traditional baths from my home world, Matt.¡± He then must have remembered their earlier conversation about Matt not having them in his culture. ¡°Ah, do not worry, I will show you and explain everything.¡±


    Matt just shrugged and followed the felid inside, stowing his helmet in his ring as he went. Echo was still right behind them, and Matt was going to let him come with unless he was told no. The entrance was a rather comfortable lobby with benches and tables arranged neatly but to allow for easy cross conversation between groups. The lighting was rather bright despite the wood walls and interior. There was a counter at the far end, set up before 3 doors that lead to what Matt guessed were locker rooms.


    The elf receptionist behind the counter smiled as he saw Rohm. ¡°Ah, commander Rohm, Welcome back. Who is your fr¡­¡± His face went completely slack as he must have identified Matt, or maybe when he saw the massive drake lurking right behind the duo.


    Rohm stepped up while Matt used his calm aura on the man. ¡°Ezra, this is lord Matt, the one that helped rid us of lord Alfron.¡± He completely ignored Matts huff of annoyance at being called Lord and pressed on. ¡°He just returned from scouting our territory and asked me, as his friend, to show him our finest establishments. Of course, I had to bring him here, to the greatest baths our city has to offer.¡±


    Matt thought Rohm was laying it on a bit thick but introduced himself. ¡°Good to meet you Ezra, just call me Matt please, all my friends just drop the lord thing.¡± He gave his best smile and hoped it would be enough to get past this awkward introduction.


    ¡°YES, ahem, yes of course¡­ Matt.¡± The elf said, briefly losing control of the volume of his voice. He then turned to Rohm. ¡°Commander Rohm, the usual this evening?¡±


    ¡°Yes please, the mixed baths tonight, Matt was hoping to meet as many of our citizens as possible.¡± Rohm supplied that information like it was completely normal. He then walked through the middle door with Matt having to follow behind.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure if the baths was the right place to have a meet and greet but he would trust the man. After all, this was his chance to extend a little trust and see where it got him.

 Chapter 31 – A Night Out

    Chapter 31 ¨C A Night Out


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure what he had expected of the baths but it sure was an enlightening experience. There was a sort of locker room with simple hooks and shelves on the walls and benches in the center of the room. It was all pretty standard until he was handed a very simple robe and shown to the stalls that contained a stool, bucket and a tap on the wall. Rohm took one of them and directed him into the neighboring one.


    Getting settled, Matt was instructed to wash off and put on the robe before returning his clothes to the previous area. Matt didn¡¯t need to and noticed that Rohm also had a storage device since his clothes seemed to suddenly vanish too. The water from the tap was warm but not hot, leading him to believe that the heater was not up to warming all the water in the facility. He also tossed a few buckets over Echo, getting a startling amount of dirt to run out from between his scales.


    After the actual bathing, they moved into the next area which was the open-air baths. Or what Matt assumed were the baths since he couldn¡¯t see the water. Matt could only see more stalls with letters on the doors between him and what he assumed was the pool. He could hear voices and talking as well as see the steam rising from the other side but not much more than that. Rohm, thankfully, came to the rescue.


    ¡°The stalls are to allow for some modesty for those that wish to use the main bath.¡± He explained. ¡°Inside, they have a set of stairs that lead down into the water, you will hang your robe on one of the numbered hooks and then walk into the water, go to the far end and open the door there to enter the pool.¡±


    Matt was somewhat impressed with the design. He wasn¡¯t sure how the Romans had done things back on Earth, but he was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t like this. ¡°Very different than what I expected. Is this how they are where you are from?¡±


    ¡°Where we are from.¡± Rohm corrected and then explained a little more. ¡°The population of this city is mostly from my home world. About 70 percent of us to be more exact. We all kind of grouped up, a cultural sort of thing I guess.¡±


    ¡°Good to know I¡¯m in the minority.¡± Matt laughed and walked over to one of the stalls that was empty. Rohm took one of the neighboring stalls and they both pushed through. Echo followed Matt, just barely able to fit in the narrow space. Matt was unsure if the drake could swim but quickly confirmed that he could and sometimes enjoyed it. He wasn¡¯t sure the drake was welcome in the baths, but Rohm didn¡¯t say anything, so Matt was just going along with the flow.


    As Matt approached the door to the main bath, the water rose to his mid chest while Echo seemed to handle the water just fine, not even his chin touching. The temperature of the baths was much higher than that of the wash area, more of a hot tub than he was expecting. He heard the door next to him open and the a few people calling out to greet Rohm, the tone seeming relaxed and cheerful. Then Matt pushed his door open.


    In the span of two seconds, the crowded bath went from relaxed social chatter, through dead silent at Matt¡¯s appearance to panicked shouts upon seeing Echo. Matt had to flare his aura out, willing everyone in the area to calm down and relax. It seemed to work, and the crowd settled, seeing that he was petting the drake who also was not attacking.


    ¡°Evening everyone, you all know of Matt.¡± Rohm addressed the crowd. ¡°And this is his familiar, Echo. They wanted to see what we have been up to over the past few days, and I thought the baths were the best place to start.¡±


    While Rohm was trying to calm everyone down, Matt surveyed the crowd. He indeed saw a healthy mix of the local population, all the races and about a perfect split of men and women. The water was plenty high to cover everyone completely and nobody seemed to care besides. He just chalked it up to one of the cultural things that would take some getting adjusted to. He did see a few familiar faces and nodded respectfully to them, not wanting to disturb their time off.


    Rohm waded over and explained that the baths were not really divided but there would be warmer and cooler spots depending on where the inlets were. They moved to one side of the pool where there were some rocks submerged that had been carved into benches, again making the area all about socializing. Matt noticed that some of the pilots were lounging in this area and actually remembered the name of one of them.


    ¡°Hey, Jess, right?¡± Matt asked the elf, knowing full well what her name was.


    ¡°Ah, yes lo¡­ um, Matt.¡± She was startled and nearly toppled from her seat, but a scaled tail gently pushed her back upright. Jess paled a little as Echo swam by and sniffed at her. Matt got the feeling the drake was laughing judging by the rumbling and trilling noise.


    ¡°What have you all been up to over the past five days?¡± Matt asked taking a seat at the edge of one of the rock benches. Echo came up to float next to him, his paws pulled up so he could completely float. Matt Scratched along his jaws and the soft scales under his chin.


    ¡°Not as much as you it seems.¡± Said one of the human men from the group. Matt looked over and the man introduced himself. ¡°Velzan, I have one of the melee type constructs.¡± Matt shook his hand, and the remaining dozen people decided it would be best to make introductions too.


    Sure enough, they went around and shared their names and the specialization of their constructs. Matt reintroduced Echo who just opened an eye and made a trilling sound that sounded a little like a whistle under water. Matt had an idea and just hoped it would work out.


    Turning back to Velzan, he started to tell his story. ¡°No kidding, I was just going to wander off and see what was on top of that hill.¡± He pointed off in the direction of the mountain top. ¡°But I find a trial orb protected by a Giant stone bear. That lead to me getting a couple things including the summoning token for Echo.¡± He paused to check the effect of his brief story.


    They were all looking at him like little kids watching a Disney movie for the first time. Completely zoned in, eyes wide and barely blinking. ¡°But you probably don¡¯t want to hear all of it. Lots of fighting, exploring and then what Frank has planned for us.¡± He began to get up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your baths, don¡¯t want to intrude.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jess said, perhaps a little too loudly. She paused, getting nods from the rest of the group. ¡°We would be happy to hear the tale. If you have the time that is.¡±


    Matt shrugged, playing it cool. ¡°I mean, sure if you don¡¯t think it will be too boring.¡± Seeing the group shake their heads, he suddenly had an idea and moved over to the edge of the tub, pulling a couple items out of his storage ring. ¡°How about I show you and give the commentary?¡±


    The first item was his tablet that could expand to a decent size like a television. He pulled up the map that Tobias had rendered. He highlighted the points along it that marked his trip. Then he pulled out his helmet, the pilots getting much more curious about that than his magically growing tablet.


    ¡°So, it went like this.¡± Matt began telling a rather embellished story of his journey, also showing some of footage minus the bits he wanted to keep hidden still. The pilots were awestruck, glued to his every word and the recordings. They didn¡¯t even notice as Echo began making the rounds, soaking up the scratches and attention from the distracted pilots.


    Matt ended up pulling in quite the crowd by the end of it, gathering in others from around the bath. Even trading some banter with the others who pressed him for details about the bugs and his trip into the city the first time. This also gave him the chance to survey the crowd and identify them, getting a feel for their levels.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    After a couple hours, Matt had to end it, he wanted to move on and was running out of ways to deflect questions about the bugs guarding the mine. He looked over to see Echo had plopped himself in front of Jess and was getting belly rubs, somehow floating on his back in the water. Matt sent him a mental image of them going to get some food and the drake lazily rolled back over, swimming a lap around the pool to say goodbye to the people that gave him attention.


    ¡°Well, Rohm. Where are we headed next?¡±


    Rohm was standing up and headed to the exit. ¡°I figured we would head to one of the restaurants, food and drinks are always called for after a trip to the baths.¡± He spoke just loud enough for the rest of the people around them to hear. Rohm probably meant to spread the word in case anyone wanted to tag along. Indeed, before they had made it to the stalls, there was a wave of people headed out as well.


    ¡°You look weird.¡± Rohm said. Commenting on Matt wearing just his fatigues, forgoing armor for the evening.


    ¡°What, you can¡¯t wear your armor all the time.¡± Matt said, throwing it right back at the felid.


    Rohm seemed to accept that and dropped the subject. Jess was another story. ¡°Well, I am honestly surprised.¡± She started. ¡°I thought the armor made you taller, like the soles of your boots were extra thick or something.¡±


    Matt looked down at her. He was indeed one of the taller people in the settlement, but she was still average at a bit over a meter and a half. ¡°How much taller would it make me? There isn¡¯t that much room in the boots and armor.¡±


    ¡°Well how am I supposed to know? I haven¡¯t seen anything like it and still don¡¯t know what it does.¡±


    That gave Matt an idea and he summoned his helmet. ¡°Here, put this on.¡± Matt helped her put it on, turning it on before settling it over her head while she guided her ears in. The difference in cranial appendages would be a problem if they tried to make a standard helmet for everyone, he thought to himself.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Jess expressed her opinion of the helmet by yanking it off and handing it back like she was trying to get rid of a primed grenade. ¡°How do you even walk in that thing?¡±


    Matt laughed and passed it to Rohm who tried it before pulling it off after a couple seconds. ¡°You get used to it. I know the displays are kind of hard to take in at first, but you tune most of it out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the symbols and writing, it¡¯s the two separate views. I can¡¯t stand to see what¡¯s in front of me and what is behind at the same time.¡± Rohm said, getting nothing but agreement from Jess.


    ¡°Again, you get used to it. Or you will, if Tobias and I have our way.¡± Matt clapped them both on the shoulders and pushed them along the street. ¡°So where is this bar or whatever it is?¡±


    They had left the baths with a half dozen other pilots tagging along, only Rohm and Jess seemed up to walking side by side. It was also a problem for taking up too much of the street and served no purpose since not everyone could talk at once. Jess pointed to a building that was completed amongst the foundations and Matt read the sign.


    The Whispered Meadow


    The name of the establishment was a little out there in Matt¡¯s opinion but who was he to judge, Earth business names didn¡¯t make much sense either. The restaurant was naturally a large open area built in a ring around a central grilling area. There looked to be a bar at the back, but it was oddly vacant, with nobody bellied up to the counter. The seating was once again communal, large tables with many stools and benches around them. Matt counted, noting their little group would only fill half the seats at a table, and that was counting Echo taking up 3 spaces on his own.


    The smells coming out of the grilling pit were very enticing, the smoke went up through a central chimney but still left the homy aroma of a back yard barbeque. Matt didn¡¯t know what was on the menu, but he was going to be ordering a lot of it. He wasn¡¯t very hungry but the look in Echo¡¯s eyes foretold of many credits being exchanged.


    Of course, a similar scene to the one at the baths took place in the restaurant, cheer then silence, then a gasp, then calm. Matt was pretty much able to predict when to waft his aura out by this point and got started before any true panic set in. They found a table with a few of the crafters sitting at it already and sat themselves before making introductions.


    The crafters seemed more interested in where Matts armor was than in much else. At least until Echo wandered over to say hello to them. They seemed confused at what the drake wanted until Jess explained where to scratch, his name was Echo, and he was Matts familiar. It was just in time for a waiter to come up and take their orders.


    Matt let Rohm order for him and asked that he order a lot for Echo, of course offering compensation. Velzan had also joined and made it a point to order a round of drinks for everyone, including the group that was already at the table. They didn¡¯t seem to mind the intrusion so much after that.


    Before he knew what or how it happened, Matt became totally involved in a conversation with the crafters, who were all enchanters. Food started rolling in and the drinks were a plenty as the night wore on. Everyone seemed to take a turn feeding Echo bits of the spicy grilled meat but thankfully none of the mead.


    ¡°I am telling you we need to figure out how to set up some projectors and get a movie night set up.¡± Matt was saying to one of the enchanters named Jorra, a scaled humanoid who¡¯s people were known a Gorran.  ¡°Hell, we could even set up a theater and run several at once.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a projector? For that matter, what are movies?¡± Jorra Asked.


    Matt wasn¡¯t quite sure how to explain that or rather, where to start. After a few moments¡¯ deliberation, he decided. ¡°A movie is like a stage play, with actors playing roles. It has been recorded visually and with audio so the play can be viewed anywhere and at any time.¡±


    Jorra looked to be intrigued by the idea and pressed Matt for more details. ¡°You said that lord Tobias has the ability to show us these movies?¡±


    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t think he likes the lord thing, but he should have them. He pretty much downloaded the whole internet when we were at the exchange.¡± Matt said, trying to remember what Tobias had put on his tablet.


    Another crafter, this one an acolyte of the forge scooted closer to Matt. ¡°What¡¯s an Internet?¡±


    The rest of Matts night dissolved into him answering branching questions like the human version of Wikipedia links. The other pilots seemed to be very entertained by him being bombarded by the crafters and even started bringing more people in to hear the stories.


    Eventually, Matt and crew called it a night. Matt paid the tab saying that Rohm had paid last time which got an odd look because he wasn¡¯t actually charged for the use of the baths. Jess and Velzan wandered with them toward the forge, saying that they had moved into a barracks in that direction. An obvious bending of the truth but he didn¡¯t care.


    Echo seemed to be enjoying himself and was moving from person to person to get any last-minute attention he could. It appeared that he was more of a sensation than Matt at this point, having made plenty of friends over the past few hours. The fact that he was being so calm surprised Matt given his antics on their trip up the mountain.


    Eventually they made it to the forge and said their goodbyes, Matt insisting that he didn¡¯t need to stay in the barracks and would be fine camping for the night. The trio left him and Echo standing next to the mech, and Matt checked in on his core after the others left.


    ¡°Anything happen while we were away?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Not anything of note.¡± Van replied. ¡°Tobias came by and chatted with me for a while, he asked that you stop by in the morning.¡±


    ¡°What did you guys talk about?¡± Matt was curious, this was the first time they had engaged without him there.


    ¡°He consulted me on some things involving the mech¡¯s armor and balance. He also asked about sensors and what spectrums they could detect.¡± Van said.


    ¡°I wonder what he is cooking up in that mad scientist lab of his.¡±


    ¡°As do I, the power of the forge is something we should leverage at every opportunity¡± Van said.


    The following morning, Matt had been woken very early by Echo again and decided to make use of the time by laying out his armor. He was inspecting it in detail, looking for anything that needed repair or could be changed. There was of course nothing since it was always magically repaired but the habit was hard to break.


    Tobias wandered out to greet him and probably to make a cup of coffee, judging by the way he was holding an empty mug. Matt had made extra and was happy to share, not really getting much from the drink after his class evolution. The two sat in silence, enjoying the sun rise over the eastern wall while they finished their cups.


    ¡°Well, are you going to ask what I have for you?¡± Tobias finally asked after a last pull at his coffee.


    ¡°What, fancy yourself as some genius inventor that makes clever gadgets for a not-so-secret agent? Probably going to insist that I start calling you ¡®T¡¯ now.¡± Matt laughed as he stood. Echo got up as well with a stretch and a toothy yawn.


    Tobias chuckled. ¡°Maybe one day but not this one.¡± He started walking back to the forge, Matt following along while Echo stayed behind. ¡°I have some things you requested plus; I have the first series of repeaters made with a little twist. Also, I replicated your rifle, but we only assembled 10 of them for field trials.¡±


    ¡°Why only 10?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°They are rather expensive when we add the enchantments, that is also with us using simplified optics and only white lights.¡± Tobias explained. ¡°The cost of self-repair and the magazine replenishment enchantments is very high, but I think needed. This way we don¡¯t have to waste time making replacement parts when we can skip the wear and tear all together.¡±


    Matt understood completely, the logistics of equipping thousands was hard to fully comprehend. ¡°Well, show me your magical wares.¡±

 Chapter 32 – So that’s what you do.

    Chapter 32 ¨C So that¡¯s what you do.


    ¡°Where did you get it?¡± Matt asked, looking at the cup shaped item in his hand.


    ¡°We made it.¡± Tobias said. ¡°Well, kinda. We ordered the materials and from there machined it.¡±


    Matt sighed, shot his friend a look and set the item back down. ¡°Where did you order the steel and titanium to make this?¡± That was just the materials for the blast deflector, not all of what he could see. On the various tables around the workshop were parts made from brass, aluminum, iron and he thought he saw a label that said tungsten.


    Tobias seemed to understand what Matt was getting at and elected to fill him in. ¡°We are able to order materials and have them instantly delivered to the forge. These ones are actually rather cheap if you can believe it.¡± He paused and gestured to some of the acolytes that had wandered in. ¡°I have been having them make simple objects, so they get used to the machines and the materials. Most had no idea what the difference between a mill and a drill press are.¡±


    Matt wasn¡¯t exactly sure what the difference was but thought it had to do with bearings, spindles, and how it accepted lateral forces. ¡°Ok so what all have you made besides a blast diverter for the 25 and my rifle? Not that I¡¯m not thankful but these probably took you half a day to make.¡±


    ¡°Well, we had some decisions to make and ended up spending a lot of time making parts for the repeaters and radio towers.¡± He led them to another area with neatly bundled objects laid out in rows. ¡°We are trying to get this set up quick since it will provide security for the entire settlement.¡±  He picked up one of the sensor modules and showed it to Matt.


    ¡°These are the same ones that we had back home.¡± Matt observed. He knew this pattern and its ability to sense anything within a set size parameter. Most of the time they could distinguish between small creatures and had a limited function for tracking the movements with a sort of radar.


    ¡°That will be paired with these repeater towers to give us a limited ability to track threats but also act as an early warning.¡± Tobias then held up a cylindrical object a meter in length with a box hanging off one side. ¡°Basic automated repeater and relay. Its super simple and we will only be running plain text, so we don¡¯t need more.¡±


    He then moved down the table and held up what looked like a giant segmented silver plate that was attached to a long cable. The cable had a plug at the far end, but Matt was completely unsure what the device was for. Thankfully Tobias was there to explain all the components.


    ¡°My biggest concern was how to power all of this. We can¡¯t have someone running around to charge them all the time.¡± He set the device back down. ¡°The System had a solution, for a price. These are mana gathering arrays. They will pull ambient mana down and charge a small battery that can run the whole tower.¡±


    Matt liked that but by the look of things it wasn¡¯t so simple. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°Cost.¡± Tobias said and Matt instantly knew what he meant. ¡°The design was based on our solar panels but since that isn¡¯t a thing with the System, we had to get creative. The forge interface proposed this solution but each one is hundreds of thousands of credits. The power is very limited too, so we can¡¯t really use them for other things besides theses low power applications.¡±


    Matt looked around and saw there were 15 bundles plus the one that hadn¡¯t been wrapped up yet. The components would be supported by a tower that would be erected and secured thus making them free standing. This allowed them to be set up in a ring and provide decent coverage to the area around the city.


    In the next area over, Matt was shown radios. There were 3 different types, all of which he recognized as being slightly outdated but effective. There were a couple of the very nice, fixed emplacement ones that were usually reserved for long term command posts and allowed for a wide range of networks and channels to be pre-loaded. The next type was commonly found in vehicles and would take no more than 4 channels programmed at a time but that was fine for most purposes. Finally, were the small personal radios with 2 channels, perfect for short range use of within a few kilometers.


    All in, Tobias had enough radios to equip a couple infantry companies, at the very least. These would be a massive boon for the people that patrolled the area around the city. Matt was excited to get them set up and in use but was pulled along to another area. One that was much more populated than the previous one.


    ¡°Here is where we are doing our development of a few things we need. You might recognize a few of the designs.¡± Tobias had lead Matt into a much more active part of the forge. There were people moving around all over the place, carrying parts in and out of the room. The door on the far side opened to an area with a bunch of machines, all of which were in use. Among the lathes, drills, and other heavy equipment was what looked like a hammer mill and some stamping machines.


    Matt returned his attention to the room he was in, and the parts laid out on one of the tables. The clearly extruded piece of metal shaped into a long rectangular and hollow form was immediately familiar. The parts were not assembled yet, but they were all there. He moved up to the table and began inspecting the parts one by one.


    Tobias laughed at Matt as he started inspecting every little item. ¡°Go ahead, this one is ready for testing.¡±


    Not needing any more encouragement, Matt set to his work and began assembling the machinegun. He worked with a slow monotony, inspecting every part before fitting them together. The process took nearly an hour since he had to put together every piece. Every spring, detent, screw and bearing was eventually assembled. He only stopped after running the bolt to the rear and snapping the cover closed. Matt eased the bolt forward and set the gun on its bipods before stepping back and realizing he had a drawn a crowd.


    A gaggle of people had gathered around Matt as he worked at the table. The group was a mix of the forge staff, in their standout grey tunics, as well as some of the combat classes in their armor. The entire room had watched silently as he worked. Looking back over his shoulder he found Tobias mouthing the word ¡®aura¡¯ and quickly pulled it all back in.


    One of the researchers had moved forward and was inspecting the gun as much as he could without touching it. Matt was very curious too and used his identify skill on the weapon.


    Light Machinegun (Prototype)


    A machinegun chambered in 6x44 mm using disintegrating link belts. This weapon fires from an open bolt at an adjustable rate of 600 - 1200 rounds per minute.


    Matt was surprised to see the System classified the weapon as a prototype, not so much that it was but because he didn¡¯t know it accounted for production phases. Stepping back to talk to Tobias, he let the rest of the group crowd around. ¡°So, what does it mean by prototype?¡±


    Tobias turned to face him more directly when he responded. ¡°No idea. The only thing I can think is that the reduced cost of the parts might have an effect if used on enemies or its durability. Regardless, the real magic for this actually involves magic from some folks you should meet.¡± He then showed Matt to another area of the forge with the sign next to the door labeled ¡®Enchanting¡¯.


    Where the previous area had been an example of production and activity, the small room Matt found himself in was probably the opposite. There was still work going on, but it was slow and quiet by comparison to the previous areas. The amount of mana he was subjected to when he stepped inside made his eyes water. Around the room were dozens of waist height wooden tables with strange brackets made of a brass material. At each table was one of the forge staff with something suspended in the brackets.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Tobias just walked over to where a human woman was working on what looked like a normal pickaxe except for the mana it was absorbing. Matt followed along and watched quietly from a distance as the woman seemed to manipulate the mana, pushing it into etchings on the head of the tool. One by one, the symbols began to glow until they were all lit then faded away to darkness. She seemed satisfied with the result and picked up the tool and moved it to a stand beside her bench.


    Seeming to notice them standing there, the woman turned to smile at Tobias. ¡°Forge Master, it is a pleasure to see you again. How may I be of assistance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop with the forge master nonsense or I¡¯m going to stop calling you Nix and referring to you as Nixeltana again.¡± Smooth as ever, Tobias brushed aside the formality with a smile and pat on the shoulder. ¡°I brought a guest and was wondering if you and Sari had a moment to chat.¡±


    Seeing Tobias gesture to him, Matt stepped forward and held out his hand. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Matt and it¡¯s good to meet you, Nix.¡± His hopes of a normal conversation were dashed as her eyes bugged out of her head and she bowed deeply at the waist. Matt cut her off before she could cause a scene, pushing his aura out just far enough to envelop her with calming influence. ¡°No, stand up please. I dislike titles and formality just as much as Tobias.¡±


    A ripple ran down her as she stood and actually sighed. ¡°Of course. If I may be so bold, shall I refer to you as Matt? You are free to address me in any way you wish.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeeeaaah. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± Matt wasn¡¯t actually sure he could pronounce her full name so he would just roll with this one. ¡°Should we find, Sari, was that it?¡±


    Tobias nodded. ¡°Yeah, she should be around here somewhere.¡± He looked around the room before headed off to the corner. Matt and Nix followed as he led the way to a tall demoness in the back corner of the enchanting room. Her slightly red-brown skin was covered in sweat, and she twitched occasionally as she worked at her project. Matt got a look at what she was working on as he came up to the side of her table.


    The object in the supports on Sari¡¯s table was almost an exact replica of the rifle Matt used. There were some differences in the attachments, but the actual gun was the same, except for the color. Matt had his rifle painted in a way to break up its outline, the one on the table was completely black, the bare nitride the only color to it. He watched as mana was forced into tiny runes along the upper receiver of the weapon.


    Pulling out his own rifle, Matt inspected the same location and found to his astonishment that there were indeed a series of small marks there. They looked like stampings that would be done at the factory, but these were far more than simple letters. The runes had a depth that was more than just the few microns of the stamping. They had some internal synergy and a meaning that was almost lost on him, almost.


    The runes left an instinctual imprint on Matt¡¯s mind, making him passively aware of what they did. It was almost like he was looking at a picture book and getting the meaning of the words through the context of the pictures. He couldn¡¯t tell which rune specifically was doing what part of the job, but he knew which part related to the enchantments for self-repair and which related to imbue weapon. He was startled out of his inspection when Tobias kicked him in the shin, which hurt since he still was in just fatigues.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Matt said then noticed his surroundings. ¡°Ah, sorry, I¡¯ll try to keep it under wraps.¡± He muttered to Tobias and Nix before turning his attention to the 4<sup>th</sup> person in the little group. She was not at all where she was supposed to be, or rather where Matt expected her. Instead of at the workbench, she was well within his personal space, leaning over to inspect his weapon.


    ¡°At last, I finally get to see the progenitor for these rifles the master has us making.¡± Sari¡¯s voice was deep and a little raspy but loaded with undertones of reverence. Matt could feel the near fanatical intent in her aura as she inspected his rifle. ¡°Such runes must be System made, the neatness, the surety with which they were carved is evident.¡±


    As Sari reached out her hand to touch Matt¡¯s rifle, he stored it in his ring, getting a little creeped out at the interaction. ¡°Whoa, take a guy to dinner first.¡± He joked and was momentarily shocked by the sudden change in her aura before it quickly evened out. He sensed a feeling of loss and heartache that had him reeling before it was covered up buy curiosity.


    ¡°Ahem, yes. Where are my manners.¡± Sari then straightened and held out her hand for Matt. ¡°I am Sari, short for Sarintheness but please don¡¯t use that name, the title and lineage no longer apply.¡± She was exceedingly tall, the horns extending up from her forehead, adding a few centimeters. She smiled warmly, showing her pointed teeth.


    Matt took the proffered hand, giving a quick shake before turning to Tobias. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± He wanted to move along and get out of the stuffy room.


    ¡°Well, I wanted to introduce you to Nix and Sari, they are some of our best enchanters and it would do you well to be acquainted.¡± Tobias said as he led them outside and into the open area of the forge, the morning sun now streaming in through the bay doors. ¡°I was showing Matt around and introducing him to some people, but he caused a ruckus in the assembly rooms.¡±


    Nix nodded sagely before speaking. ¡°Indeed, I could see him doing that. His presence is rather, um, distinct.¡± She hesitated at the last part.


    ¡°Oppressive is what you mean.¡± Sari said.


    ¡°What¡¯s oppressive is the mana in that room. Seriously it¡¯s like you guys are hot boxing with magic in there.¡± Matt tried to make a joke, but it completely backfired as Nix grabbed his sleeve and started shaking him.


    ¡°You can see the mana?¡± Nix nearly shouted. ¡°What¡¯s it look like? What does it do? Trait or Skill?¡±


    Matt was quick to dislodge her by slapping the back of her hand. ¡°A skill that allows me to sense it, but seeing is kind of a different story.¡± He started explaining quickly as the enchanters looked at him like their lord and savior. ¡°I can see it emanating from beings and from skill usage but only sense it in my surroundings. I can¡¯t see mana floating around unless it is doing something that concentrates it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s kind of disappointing.¡± Nix said. She practically deflated at Matts words, returning to a much calmer state.


    Sari was still looking at Matt like she was trying to see through him. He felt a little unnerved at her stare and finally decided to ask. ¡°Sari, What¡¯s the deal?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, sorry it¡¯s a bad habit that I have from my trait.¡± Sari looked away, averting her gaze to the side. ¡°I was just caught up in your connections, they are just so thick, and pulsing.¡± She had gone back to staring at his upper chest again.


    ¡°Phrasing.¡± Tobias coughed. The word startled Sari out of her investigation, making her look honestly abashed. ¡°I thought that you might like to introduce them to your friend.¡± He gave Matt a knowing look and jutted his chin out the open door toward the mech. The enchanters looked very confused or at least Sari did until her eyes drew a line from Matt straight toward the mech.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then. I¡¯m not sure what you are planning though.¡± Matt said to Tobias as he led the group to where he had left the mech. As they walked, Sari began poking randomly at the air between Matt and their destination, each time she did, he felt a little cold spot flash in his mind and that spot behind his heart. ¡°Can you stop whatever you are doing, Sari?¡± He didn¡¯t want to be mean but didn¡¯t appreciate the sensation and upon a couple pokes, Echo had flinched and woken up.


    Looking thoroughly chastised, once again, Sari apologized and stuffed her hands in her robes. Matt was beginning to see why she was such a successful enchanter and began wondering what the deal was with Nix to make her stand out to Tobias. The human wasn¡¯t giving any hints like Sari who clearly could influence bonds in some way. He supposed that he would find out eventually, they both were level 13 which was high, compared to some of the other crafters he had seen.


    When they arrived at the mech, Tobias stepped forward and took over leading the conversation. ¡°So, the reason we are here is because Nix and Sari have rare and powerful traits.¡± Seeing the looks on their faces he quickly went on. ¡°I will not be outing anyone here, but you are free to share if you wish.¡± He then looked up to the mech and took a deep breath before getting to his point.


    It turned out that Tobias planned to create a spearhead of development and experimentation. While the rest of the forge staff would continue on with work as normal, they would try rapid prototyping and field use for some more exotic items. His reasoning was that he could rapidly design and develop things with the forge, but it would save massively if they did the enchanting in house which is where Nix and Sari came in.


    ¡°You two have traits that will be invaluable in this process, but I also wanted you to understand the nature of our work. While this isn¡¯t exactly secret, we will not be working these projects in the open for everyone to know about.¡± He looked to Matt before going on. ¡°You will be gathering resources in your adventures and doing field testing since you have the greatest power base. One other person and I will be designing and building, while you fine ladies will handle enchanting.¡±


    ¡°Who is the last person?¡± Nix asked.


    ¡°One of the wolfen named Grant. He would have joined but had some business to handle with his housing this morning.¡± Tobias said. ¡°I would normally have waited till we were all here, but Matt will be busy for a while starting this afternoon.¡±


    That was news to Matt, but he would circle back. He was about to ask more on the gathering of resources, but Sari made a plucking motion in the air and Echo leapt to his feet and began to growl, looking right at her. Matt got a visual of the void where he first met Echo in soul form but one of the lights was being pushed by a red-brown hand. That was enough for Matt, and he pulsed his aura, suppressing the group with the weight of his will.


    Matt looked at the now kneeling demoness, who was struggling to keep her head up while Nix had just fallen completely prone next to Tobias. ¡°I thought I asked you to stop that. Echo said that he does not appreciate you influencing our bond. I would like you to explain what you are doing.¡± Behind him, Van shifted to loom over the group, fist at the ready. Matt didn¡¯t know it but, the eyes of the mech started to glow a pale blue as he spoke.

 Chapter 33 – Squad Goals

    Chapter 33 ¨C Squad Goals


    Matt stood over the pile of people, staring at one in particular. Sari had been warned not to do what she was doing when he had his suspicions. When Echo confirmed his thoughts, he was determined to put a stop to it one way or another. He was about to begin his interrogation when he heard a voice, struggling to get out a few words.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what he said.¡± Nix struggled to say. Matt eased up on his aura and its suppression, deciding to give them a little breathing room. ¡°He said she can see the bonds.¡± She said after taking a deep breath like she was breaking the surface of water.


    Matt looked to Echo who just tilted his head and looked back at him. ¡°Yes, but how did you know that?¡± he was able to focus his aura into a more focused area, keeping just the demoness pinned down. ¡°Why is it when she plucked at the air, I could feel the feedback along the bond?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my trait.¡± Sari rasped, no longer trying to hold her head up. ¡°Trait and habit.¡±


    ¡°Trust her, Matt.¡± Tobias said, walking up and grabbing his arm. ¡°She really doesn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±


    Matt debated for a few seconds, pondering if he should ease up or push on with using his aura to interrogate her. He really wanted to follow through with his first idea but decided to yield and pulled his aura back in, much to the relief of the other three. He reached down and grabbed Sari by the robes and hauled her up, looking her right in the eyes as she recovered. ¡°Explain.¡±


    She took a deep breath and began rattling off everything. ¡°It is partly my trait and partly my nature. My trait is called Revealing Sight and allows me to see things that normally can¡¯t be perceived or are disguised in some way. I think the reason you felt me plucking at the bond was partly because I had the intent to inspect it which caused the interaction and partly because yours are so strong you can feel them more clearly.¡± She rushed the last part before sucking in a deep breath reminding Matt of a scene from a comedy movie about a pet detective. ¡°That¡¯s all I know and really can¡¯t say anything more besides I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why did you keep doing it?¡± Matt pressed her for more.


    ¡°She sometimes gets really fixated on things. It¡¯s part of being a demon, they are passionate, and their culture encouraged them to pursue their desires.¡± Nix offered and she elaborated when Matt turned to face her. ¡°She is kind of my roommate.¡± She looked then to Tobias who gave a thumbs up.


    Matt didn¡¯t say anything and just stared at Sari, pushing his aura out willing her to feel the pressure to confess. It didn¡¯t work. She did however groan and rub her temples. Matt switched tactics and refocused on Nix, vaguely aware that Van also turned his head to focus on her. ¡°So, your trait deals with comprehension?¡±


    Nix was still looking at the mech over Matt¡¯s shoulder when she let out a shuddering breath before answering. ¡°Yes. It lets me understand almost anything in any medium.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Yours is to do with this field surrounding you. It carries your will, manifests it on anything within a certain radius.¡±


    ¡°Close but for the most part its correct.¡± Matt decided to play ball with them and started pushing a calming influence, Echo coming up to sit beside him. ¡°It¡¯s called an aura and we all have one but mine is slightly different.¡±


    Nix and Sari nodded and then both started speaking at the same time. ¡°I swear not to divulge the nature of your secrets to anyone without your express permission.¡± They finished nearly at the same time and looked to Matt.


    ¡°Likewise.¡± He decided to cut them some slack and introduced Echo who returned a trilling noise before returning to his spot in the grass. ¡°So why are we here? Like in this location¡± he posed the question to the group but manly directed it at Tobias.


    ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± He kicked at the ground as he got his thoughts together. ¡°I was hoping you would let them take a look at the mech and the enchantments but mostly Sari was asking questions about Van.¡±


    Matt sighed. Right back to Sari again. ¡°I assume my bond is different than the ones the other pilots have?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Sari was back to her chipper self. ¡°Your connection is strong and vibrant. Most of the others have barely a thread connecting them.¡± She paused for a moment, considering something. ¡°Well, a couple have stronger connections but not like yours.¡±


    ¡°Van, you might as well say hi to everyone.¡± Matt said.


    The mech moved, lowering its face to be closer to the group. ¡°Greetings Nix and Sari, I am Horizons Vanguard. Otherwise known as Van.¡±


    The two enchanters were staring at Van, mouths agape and staring at the construct. Nix was the first to speak. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s alive.¡± Being first apparently wasn¡¯t exactly an example of quality of speech.


    ¡°By the gods it¡¯s so¡­ beautiful¡± Sari said, the last word was partly questioning. ¡°No, it¡¯s more there are layers, depths that hold more. It has a wild harshness that is somehow balanced and refined by¡­¡± She trailed off, eyes following something until they landed on Matt. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Tobias, you can back brief them on the finer details.¡± Matt said, knowing that there would be questions and trusting in his friend¡¯s judgment. ¡°I will let you two examine the exterior and the weapons but nothing more.¡± Seeing their smiles fade a little he clarified. ¡°Not for now, we will see about the future.¡±


    ¡°I think you should have a group arriving shortly for you to use the codex with and brief on the comms arrays.¡± Tobias said, pointing back to the forge.


    ¡°Right, thanks.¡± Matt said and started walking back to the forge entrance, Echo following along. As he went, he called over his shoulder. ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re a fucking asshat for springing that on us.¡±


    Tobias laughed and started telling the enchanters what he knew or speculated about Van and the mech. Matt saw a group of combatants walking to the forge, headed right for his favorite governor. With a sigh, he moved from a walk to a jog, not wanting to be late to the party or having any other surprises.


    ¡°I would like to thank you all for coming, we have a special project for you if you wish to be a part of it.¡± Franklin was saying to the 16 people standing in a semi-circle around him. ¡°The area that should hold valuable materials for mining is slightly contested.¡±


    Seeing his opportunity as he just got within a distance to being heard by speaking up Matt interrupted. ¡°Slightly contested is a nice way of saying bug infested hell hole, Frank.¡± He clapped franklin on the shoulder as he joined the group. ¡°Let¡¯s get them inside and I can run the footage for them.¡± He picked out Jess from the cluster of pilots and waved, getting a blush in return which confused him.


    They began making their way inside, but Matt did a quick check and found that there were 2 of the ¡®squads¡¯ that had become the norm. 12 infantry types and 4 pilots, some of which he recognized from the night before and greeted them by name as they walked into the room with the holographic tables. Matt was sure that this wasn¡¯t the intended use and probably a huge waste but also didn¡¯t care.


    Matt hooked up his helmet to the display again and pulled up the maps along with footage from his reconnaissance. What had started as a pretty upbeat meeting, devolved into an oppressive silence and some muttered cursing over the next couple hours. Matt gave a clear, no nonsense briefing of the objective and its defenses. Everyone could see the levels displayed by the recording.


    ¡°I know this looks bad but on the bright side, surely we will gain some favor from the system for taking part in this righteous crusade.¡± Matt joked. It falls flat as a few of the gathered folks gave him the side eye. ¡°Look, it was a joke. I know its going to be a hard fight, but we can handle this after a little training.¡±


    Jess decided to step forward. ¡°Lord prote-¡°


    ¡°Nope. Just Matt no titles, fancy names or anything.¡± Matt had to cut her off before the lord thing went too far.


    ¡°Matt, what can we do for training to make up an average of 13 levels in difference?¡± Jess finished. She seemed to brush off his dismissal of the title, just rolling into her point like nothing happened.


    ¡°Well, we have some presents for you. Or at least for some of you more squishy types.¡± Matt said, sweeping a hand over the non-pilots. ¡°Should we tell them Frank?¡± He looked over to the governor and saw Tobias quietly enter the room with Nix in tow.


    Franklin sighed, pinched the end of one of his tusks and rubbed his temple with the other hand. ¡°Why in all the hells is this so frustrating?¡± He muttered under his breath before speaking up. ¡°If you accept this offer, we will be giving each of you a piece of very expensive equipment to train with over the next few days and you get to keep it if successful.¡± He looked to Tobias, noticing him in the corner of the room. ¡°You are of course free to leave but if not, you will be reporting to Matt and Tobias until the task is complete.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Matt looked back to the group and saw them all looking amongst themselves, gauging the interest and commitment. Finally, one of the non-pilots stepped forward and waited to be acknowledged. Matt remembered her name was Gret, another one of the Felids like Rohm, different coloration, however. ¡°Go on, Gret.¡±


    Slightly taken aback at him knowing her name, she took a breath and spoke up. ¡°We are in, as long as after these few days we are confident in our success. None of us plan to throw our lives away for this.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I¡± Matt said as he looked to Jess and the other 3 pilots. They had a hushed discussion, huddled up since after Franklin had stopped talking. She looked up to him as they came to a decision and gave him a nod. She looked confused at the thumbs up but then returned the gesture.


    Tobias took this moment to step forward and take control of the group. ¡°If you will all follow me, I have set aside a training room for our uses.¡± He turned to Matt. ¡°The rifles are there but the LMG¡¯s will be delayed for another few hours, we finished the ammo boxes and are just doing a couple tests.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit that was fast.¡± Matt looked from Tobias to Nix who just shrugged.


    ¡°We are good at our jobs.¡± The enchanter said.


    Matt was impressed and would remember to see about giving them a little gift for the hard work. He would have to find out what an appropriate gift would be and what they would like but was sure he could find something. Well, maybe not for Sari, she kinda freaks me out a bit.


    Tobias led the group to another room which looked like a mix between a gym and a classroom. There was an abundance of space, but one corner was taken up with tall tables and surrounded by whiteboards. Matt was already remembering his time in the trial and tried to recall all the info he had given for that event. He then remembered a crucial detail, the very reason that this would be possible within a few days rather than a few weeks, his codex.


    Each of the tables had a pair of tall stools set behind them, allowing plenty of elbow room for the people sitting there. Since there wasn¡¯t much in the way of the whiteboards, every seat had a clear view to the center of the room and the table sitting there. On the exterior wall was a large bay door, through which, Matt could see 4 constructs resting in a kneeling position. Seeing that, Matt sent a quick mental message to Van while Echo went and looked outside, pacing around the constructs, sniffing at only he knew what.


    Matt walked over to the front of the room and pulled the codex out of his storage and plopped it on the table with a very satisfying thump. ¡°Alrighty folks, gather up and form a line. The first gift is actually a bit of an experiment.¡± Seeing the group just looking at him he loudly clapped his hands together. ¡°Come on! We don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    The pilots ended up leading the way with the combat classers at the back of the line, one elf in particular happened to be pushed to the front. ¡°What would you have of us?¡± Jess asked.


    Matt stepped to the side and gestured to the book on the table. ¡°Inspect it for yourself. Touch it, imbue some mana and absorb some knowledge.¡±


    Jess stepped up, reaching a shaking hand forward while the pilots behind her moved to the sides to see better. As her hand touched the cover, nothing happened. She looked to Matt who reminded her to give it a bit of mana and she did. Her body went rigid for all of 3 seconds before her knees buckled and she started to fall. Matt caught her by the collar and plopped her on one of the nearby stools.


    ¡°Well?¡± Matt asked, noticing that everyone else was now crowding in to see.


    Jess never lost consciousness but clearly wasn¡¯t prepared for the influx of information. She sat panting and rubbing at her temples as she caught her breath. ¡°That was a lot. I¡­ I think I just learned an entire cultures knowledge on war.¡± The rest of the group looked rather impressed and started talking among themselves.


    Matt had some more questions, however. ¡°That had you locked up for only a few seconds. What did it feel like on your end?¡±


    ¡°It definitely felt longer.¡± Jess said. ¡°I felt trapped, contained for minutes but at the same time hours or days. Does that make any sense?¡±


    ¡°No but then again, not much does these days.¡± Matt sighed, having to just take her word for the experience being weird. ¡°Go find a seat, I guess. I have to get the rest of them through this.¡±


    Jess started to turn away but stopped. ¡°Was this, um data, all from you?¡± Matt nodded and she continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the cost of this knowledge isn¡¯t one many would pay if they had to gain it themselves.¡± Then she turned away and wandered off to one of the tables.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure what to think about that. He also didn¡¯t exactly know how much detail was shared with the users or even what the knowledge looked like. Still, he moved on to the next in line. After seeing how Jess had handled the codex, he also grabbed a stool for the next person to sit on while using it. He plopped the stool down and beckoned the next pilot to sit on it as he moved the codex back to its spot on the table.


    Over the next half an hour, Matt had the pilots and combat classers use the codex, taking a few minutes between each to interview them. While he was doing that, Tobias had wheeled in a rack of rifles and another cart with radios. The combatants had eyeballed the racks greedily as they came in, knowing what the rifles were but clearly curious about the radios. Matt had to distract them before they just started playing with stuff.


    ¡°Alright here¡¯s the deal, before anyone gets to play with shiny new stuff, we need to assign positions.¡± Matt said, walking to a whiteboard and rolling it to the front of the room. ¡°Are you running the standard two-six split for your squads?¡± He got some confused looks before one of the non-pilots raised his hand. I really have to find a name for that.


    Getting the go ahead from Matt, the man stood and spoke. ¡°We have no idea what you mean by squad or split.¡± He sounded a little nervous but went on regardless. ¡°If you could clarify that or perhaps start from zero and we build up.¡±


    Matt thought to himself for a moment before responding. ¡°Good to know, that helps clarify what the codex does too. I like your idea, let¡¯s start from the bottom and work our way up.¡± Matt then went into laying out how teams and squads could work. He placed one construct with 3 ¡®infantry¡¯ to make a team and 2 teams for a squad. This also paired well with his next part of the plan.


    ¡°Ok, so how does everyone¡¯s finances look?¡± Matt asked, surveying the group. He got a lot of very odd looks in return before he just headed off this confusion. ¡°Look, I gained access to the party system a little early and have the chance to pass it on to you. The problem is, unless I put a penalty for leaving my party, you are stuck there, and the spots are limited.¡± Then he saw the realization sink in.


    Jess was the first to speak up. ¡°What is the cost of the removal penalty?¡±


    ¡°Currently it¡¯s a thousand credits. Does anyone not have that?¡± He looked around and didn¡¯t get anyone raising their hand. ¡°Here¡¯s how we can do this, you can elect team leaders, I bring them into my party then you can party up after I give them the boot. What do you think?¡± Getting a bunch of nods in agreement he invited the party leaders, all the pilots for some reason, and then booted them out, getting 4 grand richer in the process.


    ¡°Great now you will share experience and a couple other benefits like division of loot sales. Don¡¯t worry, while I can¡¯t give the credits back, I will be using them on you.¡± The group all looked pretty happy with the deal. Indeed, Matt had noticed something while talking with them and planned on fixing it after he got his next very important task out of the way. ¡°So, what do we call ourselves to separate us from crafters or builders?¡±


    In the central building of the city, amongst the freshly laid stone and timbers, Franklin was looking at his menu. His was different than most others due to it being a city administrator screen, something that came from his position and control of the city hub. The hub was just a crystal pedestal that allowed one to interface with the city menu and view information. Franklin hadn¡¯t paid the window much attention since nothing had changed and their growth was stagnant.


    Of course, all that changed when Matt and Tobias showed up which is what prompted Franklin to open the menu for the first time in weeks. He was absolutely stunned when he saw the icons blinking in nearly every menu tab. He quickly began to open the notifications that had piled up. He was not prepared for the absolute deluge of information.


    Subjugation: 12%


    Development: 5%


    Quest Completed (Preemptively): Infested Woodlands


    Completed by Matt Shultz and Tobias DeCamp


    Rewards awaiting allocation.


    Subjugation: 13%


    Development: 7%


    New Citizen Added: Matt Shultz


    New Citizen Added: Tobias Decamp


    Subjugation: 27%


    Development: 8%


    Citizen Lost: Lord Alfron


    Quest Completed (Preemptively): Lead Weights


    Completed By: Matt Shultz


    Subjugation: 35%


    Development: 10%


    Subjugation: 49%...


    Development:22%


    Subjugation: 87%


    Development:43%


    Territory Resource Discovered: Class Trials


    Territory Resource Discovered: Ore Vein


    Franklin read through the updated quickly, instantly seeing the connection between Matt showing up and the rapid jump in subjugation and development. The quest being completed before he knew it was available was a shock, but he assumed the duo had stumbled upon it while traveling. On a whim, he opened the questing tab and looked at the available options.


    Quests Available for Assignment:


    Hunters in the night (Locked)


    Ripe for the taking


    Trying Times


    City Development 2


    Do it yourself


    Quests Completed:


    Infested Woodland


    Lead Weight


    City Development 1


    Franklin continued his review of the administrator screen seeing all the updates he had missed and finally seeing a light shining in the dark. He could see hope on the horizon and could only blame Matt for the sudden change in fortune. Now he just had to find a way to allocate the rewards. He supposed that he should get Matt and Tobias to help, it was partly their reward too. Maybe they would have some insight on how to develop the city and what would be the best use for the points they now held in reserve.

 Chapter 34 – Samples and Ideas

    Chapter 34 ¨C Samples and Ideas


    After a grueling hour of debate with a 30-minute self-imposed time out, Matt and his class came to an agreement. They would call the general population that wanted to fight more than create classers and the creative group would be crafters. None of the people in the room really knew if this would stick but decided to try and spread it around. They also came to the decision to reserve naming rights for more specific groups in the future.


    Matt did have to break their hearts a little bit because he had already picked a name for their group, or rather a classification. They would be known as commandos, a name they all liked since they had some background context from using Matt¡¯s codex. He began outlining his plans but kept any commitments vague, not wanting to establish a culture that relied on a military hierarchy.


    Speaking to how each team should be able to operate independently, Matt was sure to include as much of the philosophy behind these sorts of units. Since this was the first time, he ever heard of a mechanized force acting in such a role he proposed a strategy that he thought would work well. He wanted them to act as shock troops when supporting a larger mission.


    If normal commando units were to infiltrate and disrupt, then Matt would just turn that up to 11 so to speak. He outlined what he wanted to both teach and establish for the teams and then the squads. Since he was running with only 2 squads, it would be a little trial and error but thankfully, there was a nice big high value target for them to test themselves against. He was also sure to touch briefly on the idea that they might not only fight beasts in the wilds, but also might have to contend with other sentient beings. Matt was sure there would be fighting between cities at some point but had no idea the scope of the conflict.


    Matt spent most of that first day just getting to know the commandos, finding out that they had arranged themselves into these teams naturally. The teams themselves were balanced, besides one pilot each, they also had someone with healing capabilities which was apparently pretty standard amongst what they referred to as the corps. When Matt asked why they called it the corps, he was told that Construct Corps sounded cool and that was about all the thought that went into it.


    As he dug further, Matt found out that they had quite a wide range of affinities in just this group. Besides the healers having a light, nature or similar concept for an affinity, they had the full host of elements. Jess had an earth element affinity while the oddest one was Tran, one of the non-pilots, with a conceptual affinity for sound. Matt asked how that worked and then got his first of many roadblocks thrown in his face. Tran said that he never tried and didn¡¯t have a skill to help with it, the problem was the others had similar stories.


    ¡°I gotta admit, I have no idea what to do about that.¡± Matt said to the group. ¡°I just got mine at my last class skill selection and haven¡¯t really used it. I don¡¯t know how it works or the limits of it. So how about we table that until we have skills to test and can work as a group?¡± A room full of shocked faces looked back at him. ¡°What? Can¡¯t expect me to know everything, I¡¯m figuring out this System stuff just like you.¡±


    Some thoughtful looks and nods of agreement from the commandos had them moving along to the next thing Matt wanted to talk about. He was very curious about the equipment and weapons that the other classers used. ¡°Alright folks, I want to see what you are working with for gear. Pull out what you normally wear and use on our patrols.¡±


    Nobody seemed to mind, and they began neatly stacking things on tables. Armor, weapons, load bearing equipment and some smaller items were all laid out for Matt to look at. He was slightly disappointed in what he saw. While the group was still fresh, and the system new, almost none of the gear was anything besides the starting equipment. What wasn¡¯t starting gear was crudely made, most likely by themselves.


    Picking up one of the rifles, Matt began to inspect it more closely. It was a rather long weapon, with a barrel somewhere around a meter in length with an exposed hammer and wood stocks. There was a lever on the bottom that would open a sliding block to feed the single 12-millimeter projectile in. The barrels appeared to be rifled thankfully but he assumed the sights graduated to 1500 meters was a bit hopeful. Another item Matt noticed was the mounts for a bayonet, which he later found on the table, which almost doubled as a short sword itself. That would be redundant given the variety of melee weapons on the tables, swords, maces and an axe were all present.


    The revolvers the pilots had were also large bore, gate loading devices made of brass and iron firing a slightly smaller projectile. Once again there was an odd ball thrown in, this time from a demon pilot who went by Lisk. He had a double barrel shotgun, like he just wandered off the set of a western movie. Matt found out he had used a similar one on his home world. What was interesting is that he had 3 different ammunition types.


    ¡°So, what do you have here?¡± Matt asked, looking at the three different hulls, each had a painted color band near the rim.


    ¡°Well, you have two different types of shot, small and large in the yellow and red ones, respectively. Then the blue one is a solid ball of lead, not the most accurate but packs a punch.¡± He coughed a little as and muttered. ¡°Not much use for the small shot when every game animal shrugs it off.¡±


    Matt set the shells back into their carriers and looked back to Lisk. ¡°Do you prefer a shotgun? Or is it a matter of picking what you know?¡± Matt had plans but they varied on his answer.


    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I like the shotgun. Its payload is very versatile despite its very limited range.¡± Lisk said after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°Great, I¡¯m going to get you set up with Tobias.¡± Seeing the odd look from Lisk, Matt elaborated. ¡°Our planet mastered the shotgun decades ago and we have a bunch of designs not only for your weapon but also for the ammunition.¡±  This seemed to excite the demon and Matts hand was gripped then shaken with more force than he would have expected from the short and slim man.


    The armor the pilots wore was about the same as the non-pilots in that it was a breast plate and upper leg armor with not much else. They all had rugged leather boots and gloves that looked like they could take some slashing damage but not much more. One thing he noticed was that the brightly colored tabards had disappeared, replaced with more neutral colors in brown or tan.


    ¡°Hey Jess, what¡¯s with the tabards?¡± He pointed to the folded garments before continuing. ¡°If I remember right, you guys all looked like knights at one-point, bright colors and heraldry.¡±


    ¡°That was at the direction of the previous commander, he was insistent on ¡®proper uniforms. That guy made us all wear those bright colors at the cost of all our sheets and bedding.¡± Jess was properly heated by the memory. ¡°He came in acting like he was hot stuff with complete disregard for our culture and history.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much said it was his way or the highway. Franklin tried to lobby for us even though he is not from our world, just like the demons.¡±  Tran said, adding on to what Jess was saying.


    Matt was taken aback by the news. Not that Alfron was a dick, that was well established already,  but that the demon¡¯s and orc¡¯s weren¡¯t from the same world as the others. ¡°Wait, what species or races does your world have?¡±


    Jess was quick to answer. ¡°Well, we have humans, dwarves, elves and what are collectively know and beast folk. They are the cat, wolf, lizard and a couple others I haven¡¯t seen in our city yet.¡± She looked to Lisk. ¡°The demons are similar to what our stories and legends told of but completely different in personality and ability.¡±


    Lisk laughed and shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t eat souls and wage war for fun, but it was a wild first few days, having to get past preconceived notions about us.¡± He saw Matt¡¯s questioning look and explained a bit more. ¡°So, we have similar cultures around being social, communal areas like baths, parks, restaurants and such. We had a different name for our peoples, but we are collectively called demons by the system, despite having a lot of variances in races.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Good to know.¡± Matt nodded and returned to his perusing of the equipment before having the group head outside and asking the pilots to give him the details on the constructs. They all went out the bay door and Jess was the first to offer up hers to inspection. Matt had her climb in so he could see exactly how it all worked. He was impressed but not in a good way, in more of a ¡®how does this thing still work¡¯ way.


    The constructs had narrow and shallow seats and held the pilots in by straps that suspended them in place. The construct moved by the pilots actually moving their limbs in their own harnesses, every part was articulated in excruciating detail which explained why getting in and out took so long. The other part Matt learned was how they had an enchanted pane of glass that pulled down and attached to their heads to give them a view through the constructs vision slits.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wonder you have been able to get anything done in these things.¡± Matt said to the group as Jess climbed back out and they moved to inspect the cannon her construct had. She had lowered it to the ground and opened the action, briefly showing how it worked. It was a carbon copy of the rifles he had seen only several times bigger. I wonder if they are black powder or smokeless.


    ¡°What does yours look like?¡± Jess asked, clearly using her relationship to ask more probing questions for the group. ¡°Is it really so different?¡±


    Matt gestured toward his mech and started leading the way there. ¡°Much different, my limbs don¡¯t move the mech and everything is done through my neural interface.¡± He pulled down his collar and showed the slightly discolored spot over his spine. ¡°This device is surgically implanted and then intercepts and interprets the movements into the construct. It has other functions but mostly its for interfacing with armor and communications.¡± Seeing the look on their faces, he decided to show them and had Van open the hatch. ¡°Anyone want a ride?¡±


    A couple hours and several laps around the city later, Matt had explained how everything worked in his mech and given some rides to the other pilots and commandos. He had put his tablet in the rear slot so the passenger could see but had to adjust the rear overlay to almost off since it was making them nauseous. Jess had looked at him with a newfound respect after her turn and he opened it up when she asked how fast it could go. As it turns out faster than he though at nearly 80 kph when running flat out on level ground.


    They had decided to take a break for the day and get some dinner before calling it a night. The food was good and this time they had a table to themselves, chatting mostly about how things were different and what they wanted to see come to the city. As it turns out, they were universally looking forward to their new accommodations.


    The builders had gained a lot of levels in recent days and had been able to branch out, raising more buildings at once than they had only a week ago. They were still focusing on getting the infrastructure up and running but nearly a quarter of them had started on housing. Apparently, they had decided to make the homes to order, letting the future occupant decide the layout. Matt thought that was generous of them but also quite forward thinking, make it right the first time.


    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering what they have marked out from between the points.¡± One of the commandos asked, pointing out the window to the gap in the wall where the internal points came together.


    ¡°That¡¯s part of my plan.¡± Matt said and immediately continued to give detail. ¡°All that space will become a giant fighting compartment or at least most of it. We have so much tech that could be built but we would never be able to employ it as the walls are now.¡± He paused, reconsidered and then amended his last statement. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not entirely true. We could employ mortars and artillery from inside the wall but nothing direct fire.¡±


    One of the other commandos blurted out his question before anyone else could manage to. ¡°So, we are not going to have to sally from the wall? How will that work?¡±


    ¡°One step at a time. We have a long way to go before anyone needs to consider the strategy of buildings that aren¡¯t made yet.¡± Matt had to laugh at the dejected looks from the group. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to call it a night. I will see you all in the morning back in the training room.¡± He stood and made his excuses, paying the tab on the way out. As much as he wanted to stay, there was still some work to be done and he made his way along the street to a small shop he saw on his way to the restaurant.


    The following day Matt met all the commandos outside the forge, and greeted them as they trickled in. He had arranged for some guests to come and visit them that morning and wanted to make sure the group was all accounted for. His plan was going to be moderately expensive but mostly time consuming. Finally, the last people he was waiting on walked around the corner of the building and he ushered them in.


    Getting some off looks from the commandos that had gathered, Matt explained who his quests were. ¡°Alrighty, listen up folks.¡± The quiet chatter stopped, and everyone turned to look at him, so he decided to introduce the human man standing just to his left. ¡°This is Emnath, an armorer by trade and a mage by class.¡± He then pointed to Sari, standing a little off to his right. ¡°That is Sari, she is one of the enchanters in the forge and¡­ and I have no idea what her other class is.¡±


    Picking up so Matt wasn¡¯t left floundering Sari completed his sentence. ¡°I am also a mage. Though the class hasn¡¯t had much opportunity for growth.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Sari.¡± Matt gave her a small smile and a nod of thanks before turning back to his class. ¡°Your weapons suck, and we already have a solution there, but your armor is also lacking. So, these two will be helping to get you some better protection. I am providing materials and the funding, but the priority is the non-pilots since they don¡¯t have a construct to protect them.¡±


    Matt then produced the hide of one of the steel flank boars and flopped it down in the open area of the room. ¡°This is the base material so all we need is to get your preferences for armor type and some sizing. After Emnath gets that info, Sari will put some enchantments on it.¡± The commandos were suitably impressed after identifying the shining skin and one expressed their concerns.


    ¡°We cant afford to pay you for this, Matt.¡± Bea-Lan said, and she looked to the rest of the group. ¡°This material is E grade and that¡¯s not counting the services of having it made into armor.¡± She looked genuinely worried about what he would demand for a price to this service.


    Having planned for some objection, Matt was prepared. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the cost. Emanth is being paid from the cost of the party sharing and the material was going to be wasted on me since I have my own armor.¡± He then looked to Sari. ¡°The enchantments have a different price that we already came to an agreement on.¡± Sari just tilted her head and smiled back at him, clearly happy with being able to study his mech in detail.


    Jess spoke up next. ¡°Since they are getting sized for armor, what would you have of us pilots?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have plans for you too. Come with me.¡± Looking back to Sari and Emnath, Matt called back over his shoulder. ¡°They are all yours, and they can find us after your done with them.¡± He was taking a little liberty there. Emnath had been over the moon at the opportunity to work with the material since it was far higher value than anything he had before. The problem was, he was a little too excited and had some, unconventional ideas about fashion and armor. Matt ended up making him promise that there wouldn¡¯t be tassels, fringe, bells or any other nonsense on the armor pieces.


    The 4 pilots scurried off after Matt as the armorer began rubbing his hands together and muttering under his breath. Matt led them all over to the line of constructs, specifically the one owned by Lisk. The demon had given him an idea for a solution to a problem that had been worrying him about the fight with the bugs. How to overcome the accuracy issue for the construct¡¯s weapons.


    Just as Matt had thought, Lisk¡¯s construct was also armed with a shotgun, double barreled at a bore of nearly 70 millimeters. The barrels were short compared to the other constructs and their 50 mil bores but that wasn¡¯t a problem for him. He asked Jess to open the breech on her construct¡¯s cannon and then looked down the inside of the barrel.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Matt said as he looked at the gently twisting grooves in the barrel.


    ¡°What is perfect?¡± Jess asked as she shared a nervous look with the other pilots.


    Matt pulled his head out of the breech of the massive gun. ¡°I was hoping that your construct weapons would be similar to your personal ones. The rifling is a very slow twist which will help with a plan I have.¡± He explained as he walked back. Grab a couple rounds for your constructs weapon and being them to the lab, we are meeting with Tobias. ¡°You too, Lisk.¡±


    leading the group to where Tibias usually lurked when in the forge Matt found him sitting behind a desk, reading something on his tablet. Tobias looked up as they entered directing them to set their burdens down on one of the tables and walked over to join them.


    ¡°So, this is your bright idea?¡± Tobias said as he looked at the giant shotgun shell next to the slightly smaller cannon rounds.


    ¡°Well, partly. I was hoping that we could make rifled slugs for the shotgun and also get some explosive payload for the normal cannons. If my little twenty-five can have it, then these fifties should be able to as well.¡± Matt told Tobias of his hopes as he poked at the shotgun shell that was as long as his arm.


    Tobias sighed as he looked up. ¡°That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea. Given what we know about their ammo pouches, it should replicate too. We just need to pair the new ammo. It¡¯s kinda like pairing a Bluetooth device but involves runes.¡± Taking a breath, he then said some of the sweetest words Matt had heard. ¡°The machineguns are ready, and I have a sample for your specialty ammunition.¡±


    Matt smiled and clapped his friend on the back. ¡°It¡¯s just like Christmas!¡± he shouted. This afternoon was going to be very exciting for him and the commandos. He decided to ignore the other pilots asking each other what Christmas was.

 Chapter 35 – Range Time

    Chapter 35 ¨C Range Time


    Hours had gone by since Matt and had brought the pilots around to meet Tobias and hand off the projects. He was hoping that Lisk would get his shotgun, but Tobias was having a hell of a time getting his ammo pouch to produce something in smokeless powder. For the time being, Tobias was able to part together a pump action shotgun for him. A shotgun that he wasn¡¯t all that sure about until he saw it held 7 rounds in the magazine tube and was much faster to fire.


    The experiment with the construct cannons was much simpler. All Tobias had to do was pull the projectile out of one of the cartridges and then find a nice number that its weight was evenly divisible by. Given the weight of each bullet was 2.5 kilo¡¯s, they opted to go for 25 projectiles nestled in a buffering medium. Tobias did have to play a little with the case length and making a small cap to give enough length for the steel ball bearings. The pilots were still confused about the purpose of these special rounds, but Matt assured them that the effects would be perfect for their needs.


    After all the pilots were sorted with their last-minute weapons alterations, Matt got a look at his special request. The 25-millimeter round was fully assembled but he instantly spotted the difference in the projectile that sat in the case mouth. It was a dull copper color but had a series of segmented lines along its surface. Picking it up, Matt got a look at the tip and saw a cavity within it. He was going to ask the details, but Tobias handed him a schematic to look at.


    ¡°This is partly a penetrator and partly a fragmentary projectile.¡± Tobias began. ¡°There is a steel post inside but that¡¯s mostly to give the jacket something to adhere to when we made it. In simulations, this expands rapidly and loses most of its energy very quickly. The center rod will continue on a little way but there is hardly any overpenetration since it tumbles so violently.¡±


    ¡°So, this is my soft target option?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°For the most part yes. There isn¡¯t much I can do unless I invent another type of explosive.¡± Tobias explained. ¡°The twenty-five just doesn¡¯t have the payload to do much more than what you already have.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really ok, I was just looking for a little help with things that had a lot of health but not a lot of armor.¡± Matt said, waving away any doubt in his satisfaction. He really was pleased with the result and knew that it was only the start of their specialty weapons.


    Tobias led them out and back to the training room where the rest of the commandos were finishing up getting fitted with the armor. Emnath was just closing his notebook and putting away his measuring tape. He had already stored the hide it since Matt didn¡¯t see it anywhere. The armorer bowed to Matt and promised to have the completed sets back in 2 days. Matt waved him off, saying it was perfect and to stop bowing. With not another word, Emnath scurried out of the room leaving Sari behind, making her chase after him all the way back to his shop.


    Matt did a quick touch base with the commandos that had been fitted for armor. The pilots went off and, with help from Tobias, figured out how to pair the new ammunition with their constructs. Once everyone was back in the same room Matt unveiled the rack of weapons that he had been keeping covered up. The group all had gathered round to see what was under the cloth and a collective gasp escaped as they took in the sight.


    12 rifles nearly identical to the one that Matt used, and 4 much more boxy weapons stood on their stocks along a rack. A second rack was uncovered and held the magical pouches that generated magazines along with sets of load bearing equipment. Matt was actually rather impressed at what the tailors had been able to put together from a few designs that they had been showed.


    Walking down the row or weapons, Matt described what they saw. ¡°Rifles, just like mine except for some details like lasers. Machineguns, belt fed variants of the rifles used for suppression.¡± Then he moved to the second rack. ¡°And the most important part. LBE or load bearing equipment to carry all the ammunition around with you.¡± He got a lot of very skeptical looks from the group, but Tobias was the one to explain.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have a way to efficiently carry and manage ammunition you will be much less effective at fighting. The weapons are useless if you cant keep them fed.¡± Tobias lectured them. He used a gentle tone but was deadly serious to carry his point across.


    Matt saw the wisdom sink in and then had them gather round where they could all see. Tobias acted as his teaching aid to demonstrate everything while Matt lectured. They spent the rest of the afternoon going over the proper firing positions and how to operate the different guns. They did have to dedicate a little extra time to Lisk in order to cover the use of the pump action shotgun. He was thankful that he wouldn¡¯t need to cover application since the codex had already given them all that knowledge, saving him literal weeks of time.


    The following day had all 16 commandos back at the training room bright and early, interrupting Matt and Tobias having breakfast with Echo on the lawn. Matt finished up his coffee and got to organizing the group for the day. He wanted to get going quickly this morning since there would be a little field trip.


    ¡°Alrighty class, we are headed out the gate today.¡± Matt began. ¡°I found a nice place for us to do a little shooting.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just find a place to go inside the walls?¡± Jess asked.


    ¡°Good Question.¡± Matt began. ¡°Mostly because we don¡¯t need the attention and partly because its generally not a great idea to use a flat stone wall as a back stop.¡± Seeing the look of confusion, he promised to show them what he meant and then led the way out the gate. He was in the mech with Tobias and had the other 4 pilots bring theirs as well. The rest had to go on foot, nothing he could do about it, but they didn¡¯t complain.


    A short walk and a lot of curious looks as they went had the group outside the wall in one of the less often used areas. There was a clear line of sight for a several hundred meters until the woods and the sloping hills. Matt had picked this spot since the hills provided a good backstop incase, they had any ricochets. He then pulled out a series of targets he had spent the better part of the night making.


    Simple wooden frames with a bit of painted cloth over top. They were free standing and could be placed just about anywhere the ground was mostly flat. The targets were a simple 10 centimeter black square on a 1 meter square white cloth but it got the job done, especially at the starting distance of 50 meters. Matt set out the targets while Tobias arranged the commandos in a line running parallel to the line of targets.


    ¡°We are starting close up and will be moving it back as we go. I had hoped for steel targets, but the cost was a little too much for just something to take shots at.¡± Matt explained. He really regretted not having a target that gave hard feedback, but he only had so much to work with. Still, he would make the most of what he had.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The training went pretty smoothly, with only a few hiccups. The first was the group was not prepared for the concussion from the firing of the rifles, being used to a much softer, deeper tone from their previous arms. The second hard part was convincing them to use the optics on the guns. Each one was equipped with a simple red dot optic since it was the most cost effective at the time. Having never used one before and with the new guns, the commandos were having a hard time focusing on the target and not the little red dot in front of them.


    The machineguns were another eye-opening experience for them with the even higher rate of fire. Fortunately, there were 5 people that took to it like a fish to water. They only had 4 of the belt-fed guns so Matt was planning on having them distribute them with 1 to each team. It ended up working out this time, but he would have to keep in mind the issues they might have in the future if they tried to implement this across the board. That wasn¡¯t part of Matts ideal plan for the city, but he couldn¡¯t predict the future.


    After getting the basics, Matt pushed most of the targets farther out and had them just get used to shooting for a couple hours. Lisk was having an absolute riot with his new shotgun and especially loved the rifled slugs and greater accuracy. He did spend a good portion of his time working with Tobias before on how to get a different powder for his ammunition. Matt then moved to the main event, the one he looked forward to the most.


    ¡°Jess. Your up.¡± Matt said. ¡°Im going to set up some targets while you get set up in your construct.¡± He then went down range to 50, 100 and 200 meters to set up a series of targets in groups. His goal was to demonstrate the benefit of the cannister rounds he had made for them.


    When Matt returned, Jess was fully set up in her construct and Matt told her what to do. She inserted one of the canister rounds into the breech of the cannon and closed the action, the snap of the breech slamming shut cutting through the air. This was Matts first time seeing one of these fired and he was curious to see how it went.  She leveled the gun at the 50-meter targets and fired.


    25 Iron ball bearings ripped through the air with a cloud of smoke and shredded wadding. The signature of the cannon firing was almost as impressive as the series of dirt geysers shooting up from behind the targets. Of the 5 targets in the array, only the middle 3 had any hits, indicating that the spread was reasonable for their used.


    Matt had her fire at the 100-meter target next and saw a similar effect as the first time, but the shot column was much more spread out. The targets all had at least one hit, but he could tell that the beaten zone was more oval due to the angle the shot was fired from. He turned to see Lisk absolutely vibrating with excitement.


    ¡°Can I test mine? I haven¡¯t had a chance to fire it yet.¡± The Demon pilot asked.


    Matt didn¡¯t have any issues and told him to go for it. Like a flash, Lisk shoved his blue skinned self into tis cockpit and closed the hatch. Something was nagging at the back of Matts mind and not in the System notification way, he got the feeling he just opened a can of worms that would be the source of much humor and suffering. Jess had stepped back and opened her hatch to talk with the other pilots, so Matt wandered over to chat with them.


    ¡°It was way better than I expected. The debris and smoke from the shot isn¡¯t as bad from the viewing device.¡± Jess was telling the other 2 pilots. ¡°Its honestly pretty effective, I would bet that even if we went for half the size of shot, we would have great results on small opponents.¡±


    ¡°Well now you know why I wanted to make these.¡± Matt said. ¡°If you guys are cooped up in your mechs, you cant do much against the bugs when we go take on the mines.¡±


    Jess and the pilots fully agreed, and they chatted a little more before Lisk was finally set up and ready to fire. Matt watched as he shoved a pair of 70-millimeter diameter cases into the breech of his massive shotgun. He leveled the gun off at the 50-meter targets and fired.


    Matt saw the shot fired from the left barrel and heard the report of the shot, much duller in tone than Jess¡¯. He then saw most of the 50-meter target array turn into confetti. Without missing a step, Lisk aimed at the 100-meter target array and fired the right barrel. This time the stands mostly fell over, but they were in rough shape, with much of the wood being splintered.


    ¡°Holy fuck.¡± Tobias muttered.


    Matt was forced to agree as he watched the giant shotgun break open and eject 2 giant cases onto the ground. 2 more were slotted in and Lisk fired one at the 200-meter target stand. The other barrel was just fired into the wood line, where it took a few branches down. Matt walked up to him as he stepped back and knelt down, popping open his hatch. Matt didn¡¯t know how many people were on the planet, but he was pretty sure Lisk was the happiest out of them all.


    ¡°Well, lets go survey the results, though I don¡¯t think we need to look at the 50-meter line very much.¡± Matt said as the demon hopped down from the construct.


    The whole group walked out to the 100-meter mark to survey the results. Matt grabbed one of the targets as they passed the 50-meter line, inspecting the fabric as he walked. There were 2 sizes of holes which prompted him to ask about the shot size for Lisk¡¯s shotgun. Turns out that it was about half the size of the ones they had made for the normal cannons.


    Matt briefly wondered about making adjustments, but the purpose of the shot shells wasn¡¯t to replicate the effect of the shotgun as much as it was to penetrate multiple targets at once. The storm of rounds fired from all the constructs would be devastating if done as a volley. When they got to the 100 meter berm, the targets had been ravaged by both canister and shot.


    ¡°I think that works very well for a simple conversion.¡± Tobias said as he picked up one of the partly broken targets. ¡°The carapace of those smaller bugs shouldn¡¯t be able to handle this at any distance.¡±


    Matt agreed and looked out toward the last row of targets and began to wander out there. Half of the commandos following along with him. The last 5 targets had been similarly peppered by the massive shotgun. All of the targets had multiple impacts across the fabric. Matt compared the spread briefly and noticed that even at this range the pattern would easily work for human sized targets and possibly even smaller. Having seen enough, he collected the targets and walked back to the firing line to pack up for the day.


    ¡°All I wanted was a little feedback, bounce a few ideas off you.¡± Franklin was telling Tobias and Matt as they sat at a small table in one of the dining halls. Matt thought the food was just as good as anywhere else but the stuff they were trying to pass off as ale needed work.


    ¡°Ok, Frank. We can help you out, but this is your city, we just live here.¡± Tobias said. ¡°If you want to do something then just go for it. Only time other people need to be involved is if it affects everyone.¡±


    The orc gave Tobias a look that said ¡®your full of shit¡¯ but didn¡¯t comment on it. He had been waiting at the forge for when Matt and Tobias got back, practically begging them to give him some advice. It did surprise Matt that there was a special menu for settlements, but he decided that was par for the course with this System and its special classes. He had wanted to know the details of the rewards and the new quests but was playing it cool to not look like a mad man.


    ¡°So, you were not even looking at the menus for the past few weeks?¡± Tobias asked. ¡°Like, the system didn¡¯t send you a notice or anything?¡± The situation was odd to Matt as well, so far, he found the notifications to be rather persistent. Also, they seemed to be rather well timed and on topic for the special one offs he had received.


    Franklin looked rather ashamed for a moment. ¡°Well, uh, the thing is I might have silenced the notifications.¡± Seeing the clearly unimpressed looks from both the humans, Franklin quickly explained himself. ¡°I was getting the same notifications over and over about needing to start growing faster to stay on pace. Quests that we couldn¡¯t do anything about, and it was all getting rather depressing.¡±


    Matt understood the sentiment and could see where he was coming from. He might not have done the same, but his circumstances were different, and his mentality was not one to avoid confrontation with commanders that thought they knew better. ¡°Look, Frank, I don¡¯t blame you and totally get why you did that.¡± There was a look of relief on Franklins features as he heard the words and saw Tobias nodding along.


    ¡°I truly am glad to hear that.¡± Franklin said, bowing slightly. ¡°It would still ease my conscience if you would at least give me your thoughts on the current situation and maybe help me make some choices about how to develop.¡±


    Matt stood and gestured to the door. ¡°Lead the way.¡± He was anxious to get the show on the road since he noticed that Echo was slowly stalking up to a plate of grilled meat that wasn¡¯t being watched by its owner. I better get some for the road or I will never hear the end of it. He thought, making his way over to the counter to order more and sending mental images to Echo about getting him a snack. He really wanted to get on the road before there was an incident.

 Chapter 36 – Etiquette and Points of Contact.

    Chapter 36 ¨C Etiquette and Points of Contact.


    The central building of the city was a mess of activity with people moving around everywhere around the massive, squat tower. They were carrying materials and checking with builders on what was needed where. The walls and floors were built, but now the crews were framing out individual areas to be filled in later. The general idea was that public offices would be on the ground floor with staff offices on the second. There were plans to dig down for some security bunkers, but for the time being, the classers were being placed on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor and roof.


    Matt wanted to know what the deal was with allocating the roof, but Tobias gave him a slight reprimand to keep him on task. He was there to advise Franklin on how to spend resources for the city not to get a tour, although that might happen anyway. Echo had started prowling around and quickly found the stairs leading up and was currently terrorizing the builders on the higher floors. Mostly he was looking for snacks and attention but that didn¡¯t make him any less scarry when he popped up out of nowhere.


    ¡°This is what I have available for rewards.¡± Franklin said, turning a screen toward them. Unlike the screens in the forge, this one was projected from the pedestal that was the core of the city. ¡°I cant just ask for anything, however. I am limited to a list of city improvements, which are the same as what I could pick from in the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you are working with.¡± Tobias said as he stepped closer to the screen. Franklin showed them an overview screen that had things like the number of people, size, demographics, points available and so on. The tab that he opened showing available improvements was much more interesting since it was laid out like any of the system shop menus. Matt also leaned in to get a better look, hoping to find some interesting options.


    The display showed a different sort of currency called City Credits. Matt wasn¡¯t sure what the exchange rate was, but it must have been massive since a fully completed house cost one credit. The list contained a long list of options, but Matt was able to pick out a few winners from a short list of what Franklin had pre-selected. He looked through that while Tobias when through the full list.


    Matt was interested in the option titled ¡®rebuild walls¡¯ which didn¡¯t have a price instantly associated with it. He wondered what the options were and how much it would cost to say expand them out a hundred meters. The next option that stuck out was called a questing network which had 2 options. The first was a simple open form that allowed for anyone to post quests, take them on and then turn them in from anywhere in the city. The second version would let you break it down into guilds which would be able to manage their own sub networks.


    ¡°Looking to set up some actual guilds, Frank?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Huh? Oh that.¡± Franklin said catching on to what Matt was pointing to. ¡°Yeah, I figured that would be a lot easier than the classers having to go around asking if anyone needed anything, save them time and all.¡±


    Matt liked the idea and told him that was a really good option to get the crafters levels and materials which would then benefit the city. ¡°How do you get the city credits?¡± He asked after thinking about the trade of goods.


    ¡°Well, we get them from various places.¡± Franklin pulled up another projection and showed a screen for the credits. It had the balance but also the sources or revenue for them. ¡°We get some from System quests being completed, from allowances and from territorial income. There are other means but those are the big three so far.¡±


    ¡°What is territorial income?¡± Tobias asked.


    Franklin went on to explain that the territory that they controlled directly influenced how much they would get in city credits every month. The more land they had subjugated, the more credits they earned. The catch was that they had to own that land in every way, not only passing through but also managing it and keeping the beasts in check. Any roads, outposts or other structures outside the city walls also added bonuses to that number.


    ¡°What are the available quests? Can anyone take them?¡± Matt was curious to see city quests and but was disappointed in the truth. They were just like a personal quest, but the rewards would be paid to the city and dispersed from there. The exception was a preemptive clear like what they had done with the spider cave.


    Franklin sighed heavily as he looked at the quest screen. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what ones to do. Which do I prioritize, and which do I let sit.¡± He muttered the last part to himself.


    ¡°Pick them all¡± Tobias said. ¡°If you take all of them, then you can assign people to work on all of them at once. The easy ones will get cleared first then you can divert to the ones that turned out to be harder.¡±


    It made a lot of sense to Matt, many hands making light work holding true in this scenario. As he read, he noticed that a few of the quests were ones that either he was working on or would happen automatically. It wasn¡¯t much skin off his back to take on multiple at a time with current pacing.


    In the end, they helped Franklin confirm he had been on the right track with choices. They city gained paved major roads, the advanced questing system, and a restorative buff that increased resource generation for those within the city proper. Tobias also talked him into saving some points on the side to put toward recreation and public works, saying that a happy populace was better than an unhappy one.


    It was at this time that Matt had to bite the bullet and do something he had been putting it off for as long as he could, but no longer could live with it. ¡°Frank, what is the name of the city?¡± Tobias also perked up at the question, seeming to not know know either.


    Franklin turned to face him. ¡°Did I not mention it?¡± He asked and got only shaking heads in return. ¡°The name is Vil¡¯ Krad.¡± He paused, rocking his head from side to side as he decided how to explain. It¡¯s a word from the home world of most of our citizens that doesn¡¯t have a direct translation. From my understanding it means ¡®the place where a journey begins¡¯ but you might need to ask Rohm or someone for more context.¡±


    ¡°Does it have a shortened name at all, or haven¡¯t you heard one?¡± Tobias asked.


    ¡°From what I heard, some of the pilots called it Krad for short but I don¡¯t know if that has any other meaning.¡± Seeing the skeptical looks from Matt and Tobias, Franklin elaborated. ¡°We put it to a vote back in the tutorial, so I just rolled with it. I never was good at naming things, and it makes little difference to me.¡± He shrugged, clearly not at all bothered by how that played out back then. ¡°Now, let me show you the offices for the classers.¡±


    Matt sighed as he settled into the hot water of the smaller, separate baths. The day before had been hectic between the range time and meeting with Franklin. He then spent all of the following day teaching the commandos how to use a radio. Then setting up said radios in the classer offices and in their constructs. One of those had been easy with the help of the forge staff but the other had been a problem. It turns out running wire through solid stone was rather difficult even for the people that made the building.


    Then there was the quest system that went up. It was working great, everyone had access, and everyone could both create and take jobs just as intended. What wasn¡¯t intended turned out to be a bug more than a feature. People were able to make person specific quests that would notify the requested party when created. That was where the problems began. Matt started getting System messages for requests, mostly from the armorer he had met, but then others piled on.


    Matt was currently in the baths to relax and to continue dodging a particular alchemist that had gotten a lot of the herbs he had brought into the city. He did eventually find a way to adjust his settings of his quest board so he couldn¡¯t be requested. That stopped the messages but led to a couple crafters searching him out in person. Most had gotten the hint that he didn¡¯t want to be bothered but the dwarven alchemist was persistent in her pursuit of more herbs.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Echo was currently in the bath and was resting his chin on the edge of the tub while Matt sat next to him. It seemed even the drake was tired of all the people treating him as a font of resources. The soft padding of feet on stone tiles had both of them open their eyes when the footsteps stopped next to their bath.


    ¡°Rough day?¡± Rohm asked.


    Matt gestured for him to join them and filled the commander in on the quest issue. He was surprised to see the commander had finally broken the threshold for E grade. Echo rotated around to put his head next to Rohm, probably in an attempt get some scratches but also to make room from his tail.


    ¡°Congratulations on the evolution.¡± Matt said. ¡°Get something good?¡±


    ¡°I did, but people don¡¯t usually share stats like that.¡± Rohm said as he relented and gave Echo some scratches under his horns. ¡°It¡¯s considered rude to pry.¡± Rohm didn¡¯t sound upset, but he rarely did to Matt.


    ¡°Sorry, you don¡¯t have to share, I was just wondering how it went and if you are happy with the new class and its rarity.¡± Matt explained, not wanting to come off as rude, especially in a culture he still knew little about. ¡°I am also curious about the different types of classes and what options everyone is getting.¡±


    Rohm waved a hand and told him there was nothing to worry about but to be careful in the future. He was silent for a minute before asking a question with a sly grin. ¡°So, take any quests?¡±


    Matt barked out a laugh before he gave his friend the ole one finger salute. ¡°No but we are heading out tomorrow. Going to drop the repeaters and maybe take a run at the mines bug problem.¡± Seeing the look on Rohm¡¯s face, Matt asked if he wanted in on the action.


    ¡°I am working on my team, trying to get us all to level 25. Normally I would but¡­¡± Rohm trailed off, considering the question a little more. ¡°On second thought, what¡¯s your plan?¡± He asked, much more attentive as he sat up straighter.


    Matt outlined his plan on how they would set up the repeaters and work their way around in a patrol path. He hoped to get some leveling in as they circled around the city, back to the mines area where they would clear it out. They would then either return to the city or head to the trial to have the teams run that and get their rewards.


    ¡°How about I meet you at the mines with a few squads? We can at least be a reserve if you need it.¡± Rohm said after listening to Matt lay out his plan for the following days.  ¡°We will probably break off from there, we can run the trial at a later time.¡±


    Matt and Rohm planned for a little longer before Matt made his way out, headed back to the forge since that was the only place he knew to sleep at night. On his way, he was once again accosted by a very persistent dwarf woman. Even Echo rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance before wandering off back to the forge. He sent Matt a mental image of sleeping in the training room.


    ¡°Lord Matt!¡± Venri shouted, drawing a lot of attention from others on the street as she jogged over to him. ¡°Just a moment of your time.¡± She reached him just as he crossed over the road that would lead to the forge.


    Deciding to just bite the bullet, Matt stopped and turned, trying not to leer over her but failing do to the half meter difference in height. Matt had learned that there were 2 types of dwarves in the city. The first type was they stereotypical one, short, thickly muscled and harry. The second type was still short but much slimmer and with more brightly colored hair. They honestly just looked like smaller statured humans that trusted a hair stylist a little too much.


    ¡°Venri, I have already declined your quest. I don¡¯t have time to take it on and you would just be waiting on materials that anyone could go get.¡± He said to the silver haired woman. He noticed that she had also broken the threshold and reached E Grade. He was slightly impressed at how quickly she grew in level, given that most other crafters were still in the low to mid-teens.


    The short woman looked at him dumbly, blinking a couple times before she caught on to what he said. ¡°No, not that. I found some other people to take that on. What I wanted was to come with you.¡± She dismissed his rejection so offhandedly that Matt was 95% positive that she had move on.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Clearly expecting that question, Venri began rattling off reasons. ¡°I need to go see what¡¯s farther beyond the walls for my craft. I like fighting almost as much as like making potions, you know. I hear you are going somewhere with bugs which means venom and poison. Lastly, I want my shot at the trial orb thing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe we can...¡± Matt began to say, hoping to calm her down and redirect her toward Franklin.


    ¡°I also just distilled a type of alcohol from the local grains that the System called ¡®vodka¡¯.¡± She said as an afterthought, not paying the slightest attention to Matts words.


    ¡°¡­Can have you ride along with me.¡± Matt finished, not missing the change for one of his favorite drinks. ¡°But you are coming at your own risk. I¡¯m not going to just toss you to the wolves, but I can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡± He thought for a moment before adding to his criteria. ¡°Also, you need to help with resource collection, you can sell your share or keep it.¡±


    This time Venri gave Matt the side eye. ¡°What do you mean ride along? I¡¯m not going to be riding atop a bouncing construct for miles on end.¡± She had taken a pretty firm stance on that, a drastic change from her earlier demeanor.


    ¡°I have 2 seats in my mech.¡± Matt scrubbed his face with his palm, frustrated at the sudden shift in personality which she seemed to have fairly often. ¡°You can ride along but if we get the chance to dismount for a fight, we are taking it.¡±


    The alchemist agreed to Matt¡¯s terms and agreed to meet him in the morning at the forge before scurrying off to wherever she came from. He watched her go for a few seconds before continuing on his way to the forge. He was looking forward to setting out again, even with the extra passenger, but had a few things to do first.


    Emptying out his storage had taken Matt a lot more time than he thought it would. Partly because of all the crap he had put in it on his last trip but also because it turned into an event with half the crafters in the city bidding for the materials. He decided to let Tobias handle most of that and dropped off everything he didn¡¯t need from his storage ring. He of course gave his researcher friend first dibs on anything he wanted, but other than a few items, Tobias just let the forge run an auction for everything.


    Once the commandos started showing up, Matt had packed up and given each a checklist of things they might need. They ran through the list with only a couple running off to go pick up some item they had missed or hadn¡¯t considered. Sure enough, a short figure came walking out of the morning mist, completely surprising Matt at the stark difference in her appearance.


    Venri was clad in full leather armor with a mail layer on top of the largest sections. The armor was either dyed or painted, Matt couldn¡¯t tell which, a dark brown color, blending in perfectly with most trees in the area. She also carried a gun Matt hadn¡¯t seen yet. The revolver rifle she had slung over a shoulder was the standard size revolver but with a long barrel and stock, making a handy little carbine for the dwarf.


    Her confident stride and cocky smile vanished when Echo decided to sneak up behind her and take a deep sniff at her shoulder. ¡°Hells take me, where did you come from.¡± She gasped as Echo stalked away and back toward Matt. He felt slightly bad since Echo towered over her without trying. ¡°I forget that he is around sometimes, and it doesn¡¯t help when he just pops up like that.¡±


    Matt scratched at the base of one of Echo¡¯s horns as the drake sat beside him. ¡°Well, he just wanted to remind you of the dangers in the world that you might not even see coming.¡±


    ¡°Or he¡¯s just being an ass again.¡± Jess said in the tone of voice people use when talking to puppies. She had come up to Echo¡¯s other side and was scratching at his jaw line. Echo, for all his indignation at the words, started humming happily as she found just the right spot to scratch at. ¡°Awe, who¡¯s a good monster.¡±


    Matt gave the group another half hour to get their gear together and cross load some items between themselves. He summoned his armor out of his storage ring, instantly equipping it but leaving his helmet off for the time being. ¡°Alright, lets get this show on the road. You all know the route and we will be stopping for map checks every couple kilometer so no excuses for getting lost.¡± He checked his note pad and gave a quick ramp brief before they moved out. He turned to Venri next and pointed to the open hatch of his mech. ¡°Hop in, back seat is yours.¡±


    The rest of the commandos all got ready, and the pilots began buckling themselves in as Matt helped the dwarf climb into the cockpit. He followed her in and pointed to the buckles that would hold her into the seat and set up a screen for her to see the outside. After she was settled in, he opened one of the side compartments and fished out a couple plastic bags with a locking seal on them. He handed her one and put the others within reach, held down by an elastic strap.


    Venri looked at the bag, opening and closing the top a couple times. ¡°what¡¯s this for?¡±


    ¡°Motion sickness and incase we need to teleport.¡± Matt said as he took his spot and put his helmet on. ¡°I don¡¯t want vomit in my mech.¡± He turned on a speaker on in the cockpit so she could hear what was going on, knowing that would help with the long hours on the trail.


    ¡°Wait, teleport?¡±


    ¡°Yup, show you later.¡± Matt said as they started moving and keyed his radio. ¡°Vil¡¯ Krad X-Ray, this is Recon One.¡± He waited to see if he would need to retransmit. Just as Venri was about to start talking, a voice broke over the radio.


    ¡°Recon One, this Vil¡¯ Krad X-Ray. Go ahead.¡± Replied the classer that was manning the radio. Matt thought it was Kirsi, one of the lizard folk that had taken his radio training the day before.


    ¡°Recon one is outbound. Five cons, eighteen pax, one drake.¡± Matt had to admit the radios were crystal clear and there was nearly no distortion, likely a biproduct of magic and no interference.


    ¡°Roger. Five con, eighteen pax and Echo. Good luck, Krad X-Ray out.¡± The response this time was from Rohm, who was probably in the room by happenstance. That or he wanted to see the process himself. Either way Matt was happy to see he took some liberties with the radio Etiquette and smiled under his helmet.


    It wasn¡¯t a minute later before they left the gate, on route for their first target to install the repeater and sensor towers. Once clear of the gate, Echo went bounding off into the grass and the commandos got into their marching order. Once that was established, they were off and moving quite fast with most of them on foot. The constructs formed a square around the commandos with Matt moving within the formation and making adjustments. He was really looking forward to this little exercise and dealing with those bugs.

 Chapter 37 – Unexpected Complications

    Chapter 37 ¨C Unexpected Complications


    To say that Matt was upset at that moment would be an understatement. He was beyond upset, clear past mad, looking at angry in the rearview mirror and approaching murderous rampage at full speed. The reason for his mood was sitting in the construct directly to his front left, less than 100 meters away. Jess had committed a grievous sin, a most heinous transgression to any operation. She dared to say, out loud, to the universe, that something was easy before they were done. He made sure to give her a hard time about it and was told that he was being ridiculous by everyone else there.


    The operation had been going well, smooth sailing in fact. They had placed 5 of the 16 repeater towers in the first day and 2 more that morning before she said the words. Now, nearly 4 and a half hours later, they were approaching the next point. The 4 and a half hours hadn¡¯t been easy either. They first encountered a boulder field that caused a detour, then dozens of golems popping out of the boulder field. After the rocky start, they found a swamp which needed another detour lest the other constructs sink.


    Now after a very muddy slog and a short skirmish with a few frog-like creatures they found a decent location to set up the 8<sup>th</sup> repeater. Matt was thankful that they hadn¡¯t any casualties in either fight which was due more to the commando¡¯s overmatch than anything else. Matt had acted as a reserve, letting them do the fighting and pathfinding to each point on the trip. Van grumbling in the back of his mind about not having anything to fight wasn¡¯t helping either.


    Seeing the dismounts setting up a perimeter for security, he popped the hatch and jumped out making a beeline for Jess and the open hatch of her construct. ¡°See what you did?¡± He shouted to her as he marched across the soggy ground. His voice was being amplified by the external speaker in his helmet, so she definitely heard him.


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m sorry. Just like I said I was sorry at the swamp and the boulder field.¡± Jess said, exasperated at what had become a slog. ¡°I am having them set up the repeater and we are going to make camp for the night on that rise over there.¡± She pointed toward a small hill a couple hundred meters away which put it nearly a kilometer from the swampy waters.


    Matt just nodded and turned away, going back to his mech, easily hearing Jess muttering under her breath about never making that mistake again. He knew it was a superstition but sometimes it helped to have an outlet for their frustrations that they could blame with no consequences. In all likelihood, they would have had the same issues regardless but it just happened to be the right time and place.


    ¡°So, I think I get it now.¡± Venri said as Matt took his seat and closed the hatch again. ¡°It¡¯s like a hex or curse, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we call it a jinx but it¡¯s all a superstition. I¡¯m not actually mad at her but using it as a little reminder that letting your guard down or making assumptions can lead to someone getting hurt or killed.¡± Matt said, rationalizing the reaction.


    ¡°Hmm, any other we should be aware of?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s a bunch of proverbs kind of things. Mostly general advice and wisdom but there are some good ones that apply to more martial situations.¡± He didn¡¯t say more, having gotten distracted by the repeater finally booting up and being moved into its final position, hidden in the treetops.


    The group moved off to the hilltop and began preparing an encampment. They wouldn¡¯t need to stay for long but decided to wait out the night and get some rest after their long day. A fire was started, and positions prepared. They set up a triangular patrol base, keeping the constructs at the points, backed up by the machineguns. It was a textbook defense and they had good terrain to do it with the hill providing excellent field of view to the surrounding woods.


    Matt helped Venri dismount from the mech, and they began walking toward where Jess was organizing the commandos. ¡°What ones apply to our situation?¡± She asked.


    ¡°The laws. Well, they were called Murphy¡¯s Laws. Pretty much the premise of all the laws is that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.¡± Matt explained. He began throwing out some of his favorites that he had heard over the years, getting a few chuckles out of them.


    After a pause, Venri asked a follow up ¡°And all of these apply just to the military on your world?¡± Matt thought she was fishing for something but wasn¡¯t sure what.


    ¡°Yes, well only a couple of the nations that shared some military culture.¡± Seeing the questioning look, he explained further. He told her about how his home country had only existed for a few hundred years and had been born in revolution. Then they later allied with the country they split from. He gave a brief history of Earth, not going into much detail because he didn¡¯t have the background to properly explain it and Tobias probably had a book or movie on his tablet detailing everything.


    Venri was fascinated by the scope of the wars that Earth had, particularly how weapons developed so rapidly with technology. Her world had magic of a sort that could be used and substituted much of what Matts home had to brute force into figuring out. Their conversation drew some attention from the rest of the commandos who gathered around for an impromptu session of ¡®story time with Matt¡¯. None of them were aware that they were being watched from a distance by creatures waiting for the right moment to strike.


    Tobias walked into the building at the center of the city which was now just known as the hub since it both housed that item and acted as a hub for all official activity. He was on a mission, looking for the cities only orc who also happened to be the one to approve his ridiculous spending. This time, the conversation wouldn¡¯t be so hard. He had done some research and talked to a bunch of other crafters and found that the items he wanted to order could be used by a lot of professions.


    ¡°Excuse me, have you seen Frank?¡± Tobias asked one of the clerks on the ground floor.


    ¡°Upstairs. Third floor, that is.¡± The scaled man replied as he kept on walking over to the desks in the northern arc of the circular building.


    Tobias shrugged and went up the stairs, both flights being more steps than normal but giving each floor extra height and making them feel more open. Sure enough, over near the recently installed radio set was Franklin. He was leaning over a table which had a map spread across it and talking to Rohm as the felid placed a series of markers on the map. Tobias thought he would see about getting a proper holographic display table for them but had no idea the cost and didn¡¯t fancy taking apart one of his to see about making one.


    ¡°Frank, Rohm. How¡¯s it going?¡± Tobias asked as he approached, trying not to startle either of them.


    The commander was the first to respond. ¡°Tobias, Congratulations on your class evolution.¡± He of course noticed that Tobias evolved his primary class. ¡°I assume you got a good class?¡±. He knew that the second class was lagging behind, knowing that it wasn¡¯t a true evolution to E grade.


    Tobias had indeed gotten a good class. He had gotten 5 options and ended up picking a rare class called Principal Forge Developer which gave an excellent level 25 skill. His new skill gave insights and abilities when working with certain chemicals. The new skill was the main reason for his visit.


    ¡°Indeed. It will be very beneficial in both the short term and for long term use.¡± Tobias shook hands with both men and greeted the classer sitting at the radio. ¡°it¡¯s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.¡±


    Franklin sighed heavily. ¡°How much is it going to cost?¡±


    Tobias chuckled as he responded. ¡°Oh, not as much as last time. Also, this purchase will have uses for other types of crafters. I need to but some chemicals. We could possibly make them but I¡¯m not sure where to find the base materials and the cost of the machinery is more than I¡¯m willing to spend without a source.¡±


    In a surprising role reversal, Rohm was the one that pressed for more detail. ¡°What will you be doing with these chemicals?¡±


    ¡°Let me show you.¡± Tobias said and pulled out his tablet. He then played a series of videos showing explosives and their various uses. ¡°This can help with building, fighting, mining and so much more.¡± He did have to explain what other crafters would be able to use the chemicals and then give a cost versus benefit speech but that was expected.


    After hearing out Tobias, Franklin gave his approval. ¡°Alright, go ahead and get some but try to rope in the crafters so they get some experience with the materials. From my understanding, working with new material can give them massive gains in their levels.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Tobias agreed after some hesitation. Every time he contacted crafters, it became a huge headache of fielding questions and managing the supply of materials. It got so bad that he ended up asking one of the other crafters to help just manage the transactions so he could actually help the other people in the forge learn the equipment and work on their own projects.


    Tobias did extract a promise form Rohm to take him out when they went to meet Matt at the mines. He Still needed a few levels in his combat class to finalize the evolution and reach the full grade evolution.  As he walked back to the forge in the final moments of twilight, he wondered briefly how Matt was doing, assuming he was bored babysitting the commandos. He probably will have nothing to do until he gets to the mines Tobias thought to himself.


    ¡°From the left!¡± Jess screamed, trying to be heard over the gunfire. She noticed a couple of the monsters break away from the main group and move to flank. Just as she said it, a loud thump-bang could be heard, and she watched the entire area where the 4 had been turn into flying splinters and gore. Lisk had gotten his construct up and running it seemed. She turned her attention back to the fight in front of her as the last of the daylight slipped away.


    The monsters had come out of the woodwork as soon as twilight had taken the sparse woodland. They were hideously deformed amalgamations consisting mostly of wolf parts. They closed on the group rapidly in their dozens. The only saving grace had been Matt suddenly calling them to arms, somehow knowing the attack was coming. The fist waves had been met with a storm of bullets from the commandos¡¯ new guns which had less of an effect than they would have hoped.


    They were making an attempt to get the pilots back into their constructs one at a time to provide cover for the rest of the group. So far, they had 2 up with Jess, Matt and the last pilot, Milin still to go. Now it was Jess¡¯ turn, and she tapped the commando to her left, signaling that she was breaking away. She made it all of 3 steps before a cry sounded from her right where one of the monsters had somehow broken through and was headed right for her.


    Jess managed to fire a short burst before it took her to the ground, pinning her in place and biting at her throat. She managed to get her rifle between its jaws and wedged them open as it tried to bite through the receiver and handguard. She swore, screaming in the face of the monster while she tried to wrestle her knife out of her storage ring while fending off bites.


    Just as she summoned her dagger, Jess lost control of her rifle and it was wrenched out of her hands, thrown away by the beast. It once again lunged forward to bite at her but was suddenly yanked off her. Jess looked up to see Echo clamping his jaws around the beast¡¯s neck and shaking the life out of it, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones. Jess could hear vertebrae snapping and saw its body go limp before Echo whipped its head and decapitated the monster. The drake spared her a brief glance before it disappeared back into the shadows.


    Able to hear the repeated thumping of Matts cannon, Jess took a moment to just lay on the ground. She suddenly felt a presence rapidly approach her, its arrival promising both salvation and horrible violence. She about screamed again when she felt a hand grab the front of her breast plate and haul her to a standing position. She was suddenly looking at the impassive face of Matts helmet as its eye lenses whirred into focus on her.


    ¡°Get the fuck up and fight.¡± Matt said as he shoved Jess¡¯ rifle back into her hand and pushed her back to her construct. His voice was coarse coming through his helmet, practically dripping with suppressed anger. Just as quickly as he arrived, he was gone again, the presence going with him.


    Jess, shaken and stumbling, didn¡¯t even try to rationalize how Matt was both on the ground and in his construct but ran on regardless. She reached it, got in and shut the hatch, deciding to get strapped in in the dark rather than be an easy target while she hooked herself into the controls. A minute later, she was finished and slid the visor over her eyes, finally getting a view of the outside and couldn¡¯t believe what she saw.


    A tall dark figure was moving through the camp, at times seemingly vanishing, only to reappear somewhere else. It seamlessly switched between a rifle and a small axe with a blue glowing blade that burned anything it touched. Knowing it was Matt, Jess watched as he rampaged through any of the monsters that broke the line, brutally dispatching anything that came close. If the enemy wasn¡¯t in reach, he changed to his rifle and fired controlled bursts into the horde. Occasionally he would throw a small rock like object that would explode in the clusters of enemies after a couple seconds.


    Jess stepped back, out of the patrol base and moved off to the flank opposite from Lisk to get a better angle on the monsters pouring out of a dense stand of trees. She saw another sight that confused and terrified her in equal parts. Matts construct was already there, also firing bursts into the clusters of monsters. As she approached the construct turned its head and looked at her, its eye lenses glowing the same pale blue as Matt¡¯s axe. Jess just stepped up online and began firing into the masses with the shot shells they had developed. She wasn¡¯t sure what kind of monster Matt was, but she was very glad he was on her team.


    Matt was having a really bad day. Not only had it been a slog to get to where they stopped for camp, but then these mutants came out of the woodwork. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should he happy or not that they were lower level. On one hand they didn¡¯t pose much risk to the commandos but on the other there was a veritable horde of them. Despite the failing light, he was able to see them clearly thanks to his advanced optics.


    Canid Mutant. Level: 18


    The creatures were all in the 15- 20 range for levels but there must have been nearly 150 of them. They also seemed to punch above their weight and oh boy, were they ugly. They looked to be malformed werewolves that had a bad case of mange. Their spines were hunched and twisted beyond reason, and they moved with unnatural, jerky movements over long distances. Their true danger showed when they got withing melee range and could leap at their prey.


    So it was that Matt and the commandos kept to their grisly task of slaughtering the onrush of mutants. The fight went on for only half an hour, with a little time to mop up the ones that were trying to crawl away, heavily wounded. It seemed that every one of the beasts committed to the attack since Van didn¡¯t see any with the thermals and his threat detector wasn¡¯t picking any up at longer range. Matt decided to recall the pilots and reset the patrol base.


    Matt went around and conducted a battle damage assessment on both the enemy and his own forces. They had taken a few minor injuries but most of the commandos had their new armor which kept the worst of the wounds off them. They decided to save the potions and let the healers do their thing and gain some extra experience. He saw Van approach and stop at the edge of the patrol base where he knelt and opened the hatch. From the hatch a very irate dwarf hopped out and stomped her way over to him.


    Venri had known something was off about Matt and her trait initiating a personal System quest was just icing on the cake. Within the first hour of traveling, she got the sense that he was different but couldn¡¯t pin down why. Her trait usually only pointed her toward treasures or other rare materials but now, apparently, people of interest. Normally it helped her find her alchemy ingredients but this time it was causing her to investigate Matt for reasons not yet clear. Still, she waited patiently, chatting and trying to tease out info on him, finally getting somewhere when they made camp. Well, that progress was interrupted when he suddenly stopped and called the group to arms.


    All Matt had done was look down at her and ask a simple question. ¡°Fighting or not?¡± Venri hesitated for too long apparently because Matt had grabbed her and thrown her back into the construct. ¡°Buckle up and don¡¯t touch anything.¡± He ordered, his aura flaring and suppressing her completely.


    The next several minutes had been horrifying chaos as she watched him dismantle the monsters with ease. The commandos had held up quite well in her estimation, but it was clear that Matt was a step above. His movements had been precise and decisive, he didn¡¯t hesitate, constantly doing something, working to win the fight. Everywhere he went it was like a bubble followed him, bolstering the commandos, making them fight harder and with more skill.


    That was all well and good, Venri would have left it there if not for what had happened next. The construct had started moving on its own, causing her to scramble to buckle up the harness. With a speed far beyond what such a construct should have, it moved to the flank of the camp. It then began firing its damnable cannon on its own, targeting groups of the monsters with startling accuracy. It acted on its own with such fluidity and grace that Venri knew it wasn¡¯t just a skill or other ability.


    Once the fighting had calmed down, the construct walked back to the camp and knelt, allowing Venri to hop out. She made a beeline toward Matt, about to give him a piece of her mind, but a sudden pressure descended, and she checked herself. It was not a pressure filled with killing intent like before but more of a calming, graceful aura. She took a deep breath and felt her tension wash away, knowing instantly that Matt was the source of the calming effect.


    Echo padded back into the camp, covered in blood. The drake went over to the fire where he sat down and began cleaning himself as Matt waited for the rest to gather round. Once the other pilots had dismounted, they joined the group. Venri noticed that some looked to Matt with reverence and others, like Jess, had more complex looks as they struggled with their emotions.


    Matt took off his helmet, hanging it on his belt out of habit. ¡°Good job guys. I think that went pretty well but what does everyone else think?¡± Instantly, the domineering aura that had been surrounding him was gone, replaced with the friendly old Matt they had gotten to know over the past several days. His eyes seemed to glow ever so slightly in the night, flashing a pale blue that quickly faded.


    Venri was absolutely flabbergasted at the sudden change, but that part of her trait was finally satiated, and it provided her the information she had been compelled to find. She knew exactly what Matt was and swore a silent oath to herself to never betray him or break his trust, least she suffer the consequences. She planned to swear absolute fealty to him as soon as she was able, willing to live a life of complete servitude to the veiled-human. Her devotion was rewarded with System notifications, which she immediately opened.


    Quest Complete: Investigate: Matt Shultz


    Through chance and happenstance, you have discovered a member of the Veiled species. The tales of your ancestors hold this race to be either harbingers of salvation or death incarnate, you must decide your own path and either serve or flee in accordance with your people¡¯s laws.


    Congratulations, your trait has evolved!


    Trait had evolved into: Grace of the Veiled


    Grace of the Veiled:


    Your ability to find the truth extends past locating simple treasures and natural ingredients. Through your class and proximity to a veiled, you are gifted with the ability to replicate his affinity if you have his favor. Serve well, honor your ancestors and keep the faith.

 Chapter 38 – Updates and plans

    Chapter 38 ¨C Updates and plans


    Tori was in her realm, not at all relaxing or performing her usual duties for her followers and organization. Instead, she was watching the interactions of her prime and the little dwarf that had followed him on a mission. She had scouted the planet before but somehow missed this one potential problem. Even if she had seen it, Tori wasn¡¯t sure she could actually do anything with the System limiting her. Of all the places for that particular culture to show up, and a possible follower of the order to boot.


    Watching the fight with the mutated beasts, Tori waited with bated breath, not worried about her prime and his companions being hurt but instead worried about how this would play out if the dwarven alchemist realized what Matt was. She watched the fight finish and Matt organize his troops, once again displaying his knowledge and acumen for war. She was rather pleased with her selection in this prime and had plans to pair him with one of the others for some training.


    The moment Tori had been waiting for finally came along as Van returned and opened his hatch, releasing Venri to the outside. She immediately stormed off toward Matt, in a rage at her earlier treatment. Tori thought that this was a good sign, and everything would blow over with her none the wiser¡­ until Venri stopped dead in her tracks. A look of awe crossed her face, and her eyes began to fill with tears.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Was all Tori said. She snapped her fingers and opened a portal to one of her great halls and beckoned to the being sitting on the other side of the rift.


    The human man unfolded his legs and smoothly rose from his meditative position, stepping effortlessly through the tear in reality to bend the knee before her. ¡°Mistress. How may I be of service?¡± asked Herman, The Wasteless Concoctor.


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Herman, you are a god now, stop treating me like your master and more like the ally that I am to you.¡± She had met Herman eons ago when he was still in B grade, and she was already a god. He still never dropped the honorifics until she asked.


    ¡°Of course, Tori.¡± Herman said with a grin as he stood to look her in the eye. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    Tori didn¡¯t say anything and just pointed at the image she had paused of the dwarven alchemist. Herman knew of Matt, since he was an allied god under her pantheon and, as part of her inner circle, knew about his heritage.


    Herman inspected the image, using his skills to pierce the veil of the void and inspect Venri more closely. ¡°Oh dear, this is quite the problem the young master has.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. Now can you possibly help me with this issue? Tori asked. ¡°I would like you to intervene and help curb the more insane tendencies that culture has towards the veiled. Take her as an apprentice if you must but don¡¯t let another Krest¡¯man city happen.¡±


    Herman hummed and rocked his head from side to side before responding. ¡°Hmmm. That seems like an awful lot of work. And just to spare your prime some inconvenience.¡± He tutted, leading her on.


    Tori sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°What¡¯s it worth to you then?¡±


    ¡°I want you to try something I have been working on. It would seem that there are some alcoholic beverages and recipes that have just been discovered from Earth.¡± The alchemist began. ¡°I think I have perfected something called a ¡®Mint Julip¡¯ and another by the name of ¡®French Seventy-five¡¯ that I would like you to taste test.¡±


    Tori blanched slightly. Herman had once messed up a potion, but the waste material ended up being an alcohol that worked on gods. The accident, in keeping with his title, spurred him to develop the awful drinks, trying to make them palatable. ¡°Fine, I will taste those two but no more.¡±


    ¡°Deal. All sales are final. No takebacks.¡± Herman cackled as he stepped into the portal once again and began puttering around his meditation chamber in preparation to meet the dwarf.


    Closing the portal, Tori resumed her observation of Matt. She really hoped this deal was worth it. The last time she tried Hermans brew, it left her with a decade long hangover. ¡°I hope the little zealot has the sense to not jump the gun. That or my prime doesn¡¯t kill her out of annoyance.¡± She thought about that last part, coming to the conclusion that Matt probably wouldn¡¯t kill her but might use his aura to make her wish he did.


    Matt hadn¡¯t slept that night, instead staying up and keeping an eye on his commandos. Well, he wasn¡¯t really staying up if he didn¡¯t need to sleep right? Either way he was awake and had a couple things to go over in the form of System messages. He had held off until well after he debriefed the classers, and they made their commitments. He opened the menu and dove right in.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gunfighter is now Level 35


    Stat points awarded.


    Skill selection options available.


    Command Troops (Uncommon)


    Any combat focused allies will have increased stamina and mana when following your commands. Only applies to those directly under your command. Uses Willpower


    Designate Target (Uncommon)


    When fighting in a group of at least 4, deal extra damage to enemies when designated ad targets. Designate up to 5 targets at a time to apply damage multiplier to. Uses Willpower


    Rapid Fire (Rare)


    Significantly increase the rate of fire of your primary armament for as long as the skill is channeled. Recoil will be negated for duration of usage skill activation. Costs stamina to channel, all other costs remain as default.


    Experienced Instructor (Rare)


    Those that have learned from you directly earn bonus experience for a length of time directly proportional to the duration of your instruction. Ongoing teaching may result in cumulative application of bonus time.


    Unstable Imbuement (Epic)


    Imbue a weapon with your affinity but in an unstable nature that reacts violently when contacting an enemy. Gain total control of the stability of mana imbued projectiles. Cost and usage are similar to Imbue Weapon.


    Matt had a hard time choosing which skill to pick. He like the rapid-fire skill for emergencies and for any more fast-moving targets that required an ¡®Accuracy by Volume¡¯ doctrine. The teaching and group fighting skills were intriguing but he had no idea what was meant by willpower for its usage and decided to wait until he talked with Tori again. In the end he was most attracted to the unstable imbuement and chose that skill, knowing he could come back for the others.


    When he selected the skill, he felt the knowledge enter his mind and instantly knew he was on to something. The skill would be the perfect partner to his imbue weapon skill. Where his older skill was excellent as a penetrator, it tended to just pass through all but the densest enemies. His new unstable skill would allow him to use his autocannon as a pseudo, long-range grenade launcher. He had an impression of how it would work with a melee weapon but would have to test it to be sure.


    Matt sat back and sighed, he felt good about his choice and decided to start making breakfast for himself and Echo who had dozed off by the fire and curled almost completely around it. He set up his coffee pot and began to prepare his morning brew, making a little extra incase anyone else fancied a taste. While he worked, he brought up his status screen, reading it in full for the first time in a while.


    Name: Matt Shultz Level: 35 (E)


    Race: Human-Veiled


    ------


    Strength: 164 (190)


    Dexterity: 212 (254)


    Endurance: 187 (216)


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Constitution: 152 (177)


    Perception: 149 (181)


    Intelligence: 212 (254)


    Wisdom: 119 (152)


    Free Points: 26


    Skills:


    Imbue Weapon (Rare), Passive Mana Sense (Rare), Run and Gun (Uncommon), Mana Blast (Uncommon), Powered Displacement (Rare), Shaped Mana (Rare), Unstable Imbuement (Epic)


    Feeling rather good about his progress, Matt smiled to himself and allocated his free points into his preferred distribution, keeping a couple extra just in case. He had to admit, being up early had its advantages, the peace and quiet was nice and the luxury of a coffee without having to rush was severely underrated. It also had its downsides as he looked over and saw Jess sitting on the edge of the camp, knees drawn to her chest and staring out into nothing. Matt had seen it before and could guarantee he would see it again.


    With a sigh, he pulled out a second cup from his storage and filled it with the fresh brew before walking over to the elf. He didn¡¯t say anything as he sat beside her and handed over a steaming mug. Jess only startled a little but took the coffee regardless. She didn¡¯t drink it at first, just holding it in her hands and watching the steam drift up. Matt didn¡¯t speak, remaining silent to let her voice her thoughts in her own time.


    After several minutes where Matt could literally hear the grinding of her teeth as she organized her thoughts and spoke. ¡°We are not the same.¡± Jess said.


    ¡°Oh? Why would you think that we were?¡±


    ¡°I always assumed that you were stronger because you were dropped into the thick of it and had to fight to survive.¡± She paused and ground her teeth more before continuing. ¡°Then, you left again after only just a couple days, back to fighting and exploring. You come back less than a week later with nearly ten more levels. I though maybe you got lucky again and I was trying to push myself to catch up, but it didn¡¯t make a difference.¡± She took a sip of her coffee and made a face, scrunching her nose at the slightly bitter taste.


    ¡°Then we were selected by Rohm for this task. We all said we could take a look, thinking it would be an adventure.¡± Jess whispered the last part. ¡°I should have known something wasn¡¯t right when I used the codex. I felt it. Did you know that?¡± She looked at him with tears in the corners of her eyes. ¡°I could feel the pain, the loss, the rage and sorrow. I could feel everything that went into that codex because of my fucking trait. I know the price you had to pay for that knowledge and still, I still couldn¡¯t bring myself to acknowledge that you stand apart.¡± She had tears running down her face as she turned back to east, watching the first tinges of color in the sky.


    Matt continued his silence, letting Jess get her thoughts out. ¡°Then last night happened. I had felt so ready, so sure that we could handle anything. But I was wrong, so wrong.¡± She choked out the last part, quietly crying as she gathered herself. ¡°Those monsters were too fast, too strong and after the first one broke the line, I couldn¡¯t face them. When that one pinned me, its¡­ like it stole my will to fight. Echo was the only thing that saved me, that monster had me dead to rights.


    ¡°Then you came.¡± Jess said, turning back to him. ¡°I know your trait, Matt. Its all the more effective on me because of mine. I felt the wrath burning in your veins. I could feel the lust for battle singing in your soul. We were fighting to live, but you are living to fight.¡± She was full on bawling at this point, that ugly cry that you didn¡¯t want anyone to see. ¡°How did you do it? How do you live with that?¡± She choked out between sobs. Matt knew exactly what happened, her perception of the world was shattered, and her confidence tanked. It happened to everyone at some point and the sudden change in perspective could leave one in the dumps.


    Matt put his arm over Jess¡¯ shoulder and pulled her in for a side hug. ¡°You think I was always like this? You saw the codex; you probable know I didn¡¯t start out like I am now. Part of that is from the System but the rest is all me.¡± He spoke softly, getting his point across as gently as possible. ¡°I did it the same way you will. I had my mentors to guide me, my wound to teach me and living through horrors to steel me. Jess, you will get through this if I have to drag you and the commandos the entire way.¡± He was pushing out his calm aura with a bit of hopefulness sprinkled in to help bring her back on track.


    Jess sniffled and wiped her nose before sitting up and taking another sip of coffee. ¡°Matt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± Jess asked.


    With a sigh and a soft smile Matt answered her question. ¡°Because you¡¯re good people, Jess. You, Rohm and the rest of the commandos are my friends. People are supposed to help their friends.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jess¡¯ tears had stopped, and her voice leveled out. She took another sip from her mug before pulling a face. ¡°Matt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°This coffee is fucking gross.¡±


    Matt laughed, put a hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze before letting go and drinking his own coffee while they watched the sunrise. Echo came padding up and laid down behind them so they could recline a little. Matt noticed that his head was toward Jess, and she had begun to idly scratch at his jaw line. Attention hog Matt thought to himself as dawn broke on him and a freshly battle tempered elf pilot.


    ¡°At least you made it through the experience.¡± Matt said before taking a sip. ¡°When I was¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jess had a look on her face of abject horror. Her aura was giving off intense feelings of embarrassment and she suddenly stood up.


    Jess knocked back the rest of her coffee, not even making a face this time. ¡°I forgot to allocate my points and choose my skills.¡± She said, handing Matt his cup. ¡°How the hell could I forget.¡± She muttered as she wandered off in the direction of her construct.


    Matt and Echo just watched her go before looking back to each other and shrugging. He couldn¡¯t blame her; he had forgotten about his free points for the first few days of being in the system. He also had other things to think about, like the mutant carcass in his storage. If he was right, they would have a big problem on their hands in the near future.


    It seemed that the previous nights¡¯ activities were good for the commando group with almost all of them gaining enough levels for another skill selection. After they had all allocated points and selected skills, the group set off to their next objective. Matt once again letting them take the lead.


    It was a couple hours later that they ran into another group of enemies. This time, it was more stone golems, a favorite amongst the pilots who¡¯s large caliber cannons were very effective against the rocky bodies of the golems. The pilots even managed to fend off a level 28 colossus that attacked while they gathered the cores from the downed golems. It went down under a few volleys from the cannons, not detonating and allowing retrieval of its core as well.


    ¡°While I love my twenty-five and its high velocity, there is something to be said about lobbing a heavy ass bullet out there.¡± Matt commented as he watched the fight. Venri had been acting strange and he was attempting to bait her into conversation.


    ¡°I think your weapon is far superior to theirs.¡± Venri replied. Her tone was giving Matt an odd feeling. Her aura was stable but had a weird feeling to it which Matt couldn¡¯t pin down.


    ¡°Maybe, but theirs are pretty good still.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, they are adequate for the task.¡± Another instance of the dwarf instantly agreeing with Matt.


    ¡°Van, let¡¯s keep an eye on her. Something isn¡¯t quite right and it¡¯s giving me an odd feeling.¡± Matt sent mentally to the core.


    ¡°Agreed. Something happened last night that makes me question her sanity.¡± Van responded. His tone was rumbling and completely serious.


    Matt was curious now. ¡°What did you see?¡±


    Instead of telling him, Van projected a video of the previous night from his perspective, which just happened to be at the awkward angle provided by his height. The video played in double time from the start of the fight, showing him tossing Venri into the cockpit, the recording of her rather choice words about him, then the fight itself. The video slowed when Van returned and opened the hatch. Matt saw the alchemist jump down and begin stomping toward him, looking like she was about to give him a scolding.


    The playback zoomed in, showing Matt in frame on one side and Venri at the other. He watched as she stopped dead in her tracks and her face went slack after he took his helmet off and faced the group. He did see a slight glint in his own eyes but skipped over that as he focused on the dwarf. Her eyes held tears in them, but her expression didn¡¯t match sadness, it was one of joy.


    ¡°I have no idea what to make of that.¡± Matt said to Van after watching the playback a second time. ¡°You got any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. I am very well versed in mortal emotions and expressions.¡± Van paused and let his sarcasm sink in. ¡°No, I have no idea what that is.¡± His deadpan delivery naturally perfect.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure either, but they decided to stick to the plan and just keep their guard up. He did however try to bait her into more conversation. ¡°So, Venri. What are your plans after we return to Krad?¡±


    Venri took a minute to respond, Matt assumed it was to consider her options. ¡°I am not sure, possibly just keep practicing my alchemy and getting levels in my combat class.¡± She paused, hesitating for but a moment. ¡°Unless you have any suggestions?¡±


    Matt picked up on the subtle tone to her question, the kind that was seeking approval or perhaps guidance. ¡°Well, if it were me, I would try to do what I wanted, either expand the horizons of my craft or perhaps specialize into what I found interesting.¡± He was trying to guide her to a conclusion without flat out stating it. ¡°Is there anything that you always wanted to do but never had time or opportunity? I would maybe look into pursuing that. Hell, you could get a hobby for fun even.¡±


    ¡°That is certainly an interesting opinion and one that I think requires more thought before I can just abandon my newfound duties.¡± Venri still had an edge in her voice, hinting at more.


    ¡°Take your time.¡± Matt said, disengaging from the conversation and switching over to the radio.


    ¡°Recon One, this is Trainer.¡± Matt hailed Jess while using his internal callsign for the mission.


    ¡°Trainer, this is One.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s pick it up and move, we have two more points to hit before we stop for the night.¡±


    ¡°Roger, Trainer.¡± She paused for a beat before switching gears. ¡°Three and Four, lets RV with main element.¡± Right on cue, both the other two constructs picked up and began moving back to the main body of the unit. They moved at a steady pace, always being sure to cover the areas to their rear and sides, bounding back the way they came.


    Matt though that it was going rather well. He was pleased that they had grown some in the frantic fight the night before. All 4 teams were working together in a much more clinical way when moving in the patrol formation.


    ¡°I have to get a permanent call sign¡± Matt said to Van.


    ¡°They offered you some rather interesting names if I remember correctly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they were all kind of shit.¡±


    Van laughed in that rumbling way he always did. ¡°What didn¡¯t you like guardian, savior or commander?¡±


    ¡°They are all awful and those aren¡¯t even the worst that they threw around last night.¡± Matt thought back to the brief discussion and cringed at some of the suggestions from the commandos. He mentally added that to the list for things to talk to Tobias and Rohm about. He had a long list of things to talk with him about, but it would have to wait, they had 2 towers left for today and another 3 for the next day to finish before the main event.

 Chapter 39 – Jitters

    Chapter 39 ¨C Jitters


    Matt relaxed in the chair next to the fire, listening to Rohm tell Tobias about his world¡¯s music. He was enjoying his time, just sitting back and watching the camp. The commandos had quite the shock when they arrived at the layup point for the assault on the mines.


    Matts team had finished up the towers early in the afternoon and decided to hustle to the rendezvous, so they had some extra down time before they started the planning to assault the mine area. They had some friendly races over the distance, seeing who was fastest. To everyone¡¯s surprise, it wasn¡¯t Matt. Echo had really shown some proper speed over short distances. The drake didn¡¯t have much in the longevity department but over a kilometer or so, he easily beat Matt¡¯s best speed.


    When they arrived, the commandos had found more than just commander Rohm and his detachment. They found nearly an entire battalion set up at the foot of the hills. Another half dozen constructs and couple hundred classers and crafters. All of them came out for various reasons it seemed. The crafters made the trip to look for materials in the safety of large numbers while the classers had come to get a piece of the action, hoping for some extra levels while acting as a cordon.


    Upon reaching the camp, Tobias came out to greet them and catch them up on the goings on around the camp. He thankfully only had one task for the commandos or more specifically, Matt. They needed an update on the maps and disposition of the mines and the guardian.


    Matt had wrapped that up almost immediately, noticing that while the number of bugs had grown, it wasn¡¯t by much. The other good news is that their levels had remained mostly stagnant. He completed a full circle around the area, trying to get a full picture of what they had in store and noticed that the extra traffic had another side effect.


    The area had been almost completely stripped of shrubs and small vegetation, leaving only the largest of trees standing. The ground had also been reformed, hills and valleys flattened from the foot traffic moving all over them. The few areas around the guardian had also been mostly leveled, removing most of the cover that the amalgamation had.


    Slipping back very carefully under the full cover of his viper hood, Matt returned to camp to give the updates. Rohm looked genuinely impressed at the mess the bugs had made in such a short time but then paled when Tobias gave his estimate of numbers.


    Tobias had reviewed the footage and came to the conclusion that there were around 1000 total insectoid beasts with only 100 of those over level 20. The big boss was still level 40, which everyone agreed would be Matts problem. Matt really didn¡¯t like the idea and jokingly insisted that he sit this one out. He did not get his way.


    It was with much grumbling and some cursing that all the classers gathered for a planning session. Most of that grumbling was from Matt having to essentially walk everyone through sand tabled but he quickly found a way to get out of it.


    ¡°Hey, Rohm. Your class benefits from planning and conducting operations, right?¡± Matt called.


    The commander looked at him for a moment before responding. ¡°Yes. Why doe¡­. Oh, damn it.¡± His ears flattened and he gave Matt a look that would make most people avert their gaze.


    Matt just smiled back. ¡°Gotta get those levels, buddy.¡±


    Rohm ended up leading the planning phase of the operation, organizing teams and setting some simple objectives. Matt was rather impressed with is work, even if one of those objectives was to ¡®not die¡¯. Although, he did get some revenge and confirmed that Matt would be the only person to fight the guardian.


    With all the planning and organizing done, they broke for the night. The assault would happen in the morning which allowed the classers to relax for a while and make any last-minute preparations. Matt and his team found a nice quiet spot to set up for the night and try to get some rest.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Lisk?¡± Matt asked. He had watched the demon fidgeting with his equipment for the past 2 hours, never letting it be for more than a couple minutes.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The demon asked in return then looked at what he was doing. ¡°Oh, I guess I just¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do with myself.¡±


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Matt asked, pressing the issue. He got a nod from Lisk and saw some of the others looking their way too. ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Matt admitted, not failing to notice the looks on the commandos faces.


    Matt decided now was a good time for reassuring them. He took out the bottle that he had gotten from Venri earlier. The dwarf was now almost constantly lurking around him, never too far for long. He took a pull and passed it to Lisk. ¡°Look, other than a couple of them, there aren¡¯t many much stronger than those mutants we fought the other night. We have a plan for those above twenty and by my count there are only six in E grade.¡±


    Matt paused while he watched the vodka make its way around the commandos. ¡°If you want power you will have to push yourselves. Don¡¯t be stupid and try to take on something you shouldn¡¯t but stack the deck when you do.¡± He noticed that he had drawn the full group, including Rohm and Tobias.


    ¡°I am sure we will have injuries tomorrow, maybe even a few dead but it¡¯s nothing we wouldn¡¯t have if we just sat within the walls. We can either go out on our terms or wait for something bigger and stronger to come along.¡± Once more pausing, he decided to try some gallows humor and looked to the pilots standing in a huddle. ¡°Look on the bright side. When a pilot dies, we at least have a chance of crushing the monster with our construct.¡°


    A few chuckles from the pilot group. ¡°We have people with healing abilities, we have potions, we have an absolutely stupid amount of firepower. There isn¡¯t much more we can do to make this any easier for us.¡±


    Lisk was looking better, weather that was from the vodka or the talk, Matt wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Thanks, I guess there isn¡¯t anything to do but go do it.¡± He commented.


    ¡°Bet you can¡¯t drop ten with a single shot.¡± Matt said, smiling a little. ¡°Only one barrel though, using both at once is cheating.¡±


    After that it was a free for all of bets and wagers among the commandos. Matt even saw a couple notebooks come out and actual bets placed. I wonder if there is a bookie class Matt thought to himself. He wasn¡¯t worried about his group, but he did wonder what price the rest of the classers would pay.


    Matt watched the rabbit go. He had to give it to the wolfen woman, she was fast, like really fast. He assumed she had put most of her free points into dexterity and endurance or had a special ability. The horde of bugs couldn¡¯t even get close as she sprinted for the top of the ridge. It would seem that she had done a particularly good job of pissing off the insects.


    When they had come up with the plan, Rohm had been the one to suggest getting someone to lure them and she volunteered. Then came the hard part of how they would aggro a whole bunch at once. That¡¯s where Matt came in, well some of his equipment.


    He offered up a grenade and the wolfen girl had been suspicious at first but quickly agreed after Matt gave a demonstration. She asked how many she could have which turned out to be 2. When Matt tried to generate more, they didn¡¯t last, the oldest one fading away after a few seconds. Still, she held them reverently, like a gift from the gods. Matt had a suspicion that she would have some interesting class options at E grade.


    The plan had called for the classers and some crafters to set up a defensive line at the top of a ridge uphill of the mines. The area had been picked because there was a steep ridge on 2 sides forming an almost 90-degree angle to each other with the center being extremely steep. While the majority of the classers had set up on one ridge, Matt and most of the pilots had the other, acting as the heavy support element. The only ones missing were Jess and Lisk who were close support for the classers incase something big focused on them. Also, the massive shotgun was just too effective to not be used.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Sure enough, the woman made it to the line, sliding into a trench line a hundred meters ahead of the fastest of the bugs. Just as the first of them made the base of the ridge, the entire trench stood and opened fire. A hail of large bore rounds streaked down into the mass of insects, wreaking havoc amongst them.


    The bugs were not to be out classed, and a group leapt into the air, attempting to fly up and into the line. The problem was, none of them had the momentum to reach high enough and were quickly blasted out of the sky by a single shot from a very large shotgun.


    ¡°Damnit, looks like I lost that bet.¡± Matt muttered to himself. The rest of his commandos opened up with their weapons, picking choice targets among the masses. The machineguns were especially effective and chewed through the tough chitin of the larger bugs with anything in the crossfire being shredded by default.


    Of all the bugs that came swarming after the rabbit, none were above level 20. There were still a lot of them, but the vast majority were under level 15, meaning that the higher leveled ones would be sitting on the objective. Matt didn¡¯t see any particularly large ones in the swarm and decided to just let the classers handle them for now. They could use the levels more than the pilots at this moment.


    Venri had also dismounted to join the others which freed Matt of his new hanger on. He was glad to be rid of her for the time being. While she never outwardly said anything, he could feel the changes in her aura when they were moving, and it distracted him. He needed to be focused for the next part.


    After a short 10-minute slaughter, all the bugs that had been lured into the ambush had been killed. Teams were walking the field to put down any that were wounded or just faking it. The occasional shot confirmed that there were at least some. Matt moved down to talk with Rohm about the next phase.


    Rohm had his front hatch open and was talking to Jess when Matt approached with the rest of the pilots. ¡°Matt. The first half was flawless.¡± He paused before adding. ¡°Well, nearly. It would have been better if we got more of the heavies lured out.¡±


    ¡°No kidding but we took down around three quarters of them?¡± Matt estimated, looking at the shredded piles of chitin and ichor. ¡°The second part is going to be much more dangerous for the classers.¡±


    ¡°Well, its all-volunteer from here.¡± Rohm looked at the gathered classers. ¡°Anyone that doesn¡¯t want to take on the heavies, move to the outer cordon position.¡± He called out to the mass of people. Around half of them began moving away, headed toward their assigned patrol paths.


    The remaining classers were all above level 20 with a couple being in E grade. Naturally every one of the commandos was present. It made Matt somewhat proud to see them still eager to fight after seeing what was in store. Even Venri was taking part for some reason.


    ¡°Lets move then. We don¡¯t have all day and I am sure they know we are here.¡± Matt said, closing his hatch.


    Matt stared out at the huddled mass of insects. There were all sorts gathered tightly around the guardian. He made out giant beetles, mantis, centipedes and more. All of them gathered around one central figure that Matt would see slaughtered before the day was out.


    ¡°Let the crusade begin. In the emperor¡¯s name, let none survive¡± Matt muttered.


    ¡°What emperor?¡± Van asked.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, its nothing, just from some fiction from earth.¡± Matt told him. He then looked over to Rohm¡¯s construct and gave the signal. The signal was him leveling his autocannon at the group of insectoid monsters.


    Rohm and his contingent of pilots all moved off to the flank. Taking the higher ground to the south while Matt and his commandos stayed on the west side of the mine. He had his classers plan on following after the constructs, setting up a skirmish line once they made it within range. He wasn¡¯t concerned about them accidently shooting him or the other pilots due to the armor but also because they would draw their own attention.


    The plan for this part was for Rohm and crew to initiate from the high ground, using the slope as a defensive position. Once they had drawn some of the bugs away, the commandos would advance into the broken formation. Matt wanted the group to spread out toward Rohm and thin their ranks for his team to attack.


    Matt was planning on taking on the guardian by himself and had told the others to not interfere and to focus on their targets first. He would of course take out any targets of opportunity along the way but that was just happy coincidence. Echo was going to act as a chaser for any that tried to run and, even now, was prowling farther down the slope in case any came his way.


    A few moments later, Matt heard Rohm on the radio. ¡°Recon this is Bulwark. We are in position. Break.¡± Rohm paused a moment, probably looking up and down his line to be sure his team was ready. ¡°Beginning barrage in five, four, three.¡± He dropped the call and matt finished the count in his head.


    ¡°Recon, on me.¡± Matt said over his private team channel. Just as he finished, the first round hit the mass of insects. It was inert, but the heavy iron bullet punched through several bugs regardless before it impacted dirt. The bugs barely had time to turn before the second one hit. They began to move as the third shell struck.


    Rohm was having his squad stagger shots, getting one down range every second. It was a good strategy for a consistent barrage when he only had 6 pilots. Matt held his ground as the swarm began to move toward Rohm. The nearly 300 insectoid monsters started clambering up the slope but had hundreds of meters to go before getting to their goal.


    Matt watched the bugs begin moving, only a few had been completely killed. Most of the insects had decently high defense and constitution, thus able to survive the initial impacts. As the slower of the beasts began making their way up the hill, the mass began to thin. Once a long line had been formed and Matt could see the guardian, they moved.


    Matt began advancing, the auto cannon tucked under the arm of the mech. His other pilots advanced alongside, forming a shallow chevron. Directly behind that formation was the classers, led by the commandos. They advanced a few hundred meters at a walking pace, so they wouldn¡¯t draw so much attention. Once they closed to within a few hundred meters of the outer parts of the swarm, the assault began in earnest.


    ¡°Bulwark, this is recon. Lift fires. Lift fires.¡± Matt said over the radio and watched the impacts of the incoming rounds move to the front of the swarm that approached Rohm¡¯s group. With the way clear and not having to worry about a 2-kilo chunk of steel hitting him, he fired.


    The opening salvo from the pilots was devastating. Massive 50-millimeter rounds, giant iron ball bearings and 25-millimeter explosive rounds all impacted the flank of the swarm. Carapace cracked, bugs burst, and streams of ichor went in every direction. Matt fired his first magazine of standard rounds, letting them pierce before exploding. The pilots opened with the solid shot except for Lisk, who used the larger variant of his shot shells.


    They had begun engaging from nearly 300 meters away, advancing at a steady pace into the confused mass of insects. The moment Matts first magazine ran dry, he switched tactics and loaded a magazine of his new ammunition but with a twist. He used unstable imbuement on every round in the magazine and fired what amounted to high velocity fragmentation grenades, devastating the smaller insects and stunning many of the largest ones.


    Matt dropping his first magazine had been the signal for the classers to set up a defensive line and fire on targets of opportunity. He heard the staccato bursts mixed in with the distinct boom of the single shot rifles. From his rear facing camera, he saw all 4 of the machineguns set up on the far edges of the gunline and watched their rounds arc out and stitch lines on the swarm.


    The combination of large bore cannon fire and the classers opening up with everything they had left the swarm in tatters. Every part of the bug formation was hit, and the vast majority were put down in the opening salvo. Only the largest and highest-level ones managed to survive besides a few on the opposite side of the attack. The pilots were within 200 meters and began to switch tactics.


    ¡°Cannister. Cannister. Cannister.¡± Matt called over the radio. He repeated the command over the radio since the constructs had little to no sound proofing and the gunfire was deafening. He switched to his normal ammunition as he focused on the guardian. In return the monster seemed to zero in on him, ignoring the small arms fire from the classers as it closed.


    Amalgamated Insectoid Guardian. Level 40


    The creature was indeed an amalgamation. It had the carapace of a beetle, shiny and iridescent in the sunlight with a large horn on its head. There were mandibles like on soldier ants sticking out of its armored face, snapping as it came closer to Matt. The legs of the monster were the most unsettling part. Each of its 8 legs ended in many long feelers that gripped and grabbed at the ground as it scuttled forward.


    Matt put a long burst into the creature face, every round imbued with his plasma. His goal wasn¡¯t to kill it out right, since he doubted it would be possible, but to create an opening, literally. The rounds flashed across the distance and struck true, smashing their way into the soft interior but otherwise doing little damage. Thankfully Matt had a plan.


    The next dozen rounds were not imbued, instead relying on their natural armor piercing and explosive capability. A feature that worked rather well as blueish purple ichor began splashing out with every impact. The guardian hissed and let out a screech that vibrated the air with such intensity, tree limbs shattered under the assault. Matt could see in his rear camera that the classers had begun to fall back, leaving the fight to the pilots.


    Matt changed magazines as the guardian stopped its sonic attack and charged, lowering its horn at him. He let it close and once it was within 25 meters, he teleported, leaving a searing line of plasma in his wake. The guardian ran right into the arc of plasma which burned deeply in the joints of its carapace but failed to do much more.


    ¡°Bummer.¡± Matt muttered.


    ¡°Indeed, it would seem the shell is harder to crack than we first thought.¡± Van added.

 Chapter 40 – Interception

    Chapter 40 ¨C Interception


    In the hills outside Vil¡¯ Krad, a battle raged. Or, rather, it had. The entire battle had boiled down to a single fight. The swarm of insectoid beasts had been completely obliterated, routed to the last by the combined might of the warriors of the city. So it was that a dozen pilots and almost 200 classers watched Matt and the guardian duke it out, from a safe distance of course.


    The opening salvo had been impressive, showcasing both the resilience of the guardian and the abilities of Matt and his construct. Rohm stood beside Jess, both still strapped in but with their hatches open. ¡°What do you think will happen?¡± Rohm asked, his voice nervous.


    ¡°Matt will win.¡± Jess replied, not a moment of hesitation or a hint of doubt.


    ¡°You are so certain.¡± Rohm observed. ¡°What makes you so confident?¡±


    Jess thought back to the ambush in the woods. The way he had dictated the entire engagement, his power and the brutality of how he fought on full display. Even now she could feel his emotions, her trait letting her glimpse at that layer of his mind. She could feel the building inertia, his wrath was a constant since the fight started but there was more. There was something she couldn¡¯t quite identify just below the surface.


    ¡°The only reason the guardian is still alive is because his grace allows it.¡± Venri chimed in suddenly.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Rohm shouted, flinching away from the dwarf woman. ¡°Venri, that¡¯s um¡­ that¡¯s quite the assessment you have.¡± He said after calming down.


    Jess looked over and took a good look at the dwarf. She had broken through the threshold, only needing to go through the formality of the evolution. Then she took a deeper look with her trait ability and picked up an unexpected emotion. There was a heady mix of religious fervor that could only be described a zeal. A series of bangs and thumps brought Jess¡¯ attention back to the fight before she could dig any deeper.


    *****


    Matt was having an interesting experience. He was fighting a guardian, but it was a very bad match up. He had already managed to penetrate the armor in a few locations but was holding off on doing anything about it. He was also barely containing the urge to turn the damn thing into a crunchy pulp.


    He was now using this giant insect as a test bed for his trait and one of his skills. Shaped Mana and his Sovereign Aura Domain had a synergy that he knew about but so far hadn¡¯t had much to test against. The Amalgamated Insectoid Guardian was just tanky enough and also more than deserving of the torture.


    Once again, he fired a trio of standard APE rounds into the face of the guardian, causing it to charge and try to gore him. It had grown wise to his antics of teleporting and leaving it with a blast of plasma to the face. It had begun to pivot quickly, guessing at the direction he would appear and hit him with a sonic attack. It hadn¡¯t been very successful thus far but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t get lucky.


    This time when it charged, Matt stepped back and envisioned a barrier between him and the beast. Suddenly, after a hit to his mana pool, before him appeared a 12-meter-tall octagon of mana and naturally it carried his plasma affinity. The guardian that was rushing him, couldn¡¯t break its charge and slammed into the barrier.


    Matt half expected it would fail, given the guardian had a couple meters of height on the barrier and a lot of mass. He was pleasantly surprised when it held, stopping the beast dead in its tracks. The monster screamed in pain as it pancaked into the wall of plasma. It suffered charring all over its carapace where it contacted the barrier.


    The energy drain was impressive, taking far more to sustain after catching the charge and stopping it. However, it gave Matt another idea and he let the construct fade, backing away as the guardian regained its footing. He decided to fire a long burst into its flank, cracking open the carapace even more.


    Another scream and sonic blast buffeted Matt as the guardian turned to face him again. Matt teleported away again, straight backward opening the gap to over 200 meters. He fired again, single shots aimed at the joints and wounds he already inflicted. This time, he began to advance on the beast and they both charged each other. He had his shape in mind and hoped it would be enough.


    The guardian saw the charge and raced to meet Matt, likely hoping to crush him in melee. It would have no such oppertunity. Once they were within 50 meters of each other, Matt summoned a mana construct. The shape was simple, a very long isosceles triangle with a diamond shaped cross section extending from the ground, angled slightly upward. The guardian stood no chance of stopping its momentum and tried to jump but failed miserably when Matt sent a wave of plasma toward it, blinding the monster and ruining its timing.


    A faltering step was all it took, and the guardian impaled its chest upon the spike. The wedge shape acting as¡­well¡­ a wedge. The bottom of the guardian was split wide open, down to the mid-point where it collapsed, driving the point through the middle of its back. Matt appeared right beside it and summoned his tomahawk, imbuing the blade and driving it deep between the creature¡¯s eye clusters. He buried the weapon up to its pommel, meeting little resistance after breaking through the shell.


    The guardian screeched again but feebly. Its body began twitching and started to curl in on itself. Matt withdrew his tomahawk, deactivating the imbuement of mana and whipping the blade down and away, sending a spray of gore in an arc along the dirt. He backed a few steps away, just watching the life leave the guardian until¡­


    You have Killed Amalgamated Insectoid Guardian. Level 40.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gunfighter is now level 36.


    Stat points awarded.


    ¡°Is that all¡­¡± Matt said.


    *****


    ¡°A good thing we didn¡¯t put any money on that.¡± Rohm said to Jess. They had watched the entire fight and barely learned what Matt was capable of.


    ¡°You would have bet against him?¡± Jess asked.


    Rohm barked a single laugh. ¡°Ha, hardly. But I would have bet on him taking at least some physical damage.¡±


    Jess thought back and couldn¡¯t recall if Matt had been at all injured by the mutants but doubted it. If the commandos had barely taken any wounds, he most certainly wouldn¡¯t have. She looked out to where Matt was standing, still encased in his ¡®mech¡¯. She could see the eyes beginning to dim, their blue glow hadn¡¯t been nearly as bright as the night of the ambush. She was too far away to truly sense his emotions but had a feeling he was less than pleased.


    Remembering there was a third member of their watch party, Jess turned to look for Venri but saw that she had disappeared. She wasn¡¯t sure when, but the dwarf had vanished. She probably just went back to camp to evolve Jess thought as she began to round up the commandos and do a final sweep of the area. She didn¡¯t expect to find much after she saw Echo stalking his way back toward them, covered in yuck as usual.


    *****


    Now is the perfect time. Venri thought after Matt finished off the guardian. He would soon quit the field and make his way back to the camp. If she could intercept him, she would be able to perform the rights of the devout. She had all the materials on her after making some trades the night before. She just had to predict where he¡­ would¡­ go?


    Venri looked around, not recognizing the area suddenly. She knew that she hadn¡¯t traveled far enough for these pine trees to have come from nowhere. She turned to look behind her and saw a wall of conifers so dense that there was no way she made it through. When she turned back around, she nearly screamed.


    Standing before Venri was a steel door imbedded in a concrete wall. As she stared at it, dumbstruck at its appearance, it opened, and a human man stepped out. He had long black hair neatly pulled back and held in a ponytail. His garments were a blue lab coat over a fine white shirt. He wore a soft smile as he looked at her. ¡°Please come in child, we have much to discuss, and time is short.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Venri immediately felt compelled to follow him into the doorway, not an ounce of hesitation in her action. Her own will power was sapped, and she felt like a passenger in her own body. After entering, she found herself in a sort of laboratory. No, that wasn¡¯t right. There was far too much discordance, some equipment looked archaic while others looked¡­ well, she didn¡¯t know what it looked like since she had never seen it¡¯s like before.


    The man led Venri to a small table with some tall chairs and bade her to sit. Once her butt touched the seat, the sensation that had plagued her mind vanished and she could once again think and act on her own. ¡°I am very sorry about the suppression but not much to do about that when there is so much difference in our grade.¡± He said, summoning a silver tea service onto the table.


    ¡°Gr¡­Grade? Suppression?¡± Venri managed to squeak out.


    ¡°Ah yes, allow me to introduce myself. I am Herman, otherwise known as the Wasteless Concoctor.¡± The man said, as he poured tea for both of them. ¡°You and I must have a discussion about your future and a certain demi-human known as Matt.¡±


    Venri was thinking much more clearly now and was able to get out more than a single word at a time. ¡°I plan to devote myse¡­¡±


    Herman interrupted her immediately. ¡°You will do no such thing, young lady. His patron would not have you ruin his path to power with such nonsense. We know of your people¡¯s history with the veiled and understand your desires to some extent.¡± He slid a cup and saucer over to Venri as he spoke. ¡°You are not allowed to have that sort of path, as it harms both of you in the long term.¡±


    ¡°I am allowed to have any path I wis..¡± Venri began before being cut off again.


    ¡°My dear Venri, no.¡± He shook his head softly before taking a sip of his tea then looked from her to the cup in front of her. ¡°Do be sure not to waste that. I am not saying you can¡¯t devote your life in service to the veiled, but you can¡¯t do it publicly or with that garish ritual. That is why we are having this conversation.¡± Herman looked at the teacup again then back to her.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Venri said as she took the cup and sipped, finding the tea rather delightful.


    Herman nodded before proceeding to tell Venri what he had in mind and a plan for everyone to get what they want. As he spoke, she found that the path he proposed sounded even better than her plan. Afterall, it would allow her to be in service to the veiled with only the up sides and none of the self-mutilation.


    *****


    Immediately after the fight, Matt handed over control of the area then wandered off. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure where he was going, just letting the terrain guide him. He felt very off, emotionally unbalanced and wanted to get some breathing room. Echo fell in behind him at some point in his ambling, barely making a sound as he followed in the wake of the mech. Van hadn¡¯t said anything, likely sensing his mood and waiting to comment.


    Matt finally found a secluded spot and dismounted from his mech. He stepped down onto the grassy slope and immediately sat. He stared out through the gap in the trees, looking across the valley into the forest and hills in the distance. Echo came and wrapped himself around Matt, laying behind him and providing a back rest.


    ¡°That was¡­ disappointing?¡± Van rumbled after several minutes and having to search for the proper word.


    Matt sighed and scratched at Echo¡¯s scales. ¡°Yeah, I had wanted more but it was just sad.¡± He thought back to his fight. He could always watch the recording but didn¡¯t want to. ¡°I just thought it would be more satisfying, like the other guardian. Not just this¡­ bullet sponge. Hell, it was barely a good test bed for skills.¡±


    ¡°We need to find more suitable fights.¡± The core gave a mental nod. ¡°I fear we will stagnate if we stay for too long.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t know about that, but it sounded right. He sat for a while longer, ¡°chewing on it¡± as his dad had often said. Slowly, he made up his mind and voiced his thoughts to Van, getting no argument from the core. He wouldn¡¯t abandon the city but would definitely spend a lot less time there, ranging farther afield. It would be his home that he rarely stayed in for long periods of time.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Van asked. ¡°There isn¡¯t much left for us to handle, and the crafters will begin their work on developing the mine.¡±


    Matt got up and began climbing back into the cockpit. ¡°Lets head back to camp and find Tobias. I don¡¯t know where he disappeared to after the first part of the mission.¡± He knew that Tobias had only come out to get his last class level to evolve so it was likely he decided to head back to their base camp. In any event, Matt would find him.


    Matt did indeed find Tobias back at camp. He was talking with Rohm and a couple of the crafting types when Matt approached. He wandered into what was clearly the tail end of a conversation.


    ¡°¡­Best if we leave a contingent in the area until its properly established and we get the surveys completed.¡± Tobias said as Rohm nodded along. ¡°I will return to Krad and see about getting more crafters up here to help establish the fort.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Tobias. Do you require an escort?¡± Rohm asked.


    Tobias turned at Matts approach. ¡°Nah, my ride just showed up, if I am not mistaken.¡±


    Matt waved as he walked up to the group. He learned that Rohm would be having his pilots in the area as a form of security while the crafters began to uncover the mine area. Jess was headed back to the city already, escorting those crafters that didn¡¯t need to stay. Venri had also gone with them, saying something about work to be done.


    Without any more fanfare, Matt left the camp, Tobias having returned to his former seat. The trip went rather quickly without being limited to the speed of people on foot. They soon caught up to the commandos and the people they were escorting. After a few quick words, they continued on, leaving the caravan to its escorts.


    ¡°Somethings up.¡± Tobias said after a few minutes. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Matt?¡±


    Matt filled him in on what happened after the fight. Apparently, Jess had mentioned that he wandered off, which was nice of her. Tobias, as usual, was very patient and listened to his explanation. He didn¡¯t immediately offer any feedback, choosing to wait and think it through.


    After several kilometers had passed, Tobias spoke. ¡°I think you might be making a bad choice but it¡¯s your choice to make.¡± He said, the tone indicated he had more. ¡°Limiting yourself to only being in the city for short amounts of time is very short sighted and doesn¡¯t fix the core issue.¡±


    ¡°I think it would since I could be out fighting and exploring more.¡± Matt countered.


    ¡°Be that as it may, it also limits you. The longer you spend away from the city, the less you are informed of current events. Frank might have quests that come up that allow you to do what you want but you can¡¯t take them if you aren¡¯t around.¡± Tobias paused, his foot tapping on the metal floor.


    ¡°Matt, you need to find a balance, or you will risk burn out. Nobody can be a hundred percent focused, a hundred percent of the time.¡±


    Matt let that one hang in the air for a minute. ¡°So, what do I do?¡±


    Tobias laughed. ¡°Do what you were doing. Go out fight something, take its stuff and bring it back for me to play with. You can have it all but just make sure you do things you want to do. You can tell the others to deal with problem themselves, they are big boys and girls capable of taking on risk of their own.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll just keep using Vil¡¯Krad as a home base. I can wander out and come back as I please.¡± He paused, took a deep breath and asked what he was worried about. ¡°You think they will hate me for it? Frank, Rohm, Jess and the others?¡±


    ¡°No, they might not exactly understand or be the most supportive but it¡¯s your path. Hell, you can sick Tori on them if they get out of line.¡±


    Matt had forgotten about that. He had a patron that he could ask for guidance, one who had lived for who knew how long. He would try to reach to her and get some input before making any rash decisions.


    ¡°Thank you for the input, Tobias.¡± Van rumbled. ¡°Matt is conflicted over his desires and his perceived responsibility.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a new world for us both.¡± Tobias said. ¡°What we want has much more sway over our lives now.¡±


    *****


    ¡°It is done, Tori.¡± Herman said after stepping through a rift and returning to the headquarters of the Eternal Warden. ¡°The little ¡®alchemist¡¯ and I have come to an understanding. I took a page out of your book and even made her a prime.¡±


    Tori looked up from her monitor when Herman entered. ¡°Really, that is quite the ambitious route, even for you.¡± She closed the window that was open showing a report of her holdings and their disposition. ¡°That would be your fifth and final prime if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but I have high hopes for my first and third primes to ascend soon.¡± Herman sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk Tori occupied. ¡°This Venri might actually be¡­¡±


    Herman stopped mid-sentence as a portal opened at the far end of the room and a grey skinned demon man stepped out. He was tall and heavily muscled, wearing his traditional apron over a sleeveless shirt. His tool belt was suspiciously empty as always. He walked halfway across the long room and stopped in front of the 2 gods already in the room.


    Bowing deeply, though never letting his smirk slip, he addressed both of them. ¡°Greetings Victoria, Herman.¡± Said Weltgan, The Proverbial Hammer. He rose back to a standing position and touched his fingers to one of the curved horns on his forehead in a traditional demon greeting.


    Tori stood and glared over her desk at the intruding god. ¡°What brings you here Weltgan? And unannounced through unofficial channels at that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just heard from a certain merchant that your alliance had two primes in one city and wanted a piece of the action.¡± Weltgan said as his eyes sparkled, the golden iris¡¯ seeming to amplify the light in the room.


    With a horrible ripping sound that came from tearing through several protective barriers, Tori opened a rift right next to her. Before it even finished opening, she had reached her arm through and grabbed her target. There was a short scream from the other side of the portal before she yanked Hal through by his collar, snapping the rift closed behind him.


    ¡°Sit.¡± Tori commanded the merchant as she dropped him in a chair next to Herman. The word was a full command and she flexed her will power to pin the weaker god in place. ¡°Please join us Weltgan, it appears we have something to discuss with our mutual friend that perhaps brokers too much information.¡± Her tone was frosty, with no allowance for disobedience.


    Weltgan walked forward and took a seat while he tutted at Hal. ¡°Tsk, tsk. You should not have stuck around, especially after the assurances you made about how you got the information.¡±


    Tori glared at the poor merchant god, frost forming around her as her affinity manifested with her will, spilling over into reality. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure we can make this equitable for everyone.¡± She looked back to Weltgan. ¡°Let¡¯s hear your proposal then.¡±


    Looking like the cat that ate the canary, Weltgan spoke. ¡°I know we are not formally allied but I would like to propose a little joint venture with the end goal of me joining your faction. It would seem that our little broker here has done disservice to your prime¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°What concern is it of ours if he doesn¡¯t uphold his promise of the blessing?¡± Tori asked, genuinely curious as she let her aura recede.


    Weltgan smiled even wider, showing his pointed canines and incisors. ¡°The young Tobias could be so much more. If he were to develop in a more controlled manner, your prime is surely to benefit. He is a forge master, and I am a crafting god after all.¡±


    Tori was taken aback briefly. She had not thought of how a fully aligned God would push both Tobias and Matt forward. In an instant she considered the scenario of Weltgan bringing his small faction into her own. ¡°Then let us talk details. Hal, be sure to stay around, I would want you to miss the opportunity to trade your blessed to a god who could truly benefit him.¡±

 Chapter 41 – Revealing

    Chapter 41 ¨C Revealing


    When Matt and Tobias returned to the city, they made their way directly to the hub. It was still mid afternoon so they suspected that Franklin would still be there rather than off on his own business.


    Upon stepping through the door, they were immediately greeted. ¡°Welcome lads. We did it! Or rather you did it.¡± Frank said, quickly correcting himself.


    ¡°Did what, Frank?¡± Matt asked, genuinely curious.


    Franklin looked at him like he was a dunce. ¡°The city quests. We passed the subjugation threshold just today.¡± He walked over and shook both their hands. ¡°Between the levels of our people, the defeat of the guardian and securing the mines, it all added up. We are officially a city.¡±


    Hearing those words reminded Matt of something. ¡°I um, I gotta go. Tobias, can you talk to Frank?¡± He asked, already making his way out the door.


    ¡°Yeah, sure but¡­ and he¡¯s gone.¡± Tobias said as Matt vanished from the room.


    *****


    Matt quickly made his way back to the mech before mounting up and headed toward the forge. He had been waiting so long and had been let down so bad when he first learned that the city hadn¡¯t actually qualified for the title. He thought it was a pretty ridiculous thing to stop the book from working but he didn¡¯t put the enchantment on it.


    After stopping outside the forge, he hopped out of the mech and sat himself down on the grass in Van¡¯s shadow. Echo had followed and was now looking curiously at the small black book he pulled out of his storage ring. With a soft prayer and possibly some oaths of violence if he was let down again, he opened the book.


    To Matt¡¯s immense relief, words populated the page. He began to read, promising to finish the entire thing. He skimmed the book, handwritten in a very neat penmanship, perfect print on every page. Returning to the first page, he began to read in earnest, starting with a short note, addressed to him.


    Matt, I write this with conflicting emotions. It is my deepest regret that your parents were unable to live their lives with you and I am saddened by their loss. Yet, I am also immensely joyed that their sacrifice was not in vain.


    While it is not the same, please know that we of the Veiled are here, if you should ever wish anything of us. This book is but the explanation of your origins, and I still acknowledge there is a debt that is owed you. I swear to the System that remuneration will be paid in full.


    <ul>


    <li>Lyerinthea, The Veiled Queen, Monarch Inferior. </li>


    </ul>


    A few hours later, after the sun had set. Tobias found Matt still sitting outside the forge. Supported by Echo behind him and guarded by Van above.  Matt still held the book in one hand while he looked up at the night sky, staring at the stars and moon. He sat beside him, looking out at the slowly growing city.


    Without saying a word, Matt handed over the book. Tobias took it carefully, getting a nod before opening it. He read quickly, always being a fast reader. In half the time it took Matt, Tobias had finished the book.


    Tobias sighed explosively, like he had held his breath the whole time he read. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Fuck.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Want to talk about¡­¡±  Tobias trailed off as they both received a message from their patrons.


    *****


    Matt put the finishing touches on his ritual circle before both he and Tobias intoned the spell allowing them to project their consciousness to a certain location using Matts patron as a target. Shortly after, they both appeared in what seemed like a board room, complete with big fancy table and a view.


    ¡°Well, this is giving me some flash backs right now.¡± Matt said. He was doing his best to hold in some rather heavy emotions.


    ¡°I regret to have you perform a communion ritual on such short notice and for purposes you probably weren¡¯t expecting.¡± Tori said as she walked into the room. She paused after approaching Matt, speaking very softly. ¡°What troubles you?¡± She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed firmly.


    ¡°Can we, um. Can we talk about it later?¡± Matt asked, getting a nod with a worried look in return.


    Just then a familiar person walked into the room, his head held low as he entered. Hal looked like he was trying very hard to not be noticed, sticking to the edges of the room and not making direct eye contact. Matt noticed he looked much more haggard than the first time they met.


    Matt looked to Tori. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± Tobias also leaning in to hear better.


    ¡°He decided to try and broker information without having the clout to stay independent.¡± Said a third god who waltzed through the door like he owned the place. Matt noted that he was of the demon species but wasn¡¯t familiar with this one. His horns were much more pronounced and bright orange veins ran under his grey skin. He unceremoniously pulled out a chair and flopped into it. ¡°He also might have had less than pure intentions for this integration, but I can¡¯t prove that.¡±


    ¡°Matt, Tobias, meet Weltgan otherwise known as The Proverbial Hammer.¡± Tori said, sitting next to Matt. ¡°He has come with a very interesting offer. Its really an offer for Tobias but since it somewhat concerns Matt, and my recent activities, we had you conduct the ritual for both of you.¡±


    Weltgan looked over to Tobias. ¡°Greetings and well met, little forge master. I have come with an offer for you and some compensation for Matt.¡± He glanced over to where Hal had settled. ¡°It would appear that your previous patron was perhaps taking advantage of your ignorance. It is within his rights, but he made a slight miscalculation in bringing some information my way.¡±


    Weltgan went on to explain that Tobias was being shorted in the benefits of having a patron. While he would gain some benefits, almost all of them would be related to trade. Tobias being more focused on creation rather than barter would be better off having a similarly focused patron. Hal ended up admitting that while they had some overlap, Weltgan was a superior match.


    One thing confused Matt and he asked for clarification. ¡°What do you mean benefits? I haven¡¯t gotten any from Tori besides advice.¡± He looked over to the god in question. ¡°Sorry, I mean no offense.¡±


    Tori waved him off. ¡°None taken, but you are wrong about the benefits. They were offered but you opted to pass on them.¡± She waited for it to click, studying the faces of both mortals. ¡°So far it has been offered every five levels¡­.¡± She said, trying to lead them to the answer.


    ¡°Skills.¡± Matt gasped. ¡°I thought a couple looked out of place for my past couple selections. Shit, sorry for passing yours up.¡±


    Tori nodded along. ¡°It is of no concern, your choices in skills are for you to make. But skills are not the only part of this arrangement.¡±


    The demon spoke up now. ¡°Legacies are part of it. Some like skills are passive but others require our input in a more involved fashion. Ole¡¯ Hal was going to just sit on his, but that¡¯s ok, I made an offer he wouldn¡¯t refuse. Tori and I are going to team up.¡± He looked to Tori, get a nod of affirmation. ¡°Pretty much we are going to enter a trial partnership in the city of Vil¡¯Krad and if things go well, perhaps some more.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Tobias cleared his throat. ¡°Ahem, what does that have to do with Hal? You hinted at it but haven¡¯t said anything more concrete.¡±


    ¡°I offer you my blessing instead. A little more actually.¡± The demon said, finally sitting forward in his chair. ¡°I wish to make you a prime disciple, just like Matt is for Victoria. If you accept, your E grade evolution might be a little more exciting.¡± He was fully leaning on the table now. His red eyes practically glowing in interest.


    Hal picked this moment to weigh in. ¡°It is for the best. He is more aligned with your path than I could ever be. Also, it¡¯s an opportunity you wouldn¡¯t want to pass up. The benefits associated with being a prime are beyond compare at later grades.¡±


    Tobias looked beck and forth between the two gods before looking to Matt. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Do it, Tori would not support something that¡¯s bad for you.¡± Matt said.


    Tobias looked back to Weltgan and gave his acceptance. The process for transferring the blessing was actually quite simple and within a few minutes, Tobias had become a prime disciple of Weltgan. The demon man looked beyond happy, despite the clear fatigue that he experienced from bestowing the high-level blessing.


    Once the deed had been done, Hal opened a rift and hopped through, immediately shutting it behind him. Weltgan spoke with Tobias briefly, handing him a small booklet with some diagrams in it, similar to what Tori gave Matt. He then promised to send something nice Matt¡¯s way for compensation. He then vanished into his own rift after promising to meet with Tori soon over their partnership.


    Tori looked to Matt after the demon closed his rift. She didn¡¯t say anything, but her face said she was still curious about what was happening. With a sigh Matt began to tell her what happened, handing over the small book in the process.


    To her credit, Tori didn¡¯t open the book, instead sliding it back to Matt as he began. He said that the book told of the race¡¯s origins. That they were an evolutionary offshoot, a by product of exposure to their environment. That despite their efforts, they were natives of the higher plain and thus could not move past S grade. They even had System confirmation of this fact after petitioning the exchange for a direct communication.


    To combat this, they tried several methods to varying degrees of success. They tried having their people move into the seed universe and hit a recall window. This failed every time since they were only going back to the System they came from. Neither did their children benefit from the recall since the universes were still connected.


    The only success they had was that the children that ended up being recalled had more probability of making it to higher grades than the average person. Their race had a higher than average percentage of A and S grades than any other in the higher plain. It gave them a very real advantage as a faction, but they remained without a deity to fully elevate their people.


    Then came the expedition. The book told of their latest and arguably most successful ploy after hearing rumors of worlds beyond the System. They had taken volunteers and selected the best ritualists in the candidates. These ritualists were then sent to various worlds outside the system with one goal: Bring forth life not recognized within the System universes.


    Matts parents had been one such pair. They had traveled to Earth, through means still beyond his comprehension. Once there, they had managed to perform a ritual to shed their veiled nature, essentially putting a timer on their lives. Where they would have lived for tens of thousands of years at C grade, they would have less than 10. Sacrificing their levels and grade to revert to a mostly human form.


    They succeeded toward the very end, managing to bring Matt into the world. They loved their son but knew that their remaining time was short. They had strategically picked his adoptive parents for surrogacy. James and his wife Kathy were the perfect adoptive parents for the young Matthew. With his mother passing away within a year of his birth and his father going soon after, it was only a matter of getting lucky with the timing and the System recalling him.


    He found that his father hadn¡¯t exactly died in a workplace accident. He had performed one last ritual. It was a type of communion but only a one-way communication. In the ritual, his father had passed on the news of their success but also their final words to both the veiled race and Matt. The last few pages of the book were essentially a letter from his parents to him.


    ¡°Matt, I am so sorry.¡± Tori said a few minutes after he finished his retelling. ¡°I had no idea that was what had happened. I knew the veiled had done another one of their experiments, but I didn¡¯t know the extent. Forgive me but it does satisfy my curiosity of your origin.¡± Her face held genuine sadness; an emotion Matt appreciated for his own sake.


    ¡°Thanks, Tori.¡± Matt said, forcing the words through his slightly thickened throat. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything for me in the grand scheme of things, but it does answer some questions.¡±


    Tori did her best to be supportive and asked a question he wouldn¡¯t have asked himself. ¡°Would you like my people to make contact with them? The veiled I mean. My organization could act as an official liaison for you.¡±


    ¡°Umm, no. I have a contact already.¡± Tori raised an eyebrow, so Matt explained. ¡°One of their people, a lawyer, helped both of us through the process at the exchange.¡±


    ¡°Edmund.¡± Tori said, making his name sound like a four-letter word.


    ¡°Know him I assume.¡± Tobias said.


    Tori pinched the bridge of her nose as she took a deep breath. ¡°We are acquainted, yes. He has officiated on several agreements for my order over the centuries. His work is impeccable but its best for you to hire him first rather than be on the receiving end of his attentions.¡± She then looked up. ¡°How about this: After the first trial, I will meet you at the exchange along with Edmund. I don¡¯t mean to say you cant handle your own affairs, but I would like to see you properly rewarded by both the System and Weltgan.¡±


    Matt considered briefly. ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything to lose by saying yes.¡± He said with a shrug. He then looked to Tobias. ¡°You good here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this has been a lot. After your issues with your trait, then the book now this.¡± Tobias said, standing and stretching. ¡°I would like to finally get my evolution out of the way.¡±


    Tori stood and gestured to the door. ¡°Thank you for being flexible and acting quickly.¡± Then she looked Matt in the eyes and spoke telepathically. ¡°We will discuss your trait in detail later. There are implications you need to be aware of but not until the cusp of your next grade.¡±


    Matt nodded and stepped through the portal, returning his mind to his body. Tobias suddenly shot to his feet with a gasp. ¡°Yeah, it can be a little disorientating the first time. Its probably worse when you aren¡¯t running the ritual.¡±


    ¡°I have a strange feeling that I will get that experience on my own very soon.¡± Tobias said as he brandished the booklets that materialized in his hand.


    They both looked up suddenly as a deep voice rumbled from above them. ¡°Good, you are both back. There is quite the que for your attentions.¡± Van was looking down at them. ¡°Tobias, your attention is needed in the forge. Matt, your presence has been requested in the hub.¡±


    Both Matt and Tobias looked at each other, nodded, then went their separate ways. Tobias disappearing into the forge while Matt mounted up in the mech. Echo was already prowling around, waiting for them to get moving.


    Matt made his way to the hub as quick as he could. The last vestiges of twilight fading from the sky. He wasn¡¯t sure why Franklin had summoned him to the hub but, it must be important. However, he would have to make sure it wasn¡¯t becoming a trend.


    Arriving back in the hub, Matt walked straight up the stairs after not seeing Franklin in the lower floor. Sure enough, he was in his office on the second. ¡°What¡¯s up Frank?¡± Matt asked as he walked in.


    Franklin looked up from his display. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re back. Well, not that you actually left.¡± Franklin looked Matt up and down before continuing. ¡°I trust everything is in order?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, had some things that I forgot to handle, and it ended up taking longer than expected.¡± Matt said, purposely not giving any detail. ¡°Did you need something? Van said you asked for me.¡±


    Looking down at his display for a moment, Franklins eyes scanned across it before lighting up. ¡°Ah, yes. Your rewards for the quests you completed.¡± Franklin turned the display so Matt could see. ¡°There are a few options, I can pay you, which would be very little since our resources are minimal. The System can reward you with either credits or ¡®reward box¡¯, whatever that is.¡± He then looked at Matt before continuing in a serious tone. ¡°The last option is that you forgo your rewards which is absolutely out of the question.¡±


    Matt looked at Franklin, seeing that he would not budge on this issue. ¡°I guess I will take the System boxes then.¡±


    ¡°Good, I was wondering what those are.¡± He pulled up a display that showed a list of quests which he quickly filtered. ¡°These ones are those that you are responsible for. The system assigned quests at least. There is the quest for claiming the mine. The one for claiming the trial orb and you get some credit for the subjugation quest. The others were for the spiders you mentioned and dealing with Alfron.¡±


    Matt was momentarily stunned. He didn¡¯t think he had been responsible for that many things but guessed it made sense, there had been a lot going on and the System was a better accountant than he would ever be. ¡°Ok, well what do I do now?¡±


    ¡°It seems you can have rewards individually or lump sum. Which would you like?¡± Franklin gestured to 2 buttons at the bottom of the screen.


    Matt just picked the lump sum option. He didn¡¯t want a half dozen boxes to deal with and possibly smaller rewards if it was split up. A message popped up and both of them turned to read it.


    Rewards being calculated. Please wait.


    ¡°Well, this might be a good time to talk about another issue we have.¡± Matt said. ¡°On the trip around the city to set up the repeaters we ran into a little issue.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What issue? Tobias and Rohm didn¡¯t mention any casualties.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t take any but there are implications of a more serious problem if we don¡¯t handle it.¡± Matt said and pulled the carcass of the mutated wolf like thing out of his storage. He held it for franklin to use identify on.


    Canid Mutant. Level: 18


    This mutant is a result of a dungeon becoming corrupted and breaking containment. Through arcane means, the dungeon has begun to claim territory. Its corruption will spread, eventually affecting every being on the continent.


    ¡°Well, shit.¡± Franklin said. ¡°Remember that locked quest I showed you? Yeah, it just unlocked.¡±

 Chapter 42 – Reminder notes

    Chapter 42 ¨C Reminder notes.


    ¡°Well, this is unfortunate.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Indeed. But at least we know?¡± Franklin was fishing for a positive in this situation.


    Matt thought about it. The wolf population had been rather off since he landed on the planet. They were far too aggressive, too populace and their new mutant variety was the nail in the coffin for any theory besides a more insidious origin. ¡°Yeah, better to know now than have to deal with a bigger problem later.¡±


    ¡°What should we do about it?¡± Frank asked.


    ¡°Nothing right now. Let¡¯s have a meeting with Rohm and maybe Jess. They should make the plans. We can talk to them tomorrow.¡±


    Franklin just nodded along. ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best. They need to.. Gah!¡± He shouted as a light coalesced in front of Matt. ¡°What in all the hells is that?¡± He said, rubbing his eyes.


    Matt looked down after the light faded. ¡°That would be my System reward.¡± The box that appeared was just as big as the ones in the spider cave. The difference was that this one was gold rather than silver, making Matt think it was higher rarity.


    Reward Chest (Epic)


    Indeed, the chest was a higher rarity. Matt moved forward to open it with Franklin peering over to get a look. Upon opening the chest, Matt saw 3 items. They somehow all fit within, meaning the box was spatially expanded. The curious thing was actually the pop-up window that sprang into life as he reached his hand in.


    Be sure to use all rewards. Both these and the previous ones.


    Freezing, Matt read the message 3 times before it faded away, leaving empty air between him and the box. He had no idea what the ¡­ ¡°Awe, shit.¡± He said, pulling out the token from his storage that he had received from his last loot chest.


    Construct Equipment Token (Rare)


    Can be used to enhance or increase equipment slots on a pilot¡¯s construct. Can only enhance up to rare quality. Can create additional slot for equipment selection at a forge.


    Matt looked at the token for a moment before returning it to his storage. Franklin was giving him the side eye, but he pressed on regardless. Reaching into the chest, Matt pulled out his first reward item. He was both properly chastised and thoroughly pleased.


    Construct Equipment Token (Epic)


    Can be used to enhance or increase equipment slots on a pilot¡¯s construct. Can only enhance up to Epic quality. Can create additional slot for equipment selection at a forge. Optionally replicate personal equipment on construct.


    A simple Improved version of his other Token. He wasn¡¯t sure how to use it but could figure it out late. The feeling he got was that he was supposed to use it at the forge. He moved on, pulling out the next item. He went for another token like object that was just oddly shaped, not round or lozenge shaped like the others he had seen.


    Token of Division (N/A)


    Allows for the user to divide equipment set pieces. When used on a component consisting of multiple parts, enchantments will be transferred to subsequent parts.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure to make of the strange anvil shaped token but would once again figure it out later. He had saved the best for last and was eager to get to the device he easily recognized. It was also the primary reason that the box had to be spatially expanded.


    Recoilless Rifle, High Velocity. (Epic)


    A single shot, shoulder fired recoilless rifle that fires a smart munition capable of various types of detonation. Projectiles can be programed for Impact Detonation, Air Burst, Delayed detonation.


    The weapon was absolutely perfect, almost exactly how he remembered them except for the ammunition cannister. The weapon had a type of gate on the back that allowed the rounds to be inserted from the rear, allowing for the barrel to be rifled for accuracy. The cannister was a flip top ordeal, likely converted to be similar to other System made weapons. The belt the cannister was hooked to also appeared to have a wide range of adjustment for how it could be carried.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Franklin asked, excitement in his voice as he looked at what was, at its core, a long, green tube. ¡°Is this more of your worlds weaponry?¡±


    Matt clutched the weapon to his chest. ¡°Some of the best.¡± He quickly stored it away and got to his feet as the loot chest faded away. ¡°I can show you tomorrow. It¡¯s really pretty impressive if it¡¯s like what I used back on earth.¡± He already knew it would be, the only problem being the cost in mana to summon a single rocket. Just like the original, it was expensive to feed.


    Franklin stood back up, coming back to his more formal bearings. ¡°Ah yes, tomorrow. I will see you in the morning then?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ll bring Tobias, you get Rohm and Jess.¡± Matt said. ¡°I¡¯m off, gotta get my beauty rest.¡± He left the office, grabbing Echo on his way. The drake had been relatively good, only pestering the hub workers a little. They both set out into the night, headed for a quiet place to rest.


    *****


    ¡°It looks nothing like a rifle. In fact, I¡¯m not sure how it can be called recoilless either. The whole thing looks more like a construct gun than anything.¡± Rohm said, sipping his cup of coffee. The felid man had taken to it like a hog to slop, as some would say.


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ Wait. That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea. Tobias, can we scan this and have them made by the forge?¡± Matt asked. He was well aware Tobias actually had the schematics already but wanted to set him up.


    ¡°I already have schematics for that type of weapon.¡±


    ¡°Well, then why haven¡¯t Commander Rohm¡¯s corps been fully equipped with them?¡±


    ¡°You know that we are try¡­ Oh. Oh, fuck you!¡± Tobias shouted, finally catching on.


    Laughing at the look on his friend¡¯s face, Matt kicked back in his chair. The sun had fully risen, and the trio decided to have a calm start to the day. They dragged a few chairs out of the hub so they could sit outside and watch the sun rise over the city. A figure was approaching from down the street as Matt was trying to dodge shin kicks from Tobias.


    ¡°Greeting Jess.¡± Rohm said, raising his cup to her. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mine.¡±


    She wandered over, still bleary eyed with drooping ears, and took the cup from his hands. She didn¡¯t say a word as she took a long pull from it. Without missing a beat, she handed it back before looking to Matt. ¡°Its better with cream.¡± Jess then wandered inside the hub, leaving the 3 men outside.


    Matt looked over to Rohm, eyebrow raised. He didn¡¯t say a word, just giving the felid man a healthy dose of side eye. Tobias leaned forward to stare at Rohm from behind Matt.


    Rohm stared them right back. ¡°What? I swear if you say one thing about cats and cream, I¡¯m going¡­¡±


    ¡°Where did you get it?¡± Tobias interrupted.


    ¡°There is sugar in it too.¡± Jess said as she came back outside, dragging a chair behind her. She sat next to Rohm and stole another pull from his mug.


    Matt gasped in a very exaggerated way. ¡°Commander Rohm! You have been holding out on us? What have Tobias and I ever done to deserve such scorn.¡± Matt and Tobias were both shaking their heads. ¡°Tobias, just when you think you can trust someone.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I know Matt, they just throw your good will back in your face.¡± Tobias said as he hammed up his performance as much as possible. ¡°After everything we have done for this city, this is the thanks we get.¡±


    Rohm was squinting at both of them, his ears flattened against the sides of his head. ¡°I will have you know¡­¡±


    They never found out what exactly Rohm would have them know as Franklin wandered around the corner of the Hub. ¡°Good everyone is here already.¡± The big orc said, clapping his hands together. The sound made Jess wince, leading Matt to believe she had a little too much fun the night prior.


    They all followed the governor into the building and up to the third floor. The maps were spread on the table and Matt noticed they were much more detailed and covered a larger area than previously. There were 16 points marked on the map, all of them in a ring around the city, which he recognized as the repeater and sensor towers, they had put in.


    ¡°I assume all the towers are good?¡± Matt asked.


    Tobias was first to respond. ¡°Yes, working as we had hoped.¡± A brief pause as he considered the maps. ¡°Actually, it might be a bit better than we had hoped. We received a lot of feedback suggesting that the proximity sensors are functioning to a higher level than what we had on earth.¡±


    ¡°So, when can we get real time feedback? How long until we have the displays for that sort of detail anyway.¡± Matt said, looking from Franklin to Tobias.


    Tobias looked to Franklin then back to Matt after the orc shrugged. ¡°Not sure, that isn¡¯t really a high priority after the chemical tanks and the metal works.¡±


    Matt had to take what he could get. There wasn¡¯t any use in him badgering the forge staff and governor. He decided instead to get into the meeting and the reason why they were there. After giving a brief and having Franklin share the quest, they got into the planning phase.


    Rohm had wanted to send out all the pilots and sweep the woods, Jess wanted nothing to do with any more mutants but was possibly up for a rematch after her hangover faded. Tobias was working on a way to track the movements but nothing workable yet. Matt however, had other ideas.


    ¡°How about we go back to where we found them and see if we can track them back to anywhere.¡± Matt suggested. Getting everyone looking at him, he continued. ¡°There was over a hundred of the damn things, they had to leave a trail of some sort as they moved through the area. We might be able to find where they came from.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah that¡¯s a better idea.¡± Rohm said. ¡°Think you can narrow it down and we do what we did with the insect guardian at the mines?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I was thinking a much smaller group since we will be doing a dungeon of some sort. Maybe the commandos and a few more.¡± He was expecting push back on this, so he decided to go right to his next arguments. ¡°Look, I want to hit this one hard and fast, the last little event was fun and all, but this might be a bigger issue than not.¡±


    He had gotten a message from Tori last night about this quest and how dungeons that are corrupt are seriously bad news. She recommended immediately expunging the corrupted core. Message was a bit of a stretch, and it was actually more a few key words that put him on the right track.


    ¡°So should we try to rotate some lower leveled people in?¡± Rohm asked. Still not getting the point.


    Tobias, thankfully, came to Matts rescue. ¡°Rohm, lets get this one knocked out and we can look for good leveling opportunities later.¡± He shot a look at Matt and got a knowing nod in return. Rohm just shrugged and moved on.


    After that, the meeting moved swiftly. Jess committed the commandos again and Tobias said he would work on a method to narrow down the location of the dungeon. They set a 3-day deadline. If there wasn¡¯t any concrete progress by then, the main body of the corps would mobilize and start a sweep of the surrounding area.


    *****


    Matt rested the tube against his shoulder and looked through the sight. He had set the target out at 300 meters, close enough to be easy to hit but not so far that it was a hard shot. He inhaled and shouted. ¡°Back Blast, Clear.¡± Then pressed the trigger.


    The 75-millimeter rocket streaked out like a laser beam. Far flatter trajectory than the ones back on Earth. The boom of the round leaving and the pressure wave behind him kicking up dust was almost enough to distract him. He managed to keep his eyes on the target and withing a second, the rock was hit, then vaporized. The shaped charge turning the boulder into gravel in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Jess yelled. She had her ears covered to ward off the noise and pressure. ¡°That was a lot.¡±


    Matt was inclined to agree. But what was worse, the Mana cost. Each rocket cost nearly 200 mana, meaning he could fire a maximum of 13 of these at a time. It was by far his most mana intensive weapon or skill. The vertical teleport didn¡¯t count since it was not something he wanted to try and repeat.


    ¡°I must say its very impressive.¡± Rohm agreed, pulling a bit of cloth from his ears. ¡°What¡¯s the maximum range of that?¡±


    ¡°For what? Area target, armored target, is it moving, how big is it?¡± Matt pushed back. ¡°The technical maximum is a few thousand meters, but you can¡¯t hope for much just lobbing rounds out there. I would say I could hit the guardian at five hundred guaranteed.¡±


    Lisk let out a low whistle. ¡°Very impressive. If we could get a few hundred of these on the walls, not much would be able to oppose us.¡±


    That was part of the plan. Tobias was working on sampling the metals recovered from the mines and trying to generate a viable template for the forge staff to work from. The enchanters would have a field day with the ammunition case alone.


    They chatted a while longer as they walked back to the forge. Matt still needed to use his tokens and report his findings back to Tobias. They had wanted to know if the weapon was viable for widespread use or if it was a Matt special.


    Something finally occurred to Matt as they talked, and the conversation moved to levels. None of the commando pilots had evolved despite being level 25. Rohm had broken through and also held off for some reason.


    ¡°Soooo, what¡¯s the deal with all of you not evolving yet?¡± Matt asked once there was a break in the conversation. He had no idea this simple question would cause the entire group to stop dead in their tracks. He turned to look at them seeing stupefied looks on their faces.


    ¡°We, ummmm. That is to say¡­¡± Rohm began.


    ¡°We all forgot. Instead of breaking through, we went out and got plastered.¡± Lisk said, not a bit of shame in his voice.


    Matt looked at the three of them in turn, analyzing their expressions. Jess looked like she forgot her math homework and was trying to pass it off as nothing. Rohm was severely embarrassed or at least Matt thought since he was still figuring out how to read his expressions. Then there was Lisk, who didn¡¯t seem at all bothered. Matt was pretty sure the only time he got excited was when a shotgun was involved.


    With a not-so-subtle urging, Matt sent them off to retrieve their constructs so they could evolve. He also made sure to remind them to spread the word to the others in the commando squad. There was no point in leaving power on the table. He also had a feeling that they would need it for this upcoming dungeon.


    An hour later Matt was looking at 3 constructs that had significant changes from their previous forms. They had all grown larger, gaining at least a meter in height but that¡¯s where the similarities ended.


    Rohm had changed the least. His grew in height but the general shape and posture remained the same. His construct had dropped the highly polished metal, instead moving to a more consistent ochre red. There was still the black of the under carriage and equipment boxes to break up the color, but it was still quite the sight.


    Jess had some pretty significant change. Hers had turned almost a solid green color and thinned out quite a bit. It looked like her build was going to focus a lot on dexterity and Matt wondered how that would play out in the real world. She was also looking at her cannon with some distaste. She would probably want to change it later. Matt wasn¡¯t even sure what her melee weapon was, so couldn¡¯t gain any insight there either.


    Then came Lisk. Matts favorite demon shotgun savant. No really, that was the class he evolved to, which made sense as his change was the most radical. His construct had grown the least in height, but its proportions had changed in some odd ways. The legs had gotten thicker, stouter, and the hands thinned out significantly. His ammunition box was replaced by a large belt around the waist that would angle shells out when needed. It was set to load 2 at a time and there looked to be 3 offerings of the lethal cannisters.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure if he should be surprised at how the evolutions went but they had pretty much happened just like his. Each one selected their class then vanished into a golden glow before returning almost immediately. Having now witnessed it from the outside, Matt had to admit it was quite the sight.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go talk to Tobias and see what he knows. Then I have some business with the forge and some tokens.¡±


    *****


    Matt was staring at the monitor along the side of the bay that the mech was standing in. He was currently trying to sort through all the options for his tokens and how best to use them.  He had gotten a rather mixed bag of news when opening the system menu.


    Before committing to the act, he had researched the topic in his piloting book, finding that it was actually a rather simple process. All he needed to do was place the token on the small pad near the terminal that acted as the ¡°selling¡± area. Then the terminal would display the option he had for the token.


    What Matt wasn¡¯t expecting was the cost. The token was just the key to get to the shop, the rest was done with his credits. What he didn¡¯t realize was that literally everything earned credits. Completing quests? Credits. Killing monsters? Credits. Leveling? Well that one didn¡¯t actually give credits, but he wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if it did. Long story short, Matt found out he was loaded.


    Now the hard part was narrowing down Matt¡¯s options. He had picked out the one for the Rare Token, an upgrade to the construct mana battery which multiplied its size. The battery had grown by a factor of 10, from 2500 to 25,000 mana capacity. It would take Matt a couple days to fully charge it but would last an extremely long time. The entire reason for the massive upgrade was that the original battery was common quality, literally the stock model.


    Matt was now looking at a long list of Epic options for his mech and thought he had settled on his final contender. He would ask Tori about it, but she had told him to figure it out and live with his choices. He did appreciate the sentiment, reaffirming the stance that he was on his own for the parts of his path that mattered. ¡°Fuck it.¡± He said and hit the accept button and watched millions in credits vanish from his account and a shiny new object appear on the left upper arm of the mech.


    Mana Shield Projector (Epic)


    A device that projects a mana barrier, acting as a shield, a small distance from the construct. The barrier will match the user¡¯s affinity or as pure mana if affinity is unsuitable for stable projection. Angle, distance, size/shape and placement can be adjusted by user as needed.


    Matt inspected the shield projector and was satisfied with its placement for now. He would try to fine tune it in the next couple days but had other business to attend. He looked down as the last token, the Token of Division. ¡°No time like the present.¡± He said to himself as he summoned his armor and moved back to the terminal.

 Chapter 43 – The Break Up

    Chapter 43 ¨C The Break Up


    Matt looked at his armor as it sat on the interface pad. It was everything he could have hoped for. It was rather protective, quite comfortable and most importantly just the way he wanted it. Tori had confirmed that the dividing token wouldn¡¯t inherently break anything or even change it that much. He was still hesitant.


    Trying not to think about it too much and psyche himself out, he placed the token down and accepted the prompt. This armor flashed, the same golden light as everything else the System did. Then before he could put any more negative waves out there, the light flashed again, then again.


    Where once Matt¡¯s armor had been a single piece affair, the seam hidden in one side and covered by armor plate, it was now 2 sections. It thankfully split at the waist, forming upper and lower armor. To his relief, the armored section appeared to be separated by plate segments, not leaving a gap where it split. He walked over and inspected the armor, top first then moving on to the lower portion.


    Pilot Upper Armor, Semi-powered, Set (Rare) (Upgradeable)


    The armor consists of a base layer which acts as climate control, soft armor, and strength enhancement. The hardened sections are attached directly to the base layer, providing protection against a myriad of threats. Armor is capable of sealing and providing a limited amount of breathable air in toxic environments. For maximum benefit, matching helmet must be worn. Power only applied when Upper and Lower armor are worn at the same time. Enchantments: Self Repair, Enhanced comfort.


    Armor Effects: +5% to physical stats. Resistant to piercing attacks, slashing attacks, blunt attacks chemical attacks, extreme weather.


    Pilot Lower Armor, Semi-powered, Set (Rare) (Upgradeable)


    The armor consists of a base layer which acts as climate control, soft armor, and strength enhancement. The hardened sections are attached directly to the base layer, providing protection against a myriad of threats. Armor is capable of sealing and providing a limited amount of breathable air in toxic environments. For maximum benefit, matching helmet must be worn. Power only applied when Upper and Lower armor are worn at the same time. Enchantments: Self Repair, Enhanced comfort.


    Armor Effects: +5% to physical stats. Resistant to piercing attacks, slashing attacks, blunt attacks chemical attacks, extreme weather.


    Matt read the description a couple times through and other than some wording, it didn¡¯t seem to change much. He was feeling like the token was a waste but then he noticed that the armor effect was applied twice. He just doubled its effective stat bonus in one shot. He now had 15% boot across the board except for dexterity which had 20%.


    Not wasting any more time, Matt put the armor on. He was very happy with how the seam in the base layer magically melded together not even leaving a gap. The fit was just the same as before and he briefly wondered if he could do another division with each half. What would the outcome be and how much would the bonus stack?


    Just as he was about to do some testing and find the limits of his new bonuses, Tobias came in. ¡°Ah, good you are still here. I might have a lead on the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well, lead on. I assume Rohm and Jess are already there?¡± Matt said, tugging once at where the seam in his armor was before following Tobias.


    *****


    After gathering in the offices of the forge, Matt and the others looked at the 3D projection of the area map. Tobias was leading them through the findings and how he came to his conclusions.


    ¡°I had one of our clerks look at this with me and plot this all out, but here it is.¡± He adjusted the setting and showed a series of red dots overlaid on the map. ¡°Here are all the initial contacts the sensors have returned since they went up. After that, we isolated the ones with a group of 10 or more.¡±


    He made another adjustment and most of the dots faded away. ¡°These were the remaining ones. Then we plotted their course.¡± Each dot got a line as it moved. ¡°From there we estimated the return path of them. There were some that just were random and lead off in odd directions but these ones¡­¡± He highlighted nearly a dozen in yellow. ¡°These ones had large numbers and similar points of origin. It looks to be far out of sensor range, to our southwest. This is our best guess and probably all we will get with current equipment.¡±


    Everyone leaned in and began to look more closely at the map. They didn¡¯t have accurate data on that area, but Franklin suddenly stood bolt upright. ¡°I think that¡¯s it. I just opened the quest log, and it had 2 updates. The latest one was to investigate this origin.¡±


    Rohm and Matt looked at each other before the commander spoke up. ¡°I think that settles it. Matt, you have a plan for this?¡±


    ¡°As much as any plan I have.¡±


    Tobias sighed. ¡°Hit it hard, fast and with overwhelming firepower?¡±


    Matt nodded sagely. ¡°I see you already know the holy gospel.¡±


    Tobias threw his hands up in exasperation but Jess, Lisk and Rohm were all nodding along with Matt. They all had used the codex and knew there was logic to making everything that could fight back die very quickly.


    Matt turned to Rohm and Jess. ¡°Commandos plus 4 teams from you.¡± He pointed to Rohm. ¡°Make sure your pilots get the cannister shot for their constructs, the fighting probably won¡¯t have much need for long range solid shot. We are leaving tomorrow morning and moving fast.¡±


    Both of them gave their confirmations then left to go find their teams and carry out their preparations. Lisk said he would be going to check on a couple things and left along with Franklin who went back to the hub. Tobias had Matt place his tablet on the table and copied the map over to him.


    ¡°Thanks. Are you coming on this one?¡±


    Tobias shook his head. ¡°I have things to do here. I really want to focus on my class and there are a couple projects I wanted to get started. We will have a lot more actual manufacturing opportunity with the mine up and running.¡±


    With that, Matt left the forge. He wanted to work on his own skills a bit before they had to leave. Echo had been following him and Matt told the drake that he was free to wander if he wanted. Echo just shook his head, clearly intent on staying nearby. So, he climbed into the cockpit and took his mech out to the perimeter of the city, headed for the range they had set up.


    *****


    At some point, someone had noticed that the area outside the walls was being used as a test fire range and set some tree trunks out in the grassy field. Matt was using one of those tree trunks as the target for his testing purposes. He assumed that was their purpose, since there were clear signs of bullet holes in them.


    Looking through the sight of the recoilless rifle was impossible with his helmet on but thankfully, the sight linked to his display without issue. He centered the reticle over the massive section of tree trunk at the 400-meter mark and made the inputs.


    Type: Air Burst. Range: 405.4M [(-)2]. Set: Confirm. Matt pressed the trigger straight back, the electrical impulse igniting the propellant charge of the 75-millimeter round and launching it out the front of the tube. It raced down range in an incredibly flat trajectory and at exactly 2 meters in front of the log, exploded. A flash, some smoke and a ring of shrapnel erupted, peppering the entire area in steel fragments.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Matt could clearly see the beaten impact area just below where the round detonated. He estimated that the kill radius was significantly larger than the ones on Earth but was expecting that. His weapons all appeared stronger than they should be, which he attributed to the way the System worked.


    With a hand on his ammunition tube, he summoned another projectile, inserting it into the back of the Carl G. This time he selected the delayed fuse, setting the time delay to a fraction of a second after impact. Taking aim, he fired at the trunk again.


    Once again, the round arced out toward the tree. Where things differed was where the explosion was in relation to the slab of wood. The first round had exploded in front of it, this one had a slightly different approach. After penetrating the wood, it punched right through then, shortly after exiting, it exploded. The tree was hardly moved, showing how far it was sunk into the ground, but Matt saw a large hole in the trunk and daylight on the other side.


    Matt was satisfied with how both of those played out and saved them as the defaults for those fire modes. It wouldn¡¯t be nearly as labor intensive in the future when using the air burst or delayed fuses. The process wasn¡¯t actually that difficult with his neural interface, but it was one less thing to think about if he suddenly needed an explosion to happen.


    The entire time Matt was testing, he was evaluating the way the rockets were summoned and noticed how similar it was to his other munitions. An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he just couldn¡¯t shake it. He would have to talk to the enchanters later and see if they could add something to his new weapon, something he was already using to great effect. I wonder if they can put the Imbue Weapon enchantment on this.


    His idle wondering was halted once he remembered that would mean letting Nix and Sari play with his stuff. Looking down at the launcher in his hands, Matt let out a sigh and stored it away after loading a fresh round into it. He decided that would be a problem for future Matt to deal with. He still had one more thing he wanted to work on before they set out to deal with the dungeon.


    Matt walked over to an area that was relatively free and clear of grass. It looked like a small depression had been filled in with the displaced dirt from the buildings in the city. Without much ceremony, he plopped down in the middle, sitting cross legged as he began the process of centering himself.


    He had meditated several times since being abducted, or rather inducted into the System. Each time felt like it was more useful than the last. This time he had no set goal in mind. He wasn¡¯t looking to get anything out of his meditation but wanted to immerse himself in calm. Slowly, he sank into the void that was his own mind.


    He once again saw the field of blue-white energy around him. It extended all around, slowly fading at its extremities. He noticed that there was now some more of that vapor around, seemingly sitting above the field of his plasma. The void was still on the outside, kept at bay by the harsh mana.


    Matt peered into that void, trying to sense if there was anything out there. He felt like there was something but couldn¡¯t actually pinpoint anything. With a mental shrug, he moved on, instead beginning to shape the field of mana around him.


    He pulled in the vapors that were present, condensing them and adding to the field. He didn¡¯t plan to fully expand it, instead strengthening the core, making it denser. After collecting all the vapor, Matt began to shape the field around him.


    Using his will to adjust the density, creating an internal flow of energy that he could cycle at his leisure. Soon, the fading edge pulled back ever so slightly but became all the denser. Its far edge no longer mostly transparent, but now a harsh and defined line. Just before he moved on to his next project, he felt a nudge on his shoulder.


    Matt brought himself out of the meditation and noticed that there was once again a charred circle around him. This time was a little different than last. Where previously it was an even burn, this time showed that the center around him was far hotter than the edges. The dirt that he was sitting on was now a several centimeter thick slab of glass, only the ground he was sitting on being spared. Heat waves rose off the circle that was now nearly 50 meters in diameter.


    Echo was sitting beside him, clearly not bothered by the heat. It was also clear that he was the one to nudge Matt and rouse him from the meditation. He could feel something as the meditation ended. It felt like being in the water with large swell carrying him toward the shore. Matt didn¡¯t know what to make of it, leaving it for future investigation.


    Looking out to the setting sun, Matt turned to Echo. ¡°Ready to head in bud?¡±


    Echo gave his trilling growl and started heading toward the gate, flashing Matt the image of one of the restaurants and a plate full of meat. Matt just laughed as he climbed into the mech and followed after his familiar.


    *****


    Watching from the shadows, Venri observed the entire range session. She had stumbled upon Matt as he left the gate and just followed along. She had overheard Jess telling her teams about Matts new weapon but hadn¡¯t expected it to be that terrifying. Truly a blessing of the vei¡­ no, not a blessing. It was Matt and his individual ability.


    She saw him take a seat and then¡­ nothing for several minutes. She was about to walk over to him but wisely decided to stay put when she noticed the air shimmering around him. Venri kept her distance, knowing that Echo and his construct were always watching.


    Before her eyes, the shimmering air began to do something. Venri wasn¡¯t sure what, but it looked like it became denser. Both hardening and flexible as it expanded outward stopping in a hard demarcation around him. Then the air burned.


    Venri had no words to describe how it made her feel. The entire sphere ignited not only in that superheated energy Matt used but also became saturated with his presence. She instantly fell to her knees, barely able to focus on the spectacle before her.


    Waves of Matts aura washed out from him. Each one carried the promise of both protection and annihilation. Venri¡¯s soul was buffeted by the waves. They thankfully didn¡¯t carry the heat with them, only the intent. All the plasma was contained in a clear, colorless, roiling ball around him, not expanding and only growing denser over time.


    As suddenly as it began, the mana and presence faded away, withdrawn into Matt, finally allowing Venri to catch her breath and regain her feet. She looked back over to where Matt was becoming more visible as the plasma dissipated. Then she saw what had caused him to stop. Echo had his paw on Matts shoulder, but his eyes were locked squarely on Venri. Those bright blue draconic eyes never left her until Matt began to stir, then the connection was broken as Echo turned to look at his master.


    Venri shuddered and began to retreat back into the city. She couldn¡¯t handle the full attention of Echo and Matt at the same time. She would wait until they passed before going to inspect the site herself. Shortly after, a drake passed in front of her, sparing a brief glance as he was followed by Matt in his mech. She quickly scampered out the gate after they had left line of sight.


    Reaching the edge of the blackened circle, Venri had to stop in astonishment. There were the prints from Matt and Echo but not the cracks she would expect until the very edge. She carefully back tracked along their footprints until she reached the center. It was still a bare spot of dirt which she scooped away, digging down. After several centimeters she finally found the bottom of the glass. The plate was nearly 9 centimeters thick of amalgamated glass.


    Trying to remember her schooling back on her home world, Venri tried to figure out how hot the fire must have been to create the disk in such a short time. It was a waste of time; she couldn¡¯t even begin to account for the System and how things worked yet. Walking back to the edge, Venri took one of the broken pieces and examined it.


    Plasma Mage Glass (E) (Rare)


    Glass created by the exertions of a mage early in their journey but displaying power beyond their level. This variety was created using the affinity of plasma, superheating it into a homogeneous mass. This glass can be used in various alchemical creations, rituals and other crafts.


    Venri¡¯s Eyes widened as she read the description. Her alchemy class giving her insight into the nature of the material. She was torn however, what to do with the rest? After a few moments, she came to a decision and carefully broke the remaining glass into sections and stored it in her spatial necklace.


    She was hoping that nobody would ask too many questions and if so, would accept the explanation of her finding it to be a useful ingredient. Venri then began to move back into the city, noticing that a few of the guards atop the wall had been spectating. She wasn¡¯t sure who they were and guessed that they wouldn¡¯t know her either. Thankfully, the distance was providing some anonymity.


    Moving through the streets of the city, Venri found her way to the workshop that had been built for her. The front area was where transactions took place with the back room being a small living space. Her actual work area was in the basement, the stairs and a small closet separating the two upper areas. She didn¡¯t bother to flip the sign on the door over to show she had returned as she went down to the workshop.


    Venri planned to have a very thorough crafting session. She had to refine the glass in order to truly comprehend what it would be useful for, but she had a feeling that it would pay off. Mage glass had to be useful, especially if made by a conceptual affinity like Matts. If she was lucky, it might even allow her to create something for her new combat class.


    Finally, having spent several hours crafting, Venri finally had several results. The first was a potion of cold resistance which would perhaps be useful. Then she had distilled a catalyst that could potentially lead to imbuing certain properties while enchanting. Then came what she had been hoping for.


    Venri examined the vile of liquid. Watching the bright blue swirling within the golden mixture was almost hypnotic. With an effort of will, she broke her gaze away from the swirl and examined the liquid with her identify skill.


    Reactive Reagent of Plasma (Uncommon)


    When used on a projectile or melee weapon, this reagent will impart a violent reaction within the target. Requires exposure to vital energies to react.


    Having finally gotten a positive result, Venri stopped to inspect the fruits of her labor and take a breather. She would be up long into the night working on alchemy projects for the expedition the next day. She still had orders for regular healing, stamina and mana potions to fulfill besides her personal projects. As she took a drink of water, she reflected on how the past couple hours had played out.


    Venri was pretty sure this was the synergy that her patron had spoken of. The balance of both classes acting in support of each other, leading her to have more power than her class would normally suggest. She couldn¡¯t disagree with the logic. After all, what better class to pair with alchemy than an assassin?

 Chapter 44 – Pine Tree Riots

    Chapter 44 ¨C Pine Tree Riots


    The woods were silent, an oddity to Matt since he was standing abreast of nearly 30 pilots and dozens of classers. They had followed the leads provided by Tobias and some clerks that had tracked and mapped movements in the area. The end result was a roughly 10-kilometer-wide area for them to search which was better than the entire continent they were on, but still a large area.


    One of Rohm¡¯s scouts had called a halt over the radio before trotting back to the main element. She was the same wolfen that had acted as bait for the insect debacle. Matt had found out her name was Tasha and she hailed from the same world as most of the city. She was even from the same country as Jess.


    ¡°I think something is up.¡± Tasha said. ¡°There isn¡¯t any wildlife, the small kind, and there¡¯s a smell to the air.¡± Her ears twitched atop her head, swiveling around like radar dishes. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize the smell but its¡­ foul.¡±


    Echo had given the same impression to Matt over their mental link. The drake had taken to ranging on the outskirts of the formation and had taken down a few beasts that had attempted to approach the group from the rear. If Matt didn¡¯t know better, he would think his familiar was having fun ambushing the beasts in different ways.


    Matt gestured to Jess and hailed her over the team channel. ¡°Spread them out, keep a solid gun line wrapping the tails in.¡± He looked to Rohm. ¡°Have yours do the same. Don¡¯t let too much space open between them, keep the constructs as fire support just behind the classers.¡± Rohm didn¡¯t question anything, just shutting the hatch on his construct and issuing orders over the radio.


    Tasha fell back in with her team, and they moved into position off to the flank Rohm was on. Matt trusted the scout, if someone thought something was off, it probably was. He also didn¡¯t know about the smell thing; all he could smell was the pine fragrance from all the conifers around them. The entire area was thick with them to the point that it was about all they could see.


    This was only the afternoon of their first day and other than a few random beasts, they hadn¡¯t run into anything noteworthy. But as they approached the area that Tobias had found; things began to get a little more¡­off.


    The monsters and other creatures had been growing more and more scarce as they approached. The scouts found signs of fights as they went, leading Matt to the conclusion that they were on the right track. Now was the point that they would be moving into contact if Tasha¡¯s nose was anything to go by. Matt guessed it wouldn¡¯t be long, most likely once they entered the denser trees where the constructs would be more limited.


    Sure enough, almost like he could have put money on it, Matt heard the first gunshot. It came from the left tail of their wedge, one of the single shot rifles going by the deeper tone of the shot. Matt heard the call over the radio, confirming that it was a mutant.


    ¡°Contact.¡± Jess said over the company frequency. ¡°Estimate 40, moving from right to left toward the point of the formation.¡± Then as an afterthought. ¡°500 meters out.¡±


    Matt confirmed the call and moved up into the center of the wedge. He was dismounted with Van taking a position just to the left to support Rohm¡¯s teams. He came up behind 3 of the commandos supported by Lisk. Giving them a nod, he took up a firing position between them.


    Moments later, he heard the howl and the thudding of many feet racing toward them. He couldn¡¯t yet see clearly through the trees but there were flashes of movement. Then they broke into his line of sight. He saw the levels all around 20 and sent that information over the radio as the teams around him began to fire on the incoming wolves.


    Matt stood and fired at the incoming mutants. He would have stayed kneeling, but they were far too mobile, and the close range didn¡¯t need the extra stability. The few front runners of this pack were quickly taken down by the commandos and their higher rates of fire. Only the main body hadn¡¯t fully committed, instead they circled around and came in from the left.


    It turned out to be a fatal mistake on their part. The main pack ended up presenting a nice, elongated oval to Lisk and the demon didn¡¯t hesitate to exploit it. Boom-Boom. 2 shots followed by the sound of the ground and trees being pelted by fist sized balls of iron. The pack didn¡¯t stand a chance and the remaining 30 or so mutants were shredded along with half the trees in the area.


    ¡°I want one.¡± Van said into Matts mind, envy tinging his rumbling voice.


    Matt huffed out a single laugh. ¡°Ha. Give it time, I think we might be getting more than a shotgun at some point.¡±


    Matt began receiving calls over the radio from all the teams. They were reporting all clears and the absence of any wounded. After receiving the report, he gave his orders. The teams all got in line and began bounding up in pairs. Each team would advance to the limit of their visibility before taking a defensive posture and watching while the other team advanced.


    The bounding overwatch wasn¡¯t the fastest way to move but it was the most secure. It allowed one team to always be in position to engage while the other team moved. Matt controlled the formation, telling individual teams to hold when they started getting too far ahead.


    Within 10 minutes, they took their second contact. Another group, mutated boars that walked on 2 legs, tried to steam roll the left flank and got their shit wrecked by a volley from construct cannons. With hardly a pause, they kept up the advance. Every time an enemy came calling, it was dealt with using massively overwhelming firepower.


    An hour into the sweep, one of the commando teams broke into the command frequency. ¡°This is Commando 3. I think I have something.¡± Matt called a halt and had the team leaders set up security while he moved down the line.


    He reached the second to last team on the right side of the unit. Then found their team leader crouched under the boughs of a half-toppled pine. ¡°It¡¯s right there. Can you see the depression leading up to those rocks? If you stand and move to the left, you will see a distortion.¡±


    Matt did as suggested and shifted his position. Sure enough, a few hundred meters ahead, at the base of a small hill, a black, smoke like haze could be seen. It seemed to be hovering above a hole between a few large rocks. What sold it even more was what he could see through the thermal cameras on the mech.


    Van had sent him an image from his perspective and Matt could see the outline of several dozen mutated beasts. They were stationed in a ring around the base of the hill and atop it. They seemed to be holding position rather moving to engage them directly. Seeing the way they acted, Matt decided to make them pay for not using their speed to their advantage.


    *****


    Matt fired a long burst into the bear like thing that charged him. His 6-millimeter rounds shredding the chest cavity of the level 30 monster. As it fell in a heap, another took its place and was delt with in a similar fashion. He had put down 5 of the monsters as they closed in on the presumed entrance. It turned out there were another dozen of the beasts hidden within the pile of rocks that was their goal.


    These monsters were relatively strong and fast. He couldn¡¯t tell what sort of creature they were mutated from, but he would guess boars or something else with tusks. Each one was nearly 3 meters tall and packed a punch if they ever got within melee. Downside was they didn¡¯t seem to use much in the way of mana skills. They had some sort of movement skill or charge skill based on how they attacked in stuttering rushes. Barely even worth it. Matt thought now that his blood was pumping.


    He heard the long staccato bursts of fire from the machineguns, their overlapping fields of fire preventing any of the mutants from breaking away from their lines. Every so often, when they were clumped up, a blast of a giant shotgun would turn them into flying chunks of meat. Matt wasn¡¯t part of a fight, it was a slaughter and these monsters didn¡¯t stand a chance when facing even numbers of classers, let alone the constructs.


    As the fire of the other classers began to die off, no more of the mutants could be seen around the hilltop or in the neighboring woods. ¡°Scouts, push out and set up limit lines, Rohm take your and set up security on the far side. Jess, take the two close sides.¡± Matt said over the radio and got a series of confirmations in return. He moved off to where a few classers had set up a perimeter around the 2 wounded.


    ¡°How are they holding up?¡± Matt asked the healer that was tending to their wounds.


    The human man looked up as Matt approached. ¡°They should be back on their feet in the next few minutes.¡± He said as his hands glowed a pale green over one of the wounded¡¯s shredded legs. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for those health potions and clotting agents Venri gave me, they might be out of the fight for the day. ¡°


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Matt nodded, understanding that many were still trying to learn the limits of their skills and how their resources worked. ¡°I will be sure to pass along the praise.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°No need, I came along.¡± Venri said, suddenly appearing from behind some trees.


    Matts detection field hadn¡¯t picked her out which really saying something. He wasn¡¯t sure what her class and race evolution had entailed but she had been the most radical change he had seen. ¡°Good to have you along.¡± He then turned to the second wounded man, one of the commandos who had caught a monkey like creature¡¯s fist in his ribs.


    The elf man looked up at him and smiled, blood still staining his teeth. ¡°All¡­ Ahck. All good here, be up and about in an hour. Ptwah. Ugh, rather have gotten stabbed.¡± He said after coughing up a startling amount of clotted blood.


    It turned out that the healing would mend the wounds with amazing speed and thoroughness, but the secondary effects were always there. If you had a punctured lung, the fluid didn¡¯t go anywhere after healing and had to come out the regular way. ¡°Good to hear, I will leave you to the good doctor then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not a doctor lord Matt.¡±


    Matt dead panned the man. ¡°And I am not a lord.¡± Seeing the wince, he decided to play nice. ¡°It¡¯s all good, I was making a reference you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± He looked to Venri. ¡°You coming along or staying?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s all the same, I will come along.¡± She said.


    Matt just waved her to follow and walked off, headed toward the center of the patrol base. When he arrived, Rohm was staring at black mist that was wafting up from the depression between the rocks. He was looking at it from some distance, not wanting to get too close. Matt and Venri walked up and stood beside him, staring at the ominous vapors.


    ¡°You could ask for volunteers, but I don¡¯t think you will get many takers.¡± Rohm said after a few moments. ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t know a damn thing about dungeons, corrupted or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to do but to do it.¡± Matt said after a heavy sigh. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll go scout it out, I can be sealed up better than anyone else if its toxic or something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not poisonous. If that¡¯s what you are wondering.¡± Venri said. Seeing both Rohm and Matt turn to look at her, she elaborated. ¡°Perk of my Alchemy class, it lets me know when things are toxic, poisonous, beneficial and such.¡±


    Matt gave her a thumbs up and raised his rifle to a high ready as he moved toward the anomaly. He circled to the right, moving in an arcing approach to try and see inside. He didn¡¯t see much, just a hole with giant boulders around it. Cautiously, he approached, keeping his rifle at chest level incase anything was still lurking.


    As he got within a few meters, his detection field flashed red to his front and he jumped back. Or he tried to but was tackled to the ground instead. The beast was one of the ape like mutants, that had been lurking within the formation. Matt stowed his rifle in his ring and rolled over his right shoulder as he landed, ending up in a full mount atop the mutant.


    He drove his fist into its face, hard. It seemed to stun the monster for a brief moment, and he summoned his tomahawk to his hand. He choked up on the grip, putting his fist right below the head of the weapon. After imbuing it with as much mana as he could manage, he drove the spike into the monster¡¯s neck.


    The impact seemed to rouse the ape and it bucked its hips up and tried to grab him. Matt slammed the spike back down, driving it into the beast¡¯s forehead and meeting a startling amount of resistance. He reeled back and smashed it again. Even if the beast had enough resistance, the impacts seemed to stun it.


    Matt finally flipped the tomahawk along its axis, putting the hooked blade forward. He then shoved the blade into the hole he made earlier, setting the pointed beard of the axe against the creature¡¯s sternum. He then slackened his grip enough to slide down to the actual grip of the weapon. With the extra leverage, he wrenched up and backward.


    With a spray of smoking blood and bone, the sternum was spit in half. Matt then drove the head of the weapon back down, crushing the heart and setting the interior of the chest cavity to smolder. The notification buzzed in his head shortly after.


    You have killed: Mutant Ape Thrasher. Level 33.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gun Fighter is now level 37


    Stat points awarded.


    Matt stood up, climbing off the smoking body of the ape. He immediately regretted the action, his back screaming in pain. He let out a long groan as he straightened. The initial tackle hadn¡¯t done much but having a couple hundred kilos of monster land on top of him hadn¡¯t been the most comfortable. He turned and looked around, scanning the area and finding Van standing nearby, Venri next to the mech and Rohm back where he had left him, mouth hanging open.


    ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± Matt called, putting some snark into the words.


    Venri approached him cautiously. ¡°The fight was over in less than eight seconds. There wasn¡¯t much he could do.¡± Her voice was like someone talking to a startled dog, not sure if it was friendly or vicious.


    Matt summoned a healing potion. ¡°I will let him off with a warning this time then.¡± Matt chuckled as he took off his helmet and drank the contents of the vial. He had lost a decent little chunk of HP and thought he could feel fractures and muscle tears in his shoulder. As the flavorless liquid ran down his throat, he felt the healing energies directed to his internal wounds. The potion healed for 100 HP which was enough to nearly top him off.


    Matt rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. He didn¡¯t feel any pinch or tightness anymore so figured he would only have some bruising. Even the bruise would fade within a day as his natural vitality restored his hit points.


    Once again, he moved toward the rocks but stopped short this time and waiting. He gave his detection field a few moments to pick up any more surprises before moving in. As he reached the gap between the rocks, he noticed something rather odd.


    There wasn¡¯t enough room between the boulders to actually fit the creatures that came out of it. He had personally witnessed over 10 of them pour out of the hole when they began the assault. The only thing in there was a meter wide, red, glowing disk.


    The disk was hovering vertically and almost looked like a clock face that was overly embellished with runes. It was also clearly the source of the haze. Leaking out from the center was the black miasma that they could see hovering around the small hill. He tried identifying the disk, but it didn¡¯t return much.


    Dungeon Entrance (Corrupted)


    Matt looked at the stones around him and had an idea. He called over Van and a couple other pilots to help him. Each of the 4 stones was grabbed by one of the constructs and, as one, they pulled them apart, dragging and rolling the boulders away. Once the stones were moved away, Matt saw the disk change, growing to be about double its size but otherwise doing nothing.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Jess asked from the open hatch of her construct.


    Lisk looked over, leaning out from his own open hatch. ¡°Well, what were you expecting?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Not a goofy looking clock.¡±


    Matt sighed, grateful that nobody could hear it while he was sealed up. He felt Echo come up behind him and push his scaley head into his empty hand. Getting the message, Matt waked forward and touched the disk, immediately getting a System message.


    Forest Dungeon (Corrupted)


    Requirements: E Grade


    Restrictions: 5-person party.


    Detecting - Class ¨C Pilot ¨C analyzing.


    Constructs Allowed? No


    Override - Revision: Constructs allowed due to corrupted state.


    Do you wish to challenge (Purge) dungeon? Y/N


    When Matt touched the disk, the System Message had already populated the first 3 lines. The last half of the message scrolled in one line at a time. He took his hand off the disk and turned to face the group that had gathered.


    ¡°So, here¡¯s the deal.¡± Matt began. He then proceeded to lay out his plan on who would take on the dungeon with him.


    *****


    Back in the city, Tobias and Franklin were looking at another map. This one was the expanded version that the expedition had used. Tobias was explaining how he had done some calculations and some complex mathematics and had to share the results.


    ¡°You pretty much just looked at the points of interest and went ¡®huh, I wonder if there is one in that direction too?¡¯ didn¡¯t you?¡± Franklin asked after Tobias has spouted some nonsense about statistical averages and probability.


    ¡°Ahh, yeah. That¡¯s pretty much exactly how it went.¡±


    Franklin sighed as he looked at the stupid grin plastered across the human¡¯s face. It made sense to him. So far, they had found 3 points of interest. Each one in a cardinal direction from the city. The trial to the South, the mines to the East and the dungeon to the West. It made sense that there would also be one due north. Into the valley and mountains beyond it.


    ¡°Any idea what it is or where? There was nothing on the map I purchased from the System, but it wasn¡¯t very complete to begin with.¡± Frank asked after a few moments of contemplation.


    Tobias started manipulating the map, zooming in on the northern area as he spoke. ¡°So far, I can only guess at the distance. Given the location of the other 3 POI¡¯s it would be around 75 to 125 kilometers away, if the trend is consistent.¡± Tobias paused, thinking as he highlighted the area on the map. ¡°I would guess at another resource of some sort. We have the dungeon and trial for growth locations and the mine is the only other resource which is strictly producing metal ores so far.¡±


    Franklin had to agree, it would make sense to get another natural resource. He had no idea what that would be, but anything had to be good. It was in their territory but now they just had to control it. ¡°Should we send some people to check it out or¡­¡± he trailed off as he looked back to Tobias.


    Tobias knew why Franklin trailed off and seized the moment. ¡°Let Matt do it. He can probably run a solo recon over there when he gets back.¡± Tobias paused, walking over and shutting the door before continuing. ¡°Frank, between you and me, He needs this. Not the resource or whatever is there but the agency and freedom to do it. If we pile too much responsibility on him, it will bury him under the duty and stunt his growth making him useless to the city.¡±


    ¡°What if he gets killed or decides to wander off, maybe finds another settlement or city to join.¡±


    Tobias shrugged. ¡°What if he does? Frank he¡¯s a big boy that can take on his own risk and he¡¯s not going to abandon us. I¡¯m here and he actually does like you, Rohm and the commandos. We can be the roots for him to branch from. The other thing is the pilot traits and how constructs work.¡±


    Franklin looked confused at the last part. ¡°What do you mean how constructs work?¡±


    Tobias sighed, face palmed and looked up at the orc. ¡°Have a seat, this will take a while.¡± He then added as an afterthought. ¡°Don¡¯t spread this around, it¡¯s not exactly classified but probably shouldn¡¯t be common knowledge just yet.¡±


    After an hour-long discussion on the nature of pilots and a little hint at Matt¡¯s own. Franklin sat with his head in his hands. After a few minutes of digesting the information, he looked back up to Tobias. ¡°If you will excuse me, I am going to check in on how his house is coming along.¡± He then stood, and quietly left the forge while muttering under his breath about the System and insane pilots.

 Chapter 45 – Over the Hill and Through the Woods…

    Chapter 45 ¨C Over the Hill and Through the Woods¡­


    Forest Dungeon (Corrupted)


    Requirements: E Grade (Met)


    Restrictions: 5-person dive. (Count: 4 divers, 3 Constructs, 1 Familiar.)


    Objectives: Clear all challenges, defeat all enemies, purify/destroy Dungeon core.


    Rewards: Variable based on race/species and class.


    Matt materialized on a rocky plane overlooking a forested valley in what appeared to be twilight. Behind them was a near vertical wall of rock, which he assumed to be the edge of this dungeon. The ambient light was the kind of lighting that would be a problem with the gain on his night vision, if not for his now superhuman sight. He looked to his left and right spotting Jess and Lisk, his rear helmet camera already showed him Venri sitting behind him. He then looked down and saw Echo circling just in front of him, sniffing at the ground.


    Taking a knee in his mech, Matt began to scan his environment, Jess and Lisk followed suit shortly after. ¡°Anyone see anything noteworthy?¡± He asked. His current task was looking at his thermal display and adjusting his cameras slowly to try and pinpoint any hot spots.


    ¡°Nothing here, just the fog.¡± Lisk said, Jess agreeing moments later.


    Fog? Matt didn¡¯t see any¡­ oh, right. He was able to look right through it with the optics on the mech. ¡°Well, the fog doesn¡¯t bother my cameras so I can spot for us.¡± He did one more sweep but didn¡¯t see anything. ¡°It looks like there isn¡¯t anything immediately inside the tree line and that is clearly where we need to go.¡±


    ¡°How do we want to do this?¡± Jess asked, Matt saw her switch to a cannister load for her cannon.


    Matt broke down a marching order which was pretty much a triangle with him at the point. Jess and Lisk would trail behind and staggered to either side while Echo roamed and just acted like the fanged menace that he was. Venri was along for technical support and to act as a healer and mobile pharmacy. With everyone set, Matt moved ahead off the open ground and into the looming trees.


    The woods reminded Matt very much of where he and Tobias had first entered the forest on their way to the city. The trees were massive, and the undergrowth was sparse, a double-edged sword if there ever was one. While it would prevent them from being ambushed, they would be complete exposed as they moved. Still, there was plenty of room for them to stay in formation as they advanced.


    After the first kilometer, Matt called a halt when he got a mental image from Echo. The drake had made his way into a tree and was sending images of a group of mutated beasts moving their way. Matt began relaying the info of the 30 beasts to the other pilots while they arranged into a defensive formation. The fog was thick enough to limit their sight to around 200 meters, except for Matt. He had the benefit of his detection field and his thermal optics.


    ¡°Contact. 8 O¡¯clock. 500 meters. Engaging.¡± Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang. Matt fired 5 rounds of the unstable variety. Each one slightly offset by the natural cone of fire and reaching a different part of the monster pack. Just as the rounds passed over the front lines, Matt detonated them. Each burst illuminating the fog and sending goblets of molten steel and plasma ripping into the beasts.


    Animal screams could be heard from the freshly ventilated monsters. The cacophony so loud, he could hear it through the mech armor and the noise damping fog. Still more came on and Matt fired another 5-round burst, this time getting even better results as the monsters had clustered after the initial salvo. Once more, monsters fell to the plasma imbued rounds. He could feel the intent in the auras from Jess and Lisk and knew they would be adding to this slaughter in just a moment.


    Boom ¨C Bang ¨C Boom. Once the now smaller horde of monsters came into view, Both Jess and Lisk fired. The Shotgun taking 2 aimed shots with Jess Filling the gap between. As always at these ranges, the nearly 5-centimeter ball bearings made a mess of the thin-skinned mutants. The ground was shredded, like a heard of wild pigs had been rooting around in the area. Not a scrap of it was untouched, leaving the mutants either dead or dying.


    Matt moved into the killing field and popped his hatch. He summoned his rifle and put down the last of the mutant animals that were still moving. There wasn¡¯t any meaning behind it other than conserving mana and using the cheaper ammunition to generate. He also didn¡¯t want to risk moving in and risking injury from sone of them either playing dead or with a little fight left in them.


    After sealing himself back inside, he gave the order to continue moving forward. They would stay on their current course as it took them through a relatively narrow valley, which would surely draw the mutants in. They fortunately had Echo constantly moving from side to side, sniffing out any that might be hiding and putting them to the fang, so to speak.


    They faced a few more encounters. Most of the beasts that came for them were in small groups of around 5. It seemed the dungeon or whatever was controlling it didn¡¯t want to commit but wanted to keep them occupied. Matt didn¡¯t mind, he had picked up another level since entering and knew that the other 2 had as well. He thought things were getting a little stale until Echo flashed him another image.


    Just as they were breaking through a stand of rather thick palms, Matt saw the ¡°bridge¡± that they had to traverse. It was made of stone and spanned a rather sizeable gap. The problem was the bridge was only 3 meters wide if he counted the balustrade. On the other side of the 100-meter gap was more woods framed by the cliff faces on either side. Classic railroading Matt thought to himself.


    Echo was lying flat on his stomach and looking down into the depths. And depths they were, the bottom not being visible even when illuminated with Matts weapon lights. The drake growled and slid himself back, scooting with his belly just hovering off the ground so he wouldn¡¯t fall in.


    ¡°Well, looks like we leave the mechs here.¡± Matt said over the radio and popped his hatch. ¡°Unless either of you have some sort of ability to clear that gap?¡±


    Jess was the first to respond after a few seconds of silence. ¡°No, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little odd that the dungeon put this here? An obstacle that perfectly defeats our con¡­ mechs.¡± She stumbled over the word, her and the rest of the commandos were doing their best to adapt to the term.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this was meant to defeat our mechs.¡± Lisk began. ¡°Remember the dungeon said originally, they weren¡¯t allowed. This was likely another sort of obstacle.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a trap for sure.¡± Matt said as he hopped out of his mech and helped Venri do the same. ¡°I am fully expecting an ambush once we are about three quarters the way over.¡±


    Venri looked up at him. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan then?¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t say anything and just pointed to his mech as Van stood back up and moved to get a better firing position. Venri sighed heavily and followed Matt to meet up with Echo and the other pilots. Lisk and Jess had dismounted and moved to take positions near the bridge.


    After a quick huddle to briefly go over the plan, they began to push across the gap. The method was simple and counting on their strengths centered around overwhelming firepower. They would push across as a group with Van providing overwatch. This strategy proved to have been the right choice at around the halfway point.


    Through the narrow canyon mouth and dense undergrowth came another horde of monsters. These mutants were slightly larger than they had seen previously with levels averaging around the high 20¡¯s. Matt¡¯s first guess would be over 50 of them but that didn¡¯t matter so much to him at the moment. He was focused on how fast they were closing.


    ¡°Take em.¡± He yelled. Matt had waited until the mutants were out and fully exposed in the gap between the bridge and the trees. As one, both the party and Van all opened up on the wave of braying monsters. The autocannon from Van stitched a line through their ranks which had narrowed toward the bridge head. Everywhere it impacted, parts of mutant went flying in every direction. The discordant banging of the firing and explosive projectiles ringing like out of sync speakers.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Lisk and Jess cut loose, choosing individual targets in the front ranks of the monsters. The shotgun and assault rifle easily ripping through multiple unarmored bodies. Matt handed a frag grenade to Venri and then threw one himself, landing it just past the far end of the bridge and letting it bounce into the enemy.


    While Matt¡¯s grenade was well placed, Venri¡¯s was absolutely perfect as she threw it as a very shallow angle. The olive-green ball of death bounced twice, in 2 long skips that carried it right under the feet of the front line and into the middle of the monsters. The following explosions causing bits of flesh and bone raining down on their heads.


    Matt saw that they needed to use the secondary portion of the plan and called for them to start backing up. They would use the bridge as a natural choke point which would slow and limit the mutant¡¯s advance but also meant that grenades and the auto cannon were out of the question. None of them were certain how sturdy the bridge actually was and wouldn¡¯t risk it.


    Lisk and Jess were first to break and move back, leaving Matt and Venri to cover. While he was very capable with his rifle, Matt was unsure of how well Venri could hold the line with her revolving rifle contraption. He noticed that it had a 7 round cylinder and saw her loading entire rings of ammunition on something he remembered was called moon clips. She seemed to be pretty fast on the reload, but it was hard not to be when stat points were a thing.


    Matt was firing in short bursts, putting down a mutant every few rounds but he saw the dwarf load a strange looking clip of ammunition. The bullets were a hollow point design but there was an odd blue glow to these. He didn¡¯t have time to think about it as he and Venri kept slowly shuffling backward toward where Rohm and Jess had set up on their side of the bridge.


    Feeling his bolt lock to the rear, Matt let his team know he was reloading. He was looking around as he changed magazines and saw Venri take aim and fire at the nearest mutant, a level 31 bear thing. The round streaked across the gap and struck the beast in its shoulder as is seemingly tried to duck under the incoming bullet.


    The mutant let out a howl that ran a shiver up Matts. He couldn¡¯t help himself as he watched the monster¡­dissolve? No, it was burning. The glow had turned from a pale blue around the bullet hole, to a red-orange that rapidly spread across the torso. It burned away a massive hole in the body of the mutant bear, eating through muscle and bone alike as it collapsed in a smoking heap. The other mutants didn¡¯t seem to care and charged on heedlessly.


    Venri fired 6 more times, each one taking an enemy in the torso and each one leaving a half-burned body behind. Lisk and Jess were able to get in on the action and help finish off the rest of the enemies. Once everything had been killed and Van took out a few that tried to sneak back into the woods, they had another quick huddle.


    ¡°Ok, just as planned except for one thing.¡± Lisk said before pointing right at Venri. ¡°What in the actual fuck was that?¡± Matt was rather impressed, that was the most passion he had seen from the demon other than when talking about shotguns.


    Kicking at the ground, Venri muttered under her breath. When Matt and the other just stared at her, she spoke a little louder. ¡°I made a concoction from some materials I got from Matt. Then I refined it into a solid but rather volatile state.¡± She pulled out one of the clips with 7 rounds, the tips all faintly glowing blue. ¡°It¡¯s tied to my classes and I¡¯m not sure if the effect would be as great with others using it.¡±


    Hearing the possible limitations, all their faces fell. Matt said they should still do some testing after they got out of the dungeon and Venri happily accepted. He was also curious about what ingredients that he had given her to make such a compound. The conversation fell apart after that, and they all looked toward the far wood line. The chat had been as much a time waster as anything, delaying in case there would be another wave.


    With nothing left to do, they set off across the bridge once again. Echo was trailing them before he broke off once they reached the far side uncontested. Matt watched him go, scaling the trees and cliff face to get better vantage points. The entire time, Echo was sending mental images of what he saw, intended and otherwise could sense. Matt could do without the enhanced sense of smell and the drake¡¯s impressions of the mutant musk.


    ¡°This will be our fallback point in case we get separated and need to break contact. Lisk, you and Jess are one team. Do not lose sight of each other.¡± Matt reminded the group before they plunged into the undergrowth. ¡°Venri, do your best to keep up with me if that happens, I won¡¯t leave you, but I won¡¯t hesitate to have Echo pick you up either.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± Venri said, sounding more pleading than offended. She seemed to have a sort of rivalry with Matts scaled companion.


    ¡°Ha! Better run fast then.¡± With a laugh, Matt set up the marching order and they pushed into the undergrowth.


    The dungeon seemed to have a knack for creating little hidey holes for Matt and his group to stumble across as they made their way through the second part of the forest. They passed countless trees with hollows under the roots. Boulders creating gaps as they leaned against each other and bushes so dense they might as well have been hedging rows. It was from these places that the party was attacked.


    Boom. Lisk fired a slug into a mutant that looked a little too much like a wendigo. ¡°Reloading.¡± The demon called as he topped up his magazine tube. ¡°It seems like there is no end to these monsters.¡± He had taken to loading most of his magazine with slug, preferring the single large projectile in these tight, overgrown confines.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about them being endless but they are literally behind every rock.¡± Jess said over the team channel.


    ¡°Yeah, and you guys aren¡¯t even seeing the ones that Echo is picking off.¡± Matt added. He was still getting flashed mental images from his companion. It was rather disturbing to see the process of how the drake stalked then ambushed the mutants. While the fog had completely vanished, Echo still managed to take down plenty of the monsters.


    Venri shuddered next to him. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, says the girl that literally burns her enemies from within.¡± Matt shot back.


    ¡°If it works, it works. My class has limits on the ways to scale damage output.¡± The dwarf paused for a minute. ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t, but I have limits on the effect.¡±


    ¡°Bloody cheaters.¡± Jess murmured. ¡°Am I the only normal one in this group?¡±


    Without missing a beat, Matt, Lisk and Venri, all turned to her and said ¡°Yes.¡± After a brief laugh, they continued to push on into the woods. Echo had found the end of the section and was sending Matt images that he couldn¡¯t quite make sense of.


    After pushing through another series of boulders and hedge, the team broke into an open area with a tunnel¡­ in the floor. Matt assumed it was a tunnel anyway since he could see the bottom slope away and under the cliff in front of them. All along the rim were hundreds of sets of prints in the dirt and mud. This was likely where the source of the mutants was, or at least the path to it.


    ¡°You guys are probably going to want these.¡± Matt said as he handed a single frag grenade each to Lisk and Venri. ¡°Sorry Jess, I can only make 2 at a time.¡±


    ¡°You can make it up to me by letting me stay up here?¡± The elf phrased it as half statement and half question.


    Matt thought for a moment before responding. ¡°Sure, you stay up here, surrounded by brush and forest on all sides while we go down there with only one direction to keep an eye on between the 4 of us.¡±


    ¡°A joke of course.¡± Jess hurriedly said as Matt pointed out the crucial flaw in her plan.


    They slid down the slopes and into the hole one at a time. Matt went first since he could teleport up if he really needed to. The others kept an eye on the opening, guns trained on the dark tunnel. One by one, they joined him on the tunnel floor. Venri followed immediately behind him, moving to the opposite side of the tunnel.


    To Matts surprise, the tunnel was actually a natural formation and this hole appeared to have been a collapse or perhaps purposefully dug out by the mutants. Looking into the darkness, Matt could see the natural shape to the walls and even some of the formations made by dripping water. The tunnel walls were about 30 meters apart but varied as the passage twisted out of sight. The ceiling was also low, not more than 5 meters at any given point.


    After Lisk slid down the slope, Echo hopped down, displaying impressive agility and stealth as he didn¡¯t make a sound. Venri and Matt had taken up positions on either side of the tunnel, Keeping an eye out for any ambushes. Unfortunately, that was just what was in store as Jess was the last one down after muttering under her breath about mutants and the dark.


    A wall of red appeared in Matts detection field, showing a mass of enemy contacts. Without hesitation, he fired down the tunnel, taking the first of them as it rounded a natural bend. The mutants seemed to be mostly of a wolf and lizard variety but had levels in the low 30¡¯s. He just imbued every round and fired into the front runners. The projectiles would pass right through, but that was fine when there were even more mutants behind the front row.


    Venri threw her grenade, arcing it perfectly to land in the middle of the tunnel as the front ranks ran over it. A few must have kicked it around since it detonated more to the side than where it had landed. Still, the pressure heaved a dozen of the monsters into the air. Seeing his chance, Lisk threw his own grenade with wildly different results.


    The grenade in question hit one of the hanging pieces of stone on its journey to the mutant horde. From there, it bounced backward toward Venri before hitting a boulder and clattering toward Matt. It came rolling right up to his feet and he did the first thing he could think of. He kicked it.


    Sweeping his foot downward and channeling the memory of every time he ever kicked a ball; Matt punted the grenade like his life depended on it. The grenade raced out in a flat arc toward the mutants and exploded just in front of them. The blast threw more dust and bodies into the air, but they still kept coming.


    Matt had enough and pulled out his rocket launcher from his storage. He selected the delayed fuse mode before centering the sight on the front of the horde and pulling the trigger. The rocket raced out, passing right through a rather large lizard like monster, turning its top half to mush before it exploded in the middle of the pack. The distance had closed to less than 100 meters, but he didn¡¯t care and ducked back behind his cover as the center of the tunnel turned into to fireball.


    After the echoing explosion died down and they confirmed there were no more mutants making their way up the tunnel, Matt turned to Lisk. ¡°That, was the worst throw ever, of all time.¡±


    The demon at least had the good graces to look abashed, refusing to even make an excuse. What surprised Matt was Venri. She stomped over, grabbed Lisk by the armor and shook him like a rag doll as she verbally laid into him. He was utterly flabbergasted by the sight and just had to sit back and watch the show.

 Chapter 46 – Cool downs and takedowns

    Chapter 46 ¨C Cool downs and takedowns


    The tunnel was dead silent other than the occasional scrape of a boot. Nobody made a peep as Matt led them through the rocky passage. None of them wanted to get on Venri¡¯s bad side at that moment.


    The verbal tongue lashing she had given Lisk was truly masterful. Matt had heard some good insults in his days. The military and contracting would ensure anyone would be fluent in the ways of insults but Venri took the craft to an entirely different level. Matt was pretty sure Lisk¡¯s ancestors felt the burn on some of them. The strange part was that most of it was oriented around the risk he put Matt in.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure, but he was getting the feeling that Venri was up to something. Her aura was strange at the best of times, and he couldn¡¯t quite figure out what the emotion she emitted was. Her intent also spiked with strange feelings at odd intervals. He was still sure that the dwarf didn¡¯t mean them any harm, but still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was up.


    While walking, Matt decided to allocate his free points after picking up a level in the tunnel ¡®incident¡¯. He was now sitting at level 38. While he hoped that he could break 40 in the dungeon, he had plans for after this was finished. As traditional, he allocated most of his points but kept 10 in reserve. He didn¡¯t plan to have another snake incident but was prepared just in case.


    After rounding a double bend in the tunnel, Matt could see light through his night vision. The light seemed to be like that of mid-day but had an odd color to it when amplified by the night vision of his helmet. He signaled to his team to slow down while he crept forward to get a closer look.


    The tunnel ended in a slight rise before dropping away in a short slope that revealed the exit. The light coming in was tinted in color. The sight reminded Matt of the colored filters used in some movies and video games. The kind of filter that would set a theme and was typically slightly stereotypical. This one looked like¡­ smoke, but not?


    Matt had seen smoke filled skies, the result of entire cities burning. This had the same hazy brown distortion, but he couldn¡¯t smell any smoke. His helmet wasn¡¯t filtering, and he also had no warning of contaminants in the air. The dissonance was starting to get to him, so he crept down the tunnel, laying on his belly and crawling over the slight hill to get a look outside.


    It turned out that Matt wasn¡¯t far off in relating the light to smoky skies, but the source was very different. Instead of plumes rising off the ground and creating a fog in the sky, the cloud cover was entirely a brown, black mix. The smoky cloud cover was complete but thin as it completely blanketed the hellscape of a valley that lay before them. He signaled for his team to join him and get a look.


    The only way Matt had to describe what had happened to the woods was as if someone had churned the soil. Churned it with a giant mixer with no regard for the trees and brush mixed in with the soil. Then, after churning, poured it back in the mold of the valley and topped it with a basalt castle for a centerpiece.


    The others joined Matt in watching the scene, and they collectively swore at the sight. Not only was the terrain an absolute mess, but it was also patrolled by hundreds of the mutants. The patrols consisted of groups ranging from 10 to 20 with levels consistently in the mid 30¡¯s.


    ¡°What the fuck happened here?¡± Jess muttered under her breath.


    ¡°Corruption I would assume. Though, to be fair, I have no idea what that means.¡± Lisk said, seemingly unphased.


    Matt was counting the patrols and watching for any patterns in their movement. While he didn¡¯t have much hope for a logical path for them to take, the mutants had shown some cunning so far. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what happened as much as how we deal with it.¡± Matt began after a few moments watching the movements of the monsters. ¡°We have only 2 real options in this situation. We can try and sneak our way through or kill our way through. Given what we know about the victory conditions, we are going to have to kill them all anyway.¡±


    Venri was first to speak up. ¡°So, what you are saying is that we either kill them on the way to the castle or we kill them once we reach it.¡± She was stating the obvious but had it right.


    ¡°How about we lure them to the cave? We can use it as a choke point to control the flanks.¡± Jess suggested.


    ¡°That was my thought as well.¡± Matt said. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t get all of them, we might be able to thin their numbers enough to ensure we don¡¯t get surrounded.¡± Matt was pleased with her suggestion. To him it showed that the commandos were learning, and that the codex had worked.


    The group spent the next half an hour working up a plan to deal with the large numbers of mutants wandering the broken and shattered remains of the forest. Their plan would rely heavily on the cave opening as a fallback point but rely more on the cliff walls behind them.


    *****


    The sun beat down on the weasel mutant as it followed the pack leader around a dense thicket of splintered trees. It didn¡¯t know that the sun shouldn¡¯t do that with how dense the smokey cloud cover was but also didn¡¯t know any different. It paused for just a few moments to try and dig at a particular spot under a log but gave up after a growl from the pack leader. It turned to catch up but was distracted by a noise. A very loud noise followed by another loud noise and very bright light that turned the pack leader and some other mutants into shreds of bone, skin and meat.


    The weasel jumped back, startled by the impact of the rocket. It then poked its head up, standing on its deformed hind legs to peer around at what the source of the noise was. It could just make out a few other packs turning and charging at a spot on the cliff wall several hundred meters away. It spotted a plume of dust drifting away from a small green and brown striped figure.


    The weasel instantly knew this was the source of the explosion and decided to charge with the other packs. That decision came a second too late as a force impacted its skull, blowing the back of it out and knocking the now dead weasel to the ground. Its twitching corpse was trampled by the rest of the pack in their rush to get the interlopers. The weasel died, trampled and crushed into the mud, never having heard the shot that took its life.


    *****


    ¡°Nice shot, Jess.¡± Matt said as he reloaded his launcher. He planned to fire one more rocket before switching to a more mana friendly method of killing. He had picked out that group as the farthest out they wanted to pull from. The current count was 4 packs bearing down on them from the near side of the valley.


    Shoving the new rocket into the tube and swinging the gate shut, Matt took aim once again, this time selecting a delayed fuse instead of air burst. He fired into the closest of the packs, halving their number in a single explosion. The delayed fuses were excellent at getting into the center of a pack, as long as Matt could guarantee hitting one of the ones in front.


    Matt stowed his launcher after reloading it and summoned his rifle just as Venri opened fire on the group. He joined her slow aimed shots with his own double taps and triple taps. These mutants were more resilient than the previous group, which Matt attributed to their higher levels. Even the increase in durability didn¡¯t save them from the hate that he and Venri could dish out.


    Within a minute, the last of the beasts were killed, none of them getting within melee range of the team. Echo seemed to be a little bored and decided to slink off to have some fun of his own. Matt wished him well on his hunt and was already bracing himself for the mental images that came from the drake ¡®hunting¡¯.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Venri, what is the name of those bullets?¡± Matt asked as he looked at the half-burned bodies laid out before them.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not the bullet but what I put in it. It¡¯s called an ¡®Immolation compound¡¯ and it¡¯s tied to both of my classes. I can make it because of my alchemy class and use it because of my other class and a skill I have.¡±


    Matt pretended not to notice her glossing over her combat class again. ¡°I wish I had something like that.¡± He sighed. He really wanted a force multiplier that wasn¡¯t so mana expensive.


    Lisk decided to weigh in on the conversation. ¡°The rockets you can fire are beyond impressive, Matt. I would never have dreamed such a thing could exist but here it is.¡± Jess was nodding along, clearly agreeing with the demon.


    ¡°Yeah, but its damn expensive to run. I can only get off 20 of those before my mana is drained completely.¡± Matt began to survey the area in front of him, looking for Echo and where their next targets would be.


    Venri just looked at him before summoning a vial with a blue liquid in it. ¡°Don¡¯t you have mana potions? I can give you some if you need them.¡±


    Matt was forced to stare in silence for a few seconds. ¡°You¡¯re not going to fucking believe this¡­¡±


    *****


    Echo got tired of the waiting. Every time Master was with others, he became so slow, boring. He wanted to go back to just him, Master and the metal one. Those days were more fun, less talk, less waiting for the weaker fighters.


    Half the reason Echo sent the mental images of his hunts was to try and tempt his master into letting his true self out. He was not a fan of master¡¯s more reserved persona around others. Still, Echo was a good companion and would find a way to bring out master¡¯s full potential. Maybe he could get the metal one to help?


    The thoughts ended as Echo approached another group of the mutants. He had been listening to the occasional boom from the pipe that Master kept calling ¡®Carl¡¯. Echo didn¡¯t like that weapon but could appreciate its effectiveness. In this case, it was covering his approach and distracting the dozen monsters in his sights.


    Echo had predicted this group would move past a toppled set of trees that he had waited under. He manipulated his scales to match the texture and color of the tree¡¯s branches and bark, not forgetting to leave his lower side black to mimic shadow. His camouflage manipulation was coming along very well, and the recent skill choice only made it better.


    Adaptive Camouflage (Rare)


    Allows the user to change its color and shape to blend into its environment. Multiple natural colors can be replicated. Allows better control over scale size, shape, shine, color and contrast.


    If Echo was able to enhance his skill, he was certain that he could blend into the center of a well-lit room with a little time. He vowed to keep practicing as the group of mutants moved past his position. Waiting for the last in line to pass, Echo snuck out behind the ape mutant.


    These ones were strong and tough, but Echo had found a secret to strong and tough enemies. If he could get behind them, he could bite down on the back of their neck and break it with a shake, if he didn¡¯t pierce the spine with his fangs. He was sure this was a well-known method, but he hadn¡¯t seen anyone else use it in this life. Perhaps one day he would meet another that knew of the magic off switch that was a creature¡¯s spine.


    Waiting patiently, Echo watched the rest of the mutants file through a pile of rocks and made his move. Just before the ape could move through the gap, Echo sprang from cover using his lunging strike skill. He crossed the 10-meter gap in the blink of an eye, snapping his jaws onto the ape¡¯s neck. He let his momentum carry him past the mutant, and then the weight of his body caught up, letting inertia do its thing.


    Echo felt the vertebrae separate under his jaws and the apes body go slack. Rolling with the impact and landing, he dragged the body off the trail and up into a mess of branches just over a hill. He left the mutant after slitting its throat. He knew well that enemies could still be alive after they fall down and refused to make that mistake again.


    Returning to the trail, Echo followed the rest of the pack through the gap, keeping low and slow to avoid being spotted. His species already didn¡¯t have a smell, so the only way he would be noticed is if they caught him moving when his camouflage wasn¡¯t as effective. He peeked his head through the gap on the other side of the rock pile, getting a look at the next mutant in line.


    This one was a reptile of some sort or at least Echo thought so because it had scales. There was a hard bony ridge that ran down from the top of its head to its hips, covering the spine. Large scales and armored plates radiated out from that ridge, completely covering the back of the beast. He thought this one might be a bit of a challenge if he was a normal drake like in his previous life. But he was not a normal drake anymore. He now shared in his master¡¯s affinity.


    Stalking up behind the armored beast, Echo imbued his talons with plasma and swiped them across the neck of the mutant. He only went deep enough to sever the spine again. His goal was to avoid leaving too much of a trace. Once again, he dragged the body to a secluded spot and left it. Returning to the trail of the pack, now a few monsters less, Echo sent a series of mental images to master, sharing in the thrill of the hunt. One way or another, he would get master to embrace the joys of fighting like his heritage and class demanded.


    *****


    3 empty vials formerly known as mana potions were in Matts expense pouch. The mana situation was solved but now he was starting to feel the effects of firing off over 50 rockets. This had been his first mass use of potions and he had to say the effect was weird.


    Potions had a soft cooldown on them. If you drank one potion, it started the 1-hour cooldown like normal. If you had a second within that time, the potion was only half as effective but also added 30 minutes to the cooldown. Every additional would half the effectiveness of the previous one but still add 30 additional minutes to the cooldown.


    All this was to say that Matt had spent the last 2 hours firing rockets into the valley followed by a brief, but fierce defensive gunfight followed by another rocket. Despite not having a mana problem, he was still feeling the effects of the concussive blast from each rocket. He remembered the limits they had for ranges using explosives was because of blast trauma more than budget. This time, he had the ¡°Concussed (Mild)¡± status in his character sheet to let him know he over did it.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± Jess said after they finished with the last group of mutants. ¡°I swear anymore and I¡¯ll be bleeding from my ears.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Matt said as he pulled off his helmet. For him it wasn¡¯t as bad, more feeling the pains in his chest rather than his head. Score one for a sealed helmet.


    ¡°I take back every nice thing I said about that damn thing.¡± Lisk added on. He had backed far away after the 10<sup>th</sup> rocket. Jess had followed shortly after, but they had to return to him every time a group of mutants started moving in.


    Venri seemed as chipper as ever and even taken it as a personal challenge to create a status effect blocking potion. ¡°Here, these should help remove the effect or at least speed up the timer.¡± She handed out a healing potion to everyone. Nobody had any wounds, but they would give it a shot.


    Matt drank his potion and noted that he had gained another level, bringing him up to 39. ¡°One more to go.¡± He said to himself.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Jess asked.


    ¡°Oh, I picked up another level. So, I¡¯m at 39 now.¡±


    The elf stared at Matt, not saying a word after his revelation. Matt didn¡¯t know what was wrong but ran his identify over the group just to confirm a suspicion.


    Elf. Level: 28


    Demon. Level: 28


    Dwarf. Level: 27


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Matt said. Looking down and kicking at the ground.


    ¡°Quick question.¡± Lisk said. ¡°Your trait isn¡¯t a bonus to experience or something right?¡±


    ¡°Follow up.¡± Jess interjected before Matt could respond. ¡°What the actual FUCK!¡± she shouted.


    Matt took a moment to collect himself. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what to tell you. My trait has nothing to do with experience.¡± A second later he added. ¡°It¡¯s probably the risk. Right? The system grants more experience for taking bigger risks. That¡¯s probably why my leveling has slowed recently. I have been doing a lot with you guys around, acting as a safety net.¡±


    Jess just turned and walked off toward the cave opening. After she turned the corner, they all heard the shouting. ¡°It¡¯s slowed down he says! We¡¯re the safety net, he says. What a load of¡­¡± Her words faded as she marched deeper into the cave.


    Lisk looked back to Matt. ¡°I¡¯ll go calm her down.¡± He said before following Jess into the cave but still muttering to himself about Matt¡¯s level.


    Matt looked to Venri and cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Want to join them or is my bullshit not too much for you?¡± He was only half joking. There was starting to be a pattern evident when he talked to others about levels.


    Venri¡¯s aura did something strange and flickered a few different colors and gave off the feeling of annoyance, but he felt the intent was directed elsewhere. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t disparage others for getting too strong. Your exce¡­ just ahead of the curve is all.¡± She coughed lightly, changing where the sentence was going.


    Matt once again caught the hiccup in her speech, and it was the last straw. He vowed that when they returned to Vil¡¯ Krad he would corner her and demand an explanation. He might try to get Tobias to help since he was better with people.


    While waiting for the others, Matt sat down and mentally reached out to Van. He had found that the tunnel blocked his radio, but his mental connection was perfectly clear. To his relief, the core was still there, although complaining more and more of boredom. He said something about the other 2 constructs being rather dull but didn¡¯t elaborate.


    Matt, having nothing else to do, sat back and tried to recover while Echo made his way back. He would end up waiting another half hour for the party to be ready to advance into the valley. This time, they would take on a much-reduced number of mutants before finding out what was in the black fortress.

 Chapter 47 – Straight to the Source

    Chapter 47 ¨C Straight to the Source


    Matt had been on many assault teams in his life. He even had the opportunity to be on some while using the semi-powered armor like what he currently wore. He was always amazed at the speed they could hit an objective with. They had it down to a science in some instances, barely having to bound because of the terrain. All his previous assaults paled compared to this one. There wasn¡¯t any way an earth infantry squad could keep up with his new group of professional hooligans.


    The party had decided to skip trying to take on the remaining 5 groups of mutants that were patrolling in the area. They were betting on the patrols coming to them before long. That didn¡¯t mean they would reach the walls of the fortress unopposed, however.


    As the party ran through the mess that was the valley, they spread out to make a wedge formation with Matt in the middle. One of the patrolling groups of mutants did end up chasing after them but it was quickly solved. Matt and Jess barely slowing as the used their rifles on auto, pumping rounds into the mutants. Lisk cackled like a madman as he blasted a few with his shotgun. Venri and Echo oddly paired up with the drake hobbling some mutants, allowing her to deliver a shot with her special ammunition.


    Matt emptied his last few rounds into a strange rodent that looked like a 2-meter-long badger with mange. He noticed they had cleared the last of them but had started to slow. ¡°Keep pushing!¡± he shouted. The gated entrance to the fort was only a bit over 200 meters away. Lisk and Jess moved up on line, getting back into position as he stowed his rifle and pulled out the recoilless rifle once again.


    ¡°Back blast clear!¡± Matt shouted before firing a delayed fuse round at the gate. Then he quickly loaded a fresh round and fired the second, impact detonating 75-millimeter warhead. The result was mostly as Matt had hoped for.


    The first round knocked right through the iron banded wood, leaving a splintered hole in the left door. It had exploded a fraction of a second later to soften any targets inside but also partly blew the doors outward. The second round was fired from much closer and hit the doors right in the center where he guessed a latch or cross bar would be. Resulting in the pair of 5-meter-tall doors being turned into splinters and twisted iron.


    Matt could hear the screams and braying of wounded creatures as they approached the doors, finally getting a look inside as the dust settled. They slowed as they approached, careful not to get hung up on the ribbons of iron banding that had turned into a bird¡¯s nest of rusted metal and wood splinters.


    Switching to a thermal overlay, Matt was first through the hole in the gates. He saw a mess of blood and body parts coating the fractured flag stone. He fired a few single shots into the heads of several mutants still writhing on the ground. Lisk moved off to his right, following a bloody drag trail to an alcove in the entry way. 2 echoing booms later and he came back out, stuffing 2 more rounds in his magazine tube.


    The demon flashed Matt a thumbs up. ¡°Clear right.¡±


    ¡°Clear left¡± Venri called as she and Echo came out of their alcove.


    Matt looked down the long and wide hallway they stood before, scanning the darkness for any sign of life. ¡°Lisk¡­ ah, actually, Jess can you come over here?¡±  He looked to the far door and estimated it was about 15 meters from the entryway they stood in. ¡°Take these.¡± He handed her a pair of frag grenades.


    ¡°What do you want me to do with these?¡± The elf asked.


    ¡°You roll one down the hall, I throw a flash which goes off first then you roll the second but stop it a little closer.¡± Matt explained his plan. ¡°Frags take longer to go off but the flash might spook something out of cover. We will hide in the alcoves.¡± Jess nodded and moved away. Matt didn¡¯t miss the look on Lisk¡¯s face, showing the demon was still embarrassed.


    They split up, moving to opposing alcoves. Matt made a bowling gesture, prompting Jess to roll her first grenade. Matt followed it up with the flash bang landing right in the middle of the hall. Then the second frag rolled out, slower than the first. They both ducked back into cover, rifles ready.


    BANG! BOOM, BOOM. The grenades went off in almost perfect timing. Sure enough, from the ceiling dropped 2 long skinny figures which were then shredded by the 2 frags going off. Matt and team popped out of cover and moved down the hall, stopping only long enough to make sure the snake things were dead. When they made the door on the far side, Matt was amazed at how tight it was sealed, no light coming through.


    ¡°Alright lets get ready to breach.¡± Matt said but Echo flashed some images in his mind. ¡°Wait, Echo will take this one.¡± They all stepped back and took up defensive positions.


    Echo stepped up to the door and dragged his claws down the wood in a few places, tilting his head like he was listening for something. Then he backed up, shook like a dog getting out of water and opened his mouth as wide as he could.


    Matt felt the mana building in his companion. He recognized the skill as the same one the drake had used on one of the giant metal boars. With a roar comparable to a jet engine, Echo bathed the door in blue hot plasma. The beam started from the base and quickly burned through, allowing Echo to bring it up quickly, melting and burning where the 2 doors met.


    Echo backed away shaking his head like trying to get a tase out of his mouth and Matt took over. ¡°Go, go, go. Breach left.¡± Matt called, 4 sets of boots clashed with the charred remains of the doors and flung them open. 5 meters in front of the door was the corpse of a very large¡­ something. Clearly it had been waiting on the other side wanting to ambush them.


    After he saw the corpse, Matt saw the rest of the rundown courtyard. He was not ready for what was in front of him. All around were the twisted and mutated remains of hundreds of animals. Each one was so distorted he could only guess at what the original was supposed to be. In the middle of it all was a mass of bone and sinew formed into a 4-meter-tall bipedal shape.


    Patriarch of Corrupted Flesh. Level 53


    ¡°What the fuck is that supposed to be?¡± Venri said.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure, but the hunched creature was clearly the mastermind of this corrupted mess. Its arms were far too long for its body and Matt counted 3 joints in each besides the one elbow he would expect. Each hand was a mess of long blade like nails at the end of each of the 4 fingers The legs were similar in their construction, with an extra knee joint and ending in taloned hooves. Matt didn¡¯t think that was possible but then again, nothing about this thing made sense.


    The torso was hunched with dense, banded muscles that clearly distorted the shape of the spine. There was a film of skin, but it looked diseased and just¡­ wrong. The head was adorned with a crown of horns that pointed in almost every direction and framed the face of a cow like animal.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡± Matt finally responded as he stepped forward with Echo. ¡°Stick to the plan and take care of the remainder.¡± His focus was beginning to narrow in the way he associated with his trait and the wrathful nature of his spirit.


    The patriarch loosed a long honking bellow from its bovine like mouth. It began to move toward the group, but Matt stepped forward to intercept it. Echo faded off into the shadows at the base of the walls, lurking and waiting for his chance to strike. Matt noted that the monster moved on all for limbs but didn¡¯t really put weight on its arms, showing it was bluffing.


    Shit, the fucker is smart. Matt thought as he leveled his rifle, centering the chevron of his reticle on its forehead and pulled the trigger. A trio of rounds impacted the skull between and just above the bulging eyes, but none penetrated. Before the zipping of the first three rounds faded, he fired a second burst of imbued rounds, but the patriarch ducked the shot and charged him. I should have imbued the rounds from the start.


    Matt had to teleport to dodge the lunging swipe of a clawed hand. He quickly learned that the monster knew exactly where he showed up as it kicked out at him with its foot. Matt rolled out of the way and avoided the blow. He then noticed the eyes scattered within the horns of the patriarch, giving it complete awareness of its surroundings.


    Looking past the patriarch, Matt saw the rest of his party moving to defend the entrance. Venri looked at his fight like she wanted to interfere, but Jess pulled her back on task and set her up on one side of the hall with Lisk. He refocused on the patriarch just in time to see it flip around and crab walk toward him in a very disturbing way that kept its head away from him. That was fine with Matt, he could always go for a mobility kill.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Bang, Bang, Bang. A trio of imbued rounds impacted one of the knee joints closest to Matt. He noted that the monster screeched in a sound that reminded him of a train locking up its brakes on a rusted track. He was happy to see this burst had some effect but was disappointed to see the wounds healing over quickly. Ducking out of the way to avoid another flailing kick, Matt considered his options.


    He could try and wear it down by attrition, using mana for ammo to whittle down its health pool. While that idea would likely work, he wanted to end this faster. The other option that came to mind was to remove the limb and see how that worked. In the end, he figured it couldn¡¯t hurt or it couldn¡¯t hurt him.


    Matt teleported again, this time popping up in a position direct at the side of the monster but 20 meters away. He fired another burst into the already wounded joint, weakening it further. He then closed with the monster, Tomahawk in hand and swung an imbued blade at the knee. The weapon bit deep but only made it three quarters of the way through.


    Before Matt could make a second strike, a clawed hand came at him from above. He teleported away but fired a line of plasma at the wound as he left. Reappearing at a distance, he surveyed the damage. His inspection was made difficult by the thrashing of the patriarch.


    The leg had been severed at the lower knee joint, cauterized would be a better description but all his attacks had that effect. The severed leg was immediately beginning to rot and disintegrate where it lay on the stone floor. He then saw several of the eyes focus on him and felt a gathering of mana.


    Matt fired a couple long bursts as he backed away. He wasn¡¯t sure what was going on but the mana that was gathering was a greasy grey color and had the look of an oil slick with a rainbow sheen. His rounds continued to pepper the monster as he gained distance from it. Just as he was changing his magazine, the patriarch struck.


    The patriarch flipped itself back into its original standing position, fully facing Matt and let loose with a breath attack. A stream of the greasy grey liquid sprayed toward him, splashing against everything in his vicinity. He dodged and teleported but a large glob of the mess had struck his thigh armor and was eating away at it. He immediately detached that section, abandoning it to fall to the ground where it began twisting and warping.


    ¡°You dirty bird.¡± Matt muttered as he finished his magazine change from atop the crumbling rampart. He had teleported up and to the side wagering that the attack would limit the mobility of the patriarch. He had been partly right. While it could still move, it was much slower, and the stream died off before it reached him. Before he could begin to plan his next move, Echo flashed him an image of a plan that could work out.


    Matt prepped a flash grenade, pulling both pins and holding the spoon down in his left hand. He then readied his tomahawk in his right before rushing toward the patriarch. He was sure to hold his weapon high, easily seen with its glowing blade which the mutant focused on. Just as he closed within 10 meters with his telegraphed attack, making sure every eye of the monster was on him, he lobbed the flash bang and teleported backward as far as possible and pulled out his rifle.


    The flash bang detonated a couple meters in front of the monster, and it roared in pain. Every eye on its head closed in a sympathetic reaction to the concussive pressure and light. As that happened, Echo appeared from the shadows, leaping at an arm. The drake collided with the patriarch, taking it to the ground and using his mana slash to separate the arm at the upper most elbow joint. He then jumped back, turning tail to dash away toward the walls.


    Echo¡¯s attack had left the monster rolling in pain and it thrashed on the ground. Matt seized the opportunity and fired a magazines worth of unstable round at the monster¡¯s torso, hoping to pepper it with enough fragments to do something meaningful. It must have had some effect since he received a rock to the chest for his troubles.


    The patriarch had grabbed at some of the broken stone, picking up a piece nearly 30 centimeters in diameter. It then hurled that boulder directly at Matt with such speed, he was unable to completely dodge or teleport. The jagged chunk of rock hit him square in the chest plate, missing both his arms and rifle by some twist of luck. The result was a broken armor plate and likely some cracked ribs judging by how bad it hurt for him to take a breath. Matt took that personally of course.


    ¡°Oh, you like to throw shit. Here, taste one of these.¡± Matt pitched a frag grenade faster than any baseball pitch in history but that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°And another of these. Ooo, I¡¯m sure you will love this.¡± Matt then threw a flash bang before pulling out his recoilless rifle. ¡°Carl would like a word with you.¡± He selected air burst and fired. He then pulled out his rifle again and imbued more unstable rounds before marching toward the patriarch. He didn¡¯t even notice his aura and its influence was running rampant and blanketing the entire fortress.


    *****


    Jess was bracing her rifle hard against the door frame leading to the entrance hall. Her and the rest of the team had been holding off a constant stream of mutants. She was engaging them as far away as possible into the hills, Venri took those that made it within the outer gate and Lisk was dealing with any that closed further. So far, he hadn¡¯t needed to fire and the only times the demon did was when he loaded a slug and covered for Venri to reload.


    They were currently dealing with a trio of mutants that had suddenly rounded the corner and rushed the far doors. The fight in the background was beyond distracting but as much as Jess wanted to watch, she had a part to play. A pair of the mutants had managed to get inside the outer doors but they froze after taking another step, their momentum carrying them into the path of Venri and her horrific ammunition. Both were dealt with in short order and before Jess could wonder what made them freeze up, she felt it.


    It was the same aura she had felt when they were ambushed a week ago. That oppressive but uplifting presence that washed over her completely. This time it was much more potent, and she could feel its influence. Her trait made her aware of the promised retribution the aura carried. She then tuned in to the noises behind her.


    Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang. Boom. BOOM. A cacophony of explosions and waves of over pressure assaulted Jess¡¯s sensitive ears and she risked a glance over her should. It took her but a moment to spot the source of the chaos. Matt stalked forward, rifle tucked under his arm and an aura of blue plasma wafting off of him in waves. Everywhere it touched, organic matter burned, scoured and turned to ash under its touch.


    Jess returned her attention to the tunnel. She wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the corrupted patriarch for much longer. She wouldn¡¯t suffer the transgressions of these mutants for a minute more than necessary. She changed her magazine and squared up in the doorway, reinvigorated and more wrathful than ever before.


    *****


    The patriarch was reeling from the multiple explosive devices that Matt had thrown and fired at it. Many of its eyes were ruptured from the over pressure and it was bleeding from hundreds of punctures and tears. Still, he fired every round in his magazine into the beast as it rolled to its feet. It was missing the lower part of its leg and the vast majority of one arm. Along with being mostly blind and probably concussed, it was in rough shape.


    Matt felt the bolt lock back on his rifle and changed magazines as fast as possible. He then stowed his rifle, pulling out the tomahawk and imbuing the cutting edge with his plasma. When he finally closed within 10 meters, he noticed the skin of the patriarch start to crack and char. The beast seemed not to mind since it didn¡¯t flinch away from it, but did seem hesitant.


    Seizing on that moment of hesitation, Matt teleported forward and reappeared just behind the remaining arm of the mutant. He swung for all he was worth, aiming at the long bones between the wrist and last ¡®elbow¡¯. His blade struck true but couldn¡¯t cut all the way through and buried itself into the bone. He wrenched it free and teleported away, leaving a blast of plasma to wash over the monster.


    The patriarch howled in pain as the superheated gasses washed over it in a wave. Most of the eyes closed out of reflex but those that didn¡¯t were burst like overripe grapes. Matt then took a couple long lunging steps forward and buried the spike into its knee. With a twist like he was doing wrenching a stubborn bolt, the kneecap was split into 2 halves. Matt then ducked under the knee but not in time to miss the taloned hand that swatted at him from the side.


    Matt was struck in the waist by the flat of the palm and knocked sideways, sliding to a stop over 15 meters away. He quickly rolled back to his feet, trying to ignore the stabbing pain from what was now definitely broken ribs. He summoned his rifle again and fired a dozen rounds into the still exposed knee. The unstable imbued rounds eventually ripping a hole all the way through. Switching to the tomahawk, he teleported forward to finish the job.


    Arriving in another wave of plasma, Matt struck out at the knee just as he received a mental image from Echo who struck at the remaining arm. With choreography only seen in the best of musical numbers, pilot and drake severed the limbs of the patriarch in showers of charred bone and steaming blood.


    The patriarch roared in pain as it fell face down. It tried to right itself but the stumps of its arms and legs were at differing lengths and it couldn¡¯t find the traction. Echo pounced atop it and smashed it into the stone of the courtyard, using his full weight to pin the monster. Matt then squared up with the head and pulled out his rifle again.


    Matt flipped his selector to full and pinned the muzzle against the center of the patriarch¡¯s forehead just as Echo took another overly deep breath in. Once he felt that his companion had gathered enough mana, Matt pulled and held the trigger. As the imbued rounds began to punch into then through the skull of the patriarch, Echo released a concentrated breath of plasma through the spine of the monster, aimed at the creature¡¯s heart.


    The remaining eyes of the patriarch glared at Matt as he fired his rifle, then they all rolled back as the brain was pulverized. It still had some life, as he hadn¡¯t received a kill notice. The patriarch¡¯s living problem was solved a moment later when the lance of plasma from Echo finally broke through and began to burn at the flag stones beneath its body. Matt sagged, the weight of his injuries and near empty mana pool suddenly beyond his ability to ignore.


    Ass met floor as the pilot¡¯s legs gave out, leaving Matt sitting just beyond a slowly spreading puddle of blackened blood. He looked up to see his companion sitting proudly atop the carcass. ¡°I need a few minutes.¡± Matt said and pulled out a healing potion. The others could hold the gate for a little on their own anyway.

 Chapter 48 – Working Titles

    Chapter 48 ¨C Working Titles


    The defense of the fort was over within minutes after Matt and Echo took down the patriarch. There wasn¡¯t even time for the healing potion to finish its work before the rest of the party began to make their way over to him. He climbed to his feet with the help of Echo, supporting him as he swayed a little. He was coughing up a disturbing amount of blood but figured this was going to happen for the next half hour or so.


    ¡°All done?¡± Matt asked Jess as she and the rest of the party walked up.


    ¡°Yeah, it would seem that the remaining mutants in the dungeon have all been taken care of. You should really check your System messages.¡± Jess responded, saying the last part with just a little sass.


    Matt then took her advice and pulled up the messages that had been buzzing in his head for the past few minutes. He saw some things he was expecting and a bunch that he wasn¡¯t.


    You have killed: Patriarch of Corrupted Flesh. Level 53


    Bonus Experience earned for defeating an enemy above your effective level.


    Class: Pilot - Gunfighter is now level 41.


    Stat points awarded.


    Objectives:


    Clear all challenges. (Complete)


    Defeat all enemies. (Complete)


    Purify/destroy dungeon core. (Transport Party? Y/N)


    He wasn¡¯t expecting to see the dungeon objectives in his System messages but just went with the flow. ¡°Ready to get this over with?¡± he asked the group and got a round of nods. He then selected the option to ¡®transport¡¯ the party. Golden light washed over the group and the interior of the fortress was replaced with a darkened room.


    Matt looked around and found that not only had they been transported but the constructs had come with them. ¡°Hey Van. Sorry for the sudden teleport.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, I am glad to be out of that forest.¡± Seeing the confused look on Matt¡¯s face, Van elaborated. ¡°It was dreadfully boring.¡±


    Returning his attention to the center point of the room, Matt inspected the sphere placed upon the alter. He assumed this was the dungeon core and stepped forward to examine it closer. The green gem like ball was half a meter in diameter and rested upon the pillar, somehow without falling off. As he looked closer, he noticed the greasy grey clouds swirling within the orb. Clearly a manifestation of the corrupted state of the dungeon.


    Once Matt got within arm¡¯s reach of the core, a System message popped up. It provided a lot more context. The window almost was like the flavor text he got when identifying defeated enemies.


    Forest Dungeon Core (Corrupted)


    The corrupted core of a forest dungeon. While in a growth stage, the core of the dungeon was exposed to the concept of mutation, thus corrupting it and allowing its influence to spread to the over world. You have braved the depths of this dungeon, defeated its traps and enemies, now standing before the core with a choice. Do you wish to purify the core and allow it to return to its intended state? Do you wish to destroy the core and gain its experience for yourself?


    Matt looked back to the rest of the party, and they all just stared at him. When he asked what they thought Lisk was the first to say that it was Matt¡¯s call. Taking a moment, he weighed the options and decided to purify the core rather than destroy it.


    He was betting on the dungeon being a better resource in the future and was placing his money on the growth of the entire city over a massive, one-time experience boost. So, without further delay, he placed his hand upon the core and willed it to be purified.


    Core purification in progress.


    Purging contaminated essence.


    Extracting donor resources.


    The first 2 notifications were somewhat expected or at least appropriate. Matt assumed there would be a bit of a process to ridding the core of corruption. However, he wasn¡¯t exactly ready to be used as a fuel source to make up for the lost material. In a sudden and mostly painless process, a full third of all his resource pools were drained, absorbed by the core. To an outside perspective, he touched the core, nasty grey stuff was ejected causing the core to shrink. Then the core glowed before rapidly expanding to its original size before Matt collapsed face down.


    Venri rushed to his side, beating even Echo. ¡°Matt! What happened?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fuuuuccckkk.¡± Matt groaned. He then removed his helmet to roll over and take deep breaths while lying flat on his back. ¡°The core needed to make up for lost material. It took a third of all my resources.¡± He finally explained a few moments later.


    ¡°Would have been nice for the System to tell you that beforehand.¡± Lisk commented dryly.


    ¡°Yeah, no shit sherlock.¡± Matt sniped after sitting up. Taking the offered mana potion from the dwarven alchemist. After he knocked it back, he looked back to Lisk. ¡°Sorry, mana exhaustion is rough.¡±


    Lisk just waved him off. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± He then looked at the orb. ¡°So, what now?¡±


    The System then chose that moment to bombard them with messages while it formed 4 gem encrusted boxes in a line beside the core¡¯s pedestal.


    Forest Dungeon (Corrupted) ¨C Completed


    Rewards:


    Loot Chest (Legendary)


    Experience: Class: Pilot ¨C Gunfighter is now level 43


    Titles:


    Dungeon Explorer


    Be the first to delve a dungeon and survive while completing all challenges.


    +25 all stats


    Incorruptible


    Spend an extended amount of time fighting corrupted creatures or within corrupted areas without falling to its influence.


    +5% all mental Stats


    Dominant Existence


    Completely dominate a higher-level opponent through strength of arms.


    +5% all physical stats


    Matt was feeling a little overwhelmed, but it didn¡¯t seem he was alone. The rest of the party was also standing around gawking at their status screens or possibly the empty air in front of their faces. Matt couldn¡¯t believe the titles and even levels that had just fallen in his lap. He briefly wondered what would have happened if he had destroyed the core but didn¡¯t waste much time on it. Instead, Matt allocated his surplus of free points after back-to-back level ups.


    Moments later, Jess finally snapped out of her fugue and looked around. ¡°Are those what I think they are?¡± She asked, pointing to the loot chests. The question seemed to snap Lisk and Venri out of it and they all moved over to inspect the chests.


    ¡°How do we know which is which?¡± Lisk asked. ¡°Like, which one belongs to each of us?¡±


    Matt walked over to join them. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they are only assigned once you open them. Jess could pick any and get the same items from each.¡± He then went to the one on the end of the line and opened the hatch. ¡°Yup, this one is mine.¡±


    The chest had opened to reveal 3 items that were geared for him specifically, well, him and Echo. He pulled out the first and began to inspect it in greater detail but noticed he was the only one. He then waved his hand at the crates which got the others to move forward and open them. Shaking his head, he went back to his new items.


    Portable container of ritual persistence. (Legendary)


    A self-storing and unpacking ritual circle that can be used for up to 5 preset rituals. Rituals used with this item last longer and consume less resources. Provides assistance to those that don¡¯t have a ritual skill.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Personal Equipment Enhancement Token (Epic)


    Can be used on one piece (or set piece) of personal equipment. Can only enhance up to epic quality. Can be used to create epic quality equipment at forge.


    Armband of telepathic projection (Epic)


    Allows for a summoned familiar to project their telepathic communications to those beside the summoner. Range is determined by grade. Does not provide language or translation.


    ¡°This one is for you buddy.¡± Matt said as he held the armband up for Echo to see. ¡°Want me to put it on?¡± The drake wandered closer and held out a paw. Matt slipped the band over and slid it up but noticed that it didn¡¯t stay. Just as he was wondering what to do about it, Echo pushed some mana into the silver band, and it shrunk down to fit snugly just below his elbow.


    Immediately after, in typical Echo fashion, he stalked up behind Jess and flashed an image that Matt also saw. The drake sent her the image of himself lunging at her from behind, fangs out and talons splayed. Jess flinched and dove over her loot chest, falling flat on her face as Echo let out his version of a laugh. ¡°This, ah¡­ this might have been a mistake.¡± Matt said as he watched Echo go help Jess up.


    Matt watched the rest of the party finish up with their loot crates and stow the items. He did notice that they received 2 legendary items each. He was strangely OK with that development since he got a legendary and 2 epic items to split between him an Echo. The crate would probably have given me 2 legendary items but split the second to make something for Echo.


    After everyone was done, Matt began to wonder what to do next when the System answered for him.


    Exiting dungeon in 10 seconds.


    Exiting dungeon in 9 seconds.


    Exiting dungeon in 8 seconds¡­


    The message counted down until hitting 0 and they all vanished after being bathed in the golden light of the System. Immediately after, the party appeared outside the dungeon and was now staring at the same disk they had touched to go in. Well, maybe not the same.


    The formerly red disk was now a deep, emerald, green color and rotated slowly in a clockwise direction. The runes that made up the face of the disk had also changed, but Matt wasn¡¯t sure what the difference actually meant. A quick identify showed that the dungeon was the same name but no longer had the corrupted tag.


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Matt turned around to see that a rather haggard looking Rohm was standing behind them. ¡°We had a little incident while you were away.¡±


    Matt surveyed the scene and saw there was a lot of destruction spread around the area of the dungeon. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, it would seem that the dungeon called for help or had tried to set a trap. Either way, after you entered, we faced off against a few waves of mutants.¡± Rohm explained as he gestured to the piles of corpses. ¡°We got hammered but didn¡¯t lose anyone permanently.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean permanently?¡± Venri asked, already pulling out a bunch of healing potions.


    Rohm went on to explain that the waves had been sporadic in frequency and the first 2 were nearly back-to-back. They repelled the first but the second saw the line break and a few monsters ran amok within the patrol base and it came down to melee fighting to finish them. In that time, 3 of the 30 defenders had been severely wounded but their resident healer was able to stabilize them.


    After the first 2 waves, Rohm pulled everyone back to tighten up the lines. That strategy had worked well enough with the constructs acting as close in support and handling the larger mutants. As he spoke, Matt watched a few groups move to the piles of bodies before one of their number used a fire spell of some sort to burn them.


    Matt saw that Venri had already moved off to see if the wounded needed anything, or rather, if she could do anything for them. Matt motioned for Jess and Lisk to go reconnect with their teams while he finished up with Rohm, filling him in on everything that happened inside.


    He got on with his recounting of the dungeon, for which everyone had pretty much settled in to listen with only those close with Matt asking questions. He didn¡¯t have to say much more than vague details, after promising to play the recording from his helmet.


    Eventually, Rohm was able to get everyone up and moving for the march back to the city. Although Matt figured that a march wasn¡¯t the right term since they could pretty much run the entire way back as speeds faster than Olympic sprinters.


    ¡°Van, can you keep us moving? I have a skill selection to handle but can wait if you want.¡± Matt asked after loading up into the mech.


    ¡°Go ahead, I can handle it for now.¡± Van replied. Matt felt him take over control of the mech. It was a strange feeling since he still got the feedback from it into his neural link but wasn¡¯t actually doing anything. Without further ado, Matt opened his System window and took a look at the skills offered.


    Preferred Terrain (Uncommon)


    Gain a bonus to movement, strength, perception and constitution when in your preselected preferred terrain type. Only one terrain may be selected.


    Violent Negotiations (Rare)


    Gain a bonus to damage inflicted when fighting enemies within a certain intelligence threshold. Sapient enemies within 10% your intelligence stat will take additional damage.


    Ground and Pound (Rare)


    Deal extra damage when fighting an enemy in melee in which one of you has been taken to ground in a semi pinned or fully pinned state. Pinned state can be influenced by familiars and others in party.


    Seeker of Fortunes (Rare)


    Get a extra perceptive ability to find treasures or valuables in your surroundings. Effect is based on perception and intelligence.


    Group Influence (Epic)


    Allows your party and other allies in your immediate area to be positively affected by your mentality. Effect is based on willpower and has no negative impact when withdrawn.


    Matt didn¡¯t like the looks of any of these. The preferred terrain one reminded him of a certain class from a tabletop role playing game and the Violent Negotiations was rather niche. The treasure seeker option was moderately enticing but not enough to make him pick it over what he had in mind. So it was that he rolled back to his previous skill selection and selected the skill.


    Rapid Fire (Rare)


    Significantly increase the rate of fire of your primary armament for as long as the skill is channeled. Recoil will be negated for duration of usage skill activation. Costs stamina to channel, all other costs remain as default.


    Skill knowledge flooded his mind once again and Matt felt a part of him click into place. This was the final piece to round out his issues with working alone. He had noticed when fighting the rok that he was missing a way to suppress a target and a way to catch them in the open. He had been relying on closing with his enemies or taking well aimed shots at range, but this could change both factors.


    Any good machine gunner would be able to repeat the basics of machinegun theory. Emplacement, use, commands and such were the basics but there was something even more basic, doctrine. There were 2 schools of thought on the matter of using automatic weapons in a support role and neither was wrong.


    One could either have a low rate of fire to suppress an enemy and allow their own forces to maneuver on the pinned enemy. This worked well in a combined arms strategy and did help to preserve ammunition which was the major problem with the weapons. The system relied on the slow rate of fire to maintain accuracy and have a small beaten zone.


    The second way was to use a high rate of fire to catch troops as they were exposed. It would get as many rounds in the air as possible to hit a fleeting target. The general idea was an accuracy through volume strategy but proved to be very effective in urban areas where long range accuracy wasn¡¯t exactly required.


    Both options were good and had their own merits, but Matt had experienced enough of this world to know that enemies often didn¡¯t think rationally or stay in cover. This fact pushed Matt towards wanting to throw as much of the proverbial lead as possible. He would have to make a stop at the range when they returned to check the effect, but he was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t be let down.


    ¡°Thanks Van, I can take over again.¡± Matt said as he finished his skill selection.


    ¡°You picked a rapid-fire skill?¡± Van asked, clearly confused based on their previous talks.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured it will be very handy in our upcoming adventures.¡± Matt said. ¡°I noticed with the rok that we don¡¯t have a way to deal with fast moving enemies and animals don¡¯t exactly have the fighting style to suppress traditionally.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that reasoning is sound. It is better to be well balanced than find yourself stuck in a specialty that you can¡¯t work out of.¡± Van rumbled.


    ¡°Speaking of specialties.¡± Matt began. ¡°What are we going to do about the little alchemist that¡¯s acting strange lately?¡± He had some ideas but wanted Vans input since, while he was technically only a few weeks old, he still had reasonable ideas.


    ¡°It sounds like a prob¡­¡± Van began before being cut off but a familiar presence.


    Tori¡¯s presence descended on both of them like the warmth of the sun peeking through on a foggy morning. ¡°We need to talk about that, Matt. We have much to discuss and I would like to get this out of the way sooner than later.¡± She paused briefly as if she was mulling something over. ¡°Use the formation that allows for Echo and Van to join. They should be a part of the conversation too.¡± And with that, her aura faded, leaving Matt to just shrug and focus back on his walk back to the city.


    *****


    Far, far away from the planet Matt was on, but not that long before he talked with her, Troi turned to look at the being who walked into her office. It was another god from her pantheon but not one most would expect to see in a human lead faction.


    ¡°Warden Victoria.¡± The hobgoblin bowed deeply as he entered and closed the door behind him. He was tall and long limbed like most of his race, but that was where the similarities ended. For one, He was a god, something rarely achieved by any of the goblinoid races. Second, his bristling orange fur was immaculately styled and waxed. Thirdly, He was wearing a 3-piece suit of a lovely blue that nicely contrasted his orange fur.


    Victoria smiled as she replied. ¡°Magistrate Ralzin.¡± She paused before saying. ¡°Get your fuzzy ass in here and drop the formalities, Raz.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Vic.¡± He approached her in the lounge area and glanced at the screen she was watching. ¡°Ah, good. You are already looking at the reason for why I came here today.¡±


    Tori cocked an eyebrow at his nickname for her then raised both at the comment about Matt. ¡°What does my prime have to do with anything? There haven¡¯t been any developments that you should be concerned with. ¡°


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not Matt exactly but he was the start of it. We need to discuss a certain clause in the accords.¡± Raz then produced a tablet and flicked a projected image to hover next to Tori¡¯s screen. ¡°As you see here, the accords are very clear about mixed pantheon cities for newly initiated worlds.¡±


    Tori scanned the screen and the highlighted text. ¡°Yes, but there aren¡¯t any other gods in that city.¡± She pointed out the obvious but knew Raz was clearly on to something.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, if we want to retain complete control, we need to have 3 more blessed or one more prime in that city, otherwise another power could contest the city. I know we don¡¯t want a civil war being waged with E grades, so I have a proposition.¡± Raz changed his display to show a tall orc talking to a certain human forge master.


    ¡°What about him?¡± Tori asked then noticed the look in Raz¡¯s eyes. ¡°The orc? As your new prime?¡± Seeing the hobgoblin nod, Tri thought for a moment. ¡°Hmm, that could work. You know what, just go for it. If he rejects you, then we can look for other options.¡±


    Raz nodded and dismissed his display. ¡°I will ask around our pantheon and see if any others want to be a part of this city to really lock in our control. Are we aware of any allied factions operating on this planet yet?¡±


    Tori shook her head. ¡°Not yet but I¡¯m sure they will come out of the woodwork after this first event goes live.¡± She paused and looked to Raz. ¡°Good catch, Raz. Good luck with the orc.¡±


    The hobgoblin bowed and made his way to the door. ¡°Thank you, I will see the reports filed after I make contact so you can review them.¡±


    ¡°Or you could just stop by again. It has been a while since we caught up.¡±


    Raz just smiled, showing a mouth full of teeth and fangs as he closed the door. Tori sighed and tuned back in to her newest prime. He was just asking his construct core about how to handle the dwarf. She like that about him, decisive when it mattered but levelheaded when he had time. She decided to reach out now. They could talk about Venri and Tobias both in a face-to-face meeting. ¡°We need to talk about that, Matt.¡±

 Chapter 49 – Is this Legal.

    Chapter 49 ¨C Is this Legal.


    Matt felt weight settle back on him once again as the communion ritual took effect. He opened his eyes to a very different sight than the previous times he had communed with Tori. Instead of a board room or her house, he was standing in a garden. He looked around and found Tori sitting on a bench under a pavilion that stood beside a small creek.


    Walking over, Matt called out. ¡°Where are we now?¡± He had brough Echo this time and the drake was still recovering from the effects of the spell. Van had formed as the glowing wire frame version that Matt had first met when he bonded with the core.


    ¡°We are in one of the parks within my order. Well, we are in a projection of that park, we don¡¯t actually exist in the real world.¡± Tori answered as she stood to greet them.


    Matt looked around, taking in the sights. He couldn¡¯t see much besides the trees and pathways around him and assumed they were deep within the greenspace. ¡°I¡¯ll have to visit this order. How big is it?¡±


    Tori smiled and snapped her fingers. Matt had a moment of vertigo as his entire world shifted and he was suddenly standing atop a very tall tower. Everywhere he looked was city and more city. It was clearly designed for aesthetic reasons and, he had to assume practical reasons, given Tori¡¯s nature. He heard another snap then found himself back in the park.


    ¡°Neat trick.¡± Matt said. ¡°I would still like a proper tour some time.¡±


    ¡°All in due time, for now, please introduce me, its rude to bring strangers together without facilitating introductions.¡± Tori said with a smile.


    Matt gestured to the projection of Van. ¡°This is Van or a representation of him anyway. As you know he has been with me since the beginning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a projection of his soul.¡± Tori said as she approached and held her hand out for Van to take. ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Warden Victoria.¡± Van said with a deep bow. It was a move that Matt was unsure the real van could ever replicate.


    Matt moved on. ¡°This is Echo, he has been around for a few weeks now.¡±


    Tori held out her hand for the drake. ¡°Oh, look at you!¡± She used the voice that people usually reserve for talking to puppies and babies. ¡°So handsome and very deadly.¡± Yeah, she was laying it on thick.


    Echo just pushed his head into her hand, working it back to just behind his jaw for the best scratches. Tori laughed softly and obliged. ¡°You are a very interesting drake. It¡¯s a shame you died, I bet you would have been quite the alpha.¡±


    ¡°Wait what?¡± Matt said. ¡°What do you mean he died?¡±


    Tori looked up to him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Seeing him shake his head, she continued. ¡°When you used the summoning token, you found yourself in a void with a lot of floating balls of light, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t know what that was.¡± Matt explained. ¡°The damn thing didn¡¯t come with a guidebook.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, you have no experience or former education. Every one of those balls of light was the soul of a dead being from one of the planes that had died around the time you used the token. Echo was one of those. I¡¯m not sure what plane he is from or which planet, since drakes are somewhat common. He then partly merged with you. Both of you shared parts of your souls and gained something from each other. It¡¯s a very similar arrangement to what happened with you and Van. ¡°


    Matt stopped and thought about it for a few minutes. It made sense to him based on how they all progressed at an identical rate and shared the same affinity, his affinity. ¡°So, Echo got my affinity? It wasn¡¯t that we matched or something?¡±


    ¡°It was the main thing he received in the exchange for his soul. Matt, if you meet anyone else with a ¡®plasma¡¯ affinity it will be a monumental coincidence. Plasma is one of the higher-level concepts, typical of your other half but not so for humans. Your friend Tobias is an odd one too, given his void affinity.¡± Tori answered after walking back to the bench while Echo wandered off to explore the park.


    Matt watched Echo for a few moments, he wasn¡¯t upset with the news and had become rather fond of the drake, and this didn¡¯t change anything. ¡°So, what did we need to talk about in regard to Venri?¡± He didn¡¯t miss the look that flashed on Tori¡¯s face and felt a blip in her aura. The aura fluctuation was so fast, he couldn¡¯t actually tell what it was, so didn¡¯t bother trying to find out.


    ¡°How much do you know about the other species and races on your planet?¡± Tori asked as she sat down and gestured for Matt to do the same.


    ¡°Just what the people in the city are and some of their habits and culture. Not much really.¡±


    Tori was silent for a minute and she had the look on her face that Matt began to associate with her dealing with the System restrictions. He wasn¡¯t sure what that was or what it involved but was glad he didn¡¯t have to deal with it. After some small twitches and a much longer pause than normal, Tori unfroze.


    ¡°Damned System.¡± She cursed. ¡°I had to convince it that this didn¡¯t give you any advantage and require a penalty, but I had to essentially provide a script. I will say this one time and will not deviate so hold any questions till the end.¡±  Seeing Matt nod, she launched into her explanation.


    ¡°The dwarven species is not originally from any one place but come from several worlds in the seed universe. They share some characteristics such as reduced stature but can vary wildly besides that. Venri comes from a culture that had knowledge of the veiled. Don¡¯t ask me how, they just do.¡± She held up her hand as Matt opened his mouth, which he quickly shut again.


    ¡°Somehow those veiled became worshiped as higher beings, not exactly gods but not far off. The veiled were divided into 2 camps, helpful and hurtful. The dwarves there adapted their entire culture to the veneration of the veiled and continued to do so long after the veiled left that planet. A war was fought and both sides suffered greatly because of it. Cults were formed that lead the ¡®worship¡¯ of them but they were completely stripped of political influence after the wars.¡±


    ¡°As time went on, the cults began to die off and the beliefs were watered down and mixed into state holidays and such. But, as always, there were those that remained devout followers, traditionalists if you will. That is where Venri comes from. She was born into one of those cults and grew up with their practices ingrained into her. ¡°


    Matt silently took it all in, mostly from the oddity of the situation. He didn¡¯t exactly know what to do after that and Tori just let him think on it. ¡°So, I became the focus of her attentions when she figured out, I am part veiled?¡± Matt asked to confirm. Tori nodded but didn¡¯t say more. ¡°And you are involved how?¡±


    This part was something Tori could comment freely on. ¡°I ran an intercept play using one of the other gods in my pantheon. Which then led to another mess that we find ourselves in. I didn¡¯t want her to pledge her undying loyalty to you and bind herself in what is essentially slavery. It would be bad for her, and you if that happened.¡±


    Looking up from where his gaze had landed on the grass, Matt had to ask. ¡°What ¡®mess¡¯ are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The mess of old and binding agreements around pantheons owing territory in newly initiated worlds.¡± She then elaborated after seeing the eye roll Matt gave her. ¡°The accords after the massacres that left nearly 90% of an initiation cycle dead within a year. The accords are there to prevent such events from happening, but it means we needed to move fast.¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Matt sighed. ¡°Can you fill me in on what happened?¡±


    Tori went on to explain what had happened with Venri and Tobias getting blessings and how it put them very close to a threshold that they had to act on before anyone else did. It turned out that it was successful as Franklin had accepted his blessing and the city now had 4 primes and was officially owned by Tori¡¯s pantheon.


    ¡°Well, I am glad it all worked out for you.¡± Matt said as Tori finished explaining. ¡°Now, what do I do about Venri?¡±


    Tori looked deep into his eyes, took a deep breath then spoke. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Well not exactly nothing. Just let her continue on with her path for now. Her patron will be coaching her to mitigate the worst of her zealotry. He is trying to shape it in a way that serving your interests involves her growing stronger independently, so she becomes a better ally. Honestly its going better than I would have hoped.¡± Tori said.


    ¡°Riiiight. I will take your word for it.¡± Matt said, fully ready to have the dwarf committed to an asylum of some sort.


    ¡°So, do you have anything you want to know about?¡± Tori asked, finally letting Matt drive for a while.


    Matt considered for a moment. ¡°Yeah, a couple things. I want to know why I have some titles that give stats and stuff while others don¡¯t. The second thing is if I have to be aware of any alliances you have or enemies if I run into others from outside our city.¡± The last part wasn¡¯t so much a question as it was a prompt. He knew well that there were grander politics in the outside universe but wasn¡¯t sure if it concerned him or not.


    ¡°Well, I can answer your second one easily.¡± Tori said as she summoned what appeared to be a rather thick pamphlet or a thin book. She handed it to Matt and explained. ¡°This has the latest information about our pantheon and its allies, those that are neutral and our enemies. It even has the update from Tobias¡¯ new patron.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the anvil or something right?¡± Matt asked, completely forgetting his title and name.


    Tori sighed. ¡°You seriously have to be careful in some crowds, especially if you come to our main cities. His name is Weltgan otherwise known as The Proverbial Hammer.¡±


    ¡°Cool, I will share with the others when I get back.¡± Matt said and stored the pamphlet in his ring.


    ¡°See that you do. Its probably the best we can manage until we can bring you here for proper tutelage.¡± She paused then pulled out a blue crystal object, held it, then made it vanish again.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Communication crystal, I sent a note to my aid about finding a ritual god in our pantheon to get one of your ritualists up to speed on some things.¡± Tori said in a rather nonchalant tone. It reminded Matt how much power and influence she actually had.


    ¡°So, about the titles?¡±


    ¡°What do you know about how the System gives experience?¡± Tori asked.


    Matt thought for a second before responding. ¡°Well, I get experience for doing things such as fighting and overcoming challenges.¡± He considered a moment before adding to his statement. ¡°I also noticed that I got credits for a lot of things too. ¡°


    Seeing he was finished, Tori explained. ¡°You gain more experience for taking greater risks and the same can be said with titles. The greater the achievement, the better the title. If you did something that had little risk or wasn¡¯t too difficult, the title will be minimal if anything, more of a note from the System.¡± She then brought up a screen that showed Matts fight with the corrupted patriarch. ¡°If you do something truly special, you get special rewards. The same can be said with skills that you are offered.¡±


    Matt was confused at that, but Tori saw his look and elaborated. ¡°You will get skills offered based on what you have done but also some random ones that the system thinks you will like. The random ones will be lower rarity but still serviceable enough for you to use and upgrade.¡±


    That reminded Matt of something, and he pulled up his system window to confirm. ¡°I got skills offered that used ¡®willpower¡¯ but I don¡¯t have that as a resource. What¡¯s the deal?¡±


    Tori smirked at him and changed her screen to another view showing a random status page. ¡°Once, long ago, the system had many more stats and much more information than the screen currently shows. In its feedback sessions over the millennia, it has simplified things. Originally the System window was always open and couldn¡¯t be dismissed, that caused many issues, as you can imagine.¡±


    Matt then learned about the ¡®hidden pages¡¯ of his status screen. He had wondered why there were a lot of common stats missing but quickly learned why. People became overly fixated on the numbers and the constant fluctuations of some became more trouble than they were worth. Stamina was not actual stamina but a representation of a physical energy resource. There was no agility stat because it was always in flux based on strength and dexterity, thus never having a steady value.


    ¡°So, willpower is a consumable stat but doesn¡¯t act in a linear fashion like mana or health so they System hid that?¡± Matt asked at the end of Tori¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°Precisely. The stat is there, but you cant see it and the value doesn¡¯t really mean anything.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Matt said, looking at the example screen that Tori displayed. He did not like the look of all the extra information and couldn¡¯t imagine trying to live with that always present. ¡°Well, I wont avoid those skills next time then. Well, I might, if they don¡¯t really fit.¡± Tori smiled and nodded.


    Echo and Van had long since returned from their tour of the gardens. The construct was standing at the entry to the pavilion while Echo had taken the opportunity to lay down and sun himself in the grass. Matt smiled as he watched the drake lazily roll over to sun his other flank.


    ¡°I think my time is running short.¡± Matt said. ¡°I appreciate all the wisdom and info.¡±


    Tori stood and gestured for them to walk. ¡°Think nothing of it. I wish you luck with the alchemist and your future exploration.¡±


    ¡°Any last-minute advice?¡±


    Looking off into the distance for a few seconds, Tori went completely still. Matt could briefly sense mana moving before she began to speak. ¡°Gratitude, when properly expressed, is often a better motivator than payment.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s ¡­.¡± Was all matt could say before her was pulled from the ritual, Tori¡¯s smirk being the last thing he saw.


    *****


    ¡°¡­ Cryptic.¡± Matt finished as he suddenly snapped back into his real body. ¡°Well, shit.¡± He said as he stood up and looked around the empty bay he had commandeered for his ritual. Echo was just getting to his feet again while Van was still in the crouched position he had been in. ¡°What did you guys think of the communion ritual?¡±


    ¡°The transition is rather uncomfortable, but I enjoyed not being so large for a little while.¡± Van answered, standing to his full height and walking out of the bay door.


    Echo just sent a bunch of images and impressions of all the things he found interesting. Among those was the smell of a certain tree, the color of a rock and the feeling of the sun being different. Matt would summarize it that his familiar had enjoyed exploring a new place.


    Laughing at the drake, Matt led the way further into the building, Echo trailing him in search of wherever Tobias was. Matt wanted to talk to him after almost immediately going into the ritual after the raid party returned to the city.


    The Forge had changed again. This time the major change was a central hallway that connected the work areas. The hall acted as a barrier to all the noise and helped keep people out of each other¡¯s way. It wasn¡¯t perfect as Matt nearly ran over a particular demoness as she wandered out of a side room while reading a book.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I did¡­Lord Matt.¡± Sari began before bowing deeply. ¡°Please excuse me for impeding your travel.¡±


    Matt rolled his eyes and raised the enchanter up. ¡°Drop the honorifics Sari, and it was just a little stumble.¡± He paused a moment as an idea struck him. ¡°Here, take a look at this one for a while.¡± He said as he handed her the ritual device that he received from the dungeon.


    Sari¡¯s eyes went wide as she took the small device that looked like a shallow metal box. ¡°This. This is. Wow.¡± Was all Sari could say as she started examining the box from every angle.


    Laughing, Matt patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Haha. Ill be back for it tomorrow morning, have fun.¡± With that, he walked away, continuing his search for Tobias.


    A few doorways later, Matt found his friend sitting at a table and reading his tablet. Tobias looked up as Matt and echo entered the lounge room. ¡°Nice digs, Toby.¡± Matt said as he sat down across from Tobias.


    ¡°You say that now.¡± Tobias muttered under his breath.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Eh, nothing. What¡¯s going on? Have a good chat with Tori?¡±


    Matt just chose to ignore the muttered comment and filled in Tobias about everything he had learned. At one point, the researcher pulled out his tablet and began taking notes. The recap took only an hour, mostly because Matt chose to withhold the background information about Venri.


    Finally setting down the tablet, Tobias looked over steepled fingers at Matt. ¡°We should probably welcome Frank to the club then. He will also probably like to take a look at that pamphlet unless his patron gives him one.¡±


    ¡°From what Tori said, he will be getting more than he bargained for from Raz. The guy is a stickler for details from what I heard.¡±


    Tobias nodded along. ¡°Well, then we can at least stop by and have a chat about something else we found.¡± He then shifted gears. ¡°Hungry? We can stop at this new place in town and see if Frank will meet us there.¡±


    Matt sensed the aura change and immediately felt it filled with ¡­ misdirection. There wasn¡¯t any intent, so he couldn¡¯t pin anything down but wondered what Tobias was hiding. ¡°Sure, that sounds good.¡± He would play along and see where he ended up, not like he was in risk of being attacked or anything.

 Chapter 50 – All about location

    Chapter 50 ¨C All about location


    Matt was wondering where Tobias was leading him. So far, they had not gone in the direction of the business districts and had moved more toward the outer edges of the city. He did notice that there had been a lot of change in layout of the buildings and even some more familiar structures were appearing.


    They passed what looked like the beginnings of an amphitheater near a few bars and restaurants. Its domed roof already framed out along with benches and a stage. There was also another new phase being built that Tobias said was more geared to the artisans, tinkerers and jewelers having claimed that portion of the city.


    Soon, they were on the ring road that ran the perimeter of the city and Matt saw something he recognized. Well, something that he knew about any way. When they passed one of the interior points of the star fort, Matt saw the foundations for his planned improvements to the fortifications. There was a slab of concrete or stone that filled in the whole area of the interior point. That was all that had been made but it was more progress than a few days previously.


    Tobias saw him looking at the foundation and clued him in on the project. ¡°We are currently extracting the surface ores from the mines and are working on smelting the iron to make up the interior lattice. Its going to be a while before we have it all ready, but it will be framed out sooner than later.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, now all we need to do is get the hardware to put inside.¡± Matt said, moving on from his little pet project.


    With a smirk, Tobias clued him in on that too. ¡°I already have some lovely designs picked out and have set up the hammer forges. We truly are in a holding pattern until we get raw material flowing.¡±


    ¡°What designs? Anything I would recognize?¡±


    ¡°Depends on how familiar you are with some of the earlier Rheinmetall products. I think the most modern thing we could potentially make is some of the QF guns without the computer assisted aiming.¡± Tobias was starting to wander into his own daydreams again. ¡°Honestly I think we will be best served with small bore stuff, the old bofors 40 mil guns would be excellent.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you think is best and can reasonably produce. We don¡¯t have much time before the city defense begins.¡± Matt said, bringing him back on track.


    ¡°Only a few weeks now. We are going to try and cycle as many of the classers through the trial and dungeon as possible before then, we need them to get their rewards and levels.¡± Tobias suddenly looked to a particular point on the road. ¡°Ah, we are here.¡±


    Matt followed his line of sight and saw what looked like a house. It was a relatively small ranch style with a wide porch wrapping around at least 2 sides. It didn¡¯t look much like a restaurant but there was a small crowd gathered outside. He honestly thought it would be a great spot for a house and kind of an odd location for a shop of any kind. The marked-out areas around it didn¡¯t give any clues either. Matt recognized the people standing outside as he got closer, and a few turned around.


    Outside was all of the commando teams along with some of Rohm¡¯s people and a few that Matt didn¡¯t immediately recognize. He could smell grilling meat in the air and saw many people moving tables and benches around.


    Rohm spotted the approaching trio and called out to them. ¡°Its about time you showed up. We were about to start without you.¡±


    Confused, Matt yelled back to the felid man. ¡°Start what without me?¡±


    Jess wandered out of the crowd and shot Tobias a look. ¡°You haven¡¯t told him?¡±


    Tobias looked offended. ¡°I can keep a secret you know.¡± Seeing jess fold her arms and give him the side eye, he amended his statement. ¡°Well, when I need to, I can.¡±


    Matt was beginning to get a feeling that something was up, and Franklin was the one to break the news as he came out to the front of the group. ¡°Matt, we would like to present your new home.¡± He said with a wave of his arm at the house.


    ¡°This is what Tobias called a ¡®housewarming¡¯¡± Jess said, struggling a little with the unfamiliar term. She then beckoned for a group to come up, lead by a dwarf man. ¡°This is Sothrun. He and his crew are the ones that made the house with Tobias¡¯ input.¡±


    ¡°Lord Matt.¡± Sothrun said with a bow, his party following their leader. ¡°If you would allow me the honor of showing you the fruits of our labors.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Matt. And I would love to see what you have put together.¡± Matt said. He kept his voice friendly and plastered on a smile while pushing out his calm aura, remembering the parting advice he received from Tori. Sothrun just smiled as he led the way to the house and started telling Matt about it.


    The house wasn¡¯t large by any means, the covered porch taking up a significant portion of the exterior footprint. It was a nice deep porch however at a bit over 3 meters from the wall to the railing and went around 2 sides of the house. Matt saw a couple of rocking chairs already placed halfway down the length of the front of the house.


    Not expecting too much, Matt was absolutely astounded when they entered the front door. Just inside was a large living area at over 10 meters to a side, cluing him into the fact there was some spatial expansion. While the exterior was wood slats over a stone foundation, the inside was finished smooth with brightly painted walls and polished wood trim. In the front corner was a kitchen area with a sink, oven and range all set into the wood counter tops.


    Matts eye was next drawn over the kitchen peninsula counter to the main living area which had a fireplace in the side wall with the back wall made of windows. There was a small dining set just to one side across from the fire side couch and chairs. Matt had expected a studio apartment situation but saw the hallway leading off to one side which he wandered to after getting all the details out of his dwarven guide.


    At the end of the hall were 2 bedrooms of a good size at 5 by 6 meters with closets taking up one wall. There were beds already placed within each room. Sothrun said they were stuffed with the down of the rok that Matt had killed. The bedrooms were divided by a bathroom whose door was between the two. It was also a large space with a large counter and sink next to a toilet on one wall. The similarities to a normal bathroom ended there, however.


    ¡°Tobias said you would prefer this shower contraption, but we still installed an inset bath just incase he was wrong. Also, it¡¯s nice to soak the bones every now and again.¡± Sothrun explained as he pointed to the shower stall.


    The shower was massive with the head one of those rain fall types mounted directly above and in the middle of the stall. The stall was also so wide that Matt could easily lay down in it with a meter to spare going in either direction. ¡°How does the water work?¡± He asked looking from the huge shower head to the knobs in the wall.


    ¡°Well, there is a cistern set in the basement that the pipes are enchanter to pull from. The heat comes from these mana stones that absorb the ambient mana to run. It¡¯s the same set up for how the appliances in the kitchen work.¡± Sothrun explained as he pointed to the mana stones inset into the wall and the matching set next to the massive bathtub.


    ¡°There¡¯s a basement?¡± Matt asked, not believing what he was hearing.


    Sothrun just stared at him for a few seconds before answering. ¡°Well yeah, the stairs are in the opposite corner from the kitchen in the main room.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s where we go next.¡± Matt said, getting a nod from the dwarf.


    The basement was just as large as the main room which made sense because it was directly below it. In one corner was the water cistern that was shockingly small, but Sothrun said it was refilled from the water source directly under the city. Lighting was somehow done along the top of each wall, providing bright but indirect lighting.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Along one wall was a series of full height cabinets that had various shelves within for storage and even some clearly sized for weapons. On the wall that had the stairs was a work bench, fully stocked with a variety of tools and vices. Matt recognized much of the equipment being armorers¡¯ tools for working on firearms. The opposite wall held another fireplace with some chairs and a couch.


    Matt noticed a space on the wall of the sitting area that looked like a television would go there but it was completely blank. ¡°What goes here?¡± Matt asked, pointing to the empty spot.


    ¡°That would be for this.¡± Tobias said and pressed a button on the wall which popped a projector down from the ceiling and lowered a screen over the blank spot. ¡°I copied my entire library from my tablet into this. It has music, movies, television, youtube even.¡± He then amended his statement ¡°For all its worth, there wont be any updates to it since we can¡¯t go back.¡±


    Matt was speechless, completely flabbergasted. It took him a few moments to regain his voice. ¡°This is simply unbelievable. Sothrun, thank you so much for putting this all together. What do I owe you for all this?¡±


    The dwarf blushed heavily. ¡°Ah, think nothing of it. We are all aware of what you did for this city and continue to do, consider it a small thank you.¡±


    ¡°Still, be that as it may, if you or your crew ever need a favor, just ask.¡± Matt said as he offered his hand for the stout bearded man to shake. Sothrun gave him a hearty shake and promised he would keep that in mind. They all made their way outside and rejoined the group in the lawn.


    ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Rohm said as he clacked a pair of tongs at the trio. ¡°Food is just coming off the grill.¡±


    Matt smiled as someone handed him a drink of some sort and shoved him toward one of the long tables that had been set in the yard. It looks like this housewarming would turn into a party after all.


    *****


    Recalculating ¨C 19%


    The system was running yet another simulation through its predictive programs. It wasn¡¯t exactly predicting the future or reading fate. Neither of those truly existed in the universes under its control. It didn¡¯t mind running another simulation, however. The reason it was performing this simulation for the 486<sup>th</sup> time was because of one mortal. Well 2 mortals if it wanted to be pedantic. Its primary focus was Matt Schultz, but his friend Tobias also tipped the scales and altered the models far beyond their acceptable tolerances for deviation.


    The System had to rerun this because all the milestones and goals for an initiation phase were being absolutely smashed by this city. It knew that without Matt and Tobias, Vil¡¯ Krad would likely still be reeling from the betrayal of Lord Alfron. The System was still shocked at how that had played out so¡­ quickly.


    It was currently looking into revising the initiation programs after this latest success. The other cities were still dealing with their own issues from the usurper protocol, or most were since a few had found nonviolent ways to deal with it. Those were minor anomalies compared to Matt who had already led the conquest of 1 resource point and the 2 legacy points. It predicted the last resource point was about fall to the Human-Veiled hybrid within a few days.


    This prediction was the reason the System was performing its latest simulation. It was currently running the odds and factoring in the historical data from Matt¡¯s previous actions. The System liked to run these early since it would help with the rewards it generated. The rewards would need to be generated then teleported to the site without too much delay or the users would wander off before the reward could be recovered.


    As the simulation came back with its predictions, the System just decided to bracket the suspected reward level incase Matt surprised it¡­ again. While that was happening, the System was also looking at the cities quest line leading up to its first event. The beast waves would be a challenge for most but this one would be special.


    A normal city defense would have the city fending off waves of beasts that could climb, fly, burrow or otherwise gain entry to the walls unless taken care of fast enough. Vil¡¯ Krad would be getting an advanced version. The average levels of monsters would be slightly increased, only by 3 or so levels but it would also be implementing elites.


    The elite monsters were both a challenge and a reward. It allowed the strong to stand out and not waste their time on lesser opponents. It also would force the defenders to prioritize and strategize on how to handle such monsters. These would not be so easily fended off by sitting behind walls and firing into the masses of lesser monsters. The System like to sprinkle in a few into every normal wave and would up the strength and level of the boss wave to match.


    The System had seen how Matt reacted to enemies of the insectoid variety and decided that a wave of those mixed in would be good. It wasn¡¯t exactly looking to be cruel, but it also needed to push the initiates, make them deal with their fears and other issues. If some died because of this, oh well. Some would succeed and some would fail as was natural.


    Still, it ran another predictive model to see how the city would handle the event. If Matt participated, there was over a 90% success rate with less than 5% casualties. If Matt didn¡¯t, then the city would fall well before the middle of the event. After 2 more adjustments to the model to include Tobias interfering, the System was happy with its odds. It had finally created a balanced challenge that would be dangerous enough for good rewards but not so challenging it would lose the city.


    *****


    ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± Tori swore as she turned off the display. She had just wasted hours of this avatars time for nothing. Well, it wasn¡¯t nothing, but it wasn¡¯t exactly productive. In a moment of curiosity, she had done something that was proving to be a really bad decision.


    Tori had watched the progress in the city Matt called home. The city that she and her pantheon were now laying claim too. While watching it, she noticed a curious event happen repeatedly. Every night, just after sun set, a group would gather in the forge.


    This group would come from all parts of the city and was made from every type of class. They all would gather food stuffs or little trinkets and congregate in one of the forges empty rooms. Tori had thought it was the forming of a support group like she had seen in so many initiations but then noticed the secrecy of their meetings.


    This made Tori very curious as she was already a bit on edge with one cultist in the city already. So, she began to peel back the veil to observe the inside of the room. The 30 or so people would gather then have a short conversation that almost sounded like code. They used references to people that weren¡¯t in the city, clearly code names, and referenced locations and events that didn¡¯t match the city at all.


    Tori focused in as the lights dimmed and the group all turned to look at the front of the room. They all sat on the assorted chairs, turned to face the now glowing screen taking up an entire wall. Tori began to panic at the possibility of a summoning when the glow resolved into words and¡­music? Yes, music began to play as the gathered initiates shushed each other and stared at the screen.


    This was how Tori, a god that was millions of years old, who ruled entire solar systems, was introduced to television sitcoms. She sat and watched the screen in her lounge as it showed the antics of a group of friends in a city called New York. She filled in the information of past episodes based on context and was able to happily watch along even though they were well into the second ¡®season¡¯ of the show.


    3 episodes later, the group broke up and left for the night. They cleaned up their mess, stacked the furniture and set a time to meet the following day. Tori however, was having none of it and narrowed the scope of her spying onto a couple walking back to their living quarters. A wolfen and human who seemed to be room mates or at least comrades in arms, judging by their familiarity.


    ¡°That was pretty good. What do you think is going to happen next?¡± the wolfen asked his friend.


    The human man scratched his chin as he thought about it. ¡°No idea, I think something is going to happen and they are going to hookup. The interest is clearly there but they keep dancing around the topic.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think someone else is going to come into the picture and there is going to be a jealous love triangle.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but who?¡± The human asked.


    The wolfen shrugged. ¡°Only Tobias knows for sure. Its off of his tablet, same with the rest of the shows and¡­ what were they called? Movers?¡±


    ¡°Movies I think.¡±


    Tori had heard enough, having gotten the source of the sitcom and immediately opened her exchange remote shop. She scrolled through the tabs until she reached the ¡®Custom Purchase¡¯ section. There she filled in what she wanted but ran into a problem. She hadn¡¯t caught the name of the show.


    ¡°Well, shit.¡± Tori said. Then she just input wanting to clone Tobias¡¯ entire tablet. The cost was extreme. Well, not for her, the total price wouldn¡¯t even equal an hours operating cost for her headquarters utilities. Without another moments delay, she purchased a cloned tablet.


    Upon opening it, she saw that it was divided into 2 sections, ¡®Technical¡¯ and ¡®Entertainment¡¯. Opening the technical folder on a whim, Tori saw millions of documents showing schematics, data packets and material specifications. It was hundreds of years of earths technological development crammed into a tablet. She browsed through some and was impressed with how far the little planet had come since her last visit over a thousand years before Matt and Tobias left.


    After a quick read in the tech files, which she promised herself to review later, Tori went into the entertainment folder. She once again found a division between audio, video and games. Knowing what she was after, she pushed into the video category and eventually made her way to the television and ¡®comedy¡¯ section. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found the show.


    The following hours had been of her avatar watching the screen and never once blinking. She watched all of the first season and then caught up to where the group had left off before finishing all of the second season. It was only when her aid entered the office and saw her sitting in the lounge that Tori realized what had happened.


    Tori knew a lot of things but this one she was absolutely certain of: Earth had perfected the concept of addictive programing.

 Chapter 51 – Interference

    Chapter 51 ¨C Interference


    Matt was running through the grassy bottom of the valley. He was currently on his way to the area Franklin and Tobias suspected to have a valuable resource. He was taking advantage of the wide-open grassy area in his journey north and really stretching the legs of the mech. Echo had opted to wander a little, occasionally flickering back into visibility as Matt passed him. While he ran, he reflected on the previous day¡¯s events and how it led to his current mood.


    The housewarming had gone late into the night which led to Matt sleeping in for once. A choice he slightly regretted as Echo had decided to wander off and sniff out the offerings at the local restaurants. Matt was awoken by Tobias banging on his door and telling him about how his familiar had found out where one owner lived and acted as a rather scaley, toothy courtesy call. Thankfully the drake was able to communicate that he wanted the man to cook some food and not be the food.


    After Matt had settled the bill and given a little extra to the dwarf for his troubles, he decided to get started with the day. He first joined Tobias for breakfast where he was given some very troubling news. A revelation that was beyond terrible for Matts future within the system.


    ¡°You know we are running out of this stuff?¡± Tobias said, holding up his cup.


    Matt froze and looked at Tobias with shock. ¡°How? We can get more, right? The Forge store or the exchange has to have some.¡± While stats made it so the coffee wasn¡¯t as effective as it had been, it was still part of his routine and a little creature comfort that he would rather not do without.


    Tobias shook his head. ¡°As of right now, we don¡¯t have a source. I am not sure about the exchange but that doesn¡¯t matter since we don¡¯t have access yet.¡±


    Matt then started rummaging around in his storage ring, he was looking for a particular item and eventually found it. A bag of coffee beans that hadn¡¯t been opened yet. He knew the beans had already been plucked, dried, roasted and then sealed in the airtight foil, but he still hopped there was a chance. He stood from the table and stormed out the door, muttering under his breath.


    Echo looked to Tobias from where he laid nearby and growled a question. The process was also helped by him sending a mental image to the human remaining at the table sipping the rest of their coffee.


    ¡°How the hell should I know what he¡¯s doing?¡±


    Another series of images and trilling sounds.


    ¡°Well, you could go follow him. It¡¯s likely that he will be terrorizing some innocent citizen and you are the subject matter expert in that field.¡± Tobias said.


    Echo agreed that he was better at being big and scary, so he got up and stalked after Matt, turning nearly invisible as he went.


    Tobias watched the drake stalk out of the room and shivered slightly. ¡°God¡¯s help whoever they are after.¡±


    *****


    It took a lot of Matt asking around and wandering into the various park areas to find who he was looking for. He remembered seeing the demoness when they had begun clearing the forest around the walls and pushing back the woody boundary. He had thankfully gotten her name while asking around.


    ¡°Madrith!¡± Matt called as he approached the now very startled demoness. She looked up and shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked out for who called to her. ¡°Do you have a few minutes to talk?¡± He asked after getting closer to talk at normal volumes.


    ¡°Oh, Lord Matt.¡± She said with a deep bow. ¡°How may I be of assistance to you?¡±


    Matt took in the person standing in front of him. Her race was one of the blue skinned variety of demons, she didn¡¯t have horns per se but did have a 3-centimeter-tall bony crest running along her head. That along with the nearly completely white eyes reminded Matt of a shark. ¡°I hear your class has a lot to do with plants?¡± Matt said before adding as an afterthought. ¡°And just call me Matt.¡±


    Madrith nodded curtly before responding. ¡°You have been well informed. What need do you have for a botanist?¡±


    ¡°Could you possibly find a way to grow these?¡± Matt held out a few of the coffee beans. ¡°These are the pit of a small fruit grown on trees on my home world. This example has been picked, shelled, dried, and then roasted but I was wondering if you think it¡¯s possible.¡±


    Taking a bean from Matt¡¯s open hand, Madrith examined it intently for a minute. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have many skills to help grow plants of all types but this not just dead but also processed into¡­ food?¡±


    ¡°A drink. It¡¯s kind of like tea.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Madrith inspected it closer, completely focused. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is possible, but I will try. I perhaps can manage when I reach E Grade. Maybe my next skill selection will have something?¡± She began to trail off at the end before coming back to Matt. ¡°Ah, I will try but I c-can make no p-promises.¡°


    Matt sighed heavily, he had assumed this would be the case, but it was still hard to hear. Her stutter at the end was telling of his visible disappointment. He pulsed his aura of honesty, sweeping her up in its radius. ¡°It¡¯s really ok, just do what you can.¡± He said in a calming voice.


    Madrith nodded once, her jaw unclenching but Matt could still see her hand shaking slightly as she held it at her side. Matt then switched to trying to radiate calming and peaceful, seeing her visibly relax. He wasn¡¯t sure what it was about some people and how they reacted to him, but figured it was how well they knew him. ¡°Look, it¡¯s really ok, just take your time. I honestly only have a slim hope that you can do it. Anything is better than I can do on my own at this point.¡± He said, really trying to sell that he was asking for a favor.


    Bowing deeply again, Madrith finally responded. ¡°I shall commit some time to it. We might get lucky none the less. If there is nothing else my lord?¡±


    And there it was, the lord title coming back out. ¡°Thanks, sorry for disturbing you. Just let me know if you have any success or need anything.¡± With that, Matt turned and walked away.


    Madrith watched him go, waiting until her was well out of ear shot before letting out her breath and a shudder to go along with it. His aura was immense, despite not being overly refined. As a demon, she was rather susceptible to those emotions and knew that he was by far the most dangerous being she had ever seen. Just as she was about to relax and return to her work, a small flicker at the edge of her vision caught her attention.


    The drake, which was the familiar of the young lord was getting up from where he laid in the grass. Madrith hadn¡¯t even seen the beast despite it only being a few meters away. One of its slit pupil eyes flicked over to her and what she thought was a smile curled its lips before it faded from view once more. Another shudder ran down her spine at the sudden appearance then disappearance of the familiar. She vowed then and there that she would do everything to appease the monster known as Matt.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    *****


    Matt was on his way to the area that had been used as a firing range but had to swing by the forge to pick up Van on his way. He wanted to test his new skill and blow off a little steam. As he walked, he calmed down a bit after conducting an inventory and seeing enough coffee to have a cup or two every day for another half a year. After turning the corner near the hub, he was once again stopped in his journey.


    The cities only orc walked out of the hub just as Matt was passing and instantly called out. ¡°Hey Matt, I was just about to come looking for you. Got a minute?¡± Franklin asked.


    ¡°Yeah Frank, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°We might have discovered another potential resource point. Or maybe not a resource but likely something valuable.¡± Franklin was gesturing for Matt to follow him back into the hub, likely to what had become the command post.


    ¡°Alright, I can take a look.¡± Matt said. This shouldn¡¯t take long, maybe I can finish this quick and get out to the range.


    Matt generally like to take pride in the fact that he knew better than to be a wishful thinker. Murphy¡¯s law dictated that there was no greater sin than even thinking in a positive manner when there were outside influences. The next 3 hours of Matt¡¯s life was spent in the command post. At first it was only talking with Franklin and finding out about the potential site for another resource. That was soon interrupted by Jess and the commandos walking in.


    The commando squads were going to the trial orb that Matt had discovered but wanted to plot a route and let the command post know. They then spent the next couple hours questioning Matt about the experience. He tried to be polite and sympathetic to their worries, but he quite frankly couldn¡¯t be bothered to babysit them through every challenge.


    Finally, Matt had enough. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what your trials will be like, it seems like a personal experience since the rewards are very personalized. You are going to have to deal with this one on your own. You know where it is, so get while the getting is good.¡±


    Jess and the rest of the group all nodded along before finally walking out. Matt sighed heavily before turning back to his original conversation. ¡°Frank, I can head out and check it tomorrow, but I have some things that I want to get done first.¡±


    The orc looked at Matt for a moment before asking another question. ¡°Do you want to take some people with you? We could have Rohm se¡­¡±


    ¡°Nope I can handle it.¡± Matt said, not exactly certain himself, but wanting the conversation to be over so he could get on with his other plans. And he almost immediately turned and left, waving over his shoulder as he went.


    Matt quickly made his way back out of the hub and toward the forge. He was so close he could taste it. Without any more interruptions, he made it to where Van was waiting and quickly climbed in. He then made his way out of the gate as quickly as possible without stepping on someone.


    His elation at finally exiting the city was quickly squashed as he saw the line of people at the firing line of the berm. It appeared Rohm was conducting some sort of testing or something. Matt could see roughly 50 people spread out down the line and taking aim at paper targets 100 meters away.


    ¡°Rohm, can I grab some space on the end or are you in the middle of something?¡± Matt asked after finally finding the commander mixed in with the troops.


    ¡°Huh, oh, sure. Just try not to get in the way of our target practice if possible.¡± Rohm said while waiting for the rest of the classers to finish. The assembled group then went down range to check their targets while Matt went to find an empty spot at the far end of the line.


    He noticed it was where he had last practiced his meditation but most of the glass was gone, only the smallest fragments remaining. He briefly wondered where it had gone while Rohm¡¯s group was still down range. He then wondered some more while they stayed down range doing¡­ something. Nearly 20 minutes later, they began to wander back to the firing line.


    Ok, let¡¯s try the new skill. Matt thought to himself as he picked out a nice tree stump on the nearby hillside.


    *****


    The new skill was¡­ interesting. It consumed stamina instead of mana but its rate of consumption was variable. It varied based on which weapon he used but also if he wanted to absorb all the recoil or a lesser amount. The more recoil he cancelled out, the more stamina it used.


    The skill would double the rate of fire on his rifle, making a laser like stream of bullets when he also cancelled the recoil. With the Autocannon, the rate of fire was nearly 5 times greater than normal. Matt was initially concerned if the cannon could take that abuse. The action had to be straining to cycle at that rate of fire. Regardless, it held up and he didn¡¯t detect any damage from the testing.


    Matt would say the skill was thirsty when it came to stamina, but it was an absolute massive drain when used with the autocannon. He shouldn¡¯t be surprised since that weapon had increased costs for everything, but it cost him 500 of the mech¡¯s energy points to fire at the accelerated rate let alone cancel the recoil which brought the total up to almost exactly 1000 mana per second.


    Now very happy about upgrading the energy storage capability of his mech, Matt was returning to his new house to rest and shower for the first time since he was pulled into the System. Fate or rather an obsessive god had other plans.


    ¡°Matt, I need you to contact me as soon as possible.¡± Tori had said in his mind after he entered the great room of his house. He promptly set up a ritual and was whisked away to meet with his patron. He was hoping for some insight into the latest resource he would be going to scout out but was sadly mistaken.


    Matt appeared in a sort of lounge area off of a large office space. He didn¡¯t know exactly where this was, but Tori was sitting on one of the couches and staring intently at a screen. A screen that was displaying a list of television dramas. ¡°Good, you¡¯re here.¡± The goddess said. ¡°Which show should I watch next?¡±


    Double facepalming and moaning into his hands, Matt sat down with his patron to discuss old television shows from Earth. He eventually gave her a list of movies but was unable to help with the television since he hadn¡¯t really watched much. ¡°Maybe have Weltgan reach out to Tobias. He has a better track record for picking shows. Actually, he picked most of our watch list when we did movies and stuff.¡±


    Tori opened a portal and yelled through it. ¡°Weltgan, get your prime over here, I need his advice.¡± The demon in question poked his head through and immediately spotted Matt.


    ¡°What do you need Tobias for that Matt can¡¯t handle?¡± He asked, his smooth voice dripping with curiosity.


    ¡°Oh, come sit, you must experience television. There is this lovely sitcom about¡­¡± Tori began to explain what she had been doing for¡­ however long. Matt just rolled his eyes and cancelled his ritual, returning to his body once again.


    That wasn¡¯t the end of it, however. Every few minutes, Tori would ask a question about a character or movie. She seemed to have trouble with how actors sometimes were changed between seasons of shows or how a movie seemed to be contradicting to the previous ones in the series. It seemed that his hopes for a quiet night had gone up in flames.


    *****


    So it was that Matt found himself back outside the walls of the city in the early morning light. The walls of Vil¡¯ Krad were already out of sight by the time dawn broke. He was already most of the way up the valley and was approaching the northern edge and the area where the next resource should be located.


    The trip hadn¡¯t taken very long compared to previous missions and explorations. This time Matt had a location to aim for and the majority of the journey was in open field and rolling hills rather than dense woods and mountain sides.


    As the edge of the woods and valley approached, Matt slowed and began looking for any indications of what could be out here. This was only the very edge of the search area so he would push deeper regardless.


    Matt didn¡¯t see anything, but he still moved cautiously to push through the undergrowth at the edge of the trees. He had only passed a few cattle like beasts on his trip but they either left him alone or ran as he approached. With an eye on his detection field, Matt kept advancing. After clearing a bunch of ensnaring vines, he could get a good look at this new part of the forest.


    Calling it a forest was a bit of a stretch in Matt¡¯s opinion. What he currently saw was a rather lush glade. There was mottled sunlight breaking through the hardwood canopy to splash onto the tall, vibrant grass. Wildflowers poked up in clumps throughout the meter high grass, adding a wealth of color to the scene. On the far end of the glade, Matt could see the glinting of standing water, likely fed from an underground spring since he didn¡¯t see any creeks.


    All that was secondary to what Matt¡¯s thermal cameras picked up. Crouched near one of the large trees, a few hundred meters away, was a small humanoid figure. Matt turned off his thermal and went straight to a daylight camera and saw familiar blue green skin and green hair. ¡°Son of a bitch. Ha! I didn¡¯t think I would see him again.¡± Matt laughed to himself as he knelt down and dismounted from the mech. He had Echo stay behind since he didn¡¯t want to spook the little creature.


    After walking forward on foot, Matt could see the slightly darker green of the deep dweller¡¯s hair poking through and looked down ever so slightly to see a pair of large brown eyes locked onto him. He very slowly removed his helmet and started radiating his calming aura out, hoping it would remember him. He then gave 2 short whistles followed by a hum, the name he was given in his last encounter.


    After he finished the name, Matt saw the deep dweller pop its head up and tilt its head, looking curiously at him. Just then, a second deep dweller rounded the base of the tree and spoke in a very clear, high voice ¡°Matt!¡±. The smile on its face was just as he remembered and now could see the difference between the 2 deep dwellers.


    ¡°Good to see you again little buddy.¡± Matt said as the tiny figure rushed over to him.

 Chapter 52 – Old friends and enemies

    Chapter 52 ¨C Old friends and enemies


    Matt watched as the little deep dweller rushed over to him with a big smile on its face. He was still slightly startled that it could now speak or at least say his name. Stopping short by a couple meters, the deep dweller, bowed then stepped up to him. He identified the little creature while it approached and was pleasantly surprised.


    Forest Deep-Dweller. Level: 27


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± Matt said. He could see 2 others moving closer, peering out from behind the grass and small shrubs in the area. ¡°Have you been well?¡±


    The deep dweller nodded before responding. ¡°Am good. Happy to see you.¡±


    Ok, so it¡¯s more than just my name that it can say. ¡°That is good to hear. When did you learn common?¡±


    ¡°Evolution time. Offered good skill for talking.¡± It responded then went on to make Matts life a little easier. ¡°My name Tengi in common. No more¡­¡± it made the whistling and humming sound. ¡°¡­please. You say wrong most time.¡±


    Matt laughed. ¡°Ha. Fair enough, Tengi.¡± He looked around and saw even more deep dwellers popping up. ¡°Are they your family?¡± Now that Matt had seen more examples of the deep dwellers, he knew that Tengi was indeed a male of his species.


    Tengi frowned taking a moment to respond. ¡°Family yes and no. Clan? Yes, clan is right.¡± he was building momentum and confidence as he spoke. ¡°Good to see you well. Why you here?¡±


    ¡°I was sent to look for something. Tobias thinks there might be something valuable in this area. Have you seen anything?¡± Matt decided to be honest with the deep dwellers, not wanting to sour the good relationship he had with at least one of them.


    ¡°Yes, but ours.¡± Tengi said. He then hummed softly, tilting his head back and forth a little before asking a question that surprised Matt. ¡°Your city, is safe? People nice?¡±


    ¡°Yeeesss?¡± Matt slowly responded, not sure where it was going with the question. ¡°Most people in the city are nice and we are making it very safe.¡±


    ¡°Make a deal?¡±


    Matt just stared for a minute then shrugged. ¡°Eh, why the hell not. What did you have in mind?¡±


    Tengi stood up again and gestured for Matt to follow. They walked deeper into the glade, and he saw that there were over 30 of the deep dwellers scattered around. There might be more lurking, but he couldn¡¯t be sure either way. Eventually Tengi led him to a large tree with a nearly hollow base and stopped just outside the opening where Matt could see a golden floating orb.


    Verdant Fields sub dimensional resource orb. (Contested)


    ¡°So, this is what you have claimed?¡± Matt asked. He didn¡¯t know anything about it, but saw it was ¡®contested¡¯, whatever that meant.


    ¡°We tried.  Had it once. Then monster came, force us out.¡± Tengi said.


    Matt looked from the orb to Tengi. ¡°Ok, what is the deal you want to make?¡±


    Tengi looked up to him and smiled in a rather unnerving way. ¡°If you help¡­ reclaim, we take to your city. We own, but all can use.¡± He then went over and mimicked pulling the orb. ¡°If we own, then we can move to city. We all live there, help everyone.¡±


    Turning back to the orb, Matt thought for a moment. He would likely help them out either way, but this would let them get something out of the deal. ¡°Alright, but I can¡¯t make this deal alone. Just give me a minute to call someone and make sure we can have you guys move in.¡±


    *****


    Half an hour later, Matt had secured the approval of Franklin. It honestly wasn¡¯t that hard and most of the time was spent explaining what the deep dwellers were. Well, he tried to since he wasn¡¯t exactly sure himself. Still, he climbed back out of the mech and walked over to Tengi. Echo had taken to lurking on the edge of the glade, staying out of sight but moving around the outskirts.


    ¡°We have a deal.¡± Matt said once he made it back to the orb.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go.¡± Tengi said and reached out to the orb.


    ¡°Hang on, we are bringing along one more.¡± Matt said as he called Echo over. The drake stalked through the grass with the majority of the deep dwellers none the wiser. After reaching Matt, Echo pushed against him and then he put his hand on the orb. Tengi looked absolutely terrified by appearance of the drake, but he didn¡¯t have time to do anything more.


    Do you wish to contest the ownership of Verdant Fields sub dimensional resource orb? Y/N


    Matt selected yes and felt himself be pulled into the orb along with Tengi. He didn¡¯t even try to bring Van since Tori had explained that orbs like this would not allow a construct to enter unless they were of a certain type that specifically allowed them. Matt was looking forward to eventually finding one of those orbs.


    Appearing in what looked like a lush valley of gently rolling hills, Matt didn¡¯t have time to take in much of his surroundings before he heard Tengi scream. Instantly, Matt went into damage control, pushing out his calm aura to soothe the little blue person.


    ¡°Tengi, everything is ok.¡± Matt said in a soft voice. ¡°This is Echo, he is my familiar and very... eh, mostly friendly.¡±


    Tengi was chattering in his own language. Matt didn¡¯t know what he was saying but had a feeling it was a long litany of curses and appeals to a higher power. Finally, he got himself under control and was able to speak in common again. ¡°Why not tell me?¡±


    ¡°Things happened to quick. I wanted to, but then you just put your hand on the orb and were ready to go.¡± Matt explained his position. He had only been reunited with Tengi for a little more than an hour and the topic of the Echo never really came up.


    ¡°Warn next time.¡± Tengi said and shook his head before turning to survey the valley before them.


    Matt followed his gaze and saw that while the valley looked lush at first glance, there was something within that clearly didn¡¯t belong. Mixed in with the fields, trees and bushes were dark green tendrils snaking along the ground. They didn¡¯t move but they also didn¡¯t need to, since Matt recognized the creatures.


    Choker Vine Hive. Level 31


    Choker Vine Hive. Level 30


    Choker Vine Hive. Level 38


    There were dozens that Matt could see and likely more that he couldn¡¯t. His last encounter was with a hive of 5 but this was going to be much worse. The level range was also extreme with no gentle progression, instead the levels jumped up and down at random.


    Matt was considering the vine monsters and how to best deal with them. He knew they were very weak to fire and that was what he had used previously. Problem was, last time he was encased in a few tons of armor with much more powerful weapons. He then pulled out the recoilless rifle and studied it.


    While the choker vines were primarily weak to fire, explosives should work to. Or so Matt reasoned, though he wasn¡¯t so sure it would be the best option. The rockets were very expensive mana wise, and he briefly wondered if his imbued rounds would be a better option with his normal rifle. ¡°Sorry, Carl. Today isn¡¯t your day.¡± And he put the launcher away.


    Matt¡¯s plan was to use his 2 forms of imbuement and if that failed, explosives. If the explosives failed, then it would be down to his mana shaping and mana blast skill. He had a lot of tricks and just hoped that they would be enough to deal with the infestation of plant monsters.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Echo, you can go do your thing, I¡¯m going to try some things on my own. Just keep me updated on where you are in case something goes wrong.¡± Matt said as he got down into a prone firing position and sighted in on the closest of the vine monster¡¯s cores. Echo huffed and prowled off, turning nearly invisible as he blended in with the vegetation.


    Taking a deep breath, Matt settled into his rhythm for good precise shots. The nearest plant monster was just over 500 meters out and, while he could probably force a good hit with his armor and increased stats, returning to the basics was always good. He pushed the magnification on his optics as much as he could, maxing out the 10x optical and additional 5x digital magnification to see the dense, fleshy center of the Choker Vine. He held over for the corresponding distance and pressed the trigger.


    Bang. The imbued round zipped out in an incredibly flat arc, a trajectory so flat that the bullet was sent right over the target. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Matt said. He didn¡¯t just miss, he missed by half a meter. He lined up a second shot and fired again. The result was a second puff of dirt right next to the first. ¡°What fresh hell is this.¡± He said as he got to a knee and inspected his rifle.


    Everything was as it should be, none of the adjustments for his scope had been tampered with and the dials remained at their zero location of 100 meters. Thinking of all the possible issues, Matt ran down the list, checking all the likely suspects. All the clamps on the mounts were tight, the barrel screws were still at their witness marks, nothing was loose anywhere that could cause an issue.


    With all that ruled out, Matt went on to confirm his zero. He found a tree 100 meters away and picked out a knot from where a branch had broken off. Once again getting into a good position, he fired. 3 rounds this time, then 3 rounds of imbued before walking down to check the results.


    Just as he suspected, all 6 rounds were clustered together, centered nicely but over a centimeter high. Once again, he confirmed that his elevation turret was set at the 100-meter mark and accepted his current theory as fact. His stats effected his weapons. With a groan, he walked back to his starting point and pulled out his tablet to do some math.


    Matt had a suspicion for the past couple weeks. His theory was that as his stats grew, they altered his weapons and their ballistics. He had noticed that even with stronger enemies, he wasn¡¯t falling behind much in the terminal effects of his bullets. There were differences, but it mostly came down to the type of beast he was facing.


    He didn¡¯t expect it to manifest in the external ballistics of his projectiles but guessed it came with the territory. Damage was influenced by energy, which was based on mass and velocity. In this case energy was damage and since the bullets didn¡¯t get heavier, velocity had to be the issue. The problem with increasing the bullet speed was more than just a onetime fix to re-zero.


    Because the velocity increased, it changed the flight path through initial external ballistics but also the ballistic coefficient went up as the little 6 mil bullet was pushed faster. With a higher muzzle velocity and higher BC, also came a change to the flight time. If he was engaging a moving target at range, he would have to shorten how much lead he put on. Not that lead mattered at very long range, it was more of a ¡®sharing is caring¡¯ methodology of putting a lot of lead in the air.


    So, Matt pulled up his ballistic app and input new data. He kept the hard info like bullet weight, its drag profile, optic height and such. He had a way to measure change in velocity and BC by shooting at 3 known distances and measuring the different points of impact. It wasn¡¯t particularly difficult, but it was tedious.


    After far longer than he had expected, he was once again fully equipped with working ballistic solutions. It turned out that he had around a 20% reduction in bullet drop, thanks in part to the afore mentioned changes.


    Once again lining up on the nearest choker vine, Matt fired another imbued round. The reaction was immediate, confirming the hit beyond the spray of plant matter. The vines writhed in a frenzied fashion that made him glad he wasn¡¯t nearby. The tendrils lashed out in every direction and tore at not only the ground but also surrounding choker vines.


    Wanting to try something else, Matt used his unstable imbuement and fired into the same nest of vines. This time the results were much more explosive in nature. The recoil from the shot settled and Matt watched the impact through his scope. The round hit the center of the root like bundle but instead of zipping through, it burst with a little pop of plasma. That little explosion was enough to set the creature alight. After a few moments, the thrashing stopped as the main body of the choker vine went up in flames.


    ¡°Well, that was an absolute success.¡± Matt said to himself. He was pretty happy with the results when using the unstable variant of his skill. He then proceeded to shoot at the next one, moving right down the line, one vine monster at a time.


    The entire time Matt was firing single shots into the vine monsters, Tengi watched him, scarcely moving except to flinch from the loud muzzle blast. Matt knew that Echo was off playing with some of the vines in the valley. The drake was finding his own method to take care of the creatures that was much more¡­ creative.


    The culling was going rather well, boring but well. Matt had taken out almost 40 of the monsters, gaining just a single level. He suspected that it was because of the rather low risk and that he was higher level than them. He did start to wonder where they all came from and was about to ask Tengi about the source but saw movement in the distance.


    Trees on the other side of the valley began to shake and tilt at odd angles. There was a line being drawn through the forest toward the edge of the fields over a kilometer away, headed right for Matt on his hillside.


    ¡°Finally.¡± Matt sighed with relief. ¡°Tengi, what was the monster that took over the orb?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Was dark then.¡± The deep dweller was staring at the commotion in the valley, laser focused on the trees.


    Matt wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that, but he zoomed in as much as his optics allowed. Not for the first time, he wished Van was there just for the convivence of his better sensors. He recalled Echo, wanting the drake at his side in case things went horribly wrong. The trees finally parted, and Matt could see the movement below the canopy. It was brief but just enough for his skill to work.


    Choker Vine Spawner Hive. Level 51


    Matt focused on the edge of the woods where the creature was due to step into the lush fields that made up the majority of the valley. Out of his other eye, he watched the slow and steady progression of the spawner hive. He didn¡¯t have to wait long for it to break free of the trees. It was almost exactly what he expected to see, yet also far beyond those expectations.


    The creature was almost completely made of writhing tendril like vines and dense plant matter. It stood nearly 5 meters tall if you only counted the main body since the vines reached in every direction and could add to that by several meters. It crawled forward, pulled and pushed by tendrils at its base, leaving a wide furrow in the dirt as it passed.


    Its color was a mixture of browns and greens with the occasional black spot spread over its surface. As Matt looked closer, he noticed that the black spots were actually pits from which more tendrils erupted. The sight made him shiver in disgust at the parallels that his mind involuntarily drew to other monsters from earth¡¯s fiction.


    Thankfully the creature moved slowly over long distances and Matt would try to avoid closing with the creature and its whip like tendrils. Since it was still around a thousand meters away, he decided to do some more testing. He had felt that there was more to be gained from his imbuement skills after having the luxury of such slow, methodical shots over the past couple hours.


    Matt eased himself back into the prone position and concentrated on his unstable imbuement. He pushed mana into it, feeling feedback that let him know the skill was ready. Bang. A round arced out and hit the plant monster, penetrating, bursting and blowing a chunk out. The monster thrashed but didn¡¯t move any faster in its race to Matt.


    More mana, pushing it into the skill until he felt it couldn¡¯t hold any more. Bang. Another hit, pop and more smoke. He pushed harder, concentrating on the skill as he felt the barrier of mana surrounding his chambered bullet. Bang. A hit, pop and more smoke, this time taking off a couple tendrils in the process.


    Feeling like he was on the edge of something, Matt focused harder. He felt the next round in the chamber as it filled with his plasma. He could sense that he couldn¡¯t expand the amount in the 6-millimeter bullet anymore, but then had an idea.


    Matt pulled mana into his core like in his meditations. He compressed it, concentrating it into a tiny bead of pure, high-density mana. He felt it now, the difference. It was like holding a piece of lead compared to an equal size piece of aluminum. There was a density there that was more than just weight. With a concentrated effort, he pushed the compressed, high-density mana into the skill and filled the unstable round to the brim. Confirming his point of aim, since the monster had gotten much closer, he fired.


    Bang. Matt watched as the bullet arced out like a tracer. This time, it wasn¡¯t the yellow orange he had come to expect, but a bright blue like when he imbued his melee weapons or his mana constructs. The impact was much more violent as the round hit the monster then erupted, spewing burning plant mater out of the now half meter hole in its side. The report of the impact was actually audible now and sounded like a firecracker going off under water.


    Focusing again, Matt repeated his actions, this time faster. Condensing, concentrating and pushing the denser mana into the skill. Bang. Another chunk blown off the spawner leaving another smoldering hole in its flank. He did it again, this time faster than the previous attempt. Bang. He did it again, getting the time down to less than 2 seconds. Bang. Once again, this time in less than a second. Bang. Once more, but nearly instantly. Bang.


    Matt could feel System notifications banging into his mind, hollering for attention. Seeing as the monster was still hundreds of meters away, he obliged and opened the first of the System messages.


    Unstable Imbuement (Epic)


    Imbue a weapon with your affinity but in an unstable nature that reacts violently when contacting an enemy. Gain total control of the stability of mana imbued projectiles. Cost and usage are similar to Imbue Weapon.


    Has upgraded to:


    Unstable Imbuement (Legendary)


    Imbue a weapon with your affinity but in an unstable nature that reacts violently when contacting an enemy. Gain total control of the stability of mana imbued projectiles. Allows user to vary the quantity of imbued mana, by increasing density, to alter the effects of the reaction. Cost and usage are similar to Imbue Weapon.


    What Matt wanted to do was to practice with his normal imbue weapon skill to see if he could get it to upgrade. He figured he could but just needed to actually go through the motions. He also wanted to read the other message, but this was the important one. He then stood up and readied himself to finish off the vine monster that had finally closed to within 500 meters. It was a mess of burning plant matter at this point, but formalities were still necessary as it turned out.

 Chapter 53 – The Formalities

    Chapter 53 ¨C The Formalities


    BOOM. The rocket hit, penetrated then exploded scattering plant matter all around the grassy valley. A few large clumps fell away from the main body of the spawner, but most turned into tiny bits that trailed steam and smoke as they flew.


    The plant monster had been peeled like a banana and collapsed into a heap where it had stopped some 400 meters from Matt. He got the kill notification a moment later and cautiously began to approach the remaining pile of plant matter. He hadn¡¯t faced one of these before and was curious if there were any salvageable materials left. He probably could have killed it without using explosives but just couldn¡¯t be bothered.


    Tengi scrunched his nose at the smell as they walked into the mess of vines and muck. Some of it was still twitching. Matt wasn¡¯t sure about the life cycles of these plants, but planned to gather and burn everything after looking for anything useful. Echo began to pace off to the side of where spawner had been. The drake let out a low humming growl as he paced.


    Matt was wondering what his problem was when he got bombarded by sensory input. His rear camera picked up movement, the threat detection field switched over to a lot of red and Echo sent him a mental image of vines moving more than they should be. ¡°Awe Fuck¡± was all he could saw before a trio of tendrils slapped into his chest plate and sent him flying. He just was able to roll back to a kneeling position shortly after hitting the ground.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Matt saw Tengi cut one of the vines in half with the knife he had given him. The deep dweller then rushed through the gap created, dancing his way to over to Matt while avoiding more tendrils. ¡°Sorry about this.¡± Matt said as he grabbed Tengi by the front of his tunic. He then pivoted, twisting at the hips, rotating his upper body and hurling the little blue man out of the circle of vine monsters.


    The high-pitched shriek might have been comical if not for the situation Matt was currently in. He was back peddling as fast as he could to get away from the now flailing clumps of vine monster. Once he saw that Tengi had made it out, helped by the over 50-meter toss, Matt used his teleport skill to break away from the swarm of vines.


    Once back on the edge of the vine pile, Matt began firing his unstable rounds into the piles of plant. The new, enhanced version of his skill wasn¡¯t used, it would be overkill for these lesser variants of the vine monsters. Now that he could get a clear look at the area from the outside, he saw a dozen of them sending tendrils his way, trying to snare him.


    Matt fired into the front ranks, the rounds bursting and setting each of the choker vines alight in multiple places. The explosions from the imbued rounds were much more impressive from up close. Each one would remove a chunk of monster that was slightly larger than his gloved fist. A few of the closer ones ended up spraying a little of the pulpy sap back after the rounds detonated.


    Echo had found his way around the flank of the group and was systematically taking down the back line while Matt finished up the front row that had initially chased after him. None of the vines seemed to be able to stick to Echo¡¯s scales and the drake weaved in and out of the clustered monsters, sending arcing slashes of mana from his claws. These particular vines hadn¡¯t had a chance to imbed themselves in the ground, leaving their soft sides very exposed.


    Dodging to the left to avoid a slamming tendril, Matt let loose with an arc of plasma from his mana blast. The vine monsters in front of him were engulfed in flames and immediately retracted their tendrils, curling up as they burned alive.


    Matt and Echo both broke away from the fight, retreating to wait out the flames at a safe distance. Echo was prowling around the back of the vines while Matt made his way back to where Tengi had retreated to. While on his way, his detection field picked up more movement in the nearby trees. He wasn¡¯t sure of what it was but yelled to Tengi to run. Thankfully, the little blue humanoid made like a tree and got the fuck out of there.


    Tengi made his escape just in time as a torrent of wooden spears flew from the woods and turned the ground into a giant pin cushion. Matt threw a frag into the woods, only having a general idea of where the monster was. It turns out that ¡®close¡¯ does in fact count in hand grenades as there was a shrieking hiss after the grenade went off.


    Seeing his opportunity, Matt prepped another frag and threw it a little farther in and slightly more to the right. The first grenade had cleared out some of the brush and allowed him to get a better look at the¡­ the¡­ at this point, Matt wasn¡¯t sure what it was. All he could see was a wall of green and brown that launched the occasional spear of wood at him.


    The second grenade detonated a little closer to where he wanted but not quite close enough to cause permeate damage. I have just the thing. Matt thought to himself as he started pouring mana into his newly upgraded skill. This time he has a plan that involved the activation of 2 separate skills at once.


    The first skill was of course the unstable imbuement that Matt had recently upgraded. He used this since it had been highly effective against the other plant like monsters in the area. The second skill was his rapid-fire skill that allowed him to increase his rate of fire. He wouldn¡¯t need the recoil reduction but did want the extra volume.


    Matt shouldered his rifle and centered it on the wall of plant monster. He leaned heavily into the gun as he pressed the trigger, wanting to mitigate as much of the recoil as possible but still have some spread. BAAAAANNNNGG. One long, 50 round burst at around 1200 rounds per minute. The magazine was empty in less than 3 seconds, but it gave him enough time to sweep it across the monster.


    Not every round hit, some impacted trees and detonated while a couple went wide but of the 50 rounds, nearly 40 made contact. Those hits all exploded on contact sending gouts of flame, smoke and wet plant matter spewing into the surrounding woods. The salvo had done an impressive amount of damage but didn¡¯t go unanswered.


    A barrage of wooden stakes and spears flew from the woods, aimed not only at Matt but also the general area he was in. The density pretty much took away any possibility of dodging, but he did teleport back another 50 meters, clearing the area that the spears landed in. As he reappeared, he could see the monster for the first time.


    Choker Vine Sentinel. Level 56


    If Matt were to see the sentinel from a distance, he would say It looked like a spiny sea urchin. All around its body were 3 meter long sharpened, spear like protrusions. There were also several of the very familiar tendrils mixed in with the spines but not as many as the other variants he had seen. While this particular example had seen better days, Matt still had a fight on his hands judging by how quickly it was healing.


    Matt had reloaded his rifle and fired another burst into the mass of spines and tendrils, causing a series of explosions from the impacts. The sentinel returned fire by flinging more spears at Matt. This time, he sensed the mana gathering, the spears detached themselves, hovering just off the body for a moment before being launched at him.


    Unlike the previous times when the spears were launched, this instance has them being fired off one by one at a rate nearly like Matts own full auto. That would be 600 spears per minute. SPM? His thoughts were interrupted and he tried to dodge but was nearly impaled and forced to teleport, the result was a surprise for a seemingly simple enemy.


    When he arrived after teleporting, Matt was instantly shot at by more of the spears, thus forcing another teleport. It was the same when he arrived at his new destination and again at the 3<sup>rd</sup>. This left him with no choice but the best kind of gamble. The desperate gamble.


    Matt prepared himself as he teleported for a 5<sup>th</sup> time. When he arrived, instead of dodging, he summoned a vertical wall of plasma. It was just enough for him to fit behind. It took a moment, the construct not snapping into existence and instead fading in. This allowed one of the spears to penetrate, naturally igniting on its way through.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The now flaming spear took Matt in his lower abdomen. The armored plate absorbed the impact but was severely damaged in the process. The armored panel was rotated and forced downward into his hip while the spear deflected off and behind him. Still, he focused on summoning the wall. Half a second later, he was rewarded with a complete wall, solid as if made of brick.


    Matt then used this new wall as a barricade to brace against, firing another long burst using both his rapid-fire skill and his unstable rounds. Another magazine was promptly emptied into the monster, but there was a slight problem. The problem was only slight because the strategy employed by the sentinel didn¡¯t work.


    After the first few rounds, the spines covering the sentinel bent and twisted, forming a shield of the wooden poles. It worked for almost a whole 6 rounds before the explosive and super-heated nature of Matts ammunition punched a hole in the spines. There was now a gaping hole that the rest of Matts magazine was fired into.


    There were of course a few that hit the outside of the hole and failed to penetrate, instead exploding on the exterior of the makeshift shield. The monster also tried to defend itself by rotating and trying to turn the hole away from the incoming source of pain. By the time it was able to move any helpful amount, Matt had already run his magazine dry again.


    ¡°Fuck, shit.¡± Matt swore as he twisted and stepped fully behind the barrier to reload. His stomach was severely bruised at minimum and the armored plate was digging into his hip. He began to push mana into the armor to help repair it, but that process was very slow compared to generating munitions.


    As Matt was behind the barrier, he heard it shudder several times in rapid succession. The sentinel was probably launching more spears at him. After peeking out, he confirmed that was indeed exactly what was happening.


    The spears would impact the barrier and either glance off into the ground or be rebounded a few meters if they hit squarely. Either way, the shafts were splintered and set alight after contacting the blue wall of plasma. But for every hit, Matts mana was spent, and his concentration was strained.


    While staying put sounded great, it wasn¡¯t an option. The sentinel had begun to move to the flanks, reducing the amount of cover Matt actually had as it began to flank. Just as he was about to move his barrier, he got an impression from Echo. The Drake wanted him to distract the monster for a moment, which Matt could easily do.


    He pulled out a frag and whipped it around the barrier, slinging it in a side arm toss. The grenade flew straight for the sentinel but skipped off the ground 20 meters short. The monster began to tighten up its spines as the green ball of death bounced toward it. Clearly it needed some protection since it was to slow to get away.


    Matt saw a slight distortion in the woods behind the monster as the grenade detonated halfway through its third bounce. Boom. A brief flash that kicked up a lot of dust, and shattered a number of spines, went off in front of the sentinel. Behind it, Matt saw a narrow crescent wave of blue, arc out and impact the rear of the monster which caused its bulky form to shift violently.


    After throwing the grenade, Matt hadn¡¯t been idle. Instead of waiting, he prepped the launcher and fired just as the sentinel reacted to the hit from Echo. The rocket this time was a delayed fuse which streaked out, punching through the tangle of broken spines and into the body of the monster.


    Whomp. A muffled explosion was immediately followed by the monster sagging as smoke poured from its many wounds. Matt fired into the monster with his rifle again, trying to get rounds into where the rocket hadn¡¯t damaged. From the rear, Echo was laying into it with more slashes of plasma that seemed to finally be catching and keeping the thing on fire.


    After what seemed like minutes but was actually only a couple seconds, the sentinel collapsed in on itself. The mass of plant matter had gone up in flames with the spines looking like candles atop a very unappealing cake. A moment later, Matt felt a series of system messages vying for his attention and finally opened them.


    You have killed Choker Vine Spawner Hive. Level 51


    Bonus experience earned for defeating an enemy above your level.


    You have killed Choker Vine Sentinel. Level 56


    Bonus experience earned for defeating an enemy above your level.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gunfighter is now level 48


    Stat points awarded.


    Skill selection options are available.


    You have won combat and secured ownership of Verdant Fields sub dimensional resource orb.


    Matt laid back and sprawled in the grass. He was running low on resources and just couldn¡¯t be bothered to fight anything else. ¡°Well, Tengi, we did it.¡± Matt muttered to himself as he tried to repair his damaged armor panel.


    ¡°Yes. You win.¡± Tengi said as he walked over. He was surveying the damage that Matt had done while fighting the sentinel. ¡°You hurt?¡±


    ¡°Eh, sort of. My armor is damaged and it¡¯s causing some pain, but I am working on it.¡± Matt said. Indeed, the armor was repairing but it was going to take a while. The armor plate had done what it normally does when shot. The projectile hits the outer layer, fragmenting the middle ceramics and losing all its energy, thus failing to penetrate. The problem was that the projectile was usually a small bullet that weighed a few grams and not a 3-meter-long spear as thick as his arm, that had been set on fire.


    Much of the armor was crushed and bent from the impact but as Matt poured mana into it, the panel began to regain its shape. This also had the effect of no longer trying to displace his pelvis when he moved.


    ¡°Ahh, yeah. That¡¯s better.¡± Matt sighed after the panel had been fully restored. Echo had wandered over and helped Matt stand up, though he no longer needed it. ¡°So, you got the orb?¡±


    Tengi looked over from where he had been sitting. ¡°Yes, I have now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about the mess. I didn¡¯t really have much choice.¡± Matt said after he stood and looked around, finally taking in the damage. Where there had once been a sea of lush grass, it was now covered in a patch work of burns, holes and decaying plant matter. Honestly, he was surprised that the woods weren¡¯t on fire or something.


    ¡°No problem. Orb will fix after we go. It made for growing.¡± Tengi said and nodded toward the grass already sprouting from one of the bare patches from the rocket back blast.


    Matt literally watched grass grow for a couple minutes, amazed at how the fields restored themselves. ¡°Well, lets get this thing packed up and get you all settled in.¡±


    *****


    ¡°Just a bit more! There. Hold it. Aaaaannd down!¡± Tobias called from the top of the wall. For the past several hours he had been overseeing the installation of the mounting platforms. They were a universal design that acted more as a steady, consistent base than anything else. ¡°Meet me over at the next one.¡± He called to the pilots that were acting as cranes for his project.


    ¡°Is this where you want it?¡± Asked one of the acolytes or rather Fabrication Specialists¡¯ that had recently evolved their class. ¡°We can get it bolted in place while you go on.¡±


    Tobias examined the orientation of the platform, ensuring that it was oriented in the proper direction in relation to the parapet. ¡°Yeah, just be sure to witness mark the bolts and the corners after torquing them.¡± He reminded the crew. He got a thumbs up in response which made him snort. 2 weeks ago, and they had no idea what that gesture meant.


    They had 18 of the platforms to install and had finished 15 in just a few hours with the help of the pilots. He planned to do final assembly of the actual guns over the next couple days and install them as he went. They already had crews picked out for the emplacements and just had to do some training before they would be ready to go.


    As Tobias walked, he passed a few of the people working on the mid wall defenses. With the height of the parapet, they had decided to create some smaller positions more frequently within the walls themselves. The wall was nearly 20 meters to the top but around the 10-meter mark it was still 12 meters thick. So, there were teams of earth and stone masons creating dozens of firing ports and fighting positions in each segment of the wall.


    Tobias planned to fill the mid wall positions with a mix of guns. Literal guns, of the 90-millimeter variety and also pintle mounted heavy machineguns. They had found that crew served weapons were rather effective if each crew made up one party. They could operate the gun and the ammunition generators and gain shared experience by being actively involved in the use of the weapon system.


    One of the openings Tobias passed was made for the larger guns and he could see the 2 side passages already made for the supporting general-purpose machineguns. He smiled at the design, having used the codex that Matt made, he now knew a lot more about how to wage war than he ever thought possible.


    Each of the 90 mil guns would be supported by 2 of the 6-millimeter belt fed guns that they already had been making. The 2 smaller machineguns would flank the larger one and provide close support incase anything got too close to the firing ports. They would also be devastating in their own right based on volume of fire alone.


    Finally getting to the next position, Tobias was interrupted by one of his staff running up. ¡°Master Tobias. The hammer forge and heat treat are done with the latest batch of barrels. Where do you want us to move them before milling?¡±


    Tobias sighed. He no longer had an excuse to wave off the title ever since his evolution. ¡°Please stack them in cradles in assembly room 5. Keep them along one wall with easy access to the doors so we don¡¯t have to pivot around things to move them. I want it to be a straight shot in and out of the doors.¡±


    The woman bowed deeply ¡°It will be done.¡± She said before running off to handle the situation.


    Tobias stared blankly at her retreating figure for a few moments. Then, with a shrug, he moved on to setting the next emplacement. Some would think it below the Principal Forge Master to directly oversee such tasks, but the man in question didn¡¯t care. Besides, who would dare question a Principal Forge Master?

 Chapter 54 – Slow Going

    Chapter 54 ¨C Slow Going


    When Matt exited the orb, he was immediately greeted with the sight of a few dozen deep dwellers. That few dozen had all gathered around and were listening to Tengi, who was chattering on in their own language. The plan had been for Tengi to head out in front of Matt and Echo to prepare everyone for the sight of the drake. Apparently, they were not exactly fans of large predatory creatures and needed to be calmed down.


    ¡°We good here?¡± Matt asked his little blue buddy. Getting a nod, he wandered off in the direction of the mech, glad to be back in contact with Van. He had missed the mental presence of his core while in the orb. Echo followed for a short time before fading away in the grass and going¡­ somewhere.


    ¡°What happened in there?¡± Van asked as Matt approached.


    Matt filled him in on the plant monsters and went into detail about the 2 new variants. Van seemed very interested in the sentinel. He asked many questions about how it fought, moved and its general capabilities. He tried to tell him everything, even his speculations on how the choker vines progressed and evolved.


    ¡°I think the evolution path is more nuanced than monster A turns into monster B which turns into monster C.¡± Matt was saying. ¡°I am sure there is something else involved, but I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±


    Van rumbled for a moment while he thought. ¡°Hmmm. Could it be records? Tori mentioned those and how they influence growth.¡± Then as if he suddenly remembered something, he added. ¡°Or natural treasures.¡±


    Matt cocked his head to the side as he looked at the mech. ¡°Natural treasures?¡±


    ¡°Yes, like the rok and the stone it was guarding.¡± Van reminded Matt of the giant bird. ¡°Perhaps it wasn¡¯t always a storm caller rok but evolved into that from its proximity to the stone.¡±


    ¡°I think you might be onto something there. It could also be a mix of the two.¡± Matt could easily see that being the case. ¡°Anyway, what happened while I was away?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of note. The little ones loitered around me for a while, seeing if I would do anything, before they wandered off. They honestly have mostly been waiting as far as I can tell. They made some preparations, as if they were about to go on a journey but mostly just sat and waited.¡±


    ¡°Huh, frankly it¡¯s kinda what I would expect, now that I think about it.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Are you going to allocate your points and select your skills?¡± Van so helpfully reminded him.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just give me a minute.¡± Matt said before pulling up his skill selection menu. It was a pretty odd list with a lot of skills that didn¡¯t really fit his style. One was clearly from Tori since it had to do with motivation and its effect was based on faith. He didn¡¯t really like that one, but he did see one that he really thought could help in his trait¡¯s abilities.


    Observant Meditation (Epic)


    Allows the user to be more conscious of the surrounding area while meditating. Allows the user to guide their meditation practices more accurately. Resource recovery is boosted while in Observant Meditation.


    Matt then allocated his points. He decided to take some of the advice he had gotten in one of his chats with Tori and placed it into 2 stats rather than splitting it across the board. He could shore up any deficiencies by other means later. He put 20 points into both dexterity and endurance. His current strategy was to not get hit and be able to fight for a long time.


    After a few more minutes where Matt discussed his selection with Van, he saw the deep dwellers walking over and stood to meet them. One of them was holding the resource orb, well not holding it as much as pushing it along with his hand. ¡°You guys ready to go?¡± he asked.


    Tengi nodded. ¡°Yes. We leave now. Get to your home soon?¡±


    Matt thought about it before responding. ¡°Depends on how fast you are. We might be able to make it by night fall.¡± It was still mid-morning and Matt had been surprised to learn that he had spent longer in the orb than he thought. They had entered in the evening and come back out after the sun was fully up, spending the entire night inside playing whack a mole with the vine monsters. It has given him the sense of some sort of time-based shenanigans, but he wasn¡¯t sure how exactly it worked.


    ¡°We go now then.¡± Tengi said before leading his group toward the open fields of the valley.


    Matt climbed up into the cockpit of his mech and settled in for his new, self-imposed escort mission. He wasn¡¯t thrilled about the deal but didn¡¯t have any way around it. He followed the group of deep dwellers, having to wait a little before pushing through the brush at the edge of the woods so he wouldn¡¯t get bogged down waiting for them.


    Once they were all in the open, Tengi waved for Matt to lead the way. He walked up to the front of the group and began a slow walk in the direction of the city. To his surprise, the short people kept up with the long strides of his mech without issue. He increased his pace little by little before settling into what would be a normal walking gait for the mech but a run for anyone on foot.


    Matt looked down to see how the deep dwellers were keeping up and saw dark green mana briefly flash with every step they took. They never had to move faster than a walking pace but kept up right along with him. The mana being used reminded him of nature, like deep, old growth woods that hadn¡¯t seen a human in centuries. Must be a racial skill or trait? He thought to himself.


    They traveled on for another hour before Matt decided he had enough information to call back to the city and give them an ETA. He had told Franklin that he would be bringing the group of deep dwellers along with their orb. The orc had readily agreed to the terms and even offered additional assistance, but Matt declined.


    After his brief call to the hub, Matt settled in for the long trip back to the city. Even if he was surprised at the speed of the deep dwellers, they were still a far cry from his normal ¡®jogging¡¯ pace in his mech. Echo used the opportunity to range ahead, leaving Matt to deal with any issues that came up while the drake went exploring.


    2 pit stops, 9 hours and many kilometers later, Matt could see the walls of Vil¡¯ Krad. He was very anxious to get inside the walls and let someone else take over. Not that he had any trouble with the dwellers, as he began to refer to them, but he was limited. It was more of a mental strain, knowing he needed to stay near by and at a certain pace.


    Matt could see the changes even from the distance he was at. The walls were no longer completely smooth, instead there were clear holes cut in specific places. He briefly wondered what they were until he magnified the image and saw the glint of steel in one of them. He could also see the other, smaller gun ports along with the large ones.


    ¡°I hope they have a way to seal those up.¡± Matt muttered to himself.


    He then looked to the top of the walls and could see the barest hint of emplacements in the crenelations that now sat on the parapet. He couldn¡¯t see exactly what they were but would guess at pintle mounts for machineguns.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    When the group reached just under 2 kilometers out, a party intercepted them. It was 5 classers without any construct support which seemed odd. Matt moved out to meet them and found out they were on a collection quest. Apparently, there was a type of cattle in the valley that was easy to wrangle, and they wanted to round some up for the farmers.


    Matt wished them luck and continued on toward the northern gate of the city. Echo rejoined them around the time that they saw an official party leave the gate to meet them in the fields just outside the wall. He could see that the party had Rohm and one of his pilots along with Franklin. They stopped a few hundred meters from the gate and waited for Matt to reach them.


    Climbing out of the mech, Matt made introductions with Rohm, Franklin and Tengi. ¡°Frank, Rohm, this is Tengi. He speaks for the deep dwellers and currently controls the resource orb.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you Tengi.¡± Franklin said with a smile and a handshake. ¡°I am the governor of this city and would be pleased to offer you sanctuary.¡±


    Tengi looked up at the tall orc. ¡°What else you want?¡± the words weren¡¯t unkind, but they were spoken in a nervous tone. It seemed that Tengi didn¡¯t quite believe that there wouldn¡¯t be any more conditions than having access to the orb.


    ¡°Ummm. Nothing?¡± Franklin said. ¡°We would like to work together freely rather than have some sort of iron clad contract.¡± Seeing that the little blue man was still looking at him, he went on. ¡°If you would like to contribute to the city, we of course would compensate you. We can work out details later, but we can offer credits, goods, food and some other things beside just protection.¡±


    ¡°What credits get?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can buy things. If you sell something you made or found, you can get credits to spend on anything else from someone else. Its easier than having to find specific people to trade with if you find or produce specialty items.¡±


    Tengi was nodding along as Franklin spoke. ¡°You wait. I talk with others.¡± And with that, he walked back to his clan and began discussing things with them. Matt didn¡¯t know what since it was in their native language.


    Matt looked to Franklin who just shrugged. ¡°So, how was the trip?¡±


    ¡°Ha, you know, found something valuable. Killed the thing that had it and came back with more than we had hoped.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Par for the course.¡± Rohm said with a soft chuckle.


    ¡°Where did you learn that phrase?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Tobias. I think it means business as usual or things are normal.¡±


    Matt sighed. ¡°For a moment you had me worried that golf was a thing on your home world.¡± Both Franklin and Rohm looked at him with curiosity. Heaving another sigh, he began to explain. ¡°Listen up, I¡¯m only saying this once and I don¡¯t actually have all the details since I never really learned to play.¡± The next 30 minutes were spent with Matt trying to explain the concept of the sport and occasionally pantomiming how to swing a golf club.


    ¡°So why can¡¯t you throw the ball?¡± Rohm asked. ¡°It seems like it would be much easier than using a ¡®wedge¡¯ as you describe.¡±


    Matt groaned and scrubbed at his face with both hands. ¡°Ugh. It is meant to be hard. The challenge is what makes it entertaining.¡± Seeing both of them still giving him side eye he wrapped up as Tengi was walking back. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure Tobias has video, he can show you how it¡¯s played.¡±


    The three looked to Tengi as he walked over. ¡°We join, help with crops and herbs. You give us credits?¡±


    ¡°Do you want a salary?¡± Matt asked, getting odd looks from literally everyone there. ¡°Set amount of pay. So, every week you get the same pay for the work you do.¡±


    Tengi thought for a moment before responding. ¡°Yes. We do this. Talk detail later.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Franklin said with a clap of his massive hands. ¡°Let¡¯s find a nice place for your people to set up. We can house you in the old long houses for now¡­¡± He began leading the way while talking excitedly to the crowd of dwellers.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go wash up and get some food.¡± Matt said to Rohm.


    ¡°Want to grab drinks?¡± The felid asked, both ears perking up.


    ¡°Uh, sure. Anywhere in particular?¡± Matt asked as they began making their way back in the city. Echo magically reappeared at the mention of food, following along like he was a puppy and not an apex predator.


    *****


    An hour later, Matt was sitting at a table with the usual crowd of Rohm, Jess, Lisk and of course Tobias. Echo was also at the table but didn¡¯t sit still and instead wandered around, looking for handouts. He was growing quite popular with the locals, like the stores that had a ¡®shop dog¡¯ that was friendly with everyone.


    ¡°So that sentinel was quite the monster by the sounds of it.¡± Lisk said.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think we would have an issue with the constructs but since I couldn¡¯t take Van with me, I was kinda limited.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°I am more curious about the ballistic issues you had.¡± Tobias said. ¡°That means that we potentially have a big problem with the emplaced guns unless we set crews to specific ones.¡± He scratched at his chin for a moment. ¡°Now that I think about it, that would be the best play.¡±


    Lisk decided that was his moment to preach the gospel of the gauge. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really have that problem. All that happens is the spread moves slightly faster. I don¡¯t have to change my hold at all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. We know. Many projectile good. Why aim when you have a cloud of iron.¡± Jess said, doing a reasonable impression of the demon man. Jess and Lisk were both still in armor, having only just returned from the trial orb that Matt now wondered if he could relocate to the city.


    ¡°How was the trial?¡± Matt asked. They didn¡¯t seem different, but he wasn¡¯t sure what rewards they received. He reasoned that it couldn¡¯t be that far off of his since they were also pilots. ¡°Did you get any good rewards?¡±


    Lisk turned away and started mumbling into his cup while Jess looked like the cat that caught the canary. ¡°Oh, it was splendid. The combat trial hurt a little, but I managed to last a while and got high marks all around. The rewards were upgrade tokens and an information crystal that had performance notes.¡± She then looked at Lisk. ¡°I even got an epic level reward for excellence in the combat trial where I had to fight off a bunch of creepy mannequins.¡±


    Matt was looking between the grinning elf and now blushing demon. It was strange seeing the roles completely reversed. ¡°And Lisk?¡±


    ¡°..ju..a¡­. un¡­on.¡± The demon muttered into his drink.


    ¡°Oh, what was that mister shotgun supreme?¡± Jess taunted.


    ¡°Fine. I said that I just got an uncommon quality reward. Nothing special, just an upgrade token and a propellant conversion scroll. Whatever that is.¡± Lisk finally broke to Jess and her taunting.


    Matt was very confused at the rewards Lisk listed. He couldn¡¯t quite imagine what he was describing. ¡°Can I see them?¡±


    Lisk shrugged and summoned the items from his storage. One was an uncommon personal equipment upgrade token. It was a nice reward if Lisk had the credits to make the upgrades. The other was a small roll of parchment that Matt identified as the afore mentioned scroll.


    Propellant conversion scroll. (Uncommon)


    This one-time use item can alter the propellent charge for a projectile based weapon¡¯s ammunition pouch. Limited to uncommon rarity propellants of a non-magical nature.


    ¡°Lisk, can you let me see your notes?¡± Matt asked and got a weird look in return. ¡°I just want to confirm something.¡± With a shrug, he passed the information crystal over and Matt began to read through the sections, scanning until he found the pertinent information. He read it through and confirmed his suspicion.


    ¡°I assume you know what this is?¡± Matt asked, holding up the scroll.


    ¡°Just what identify tells me.¡± Lisk said with a shrug.


    ¡°Alright then. You are going to meet me at the forge tomorrow and we are going to do some testing. Then we might even make it out to the range.¡± Matt said.


    Tobias perked up. ¡°Oh, good. You can take the targets I had made.¡±


    ¡°What targets?¡± Matt and Jess asked at the same time.


    Tobias went on to inform them that the first shipments of metal had come in from the mines. They had built furnaces on site to reduce how much was being sent over land and to make use of the coal deposit found on site.


    According to Tobias, the mine was producing very high-quality steel alloys and had shipped in tons of the stuff already. The forge staff had already began to convert it into armored plate, barrels, receivers and other items. He then caught Matt up on the building projects and what was happening with the walls.


    ¡°We have replicated the 90 mil M3 style guns and have those pretty much ready to install into those larger ports you saw. They are going to be supported by 6 mil guns and the 50¡¯s. Atop the walls I have mounts for 40 mil guns on flex mounts so they can fire either up or down. I am slightly worried about flying enemies, so they are also backed by MGs on flex mounts.¡± Tobias began explaining and getting faster as he went.


    The mad scientist continued, completely unopposed in his reporting. ¡°Between the crenelations, we have pintles for the 6 mil machineguns but there is actually enough room to get 4 people into each opening if we wanted. Between all the mounts and the number of guns we have, each ¡®point¡¯ of the wall has a stupid amount of fire power.¡±


    ¡°I am kind of surprised you didn¡¯t have any indirect like 81¡¯s or the 120¡¯s set up behind the wall.¡± Matt joked. Seeing the look on Tobias¡¯ face, he might have gone too far.


    Tobias was overcome with a completely blank face that slowly morphed into a fervent zeal. Madness glinted behind his eyes as he rapidly stood and rushed out of the bar, headed toward the forge. He was muttering to himself about elevated versus ground mounted mortar pits.


    ¡°You have created a monster. You know that right?¡± Rohm said with a sigh as he finished off his drink. ¡°I better go find some folks to put onto these mortar crews.¡± And with that, he wandered off toward the hub.


    Matt had to agree. At least this monster was hell bent on making the city of Vil¡¯ Krad a multi layered nightmare of a fortress to crack. Or he would, if he had the time.

 Chapter 55 – Your Turn

    Chapter 55 ¨C Your Turn


    ¡°Alright, fire off a full tube.¡± Matt said to Lisk. The demon did as asked and fired off 6 rounds into his target. The buck shot did a reasonable job of turning the steel torso into a shiny, lead covered mess. It wasn¡¯t the reason for the test, but it was notable. ¡°See how much smoke is in the air? It¡¯s all because its black powder.¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s half the reason I had issues with the trial. The smoke became so thick that I couldn¡¯t see the enemies.¡± Lisk was intently watching the slowly drifting cloud of smoke. ¡°It was the worst when indoors. It didn¡¯t dissipate nearly as fast.¡±


    They were using the test berm at the forge, which was in a narrow and long open courtyard near one of the assembly rooms. Apparently, it hadn¡¯t been used much, other than making sure prototypes functioned as expected. They commandeered the space so they could test fire without having to run back and forth to the area outside the walls.


    Matt nodded, fully agreeing. ¡°Use the token on your ammunition pouch.¡±


    Lisk pulled out his token and touched it to the hard sided leather case on his belt. Matt watched his eyes unfocused for a few moments. Clearly a System screen popped up for this process. After about a minute, the token and the ammunition pouch both glowed with the golden light and when it receded, only the pouch was left.


    ¡°Well?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely better. The System window was asking if I wanted to apply changes to the entire pouch or just one type of ammunition.¡± Lisk answered as he buckled the pouch back on his belt.


    Lisk, I swear to all the gods if you only picked one¡­.


    ¡°Naturally I chose to upgrade all 3 types.¡± Lisk finished.


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Matt said with a heavy sigh he didn¡¯t know he was holding.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Umm, nothing. So, try it now and then we can talk to Tobias and maybe Sari.¡± Matt said.


    Lisk loaded up the tube on his shotgun once again and fired at the targets as quick as he could. 6 more rounds with a massive difference. The first was that Matt could still see the target at the far end of the courtyard. The second was that the sound was noticeably different. Where each shot once had a dull sound, it now had a little more of a crack to it.


    ¡°Hmm, it hits a little higher and recoils a bit more.¡± The demon commented. ¡°Overall, it¡¯s a massive improvement to the power and, best of all, I can still see.¡±


    ¡°Glad you like it, now let¡¯s go see Tobias. By the way, how many credits do you have?¡± Matt asked as they walked toward the main offices.


    The forge was a hive of activity, as always but now that they had deadlines. Everywhere Matt looked there were people working intensely on every project that he could imagine. People were constantly working, and the halls were packed with pedestrians and those rolling carts of parts.


    The actual forging rooms were a sea of red-hot metal and sparks. What looked like thick armored steel plates were being rolled out and quenched on assembly lines near where a crucible was pouring molten metal into a mold. Welders and riveters were hard at work assembling the armored shutters for the gun ports and fitting parts onto what looked like the turrets of tanks without a hull.


    The enchanters were in every part of the forge, not just their own offices. They could be seen running their engraving tools over the still hot surfaces of some components, barely letting them cool in the quench barrels. A few were even working on what looked like a bunch of strange cabinet like devices made completely of metal.


    Matt had to wonder where all the materials were coming from but overheard a group pushing carts of barrels saying that they had to clear out one of the assembly rooms for the next shipment from the mine. He was stunned at what was being produced after just a few days of full operation.


    Finally in one of the design rooms they found Tobias. He was talking with a few acolytes around a 3D schematic of a tube-like object. ¡°So, the round is charged and ready to go. All you have to do is drop it down the tube and it goes off. There is also this manual firing lever if you can¡¯t just drop rounds for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Ok, and you want how many of these?¡± an elf man asked.


    ¡°I would like to get 24 of them. Then we have 6 batteries of 4.¡± Tobias was now pulling up the drawings for a few different rounds that Matt recognized. ¡°There are 3 different loadings I want regular high explosive, illumination and the third would be incendiary. The last might be hard to do unless we can get the phosphorus mixture right.¡±


    ¡°We will see it done. Can you push the data to the network so we can pull it from there?¡±


    ¡°Already done. Thank you for your hard work.¡± Tobias said with a casual, friendly smile and handshakes all around. ¡°Hey Matt, come on in. I see you brought a friend.¡± Tobias said with a hint of mockery.


    ¡°Yeah, I can make friends. Wait. Lisk, are we friends?¡± Matt suddenly asked trying to mimic genuine concern.


    Lisk looked at Matt like he had gone insane. ¡°I would consider us friends given how we interact and all the help you have given me.¡± He cautiously said.


    Matt laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you.¡± LIsk looked relieved at the admission. ¡°For the record, we are friends. Add Jess and Rohm to that list.¡±


    ¡°Not Venri?¡± Tobias asked.


    ¡°Ugh, fine her too but that one is complicated.¡± Matt then pivoted the banter. ¡°Are you ever going to get off your lazy ass and do the trial?¡±


    Tobias mumbled something about getting to it in the next few days. He then asked why they were there, and Matt told him what he was thinking. The idea got Tobias to pull up his personal data pad and start searching through it. After a few minutes, Tobias had a few designs projected onto the display they had gathered around.


    ¡°So, Lisk, this is what I have designs of that I could make for some points. I have listed the point cost below each so we can factor that in.¡± Tobias said as the display showed a few different shotguns from Earth. The designs were outlined and laid out in a grid pattern for easy browsing.


    ¡°What are the differences?¡±


    ¡°Glad you asked!¡± Tobias about sang before launching into the options available. ¡°We have 2 basic operating differences. All of these will be self-loading, so you don¡¯t need to pump the action but one type feeds from magazines like what Matt uses. The other type feeds from a tube like what you have now.¡± Tobias pulled up 2 examples, one famous design from an Italian company that had a magazine tube and the other that looked like the overgrown beef cake version of an AK.


    ¡°My ammo pouch doesn¡¯t produce magazines.¡± Lisk said as he looked down at the small box on his belt. ¡°That might be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it is a problem.¡± Tobias said frowning and taking a leaning forward to peer at the pouch as Lisk opened it. ¡°You probably don¡¯t want to try to stuff mags then store those on your person?¡± Lisk shook his head. ¡°Right then, that cuts out half the competition.¡± He waved his hand at the display and the right side of the grid disappeared.


    ¡°So, what separates these then?¡± Lisk asked looking at the new, much shorter, list.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Tobias immediately launched into a this or that questioning scheme. ¡°Well, do you want a lot of capacity or a short gun?¡±


    ¡°Capacity.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Front and rear sight or just the front bead?¡±


    ¡°Both please.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Fast cycling or soft recoil.¡±


    ¡°Fast. Recoil isn¡¯t much of a problem with stats.¡±


    ¡°Good point. Now accessories. Do you want to be able to mount lights and aiming devices like Matt has?¡±


    Lisk looked at Matt who summoned his rifle and pointed to the optics, light and lasers. ¡°I want the option. I don¡¯t have any of that now, but it would be good to get some.¡±


    ¡°We can take care of that today too.¡± Tobias said with a smile. ¡°Alright Lisk, this is what I¡¯m thinking.¡± He then projected a 3D image of an autoloading shotgun that had a 7 round magazine tube, railed receiver and some mounting points just forward of the handguard. There was a set of ghost ring sights on top but those would be secondary if any optic was used.


    ¡°I like the look. It is similar to what I have now for length, and I would like a light. The indoor portion of the trial was kind of difficult.¡± Lisk said after viewing the projection from every angle. He even wrapped his hand around the virtual display to see the rough fit of things.


    ¡°Great. Follow me.¡± Tobias said as he waved them through another door that ran parallel to the main hallway. ¡°How many points do you have?¡±


    ¡°Uhm like 900 thousand or so.¡± Lisk said. ¡°Will that cover it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure. You will have plenty to cover the cost.¡± Tobias reassured him as they walked over to what looked like a CNC machine cabinet. Inside was a cradle of sorts and hanging from the ceiling of the cabinet was a small tool of some sort.


    Tobias walked up and tapped the display. He pulled in the 3D image of the shotgun they had designed as well as a light that Matt saw was identical to the one on his gun. There was also the addition of a simple tube style red dot optic but those were everywhere in the city now. After parting out all the pieces, he had Lisk walk up and follow the prompt to create the weapon.


    As the machine started, Matt saw the familiar golden light emitting from the tool head as it tracked back and forth across the cradle. It moved like a 3D printer but left light behind instead of plastic. Matt couldn¡¯t sense a drop of mana but knew it must be some sort of System bullshit based on its variety of energy types.


    They watched the machine for a few minutes as it ran. Matt looked over to the only display on the cabinet and saw the run time. It projected that it would take another 2 hours to finish. He didn¡¯t exactly have time to sit around and told the guys that he was off to his other chores. Getting a wave from Tobias, he left the forge. He reminded Tobias about the trial and the wave turned to a one finger salute.


    *****


    Next on Matts list was to check in on the dwellers after their first night in the city. Franklin had let them pick out one of the open areas near where the barracks were still standing. He could barely make out the shape of the orb floating in place as he approached. What he could clearly see was Franklin and Tengi sitting at a table and talking excitedly.


    Franklin was drawing on a sheet of paper and pointing to various points in the surrounding area. Tengi would follow along and make some large gestures. Matt suspected that he was trying to match the expressiveness of the orc governor. He finally got within range to hear what they were saying.


    ¡°¡­ gardens will be a great addition, I am sure Madrith will help in this endeavor.¡± Franklin was saying. ¡°If she can cultivate the seedlings in the orb, it will give her a great head start.¡±


    ¡°I meet her soon?¡± Tengi asked.


    ¡°I can call for her to stop by and we can talk about it together.¡± Franklin said, promising to help with the meeting. ¡°Matt, good to see you. Now I don¡¯t have to track you down later today.¡±


    ¡°Why would you need to track me down?¡± Matt asked. He was immediately suspicious and on guard in case there was another errand that he was about to be sent out on. ¡°I just came to check up on my little friends and see how they were settling in.¡±


    ¡°Your reward.¡± Franklin must have seen the relief on Matt¡¯s face since he then added on. ¡°What, thought I was sending you on another mission?¡± he laughed ¡°I don¡¯t think I could actually make you go anywhere you didn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you might have a point. I would likely do it if you asked but no, you couldn¡¯t make me do anything.¡± Matt said with a smile. ¡°So, what do you have for me then and what are you guys talking about?¡±


    ¡°We have job now.¡± Tengi chirped. ¡°Frank asks us to grow things and he pay us with credits.¡±


    To Matt, that sounded exactly like what they had talked about earlier. ¡°Anything else?¡± Matt began probing. ¡°Don¡¯t you have other needs to level and grow?¡±


    ¡°No, we grow slowly but constant.¡± Tengi then gestured to the wall. ¡°So long as don¡¯t die to soon.¡±


    ¡°Tengi was telling me that they know about the upcoming event. Matt, it would have been really bad for them unless they found a way to hide the orb while they fled inside. They were probably too close to us to go unnoticed.¡± Franklin said in a somber tone. ¡°It¡¯s really a good thing that this all worked out the way it did.¡±


    ¡°Hey, so long as everyone is happy.¡± Matt said with a shrug. They chatted for a few minutes more with Tengi telling him how much they loved the old barracks. Matt guessed it wasn¡¯t so cramped when the occupants were half the size of the previous ones.


    ¡°Do you want your reward now?¡± Franklin asked after they caught up for a little.


    ¡°Um, sure? I thought we had to go to your office or something.¡±


    ¡°Ha, not anymore. My evolution skill selection now allows me to open the city menu from anywhere withing the territory of the city.¡± Franklin said as he opened the menu in front of Matt. ¡°Go ahead, this is your reward window.¡±


    Matt looked at the System window that was floating in front of him. It had his completed quests and assigned quests all listed out with a big green check mark next to his quest to find the last resource point. He reached out and touched the button, opening the next screen.


    Listed on the screen were the reward options Matt had to choose from. He could choose credits or a loot chest. Each option showed him a little detail in the sub text. The credits were listed in value while the loot chest would be of epic quality. Matt chose the chest and got a message asking him to be patient while the reward was summoned.


    After a minute or so, the familiar chest materialized in front of Matt. He opened it while Franklin and Tengi looked on in interest. From the depths of the chest, Matt pulled a small figurine that looked just like him or, rather, like his armor.


    Sacrificial Armor Totem (Epic)


    This totem is an exact replication of the users¡¯ armor while in a pristine state. Allows the user to instantly transfer all armor damage to the totem section by section or all at once. Totem will still function when in spatial storage. User can repair and rebind totem by channeling resources into it.


    ¡°Well, well, well. This will be useful.¡± Matt said. He had been injured several times and slowed from damaged armor. He thought the totem would allow for him to stay active in a fight for much longer. It would also be a not so nice surprise for any sapient enemies he had to fight in the future.


    ¡°You get the most fascinating rewards Matt.¡± Franklin said as he studied the action figure like totem. ¡°I am curious to see what the trial awards our people that are running it now.¡±


    ¡°How many have we gotten through it so far?¡± Matt was genuinely curious since they were coming up on the first System event. Every person that went through the trial could very well end up with crucial event winning equipment and knowledge.


    Franklin pulled up his screen and turned it toward Matt. ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±


    Matt studied the screen. It was broken down into the 3 major groups of pilots, classers and crafters. Each group showed the number that broke the level 25 threshold and evolved, along with how many had run the trial. Unsurprisingly, every pilot had broken through and nearly half had completed the trial. ¡°This is a very nice little breakdown you have here.¡±


    Franklin closed the screen. ¡°Thanks, its not much compared to how detailed I can get but I don¡¯t want to get bogged down in the details. I can technically track the progress of every citizen but don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The orc shrugged. ¡°Seems like an invasion of privacy to me. I don¡¯t need to know everyone¡¯s whereabouts in the city and their status or level. I break it down by major category or job role and look at averages.¡±


    Matt appreciated the little privacy. ¡°Good to know. I think I am going to go track down Tobias again and get him moving to complete the trial. Who knows, if he had done it already, he might have already finished all the preparations.¡± He stood and waved as he walked away, Echo following along in his wake.


    It would turn out that Matt didn¡¯t have far to go since Tobias was talking with Rohm just outside the hub. ¡°Tobias!¡± Matt called out. ¡°Got orders from Frank. You are to get your ass over to the trial and run it. We can¡¯t have you falling behind and the sooner this gets done, the sooner you are back to work.¡±


    Tobias squinted at him. ¡°You¡¯re making that up. Frank has never given an order to me.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that he hasn¡¯t started yet?¡±


    ¡°General decency and respect?¡± Tobias reasoned.


    ¡°Yeah, your probably right.¡± Matt agreed before turning to the commander of the construct corps and classers. ¡°Rohm, can you have the next group that runs the trial drag Tobias along?¡±


    ¡°Uh, suuuure. I guess we can do that. They leave in a few hours¡± Rohm hesitantly supplied.


    ¡°Great. Tobias, you are going. The longer you put it off, the longer you are out of action and the closer we get to this damn event.¡±


    Tobias crossed his arms and sulked like a petulant teen before finally throwing his hands up. ¡°Fine. Your right, I will go get ready.¡± He said before moving off to the forge.


    Rohm called after him. ¡°East gate in 2 hours!¡±


    Tobias gave another one finger salute from over his shoulder. He didn¡¯t bother looking back as he trudged off.


    ¡°What does that hand gesture mean?¡± Rohm asked. ¡°I feel like I should be offended but cant be sure.¡±


    ¡°Oh, boy. How much time to you have for a history lesson?¡± Matt asked, preparing himself for another lecture on Earth culture.

 Chapter 56 – Busy Bees

    Chapter 56 ¨C Busy Bees


    The city of Vil¡¯ Krad was a regular hive of activity in preparation for the upcoming city defense event. Earth shapers worked on the walls and the land around the city. Crafters made armors, weapons and other items. Alchemists were making every sort of potion they knew how to with all the ingredients they could find or buy. Enchanters crawled over everything from equipment to buildings, setting wards and enchantments on nearly every surface. Then there were the pilots.


    The pilot corps was being used as beasts of burden. The superior strength and mobility made them perfect for emplacing gun mounts and helping to install defenses. They also expanded the perimeter around the city, pushing the trees back another few hundred meters, getting at least a full kilometer in every direction.


    Outside the city, on what had become the official testing and firing range, the citizens all practiced with their weapons. Everyone was out there at some point, regardless of if they had the more modern equipment that the forge was making or if they had their original class weapons still. The most intense training was being done by the crew served weapons.


    There had been mortar teams training with every type of round that they had available and also working with the new forward observers. The FOs were of the scout class archetype but had several skills that translated quite well to the task of directing fires. They also worked with the other ¡®big guns¡¯ which were, of course, the 90-millimeter cannons which were being put in the walls.


    One of the guns hadn¡¯t been installed for exactly this purpose. It sat on a temporary mount and the crews all cycled through the weapon system and learned how to operate it. Thankfully, they found the weight of the shells trivial due to stats boosting strength, allowing them to be easily handled. They were engaging targets set lengthwise down the valley out to the maximum range of 2000 meters. Odds of them engaging a target at that range were slim but possible.


    Closer to the walls, a crew was going along and flattening out the ground around the city. They didn¡¯t make it a perfectly flat and level field, but they did remove all the terrain that might allow for something to sneak up to the wall¡¯s unseen. They also prepared the entrance ways to the city, making sure that the path in and out would be easily accessible to pilots in case they needed it.


    *****


    Franklin was in his office within the newly expanded hub. It wasn¡¯t exactly expanded in any meaningful way but there had been armaments added to the roof. He didn¡¯t know the specifics but heard the drilling and saw the dozens of machineguns being carried up. Rohm had even been talking about setting a depression limiter, which Franklin had no idea of what that meant. He was even more confused by the cables that were being dragged all over the place and run to a new cellar below the hub.


    Currently Franklin was watching the progress in real time from his city development display in his menu¡¯s. He could get a bird¡¯s eye view of all the changes going on in the city infrastructure. The display didn¡¯t allow him to see people, or at least it didn¡¯t yet. He was hopeful that it would be an improvement in the future as it would be of immense help in these situations. According to his new patron, it would only improve in function with time.


    When the display was zoomed out, Franklin could see the borderline terraforming to the surrounding plains and hills. Grass was being wiped out and small bumps being flattened. The trees had been, once again, pushed back in every direction. The cut trees had rapidly been processed into tidy lengths and dragged inside the walls to act as reserve building material.


    Franklin then scrolled over the walls and toggled a view that showed a wire frame representation of the network of tunnels and fighting positions. Every usable meter of the walls had been carefully planned and plotted to give the maximum amount of defensive firepower that they could manage. What drew his attention was the mortar pits dug around the hub. Each was made in a strange way that allowed them to fire in almost any direction with a little maneuvering.


    Overall, he was feeling pretty satisfied with the current progress and was confident in the measures they had taken. He spent another few minutes trying to memorize the new layout before he pulled up the System screen that showed the remaining time before the start of the event. In just over a week, they would be embroiled in a fight for survival.


    *****


    Venri smiled in satisfaction at her latest concoction. She had put out the requested quota of resource potions, making quite a few extra in fact. She didn¡¯t mind since it was still giving her class experience even if she didn¡¯t get much satisfaction out of it. What did satisfy her was things like the swirling blue liquid that currently sat within her cauldron.


    Vaporizing Essence of Incineration (Uncommon)


    After bottling, this concoction becomes violently reactive when its container is broken. After being reintroduced to the air, the liquid turns into a fine vapor that then ignites and burns everything trapped within its confines.


    ¡°Another variant in the books.¡± Venri said to herself as she transferred the brew into a dozen large glass bottles. She had gotten some guidance from her new patron on how to innovate with known ingredients. She was currently working on area of effect type concoctions but had also made some progress with her projectile treatments.


    ¡®Excellent craft my prime¡¯. The voice of her patron echoed through her mind.


    ¡°Thank you master. I stive for greatness at every opportunity.¡± She replied before getting the mental impression of a nod and a smile. She didn¡¯t know how Matt was able to handle an even more powerful god in his head. No, that wasn¡¯t right, she knew it was because of his nature and his origins. She was trying very hard not to put the man on a pedestal and project her misconceptions onto him.


    After washing out her cauldron, she then looked to the special request that she had gotten from Tobias. She had never heard of these parachute flares but was pretty sure that she could make a solid compound that put out intense amounts of light when burned. She thought she might be able to use some of her previous creations for an ignition device and looked to the Vaporizing Essence that she had just made.


    With a few adjustments I should be able to¡­. No, that won¡¯t work. But maybe. Yes, yes that would do it. She thought as she reviewed the requirements and then looked at her current ingredients. She began creating another brew just like what she had made with a few alterations. The entire time she was focused on how the end result would work with the fuel source Tobias had specified. She hadn¡¯t ever worked with phosphorus of any color, let alone white.


    *****


    Nix carefully moved her etching pen across the mount for the larger artillery piece. Every line was meant to be as precise as possible, but she was having a hard time due to the angle that she was working on. The platform itself was made of several parts and all bolted together. That was the main issue she was facing. The scale of the item was hard for her to adjust to after spending so much time on small items. Just as she finished, she heard a familiar voice drifting into the cave like hole in the wall.


    ¡°¡­seen my friend? Nix is her name. She is a human about this tall.¡± Sari was saying. She must have gotten an answer because shortly after the demoness popped her head into the room Nix was in. ¡°Oh, there you are.¡±


    ¡°Hi Sari.¡± Nix said.


    ¡°Hey. Are you about done? I need some help with the light things that Tobias said go on top of the wall.¡± Sari asked.


    ¡°Just a minute. I have to finish up the movement enchantments on the traversing mechanism now that the platform is done.¡±


    ¡°OK, I can wait for a few.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Nix watched her walk away, likely annoying the people installing the other parts of the fortification. She worked quickly but carefully to ensure the enchantments would be correct the first time. She didn¡¯t want anything failing on her watch. After a few minutes, she was done, and the script glowed bright white before dimming and fading away.


    Leaving the tunnels for the artillery and other guns, Nix found sari exactly where she thought she would be. Sari was watching a couple of the forge staff but not exactly from a respectful distance. She had parked herself right in the middle of their tools and parts. She likely thought the view was best and didn¡¯t give any consideration for their personal space or being in the way.


    Nix sighed and walked over to collect her wayward friend. Demons were an odd species to begin with, but Sari was a special case. Few of the people in the city would tolerate her well and that¡¯s why Nix let her latch on. They were even roommates, sharing a house near the forge. The arrangement would allow Nix to keep an eye on Sari, hopefully preventing her from getting into trouble with someone less tolerant.


    ¡°So, what is it that we are doing?¡± Nix asked after her and Sari began climbing up to the top of the wall.


    ¡°Oh, Tobias made these light things. Remember that elemental stone that Matt brought back a while ago? Yeah, that is being used as a power source for the lights and few other things.¡± Sari explained. ¡°These cables all run back to the hub where Tobias set up a sort of battery using the stone.¡±


    ¡°That seems¡­ like its overkill?¡± Nix said, not sure how to frame her thoughts.


    Sari shrugged. ¡°Yes, but then again what do we know?¡±


    ¡°True, Matt and Tobias seem to have strong opinions about these things.¡± Nix hesitated for a moment. ¡°Have you seen them actually fight?¡±


    ¡°No, but I hear there is a recording of some sort from Matt¡¯s trip where he found the trial orb.¡± Sari said cheerfully. ¡°Think we can watch it? It should be available on the projection tables.¡±


    Nix wasn¡¯t sure if they should. It seemed like prying to her, but at the same time¡­ ¡°Yeah, lets see if its there. I saw how the other pilots and the regular classers fight but I want to know what makes them so confident.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear about the guardian monster for the mines?¡± Sari said, leaning in to whisper in a more conspiratorial manner. ¡°It was a level 40 something and Matt took it on by himself. I heard that elf pilot, Jess, talking about it.¡±


    The enchanters ended up continuing their gossip as they started working on the light fixtures being installed facing both in and out of the city. They were just one of many teams working on projects atop the walls but were left to work alone, nobody wanting to draw the attention of Sari.


    *****


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Rohm asked Matt as they climbed up into the tunnels within the walls.


    ¡°I told you, Rohm. We are going to do the actual preparations of the position. We cant just plop a gun here and expect that everything is covered. We need to set firing limits for both left and right maximums. There would ideally be a sector sketch but since we made the terrain completely flat, that¡¯s not really a problem anymore.¡± Matt explained.


    ¡°Huh, never would have thought that much about it.¡± Rohm still didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°Why does it matter if they have designated sectors of fire?¡±


    ¡°You did use the codex, right?¡± Matt asked.


    Rohm took a moment to think then it seemed to come to him. ¡°Oh, I get it now.¡± He looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Its so strange to use the knowledge of the codex. There is information that I know by heart but can¡¯t recall how it was learned. I have to literally think about the codex to get the information.¡±


    Matt looked over to his felid friend. ¡°That sounds very strange. I don¡¯t know what it is like since I made the damn thing.¡± Then he muttered under his breath. ¡°Maybe Tori will have something like that for me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s that?¡± Rohm asked.


    ¡°Oh, nothing just my idle musings.¡± Matt said. He didn¡¯t want to divulge too much information about the gods, if he didn¡¯t have to. Matt wasn¡¯t of the opinion that others couldn¡¯t handle it, but he didn¡¯t want to open that can of worms for no reason.


    They arrived at the first 90-millimeter gun position and climbed in through the armored door that gave access to the cannon plus its support guns. Matt saw a crew was already in there getting familiar with the weapon. He could also hear voices of others coming down the hallway. It seemed that the assigned teams were already doing their own prep work.


    ¡°Lord Matt, Commander Rohm.¡± One of the gun crew called before bowing. The rest of the crew stopped what they had been doing to wait respectfully.


    ¡°Knock that shit off.¡± Matt said with a wave of his hand. ¡°We are interrupting you, so please feel free to go about your work.¡±


    The first person to speak was apparently going to act as spokesperson since he stepped forward while the others went back to familiarizing themselves with the turret. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± He was a human of middling height with a dark complexion but had odd orange irises.


    Rohm clearly knew the man. ¡°Relax Westal, we are just setting up the guns for their sectors of fire. Is there anything you guys need?¡±


    Westal evidently hadn¡¯t expected such a relaxed conversation and took a moment to respond. ¡°No, we are just trying to figure out all the controls for the gun and the damned radio.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the radio?¡± Matt asked.


    Westal flinched at the sound of Matt¡¯s voice almost like he had forgotten that he was there. ¡°N-Nothing, I am sure they are fine and its just our own incompetence.¡±


    Matt just pushed out calming influence though his aura, a skill he was getting rather handy with. ¡°How about you tell me what the issue is, and I can try to help?¡± Matt noticed that the others in the room also seemed to relax a little.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Westal said with a nod and led them over to the back of the ¡®turret¡¯ and Matt got a good look at how the guns were mounted. The design was like a tank turret but there was no armor, instead just a large open top basket that the crew could sit in. The gun was mounted centrally with the loader and gunner on either side. The commander sat above and behind the gunner like a traditional turret.


    This turret had a lot more room than its earth counterparts. The extra room wasn¡¯t only because of the lack of armored box but also because the ammunition racks were all replaced by a single cabinet design that sat right next to the loader. Matt climbed in ad found the radio set next to the commander¡¯s position. He quickly saw what the problem was and fixed the preset frequency.


    ¡°Hey guys, come check this out.¡± Matt said to the crew and Rohm. ¡°Actually, grab the others from the MG positions.¡± One of the crew ran down the hall to get the rest of the classers. After everyone was assembled, Matt gave a quick class on how to use the radio. He showed them how to set the frequency to the 2 ¡®Nets¡¯ for the general command net and the local one that would allow the MG teams and the gun team to communicate.


    ¡°Rohm, can I ask you to do something?¡± Matt asked after he was done. Getting a nod, he continued. ¡°Can you make sure the rest of the teams are set up for radios?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got it covered. You good here?¡±


    ¡°I think I can handle the rest of it on my own. Thanks for the help.¡±


    Rohm left to handle the rest of the fighting positions, leaving Matt with the crew for this position. ¡°So, how much hands on time do you guys have with the guns?¡± he asked the classers still standing around. When he saw a bunch of unsure looks, he just sighed. ¡°Alright, grab your shit and lets head to the range.¡±


    Immediately they all broke away to collect their equipment before following Matt like a bunch of ducklings following their mother. They thankfully found the range area empty and had free use of the training guns still set up. Matt was going to do this as group training since he didn¡¯t have the expertise to do detailed training on the 90.


    Matt showed them the ins and outs of the heavy MG. He also showed them some of the tricks he learned to quickly make adjustments and keep the gun running at all times. The ammunition was thankfully generated in boxes that were ready to go and wasn¡¯t loose or just an uncontained belt.


    ¡°Here you can actually adjust the rate of fire.¡± Matt was pointing to a threaded rod that you could only see with the backplate taken off. ¡°By adjusting the timing nut and the headspace, you can get the rate of fire up a couple hundred rounds per minute.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want to do faster or slower?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°Good question.¡± Matt said, pointing to him. ¡°Slower would help conserve ammunition and can be better for suppressing where higher rates of fire can help to catch enemies in the open. If someone is moving between covered location, you might get lucky and get them with a lot more lead in the air.¡±


    The crews were nodding along to Matts words, so he wrapped up the demonstration with the adjustments before moving to the big gun. ¡°Ok, so I don¡¯t have practice with this method but it¡¯s something I overheard from old tankers.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what are tankers?¡± Westal asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter yet, they don¡¯t really exist in out world.¡± Matt waved the question off. ¡°They used similar guns to this which is all that matters. Now, you guys go ahead and get in. I want you to fire 2 rounds as fast as you can.¡± Matt explained the first part to them and watched them climb into their positions.


    Matt was impressed, they actually followed a proper gun drill. Westal called out a target and gave the fire order with the gunner and loader firing the first round followed by the second around 10 seconds later. Matt figured it wasn¡¯t so bad for an inexperienced team. He did notice how the giant casings were ejected downward and through a chute so they wouldn¡¯t clutter the turret basket.


    ¡°Alright now what I want you to do is the same drill, but gunner will be holding a second round. Immediately after the first ejects, just plop that one onto the breach block. The round will be sucked in, and you can close the block.¡± Matt explained what they were to do and watched them set up.


    This time the loader was sitting with the near meter long cartridge in his lap. BOOM. The gun fired and recoiled. The block opened and the case ejected down and out of the way. The loader didn¡¯t miss a beat and flopped the second shot on the breach, where it was sucked up buy the bore evacuator. The breach block slammed shut and the gunner fired a second round. Less than 2 seconds Matt counted.


    The crew was grinning at each other like a bunch of idiots, but Matt had to rain on their parade. ¡°So, as you can probably figure out, this only works for a quick double tap. You cant do this with a third round.¡± Seeing the looks on their faces, he brought them back to the reason they were out there. ¡°Lets run a few more drills and see how we look by the end of the day.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t have much time, but he was sure going to make the most of it and already planned to have the rest of the crews back out the next day to practice.

 Chapter 57 – Place your bets

    Chapter 57 ¨C Place your bets


    Theil strolled into his office, a nice cup of freshly made tea in his hands. The day had finally come when he could start reviewing accounts for this batch of initiates. They were always given a week before the first system event to get ready for all that would follow it. They would naturally have losses along with the gains and there would be a shuffling of accounts as the initiates got to return to the exchange for a brief window of time.


    Sitting down and pulling up the information on his monitor, Theil navigated to his account management screen and opened the tab for his latest charges. He took a sip of his tea, appreciating the fragrant vapors wafting from it as he sorted the columns to his preference. With a few clicks, the list of names sorted themselves and the values for the columns populated. He scrolled down the list, noting that he had relatively high casualties and that had quite the negative impact to his balance sheet.


    It was around the halfway mark on his list of names that he would find the deviation from the average initiate. He saw the name and instantly remembered the odd circumstances that led to the last-minute entry into his books. When he glanced to the right, he nearly dropped his cup from shock.


    Theil initially thought there must be a mistake or that he was reading something wrong, so he refreshed the list before scrolling back down. The numbers hadn¡¯t changed, so he opened Matt¡¯s profile and read the details. His level was exceptional, and the speed of his climb was beyond impressive, but that only told half the story.


    When he looked down to the detailed section of enemy kills, he was stunned to find not only the high number of evolved beasts but also rare variants. Then there were the achievements that were credited to him with personally securing 4 resource points and solo killing 2 guardians and a corrupted dungeon boss. Theil was so focused on his reading that he didn¡¯t even hear the knocks on his door.


    Knock. Knock¡­. Knock, knock, knock. ¡°By the System, I will just let myself in then.¡± Edmond said as he opened the door. ¡°Theil, I hope¡­ you¡­ Theil, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The Veiled lawyer had decided to enter on his own and then saw the stunned expression on the face of the elf staring at the screen. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they died!¡±


    Theil finally snapped out of his daze at the shouted words. ¡°Huh? What? Oh no, but not for lack of trying it seems.¡± He swiveled the display around for his guest. ¡°Matt is¡­ well, there probably isn¡¯t a word for it besides insane.¡±


    ¡°I see that.¡± Edmond said as he reviewed the fight logs. ¡°But he hasn¡¯t really had any issues. I see his achievements are just as numerous and impressive as his kill record.¡± He pointed to a line in the achievement section. ¡°He formed a domain just before killing a guardian class and securing a resource point. Not even our race¡¯s most promising youths would dare attempt to form an aura domain in E grade. She will be very impressed when they meet.¡±


    Looking up to Edmond, Theil narrowed his eyes. ¡°Who is meeting who?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, about that.¡± Edmond drawled. ¡°I brought you a gift to celebrate!¡± He said and produced a small wooden box with several bottles in it. ¡°I thought you would like to sample our replications of the drinks we had with Tobias.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little early to be drinking, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Edmond shrugged. ¡°I am not one to judge.¡±


    Theil pressed again. ¡°Who did you say would be meeting who?¡±


    The veiled man grinned in that manic way his race was known for. ¡°Well, after the first event, when you have the initiates coming in, you will be helping to arrange a little 3-way meeting.¡± Edmond paused, glancing to the door to make sure it was secured. ¡°Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting any of the divine beings in person?¡±


    ¡°No but I have a feeling that will be changing soon.¡± Theil dead panned.


    ¡°Yes, well, you will be hosting Lyerinthea, The Veiled Queen, and also Victoria, The Eternal Warden.¡± Edmond said in a lowered voice.


    Theil looked shocked and the color drained from his face. ¡°W¡­ why is The Eternal Warden meeting with Matt and the Veiled Queen?¡± he fumbled over the first word but eventually found his voice.


    Edmond nodded toward the screen and touched a spot in Matt¡¯s profile. The exact spot that was reserved for blessings. Theil read the box. He then read it again very slowly and carefully. ¡°A Prime disciple? But¡­ Ho¡­¡± Then the words failed completely.


    Heaving a great sigh, Edmond plucked a few bottles and a glass from the crate before mixing the ¡®aged rum¡¯ with something called club soda. The rum was relatively sweet, but the carbonated soda really opened up the flavors in Edmonds opinion. He then slid the concoction over the desk and into the elf¡¯s hand, lifting it a little to get the message across.


    Theil took a very large, loud slurping sip without taking his eyes off the screen. He continued reading, scrolling through the profile and occasionally taking another pull from his glass. Finally, after several minutes, he spoke.


    ¡°Edmond?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°This is delicious.¡±


    Edmond laughed. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°No but I don¡¯t know if there is anything else I can do about the other things.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± The veiled man said. ¡°To be fair, I came here with the express purpose of giving you a heads up. I know both of their auras will be suppressed by the exchange, but you still know who they are.¡±


    Theil shuddered before taking one last, long pull from his glass. ¡°Yeah. Thanks, I guess.¡° He looked back to Edmond. ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°Now we take a look at our dear friend Tobias and see how he is doing before making some plans for how to handle post event business.¡± Edmond said as he slid back into one of the chairs on his side of the desk.


    *****


    Tori was beside herself. Well, she was actually beside one particular demon that would not stop talking. Rather, her indecision was on if she should be annoyed. On the one hand, she found that Weltgan could and would use any situation to make a joke or play on words. On the other hand, his attitude was infectious, and Tori found herself laughing along more often than not.


    ¡°¡­so then I said ¡®do you want to try my hammer.¡± Weltgan wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way. ¡°Ha! You should have seen his face. He went as red as one of those Dawn strawberries they grow in the Algeir Consortium.¡± Weltgan delivered his punchline with perfect timing and Tori was forced to chuckle along.


    ¡°So then what happened?¡± Herman, The Wasteless Concoctor asked, leaning in like a coconspirator to some nefarious plot.


    ¡°Oh, he started swinging that mallet around trying to flatten me. The entire time he chased me around that planet he was sputtering about how he would never touch my hammer.¡± Weltgan shook his head in mock sadness. ¡°And I was hoping that we could have been friends.¡±


    Tori noticed they had arrived in the main lobby of the exchange, the floating platform smoothly gliding up to its dock and letting them disembark. ¡°We have a lot to do but where should we start?¡± She asked, trying to get the opinion of the others. She was also taking a few moments to look around since she hadn¡¯t been to the exchange in person for a few thousand years. Nothing much had changed other than some of the minor d¨¦cor in the causeways and lounge areas.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The ¡®main lobby¡¯ was more than just a lobby for the exchange. It was partly the intersection for all the major divergent branches of the exchange and had massive halls leading away to those areas that would allow even the largest of constructs to walk upright through them. There were also the terraces that ringed the main floor which lead to private offices and meeting rooms for hundreds of floors.


    At the very center of the ceiling, thousands of meters above, was a bright point of light. The light was all encompassing with its warm, golden glow but didn¡¯t hurt to look at no matter how sensitive the persons eyes. At the center of the impossibly dense ball of light, was the core. Not just any core but the primary system core in this part of the multiverse. It was through this core that the System could exert its will on this plane of the multiverse.


    ¡°Hello, old friend.¡± Tori said softly as she smiled up at the miniature star. She felt a warmth descend and envelop her, reciprocating the greeting. She had spoken with the system directly via avatar on multiple occasions, but the cores always had more substance. Tori would describe the avatars as lacking despite their immense power and presence.


    ¡°What is on your list?¡± Herman said as he pulled out a rather thick notebook and flipped through the pages. ¡°I want to meet with my representative and discuss my investments but don¡¯t have much else besides checking the markets for ingredients that excite me.¡±


    Weltgan summoned his own list along with a pair of stylish eyeglasses that he had absolutely no need of. ¡°I wanted to check out the betting halls. I have some credits that I want to spend, and this seems like the best way to get a decent ROI.¡±


    ¡°That is not how you get a return on investment.¡± The 4<sup>th</sup> member of the group said suddenly. Ralzin had been walking behind Tori, barely saying a word as they navigated the pathways to the exchange.


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s the fun way.¡±


    Tori smirked as Raz sighed heavily. Once Weltgan settled down, she voiced her plans. ¡°Can you put some bets down for me? I will be headed to the slave markets.¡±


    ¡°Rescuing some more poor souls?¡± Herman asked.


    Ignoring the curious look from Weltgan, Tori confirmed his suspicion. ¡°As is my nature. Anyway, Weltgan, I want to bet it all on Matt. Here is¡­¡± She pulled up her account balance and deciding to take it easy. ¡°¡­50 billion. I am sure you can see to that for me?¡±


    Weltgan nodded as he accepted the transfer. ¡°What are you doing after that you cant place your own wagers?¡±


    ¡°I have to meet with a certain queen and have a discussion about her people¡¯s experiments.¡± Tori said, her voice as cold as the ice forming in the air around her.


    *****


    All around the planet that Matt called home, cities were making their preparations for the upcoming events. The challenges varied from city defense from beasts to outright war with a neighboring city, but they all had one thing in common. Every event was oriented on combat of some sort.


    The leaders of these cities all pushed their people to get any last-minute levels, gather supplies and, in general, prepare for the days to come. These people had little knowledge of what was happening around the world, let alone on other planets or in the exchange. Yet, wagers were still placed on almost every possible thing by the beings that could freely travel to the multiversal market.


    The list of things people could bet on was¡­ extensive. Weltgan read through the categories and debated what to look into first. Hmm the over under categories are always easy. He thought while opening the list of categories. Each one could be broken out into multiple different segments based on how you wanted to bet. He saw the typical options such as monsters killed, lives lost, potions used and so on. He also noted there was a blinking category that caught his attention.


    This one was one he had seen before but never actually bet in since it so rarely paid out and the odds were incredibly low. Still, feeling lucky and wanting to strike while the iron was hot, (Pun intended) Weltgan opened the menu for best ranking. It was a category that was an all or nothing. There was no spread, no qualifiers, no pay outs for partials. It also only went down to the city level since that was the focus of the event.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see where we stand now.¡± Weltgan muttered as he scrolled down to the city of Vil¡¯ Krad. He pulled up the listing and winced. The System had made an adjustment for the difficulty, which was public, and the adjusted rating was not great. Vil¡¯ Krad was listed with the highest difficulty rating but that meant the odds were putting it as a total loss let alone top marks.


    Weltgan pulled the options and saw he could pick from top 10, top 5, top 3 and best overall. He decided to hedge and put his money on the city being in the top 10 over all while he put half the funds Tori gave him on it being 1<sup>st</sup> overall. With the payouts, even if she lost, he could help offset with his winnings, not that it mattered to Tori and her ridiculous wealth.


    He then scrolled into other sections and spread his money out. He was guaranteed to win something and come out ahead but how much was yet to be determined. He had put all his on the city doing well but not best in class. For Tori, he put the other half of her money in several categories for average level gained, break throughs and one known as ¡®morale¡¯ that was surprisingly complicated to calculate. Every bet he placed, he put the city as the number one spot just like she asked.


    About to leave the betting hall, Weltgan suddenly felt he was being watched. He slowly turned, looking like he was scanning the other boards and listings. He could sense the attention, but not where it was coming from. It must have been a very skilled observer to leave the intent out of their observation, thus obscuring them, yet leaking just enough to let him know he was being watched. After turning to pretend scan the other boards, he saw them and began making his way over.


    ¡°Well, hello again.¡± Weltgan said after he walked over the quiet side hall near the entrance. ¡°It has been some time.¡± He leaned against a wall and spoke softly, knowing full well that the lithe woman could hear everything he said over the general noise around them.


    ¡°Well met, Anvil.¡± The small woman said. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be here, let alone with some new associates.¡± Her voice was soft, barely a whisper but carried clearly into the demon¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Good to see you too, Spirit.¡± Weltgan replied, putting emphasis into the woman¡¯s code name as well. ¡°Are you still all alone?¡± He asked, genuinely concerned for his friend¡¯s wellbeing.


    ¡°As are the wills of fate.¡± Spirit replied. ¡°Why pledge when you are unwanted.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question but a statement.


    Weltgan allowed a frown to form on his normally smirking mouth. ¡°Are you still hunted?¡±


    ¡°No, they have all passed on. I made them ghosts of their own.¡±


    ¡°I might have a proposition. Can I look into doing you a favor, for old times sake?¡±


    Spirit went silent, knowing exactly what he was asking. ¡°I will trust you.¡± She said, fading into the slight shadow cast by an awning. A final whisper found its way into Weltgan¡¯s mind as she departed. ¡°For old times sake.¡±


    Weltgan held still, looking off into the distance at where a band was playing. He knew not to watch her leave or look at where she went. After a few moments, he pushed back through the betting hall and into the main walkway of the terrace.


    *****


    ¡°Right this way, your grace.¡± Attendant Gareth said. He held his arm in the door, making sure it would remain open for the queen.


    ¡°Thank you, Gareth.¡± Said Lyerinthea. ¡°Is everything in order for the event?¡± She stepped into the rather lavish front room. She wanted desperately to get out of her traveling gown and into her normal attire. For all the title of queen gave her, Lyerinthea hated the dress code the most. Traveling in the pale green and white ensemble was beyond annoying for her since it always had to look presentable and limited the ways she could move or sit.


    Gareth nodded as he followed the veiled queen into the suite. ¡°Yes, your grace. We have a private booth in the viewing area for Matt¡¯s city.¡± He paused and Lyerinthea stopped, sensing his hesitation. ¡°There is something you should know.¡±


    ¡°Please, speak candidly Gareth. You should know by now that I don¡¯t shoot the messenger.¡± Lyerinthea said, glancing to her other attendant who nodded encouragingly at the proper use of the phrase.


    Spurred on by his monarch, Gareth broke the news. ¡°There was some competition from some powerful individuals. Besides the obvious and several of her pantheon and one demon that I believe recently joined it by our intelligence reports. The other factions include the beast empire, specifically the draconic congress and one of the cult organizations. The cult is likely just observing the others and looking for in roads for their schemes.¡±


    Lyerinthea mulled over the information for a few moments, taking the time to try and puzzle out who the other parties would be attending for. ¡°What stake do the dragons have in this? They cant possibly have any fledglings in that city.¡±


    Gareth was about to reply when there was a single sharp knock at the door. Lyerinthea and her attendants all looked toward the door, but she knew instantly who was on the other side. ¡°Better let The Eternal Warden in.¡± She said with a heavy sigh. She had wanted to delay this meeting for another day so she could get settled but it was not to be.


    An attendant opened the door and bowed, not daring to raise his blackened eyes to the goddess that walked in. ¡°If it isn¡¯t little Thea.¡± Tori said, the temperature of the room already plummeting to the point a D grade would struggle to survive.


    Lyerinthea stood and bowed deeply, plastering her gaze to the floor. ¡°Eternal Warden, you honor me with your attention.¡± She said, meaning every word. To her, the goddess was an idol, a living legend representing strength and perseverance.


    Tori snorted. ¡°Cut the shit. You don¡¯t need to be a fan girl anymore. It¡¯s been how many millennia since you ascended past S grade? I am sure you have your own achievements that are worthy of respect.¡± She reeled in her aura and appraised the veiled that still bowed before her. ¡°Well, stand up and let¡¯s get a look at you before we have a talk about your little ¡®experiments¡¯, one of whom became my prime.¡±

 Chapter 58 – Counting down.

    Chapter 58 ¨C Counting down.


    System Event #1: City Defense


    Time remaining: 20 Hours, 18 Minutes


    Matt read the message again. It had popped up for everyone in the city around midnight and seemed to align with the countdown that Franklin had. His was off by a few hours for a reason that he couldn¡¯t figure out.


    Walking out his front door, Matt found Echo already pacing along the porch and ready to go. ¡°Ready?¡± He asked.


    Rather than sounds, the drake flashed the image of a restaurant they had been to a few times. Matt sighed and gestured for Echo to lead the way. He supposed they could stop for breakfast on the way to the hub. They would be early no matter how long it took.


    The city had a rather strange daily cycle that Matt was finding odd in adjusting to it. Due to the lowered requirements for rest and food, people were working longer and longer hours. It also helped that darkness wasn¡¯t as big a factor either, with the stats helping with eyesight. Still, there seemed to be a 4 to 5 hour period around midnight each day that people would actually settle down and rest.


    They ended up finishing breakfast just as the sun rose above the wall and finished the rest of their trip to the hub with a little more daylight. As they approached, Matt saw Rohm sitting on one of the benches near the entrance. While Matt stopped to chat, Echo slithered his way up the stone exterior of the Hub, headed for the roof. Matt and Rohm watched for a moment before they sat to wait for the rest of the group.


    Rohm was first to break the silence as they sat, sipping their hot beverage of choice. ¡°So, any predictions?¡± He mumbled into his cup before taking another sip of tea.


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not going to jinx it.¡± Matt replied. He felt that no matter what he guessed or how many guesses he was given, there wouldn¡¯t be any way for him to know what was about to happen.


    ¡°Fair enough, I wouldn¡¯t want¡­¡±


    ¡°SON OF A BITCH!¡± someone screamed from the roof just above their heads. Matt looked up to see Echo¡¯s tail disappear over the edge of the roof. He then heard some slightly less panicked words.


    ¡°What! Oh, it¡¯s just Echo. He usually likes to sun himself in the mornings and finds a nice roof to do it on.¡± Said a second voice.


    ¡°Well, I bloody well know it¡¯s Echo now. I just wasn¡¯t expecting him to pop up over the parapet just as I walked by.¡± The first man said.


    Matt tuned him out and chatted with Rohm for a few more minutes as Franklin, Tobias, Jess and a host of other officials gathered on what was left of the hub¡¯s front lawn. The mortar pits set along the perimeter really didn¡¯t do any favors for the landscaping.


    The group eventually followed Franklin up to the control room and gathered around the large map table. Franklin tapped a pad on one side of the table and a 3D virtual map was projected onto its surface. Franklin made some adjustments and some data also appeared above the map, showing some statistics of the city. Matt noted that it was a very current version that showed the freshly made half walls in front of each gate.


    ¡°Thanks for coming everyone.¡± Franklin began. ¡°We are less than a day away from our first event and I don¡¯t think we could be much more ready.¡± He paused there and got a few quiet chuckles. They had run out of their ¡®to-do list¡¯ and began looking for improvements to make. Franklin then brought up a view that looked more like a schematic of the city before handing it over to Rohm.


    ¡°We have, as you already know, adopted a layered defensive strategy.¡± Rohm pointed to the base of one wall and the view changed to show a simplified view of the guns there. ¡°The large guns are all supported by smaller machine guns, each is secured behind its own armored hatch. This is expected to be the major power factor for stopping anything too close to the wall.¡±


    He then moved to the upper wall and showed the parapet and crenelations. ¡°We also have machineguns and light artillery at the top of the wall, but the depression is limited. Behind them we have some guns set up incase of ariel enemies.¡± He pointed to the flex mounted guns on the back edge that could cover the interior as well as the sky above the city. ¡°Lastly, we have the indirect fire teams around the hub and the air defense on the roof.¡±


    Matt had gone to inspect the roof and thought that Tobias might have gone a little overboard. They had carried up 20 of the general-purpose machineguns chambered in 6 millimeter and eight heavy guns chambered in 12.7. Tobias had actually wanted to put flak guns up but couldn¡¯t make them in time.


    Rohm interrupted Matt¡¯s little daydream and kicked it over to him and Jess. ¡°Matt and Jess will take over the ground defense outside the wall.¡±


    ¡°Right, we don¡¯t know how much opportunity there will be to engage outside the walls but if there is a chance, we will take it.¡± Matt began. ¡°We have prepared positions outside each of the gates that can be sacrificed at any time if needed.¡± He then took over the projection and zoomed into small walls they had erected.


    Small was a bit misleading. Each wall was 3 meters high and just as thick. Its main purpose was to act more as an elevated fighting position than anything else. It was also short enough that the constructs should be able to get over it if needed.


    ¡°Each of the commando teams will have a gate under their command and Rohm is dedicating 3 teams to each gate for relief.¡± Matt was highlighting a section just behind the new short wall. ¡°We will start the event behind the wall unless stated otherwise. Above and on the sides are spotters that will advise if the ground teams need to relocate.¡±


    Jess picked up from there. ¡°The decision to retreat within the gate is not up for debate. If any team withdraws, they all do within a 5-minute window.¡± Some of the people gathered nodded sagely at this safety measure.


    Jess gave the floor to the leaders in charge of indirect fires. They talked about where observers were located, capabilities and the minimum range. Minimum range was actually around 50 meters from the wall, depending on which section. The rounds had to clear the top with a little extra room incase something caused it to detonate mid-air.


    Following the fires brief, they heard from the healers who would be scattered around but they set up a field hospital on the lawn out side the hub for the seriously wounded. Following them was a quick talk from the merchants and those that owned restaurants. They had all gotten together and committed to bringing meals out that would give temporary buffs and would serve the classers as best they could.


    Everything seemed to be going smoothly with only a few questions until Franklin took the stage again. ¡°One last thing folks.¡± He said while changing the display to show his personal management screen. ¡°We have an option waiting for us, well, more like 2.¡±


    System Event #1: City Defense


    Failure options:


    Will the city of Vil¡¯ Krad take on refugees from fallen cities? Y/N


    Will the city of Vil¡¯ Krad seek refugee status if it falls? Y/N


    The room was silent as everyone read the screen. Tobias cleared his throat for some reason since literally nobody was talking. ¡°Are there any details about the options?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, let me expand the window.¡± Franklin said, looking slightly embarrassed for not having thought about that in the first place. A moment later, an expansion popped up and explained the situation for both options.


    When a city falls* during an event, the surviving citizens are given an option to be teleported out of the city under refugee status. They will be held in stasis until the end of the event at which time, they will be teleported to a surviving city. Refugees will be at the mercy of the city they flee to and can have any number of limits, terms or statuses applied to them.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    *The destruction of the city control point or loss of 90% of its population remaining within its territory.


    ¡°Are we in a position to accept refugees?¡± Rohm asked. ¡°I am all for saving people if we can, but I don¡¯t want to do it at the expense of our own people.¡±


    Franklin spoke up suddenly. ¡°With the building efforts and how people have dispersed among their shops, I think we could house quite a few in the old barracks. As far as future growth and expansion?¡± He trailed off and looked to one of the crafters in the crowd. ¡°Evan, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Within the walls we could easily fit three times out population even after our future building plans.¡± The man identified as Evan said. ¡°Frank has also mentioned once or twice that we will eventually have to spread beyond our current walls. I am not sure what timeline we want to put ourselves in but its possible.¡±


    Tobias chipped in. ¡°There is always the possibility to expand vertically. We have only a few buildings that have rooms below ground level and could actually create an entire network of subterranean buildings.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other for a few moments before Franklin called a vote. ¡°All those in favor of accepting refugees?¡± Everyone raised their hands with the exception of Franklin and Tobias who had already made their opinions clear. ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Yes, to both.¡±


    While the group had been discussing the plans, Matt had been focusing in and picking up some emotions in the group. There was a lot of what he thought was excitement up until the point that Franklin brought up the refugees. After he mentioned that, there was a shift in the auras and Matt detected apprehension or fear, he wasn¡¯t sure which yet. A few notable exceptions like Jess and Tobias didn¡¯t fluctuate much but Rohm went from a cool confidence to a strong aura of distaste.


    Matt looked at Rohm for a few moments, trying to figure out why he was having that strong of a reaction. This was one of the issues with his skill, he could pick up on some emotions but had no idea what caused them. The emotions were also rather hard to distinguish unless there was intent in them. He knew the intent made things clearer for emotions since it carried the feelings. Not able to figure it out, he made a note to keep an eye on the felid man, taking a wait and see approach.


    ¡°Well, that should be the last thing. Anyone else have anything they want to bring up to the group?¡± Franklin said. A few people asked some small questions or brought up some helpful information, but no more big news was to be shared. ¡°I that case, I suggest we take these last few hours to prepare and get some rest.¡±


    The crowd dispersed, everyone headed for their own groups that they represented. Matt went with Tobias off toward the forge with Echo following along. He made it about half the way there before a familiar voice called out to him from the side of the street.


    ¡°Matt!¡± It was Venri. ¡°Can I borrow you for a little bit?¡± she asked after she caught up.


    Matt glanced at Tobias who shrugged, saying he didn¡¯t need anything from him. ¡°Yeah, I can spare you some time.¡± Matt said to the dwarf woman, who was at least standing a respectful distance from him at the moment.


    ¡°Great! Follow me.¡± Venri said before headed back to the building she had come out of.


    Following along, Matt entered the shop and saw that it was absolutely filled with potions, pills and raw ingredients of various sorts. He saw Venri duck behind a doorway and reemerge a moment later holding a wooden box.


    Venri set the box on the counter and looked at the door. ¡°Would you mind shutting and locking the door for me?¡±


    Matt raised an eyebrow at the question. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the request but that she had made it. Maybe she isn¡¯t an insane cultist after all. He thought as he went and secured the door. He turned around and caught Venri bowing.


    ¡°Thank you, my lord.¡± She said before straightening. ¡°I will get to the point, so I don¡¯t waste your time.¡±


    Wanting to face palm for even daring to think she wasn¡¯t an insane cultist anymore, Matt just smiled and nodded. ¡°No problem. What¡¯s up?¡± He asked, trying to play off the very weird feelings he was getting from the alchemist.


    ¡°As you know, I have a special concoction that I use in combat by applying it to my bullets.¡± Seeing that Matt was following, Venri continued. ¡°The primary ingredient is actually a material called mage glass. It¡¯s made when great elemental or high affinity mana is released and compresses the sand in the area into glass.¡±


    Venri opened the box and pulled out a chunk of black obsidian looking glass. Matt noted that it was rather bumpy and had a lot of imperfections in it. ¡°Ok, what does this have to do with me?¡± he asked.


    Smiling, Venri turned the box so Matt could see inside. ¡°You made this, my lord.¡± She paused as Matt reached in and picked a piece out to inspect. ¡°When you meditated outside the walls several weeks ago, there was a field of it radiating outward. I collected it for¡­ um¡­ reasons.¡± She stumbled over the last part.


    ¡°Can we just not pretend anymore? I know about you and your¡­ culture.¡± Matt began. He eased his tone and pushed a calming aura when Venri flinched at his word choice. ¡°Let¡¯s just act normal outside in public but you can be yourself when we are alone. Sound good?¡±


    Venri had tears in the corners of her eyes when he finished. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± She bowed again.


    ¡°Right, lets just get on with it?¡±


    Straightening back up, Venri got on with her reasoning for asking Matt to her shop. ¡°As you noticed the glass in impure. I suspect this is due to the contaminants in the area around you rather than a lack of power from you.¡±


    Matt had noticed. In each piece there were little bits of plant matter, small rocks and several large inclusions. ¡°Yeah, looks like when lightning hits sand. Everything gets melted into one solid chunk.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I had collected and used as much as possible but what I have left is not the best. I was hoping that you could help me make a purer variety. I have purchased very fine sand from the forge and have a suitable area for you to work in.¡± Venri said, excitement in her voice and hope in her aura.


    Taking a moment to consider, Matt weighed the options. He had a lot of time before the event and nothing pressing between then and now. He also thought it was a good opportunity to explore his meditation skill and see if it helped him figure out what was going on with his aura when he meditated.


    ¡°Alright, lets go.¡± Matt finally said and watched as the little dwarf scurried around her shop gathering supplies. After a surprisingly short time, she was ready and led the way out of the city.


    *****


    Just beyond where the leveled field ended, Venri stopped and pointed to an area where the grass was almost non-existent. ¡°Right there.¡± I have enough sand to make a ring 5 meters in diameter and still quite thick.¡±


    Matt could see the area was also relatively sandy, rather than the fertile dirt the plains were typically made of. He watched as Venri produced a giant, 3 meter tall, bag from her storage ring and plopped it on the ground in the middle of the clearing. She then took a knife and slit the bag, allowing the white sand to spill out. Once the bag was empty, she brought out a rake looking item and leveled the sand, leaving it a little over 10 centimeters thick.


    After she was done, Matt took his spot in the middle of the sand and entered his meditation. He went through the usual centering and found himself in the same void as last time. Where everything changed, was in how much feedback he got when condensing the vapors around him. This time he could feel the pull, the resistance of the mana vapor, he gathered it to himself again and started to condense it.


    The condensing was far easier and smoother than previously despite him drawing in more from a larger area. After it was all packed into his core, he flexed and exerted his will, pushing the radius of his aura as far as he could muster. Out and out, it went, spreading like a ripple on a still pond. He felt the power and where it began to fade away, where his aura was less dense. He knew instinctively that his domain had expanded, now triple the size it had been.


    His meditation skill had guided him to this result. Where before, he was only condensing his plasma aspect mana, now he was actively altering the domain part of his aura. He could feel the 2 distinct halves that had blended into one. Where his mana had power, his aura was the control and it all resided within the domain he was forging.


    Venri watched intently as Matt began his meditation. She was much more aware of what to look for this time. She felt more than observed the movements in the mana around her. She felt a gentle pull almost like a breeze was blowing from her back. Then the pull intensified, if she had been standing, she might have fallen. She ducked her head, not daring to move, least she be pulled in with everything else. She could feel waves of heat radiating toward her, even from hundreds of meters away. Venri gasped at the sudden strength before it suddenly cut off.


    Looking up, Venri saw Matt sitting atop a now molten pile of glass that was rapidly cooling. The air above Matt still shimmered with the heat he had put out and all the vegetation for over a hundred meters around him was turned to ash. She was amazed at the power he displayed just from his aura and was just about to stand when she saw a ripple in the air.


    A wave carried out from Matt, pushing away all the dust and ash that surrounded him. The wave hit Venri and she gasped feeling his full presence as it washed over her, completely unrestrained or limited. The feeling was one of serenity and calm but was quickly morphing as he cam out of his meditation. Venri could see the presence retracting, the inverse of when it first rolled off him.


    Just before Matt pulled his aura back in, Venri felt something, something that made he shiver and a little part of her mind froze up, caught between terror and reverence. For the briefest moment, she felt the underlying current that promised annihilation to any who opposed him but salvation for those that stood with him. That was all she could grasp of Matt¡¯s aura before she passed out.


    Venri awoke suddenly and sat up, looking around. Instead of the field outside the city, she was in her bedroom. There was also a large box sitting on the floor with a note resting on the lid. It was from Matt and explained that she had fainted, so he picked up all the glass, put it in the chest then but both the chest and her in the bedroom. Venri had no idea what time it was but pulled up the System notification to get a better idea. She looked, then leapt up, rushing to drag the box down the stairs and start crafting before she ran out of time.


    System Event #1: City Defense


    Time remaining: 7 Hours, 49 Minutes

 Chapter 59 – Set the board

    Chapter 59 ¨C Set the board


    Matt stood outside one of the gates, just behind the low wall that had been built. He was mostly inside his mech, sitting on the opened front hatch, legs dangling in the air and staring out into the distance. He was also rather upset with the System and its countdown.


    ¡°There is nothing you can do to change it and it doesn¡¯t really affect anything.¡± Van rumbled over the mental link.


    ¡°Still is a dick move.¡± Matt said, voice full of venom. ¡°Why give us a countdown to the ¡®start¡¯ when you add on 3 more hours with a second wave countdown.¡± The question wasn¡¯t meant to be answered as Matt was just venting his frustrations. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing as icing the kicker.¡±


    The initial countdown had finished at exactly midnight only for a new series of windows to pop up. The new window had a sort of leader board that showed how the city was doing for time remaining and such. It also showed which wave they were on. Currently they were about to be on wave 1 of 5 but that¡¯s when the next little quirk showed up.


    Each wave had a start timer counting down with approximately 48 hours between each. Franklin had said that they had an option after each wave to immediately start the next. It was a choice between resting and repairs or more points. The other waves also did not advance. So, if they finished wave 1 in 10 hours, they could wait 38 hours for the next to start or they could advance it and have 86 hours until wave 3.


    Matt and Tobias leveraged their years of playing videogames and drinking beers to come up with several theories about how to best handle things. The plan was that, if they had a chance, they would rush through the early waves, so they had a larger buffer for the later ones. They would still get extra points for calling a wave early but wouldn¡¯t bite off more than they could chew.


    As he thought about it, Matt wondered what the points were actually good for. They had been given a special event screen that displayed some stats like total points, total contribution, ranking and other such features. The issue was, they didn¡¯t have any context for what the points did.


    Matt looked at his screen once more, seeing that he had 10 minutes left until the actual start. He glanced out one last time to the column of green light that rose from the distance. The column had appeared at the very start and marked the start point of the first wave. Matt just hoped the waves scaled with some linear path and didn¡¯t get out of control too quick. He then heard a familiar voice over the radio.


    ¡°All units, this is the ten-minute warning.¡± Rohm said. ¡°Take your positions and await further commands.¡± Matt looked down as the men and women manning the short wall climbed back up and looked out over the barren field. The 2 other pilots next to Matt closed their hatches and stood, getting a little extra elevation.


    Matt sealed his own hatch and sat back, waiting for the event to truly start. He felt a little bad for Rohm, who was cooped up in the hub, monitoring the situation so he could push support to where it was needed. He thus waited patiently for the countdown to finish.


    City Defense: Wave 1


    Time Remaining: 49 Hours, 2 Minutes.


    The light in the distance pulsed once, a ripple traveling down the column to where it met the ground. It pulsed a second time then dimmed and shrank to a thin line rather than the thick column it had been. The bottom of the column was nearly 2 kilometers away and just over some low hills that hadn¡¯t been cleared so Matt couldn¡¯t see what it was and had to rely on the spotters on the wall above.


    ¡°Contact. Large amount of enemies coming from a¡­ a¡­ Portal?¡± the spotter said over the radio, confused on what to call the source of the monsters. ¡°They appear to be common beasts.¡±


    ¡°Understood. How many?¡± Rohm asked back.


    ¡°Already several hundred but more are coming through. They are moving toward the city in loose groups rather than marshaling.¡± The spotter said, giving Rohm some more to work with.


    ¡°All units, engage as enemy enters your range. No point in letting them get close to the wall. Artillery, hold fire until told otherwise.¡± The last order from Rohm before Matt began to see the beasts crest the hills in the distance. He identified some of them.


    Oaken cave bear. Level 20


    Iron wood boar. Level 24


    Sap wood viper. Level 22


    Matt was about to radio in with his observation, but the spotter beat him to it. He felt the names were strange and zoomed in on one of them, instantly noticing the wolf didn¡¯t have fur. Instead, it looked like it was carved, or rather grown, from wood. He looked to the next one and saw it too had a bark like hide.


    ¡°Command, this is Commando 5.¡± Matt called Rohm over a private channel.


    ¡°Go ahead, 5.¡±


    ¡°The creatures all appear to be made of wood. Break¡± Matt paused, figuring out how to describe them. ¡°I got ID on a few and they all have wood or plant themes, and their hides look like bark rather than fur or scales.¡±


    ¡°Roger, 5.¡± Rohm said. ¡°All units be advised¡­.¡± Rohm began broadcasting on the command frequency. He repeated the exact information Matt had given him with some speculation to potential weakness to fire. Matt didn¡¯t have to wait long to test that theory.


    Bang. Matt fired a single unstable round at a large bear like creature that was lumbering along on 2 legs. The round hit center of its chest and burst a moment later. The creature was killed instantly, which didn¡¯t help Matt figure out anything about a weakness to fire, but the body was now fully burning.


    ¡°Command, 5.¡± Matt called again. ¡°I dropped one in a single shot, but the body is burning, for what that¡¯s worth.¡± He passed the info on as he selected another target. This one a leafy tree and turtle combination. Bang. This time a stable imbued round. It hit and bored a hole all the way through, splashing into the ground on the other side.


    Matt watched as the turtle thing stopped and began thrashing from side to side. The hole that had a small trickle of smoke a moment ago was now a raging fire that climbed up the tree atop its back.


    ¡°Yeah, they burn alright.¡± Matt said over the private channel, hearing Rohm confirm a weakness to fire a moment later over the command frequency. He took a few more shots, engaging at extreme range before some of the other guns began firing.


    Matt had initially believed that this wave would be easy to handle, given how he had put down 7 in as many shots. It appeared that the others were having a little more difficulty in felling the wooden creatures. A burst from one of the heavy machine guns caught a wolf like monster in the flank but besides some splinters flying out the back, nothing much happened. Sap was leaking from the wounds, and it had only slowed down rather than dying.


    ¡°Well, this is not going to be as easy as I thought.¡± Matt muttered to himself.


    Van picked up the muttered phrase. ¡°Why did you think a system event would be easy?¡±


    ¡°Fuck man, I don¡¯t know. I was just hoping the first wave would be a little easier to put down.¡± Matt said, letting a little urgency into his voice as he fired a long burst at the now visible main wave. Every round passed through multiple monsters, setting them alight and also spreading to a few of the others that were near their now flaming comrades. ¡°Command, 5 again.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we need fire. The heavy machineguns aren¡¯t cutting it.¡±


    There was a brief pause before Rohm came back on the command frequency. ¡°Anyone with a fire-based attack needs to be on the line. The monsters are resilient to mundane gunfire.¡± A brief pause. ¡°Personnel on the walls, make room for fire element wielders.¡±


    ¡°We stay put for now.¡± Matt called down to the classers on the wall that had begun firing at the monsters now that they were in range.


    The majority of the city still had older styled weapons or at least manually cycled ones but nearly everyone had some enchantments applied. Matt could see a few skills used and channeled by the defenders in front of him. One tall scale-kin had actually set down his weapon and pulled out a small bag and was searching through it.


    Intrigued, Matt watched him out of the corner of his eye. The scale-kin pulled out what looked like a bit of chalk and began drawing on the parapet in front of him. Matt didn¡¯t recognize the diagram but was still fascinated. After drawing a rectangle laid on its side, he drew a line from the left, right and bottom. On the 2 sides the line extended a few centimeters before he ended it in a vertical line. He then put some runes above the horizontal lines before moving on.


    From the bottom line, he continued it all the way down to the stone floor and drew a circle. After finishing a rather nice circle, if you asked Matts opinion, he began fishing in a larger satchel. From the larger bag he pulled out a bundle and opened it to reveal several items. Some yellowish stone, a small vial with clear liquid and what looked like coal. He placed these in the circle, neatly arranging them before drawing a stylized flame around them. He then placed his hands on either side of the circle and pushed a lot of mana into the ritual.


    Immediately after pushing mana into, it, a large red rectangle appeared a meter in front of the wall. It extended from below the parapet to a half meter above, just level with the horizon. ¡°Fire through the formation.¡± The scale-kin shouted, and his words were repeated down the line.


    The classers on the short wall all began shooting through the red rectangle. Every round that passed through carried a bit of mana with it. Matt observed the impacts of some of these and was rather impressed with the result. Every wood beast that was hit caught fire. The rounds either penetrated and smoldered or splashed and scorched the outside. Either way, the wood beasts hated it and began raging as they were consumed by building flames.


    Matt noticed that the scale-kin was standing on the formation, one foot just over the edge of the circle and channeling mana into the ritual. ¡°Can you draw a battery or power reserve.¡± Matt asked the man as he leaned down with the mech.


    Startled, the scale-kin almost stepped off but managed to keep his footing. ¡°Yes, but it doesn¡¯t do much good since I don¡¯t have the mana to put into a reserve.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Matt said simply. He reached out and put one of the mechs fingers on the circle and began channeling mana at a steady rate. The rectangle seemed to grow thicker, like a few panes of glass stacked atop each other, still clear but with noticeable substance.


    ¡°Right, pilots.¡± The lizard man said as he got out his chalk and began drawing again.


    A shaded box was added on a branch off the circle with the ingredients. Matt moved the finger of his mech to touch the shaded box and pushed a few thousand mana into it. To his delight, the box lit up and filled in like a battery indicator on a cell phone or tablet.


    ¡°That should be plenty.¡± The scale-kin said. ¡°Each shot is only taking 5 or so mana. At this rate, it should last for another couple hours.¡±


    Matt gave a thumbs up before returning to his spot and engaging the wood beasts. He was having some difficulty seeing through the rising smoke and burning wood piles but switched to thermal and was utterly disappointed. The wood like bodies of these monsters didn¡¯t put out a strong heat signature.


    Frustrated, Matt turned off the thermal and began engaging those he could see at longer ranges. He found a new strategy that was rather fun, after a few missed shots. If he fired an unstable round and it hit the ground at a low angle, it would break apart and splash in a fan of white-hot metal. He began using this to blanket entire areas with plasma, raining it down on dozens of enemies at a time.


    After a couple hours, Matt stepped back. He had seen several other rituals pop up along the tops of the main walls. Each had a similar effect to the one he had helped with. The fight had really slowed down after the initial rush and scramble to get fire weapons. Many of the beasts were just too low level and died well beyond the minimum safe distance that had been established.


    The beasts did begin to spread out and work their way around the walls to either side of Matt¡¯s gate, but they met with little success at finding entry. Every bit of the area beyond the walls was watched by gun crews and when they did make it to a neighboring gate, the wood monsters were cut down with more fire-based attacks that had been primed and waiting.


    ¡°Command, I am seeing something big coming through the portal now.¡± The spotter said. ¡°Large, maybe 5 meters tall. It looks like a giant pin cushion.¡±


    ¡°Command, this is 5. Be advised, I fought one before and our infantry will not do well against it.¡± Matt said, already knowing exactly what had wandered through the portal.


    Rohm didn¡¯t even question it and immediately recalled any classers from outside the walls. There was a chorus of groans and some rather harsh curses, that Matt was rather impressed by, as his classers retreated back inside.


    Matt switched frequency and called out over the commando net. ¡°Commandos, anyone want to try their hand at this thing?¡± He asked. ¡°Or any pilot with a fire affinity?¡±


    A few moments of silence were enough for Rohm, and he volunteered several pilots to go with Matt to meet this boss monster. Rohm had picked all of the commando squad and 5 other pilots that Matt hadn¡¯t worked with before. After they all met up, they headed out to meet the pile of plant halfway. They could have waited but it would have taken longer than anyone really wanted to wait.


    Matt supposed that, under normal circumstances, the boss monster would have some other wood beasts around since they were very resilient to most attacks The city and its defenders had just short cut the problem with a lot of fire aspect users and a lot of firepower. Matts musings were cut short as the group reached a point sever hundred meters from the monster and he was able to identify it.


    Choker Vine Sentinel. Level 40


    Yup, just a leafy sea urchin. Matt thought to himself. ¡°Alright folks, who wants to take this one on? Its only level 40 and as long as you keep moving and watch the spines, you should be fine. Honestly if a few of you ganged up on it, you could put it down pretty easy.¡± Matt said to the crowd.


    ¡°Uh, Lord Matt.¡± One of the pilots said. ¡°Level 40 is still pretty high for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I said a few of you gang up on it.¡± Matt responded with a little snark in his tone. ¡°Look I will be on standby incase you need it. But I want at least three volunteers. Come on, lets get those levels people!¡±


    Soon enough, there were 4 pilots standing in front of Matt, one of the commandos and three other pilots that he didn¡¯t know. He coached them on some strategies to hopefully avoid getting impaled and sent them off while the rest of the pilots watched from a distance. They stayed far enough away to not be involved but close enough incase anyone needed saving.


    ¡°You think they can take it down?¡± Jess asked after she had maneuvered her construct to stand next to Matt.


    ¡°Should be able to. I took one solo that was level 56 and only had slight issues from being on foot.¡±


    The head of Jess¡¯ construct turned and Matt could have sworn it was giving him the side eye. The voice that came a second later confirmed it. ¡°You are god damned ridiculous. You know that right?¡±


    Matt was forced to waver her off as the squad of constructs engaged the sentinel. ¡°Shhh. Yeah, yeah, I get it. Now be quiet and watch the fight.¡±


    They both turned to watch the 4 constructs engage at extreme range, around 500 meters for them. After the initial volley, they split off and began circling. They stayed moving at a few hundred meters distant, darting in and out while moving in a circle to add to the confusion.


    Matt noticed one of the pilots stow their ¡®rifle¡¯ and pull out a saber with a gently curved blade. It began glowing a dull red as mana was pushed into it. This pilot waited patiently, keeping up the circling as he waited for his chance to strike. After a salvo of spears, the pilot darted in, flickering slightly as a movement or avoidance skill was used.


    The flickering construct moved faster than Matt had initially expected, seeming to glide up to the Sentinel as he struck out with the now glowing saber. Once, twice and a third time he slashed out before breaking away. Matt noticed the same movement skill was used to disengage without even stopping to watch the damage.


    ¡°Good move.¡± Matt commented. ¡°He got in, hit hard and got out. Best part was he didn¡¯t stick around to watch.¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t he watch?¡± Lisk asked from Matts other side.


    ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t change the result. You can find out if the attack was effective or not after getting to a safe distance just as easily as from close up.¡± Matt explained. Sure enough, there were 2 long slashes in the side of the Sentinel that zig-zagged through the forest of spines and left smoking wounds in the body.


    The fight was over shortly after that. There wasn¡¯t anything flashy, just smart plays and exploited weaknesses that slowly wore down the sentinel. The beast died to its many wounds, most of which were burning or at least singed from fire.


    City Defense: Wave 1


    Status: Defeated


    The System message popped up and everyone in the little group let out a small cheer. Rohm¡¯s voice came over the radio a moment later telling everyone that the crafters would be moving to collect any valuables form the fallen enemies. He also told them that they would be starting the next wave early so they should get a move on if they didn¡¯t want to waste materials.


    ¡°Come on, lets drag that trash pile back to help them out a little.¡± Matt said as he stowed his rifle and marched toward the downed boss enemy. He was excited to see what the next wave was going to be.

 Chapter 60 – Creepy Crawlies

    Chapter 60 ¨C Creepy Crawlies


    Matt was waiting patiently. Well, patiently might be a slight stretching of the truth. Franklin had called the next wave early, but it hadn¡¯t come instantly, instead giving a new 5-minute countdown. Matt was eager to get to the next wave, hoping for a better enemy or at least a more entertaining one.


    The System message counted down and the pillar of light, now yellow, pulsed again as the timer reached zero. He waited for the spotters atop the wall to radio in what was coming through this time. He daydreamed a little as he waited. Maybe flesh and blood monsters? Oh, more corrupted ones would be interesting. Maybe it will¡­ His thought was cut off as a spotter called out over the radio.


    ¡°I see something, looks like¡­ Insects?¡± She sounded a little confused but then confirmed what she was seeing. ¡°Yes, insects. Some flying and some on the ground.¡±


    ¡®You have got to be fucking kidding me.¡± Matt swore to nobody in particular. He shoved his helmet on and sealed up the hatch of his mech. ¡°Van, what do you have?¡±


    ¡°Looks like they have limited flight capability.¡± The core rumbled. ¡°There is a decent amount of large ones and a whole host of smaller variety.¡±


    Matt was about to call Rohm when he heard his voice over the command frequency. ¡°All classers withdrawal to the interior. Pilots, keep the big ones out as best you can.¡± And that was it. All the classers on the short wall began running off to the main gates where they were redirected to new defensive positions.


    The air was now filled with the most disgusting noises that he had heard. Skittering, clacking and buzzing wormed its way through the speakers and external microphones to reach Matts ears. A haze of dirt and dust wafted up from the approaching swarm. A moment later, the first of the bugs came into sight.


    Combustion beetle. Level 28


    Bang. Once again being the first to engage at extreme range, Matt fired a shot. The inert round flew out and hit the 3-meter-tall beetle square in the thorax. A fraction of a second later, it burst in a spray of green tinted mucus with such force the ant looking monster near it broke apart.


    Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang, BOOM. Matt fired single shots at every one of the combustion beetles, each of which bursting apart with tremendous force. On a whim, he imbued one of the bullets and found the bursting reaction to be much more explosive that previously. This left a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.


    ¡°Put down the Combustion Beetles before they get close. They are explosive in nature.¡± He spoke calmly and clearly into the radio and transmitted on the open command net. He didn¡¯t have time to route this through Rohm, the gunners needed this info sooner than later.  These bugs were closing much faster than the wood beasts and came in much greater numbers.


    A few more pilots came trotting out of the gate behind Matt as he fired a line of unstable rounds into the advancing swarm. They added their firepower, solid rounds arcing out into the swarm and blasting through multiple bodies at a time. The swarm had begun to split and encircle the city, a line of them moving to the left and right while Matt and the 6 other pilots hammered the center.


    All around Matt was the sound of gunfire as the mid wall positions also began engaging the multitude of creepy crawlies. The 12.7 guns were slowly chugging along while the smaller 6 mil guns were adjusted to fire at a much higher rate. He was just changing to a new magazine when a cone of gore appeared in the wall of chitin. This first cone of death was followed rapidly by a second from the opposite point of the star shaped wall.


    The actual big guns had been brought into play and it was one of Matts personal favorites. Cannister shot was an incredibly niche loading for any cannon, especially with the modern offerings, being mostly used for mine clearing or defoliation. Tobias had insisted that they make a version for the 90 mil guns that had been put in the walls and it looked like that was paying off.


    Another cannister round was fired allowing Matt to see the nearly 1200 steel ball bearings tear into the swarm. Bugs were shredded by the giant shotguns, limbs and shells flying everywhere with some just turning into a mushy paste. A massive gap was formed everywhere one of these rounds hit, allowing them to see deeper into the swarm. Matt looked into one of these gaps and saw a very large bug that dwarfed the ones they had see so far.


    Bulwark Crusher Beetle. Level 35


    ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Matt said as he repositioned. ¡°That big one is way higher level than all the others.¡±


    Van seemed to be in agreement. ¡°Perhaps another boss monster or challenge?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Said Matt as he switched frequency to the private channel reserved for him and the commandos to talk to Rohm. ¡°Rohm, we got an oddity. There is a giant beetle thing that¡¯s level 35 coming to my position.¡±


    ¡°Can you take it?¡± Rohm asked back, barely a second later.


    ¡°Probably. Lets direct the 90¡¯s to take a few shots and see how they do before I go hogging all the levels.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will direct the guns near your gate to engage it.¡± Rohm said, going silent on that frequency for a few moments then coming back. ¡°Guns 8, 9 and 10 say they can see it and will engage.¡±


    Not 10 seconds later 3 shots rang out. Matt couldn¡¯t see the giant bug through the swarm, but the big guns mounted higher on the wall seemed to be able to. He heard the report of 3 high explosive rounds a fraction of a second later followed by a hissing that seemed to penetrate deep into his brain despite the sound dampening of the mech.


    The guns fired again, and the hissing stopped immediately. Rohm came back on the radio and told them that the giant had been killed but it took 5 rounds. Matt wondered how 3 times 2 equaled 5 but just assumed that one missed and didn¡¯t bother asking. He was back to firing into the endless mass of bugs that had now crept to within 200 meters of the short wall.


    To his left and right, the other pilots fired their smaller versions of cannister shot into the swarm while the machineguns kept up a constant stream of fire, barely taking a moment between bursts. It wasn¡¯t long before the next issue popped up.


    ¡°Shit, they fly!¡± one of the pilots to Matts right shouted. Matt looked up from his latest magazine change and saw a few grasshopper looking things take to the air.


    Matt fired a burst at them using his rapid-fire skill and managed to take 2 of the dozen or so out of the air. The rest of his pilot friends also fired at them which was a mistake. As soon as they had lifted their muzzles upward, the swarm surged forward toward their line.


    ¡°You take the flyers I have these.¡± Matt shouted over his external speaker. The others had been caught trying to decide which to focus on and he had to take charge. He let loose a long burst of unstable rounds into the front ranks of the swarm and saw the explosive results begin to push the bugs back. Above him, the heavy machineguns in the walls also chewed their way into the ranks of bugs.


    Smaller guns and the defenders atop the wall were left to deal with the flyers that had apparently popped up at nearly every gate. The flyers had launched themselves from the insect back line once they got in range. They probably hoped to clear the wall to get inside but found a little surprise once they crested the battlements. The machineguns atop the walls had their gas ports wide open and spat armor piercing rounds into the flyers at 1200 rounds per minute, ripping them to shreds.


    On the ground, Matt was having another issue as the line had gotten close enough for some of the bugs to start their long-range attacks. Acidic spit flew from something that resembled a termite and a noxious boiling jet flew from another thing that looked like a giant caterpillar.


    Matt brought up the shield projector on his left arm and was able to catch most of the attacks but still suffered some over spray. The hissing pop of acid reacting to the mech¡¯s paint was not promising of a good time. With most of the ranged attack negated, Matt hip fired into the advancing swarm.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Bug bodies exploded as he pumped a full magazine of non-imbued rounds into the front ranks. Several of the beetles burst apart as the 25-millimeter rounds exploded within their carapace, spraying acid over their neighbors. More bug bodies melted than were torn apart by gunfire in those frantic moments and still, they pressed on.


    100 meters off the wall. The front ranks had been compressed by the natural V-shape of the walls. They were now so thick that the pilots couldn¡¯t miss unless they fired well over the crowd. Matt was getting frustrated, fighting in tight confines and having to mind dozens of sectors of fire was beginning to stir something in his core.


    ¡°Fuck this.¡± Matt muttered to himself before jumping on the channel set aside for the gun crews. ¡°Gun crews on west gate, this is commando 5. I am advancing, shift fire. Say again, shift fire.¡± He gave the command they had drilled to shift their fire up and to the sides to allow for the constructs to advance under it.


    Matt took 2 long steps, clearing the short wall that had acted as their line in the sand. He pushed out his aura and flexed his domain, filling the air with his presence and his mana. Heat radiated off his mech in waves visible to the naked eye. The grass underfoot turned to ash, not even smoking as he passed. The entire time he advanced toward the swarm, he fired imbued rounds into their ranks, piercing multiple bodies deep.


    Finally, he arrived within 25 meters of the clacking jaws and scything limbs, seeing the shells of the enemy bugs burning from his domain alone. He summoned a mana blast in a wide arc and shoved it into the mass of bodies. He then summoned another, and another, followed by 5 more mana blasts. Each wave made up of super-heated plasma that the insects were unable to handle, screeching as they burned and burst in their shells before turning to ash.


    Matt was filled with a fury that he felt was beyond justified as he pushed into the swarm. The pilots he had been defending with followed in his wake, firing solid rounds through his domain and into the mass of bugs. Each of their rounds able to pierce a few bodies at a time. Their blood pumped and adrenalin flowed as they followed Matt, overcome by his aura and filled with the urge to destroy their enemy.


    Using his domain and the still active shield on his left arm, Matt was able the insects and their attacks at bay. He kept up a near constant stream of cannon fire as they advanced, mindful to focus on the tougher enemies to prevent them from dashing through the bubble that was his domain. Despite the progress, he could feel his control over his domain beginning to slip.


    ¡°Command, 5. We need to get some indirect fire out. Drop¡­.¡± Matt began but was cut off as 4 black streaks plummeted toward the ground and impacted the back line of the swarm. ¡°Disregard then.¡± He said and began to slowly back up. He made sure to send a few arcs of plasma into the mangled ranks of bugs as his domain began to fade and the heat was no longer holding them at bay.


    Step by step Matt and his supporting pilots began backing away, increasing the distance between them and the swarm. The bugs seemed to be thinning or at least hesitating in closing back into the area outside the gate. He was thankful for the little extra breathing room as he was beginning to feel exhausted after pushing his domain and having fired so many rounds.


    As they retreated behind the short wall, the machine gunners within the wall resumed their fire on the front ranks of the bugs. Matt watched as tracers arced out from the wall and falling mortar round lifted plumes of dirt and bodies into the air. He began a slow and methodical fire rate as he checked his reserves of mana and stamina, seeing they were very low.


    ¡°Van, take over. I need to down a potion.¡± He said, breaking the seal on his helmet and removing it to drink a mana potion. He briefly thought that there must be a better way and wondered if he could get a tube run within his suit to do the job or if he would need an injector of some kind.


    Replacing his helmet, Matt looked out to see the swarm had thinned enough to see light through the press of bodies. He was comforted to know that there at least was an end to them. Taking a few liberties with having Van running the show, he pulled up his System messages that had been trying to get his attention. He ignored the overly long list of kill notifications and noticed that he had picked up a few levels. He would have to deal with everything later, not wanting to take his attention off the fight for too long.


    He took back control of the mech from Van, continuing the steady rate of fire without a hitch. Slowly but surely, the insect swarm was thinned to the point that there were only a few clumps of them roaming about on the field outside the walls. Their blood and ichor turning the landscape a green-brown. He stepped back to take a break, signaling for the other pilots to cover for him. There were no longer enough of the insects coming to warrant having all of them firing.


    ¡°Command, this is 5.¡± Matt said, having not heard from Rohm in quiet some time.


    ¡°Go ahead 5.¡± Came a voice that was clearly not Rohm¡¯s.


    Deciding to just roll with it, Matt cut to the chase. ¡°We are running out of targets over here. Has there been any sighting of a boss monster for this group?¡±


    There was a slight pause before the voice came back over the radio. ¡°Negative. We had 5 large monsters at the level 35 mark instead.¡± A brief pause as the guy probably was juggling a few channels at once. ¡°There is one remaining, but the gunnery teams are using it for target practice at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We will hold for now. 5, out.¡± Matt said, letting the poor guy get back to his job. He informed the other pilots what the situation was, and they set a rotation so they could rest a little. Matt took the opportunity to review his System messages that he had only glanced at previously with the soothing background noise of machinegun fire and light artillery.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gunfighter is now level 50.


    Stat points awarded.


    Skill Selection available.


    Please select from the following skills.


    Positive Influence (Uncommon)


    Subtly influence those arounds you with your intent and desires. Influence others to support your cause and follow you.


    Meat Shield (Uncommon)


    You body acts as the perfect barrier to protect others. All allies shielded by your physical body gain increased resistance to damage.


    Adamantine Bulwark (Rare)


    Be the barrier that they break upon. Generate a field of encumbrance to slow enemies and blunt attacks when standing in defense of others. Gain bonus to defensive devices and skills when in the front ranks of a defense.


    Long Strider (Rare)


    Distance matters little to those with the longest stride. Cross long distances much faster when traveling on foot. Reduces stamina expenditure for movement skills. Can be used when piloting a construct.


    Raging Rebuttal (Rare)


    Those that dare strike, shall not do so again. For every attack that lands upon you, your next attack will deal extra damage based on the strength of the previous attack. Effect negated when enemies fail to deal damage.


    Ok, that¡¯s a lot of flavor text and a little disturbing. Matt thought as he read the options. He had long noticed the descriptions were longer for the higher rarity skills but now they had little proverbs attached to them. He wasn¡¯t sure the cause of it but noticed he had more instinctual knowledge about the skills even before picking them.


    He discarded the first 2 since he already could do one and didn¡¯t plan on being a physical shield for others. He also kicked back the raging rebuttal since Tori had warned him about abilities related to the concept of rage being a little too close to his primary emotion of wrath.


    Looking at the last 2, he honestly was torn between them. Both skills would be very useful, and one more so right now than the other. Still, he considered the options carefully before finally choosing the Long Stride skill.


    He liked the bulwark and knew it was offered because of his relationship with Tori but it would only be useful in very specific scenarios. The movement skill could supplement his teleport and also help with strategic objectives. If he had to go reinforce a distant position, he could cross the distance much faster and possibly change the tide of a battle.


    While Matt digested the skill and the information settled into his mind, he stepped forward to take over watching the line. The fight was now winding down and the constant gunfire was beginning to taper off to the tell-tale single shots that marked the end of a battle.


    *****


    The System was analyzing its data. To be fair, it was always analyzing data since that¡¯s how it viewed the multiverse. The data it had flagged and kept collating in a constant refresh was what was coming from a city that the residents had called Vil¡¯ Krad. It had previously upped the difficulty of their event, betting that they would be a good outlet for some surplus energy.


    Indeed, it was turning out to be a rather successful gamble and its predictive model was already proven inadequate. The event was going very well for the city with only a few injuries in the second wave. Normally the System saw injuries on the first with deaths on the following for the city defense events.


    Looking at the data, it would seem that the city was performing so well do to the input from those extra-system beings, Matt and Tobias. It briefly ran a cost/benefit analysis of bringing that entire planet into its system. The conclusion was¡­ inconclusive.


    While the System was debating the pros and cons of abducting another universe again, it was also watching the other cities and planets in this initiation, tracking their relatively normal progress. It was looking at a few outliers, flagging them for greater observation and predictive modeling. several of those outliers were on the same planet as the Earthlings.


    Working off of the variances and outliers from its predictions, it wondered briefly at the mutations and evolutions that had happened while it was growing these worlds. So far, the Deep Dwellers that had evolved on Matt¡¯s planet seemed to be rather helpful and productive little creatures. It was briefly wondering about generating them in the lower planes when it stopped, analyzing internal dialogue.


    When and why had the System began thinking of planet 19TE- 6345 as ¡°Matts¡¯ Planet¡±? Curious, it began the process of summoning an avatar. It would seem the System needed to ¡°talk¡± with some people after this event.

 Chapter 61 – Commentary

    Chapter 61 ¨C Commentary


    ¡°Hey, what did I miss?¡± a tall, well armored man asked as he slid into the viewing hall and sitting next to Tori. ¡°Sorry for being late, the halls are an absolute mess right now.¡±


    Tori looked over to the new arrival briefly before returning her eyes to the screen. ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡± She handed him a tablet and he began watching the playback of the system event. ¡°Oh, while they are having down time, Weltgan, this is one of my other primes, Jack.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Jack¡± the demon said with a smirk. ¡°Nice of you to finally join us.¡±


    Jack looked up after pausing the tablet that he had been watching at 10 times the normal speed, his B rank perception easily able to keep up. ¡°The Proverbial Hammer, its an honor.¡± He said after standing and giving a respectful bow.


    ¡°Then we have Lyerinthea, the veiled queen.¡± Tori introduced the other person sitting in their private box.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Jack said, with a much more formal bow and clipped tone.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be that way.¡± Tori said.


    ¡°Yes, please. The rumors of my people are greatly exaggerated.¡±


    Jack managed to find a little courage as he glared at the S grade veiled. ¡°Severe mental and physical trauma has a way of doing that to survivors.¡±


    ¡°Interesting that you call the remnant of an invading force survivors in such a manner.¡± Tori said. Her tone was blunt, but she still got her point across with the observation.


    Looking thoroughly chastised and able to read between the lines, Jack bowed again. ¡°My apologies. It would appear I am misinformed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry old chap, I can fill you in on the details after the next wave.¡± Weltgan said after shoving the prime back into his seat. ¡°For now, catch up on the previous ones so we can focus on what is happening in the ¡®there and now¡¯ so to speak.¡±


    The gods and queen turned their attention back to the screen that was showing Matt dealing with a horde of woodland creatures. Woodland creatures that had been swollen to gigantic proportions and thrown at the city in an attempt to destroy it.


    The screen projected in front of their booth showed Matt in his construct gunning down a herd of deer like beasts that fired the tines of their antlers as they rushed forward. High explosive ammunition splashed into the ground in front of them, throwing shrapnel into the herd before they could dodge. Almost instantly, the deer were laid low and finished off.


    ¡°Well that was eff..¡± Tori was cut off as a giant badger leapt at Matt and latched onto his constructs left arm. Matt activated the shield projector attached to that arm, dislodging the creature. It fell to the ground on its back before flipping over and coming face to face with an auto cannon muzzle. ¡°..ective.¡± Tori finished as Matt pulled the trigger and took the head off of the level 34 badger in a spray of blood and bone.


    ¡°He certainly has a way with animals.¡± Herman chuckled.


    ¡°But it¡¯s his domain that is most impressive.¡± Lyrinthea said. The others all nodded except for Jack, who looked up from his tablet at the word domain.


    ¡°What do you mean domain?¡± He asked.


    Weltgan leaned over and skipped along on the tablet to where Matt had sallied forth in the previous wave. Jack watched as the young E grade casually strolled forward while he massacred everything around him with a bubble of super-heated air. He saw the insectoid monsters burst into flames just from coming within a dozen meters while his own troops were unscathed.


    ¡°Impressive. To have exclusions to a domain at such an early grade is, rare.¡± Jack muttered. He hadn¡¯t known what to expect from his patrons latest prime and was still unsure of why he was summoned to the viewing room. He was beginning to get the feeling that it was centered around Matt and his¡­ unorthodox fighting style. Not knowing what would happen, he began taking notes on a data crystal as he continued to review the footage. Notes would be important in any event, regardless if they were asked for.


    The booth went silent as the occupants watched the fight unfold. They saw the defenders pull back into the city as the beasts began to pile in against the walls. The withdraw executed in a flawless manner that showed a great amount of knowledge if not practice. If only all the beasts stayed outside the walls, then they might get a break.


    *****


    Brilor waited patiently in the main room of his tavern, cursing his human ears not being sensitive enough to hear what was going on around the wall. Waited patiently was a nice way of saying shaking in his boots. Rohm had told all the noncombatants to shelter inside during the waves so they wouldn¡¯t be in the way if something happened. The first 2 waves had gone well with not a thing making it over or through the walls but this one was different.


    This wave had many strange weasel-like creatures that seemed intent on scaling the walls. They didn¡¯t stop to fight the defenders and actively avoided anyone trying to intercept until they landed on the inside. He had managed to identify one that was snooping around down the street from him. Their bodies were nearly 2 meters long and they snaked along the ground as they darted from place to place, popping up briefly on hind legs to survey the area.


    Infiltrating Ermine. Level 35


    He shuddered, the creature was 10 levels above him and fast. To make matters worse, its fur would change color, allowing it to blend in to nearly any surface. In fact, if it hadn¡¯t been for the dust it kicked up, he wouldn¡¯t have seen the beast at all.


    Now he was holed up in his tavern, pistol drawn and pointed at the door. He really hoped the creature wouldn¡¯t be attracted to the smell of the grilled meat that they served to customers. He idly hoped that his girlfriend was safe, she was with a few of the other farmers, holed up in the strange orb thing that Lord Matt had brought in. He wasn¡¯t sure about the little blue creatures that came along with it, but they seemed nice enough so far.


    Just as he was beginning to think the coast was clear and the creature had moved on, there was a scraping noise from the front of the building. It sounded like someone moving the tables out on the front porch, under the awning.


    Thinking it might be someone looking for a place to hide, Brilor moved as quickly and quietly as he could to the front of the tavern to peer out the window. What he saw was not another citizen looking for cover but the damned weasel creature, snooping around. It had accidentally bumped into the furniture while moving along the building.


    Brilor tried to slowly back away, retreating into the darkened interior of the tavern. He had only managed a few steps before a head appeared in the window. The head of a weasel, staring right at him with its beady eyes glinting in the afternoon sun. He took a deep, shuddering breath and nearly screamed as the beast lunged, breaking through the reinforced glass like it was paper.


    The weasel monster screeched as it came to a sudden jerking stop and arms breath from Brilor¡¯s face. The monsters jaws snapped closed and it twisted, looking back upon itself where it found another hunter, one that was very well known in these parts.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Echo had clamped is jaws on the back leg and tail of the ermine before it had made it all the way through the window. With a yank, it dragged the beast back outside over the broken glass and into the street. With a shake and a twist, the drake slammed the monster into the ground, a loud crack heard when the head made contact with the pavement.


    Still holding the rear end of the ermine in its jaws, echo stepped over it and dragged his rear talons down the beast¡¯s stomach, eviscerating the creature on the spot with this hind legs. The ermine screamed, a bone chilling sound that lasted only a few more moments until the drake stepped on its head and crushed it to the ground.


    Brilor watched in open mouthed horror at what his savior had done to the monster. Echo hadn¡¯t even been scratched as it utterly dominated the fight. He then saw the drake give one last tug and heard bones break as he stretched out the weasel.


    Echo walked up to the tavern, stuck his head in the window and looked right at Brilor. The drake then sent him some mental images of the man locking himself in the storeroom and waiting. The man was about to do just that when he swore Echo looked at him, grinned, winked then vanished, perfectly camouflaged into near invisibility as he stalked off.


    He shuddered as he walked to the back room. ¡°That one eats for free from now on.¡± He muttered under his breath as he started down the stairs to the basement.


    *****


    ¡°Hey, Shit Bitch!¡± Matt heard a familiar voice yell. As he ran through the streets of Vil¡¯ Krad. He turned down the next street and nearly ran right into the back of the owner of that voice.


    Tasha threw a fast ball at one of the weasel like monsters that had climbed the walls and gotten inside the city. This fast ball was olive green and made a distinctive pinging noise after it left the wolfen¡¯s hand.


    The ermine, for all its animalistic cunning, was still just an E grade beast and perked up at the noise when Tasha yelled at it. It turned its head to look at them just in time for the steel ball to slam into its forehead and bowl it over. The beast fell to the ground stunned, barely moving as the little green ball rolled lazily next to it and came to a stop. Then exploded.


    ¡°Gatcha bitch!¡± Tasha yelled, pumping a fist. She then punched the arm of the elf woman next to her. ¡°Come on Anreal, let¡¯s try to find the last 2.¡± She turned and came to a dead stop, as she found her self nose to helmet with Matt.


    ¡°Shit bitch?¡± Matt asked his voice slightly distorted through his external speaker.


    Tasha seemed to regain her composure faster than her elf companion and was the first to speak. ¡°Ah, um lor¡­ no, that¡¯s not it. Ummmm. Hi Matt?¡± she hedged after stumbling after the first greeting.


    Matt snorted. ¡°Sup Tasha. Nice throw by the way. Do I want to know where you got more mark 31 frag grenades?¡±


    ¡°It was a reward from the trial!¡± Tasha said beaming with pride as she flaunted the 4 pouches attached to her belt. ¡°The orb must have known what I needed after getting my new class.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What class is that exactly?¡± Matt said as he motioned them to move down the road, back toward the wall.


    Tasha trotted along happily as she dragged her friend by the hand. ¡°Explosive Savant. I have a skill that I got at the same time that gives me increased awareness of my explosives and their effect.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am glad you found your calling.¡±


    ¡°Um, where are we going? There are a few more of those ermine around by my count.¡±


    Matt glanced over and pointed down a street as they approached the cross section. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only hunters in the city at the moment.¡±


    Following Matts finger, Tasha saw a pile of the Ermine with Echo sitting in front of them, looking particularly smug. Or at least she thought it was a smug look since that was the drake¡¯s primary emotion, based on her experiences with it.


    Echo joined them as they jogged up the street to the wall and saw a number of people spaced out along one of the circular roads between the wall and the buildings. Thousands of the lower-level classers had taken it upon themselves to form a cordon around the majority of the buildings in case anything else tried to sneak in.


    ¡°Alright, this is where I leave you. Either hang out down here or head up to the wall. Rohm already had response units in place if something else slips through.¡± Matt said as he turned and raced for the nearest stairs up to the top of the wall.


    Tasha looked to her left, seeing Echo still standing there. ¡°How about you?¡± She asked. ¡°Not going with him?¡±


    The drake turned his massive head to look directly at her before baring his teeth in a fang filled grin and fading from sight. Tasha shivered briefly as she felt a gentle swat from the scaled familiars tail as it moved past without her noticing.


    Matt had nearly made it to the ring road along the wall thanks to his new skill. He couldn¡¯t say an exact speed that he was moving at but after the initial dozen strides, it seemed that he was being stretched or pushed forward with every step. His suspicion was that in the mech, he would eventually cover hundreds of meters with every step.


    Ten seconds after clearing the ring road, he was teleporting his way up the stairs. While the staircase and landings were generously wide, he still used his teleport to avoid people moving up and down.


    Reaching the top, he turned and ran down the rampart toward where his gate was located. As he ran, he observed the defenders that fired from the battlements. He had never seen such a diverse armament as what was on display at that moment.


    Besides the few defenders equipped with the modern guns that Tobias had made, there was a mix of starting arms and what had been cooked up by the several weapon smiths who had set up shop. There were the single shot rifles, bolt action repeaters, a few very clunky semi auto rifles and a brace of large frame revolvers. The strangest of them all wasn¡¯t really the gun but the ammunition being fed into it.


    Directly above the gate house, perched on a wooden step stool, was Venri. Once again, she was making use of the special treatment for her ammunition and eliminating single targets in the swarm of beasts below. She pulled back after firing a couple rounds, waves of heat radiating off the barrel of her revolving carbine. She opened the cylinder and ejected the moon clip of empty brass before inserting another.


    Venri looked up as he approached, stopping to step down and greet him instead of returning to shooting. ¡°Did you get them all?¡± She was of course referring to the ermine that managed to get in.


    ¡°I got a couple, but it was Echo and the roving gangs of classers that were down below who really put in the work.¡± Matt said as he pulled out a frag and lobbed it over the wall. After a muffled ¡®Whomp¡¯ he continued. ¡°Did I miss anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nothing sin¡­¡± venri was cut off by a long burst from a nearby machinegun. ¡°Not yet. We think they are about done. We haven¡¯t seen any more coming from the portal.¡±


    Matt heard a series of thumps followed by a whistle. 3 mortar rounds impacted among the massed beasts below. Each explosion lifted several into the air and shredded those nearby. He stepped up to the gap in the crenelation and looked over the side. The beasts had about been defeated, only a few hundred likely still standing as they were whittled down by the defenders.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head back to Van. There might be a boss for this wave that needs me. Keep up the good work, you have my teams¡¯ channel if you need something.¡± Matt said as he jogged back to the stairs. He ended up jumping from a quarter the way up, using teleport to cut the fall short and save himself the impact.


    Once he arrived back at where he left his mech at the gate, he climbed in. ¡°Did I miss anything?¡± he asked the core.


    ¡°Nothing. There was one good knock on the gate, but it was followed by a screech of pain, so I assume it was dealt with.¡± Van rumbled. ¡°What is the plan now? Did you handle the vermin?¡±


    ¡°Echo got most of them but yeah, they should be dealt with. For now, we¡­¡± Matt was interrupted by the spotter calling over the command net.


    ¡°Command, the portal just let out some really big shiny boars. They are Giant Steel-Flank Boars all around level 40.¡± The spotter reported.


    Rohm came in a second later. ¡°Hold the line. Let the 90¡¯s take them.¡± He broadcast to the entire city. The big guns had been his go to favorite for anything that was on the large or resilient side of things.


    ¡°Looks like we will be sitting this one out.¡± Van said, his disappointment clear in his thunderous tone. ¡°Why can¡¯t we deal with it? Been killing those since level 10¡± He finished his complaining in barely a mutter.


    Matt spent the rest of the wave trying to mollify the core while keeping an eye out for any other beasts that tried to make it over the wall. From what he heard on the radio, a few got close, mostly a sort of bird that only flew short distances.


    It was after the booming reports of the 90-millimeter guns had finally died down that matt knew the wave was over. He heard a few more short bursts, likely gun crews making sure the beasts were down for the count rather than risking it. He was about to hop out and go help with the clean up when he noticed something strange.


    The pillar of light which normally signals the spawn point for the monster waves suddenly vanished. He was just wondering if the event was only 3 waves but then the light returned, this time in 8 places. These pillars were a brown color that was familiar to Matt.


    ¡°Command, the pillar has changed. Its now 8 pillars spaced around the city.¡± The spotter said via radio.


    ¡°Command, this is 5. I have a feeling we will be facing stone golems next.¡± Matt said after the spotter finished his report.


    ¡°5, Command. What makes you say that?¡± Rohm said over his direct line.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the exact color of the mana they use. Or it¡¯s the same as the ones I fought on my way in.¡± Matt was already making his way over to the hub to brief Rohm on what he knew. They might be in for a little more of a struggle for the next wave if he was right.

 Chapter 62 – People in Glass Houses

    Chapter 62 ¨C People in Glass Houses


    In Matt¡¯s opinion, stone golems weren¡¯t so bad. In fact, the colossus weren¡¯t to awful either. They were still tanky, difficult monsters that hit like a truck, but they were kind of a one trick pony. The Mudmen were another sort of annoying entirely. He looked down at the rapidly separating body of one such mud man.


    Mudman. Level 36


    Mudmen are a type of elemental which is made almost entirely of soft, wet, earthy materials such as clay, silt, or organic rich mud. They have widely varying abilities based on the nature of their body composition.


    Matt clicked his tongue in annoyance as he pivoted to engage the back line of the earth elemental formation. He neatly side stepped a boulder that had been thrown at him only for the mech¡¯s foot to slip in the slick, clay like mud spewed by the mudman he just killed.


    That was half his current struggle. Every one of the mudmen, regardless of what variety of mud, was spraying a type of muck that was both sticky and slippery. The substance would stick when it hit one of the constructs but was slippery when on the ground. The saving grace was that the effect faded shortly after the mudman was killed.


    Bang, smack. Bang, fwizz. Bang, thump. Boom! A trio of rounds from Matts cannon raced out and hit the colossus that had just thrown a boulder, over a meter in diameter, at him. The first passed through its body with no effect, the second glanced and ricocheted off to who knew where. The third, ah lucky number 3, that one found the creatures core and reacted in a more energetic fashion.


    The detonation engulfed the smaller mudmen and golems that had been near the colossus, nearly vaporizing everything in a 40-meter radius. The reactions from hitting a core were more volatile than Matt remembered. Maybe its because of the higher level? He thought to himself while moving to another hilltop.


    Anyone just tuning in to watch this wave would probably be wondering why Matt was out, away from the walls of the city and engaging the monsters in the open with 50 other pilots. Well, that was because these rock for brains monsters were cleverer than the previous waves.


    When every other wave had tried to bum rush the walls and force their way through. These rocky foes had set up shop after exiting the portals. Normally not an issue for the defenders who could both out range and out damage the encroaching waves before sending out a team to deal with the campers. Where it became an issue was in what the colossus¡¯ were able to do with a multi ton ball of stone.


    The first rock had been launched from over a kilometer away. While it landed short, it had a bit of momentum and crossed the remaining hundred yards in a flash before slamming into the wall and following the angle right into the gates. Several people were severely injured from debris and fragments of stone and the big guns attempted to return fire.


    Try as they might, the 90¡¯s couldn¡¯t connect as the colossus¡¯ were being screened by smaller golems and mudmen. The mortars also proved ineffective and were only able to damage and kill the smaller monsters, the explosive yield not being to do much without a direct hit on a colossus.


    After the disappointing results of the counterbattery fire and a few more boulders impacting the walls, the pilots had deployed in 4 groups. They set out from 2 gates opposite from each other, 2 of the groups making a frontal assault jointly into the ring of earthen attackers. After they managed to breach the enemy lines, they spit and worked their way in opposite arcs, trying to meet with the teams that had deployed opposite of them in a giant pincer movement.


    Closing with the enemy had been surprisingly easy, which should have been their first hint that something was off. While the larger monsters were in the back line, the smaller ones had formed a sort of defense in front. The mudmen would saturate an area or pilot with the slippery or sticky mud and the golems would fire off what amounted to gravel shotguns, sacrificing portions of their arms with every shot.


    While the constructs were largely immune to the ranged fire, it wasn¡¯t the only trick they had. One pilot In Matts group had already been taken down by one of the golems that had gotten close to his construct. Upon contact with the leg of the construct, it latched on and self-detonated. The cloud of stone and metal debris was more danger to the elementals than the pilots, but the detonation had taken the leg of the construct clean off and crippled the other.


    Matt had sent 2 other pilots to drag their damaged teammate back to the gates where he wouldn¡¯t be a target for more suicide golems or their rock throwing friends. He was hoping he would be ok, there wasn¡¯t a response when they tried contacting the man but that could also be from damaged radios.


    ¡°Battery 11, shift fires.¡± Matt said into the radio as he moved into the next section of the attacking army. He slowed and watched the impacts of the heavy machineguns and artillery walked away from him and begin ripping into a new section of the enemy. He of course added his own shots into any of the downed enemies, preferring his unstable rounds to deal the final blow to groups of them at once.


    The shallow hills around the city were giving him some cover from friendly fire but he wasn¡¯t going to take a chance with an errant round or ricochet. The hills also had an odd effect on the enemy formation. Those on the slops and tops tended to be exposed to the fire from the city walls but those in the valleys were not. This created an odd sort of layering to the enemies that Matt had to navigate his troops through.


    ¡°Bravo, push left.¡± Matt said into the radio, getting several replies of affirmation as half his team shifted down one of the valleys to clear it out. The remaining 10 pilots followed him, forming a wedge behind him and opening fire as they advanced. The others were handling the golems and mudmen while Matt tried to hunt down the surprisingly elusive colossus.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Matt asked himself as he scanned the hills for any sign of its passing. His threat detector was nearly useless with all the noise of the smaller enemies and friendly units nearby.


    ¡°I suspect that it is lurking just over the next set of hills.¡± Van rumbled.


    Both Matt and Van were on edge and getting frustrated with hunting down the last of them. They had built up a good momentum but, other than stomping some small fry and one colossus, they hadn¡¯t gotten into the thick of it.


    ¡°Got them.¡± Van said and sent an image of what he saw. ¡°2 hills over. North side.¡±


    The image that Matt received was of the curved back and shoulder of a hunched over colossus. It looked to be attempting to sneak along the next set of valleys, doubling back on the pilots. Matt switched gears and started to work his way over through the valleys.


    ¡°Alpha and Bravo teams.¡± Matt said into the radio. ¡°I found another and am moving to intercept.¡± He at least needed to try and retain some operational protocol.


    Moving through a slight wash, Matt rounded the corner of a large hill to see the same rocky shape ducking behind it. His focus and drive proved to be a problem as he suddenly saw movement from his rear camera shortly before a force hit him in the back.


    The giant rock had been thrown from close range, less than 300 meters by a quick estimate. The natural flinch reaction was able to get it from a direct shot into more of a glancing blow off the right shoulder of the mech. Even a glancing blow was enough to put him on the ground, however. The impact and subsequent fall had rattled him around enough that he feared the pilot restraints might break.


    ¡°Fucking, son of a bitch.¡± Matt roared as he rolled over and climbed back to his feet. The feedback from the pilot interface not so politely informing him of the damage. Van was already pumping energy into repairing the limb when Matt was forced to dodge another boulder, stepping back to see the other colossus joining its brethren for the impromptu beat down.


    Neither of the monsters made a sound, only their foot falls and the grating of stone accompanying their charge. Matt expected another boulder and barely managed to manipulate the mech¡¯s arm to fire at them when they summoned more rock. These rocks were not the round stones he had expected. These rocks were stalagmite like pillars of rock that they wielded like clubs.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s gonna be like that.¡± Matt commented as he fired a few shots to try and break the charge. The unimbued rounds burst on contact, throwing up sparks and smoke enough to make the attackers slow. He could hear his heart slamming as the last of the damage was finally repaired and the mech¡¯s right arm could move freely again.


    One of the colossuses pushed ahead and swung its club, forcing the other to slow. They clearly weren¡¯t working together despite the trap they had made. Matt teleported a short distance down the valley, gaining a little breathing room while lining up both monsters.


    Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. The auto cannon chugged out a handful of imbued shots that all glanced off a shimmering barrier of yellow-brown mana. Even at close range, they failed to penetrate the rippling barrier.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Both Matt and Van swore as the rounds didn¡¯t have any effect. It was too late to do much more as he was forced to teleport away again, this time landing slightly up slope on one of the hills. This time he was able to gain another hundred meters and forced both monsters to slow and pivot first.


    ¡°More is always better?¡± Matt half questioned as he crouched slightly and braced his autocannon. He poured imbued rounds into the shield of the first, hoping to beak through but got slightly desperate as they closed half the distance in a few strides.


    While the stone monsters were closer to Matt, thus being closer to crushing him, they also became bigger targets. Bigger targets meant larger margin of error and the perfect vs good enough accuracy standard took effect.


    Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang. 5 imbued rounds in a split second all impacted the first colossuses shimmering shield within in a quarter meter of each other. Well, 4 rounds impacted the shield while the 5<sup>th</sup> made it through and pierced the torso of the monster. From such a close distance and the angle that he was facing, Matt saw the exposed glowing core through the gap in the stone. He watched in slow motion as that core began to fragment, rapidly turning to dust.


    ¡°Fu¡­¡± Was all he got out as he activated the shield projector on his left arm.


    The blast turned the valley into a hellscape of flying debris and chunks of stone flying faster than the speed of sound many times over. Matt tried to ride out the blast but was bowled over backward despite the shield having deployed. After what felt like several seconds of being tumbled like a rag doll, he was able to regain his footing and begin pumping energy into the damaged sections of the mech.


    ¡°Damage sustained to the construct is mostly superficial.¡± Van began to report. ¡°External armor plates are now at 30% armor value. Frame and synthetic muscle fibers have moderate damage, estimate 80% mobility.¡± He paused. ¡°Cannon is inoperable, store it and I can repair.¡±


    ¡°Prioritize movement then the gun. We could easily become a mobility kill.¡± Matt said as he scanned the now barren valley before him. ¡°Now where did¡­ got ya.¡± Matt said after a moment of searching. After finding the second colossus just getting to its feet, having faired no better in the explosion.


    Matt dismissed the autocannon, instead summoning his tomahawk and pushing mana into it, igniting the edge. The colossus summoned its stone club once again as it saw him stalking toward it. Matt broke into a slow trot and closed the remaining hundred meters. Just before he made contact, while the colossus was halfway through a heavily telegraphed swing, he teleported.


    The rock monster was only momentarily confused, wondering where its opponent had disappeared to and starting to turn. Matt reappeared behind it and lashed out with the glowing spike of the tomahawk, sinking it all the way into the creatures¡¯ shoulder. The sound of metal scraping against stone was temporarily replaced by the sound of rock exploding from thermal shock. The superheated spike had caused a large chunk to be blown away from the arm joint.


    Yanking the weapon back out, Matt swung again at the hip join of the monster, ducking a flailing arm as he did. The last moment dodge had the effect of stealing a lot of the attack¡¯s energy, but he was still able to pull another piece from the colossus. He once again teleported, leaving a narrow beam of plasma to slam into the monster.


    Reappearing to its left, Matt once again struck out, this time planting the mech¡¯s foot squarely into the hip of the monster and toppling it onto its side. With his enemy on the ground, he once again struck with the spike of his weapon, impacting the shoulder as the colossus shrugged its arms up to cover its head. Discretion being the better part of valor, Matt teleported away again.


    Matt arrived some 100 meters away, still withing line of sight of the grounded monster and pulled out his auto cannon. He tried to tug the magazine free but found it rather jammed and deformed in the magazine well. Adding a little more muscle and directing mana at that half of the receiver, Matt cleared the jam just as the colossus began to regain its feet.


    He shoved a new magazine in and cycled the action, imbuing a full magazine with stable rounds. Suck it, you sedimentary shit bag. He thought as he pulled the trigger and walked the rounds up the leading leg of the monster.


    Several rounds crossed the distance before Matt was able to see the trace, only catching the impacts as the recoil walked the rounds up and on target. The monster slowed in its approach, trying to shield itself with its arms. Arms that were rapidly chipped away by the armor piercing nature of the imbued projectile.


    After a dozen hits, one of which took the monster in the face through a gap in its arms, the colossus fell, locked up like a mannequin. The core didn¡¯t detonate, this time enough damage had been done to kill the monster without the exciting finale. Taking a moment, Matt collected himself and scanned the valley. Movement caught his eye, and he swung the barrel of his cannon to the source.


    The leading end of a barrel crossed the gap in the hills, a construct following shortly after. He lowered his muzzle and called out on the radio for the rest of his squad to advance up to his position.


    ¡°How did it go over here?¡± one of the pilots asked.


    Matt let out a shuddering breath as the adrenalin left him and the wrath faded. ¡°Ha-ah. It was exciting? Yeah, let¡¯s go with that. Status on the golems and mudmen?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Dead and dissolving.¡±


    Matt nodded; the movement being reflected by the head of his mech. ¡°Bravo. Status.¡±


    ¡°Wrapping up. We made contact with the other group and are fanning out to cover the area and pick off any strays.¡± The voice of Jess came back over the radio.


    ¡°Roger, I will have the guns cease fire so we can take the hill tops.¡± Matt radioed the commands to the wall guns, getting confirmation and an update on the remaining enemies. Both groups had made contact and the colossuses were down, leaving only small fry to be mopped up. Matt looked to his display and saw his armor was still recovering, just barely over 80%. He took a moment to pull up his System messages and saw he picked up 2 more levels from hunting down the half dozen colossus and hundreds of smaller elementals.


    He allocated his free points, again focusing on dexterity and endurance with intelligence coming in a distant third. He was still putting a few token points into the other stats. Matt was also hoping to get some advice from Tori on either specializing or spreading his points out to cover everything.


    The fire from the walls had nearly completely faded before Matt gave the order to cease fire and the few sporadic bursts trailed off. ¡°Alright, fires have stopped. Find the remainder and put them down so we can get this over with.¡± He said over the radio.


    after climbing to the crest of a hill to survey the area, Matt found that many others had the same idea. While he didn¡¯t find any enemies in the rolling terrain, a few other pilots must have, judging by the occasional report of a cannon. He moved on, finding a few of the smaller golems but the end of this wave was a forgone conclusion.


    Within an hour of his fight with the colossus, Matt saw a System message and opened it. It confirmed the wave was over and he made his way back to the city with the rest of the pilots. He headed toward the hub, dismounting to go find Franklin and Rohm.


    ¡°How is it looking Frank?¡± Matt asked after finding the orc in the command center.


    The governor looked up and smiled weakly. ¡°Could be better but far from the worst-case scenario.¡± He paused to get Rohm¡¯s attention from where he was on the radio. ¡°We lost 2 people from the initial attack, with a dozen more were severely injured, and 3 pilots are down for the count. Their constructs were heavily damaged and while Tobias is trying to figure out repairs, he made no promises.¡±


    ¡°Shit. Who did we lose?¡± Matt asked.


    Rohm came over at that moment and spoke before Franklin could answer. ¡°Grengrid, and Davos. Both classers who were taken out by one of the thrown boulders before they could retreat. The injuries all came from the stone fragments, but they should be up and running soon.¡± He paused and pulled out a note pad. ¡°Lisk, Miskan and Kate were the pilots.¡±


    Matt was stunned at the news. He didn¡¯t know the 2 classers but hadn¡¯t expected Lisk to have been taken out. ¡°What happened to Lisk?¡±


    ¡°From what I was told, He got slowed in the mud and a couple golems self-destructed while nearly touching his construct. The blast destroyed his construct, but he managed to live without a scratch. Word has it, he is over in the forge, being a test subject for Tobias.¡±


    Franklin took back over as the Rohm was summoned back to the radio sets, grumbling the whole way about being cooped up. ¡°I think we could use a short break, maybe give it a day before we start the next wave.¡±


    Matt checked the event window and saw that they had cleared the first 4 waves in just over 50 hours and had nearly 5 days until the next one would automatically start. ¡°Yeah. Good call. Let¡¯s collect any resources that we can and then call everyone in for the night. Even if there is only one more, lets hit it well rested.¡±


    They chatted a bit more, Matt telling of the explosion he had gotten trapped in. After a few more questions and some speculation, he left to go get a drink, some dinner and take a nap. He reconsidered of they should delay for another day but thought there was no harm in holding off. Not like our situation changes, just the enemies we face. He thought as Echo led the way to a particular tavern with a missing window.

 Chapter 63 – Surprise Attack

    Chapter 63 ¨C Surprise Attack


    It would be on record that waiting to start the next wave was generally not a good decision. The day after the 4<sup>th</sup> wave, the entire city had a sort of open-air festival. Everyone out on the streets, taking the opportunity to relax and let a little of the tension go. There were no formal events, just a lot of people trying to make the best of a stressful situation.


    They held a small service for the 2 who died the day before with only a few friends attending along with Franklin, Rohm, and a few of the other key leaders. It was an unfortunate situation but one they had to muddle through none the less. Matt found it odd that there wasn¡¯t more grieving but realized nobody really knew each other for longer than a couple months.


    Things began going down hill that afternoon, when clouds formed overhead. Weather was still a regular, if unpredictable, experience. Nobody was really planning on the absolute soaking that poured down. Over 5 hours of heavy rain finally gave way to a steady drizzle the next morning and the sky brightened to show a very soggy city. In a relatively empty section, though no less wet, the pilots were starting to gather for the next wave.


    ¡°Haa, I shouldn¡¯t have thought it.¡± Matt muttered under his breath.


    ¡°Thought what?¡± asked Jess as she ducked under awning set up in the pilot staging area. She was absolutely sodden, much to Matts amazement.


    ¡°Oh, after the last wave, when Frank decided to let us wait a day, I thought ¡®what harm in waiting¡¯¡± Matt used a voice that he though made him sound like an idiot. It became immediately apparent that Jess was convinced of his idiocy, since she kicked his shin. Hard.


    ¡°You of all people should know better!¡± She hissed while wringing out her hair.


    ¡°Ow, Fuck!¡± Cursed Matt as he hopped on one foot to get out of kicking range. ¡°How did that hurt through armor?¡±


    Jess would never admit that she was certain the kick had also broken a couple of her toes, thus the reason for her hissing out the words. ¡°Because the System thought you deserved it.¡± She said before turning her back to him to hide the tears welling in her eyes. Breaking toes hurt, regardless of if they healed in a couple minutes.


    Both of their attentions were arrested by the sudden beam of blue that appeared to the west. The signal that the next wave would be starting soon as the previous ones hadn¡¯t lingered after the defeat of the 4<sup>th</sup> wave.


    Matt shoved his helmet on, sealing himself off from the rain. ¡°Well, good luck out there.¡± he said while limping over to his mech to move to his gate. ¡°If you get in a tight spot, just kick them in the shin.¡± He said the last part in a joking tone while Jess glared at him.


    Van greeted Matt immediately once he climbed in and sat down. ¡°You know she broke something kicking you right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am well aware. I even heard the crunch.¡±


    ¡°And you did nothing, not even a comment?¡± the core rumbled.


    ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s best to let them have the win.¡± Matt answered in his most sage like voice.


    Van was clearly not understanding and radiated confusion through their connection. Matt just ignored it and they set off toward the gate, taking their usual position behind the ¡®short¡¯ wall. The classers that had been stationed there were taking down a large tarp that had been set up to keep them dry. They slowly took their places, most covered in some sort of cloak to keep the rain out.


    Matt looked away from the sodden soldiers and out toward the blue pillar of light. Or what he expected was a pillar but was only visible as a particularly bright patch of haze as the light filtered through the rain and low clouds.


    ¡°Command, 5. Think we need to send a scout out since we can¡¯t actually see beyond a thousand meters?¡± Matt called over the radio.


    ¡°Depends. Are you volunteering?¡± Rohm replied.


    Stopping for a moment, Matt considered. Him and Echo were well suited for the task since the drake was nearly invisible in the best conditions and Matt had his viper hood/ cloak thing. ¡°Sure. I will leave Van at this location and take Echo.¡±


    ¡°Wait! I was just¡­¡±


    ¡°Too late, already out the door.¡± Matt said and cut the line.


    He had already sent a communication to Echo and knew the drake was lurking nearby. Sure enough, a slightly darker patch of shadow detached itself from behind the gate and stalked forward. ¡°Van, you know what to do.¡± Matt said as he hopped down to join Echo on the wall.


    ¡°Umm, lord Matt?¡± one of the classers asked as Matt and Echo climbed up the stairs and stepped between the crenelations.


    ¡°I¡¯m going on a little snooping mission. Be back soon and don¡¯t shoot me.¡± With that, both pilot and familiar leapt from the wall and ran at a 45-degree angle from the glowing spot on the horizon.  They disappeared into the fog and trees a moment later, on the hunt again.


    *****


    Well, this is different. Matt thought as he peered through the ever-present rain. He was currently tucked back into the woods, observing from behind one tree while using the brush to break up his silhouette. Echo was off to his right, having stalked to a position further down the hillside.


    The enemy this time was humanoids. They were all around the same height as Franklin with several being a head above that. The big difference was the second set of arms. Matt was able to see a smaller set of arms that came out from under the ones attached in the usual place and were typically pulled in close to the body. Matt hadn¡¯t seen them being used much other than to brush things away or other small movements.


    The army was all wearing a flat grey sort of uniform, only the heads and hands exposing the orange skin of the beings. Matt watched what he estimated to be a force of a couple thousand unpacking supplies from crates and assembling some sort of cannons. A quick scan using identify showed what they were fighting.


    Tikshir Gunner. Level 45


    Tikshir Lieutenant. Level 47


    Tikshir Soldier. Level 43


    Their equipment was also rather interesting. Each of the soldier types wore a set of webbing with hard sided containers attached, rather than the more traditional soft side pouches. Their rifles appeared to be small bore, bolt actions with decent sized magazines sticking out below the wooden stocks. He didn¡¯t see any optics, or any other accessories attached to any of them so assumed that they hadn¡¯t bothered developing those for general infantry.


    ¡°Command, 5.¡± Matt called over the radio, having seen enough.


    ¡°Go ahead, 5.¡± Rohm answered immediately.


    Matt explained the situation as best he could, giving current status and disposition of the invading troops. Then he made his recommendations. ¡°Rohm, send the commandos, have them approach from the south and delay just inside the hills, then push infantry supported by constructs directly from the city and arrange them ad a screen action.¡±


    ¡°Roger, moving. Commandos will be on site in¡­¡± he paused, probably looking at the map and talking to Jess. ¡°15 minutes.¡±


    Matt had already called up Van and the core was making his way along the north side of the valley toward his location. He settled in to observe the army, watching for any surprises. They were moving along at a decent speed, having already all come through the portal. The crates were all opened and thought he could make out a couple dozen cannons being assembled.


    The short, barreled devices were being placed onto tracked carriages which he assumed were self-propelled judging by the design. The cannons were mounted on a rotating base, but it left the crew completely exposed as only one was atop the platform and the rest seemed to be setting up behind.


    Through his spying, Matt noticed that the weapons were being assembled by groups of around 50 with what was clearly an officer directing each unit. Echo then sent him an image and Matt started making a plan. The Drake had stalked right to the edge of the woods and was able to see one of the beings that didn¡¯t dress like the others. He was wearing a sort of great coat and had a wide brimmed campaign hat to keep the rain off.


    Tikshir Commander. Level 51


    Matts musings and schemes were interrupted by the radio crackling and Jess¡¯s voice. ¡°Matt, Recon is in position.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I am in position as well. Holding 500 Meters to your north-west.¡± Van added a moment later.


    Matt kept his eyes on the army that was slowly marshaling and almost ready to move as he responded. ¡°Here is the plan. Van, push and engage first, they have some arty so be ready with the shield. Focus on staying mobile and keeping their attention.¡± Pausing for some mental math he continued with Jess¡¯ orders.


    ¡°Jess, when Van kicks the party off, I want your teams to form a gun line and advance over the hill. Take out the guns first then focus on troops in the open. If they begin to counter assault, fall back and draw them toward the cordon between here and the city. There is a commander that Echo and I will be trying to take out while this is going on.¡± He paused after that, tying to think if he needed to add anything else. ¡°Van, if the commandos pull agro, join up with me and Echo but feel free to have some fun on the way.¡±


    *****


    Less than a minute later, Matt was in position, looking through his rifle scope at the grass just behind the commander. He didn¡¯t look directly at him, unsure if he also had the human sixth sense of when one is being watched. The troops arranged into 2 columns, broken into segments of 50 troops and their artillery piece.


    ¡°Commando, ready.¡±


    ¡°Van, ready.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± One word and Matt tried his best to not watch the absolute chaos that broke over the column of troops that had just started moving. Still, he risked a glance, knowing Echo would keep eyes on the commander.


    Van delivered in spades with causing chaos and drawing attention. The Mech had sprinted up to the top of a rise at the edge of the woods, silhouette himself on the skyline. The troops all froze and stared, wide eyed, at the titan of metal and violence. Then van swung the cannon, lining up with the first platoon and their artillery.


    Literal hell spat from the front of the cannon with flame, concussion and smoke erupting from the muzzle. Van kept the bursts short, 5 rounds into each formation, focusing on the strange, tracked vehicles. The explosive rounds cared little if they met ground, steel or flesh as they exploded amongst the lightly armored enemy. Van swept over the assembled troops, knocking out 8 of the 20 gun carriages.


    Matt refocused back on the commander, barely a few seconds having passed since the attack began. He found the man once again, fancy hat discarded as he began shouting in a strange melodic voice. As he yelled, Matt saw a strange blue shimmer ripple out from him and wash over his troops, causing them to suddenly start acting instead of panicking, returning small arms fire at Van. Oh this just wont do Matt thought as he lined up a shot.


    Bang. Ting-fwiz. The round hit a sort of shield that shimmered into life just over the commander¡¯s skin. Matt had expected something like that and had already fired 2 more shots which impacted the shield, powdering on impact but then the shield broke. He saw the commander start swatting at his chest and finally dropped his coat and threw a medallion looking device to the muddy ground where is began smoking.


    Matt was about to fire a 4<sup>th</sup> round when the commander activated a skill and suddenly shot off toward the wood line like he was being pulled by a rope. Unfortunately for him, that stretch of wood line was exactly where Echo had been lurking. Not half a second after disappearing into the brush, he sprinted back out, firing a pistol behind him.


    Matt had moved up, closer to the edge of the woods but not so close that he was fully exposed. He fired another 3 rounds but only one hit, glancing off the shining metal chest armor that was now exposed. The commander then shuddered, stood bolt upright and turned to look directly at Matt, before smiling and then doing¡­something. His vision suddenly blurred; he got a mental image from Echo that was impossible to understand overtop of Vans shout of warning before the sound of a bell, tolled a single time. Then all was black.


    You have been challenged by: Icon of conquest (Possessed Tikshir Commander)


    You can not deny this challenge. The only way to escape this challenge is by either one or both parties dying. Due to this being a war challenge, you do not have challenged rights.


    Arena: Barricades, Flat.


    Weapons: Melee


    Participants: 1 v 1


    Entering challenge domain in 10 seconds¡­ 9 seconds¡­


    Matt barely was able to read the text through his swimming vision and suspected that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to if it wasn¡¯t projected directly into his mind. He was floating in that strange void like when the System first abdu ¨C Initiated, him, not a thing to see other than the message. He only gained full cognitive function once the countdown started and quickly read through the first message a second time.


    A moment later, the countdown ended and there was another flash of golden light. When the light faded, he was standing on a platform, still unable to move. He was in the grassy plain that the army was originally in, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same. There was an opaque barrier completely surrounding an area nearly a kilometer in diameter by his first estimate. The strangest part was that there was a series of earthen barriers rising out of the ground, creating a series of obstacles.


    Only a hundred meters away, opposite the newly spouted barricades, was a very orange person with a very punchable smile of his face. Matt felt his wrath beginning to build in his mind, bringing an internal fire to rage within him. Matt didn¡¯t need any more information than what he had and was just wondering how they would begin when a new System window popped up.


    The challenge is stated as melee weapons only by the challenger. If you do not have a melee weapon, one will be provided. Non-melee weapons will be stored until challenge is resolved.


    Suitable melee weapon detected. Removing ranged weaponry. Removing explosive weaponry.


    Armor is compatible.


    Challenge beginning in 5 seconds.


    Matt tensed, his rifle, grenades, and the cannister that created rockets all dissolved in motes of golden light. He sighed heavily and drew his tomahawk. The situation was far from ideal. He was no duelist and far from experienced in the use of melee weapons other than the messy nature of a knife fight while grappling. Looking across, Matt could see the commander draw a straight basket hilted saber, still smiling and keeping eye contact. Creepy fuck.


    The countdown hit 0 and the pressure that was restricting Matt vanished. He immediately jumped backward and to the right. He primarily wanted to break line of sight but had a sneaking suspicion that the movement skill he saw would come around again.


    Sure enough, the commander rocketed toward where he had been a moment ago and slashed the air where Matt had been a moment ago. Now that he was close, Matt could tell the man was big, easily half a meter taller than himself. This would be a problem since he had the advantage in terms of reach along with his more appropriate weapon.


    As the commander landed, Matt stepped back in from the side, swinging his weapon in an upward slash aimed at the commanders left primary arm that had been extended to the side. The weapon made contact but barely cut deeper than the skin. Matt then twisted, rotating behind and away from the giant.


    A sword followed not a moment later in a downward stroke. Seeing that Matt had vacated the area, the commander twisted his wrist and attempted to make a horizontal cut. He had some success as the very tip of the blade glanced off of Matts pauldron. In a shower of sparks, they both disengaged, taking a couple steps each to create some distance. Matt was focused intently on the commander, watching for any twitch that would signify movement when the damn thing spoke.


    ¡°Well met, heh, prime, heh heh. I look forward to stealing your power for my own. Heh.¡± The voice was deep, rasping, with a sort of gurgle to it. ¡°All will be mine, as conquest grants the victor. Heh.¡±


    It was at this point Matt noticed that the smile didn¡¯t reach its eyes. That led him to seeing some of the other oddities. The commanders¡¯ limbs seemed to hang slack, only moving when in use. Even the second set of arms which had always been pulled into the chest were dangling limply. The voice too sounded like he needed to clear his throat but hadn¡¯t any experience in that sort of function.


    ¡°What are you?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°What am I, heh?¡± the commander gurgled back. ¡°I am an icon of conquest, the natural state of being for the strong. Heh. Where there is life, conquest must occur. Heh. The strong shall always take from the weak.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. You possessed that commander, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Possessed? Heh. I conquered his mind and seized his body.¡± The icon, as Matt now knew it, turned his head as if listening to something. ¡°Heh. Even now he begs, begs for absolution. Heh. But he is just a vessel, a part of the prize that is seized in conquest.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t need to hear more. He frankly didn¡¯t want to hear more, very much disgusted by the creature and wondering how this happened in a System event. Instead, he focused, calling his wrath to the fore of his mind and summoned his nascent domain. Around Matt, steam rose from the grass as it dried then shriveled before igniting.


    The icon looked confused for a moment, then its confusion turned to abject fear as it realized it picked a fight with the wrong species. Its tricks wouldn¡¯t work on the veiled, those masters of aura whose souls were inviable, incorruptible and to the likes of the icon, invincible. But it calmed slightly, remembering the flesh is still weak. A sentiment it would likely come to regret withing the next few minutes.


    *****


    Tori was furious. She and the others were watching the fight and nearly one-sided slaughter when suddenly they witnessed an icon being channeled. Well, a fragment of an icon. The fragment then used the commanders challenge skill to lock down Matt and drag him into a dueling arena. The rest of the Tikshir fell quickly without the commander but then the defenders noticed the bubble. A bubble they could see into but couldn¡¯t breach.


    ¡°What in the actual fuck.¡± She swore and turned to the others only to find them not moving, frozen in time. Tori instantly knew what was happening and turned around once more, seeing a being of golden light sitting in the seat to her left. ¡°So, you decided to change the parameters.¡± She stated, not even questioning what happened.


    ¡°I did. Matt has become something of a fascination. I have limited chances to actually influence him in this way and seized the opportunity.¡± The System avatar spoke in a soft, clear voice. ¡°It is good to expend the excess energy. Your prime certainly has a way of converting it. His performance is beyond standard even for the gifted.¡±


    ¡°Blame her.¡± Tori said and hiked a thumb over her shoulder at the veiled queen. ¡°You had better compensate him for this. I know it is within your right to alter these engagements, but this is a little much for an E grade.¡±


    ¡°His compensation will be immense if he succeeds. Dare I say it will be ¡®Iconic¡¯.¡± The avatar said with a slight emphasis on the last word.


    Tori¡¯s stunned gaze flickered between the viewing screen and the avatar. ¡°You cant be serious. At E grade? A level 50 icon?¡±


    ¡°He is a nearly unique existence. His soul has the capacity to absorb and convert the energy of the icon. If he survives. Which I think he will.¡± The avatar nodded at the screen, bidding Tori to focus on the challenge.


    Tori huffed in annoyance as she turned to watch. ¡°Since when did you start making puns?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean puns? And why is Matt in a challenge with an icon!¡± Lyrenthea nearly shouted as she saw what was happening on the screen. The System had clearly unfrozen time once more.


    Tori sighed and began to explain what was going on to the others in the booth with her. Shortly after catching them up, she got a System message.


    You aren¡¯t the only one who has been enjoying the contents of Tobias¡¯s tablet.


    Tori snorted, reminded once again that the System wasn¡¯t nearly as cold and heartless as people thought. One just had to stand out and they would get that personal attention, for better or worse.

 Chapter 64 – Of Body and Soul

    Chapter 64 ¨C Of Body and Soul


    *twitch*


    That¡¯s what Matt had been waiting for. The twitch of the icons¡¯ shoulder preceded the lunge and the tip of the sword swiftly angling upward toward his throat. Matt tried to sidestep and parry the blow, pushing it to the outside as he tried to get inside the guard. He was forced to abandon this tactic as the icon brought its elbow down, rotating his wrist to turn the stab into a weak slash. A slash that likely would part the flesh if it connected.


    The icon still didn¡¯t get away unscathed. The uniform and pouches had started to smoke and char in the areas that were closest to Matt. His skin was also starting to feel the heat, flushing a brown color as the surface burned.


    Matt once again stepped in, hoping to bait the icon and succeeding. The sword came in low, sweeping toward his leading leg but was stopped by the haft of the tomahawk. He twisted, forcing the blade into a bind between the haft and the bearded blade.


    With the sword controlled, Matt stepped in close and lashed out with a straight kick that caught the icon in the side of his knee. Hearing a crunch from the impact, he tried to close and press his advantage, but a flash of steel forced him to back away again, yanking the tomahawk out of the bind with a pinging sound. This time he couldn¡¯t dodge fast enough.


    A razor thin line of pain erupted from Matts shoulder where the armor has a gap between plates. He looked at the icon as they both stumbled back, one with a crushed knee and the other with a deep cut. The icon hadn¡¯t been expecting a kick, while Matt hadn¡¯t been expecting a dagger held in one of the lower hands. Matt was about to reengage when he noticed something.


    The point of the icons saber was wider. No, not wider. The point was gone, and he was seeing the full cross section of the blade. A quick glance down showed the last 20 centimeters of saber blade lying in the grass. Apparently when Matt had broken the bind, he had literally broken the bind. The leverage must have found a weak point and broken the blade as he twisted.


    ¡°Heh, I have drawn first blood.¡± The icon said. ¡°Heh. The advantage is now mine. Heh.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t know about that; he didn¡¯t see much of an advantage to having a major joint crushed while he was only bleeding. Ok, so he had to give it to him, it was technically first blood. He didn¡¯t respond, his wrath was starting to overcome his other senses. Instead, he put that energy to use and vanished.


    If Matt could see the commanders face, he would have seen the wide-eyed expression of shock. Instead, Matt could only see the back plate of the icons armor as he lashed out at the already injured leg, drawing the bit of the tomahawk through the tendons at the back of the knee.


    ¡°AAAAAHHHH.¡± The commander screamed, lashing out with his truncated sword before he was buffeted by an inferno of heat and his skin began to crisp. Matt had teleported once again, this time leaving a wave of plasma to buffet the icon.


    Matt reappeared in front of the icon once more, already swinging an overhand strike at the crook the icons neck now that he was kneeling. Before the blow landed, his blow seemed to slow and the icon moved backward, like he was being dragged by his belt. His blow delayed; the head of his tomahawk found only the dirt at his feet.


    Looking up, he saw the icon come back into focus 50 meters away, half hidden by the barricades. Matt began moving forward in a loping run as the orang giant began fishing in one of the pouches on his belt. Before Matt could reach him, the icon retrieved 2 items. The first item was clearly a healing potion while the second was a silver rod that he snapped and threw it to the ground where it billowed a cloud of smoke.


    The smoke obscured Matts vision for only a moment before he switched to thermal. The change happened just fast enough for him to catch the shape of the icon disappearing into the obstacles and walls. Unperturbed, Matt slowed his run and stalked forward in a more measured pace. He pushed mana into his weapon, coating the blade in roiling plasma. He was planning to make the next exchange the last one in this farce of a duel.


    *


    The icon downed the healing potion and felt his leg begin to regenerate. He was at a disadvantage without the normal soul attacks and mind games. While he was familiar with using another¡¯s body, he wasn¡¯t accustomed to actually having a physical challenge.


    Still, he was thankful that the commander had some useful items such at the smoke screens that were now filling the area. The dome would keep it from dissipating too. He was just beginning to plan an ambush when he saw 2 bright blue dots floating toward him. Dots that were at head height for the veiled abomination.


    The thought made his blood run cold. The veiled could see him. He could feel those eyes staring right at him, completely ignoring the obscuring cloud. The icon raised his blade, prepared to fight when he saw another light. A bright blue crescent with a matching inverted V floating around knee height. The movement of the shape grabbed his attention, and he wondered what it was until the shapes swung up and into a ready position. The axe, it was imbued with that burning mana. The icon readied himself for what would surely be their last clash.


    *


    Matt teleported forward, appearing within the guard of the icon. He felt an odd resistance as he appeared, like a pressure that he had to fight against. He then realized it was his mana being consumed. He had felt the pressure the first time he used the skill against the icon but didn¡¯t think anything of it. He made a mental note to ask Tori about it when he had a chance. For the time being, he swung his tomahawk in a horizontal attack.


    The attack was blocked, and he was forced to pivot his hand farther forward to keep the icon from sliding his blade down the haft and into him. He stepped in, easily getting under the guard of the taller being and punching out at his elbow. His fist connected with the icon¡¯s joint and there was a snap before Matt was forced to teleport away from a knife blade aimed at his armpit.


    Matt reappeared to the opposite side as the icon became overextended, no longer having anything to push against. He flipped the spike of his weapon forward and drove the plasma imbued blade into and then through the armored breast plate. Matt twisted and yanked the blade back, tearing a large rend in the steel. Matt could see blood seeping out of the wound beneath the armor before he vanished, leaving a thing beam of plasma behind.


    Withdrawing straight back, Matt watched the commander being bowled over by the concentrated plasma wave. The vertical line smashed into him and threw him away where he fetched up against one of the barriers. Matt was a little shocked by the force of the attack but realized he only used that on large enemies before and hadn¡¯t tested it on anything his size.


    Sprinting to conserve mana, Matt ran to where the icon had crashed through the barrier. As he approached, he saw the figure suddenly sit upright and a shape flying at him. A section of wooden log crashed into his shoulder as he tried to duck the attack. Matt was jostled but was able to push on after a slight stumble. The distraction proved enough for the icon to regain his footing before he was able to get to him.


    The icon was looking rough to say the least. His uniform was in tatters, both charred and torn from Matts last attack. Matt could see the coarse details through his thermal filter, which highlighted the damage better than the naked eye. His skin was split and bleeding in several places, staining the edges of his grey uniform. The hole in the breast plate was also still leaking a steady flow of blood.


    As Matt closed, the truncated end of the saber flicked out to meet him. Instead of trying to parry or bind the blade, he took only a half step, slowing just enough to lean in and under the blade that was over extended. Seeing an opening, Matt struck out.


    The edge of his tomahawk made contact with the icon¡¯s upper leg, cutting clean to the bone just above the knee. The giant of a man dropped, the sudden severing of muscle causing his already bent knee to fold. The icon shouted and dropped his elbow onto Matt, knocking him aside but missed the follow-up attack as he rolled away from the tip of the sword.


    Matt came up from the awkward maneuver, regaining his footing and launching himself back at the kneeling enemy. He swung his tomahawk again, aiming for the shoulder. Rather than trying to block, the icon stabbed forward, the blunted point of his blade scraping along the armor over Matts stomach as he closed.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Feeling the pressure and a pinch, Matt finished his attack. He swung down and buried the axe blade in the icon¡¯s shoulder, severing the arm just past the edge of the armored breast plate. The icon screamed in pain as the arm holding the saber was removed. He tried to lash out with the off-hand dagger but Matt had already kicked away, using his kneeling body as a platform to spring off of. He landed just outside what was once arms reach for the icon before vanishing.


    The icon looked around franticly, trying to spot where Matt would strike from. He held the dagger in a fencers grip as he tried to pivot, using his wounded leg as a central point. A moment later, Matt emerged from the smoke directly in front of the icon. He didn¡¯t say anything, not a single word but the icon could feel the weight of his aura. He could taste very essence of the veiled condensed by his wrath into a suffocating presence that promised utter oblivion.


    As Matt approached, he could see the enemy starting to fade fast. He was listing slightly to one side, arms barely held in a defensive posture. His movements were slow and clumsy while trying to brandish the dagger. Matt broke into a run, not bothering with subterfuge as he closed, swinging the spike of his weapon in a downward strike, landing atop the Icon¡¯s head.


    He looked up and quickly backed away after he dealt the killing blow. The impact had thrown blood, brain and bits of skull in every direction. The worst part, by far, was the burning and the smell that came from his plasma affinity. It was a smell that somehow made it through his helmet filters. He saw the smoke start to rapidly dissipate and the barricades shrank back into the earth.


    Turning around as the smoke faded, Matt saw the barrier come into view and saw the crowd gathered outside. With a ripple the barrier faded, and Echo bolted in from where he had been sitting with Jess. Matt was just turning to welcome his familiar when a System Message forced its way into his field of view and a golden light washed over him. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± He groaned, before vanishing.


    You have killed Possessed Commander. Level 51


    You have defeated Icon of Conquest. Level N/A


    Class Pilot- Gunfighter is now level 55.


    Stat Points Awarded


    Soul integration of Iconic essence beginning in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1


    A host of notifications assaulted Matts mind, but the system forced through 5 of them for reasons that were unknown to him. He paid particular attention to the countdown. A countdown that was moving way faster than¡­


    Pain. Unimaginable pain. The feeling that washed through him wasn¡¯t physical, instead burning his soul. The searing sensation swept through his metaphysical body in an instant before vanishing.


    Matt opened his eyes and found himself staring at the very battlefield he was on before the System pulled him away. The only problem was that this grass field was almost clear. Everything seemed to be in faint, an almost ghostlike projection of the real world. Everything except the people.


    As Matt turned in a full circle, he saw that the classers and pilots that had gathered outside the barrier all had a glowing core at the center of their being. The colors varied and the light fluctuated as they moved around but still it persisted, an effervescent core of their being. He then saw Echo appear next to him, back again in his own soul shape that Matt had seen when they first met.


    ¡°Welcome, Matthew Shultz.¡± A voice suddenly said. The words echoed in his mind, like he hadn¡¯t actually heard them, and they were projected directly like how Van spoke to him.


    Matt flinched at the words and whipped around, very confused and slightly disorientated at not having a physical body again. The being he saw was a humanoid shape made entirely of a very familiar golden light. It was without gender or even a distinct shape other than 4 limbs and a head attached to a torso that stacked up to around 2 meters in height.


    ¡°What the hell are you?¡± He asked, tensing his muscles though he had the distinct impression that fighting it would be pointless. Not in a ¡®I cant hurt it¡¯ sort of way but more of a ¡®it cant be hurt¡¯ situation. He had a suspicion as to the being¡¯s identity but wanted to be certain.


    ¡°I am an avatar of the System. In a way, I am the System.¡±


    Well, I was half right. Matt thought to himself.


    ¡°In some ways, you were completely right.¡± The avatar answered. Matt just gaped at it despite knowing he shouldn¡¯t be surprised. ¡°But we must press on. Our time in this sub-layer is limited at your grade.¡± Matt decided to do the smart thing and closed his gaping mouth before gesturing for the System to continue.


    Nodding, the avatar began speaking as it turned and slowly walked toward the corpse of the icon. Matt and Echo followed along as it spoke. ¡°You have defeated an icon of conquest. An impressive feat considering the aspect of this projected icon. While it does exist in the over world, its body is restricted like all of its unbound kin, thus the projection.¡± The avatar knelt and shoved its ethereal hand into the corpse before them.


    ¡°So, these icons or aspects or whatever can just possess people?¡± Matt asked as he and Echo came to a stop next to the avatar.


    ¡°Yes, but they risk this.¡± The avatar pulled out a ball of light and held it to Matt. ¡°This is known as iconic essence. The icon must wager a piece of itself which it will lose should it fail in its challenge. It is their nature to try and steal power from mortals but often they lose and sacrifice a fragment like this. This heavy penalty is what brings balance.¡±


    Matt inspected the ball of light. It was perfectly round and without color unlike those of the other classers and pilots, or even Echo.


    Iconic Essence (Unbound)


    That was it, no description, no flavor text, just a name and qualifier. ¡°And what does this do?¡± He asked the avatar. He figured that would at least give him some answers.


    ¡°It will anchor your aspect to your body.¡± The avatar explained.


    ¡°Great and what does that mean?¡± Matt deadpanned back.


    The avatar paused, hesitating for a split second before speaking. ¡°It will take you one step further along your inevitable path. I will not say more, lest I ruin the balance.¡± The avatar once again extended its hand. ¡°It will not harm you, that I can promise. This essence will only enhance that which you already employ.¡±


    Looking to Echo, Matt got only a head tilt in return. With a shrug, he extended his hand and touched the ball.


    Just as he made contact the avatar spoke again. ¡°Oh, and this might sting a little.¡±


    As far as understatements went, that would place amongst the all-time greatest. Once again, pain rippled through Matt, searing his soul as the light was absorbed. Unlike last time, where the pain was only the briefest of moments, this one seemed to last forever. The worst part was he wasn¡¯t the only one that seemed to experience it. Echo sent him a cacophony of images and sensation, none of which conveyed pleasure.


    After what felt like hours, the burning faded, and he was able to return to his senses. He glared at the avatar that still stood before them while both Matt and Echo had fallen to the ground, locked up from the experience.


    ¡°Congratulations on achieving what few gods have even achieved. You will find¡­ some information in your messages when you return to the over world.¡± The avatar said as they stood. ¡°Be cautious, for there are others who may have absorbed the iconic essence. Those individuals will seek to challenge you to remove competition and take your essence.¡±


    Matt was still experiencing phantom pains as he choked out a reply. ¡°How do I stop that?¡±


    The avatar seemed to smile, despite its face remaining blank. ¡°Grow stronger and develop your own iconic essence. Good luck Matthew Shultz.¡± And with that, he was once again enveloped in the golden light.


    ¡°Its just Matt..¡± he tried to say before both him and Echo were completely engulfed and whisked away.


    *****


    Jess stood watching the duel with the rest of the commandos. After the bubble had gone up, the remaining Tikshir had fallen quickly, overwhelmed by pilots and supporting infantry. They had managed a few pockets of defense but those quickly fell to cannon fire while they had no artillery to defend them.


    Naturally, the main host of classers has swept through the area, collecting anything and everything of value. The commandos had pushed through the objective and gathered at the edge of the barrier where Van was patiently waiting, and Echo was¡­ not. The drake was incensed, clawing and attempting to bite at the shimmering barrier. No matter how strong the strike, it was not enough, and he was forced to wait with the others.


    The pilots all gathered and watched as Matt and the commander suddenly appeared on platforms inside. Neither took notice of the spectators, instead they seemed to be in a sort of stasis for a few moments. Suddenly, some of Matts equipment began to vanish and he was left only with his strange axe.


    ¡°Oh, he is not going to like that.¡± Jess said aloud to nobody.


    ¡°Indeed, I think that umber bastard is in for it.¡± Jahrain, one of the other commando pilots said.


    Jess didn¡¯t say more as the duel began. They saw the opening moves then heard the talking, a strange, cadence and gurgling coming from the commander. Matts voice was fine as he responded in a short, clipped tone. Then the fight was on in full.


    They watched rapid series of exchanges, both parties engaging then breaking away only to come back together. They also could feel the aura that had begun to seep out from Matt. The other classers that had joined started backing away while Jess and the commandos, remained in place, already familiar with the sensation. The commander clearly was not a fan as his eyes went wide and fear began to show on his face.


    It was at that point Matt began using skills to take the orange giant apart. They saw the commander flee, deploying a sort of smoke that did absolutely nothing to either Matt or the spectators. It seemed that the dome wanted them to be able to witness what was happening. It was at this point Jess knew the fight was over. Matt had scored a psychological victory and now just had to deal¡­ and there it was. A tomahawk to the skull.


    Jess heard someone near her start muttering.


    ¡°What an absolute monster.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am not sure what to think¡­¡±


    Jess was about to give them an ear full when the barrier dropped. Echo took off like a rocket, headed right for Matt. Just as the drake got within arm¡¯s reach, both of them were enveloped in golden light and vanished. Jess was wondering where they went when, after only a few seconds, they suddenly reappeared. She immediately knew something significant had happened after just brushing against his aura, it felt sturdier, defined more of who and what he was.


    Before anyone could do more than say a word, Van lunged forward, falling to one knee. Luckily there was nobody in front of him because the impact sunk the mech¡¯s knee into the ground on force alone. Jess looked over to the kneeling mech and was about to see what was wrong when she felt the aura, Matts aura magnified 10 times over, begin to billow out.


    Her trait as an empath made her naturally sensitive to auras and emotions. When hit with Matts aura, she felt wrapped up in a cocoon of emotions and intent, a mixture that she couldn¡¯t quite put words to. It felt incredibly dangerous but also reassuring like a campfire in the dark of night. Just before she blacked out, she heard Matts voice. He was talking to someone. Was it her? She didn¡¯t know but slipped into the warm embrace of sleep knowing she would be safe.

 Chapter 65 – Spoils

    Chapter 65 ¨C Spoils


    ¡°Well, this is awkward.¡± Matt stated as he looked out at the crowd of people. Many of the classers were taking tentative steps back while others were kneeling on the ground, heads down. A few among them had actually passed out or just sprawled on the ground looking like they were asleep.


    Van was still in a kneeling position when he raised his head and spoke. ¡°What¡­ What happened? I feel¡­ I feel¡­ more.¡± He rumbled in Matts mind.


    ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± He opened the first of many System messages vying for his attention.


    You have absorbed: Iconic Essence (Unbound)


    You have absorbed a fragment of raw and unbound iconic essence. As a living being, the essence will naturally aspect to you over a period of time and become bound to your personal aspect. To strengthen your personal aspect, gather more iconic essence. Protect your iconic essence from others.


    Note: This essence may have an effect on your natural aura.


    **Note**: This essence <u>will</u> react to your aura domain. Good luck.


    Matt sighed heavily and began reeling in his aura again. It took a significant amount of time to figure out how to properly manipulate it since his domain had grown so much in an instant. He briefly wished he could have had a few weeks to adapt to the changes.


    After struggling for several minutes to contain both his and Van¡¯s aura, Matt began to go and wake people up. Most of them popped up with a gentle tap or wiggling their foot but one elf in particular proved to be a little stubborn.


    ¡°Jess¡­.Jess¡­.¡± Matt tried again to shake her. ¡°Jess¡­ Hmm, lets try this.¡± Matt summoned a small item out of his storage ring. A plastic tube with a twist top. After uncorking it, he dumped a smaller plastic and felt tube into his palm before dismissing the container back to storage.


    ¡°Look I am really sorry about this. Hope you forgive me.¡± Matt muttered as he cracked the encapsulated smelling salts and wafted it under the elf girl¡¯s nose.


    Jess¡¯s eyes flew open, and she sat up gasping and coughing. ¡°Ach. What. Acha. What the fuck is that! Oh, gods it burns!¡± she began flailing her arms, batting at Matts hand and knocking the vial into the grass. Echo, curious padded over and sniffed at it for a brief moment before scrunching his face and sneezing while backing away as fast as he could.


    ¡°Huh, looks like some races have harsher reactions to smelling salts than others.¡± It made sense to him. He doubted that the company had done testing to ensure safety on elves, orcs and beast kin. Not that they ever had the chance. He thought wryly. ¡°Good, you¡¯re up. Let¡¯s finish policing everything and head back. I think that was the last wave but let¡¯s be sure and not have any more surprises.¡±


    Jess just stared at Matt as he walked back to the commander¡¯s corpse, stored it in his ring, picked up a small disk like item, then climbed up into his mech and started off toward the city. ¡°What the fuck are smelling salts?¡± she murmured under her breath before climbing back into her own mech and following after the rest of the classers and pilots.


    On his return journey, Matt opened and read the rest of his messages while Van took control¡­.


    You have killed Possessed Commander. Level 51


    You have defeated Icon of Conquest. Level N/A


    *


    Class Pilot- Gunfighter is now level 55.


    Stat Points Awarded


    *


    Skill Selection available.


    Please select from the following skills.


    Unarmed Strike (Uncommon)


    Any attack delivered without a weapon in hand has greater effects on target. Exploit openings with greater ease.


    Assassinating Strike (Uncommon)


    Deal extra damage to high-ranking enemies when you single them out. Can be used with Ranged or Melee Weapons.


    Inspiring Presence. (Uncommon)


    Allies following your commands will experience bonuses to attack and defense. Effect can reduce the effects of: Fear, mental attacks, sympathy.


    Challenge Opponent (Rare)


    Issue a challenge to an enemy of your choice and forcibly confine both yourself and them. You may issue the terms of the challenge, but your enemy retains challenged rights.


    Convert Resource (Epic)


    The restrictions of internal resources no longer apply, and you can convert one to another¡­ for a cost.


    ¡°Alright, how can I say no to that. Its literally the big red button of skills.¡± Matt said as he selected the convert resources skill. For the 3<sup>rd</sup> time that day, he experienced a burning sensation sweeping through his soul while body, locked with spasms that reminded him of being tazed. It was a good thing he transferred control to Van otherwise the entire city would have seen a break-dancing construct.


    ¡°God damnit.¡± He said a moment later when the sensation faded. ¡°I have had enough of this shit.


    ¡°But you got a good skill.¡± Van reminded him.


    Matt took another look and couldn¡¯t disagree. While the conversion rates were not the best for some resources, it would keep him alive in a pinch and he thought there might be a cheat with potions if he was willing to spend the money. ¡°You¡¯re right as always, Van. Let¡¯s just get back and get this shit sorted out.¡±


    *****


    Franklin was rereading his screen for the 5<sup>th</sup> time since the end of the last wave. He was currently experiencing a mixture of emotions. Relief, pride, sadness, resolve, and many more besides. He looked up as a few people began filtering into the meeting room on the administrative floor. With a wave of his hand, he gestured for them to sit and got right to the point.


    ¡°Thanks for coming everyone, we have a few things to discuss before we get too far along. I am sure you all saw the completion announcement from the System. It should be of no surprise that it was only the bare minimum of information.¡± A chorus of knowing chuckles went around the room. ¡°These are all of them that I received. I also just put the generic one in there since we all got it.


    System event #1 has been completed.


    Please wait while individual scores are calculated, and rewards are distributed.


    Note: Reward distribution may vary based on individual contribution.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    *


    You have cleared your first system event. After the final scores are calculated you will gain access to the following:


    City Upgrade Shop (Limited)


    System Shop (Regional)


    Exchange Portal (Limited)


    *


    Due to the selection, you made before the event, you may receive a System enforced transfer of refugees. The number of refugees is variable. The status of refugees is defaulted to: Slave. Condition: Stasis


    Refusal of refugees will send them to the nearest System approved slave market. Compensation will not be awarded for refused refugees.


    ¡°Umm, What the actual fuck.¡± Matt deadpanned. Seeing he was getting a lot of strange looks he decided to clarify. ¡°Ahem, I mean. What the actual fuck do they mean slaves.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Franklin said. ¡°This city was founded by free peoples and will remain for free people. I don¡¯t think I have to explain our position on that one?¡± He asked, looking around the table at everyone shaking their heads. ¡°Good. Now I am not sure how they will be¡­ erm, delivered but I am sure we can handle it. It is my hope that we can accommodate their numbers, but worst case, we are cozy for a little while.¡±


    ¡°We have much food. Share garden with everyone.¡± Tengi said. He had to stand in his chair to be at the same height as the other but didn¡¯t seem bothered. ¡°But they help. We will have no¡­ no¡­ freeloaders.¡± He had to sound out the last word one syllable at a time.


    ¡°Exactly right. Thank you for your support in this, Tengi.¡± Franklin looked to the dwarf sitting to his left. ¡°Sothrun, what do you think about our housing situation?¡±


    ¡°Welp, we might have only just figured out individual housing, we have 30 or so barracks that are empty and another 40 that are just filled with supplies. Given what we have right now and how much extra wood, stone and such we have, I think we could double the population before having significant issues.¡±


    Rohm stood at that moment. ¡°While I am all for helping those in need, we also need to consider their disposition. We need to prepare for people showing up with nothing and remember that they might not all be friendly.¡±


    ¡°Beat me to it, Rohm¡± Matt said. ¡°There might be more than just impoverished folks showing up. I think it would be best to prepare our citizens for a possible culture clash.¡± He looked around and got a lot of thoughtful looks. ¡°At least we won¡¯t have a language barrier.¡± Matt said the last part in a joking voice and got a few smiles and one forceful exhale of a laugh.


    Franklin rapped his knuckles on the tabletop to regain everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Alright folks. We have 5 days and 20 hours before the event actually ends. In that time lets rest and recover. Matt, Tobias, Rohm, Sothrun, and Tengi, if you could stay for a few moments, everyone else is good to go.¡±


    After everyone else filed out of the meeting room, Franklin opened a new System window for them all to see. This window was like his city management screen but instead of having stats of the city, it had a bunch of prices. ¡°This particular window opened early. I have my thoughts, but do you see anything else that we should focus on?¡±


    City Upgrade Shop (Limited)


    Please select upgrades from the list below.


    Note: any excess points will be returned as credits at a rate of 10-1 to the city coffers.


    Note: you may not purchase more than the allotted points.


    Optional alterations and upgrades.:


    Forge Facility (+)[1]


    Perimeter Wall (+)


    Secondary Wall (+)


    Terrain Adjustment (+)


    City Infrastructure (+)


    Defensive Barrier (+)


    Relocate City (+)


    Teleportation Hub (+)


    Training Hall (+)


    ¡­


    The list was extensive and seemed to be never ending with options. Out of curiosity, Matt touched the plus icon, and it opened a sub menu with even more options. He was about to read through the list under the teleportation hub but was interrupted by Franklin.


    ¡°I have only made one preselection and that is the enhanced forge. The rest are open for debate. I would like us to create a list to go through, so we don¡¯t have to figure this out on the fly.¡± Franklin was passing them each sheet of paper.


    Tobias was the first to speak up and rain on the orc¡¯s day. ¡°Frank, we don¡¯t need the forge upgrade. I have already worked out a path for that through my class. We would end up surpassing the upgrades of the forge within a couple months.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, um.¡± Franklin stuttered.


    ¡°I would say we look at things we don¡¯t have or would be very difficult for us to do.¡± Matt said. ¡°Like this training hall. It¡¯s not just a big weight room, it¡¯s a virtual training simulator.¡± He finished by showing the pop up from the interface.


    The training hall would allow them to set predetermined scenarios and fight through them or even fight each other. The words on the package promised that all equipment, skills and abilities would function flawlessly.


    ¡°We can also look at this wall expansion.¡± Sothrun began. ¡°While we can house nearly double our population, we cant easily get more space. It says here that we can expand the walls out and up without destroying anything. If we move the walls out and alter the terrain a little, we can have an even more defensible city.¡±


    ¡°The second wall can be built at any time, but I think it would be a waste since we don¡¯t even have enough classers to man the damn thing.¡± Rohm piled on getting a nod of thanks from the dwarf.


    Franklin smiled. ¡°And this is why I asked for all of you to come. Ok, so. Who wants to go first?¡±


    The next hour was spent discussing the pros and cons of each option and generating a series of lists. They ended up making several different lists based on the amount of points they receive, trying to balance the most cost-effective options.


    Regardless of the list, they had a consistent top 3 of the barrier, perimeter wall and training hall. Tobias was sure that they could figure out all 3 of those but saw that the barrier and training hall were upgradeable and would have a lot of longevity.


    ¡°I think the teleportation pad would be cool, but it really isn¡¯t that useful, all it would do is let us get to the mine and dungeon quicker.¡± Matt said. They were walking out of the hub, having decided to reconvene once they knew more.


    Tengi nodded. ¡°Wasteful when have good legs for walking.¡± The little dweller had been rather vocal about making sure the garden orb would stay put. When asked why, he explained how the orb mimicked what was around it. If they covered it, then it would be dark inside, if it was wet then it would be raining and so on. The pocket dimension was a fickle little thing and the dweller tribe had only just gotten it perfect.


    Matt waved goodbye to the group. ¡°Have a good night, folks, I am calling it a day.¡± He started to his house, Echo emerging from a small stand of freshly planted trees. He would have stayed to chat, but Tori had ¡®called¡¯ and asked to meet with him.


    After setting up the ritual circle in his living room, Matt sat down and started the process. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a very strange place.


    It looked like a mix between a small theater and a stadium. The center was a glowing crystal which emitted a soft rainbow of light that played gently across the railings of the private boxes that surrounded it. Matt was standing in one of those boxes looking outward when he felt a presence approach from his right.


    Taking his eyes off the mesmerizing crystal, he turned to face Tori as she greeted him. ¡°Welcome back to the Exchange. Well, in a way.¡± She said.


    ¡°What do you mean in a way?¡±


    Tori smiled. ¡°Well, this is a fringe part, added long after the Exchange was first established. Also, you are not really here.¡±


    ¡®Huh, so what part is this then?¡± Matt asked, curious as to why Tori was talking about this or summoned him here.


    ¡°This, my dear prime, is where we watched your performance during the event.¡±


    Matt was giving Tori the side eye. ¡°What do you mean we? And why here when you can literally watch me from anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Here partly because of tradition and also it is some what of an event for the universe. And We is Myself, Weltgan, one of my other primes, some gods you haven¡¯t met and Lyrenthea.¡±


    Matt wasn¡¯t surprised at the words until the last name. He began looking around, wondering if the veiled queen was there with them. Finally, he just asked. ¡°Is she here?¡± voice filled with a mix of emotion. His aura billowed out as he lost his grip on it. ¡°Shit, sorry.¡± HE said as he began reeling it back in after seeing the look on Tori¡¯s face.


    ¡°That is something we have to work on.¡± Tori said, in a more serious tone before reverting back to her normal voice. ¡°She is in the exchange but not here. I will make arrangements for us all when the time comes.¡±


    Matt nodded, feeling a little silly for how he acted. ¡°Ok, well, I will try to do better about the aura thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well.¡± She summoned a crystal from her storage and held it up for Matt to see. ¡°My other prime took it upon himself to take copious notes.¡± Matt reached for the crystal but Tori dismissed it to her ring. ¡°Sorry, System wont let you have this yet, I can give it to you after the event finishes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well when what was it you wanted to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Slaves.¡± Tori said in a flat voice. ¡°I understand your opinion on the matter but wanted to head this off before you misunderstand something.¡± She was staring at the crystal in the center of the room. ¡°I purchase slaves for the order by the hundreds. But I don¡¯t keep slaves.¡±


    Matt was sure there was a good explanation and waved his hand for Tori to get on with it. ¡°Come on Tori, lets get to the point.¡±


    ¡°The System is very particular about what it calls balance. When someone becomes a slave they are trading more then freedom, they are trading responsibility. Either voluntarily or unwillingly, they have chosen to give up responsibility for a certain guarantee of safety. The problem comes from what you want to do.¡± Tori was on a roll, building momentum.


    ¡°I appreciate the sentiment of wanting to give them freedom but they need to earn it or the System will not see the exchange as balanced and they will inevitably stagnate. You need to convert them from slave to indentured. They have to work off the ¡®debt¡¯ of the System saving their lives.¡± The paused for a moment before looking him in the eye. ¡°This is the same thing I do with all the slaves we purchase. We convert them to indentured and they work off the debt of what it took to purchase them. Yours will have a relatively low cost and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if many were free within a week.¡±


    ¡°What kind of work are we talking? I cant imagine that System will let them work off the debt via combat or the like.¡± Matt asked.


    Tori smirked. ¡°Got it in one.¡± She did finger guns at him.


    Matt cringed. ¡°Tori, your amazing and honestly I respect the hell out of you but please, never do that again.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°I thought that was from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was. But that was also decades ago when it was considered cool.¡±


    ¡°Ah, got it.¡± She seemed to make a mental note. ¡°Anyway, back to the matter at hand. They will have to do menial work or at least work that isn¡¯t inherently dangerous. You could have them assist a craftsman, run errands for the city leadership, help dig ditches, it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    Matt thought on that for a few moments. He could probably come up with a plan to help but also needed to tell Franklin about the development. One thing was for certain, he didn¡¯t want to end someone¡¯s path by such means.

 Chapter 66 – The Watchers

    Chapter 66 ¨C The Watchers


    ¡°Alright we have a joint meeting with the big bosses, then individual meetings with our representatives and I have one with the queen of the veiled.¡± Matt said to the group as they gathered in front of the portal.


    At the end of the event, a notification was pushed to everyone in the city. It wasn¡¯t much of shock or even new information. What it boiled down to was that there would be a portal opened to the exchange and they would each be given an appointment time to enter the portal.


    Matt had gotten not one but 3 such notifications and suspected there was going to be some shenanigans going on since Tori and her pantheon had apparently claimed the city and would likely have pulled some strings for how these meetings would be handled.


    ¡°Indeed. I am looking forward to meeting with my patron and finding out what he advises for the refugees.¡± Franklin said as he walked towards where the portal had opened with Matt, Tobias, and Venri. ¡°Also, I will find out how we did for the event and how much of a budget we have.¡±


    Tobias leaned forward and looked down the line to ask a question. ¡°Did you even get a timeline for the refugees?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, System says they will be held in stasis for 5 days or until we call for them. Pretty much if we don¡¯t accept them by then, they get sent off to¡­¡± he waved his hand toward the sky. ¡°Somewhere.¡±


    Tobias seemed to accept that answer and moved on to his next topic. ¡°Matt, we are meeting with Theil at the same time. Did you want us to come to the meetings with her royal majesty?¡±


    ¡°Ummm, no. I don¡¯t think that would be a great idea.¡± Matt replied, glancing down to Venri.


    The dwarf didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°While I am flattered you considered me in your plans. I have no need of more patrons. My oaths are¡­ not limited but narrow in scope.¡± She said with a smile. She had been rather open about the nature of her class and cult in recent days, no longer trying to beat around the bush or skulk in the background.


    ¡°Yeeeaaahh. That¡¯s, um that¡¯s great.¡± Matt said while he tried to ignore the snort of laughter from Tobias. He decided to change subjects entirely and tried to foist the attention back to the governor.


    ¡°So, Frank. That was a pretty solid speech you delivered. Honestly it was probably for the best to get it out now in case it suddenly comes up on the other side.¡±


    ¡°Heh, thanks. I don¡¯t think there is a reason to hide out patrons or the nature of our relationship. While I don¡¯t think we will become one of the blessed cities, I think it will be common to see blessed people around.¡± Just as Tobias was about to ask about the term blessed city, they arrived at the portal and were able to walk right on up.


    The portal was a large golden ring bisected by the ground just outside the hub. Looking in didn¡¯t do anything since all you could see was a golden glow that didn¡¯t actually cast any light. It honestly gave Matt the creeps when he first saw it at night. A few had tried to go before their ¡®appointment window¡¯ and just walked through the glowing ring, strolling right onto the grass on the other side of the floating disk. After one look at each other, they just shrugged and stepped in.


    *****


    Tori was sitting on the rather comfortable couch in the Exchange meeting room they had arranged for their prime¡¯s wo meet with them. She was sitting right across from a demon that was starting to get on her nerves.


    ¡°I thought your ¡®friend¡¯ would be joining us?¡± She asked.


    Weltgan twirled a small set of dividers, fidgeting while Tori bored a hole through his head with her stare. ¡°Well, in fairness. She said she would consider it, but you must understand she is shy. Well, shy isn¡¯t the right word but reclusive. No¡­ that¡¯s not it.¡± He muttered to himself. He waved his hand, still holding the dividers. ¡°Well, you met her, you get it. Besides, she will show herself when she thinks the time is right.¡±


    ¡°Well, be that as it may, let her know that she can connect her realm to the palace at any time. She is of course free to use any facilities that befit a full partner.¡± Tori glanced over at the portal that was beginning to open on the wall of the lounge.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± A voice whispered in her ear. A presence was there for only a fraction of a second before also dissipating.


    With a shudder, Tori looked back to the now fully open portal. ¡°Yeah, going to take a while for me to get used to that.¡± She stood along with the other gods to greet the new arrivals, standing a little way back to not smother the mortals as they entered.


    *****


    Matt stepped through the portal and entered a¡­ well he wasn¡¯t sure what kind of room it was supposed to be. The general style looked like an upscale board room or meeting room while the furniture looked like something out of a lounge. To one side was a window wall of frosted glass, backlit by the hall beyond. Across from that was a wall of windows that looked over, well a lot of things.


    Each of the 2 dozen full length windows showed a scene of some sort. One overlooked a mountainous valley while the very next one was staring off into space, galaxies floating in the inky blackness. The scenes varied so much that Matt was sure it was an illusion of some sort. Maybe not. Maybe these are real windows looking at real places? Nobody said the System had to make sense.


    Further into the room, Tori stood flanked by 3 other gods, only one of which Matt was familiar with. As he stepped forward, there was a slight dimming of light in one corner of the room and Matt thought someone was watching him. When he looked over to that spot, it was gone and only the drinks cart remained.


    ¡°Welcome, its nice to finally meet you all in person.¡± Tori said as she stepped forward and took Matt by the hand, giving a firm shake and a knowing smile. ¡°Been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tori was of course referring to them actually being in the same room and not doing a communion ritual. Or at least one of her avatars in the room with him. ¡°It really has. But I thought I remembered you having a different¡­ presence, in the past.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, you have the System to thank for that.¡± A tall and fuzzy man said to Matt. ¡°Magistrate Ralzin, at your service.¡± He smiled, showing a mouth full of pointed teeth before giving a shallow bow. ¡°I am Franklin¡¯s patron and act as a sort of legal advisor to Tori.¡± He then continued with his explanation. ¡°The system mutes auras and limits power in the Exchange. This is done so rules aren¡¯t accidentally broken, again.¡±


    Franklin stepped forward and knelt. ¡°I greet the, my patron.¡±


    ¡°Ah, rise, rise. Please, we have business to conduct and plans to make.¡± Razlin said.


    Venri also bowed to her patron who Matt was told was Herman the wasteless concoctor. Matt and Tobias both looked to their gods with smirks and a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± Tori said.


    Weltgan was also less inclined to the formalities. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all a waste of time and just¡­ creepy.¡± He said with a little shiver.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The group all moved to the couches and Razlin wheeled the drinks trays around. It was a self-serve affair for everyone except for Tori whom he insisted he pour her tea. Matt eyed the various decanters and glass ware, looking through the sea of containers, until he spotted one he recognized. A tall metal cylinder with a handle on one side and spout on the other.


    Picking up the carafe, he removed the lid. Inside he saw a dark brown liquid with steam rising off of it. Taking a sniff, he sighed. He quickly retrieved the cups and poured one for both himself and Tobias who gratefully accepted the rich dark roasted brew of coffee.


    Matt took a sip of the coffee and found it to be the perfect temperature as well as a nice, robust flavor. ¡°Ha, I am really glad the System put that in there.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡± Herman said. ¡°It only appeared because you were looking for it specifically.¡± He chuckled slightly at the look on Matt and Tobias¡¯ faces. ¡°Such is the way of the System.¡±


    Matt was still looking at the carafe like it was a robot in disguise when Tori cleared her throat and started the meeting off. ¡°Ahem. Thank you everyone for being here. Primes, I want to lay some ground rules. First, we know what the rest of the integration looks like, nobody will fill you in on specifics so don¡¯t ask. Second, there are laws set by the System that we will not violate, lest we get censored. Third is that we will provide advice and generalizations only when it comes to your path.¡±


    ¡°We are setting these rules because we all believe that it will give you the best chance for growth and being able to fight your way to at least S grade.¡± Herman said, adding in some reasoning to the rules.


    Tori nodded at him. ¡°Right, now down to actual business.¡± She looked at Franklin. ¡°I assume Matt informed you about the refugees?¡± Seeing him nod she moved on. ¡°Next is that this is our city, by that I mean its under the umbrella of our little pantheon. This means that you all will be defending it from all other pantheons in some form.¡±


    Matt raised his hand. ¡°So, are we to become an isolationist state or extremely xenophobic?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Weltgan said. ¡°What it means is that you must be very careful about who you give power to, actual or otherwise. If some random caravan comes in and tries some bullshit its easier to deal with than if one of your more notable public figures attempts something.¡±


    ¡°We recommend trade and friendly relations with others and the System will force that in the end. Just be aware that not every threat to your people comes arms bared and trying to break down your gate.¡± Tori picked back up. ¡°Now, on to your citizens.¡± She turned to face Franklin.


    ¡°Your people will be met by some of our people as they come into the Exchange and meet with their reps. Our people will be generally speaking around B grade, but you might have some outliers in C and A grade. They will be acting as sponsors to some groups, helping ease them into their new life and giving some pointers along the way to help their progression.


    ¡°While the same rules apply, they will be a more hands on approach to their method. There are a few exceptions to this. The commandos, some of the Forge staff and Rohm will all be paired with the appropriate S grades to guide them.¡± Tori finished her segment and, after making sure there were no questions, they all broke off to spend time as primes and patrons.


    Tori led Matt to a small table near one of the windows showing a lush temperate forest. ¡°How are you feeling about all of this?¡± She asked after they had sat.


    ¡°Um, good I think?¡± Seeing the expression on her face, Matt clarified. ¡°I don¡¯t have any issues about the events, my path or whatever. I am anxious about meeting the queen.¡± He finally admitted.


    ¡°What do you know about Thea?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lyrenthea, the veiled queen, monarch inferior, blah, blah. Her.¡± Tori said, her voice getting more obnoxious by the word.


    ¡°Honestly nothing other than she is the highest ranking veiled to have ever lived and while not a god, ascended to S grade several millennia ago.¡±


    Tori clicked her tongue. ¡°A rather textbook answer but what else would you have access to.¡± She sighed. ¡°Little Thea, don¡¯t you dare call her that, has had a very rough life. It stems from the cultural issues the veiled faced after their divergent evolution in the plains. While Thea rules the upper, she has a counterpart that tends to handle the lower plane. He is in S grade as well, last I heard.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me about the ¡®cultural issues¡¯¡± Matt said, cutting Tori off.


    Tori didn¡¯t seem to mind as she pivoted to explain. ¡°Well, they are a new species, mutated and evolved completely within the system. That of course means that they cant ascend but it does give them a certain homefield advantage. They evolved in a region of the universe known as the veiled galaxy due to it being in a sort of bubble that both contained an odd sort of primal energy and prevented anyone from observing from the outside.¡±


    ¡°While they were sent to explore it by a joint venture from a larger faction, they didn¡¯t return immediately. Everyone on the outside didn¡¯t think it was a big deal, since exploring a galaxy like that takes a little time, but then there was enough time passing for several generations to have come and gone. The old faction had long forgotten about them after being disbanded and reabsorbed by others.


    ¡°So, several eons later, when their people reemerge from the edge of the galaxy, they are completely changed, no longer the normal humans that originally entered. They wont say what happened to any outsiders, but everyone is aware of a powerful change. While they have the same general human shape, the race are all wielders of auras and domains to a degree that rival geniuses a grade their senior. Lyrenthea herself has an aura that dwarfs mine unless I am in my territory.¡±


    Matt sat quietly while Tori talked, sipping on his coffee and thinking about what she was telling him. ¡°What can you tell me about her? The veiled queen.¡± He asked. ¡°Other than a brief message and some context in the notebook, I don¡¯t know much.¡±


    Tori smiled in an impish way. ¡°She is the epitome of a fangirl or at least was once upon a time. When they emerged, many factions tried to¡­ ah, study them. My faction was one of the few that offered some protection to them. A few of us were able to provide some small foothold in the universe and give them a way to safely trade and reach out. I originally met her when she was still a D grade farmer.¡±


    Seeing the look on Matts face, she laughed before elaborating. ¡°Yes, her class had little to do with fighting or even ruling. She has since adapted it to fit her needs. Oh, don¡¯t make that face, she singles handedly erased several universe spanning guilds when they tried to enslave some of her people. Remember what I said about auras and domains. She views anything in her domain as her crop and tends to her bounty as she sees fit. Or some such nonsense, honestly, I have no idea how that works.¡±


    ¡°Its still kin d of strange how a race or species can just develop like that, in such a rapid manner.¡± Matt said, looking at his own hands with a little skepticism.


    ¡°Is it? Where did you think those deep dwellers came from?¡± Tori asked, smirking over the edge of her teacup. ¡°They evolved on that planet, likely from one of the seed monsters that the System planted when it started making that planet.¡±


    ¡°But they are intelligent.¡± Matt protested, trying to come to grips with that bomb of a fact drop.


    Tori was not amused and gave him a look showing as much. ¡°Matt, just because a creature doesn¡¯t speak common, doesn¡¯t mean that they are less intelligent.¡±


    Holding up his hands, Matt quickly explained. ¡°Oh, I know but it was still surprising. Actually, that explains why Tengi didn¡¯t speak common. If he wasn¡¯t inducted like the rest of us¡­¡±


    ¡°And now you get it. The System often aids in the rapid development and evolution of species. That is one constant, it likes new things. That frankly explains why it gives you so much attention.


    Matt was silent for a moment. He had so many questions but also knew that he could research it on his own at some point. ¡°What does the System want? What is its goal or purpose?¡±


    Her face going from amused to somber clued Matt in that he just stumbled on a heavy topic. ¡°You are not ready for that information yet.¡± She quickly amended her statement. ¡°At least not from any of us. If the System wants to tell you then far be it from me to get in the way.¡± She then rocked her head from side to side, pursing her lips slightly. ¡°While we are on the topic, you do know that you likely are the source for a future origins story and at the very least will be seen as a pivotal historical figure to the dwellers, right?¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Matt said after nearly choking on his coffee. Tori just smiled and pulled up a screen showing his first encounter with Tengi and explaining his blunder in exacting detail.


    *****


    Mekristi, The Bearer of Absolution or ¡®Spirit¡¯ as she was known in some circle watched the hybrid known as Matt from the dim spot between a decorative tree and a side table, halfway down one wall. She didn¡¯t actually watch him but rather watched the area around him. Veiled are dangerous and extremely perceptive. But this one¡­ Yes, that still applies but there is more.


    She stood in silence, completely still and unmoving. If she were being honest, that was noting new for her since some of her kills had taken literal weeks of waiting for the target to be within range. While she waited, she watched and listened, finding out everything she could about these gods and their primes.


    In all her long existence, she had never given a blessing, let alone taken a prime under her wing. She had seen blessed and primes before, even seen them interacting with their peers and patrons. IT was different than what she saw now. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was good different.


    The two Earthlings were naturally fascinating to her. Like all extra-System beings, they were anathema to influence, and suppression created by grade and emitted none of their own unless they flexed their intent. Well, Matt was a little different in that regard, but he really was an oddity.


    Mekristi decided then and there to observe Matt in a little more detail, perhaps she would find the answers to the questions she didn¡¯t know to ask. She smiled, just a quirk of her lips and a twitch of her ear, but the first time she smiled in thousands of years.

 Chapter 67 – Rewards

    Chapter 67 ¨C Rewards


    ¡°Come on, you have to be a little excited about the rewards.¡± Tobias said.


    ¡°I am. I just think you might be a lot more excited than I am.¡± Matt replied, trying to keep the laugh out of his voice. ¡°It¡¯s kind of weird how we are walking to Theil¡¯s office rather than teleporting. I had no idea the exchange was so¡­ massive.¡±


    Tori was escorting Matt and Tobias to Theil¡¯s office for them to retrieve their rewards and conduct some business. The plan was for her to go with them to their representative and Weltgan would take Tobias afterword so Matt could meet with Lyrenthea.


    ¡°Yeah, neither did I. I mean, I knew there was some System shenanigans going on after seeing how the forge room opened from Theil¡¯s office, but this is nuts.¡± Tobias was like a kid in an amusement park. Everywhere they went, there were new sights and sounds to grab his attention and he hadn¡¯t stopped chattering about everything he saw.


    Matt was also stunned by not only the Exchange but also the different species walking around. It was easily the most people he had ever seen in one place and was even more of a discordant sight given how varied they were. Everything from 4-meter-tall ogres to gnomes that barely reached his hip height. But, for all the variance in the people, the foot traffic moved smoothly as they walked down the hall.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± Tori said after leading them down a side hall which was nothing but doors on both sides. Theil had an office about a quarter the way down and, besides the number, only his name on the door made it look any different than the others.


    Raising his hand, Matt knocked on the door and was greeted by Theil a moment later as he opened it. The elf had a broad smile on his face that grew slightly strained as he noticed Tori standing just behind them. ¡°Matt, Tobias and the Eternal Warden.¡± He stepped back and bowed deeply at the waist. ¡°I am honored by your presence.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s good to see you again Theil.¡± Tobias said as he led the way in and took a seat, Matt sitting next to him, with Tori lounging on the couch in the corner. ¡°Been keeping busy?¡± He said, making small talk and hoping to comfort the clearly flustered elf.


    The tactic seemed to work as Theil brightened considerably. ¡°Not as busy as you two it would seem. Both of you have become a bit of a sensation in my branch. Honestly, I have had more people trying to poach you to their book than I knew even worked here.¡± He laughed slightly. ¡°Not that I would ever let it happen without your explicit consent.¡±


    ¡°Glad we can help?¡± Matt said it as a question. He then promptly decided to follow up and get answers for himself. ¡°How does all this work? Representatives, our accounts, all that stuff.¡±


    Theil blinked owlishly at him before sighing. ¡°Well, the better you perform, gaining credits wise I mean, the more rewards I get. For instance, I receive a bonus based on your total income from your class and activities. I can also get additional income if I opened an investment portfolio for you and helped grow that.¡±


    ¡°So, like a normal bank.¡± Tobias said, nodding along as Theil explained. ¡°Can we take loans and such?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. But I don¡¯t recommend that since the terms are terrible in the lower grades and once you get into the higher grades and levels, it won¡¯t really matter.¡± He then glanced to the corner where Tori sat. ¡°There are always alternate sources for income if you run out of things to fight.¡±


    Tori cleared her throat. ¡°Ahem, we will save that discussion until they are a bit older.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s get down to business.¡±


    ¡°¡­To defeat the Huns¡­¡± Tobias sang under his breath.


    ¡°Ohh, I liked that one!¡± Tori said, earning a very confused look from both Matt and Tobias while Theil¡¯s face just had the normal odd expression when dealing with Matt and Tobias.


    ¡°Anyway.¡± Matt said, turning back to Theil and shooting a glance at Tobias on his way. ¡°How did we do?¡± He was anxious to see what the rewards process looked like and how that would translate into actual, usable things.


    Theil rotated his screen around and showed 2 columns, one for Matt and one for Tobias. Numbers started appearing in the section that was above their names, calculating and tallying by line item. To give them a total at the bottom. The whole thing reminded Matt of something he had seen when walking through the accounting section at his old assignment.


    ¡°Well, this is all based on contribution.¡± Theil began. ¡°So, the total ¡®reward¡¯ is set on the value of total enemies slain, materials harvested, and time to complete each wave. Then there are the bonuses, things like average damage delt, average level disparity, number of casualties and so on.¡± He paused, seeing a line appear on Matts side of the screen. ¡°And, apparently, Icons defeated in solo combat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah that was really not cool of the System to do that.¡± Matt said. This earned a snort from Tori, a chuckle from Tobias and a very incredulous look from Theil.


    ¡°Riiiiight. Moving on.¡± Theil pivoted back to the screen. ¡°So here we have the total points awarded for this event to the city. The points go to the city because that was the focus of the event. Then we have your individual contribution scores. These are pretty much all your actions that you did for the city both before and during the event.¡±


    Matt Looked to see that the contribution followed similar categories to the overall city points. What he also saw was the difference between himself in Tobias. The difference wasn¡¯t so much in points as it was in how those points were earned.


    The categories that Matt earned contribution were focused on the fighting part of the event. He has categories like enemies slain, time fighting, allies saved, planning sessions, leadership and the like. Tobias had categories more focused around the preparations made. His had number of weapons designed, number of weapons produced, upgrades made, enchantments completed, and repairs made to name a few.


    After the totals finished rolling in, and Tobias ended up taking the lead for individual contribution, Matt asked the obvious question. ¡°So, what do we do with these?¡±


    ¡°That my dear prime is the fun part.¡± Tori said. She gestured at Theil who once again summoned the doorway that had originally led to the forge. They walked down the short hall and emerged into a room not completely dissimilar to the one he had seen before.


    ¡°You might notice some differences.¡± Theil said as he pointed out some of the major changes. ¡°You will notice the purchase pads are still here, but the conversion units are not. Instead, you have access to your stored items, a sort of stasis field keeps everything stored from deteriorating indefinitely.¡±


    Just as Matt was about to step up to the terminal that would allow him to access the shop, a familiar demon appeared. ¡°Ah, there you are. Matt, I owe you compensation. What, did you forget?¡± Weltgan asked after Matt showed a very confused face.


    ¡°Well, no. But I didn¡¯t think you would follow through. No offense but¡­ ah¡­ there isn¡¯t any way I can say that in a non-offensive way.¡± Matt cut himself off halfway through his sentence. ¡°What do you have for me?¡±


    Weltgan smiled. ¡°Well, there was some conversation while we were watching your performance. Why do you use that little axe thing?¡± he asked.


    Matt summoned his tomahawk and stared at it. ¡°This? Well, I wanted something that worked as a weapon and a tool. Also, melee weapons aren¡¯t really a thing where we come from. Most fights are finished without seeing the enemy, engaging with artillery, aircraft and such.¡±


    Tori and Weltgan shared a look, then a nod, then turned back to Matt in a very synchronized and creepy way. Tori was the first to speak. ¡°You need a proper blade. Well not a proper blade but one that is more suitable for the press of melee. Weltgan?¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± The demon said as he approached Matt and gestured him to lift his arms and produced a tape measurer from¡­ somewhere. ¡°Arms up, I need to take some measurements.¡± Suddenly, Matt was being manipulated and measured from several angles by several identical copies of Weltgan.


    ¡°Arm out straight.¡±


    ¡°Here, hold this.¡±


    ¡°Ok, now bend. Now point.¡±


    Suddenly the copies all disappeared after a few moments of badgering Matt with a dozen requests all at once. The original Weltgan stepped back and looked at Matt while he rubbed his chin, muttering to himself. ¡°Hmm, no training¡­ hits hard¡­ crude movements¡­ maybe we do¡­ What about¡­. Yeah, and say 2 thumbs.¡±


    Tori cocked an eyebrow. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I think one of these, or at least something like it.¡± Weltgan said and summoned a book to his hand. He opened it and pointed to a picture. ¡°They called it a lange messer its halfway between sword and knife. I¡¯m thinking no curve, short and thick blade, long handles. Oh yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± He smiled and snapped his fingers once more.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    In the middle of the room a complete forge appeared. Not a forge like what Tobias had or the forge pads that summoned things but a medieval looking smithy. Suddenly the copies were back and making a hell of a racket. Bellows whooshed, hammers rang, and water hissed. The actions inside the forge were a blur for a brief moment until Weltgan walked out holding a box.


    ¡°Matt, if you please?¡±


    Matt reached forward and opened the box. Inside was a short sword the likes of which he had never seen. He pulled it out and inspected it properly, allowing the light to catch it from every angle. The blade was a single edge affair and ran as long as his arm. The spine was thick and perfectly straight, the hard end of a blade as wide as his thumbs side by side. The odd part was the grip being long enough for 2 hands and the rather long quillons. He used identify a moment after finishing looking over the blackened blade.


    Messer of the Wrathful One. (Epic)


    A custom messer type sword made for the pilot, Matthew Shultz by Weltgan, The proverbial hammer. The blade and hilt are made specifically to compliment the amateurish, albeit effective fighting style employed by Matt with the use of his affinity and domain.


    Enchantments: Imbue Weapon, Soul Bound, Self-Repair, Grip, Balance


    ¡°Wow. Weltgan this is¡­ this is too much.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°No, that is to much.¡± Weltgan laughed as he hiked his thumb over his shoulder to the identical blade behind him that was around 4 times the size of the one Matt was holding. ¡°I am kidding of course. It was nothing to make a weapon like this, especially at E grade. Honestly, I probably could have summoned it but¡­ I like to make a show of it sometimes.¡±


    Matt gave him a skeptical look ¡°Are you sure? I have heard several times about balance.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that Matt.¡± Theil said. ¡°What is a monumental task for a mortal is often hardly worth mention to a god. The System will not see this as an imbalance. It might alter some future challenges to meet your new power, but I wouldn¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Listen to him, he hasn¡¯t steered you wrong yet.¡± Tori said, earning another deep bow from the elf.


    ¡°Thank you, Warden. Now if we can continue to your individual rewards.¡± Theil summoned a tablet and touched a button. That button summoned boxed in from of both Matt and Tobias. These boxes were different than the other look boxes Matt had seen. Where the others were rather fancy, at least at higher levels, these were beautiful in their simplicity.


    Matt reached forward and opened the gold box. Inside he found 3 things, none of which he had seen before. A scroll that looked like it came from a museum, a small 3-sided crystal pyramid and a polished bronze plaque. He naturally identified all 3.


    Imprinted Spell Template (N/A)


    A spell template that when used, generates a spell custom made for the user. The user has no input on the type of spell that is made but will receive a design perfectly balanced for their use.


    Construct Equipment Replication Token (N/A)


    Use this token on any piece of personal equipment and have a matching item instantly equipped to your construct. Note: This token will not generate accessory equipment needed for operation.


    Title: Lord (N/A)


    Congratulations! You have your first official noble rank. This rank is recognized System wide and is the cornerstone for developing down the path of nobility.


    ¡°Theil, has anyone ever declined a title granted by the System?¡± Matt asked. A moment later, the small metal plaque in front of him shimmered and the description updated.


    Title: Lord (N/A)


    Congratulations! You have your first official noble rank. This rank is recognized System wide and is the cornerstone for developing down the path of nobility. This title automatically applied. No refunds. No exchanges. No trades.


    ¡°FFFFFFfuuuuuuuuuuuuuu¡­¡± Matt began to groan before Weltgan suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°To the hells with the title, your lordship. That spell template is the real gem in this pile of treasure. You could trade entire solar systems for that. Good ones too, ones with habitable planets.¡± The demon was pointing excitedly at the scroll.


    ¡°Well, I got a title, a lord same as Matt.¡± Tobias began, holding up each item. ¡°The second appears to be something for generating an AI and the third is actually the coolest.¡± He held out a small, palm sized box.


    Matt watched as Tobias pushed some mana into the box and then place it on the ground. After a moment, the box expanded into a much larger version. Matt could now see the details of what looked like a 3D printer.


    Portable Component Synthesizer. (Epic)


    Generate any single, one material item that can fit within the box. Can also generate chemical compounds into any vessel that can fit within the box. Time to generate varies based on complexity of item and how quickly mana is channeled.


    ¡°That is super cool. What¡¯s the first thing you are making?¡± Matt asked, trying to ignore the fact that none of his rewards had any rarity.


    ¡°Probably a lot of different types of gun powder.¡± Tobias said. ¡°It¡¯s the same issue we ran into with Lisk. I can make completely new things but just converting powder types is surprisingly difficult. WE haven¡¯t had the means to make modern nitrocellulose powders.¡±


    Matt was about to keep pushing but felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Tori glaring at him. ¡°Use. The. Spell Scroll.¡± She punctuated each word with a not so gentle shake.


    ¡°Ok, ok. I¡¯ll use the scroll.¡± He said as he stored the other two items. He opened the scroll, unrolling the ends from each other. ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± He said before freezing up.


    Where he expected to see words or symbols, Matt instead saw a golden glow on the exposed scroll. Then felt a familiar sensation to when he absorbed the icon essence. Rather than pain, he experienced a sort of probing. It was almost like the codex in how it seemed to flit through his mind.


    After a few moments, the scroll vanished in a puff of golden smoke and Matt was left standing in a very strange pose with his arms stretched out like he was holding an invisible newspaper. Half a second after that, he began to breath and move again.


    ¡°Well?¡± tori asked, looking at him curiously.


    ¡°You are not going to believe this.¡± He said before reading off the System message.


    New Spell Created: Flames of Retribution (Legendary)


    Cast Type: Gesture and/or phrase (Unassigned)


    Type: Domain ¨C Damage/Absorption


    Cast the spell to create a widespread area of invisible flames that deal damage to enemies within. Has a negation effect for skills and abilities used by enemies within the domain. A portion of damage dealt of mana absorbed will be transferred to the caster in the form of mana. While the flames are phantasmal, they will share your affinity and the effect(s) it has on enemies.


    ¡°Soooo, Matt. How big is your domain right now?¡± Tobias asked after hearing the spell details.


    Taking a moment to think about it, Matt had to guess. ¡°Um, maybe like a few hundred meters if I really stretched it. It would be pretty thin at that point, and I wouldn¡¯t get much feedback from my primary trait.¡± He paused, looking from face to face.


    Tori was grinning like the cat that caught the canary. Tobias had gone slightly pale. Weltgan was staring at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Theil was rubbing his temples and scrunching his face like he had a migraine.


    ¡°Well, this changes some things.¡± Tori said, finally breaking the silence.


    Tobias seemed to snap out of it. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s borderline a walking war crime.¡±


    ¡°Now, now. There is no need for name calling.¡± Tori said. She summoned a tablet to her hand and began scrolling through a list. ¡°But we now have a shopping list of things that you need to buy with your contribution points.¡± She quickly took a few things off the list and added some others. ¡°Buy all these.¡±


    He took the tablet and looked over the list. There were several books, only some of which had mildly insulting titles, but all seemed useful. Then there were 3 sets of crystals and a device that looked like a candle stick with handlebars. The crystals were sets of 3, each having a beginner, intermediate and advanced level.  The sets were: Short swords and their use, Domain manipulations and finally Passive aura control.


    ¡°Ok, and what do I do with the rest of the points?¡± Matt asked as he purchased all the items on the list and watched them appear on the pad to his left.


    Tori shrugged. ¡°I would say invest them. Theil here can help with that. Honestly, he can make you rich beyond your wildest imagination with a little time.¡±


    Matt chewed that one over for a moment then came to a decision. ¡°How about this, Theil, take 10% of what I have left, and can I donate the remaining amount to Frank so he can buy city upgrades?¡±


    Theil poked around on his tablet and, after a little reading shared what he found. ¡°You can donate them to the city fund, but he will know they came from you.¡± He then added on. ¡°Also, if you let me invest and enroll you in a savings plan, you could have a little over a half a trillion by the next event. Not much in liquid but its easily convertible.¡±


    Tobias added in from where he was scheming with Weltgan over a tablet. ¡°Put in half of mine and convert the rest to regular credits.¡± Seeing the look from Matt he shared a little more. ¡°What? A mad scientist needs funds otherwise he¡¯s just mad.¡±


    Weltgan laughed at that. ¡°Ha! Just mad. Oh, I¡¯m borrowing that one for when my friends ask about your little projects.¡± He settled down a moment later. ¡°Speaking of, you mention something called phosphorus. Does it have to be white?¡±


    *****


    Franklin sat across from his representative, stating at the city management screen with Razlin sitting behind him. The god hadn¡¯t given much guidance but had offered some words of general wisdom. The problem Franklin was faced with was one of cost. He had the lists for what to purchase but was just in the middle of 2 of them and was having a hard time choosing what to do.


    The points had been split half for the city and half for the individual contribution. He had already thrown in a good amount of his own to try an increase his total but didn¡¯t have much of an effect. Just as he was about to commit to buying some upgrades, a new line item appeared, followed shortly by another.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Franklin said leaning closer to the screen like it would provide the answers. He was shocked at the amounts but after reading the names, he figured it was to be expected from the strange humans that seemed perfectly ok with throwing nearly 15% of the city¡¯s contribution back into the pool.


    ¡°They are mighty generous.¡± Razlin commented. ¡°They also know what they are doing. I doubt wither of their patrons would allow them to be completely selfless.¡±


    Franklin looked at the screen, then back to his budgets. He shuffled through the papers until he reached the one, they had only hoped for. The 11<sup>th</sup> list they made where they went all in on the key items. They wouldn¡¯t get everything offered but they would get everything they ever wanted.


    ¡°So, Frank. What is it you want?¡± The dwarven representative asked.


    Smiling, Franklin pushed his list over the desk. ¡°I want it all.¡±

 Chapter 68 – Her Inferior Majesty?

    Chapter 68 ¨C Her Inferior Majesty?


    You can do this. They are just people. Just the people that are entirely responsible for your existence. Nope, stop. Just people. Matt was doing his best to get his head in the game. And apparently failing.


    ¡°Matt, we can always find another way. Perhaps a ritual would be better?¡± Tori said. ¡°You have been standing here for the past 20 minutes. Everyone in the room knows we are here already.¡±


    ¡°No, I got this. I can do this.¡± He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the door, leaning forward so his body weight would force him to step in.


    The inside of the room was¡­ cozy. It reminded him of the first time he met with Tori, nice, overstuffed furniture, a happily burning fire in the hearth and general muted, warm colors all around. The only thing different was the 3 nearly demonic looking beings standing around one couch.


    Matt assumed that this must be Lyrenthea. She was not quite what he expected. He was expecting the strange nearly translucent skin, filled with swirling, smoke like patterns. He expected the brilliant white hair and the strange eyes that stood in harsh contrast to everything else.


    He was expecting the queen to be dressed¡­ like a queen. He was expecting an elaborate gown, crown on her head and perhaps a scepter of some sort. Instead, what he saw was an exotically beautiful woman dressed in simple tunic and trousers. She was wearing plain and practical shoes that looked more fit for a walk in the park than on display in court.


    ¡°Matt.¡± She spoke, her voice clear and resonant, carrying across the room easily. Then she surprised him once more. She bowed, her torso nearly level with the floor. Her attendants followed suit, attempting to bow even deeper.


    She then raised herself and the look on her face was one of overwhelming joy. The faint lines that Matt hadn¡¯t noticed seemed to ease, melting away like they never existed. A few tears threatened to spill from the corner of her eyes.


    Feeling overwhelmed, and deciding to copy what they were doing, Matt began to bow in return. ¡°Your maje¡­¡± but Lyrenthea stepped forward, appearing before him in a blink, preventing him from bowing at all.


    ¡°Please, never bow to anyone in my court.¡± She said in a soft but stern voice. ¡°Our people have a debt to you, one that can never be repaid. Despite everything, there is no gratitude or convention that you must adhere to.¡±


    Now that she was standing in front of him, Matt noticed she was shorter than he expected. He estimated her to be around a meter fifty in height. She was slight in stature, almost but not quite fragile looking. She was completely opposite of Tori who¡¯s stature screamed warrior.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Matt said. His heart was racing, he didn¡¯t know how to act in this situation. There was a history between them, but it wasn¡¯t one they had live together. ¡°It is good to finally meet you. Umm, how should I address you?¡±


    She smiled again, gesturing him to take a seat in front of the fire. ¡°Lyrenthea or even just Thea is fine. However, in more public settings or when speaking of me, my title or Queen Lyrenthea would be appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Well, I probably won¡¯t be seeing you around in public often, if at all.¡± Matt said, stating the obvious in a joking tone.


    She tilted her head slightly and looked at him. ¡°You are theoretically a member of my court. As you now have a noble title, you are entitled to the position.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not exactly my schtick.¡± He laughed, trying again to break the tension. It didn¡¯t work as Lyrenthea just looked more confused. Thankfully Tori stepped in.


    ¡°Matt here doesn¡¯t really like the whole noble thing. Though he has seemingly no issues chatting with monarchs in a casual tone.¡± She said.


    ¡°What monarchs?¡± Matt asked confused. ¡°The only queen I have met is Thea.¡±


    Lyrenthea¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Matt, The Eternal Warden, Victoria, is a god queen. Indeed, Weltgan is a god king in his own but will renounce the title if he joins Tori¡¯s pantheon in full.¡± She was being very careful in how she phrased things, speaking slowly and clearly.


    ¡°Oh, well then yeah. Nobility isn¡¯t really a thing where I come from. I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s like 3 countries that all share the same monarch back on earth.¡± Seeing the confused looks he tried to explain. ¡°It¡¯s a commonwealth or something like that. It once was an empire, but the countries all gained independence at some point. Ah, just ask Tobias about it. He would probably know better.¡±


    Tori and Lyrenthea looked at each other for a minute before turning back to Matt. ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Tori said with a shrug. ¡°So, this is a nice little meet and greet. Nothing serious going to be talked about, just a social call. No bestowing of noble ranks and lands.¡± She said the last part while pointing a finger at the veiled queen.


    ¡°If you insist.¡± Lyrenthea said before focusing fully on Matt. ¡°Would you be so kind as to tell me of your life? I know it must seem mundane compared to the System, but I would love to know more of how you grew up.¡±


    ¡°Umm, sure?¡± Matt was feeling slightly overwhelmed. ¡°Like what do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Well, what was your home like, how do people treat each other without power over one another? Things like that. I also just want us to know each other well enough that neither of us will be surprised when one of us does something.¡± The veiled queen spoke quickly, clearly interested in what he had to say.


    ¡°Well, I guess I will start at the beginning then.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t start a story in the middle.¡± Tori said with a snort.


    ¡°It worked for Lucas.¡± Mass said with a shrug. Then seeing the confusion, clarified. ¡°George Lucas created Star Wars and started the movie franchise on episode 4.¡±


    Tori scrunched her face then pulled out a tablet and began looking through it with impressive speed. Matt looked back to Lyrenthea, who was still staring at him intently. He had to think about how to summarize his life up to that point since he didn¡¯t think he wouldn¡¯t have long.


    ¡°Well, other than being adopted, I would say I had a relatively normal childhood. My adoptive parents were very kind people and I still think of them as my real parents. I knew the truth of course but it didn¡¯t make much difference for me.¡± He began to pick up the pace as he found the track, he wanted to tell the story in.


    ¡°I went to school until I was 18, decided that more schooling wasn¡¯t for me and tried to make a living. Turns out that the economy wasn¡¯t exactly in any state to support an 18-year-old just getting started. Seeing that I was going nowhere fast, I got the bright idea to enlist in the army. I did that for a few years, meeting Tobias while I was in.


    ¡°After getting out of the army, I got into contracting for private militaries. It was pretty much the same job, but the pay was way better. While I was doing that, Tobias was finishing his schooling and making huge technological advancements. He then hired me as his private security, which is kind of how we both ended up in this mess.¡±


    Lyrenthea was nodding along and butted in at his pause. ¡°What of his family? I was told that your parents had passed before you came here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they are still alive. We were planning to go visit them for the holidays.¡± Matt glanced aside. ¡°I guess they lost their son as much as he lost his family.¡± He often forgot about that fact since Tobias rarely talked about it in the few months they had been in the System.


    ¡°Indeed, I feel that we owe him compensation as well.¡± The veiled queen said to her attendant who quickly made a note of it. ¡°Our meddling is the reason you both are here, regardless of the precise circumstances.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°I have a question.¡± He said after she turned back to look at him and he flashed the book that Edmond had given him. ¡°What¡¯s with your title?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an old tradition. It symbolizes the fact that our race has no actual divine presence, yet we have a leader. Since we are divergent from humans and native to the System, none of us can actually become gods, despite having several powerful S grades in our ranks.¡±


    ¡°And what does that actually mean?¡± Matt wasn¡¯t quite sure what she was getting at.


    ¡°It means that the System will not seed our race outside the working planes and thus none of us can ascend. Once one of us can reach godhood, they will become the ¡®monarch superior¡¯ and the System will recognize us as a separate and individual species.¡± Lyrenthea said.


    ¡°Still not getting it.¡±


    She smiled at him, the kind of smile that parents give their children when they ask silly questions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry just yet. You have a while before you need to make any choices and I am sure Victoria will provide you all the information you need.¡± She then tilted her head like a thought suddenly occurred. ¡°Or the System will. I hear you have already spoken to the avatar.¡±


    Matt grimaced. ¡°Yes. I am not sure how I actually liked that experience.¡± Tori was nodding along in agreement, still on her tablet, looking for something. ¡°What were my actual parents like?¡±


    ¡°I did not know them very well, but I did get to know them a little before they left. They were passionate and dedicated to their research and particular field of expertise. They were both ritualists by trade, hence why they volunteered for the assignment.¡±


    ¡°Did they know they would die?¡± Matt was curious about that. He couldn¡¯t really comprehend why they would risk it all on a long shot.


    The veiled queen frowned, the downturn of her lips flashing for only a moment and her voice became more somber. ¡°Yes, they did. They were already dying but the experiment hastened the end.¡±


    Matt leaned forward. ¡°What do you mean dying?¡±


    Tori was the one to answer, having put away her tablet. ¡°They were at a wall. The threshold of their grade and could not progress any further. Rather than struggling for decades or centuries, many will find a worthy cause to hasten the end. This is like the issue I told you about with the slaves and being ¡®given¡¯ freedom. Many will stagnate on their path and eventually die. Reaching S grade is rare, let alone godhood.¡±


    ¡°Yet still, your parents had long lives, longer than anyone on your planet to be sure. They did leave an estate behind that is as of yet unclaimed. But that will be for another time since we are limited by the System for now.¡± She then switched back to asking about him. They went back and forth, chatting and getting to know each other over the course of several hours.


    *****


    ¡°There isn¡¯t mana? So, no magic at all?¡± Lyrenthea asked after Matt had described the general political and social climate of earth.


    ¡°Not that I know of.¡±


    ¡°And humans are the only race?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure. Well, there are legends and stories of other races like dwarves, elves and such but it¡¯s mostly fantasy or in some religions.¡±


    ¡°But there are no gods. How does that work?¡± She asked, shooting a glance at Tori.


    Matt had to pause and think about his answer. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s more faith than anything. The faithful didn¡¯t need proof and the rest were just hopeful, I guess. I had a friend that was Norse pagan and used to tell me about their gods. Like Odin and such.¡± Matt said, he started slow, but built confidence as he went.


    ¡°Hmm, a powerful necromancer.¡± Tori said, nodding sagely from her end of the couch.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What?¡± Matt asked, having taken a moment to comprehend what she said.


    ¡°He is a very powerful necromancer. One of the gods that heads a pantheon of his own.¡±


    Matt was still staring at her. ¡°But he¡¯s not a necromancer at least not in our lore.¡±


    Lyrenthea decided to weigh in. ¡°What can you tell us about him in your ¡®lore¡¯?¡± Matt could hear the trap in her tone. She was leading him to come to the answer from a different angle.


    ¡°Well, he went by many different names and, supposedly, he will lead an army of the fallen against the gods¡¯ enemies. In the end days during Ragnarok or something. He takes those that died in battle¡­ to¡­ his.¡± Matt paused as he realized what he was saying. ¡°Holy shit, he is a necromancer!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and his name isn¡¯t Odin. Well, I guess it is. Kinda?¡± Tori sighed. ¡°It¡¯s this whole identity thing he has going where he gains power from his opponents¡¯ ignorance. He is a right bastard when it comes to trivia or other bits or knowledge.¡± Tori said. It was clear she had past experience with the god.


    Matt was very taken aback at this infodump and was about to ask around a thousand follow-up questions of every god he knew of, but the System had other ideas. Just as he opened his mouth, a message popped up and informed him that his time was up, and he would be teleported in the next few minutes. Apparently, the system wouldn¡¯t make him walk either and just send him directly through the portal back to Vil¡¯ Krad.


    ¡°Looks like my time here is about up.¡± Matt said with a sigh, looking toward Lyrenthea. ¡°It was nice to meet you. I am glad that we had a chance to actually talk.¡±


    The veiled queen stood and held out her hand. The palm was glowing slightly and when Matt gave her a questioning look, she explained. ¡°It is a small thing. I have the approval of the System and Victoria also gives her blessing.¡± She smiled. ¡°Pun intended.¡±


    Matt looked at the hand for a moment before shrugging and reaching out to touch her. The moment he made contact, the light moved from her palm to his and he felt a warmth spread up his arm and travel through his body. A moment later, a System message appeared.


    Heritage Awakened.


    Your latent heritage has been awakened by the veiled queen Lyrenthea. Your latent veiled power will be more accessible from now on and easier to control.


    Looking at his hand, Matt had to suppress a shout of surprise. ¡°Yeh! What¡¯s this?¡±


    Tori and Lyrenthea both were staring intently at him, the 2 attendants doing the same just with slack jaws. ¡°It would appear being from outside the System has some side effects in terms of our normal appearance.¡± Lyrenthea said.


    His hand, and likely the rest of him, was no longer the normal pale skin tone that he had his entire life. It was now partly translucent like the veiled he had seen but instead of being black in its under tones, it was a grey color. While he looked at his arm, he could see the swirling cloudy mass within and little bits of what he thought was blue but couldn¡¯t get a good look at.


    Just as he was looking around for a reflective surface, Tori summoned a small hand mirror and held it out to him. His face had also changed, not in shape but in the nature of his skin. His hair remained black, but his previously dark irises had transitioned to a very pale blue. His eyes didn¡¯t take on the appearance of the veiled and still looked like human eyes, but the sudden color change was unsettling.


    ¡°Thankfully this isn¡¯t just a cosmetic change.¡± Lyrenthea said. ¡°You will find your aura, and by extension your domain, easier to control and likely far more powerful. I would recommend you spend some time meditating and getting accustomed to the changes before doing anything to strenuous.¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to explain this to Tobias and Franklin?¡± Matt said, wondering if they would think he¡¯s a doppelganger or just a really bad imposter.


    ¡°I will let their patrons know.¡± Tori said. ¡°Besides, I think it looks good on you. It¡¯s kind of a nice balance between human and veiled.¡± Lyrenthea and her attendants were nodding along.


    Matt was still concerned but would trust her to help smooth things over. He pulled up his status sheet just to see if there were any other changes.


    Name: Matt Shultz Level: 55 (E)


    Race: Human-Veiled


    ------


    Strength: 276 (366)


    Dexterity: 408 (545)


    Endurance: 383 (495)


    Constitution: 264 (352)


    Perception: 281 (372)


    Intelligence: 381 (492)


    Wisdom: 231 (317)


    Free Points: 5


    Everything looked to be normal, as best he could tell. There was also something in the back of his mind telling him that things would be very different going forward and the status screen might not be showing him a full picture. It might be on those back pages that Tori mentioned.


    ¡°I am going to have to take your word for it. In the meantime, I think that my absence from the city will help mellow things out, along with the influx of new people.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°What do you mean absence?¡± Lyrenthea asked.


    ¡°I am going exploring. Maybe wandering is a better term. There has to be more out there that is just waiting to be discovered and I still need to get stronger.¡± Matt explained his reasons.


    ¡°I wish you the best of luck then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can act as a median in case you absolutely have to get in touch.¡± Tori said.


    Just then, a new box popped up in Matts vision and began counting down. ¡°Well, I will see you when I see you.¡± He said, getting a wave from Tori and a bow from Lyrenthea. Soon he was bathed in the warm golden light and found himself standing in front of the portal on the lawn outside the Hub.


    ¡°Well, that was nice to¡­¡± Tobias began to say from Matts left before suddenly stopping. ¡°Ok, I am not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed but is there something different with you?¡±


    Franklin was standing there, mouth open while Venri looked like she was about to cry. ¡°Oh, you noticed?¡± Matt said with as much sarcasm as he could manage.


    Tobias snapped his fingers. ¡°I know, you got a haircut.¡± He laughed then. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go have a quick meeting before you leave. I¡¯m sure you want to get going before too long.¡±


    ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Franklin asked.


    ¡°Just exploring and looking for some good fights.¡± Matt said. ¡°Besides, there isn¡¯t much you need me for at the moment.¡±


    Franklin was looking a little shocked, but Tobias just ushered them into the Hub and up to Franklins office. ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s all very sad, I¡¯m sure. Now, how about we talk about the instruments and repeaters I¡¯m sending with you.?¡± Matt just went along into what would be the longest ¡®quick¡¯ meeting of his life.

 Chapter 69 – On the road again

    Chapter 69 ¨C On the road again


    ¡°How does it look?¡± Van asked as the Photonic Mantle was activated. It was what Matt used his Construct Equipment Replication Token on. That is to say it was the result of him using the token on his viper hood and the mech ended up with a version roughly 8 times the size and broken into multiple pieces. It attached differently too, using a type of mana activated fastener rather than a simple buckle.


    Photonic Mantle (Epic)


    A construct sized enchanted netting that allows the user to blend with its environment and obscure identifying information. Netting is applied and held in place by mana adhesive contact nodes with allow for secure fit and easy removal.


    ¡°You look like a pile of rocks with brush growing out of it. It¡¯s interesting that it also makes the cannon look like a tree that has fallen on its side.¡± Matt walked around, trying to see it from several angles. ¡°Yeah, if I didn¡¯t know you were there, I would look past you with the naked eye.¡±


    Van got up and began moving. ¡°How about now?¡± he began with slow, steady steps before gradually accelerating to a full run. While the mantle worked best when he was holding still, it was still semi functional at a slow, walking pace.


    ¡°I would say it will be decent obscuration at a slower pace but anything faster than a trot and its pretty ineffective except to obscure your outline.¡± Matt said as Van moved back over to him. ¡°What do you think Echo?¡±


    The drake had been watching the entire demonstration and seemed to be quite taken with the new equipment. He rippled his own scales and shifted colors, mimicking the surrounding ferns and leaves. The image he sent was of them ambushing prey without ever being seen.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the idea. If we can go unseen until it¡¯s too late for them to respond.¡±


    Several mental images of attacking prey from behind. Matt felt it was sarcastic in tone.


    ¡°I too do my best work from behind.¡± Matt said with a chuckle. When he got the impression of questions from both the core and the drake, he felt the need to explain. ¡°Old joke from back when I played video games.¡±


    It had come about playing a couple different first-person shooter games and knowing the spawn mechanics on some of the smaller maps. It was possible to essentially run a loop and constantly be behind the enemy team. The constant complaints of being shot in the back led to him coming up with the double entendre.


    He decided to leave explaining it to his future self and climbed back into the mech as they continued down the valley. He had left the city the morning after their visit to the Exchange. Franklin had wanted him to stay and help with the refugees, but Tobias had reminded them of Matts less than optimal people skills. After dinner and drinks with his friends that saw him bombarded with questions about his new looks, he had said his goodbyes and prepared to leave, exiting the gate at an insanely early hour to absolutely zero fanfare.


    After a couple days of travel, the rolling hills were beginning to give way into flatter land with little islands of forest amid the grass. Matt had peeked into some of these little islands. They varied from a few hundred meters across to over a kilometer and appeared to be getting bigger as he went farther into the flat lands. On occasion he saw creatures moving between but they always stayed low and went fast.


    Matt had pressed into a few of the larger ones and found a strange ecology within. Instead of multiple species, there was one that was overwhelming in number. It varied as to the species, but they would be low 30¡¯s at the edges and working up to a high 40 or low 50 range at the center. One of which had an evolved form of wolf that had been an absolute pain in the ass to take down, with a ridiculous amount of vitality.


    ¡°In another few kilometers we have to set up another re-trans antenna.¡± Matt said. ¡°That would be our 5<sup>th</sup>?¡±


    ¡°6<sup>th</sup>.¡± Van said. ¡°Unless you aren¡¯t counting the one we replaced on our way out.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t really but we did have to detour to handle that so might as well.¡± Matt sighed. ¡°Not like we can send Tobias the bill for it.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t pay you if you did.¡± Van replied with a little rumble of laughter. ¡°Although, you might be able to con Frank into giving you a little something.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t think he should be looking for payment since this was as much for his benefit as anyone else. He was about to convey his opinion on the matter when a shadow passed over him. Out of a healthy amount of paranoia and a lot of luck, he teleported to the left.


    As he tuned back, he saw the shadow was cast by a diving bird. A very large bird. A very large, long necked bird with green scales¡­ a wyvern.


    Emerald Wyvern. Level 65.


    Swinging his barrel up, Matt hip fired the cannon. He used his imbued rounds and the rapid-fire skill on the monster that was only a few hundred meters away. At least it was off target now that he teleported. Bangbangbangbangbang, he cut loose with a long burst, fully bracketing the creature as it was trying to pull out of its dive.


    The 20 rounds streaked out, leaving a blue trace as they flew toward the creature. Around half of them hit, the rest passing harmlessly, spread by the natural cone of fire. Most tore into the wing membranes then zipped through but a few lucky ones found solid contact with the body¡­and barely penetrated.


    Matt switched to his unstable imbuement and emptied the rest of his magazine into the now frantically flapping dragon. These had much more impact, the slightest pressure setting them off and the explosions shredding the thin membrane of the wings.


    The wyvern, now flapping around with nothing more than meat ribbons dangling from its arm bones hit the ground. It wasn¡¯t a hard impact but was not exactly graceful. Matt reloaded, strafing to try and keep behind the creature as it tried to follow him. Unfortunately, the wyvern had a very long and very flexible neck.


    A new magazine was inserted, and the bolt run back, the springs pushing it forward again as he was bringing the muzzle back to point at the wyvern, it suddenly spat a stream of hot liquid at him. The stream hit just as he pulled the trigger and fired a trio of rounds in return.


    ¡°Ah, shit!¡± Matt yelled as he teleported back in the direction he had come, hoping to shake off the monster¡¯s lock on him.


    ¡°Hull, breach.¡± Van said. His voice was filled with fury and the base rumble carried a hint of danger along with it. ¡°Lower right of the cockpit. Armor is zero on that side of torso and upper arm.¡±


    ¡°That mother fucking flappy lizard.¡± Matt roared as he teleported a second time, back toward the woods he had just passed. He fired a few bursts toward the wyvern as he lured it forward. The imbued rounds slammed into the chest of the creature and deflected. ¡°Come here, you abhorrent pile of shit.¡±


    ¡°Aim at the belly and flanks.¡± Van said. ¡°The chest and neck have thicker scales.¡±


    Matt switched his aiming point and put a burst at the right-wing joint as he continued to lure the beast toward him. 2 of the rounds hit and managed to penetrate, taking a chunk of bone and blood out the back. The wyvern screeched in pain, blood now running down its chest but more importantly, its mobility hampered.


    It reared its head back, preparing another acid attack. He didn¡¯t know the range that it could spit but did know that it had crosses over 200 meters the first time without issue. Matt was over 300 away but wasn¡¯t worried. He activated the shield projector on his left arm and pushed it forward, obscuring the rest of the mech as he did.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Pfssssstttt. Hiiiiisssssss. The wyvern spat its corrosive payload and the plasma of his shield boiled it off nearly instantly in a hissing cloud of steam. He was pretty sure that steam would strip paint from the mech but then he heard the sound he had been waiting for.


    ROOOOOAAAAAR. Echo had come out of the grass while the wyvern had its neck arched toward Matt and held in place. The drake roared, causing the wyvern to flinch then freeze. That freeze turned out to be the beginning of the end for the winged beast.


    Echo cleared the 5-meter height with ease and his claws dug into the scales around the wyvern¡¯s neck as he scrabbled up toward the base of the skull. The wyvern tried to shake its head and neck in an attempt to dislodge him, but it didn¡¯t quite work. Echo did stop climbing, not because he could hold on, but because he realized this spot would work just fine.


    Holding on with his jaws, Echo began to go to work on the wyvern¡¯s neck in a motion that was like a dog digging in the dirt. Blood, scales, and meat flew from behind the drake as he went to town on the monster. He was high enough up that the wyvern couldn¡¯t turn to bite, but it did try one last ditch effort.


    The wyvern heaved itself up and tried to flop on its back in an attempt to crush Echo. Problem was, the drake wasn¡¯t its only opponent. As soon as it had landed, it noticed that the smaller drake had vanished in a puff of plasma and a very angry construct was standing over it with a 3-meter-long super-heated sword. It wasn¡¯t sure how it knew the construct was angry but it felt the absolute hatred aimed at it and the massive amount of killing intent pinning it to the ground.


    Matt lashed out with the messer. He had imbued it with as much mana as he could push into it. Turns out, it was a lot, and the blade radiated a deadly aura of its own. Seeing the exposed belly of the wyvern, he slashed at the spot right in front of the back legs. The blade sank in easily, barely any resistance as blood and other fluids began to boil out around the blade.


    Adjusting his grip, he dragged the messer up, slitting the stomach open as he pulled the blade toward the head. He was batted by the remains of the wings and had to adjust his footing a few times but kept on with the evisceration. After another second, he reached the hardened scale at the base of the sternum and was forced to stop as the cutting slowed.


    Kicking out, Matt was able to disengage from under the now thrashing wyvern. He backed away a few steps and resummoned his cannon. Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang. He fired over and over into the chest of the beast until he had created a hole from the imbued rounds. Then he switched tactic and stopped imbuing them.


    The unimbued armor piercing explosive round that the 25-millimeter cannon fired were still highly effective when the armor was thin or, in this case, nonexistent. Another dozen rounds broke through the scales and into the chest of the monster, exploding in behind the armored plates.


    Hissing and shrieking, the wyvern finally faded in a thrashing and bleeding mess. Bright pink blood poured from its mouth, likely from the punctured lungs and steam rose from the slit that Matt had cut up its belly.


    Echo wandered over at that point, never having revealed itself as it waited for the beast to truly be dead. He sent Matt a mental image of the outside of the mech, and he groaned at the sight. The metal was only just beginning to reform, having been melted away like snow under hot water. He then inspected the corpse in front of him.


    Emerald Wyvern. Level 65.


    The emerald wyvern is known for its bright green scales that help hide it from predators as its feasts on the ground after a successful hunt. This wyvern, like many other varieties, uses acid and surprise, diving attacks to neutralize its prey. As with many of the lesser draconic races, the emerald wyvern prefers to hunt in groups whenever possible.


    ¡°Awe shit.¡± Matt said and looked up to see 2 more shapes on the horizon. ¡°Echo, let¡¯s back up towards that tree line. We can use the concave shape to get you on their flanks and make a kill zone.¡±


    Matt began to back up toward the trees as quickly as he could while keeping an eye on the incoming dragons. He was pretty sure they could take 2 of them but also was worried about being caught with that acid.


    Van must have sensed his apprehension. ¡°I am pushing all resources at regeneration. If it weren¡¯t for you needing to imbue the rounds, I would say we separate and attack from 3 sides.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep that as an option but I want to see if we can take one on the wing and drop it.¡± Matt said as he began to estimate how much lead he needed for the wyvern in front. He was constantly hitting it with the range finder, finding out it was headed for him at almost 250 kilometers per hour. So about as fast as a helicopter.


    Taking the last range, he got his hold over and estimated the lead before firing a 10-round burst. It was a little behind but right on for the distance. Adjusting again, he fires a second burst and drained the remaining 40 rounds from his magazine, pushing his rapid-fire skill to the limit.


    In one long burst that sounded more like ripping cloth, a slew of unstable imbued rounds raced out to meet the lesser dragon. A little less than a quarter of them missed but the rest all hit and burst in little clouds of blue plasma. The wyvern flinched and roared in pain as its wings were shredded by the shrapnel. With a few futile flaps, the wyvern plummeted to the ground, digging a deep furrow as it bellied in.


    The second one began weaving back and forth, slowing slightly while it tried to be evasive. Matt wasn¡¯t worried, taking his time on the reload. He would take this one by himself since Echo had taken off like an earth-bound rocket toward the one that crashed. Hissing and the snapping flap of wings grew louder as the wyvern closed in on Matt. He held his ground, taking a kneeling position as the monster closed in.


    800m. 710m. 580m. The range finder counted down in the corner of Matts vision, overlaid in a transparent text. He readied himself as he watched the number roll down, constantly adjusting his aim. The wyvern stopped its slewing flight path, locking its wings in like a duck coming in to land. The hind legs kicked forward, and its head reared back, preparing for an acid and talon attack.


    300m. BRRRRRRRRRRRT. Matt pushed as much energy into the rapid-fire skill as he could manage. His 50 round magazine lasted less than a second as a solid stream of stable imbued rounds split the air like a laser. At this range, there wasn¡¯t enough dispersion to cause any issues and nearly every round slammed into the breast of the monster.


    Thunk, ping, whizz, thunk, thunk, thwap, thwap, thump, thump, thump. The first few rounds hit the scales with little effect. A few even glanced off, redirected toward the open sky behind the wyvern. It was after the 8<sup>th</sup> round to impact the spot, that the scales in that area gave up the ghost and the first round hit flesh. More followed that one, and bored a hole into the creature¡¯s sternum, then through it.


    Matt saw a trio of imbued rounds pass clean through the wyvern as he teleported off to the side of the now doomed beast. It hit the ground in a heap, it¡¯s now dangling hind legs digging in and catapulting the creature into the air, belly up as it then slammed back down. Matt rushed forward, messer at hand and imbued with his plasma.


    He didn¡¯t need to rush. The wannabe dragon was shuddering and convulsing in its death throws. Its wings flapped and flailed against nothing but dirt. Its tail lashing from side to side was the biggest worry and Matt was able to just step over it as he approached the head and removed it from the rest of the body. That made the spasms even worse, but he was already moving off toward the open field to catch up with Echo.


    It turned out that Echo was more than capable of handling the downed beast and was already on his way back. He sent Matt a mental image of how he leapt upon the stunned wyvern and used it like a cat uses a scratching post.


    Slowing from his run, Matt eased into a walk as he turned back around to go collect the remains of the dead beast. He was going to push the extra storage he purchased to the limit on this trip. He did review the messages clamoring for his attention.


    You have killed Emerald Wyvern. Level 65.


    You have killed Emerald Wyvern. Level 63.


    You have killed Emerald Wyvern. Level 61.


    Class Pilot ¨C Gunfighter is now Level 57.


    Stat points awarded.


    ¡°If we didn¡¯t have the magazine limitation, we could be quite the anti-air asset.¡± Van rumbled.


    ¡°No kidding. Someday I would like to get an auxiliary weapon system for that.¡± Matt said as he stored the first corpse before making his way over to the others. ¡°I rather like the cannon we have and don¡¯t want to deal with the longer reload times of a belt fed. Maybe if we had someone else to run with, but not by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. I suppose that makes sense.¡± Van agreed. ¡°Although, if we had another party member, perhaps they would have the support weapon?¡±


    Matt considered that as he approached Echo, who was standing atop his kill and looking rather smug. If he had it his way, a partner would have a support weapon but in this new universe, he didn¡¯t think that he could dictate terms like that. The commandos had gotten lucky that their teams balanced out with a support member for each team.


    He honestly wouldn¡¯t mind having a partner but also realized that the person would need to match his drive and ambitions. He didn¡¯t want to drag someone out there that would rather be more casually leveling. He also wanted someone at least closer to his own level.


    ¡°Who knows.¡± Matt finally responded, taking a moment to shoo away Echo from his wyvern before storing it. ¡°Perhaps one of the refugees will be a good fit. Assuming that any pilots came with them that is.¡±


    ¡°We shall see when we return.¡± Van said before growling out an addendum. ¡°There had better not be any issues when we get back. I am growing rather fond of our home and its people.¡±


    Matt felt the blood lust and killing intent in those words. Echo must have felt it too since he looked up and seemed to be gearing up for another fight. He also wouldn¡¯t hesitate to lay down the law on anyone that tried anything. System help them if there are any traitors. Matt thought as he collected the last kill, and they moved off to set up the next repeater.

 Chapter 70 – Blood in the water

    Chapter 70 ¨C Blood in the water


    ¡°What do you think they are doing down there?¡± Matt asked as they watched a group of strange, 6 legged lizards turning up the soil in the small valley below them. Their scales were all shades of brown and red, favoring brighter color toward their bellies.


    Teran Monitor. Level 30


    ¡°Why do you think I understand the motives of beasts?¡± Van asked.


    Matt laughed. ¡°I definitely don¡¯t know. I can barely figure out people sometimes.¡± He returned to observing the lizards for a while. He didn¡¯t bother with trying to hunt them, the levels were far too low for it to be worthwhile. Instead, he watched for a few minutes as they dug in the earth, using their middle set of legs for some reason.


    Occasionally a couple would bump into one another, and a small altercation would ensue. Both monsters would ¡®stand¡¯, lifting their front legs off the ground and rush each other like a sumo wrestler. They would then slowly push the other around until they reached some sort of agreement and they disengaged and went back to ignoring each other.


    ¡°Welp, let¡¯s keep on keeping on.¡± Matt said as he closed the hatch and sat back down. They had just placed the 14<sup>th</sup> repeater and Matt wanted to make it to the tree island ahead of them before the sun set. It had been a couple days since he last properly slept and was planning on setting up camp for the night but didn¡¯t want to be completely in the open.


    They had only one more encounter with wyverns, but it was a short one. Matt had managed to drop one as they closed and the other 3 decided it was best to find something else to fight after getting peppered by plasma imbued shrapnel.


    He also had an encounter with what he could only describe as a land octopus. It was low level, only 28 and had stopped to watch him for a while. Oddly, when Matt was feeling a bit silly and waved at the creature, it raised one of its 12 arms and waved back, replicating the gesture.


    Other than a couple rather territorial bison like creatures, it had been pretty quiet for the past few hundred kilometers. They had shifted course slightly when Matt spotted some hills forming to the south and decided to push in that direction. He hoped that there would be a good vantage point along the way to generate some more useful map data.


    Half an hour later, they entered the perimeter of one of the tree islands. Matt was really enjoying his travel skill, thankful that he wouldn¡¯t actually be taking every step on this journey. Now that he had some practice with the skill, he was adapting to the distortion that occurred. It wasn¡¯t bad when there was nothing around, but any objects or points of interest looked like they were at the edge of a glass lens, just slightly warped and out of focus .


    Matt held perfectly still after crouching in the brush that grew at the edge of the grass land. He was waiting for the threat detection field to sweep the area a few times before he pushed farther in. In one of the previous Islands, he had been startled when a heard of deer ran out as he approached. Apparently, they hadn¡¯t yet registered with the detection field or had some other means of evading it.


    ¡°Looks all clear. Let¡¯s push in a bit.¡± Matt said, both to Van and Echo as he took a few tentative steps forward. ¡°We can explore a little before setting up for the night.¡±


    Van rumbled a little in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s also good to check out what kind of neighbors we will have for the night.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Property values are probably gonna plumet with us around.¡±


    ¡°I have literally no idea what that means.¡±


    They pushed on for a few hundred meters, taking their time exploring their way to the center of this larger patch of woods. Matt crept forward slowly, keeping an eye on his threat detection field. He began to notice something off after a couple hundred meters of nothing.


    Normally, there were minor contacts all over the place. Smaller beasts and even some lower-level ones that just loitered around, would show up. This time, they weren¡¯t getting anything in the field or viewable with the naked eye.


    ¡°Echo, push out. See if you can see anything. Any animals at all.¡± Matt ordered. Echo vanished from his right and he got the distinct impression that the drake was now pacing him from a few hundred meters away.


    Matt activated the camouflage on the mech, immediately blending in with the woods around him as they slowly pushed in. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was his imagination or if there was something off about this place. He felt like the air was charged with something and he didn¡¯t know if he should be cautious or curious.


    An image flashed in his mind. Echo sent him the impression of a clearing with something in it. Matt corrected course and started creeping toward the drake. He was scanning his surroundings with every other step, waiting for an ambush of some sort. There wasn¡¯t an ambush, instead there was the edge of a clearing.


    Inside the grassy area was a small pond and a stone obelisk at its bank. It looked like the dividing point between land and water, a marker of the boundary set by some sort of natural force. The pilar itself was only 2 and a half meters tall and was perfectly formed into a point at the top, getting a little more abstract toward the base.


    Matt examined the stone from the safeish position of the wood line. ¡°Does something seem¡­ off?¡±


    ¡°It does. At the same time, everything feels normal, like a little bubble of some sort.¡± Van said. ¡°Its origins must be the pillar.¡±


    ¡°Wait, look there.¡± Matt sent the image of the base of the pillar. There was some moss and lichen starting to grow on it, but he noticed the growth started several centimeters up the base. There was a ring of uncovered, fresh stone at the bottom, where one would expect to see the most growth.


    Echo began stalking forward at that moment. He kept low, staying nearly invisible as he approached. Matt decided that it was time to use identify. Tori had cautioned him on relying on the skill since it could be fooled or misinterpreted in many cases.


    Territorial Obelisk (Unclaimed)


    A territorial obelisk is a marker that emits the aura of its owner, projecting it over a given area. The density and coverage will grow as the obelisk grows to match the aura of its owner. The effect of each obelisk depends on its owner¡¯s will. The owner does not need to be within its aura. Obelisk can be claimed by any being with enough active willpower. Claimed obelisks can be obtained by killing its current owner.


    ¡°Oh yeah, we are taking this.¡± Matt said. He popped the hatch and walked forward to where Echo was sniffing at the ground a good distance from the pillar. ¡°Smell something?¡± he asked after the drake started a low rumbling growl.


    Images of many different animals flashed into Matts mind, then the images of drag marks. Looking down, he saw that the banks around the pool of water had drag marks on them. After taking a closer look, he saw that the grass only turned to dirt as it approached the pilar with grass around all the other parts.


    Matt stopped and thought for a minute. ¡°Echo, can you get up one of those trees? See if you can get a look into the water.¡± The pond was only 25 meters across, taking up around a quarter of the clearing but the muddy part of the bank extended another 5 meters out from the water.


    Echo scrambled up a near by tree, gaining a couple dozen meters in elevation before finding a limb to stretch out on, overlooking the pond. He stayed still for a few moments before sending Matt an image.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    There, in the bottom of the pond, was a large reptilian head. It was wider than it was long and had several feelers that extended out around it. He couldn¡¯t tell how big it was precisely due to the refraction of the water but estimated that the head was at least a couple meters across. If he had to compare it to something, it looked like an axolotl mixed with a crocodile.


    ¡°This is clearly an ambush predator. A smart one too, given it hasn¡¯t claimed the pillar and instead uses it to lure prey.¡± Van said.


    ¡°Yeah, any ideas on how to bait it out into a trap? Or even how big it is? Matt asked looking at the terrain and trying to figure out how to get the obelisk without getting eaten.


    Echo was still watching the creature from his branch, not taking his eyes off it while Matt and Van debated how to handle the situation. Eventually he decided to climb back down and circle around to one of the trees across the pond from the pillar. Climbing back up, he found a similar spot, this time overlooking the pond from a better angle.


    ¡°How about this, you can approach the obelisk, messer and tomahawk in hand. I will be at an angle here in the brush with the Carl-G.¡± Matt began.


    Van laughed. ¡°Betting it can¡¯t drag multiple tons of construct in easily?¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t think so. In fact, he expected the monster to clamp onto the leg of the mech and struggle, exposed above the water long enough for him to get a delayed fuse rocket off. He told Van as much, getting no better ideas from the core and they moved off to their positions.


    Matt readied the launcher and sent Van the signal to move out. The mech took a few tentative steps forward, not getting to close to the water and trying to approach directly opposite the pond, from the other side of the obelisk. Nothing happened as he neared the muddy dirt. Nothing happened as he closed with the stone monument. Nothing happened as he stood right next to it.


    ¡°Reach out and touch it.¡± Matt said mentally.


    Van extended his hand and touched the monument with the back of his knuckles, still holding the tomahawk and ready for the attack. Echo sent them both an image a moment later, just before the water exploded outward and the 10-meter-long monster came to the surface. Matt finally got a good look and used identify as he pressed the trigger.


    Ripple Back Salamander. Level 52


    It was blue and black in color, with a light blue belly. The tail was like a crocodile, long and oar like but without the spine like protrusions, instead having a long fin like appendage running the full length of its spine. The legs were short and heavily muscled, ending in blunt claws.


    Just as expected, the Salamander had clamped down on the mech¡¯s leg. Just as expected, the rocket impacted its side, penetrated, and detonated. Completely unexpected, was the gout of blood that sprayed out of the wound, leaving a fine mist in the air. Also unexpected was the death roll the creature immediately started.


    Van didn¡¯t hesitate as he lashed out first with the tomahawk then the messer. The axe was buried into its bony snout while the blade stabbed forward and pierced the fleshy part under its lower jaw. The roll ripped the tomahawk out of Vans grasp and batted the messer aside. Unfortunately, things only got more complicated from there.


    As Matt was just beginning to reload, a black shape fell from the sky and impacted the salamander just behind its shoulder blades. Echo hit the beast, dug in his claws and bit the back of its thick neck, right at the base of its skull.


    The salamander, likely not appreciating the counter ambush, did the only logical thing and retreated back to its domain. It dropped Vans leg and pivoted on its front legs, swatting Van with its tail before it disappeared back under the water with Echo still attached.


    ¡°Van! Open up!¡± Matt yelled as he teleported forward and launched himself into the barely opened cockpit. ¡°What¡¯s our crush depth?¡± he asked as he took control back.


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°Fuck it, we go.¡± Matt said and jumped in, sinking rapidly on the trail of the salamander.


    Funny thing about water, or at least water of any substantial volume. Thermal cameras don¡¯t really work within it. Another not so humorous fact about lakes and ponds is that they have a lot of silt at the bottom.


    Matt hit the bottom of the pond after a few seconds of ¡®free fall¡¯ and kicked up a massive amount of silt and debris. He noticed it was rather dark and quickly activated his night vision filter, finally able to see the top arch of a cave entrance. He couldn¡¯t see much more because of the thrashing movements coming from right in front of him.


    He saw the flash of a large, oar shaped tail, its colors muted by the depth of the water. He readied the messer and tried to launch himself forward but only managed a very long and slow step. Now thoroughly annoyed, he tried the teleport, aiming for a spot only 10 meters closer. Thankfully, it was only 10 meters since the teleport cost nearly 15 times as much mana as normal.


    Still, the little extra was enough and he reached forward, nearly blind and grasping with his left hand. He felt it connect with what he thought was one of the creatures short, muscular legs. He pulled himself forward, trying to get a good look at the limb in his hand. It was the salamanders.


    Matt straightened out the arm that held the leg and then held the messer like a dagger, point out with the pommel against his ¡®stomach¡¯. Using his left arm as a guide, he shoved forward with the blade, burring the point in the space between tail and thigh. Shoving until the cross guard stopped the forward movement.


    The salamander jerked, then thrashed and kicked, batting at Matt with its tail. He held on, one hand now crushing and grinding the flesh while the other began to channel mana into the messer. Matt got the feeling that the creature was inflating but couldn¡¯t see it to confirm. Suddenly there was a muted whomp and he was hit with a pressure wave that first knocked him away then pulled him forward.


    The thrashing stopped and he felt like the creature was drifting his way until he moved the hand holding its leg and found that there was nothing attached to it. He then reached out mentally and found Echo had finally let go and was swimming his way through the water toward Matt. He sighed as he received the kill notification and managed to fumble his way forward to the body of the creature, following the blood that was wafting from the front half of its corpse.


    Matt had just stored the body when Echo latched on to the shoulders of the mech and sent him the impression that he wanted to go into the cave. ¡°Van, how are we doing down here?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Given the data I have just gotten, I would estimate we are watertight up to a hundred meters, maybe more.¡±


    Looking up, Matt estimated that they were only 15 to 20 meters under at the moment. He then began to slowly plod along the ground into the cave. His night vision was able to pick up the refracted light well enough to see but he turned on his infrared light just to be sure.


    The inside of the cave went in for a few dozen meters before sloping up and leading to an air pocket. Within that air pocket was rather open space with a strange rock that was radiating a type of mana that Matt hadn¡¯t seen before. There wasn¡¯t anything else in the cavern, so Matt refocused on the rough textured stone.


    Essence Stone: Water


    The essence stones are natural treasures, elemental deposits that can have a variety of uses for the evolution of beasts. Crafters greatly value them as a concentrated form of elemental energy for enchanting.


    ¡°Huh, another one.¡± Matt said as he reached forward to claim the stone. He then retreated back into the water and made his way out of the cave. After coming back into the pond, he was faced with another problem.


    The walls of the pond were steep, unnaturally steep and he got the impression that the mech wasn¡¯t the best at swimming.


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t think this one through.¡± Van said as they both stared at the rocky walls that surrounded them.


    ¡°Not a bit.¡±


    ¡°And you are now wondering how to get out?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°But we have no easy means of extraction.¡±


    ¡°That, ah¡­ that would be accurate. Mhm.¡±


    An idea suddenly struck Matt and he sent a mental image to Echo, asking him to retrieve the tomahawk that had been sent flying. The drake lazily let go and floated up to the surface, like a log that had been stuck under water and was suddenly freed.


    A few minutes later, they heard a splash and looked up to see that Echo had thrown the weapon back in the water and was now sitting on the edge of the pond and staring at them. Matt watched the tomahawk sinking toward them and with surprising skill, reached his hand out just in time to miss it completely and watch it hit the bottom.


    ¡°Ohhh, good thing nobody was here to see that.¡± Van said, laughing as Matt bent down to pick it up.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.¡± Matt said as he retrieved the tomahawk and moved over to the wall. The surface was rough, not like corral rough but not super smooth which would help with his plan to get out. He found a spot just within his reach and drove the butt spike into the rock, wiggling it around until it felt secure and then hoisted himself up.


    He then used the feet of the mech to create a little step by grinding the toe against the stone, wearing it away rather easily. He repeated this process until his head broke the surface and the water streamed over his eye lenses. One last stab of the tomahawk into the ground at the edge of the pond and he was able to drag and roll his way out of the water and back onto land once more.


    Matt quickly got back to his feet and secured the obelisk in his storage. ¡°Well, that was entertaining.¡± He commented, noticing he had gained another level after the fight with the salamander.


    ¡°I would like to think we learned something today.¡± Van said, sounding a little smug.


    Matt laughed as he crouched, opened the hatch and began to climb out. ¡°Yeah, but now, we get to see if you rust.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Laughing, Matt began to set up camp as Echo circled around. He planned to make dinner and have a mostly peaceful evening. The System only knew what he would find tomorrow and after 4 days of travel, he needed to recharge a little before dealing with any more surprises.

 Chapter 71 – Dangerous Terrain

    Chapter 71 ¨C Dangerous Terrain


    ¡°How are we coming along here?¡± Franklin asked as he surveyed the buildings that Tobias had called townhouses when he saw the plans. Franklin thought they looked a little like the houses on the streets in his hometown but made of wood and stone rather than bricks.


    ¡°Aint to shabby for a couple days work.¡± Said Johan. He was a strange sort of being called Wraith Borne. A name that confused everyone greatly since he looked like a normal human with fair skin and wispy hair. ¡°I think we might have cancelled out the debts for everyone that will be living in these by the time we are done furnishing them.¡±


    Franklin nodded in agreement. Johan was one of the refugees that had come to them. He was a sort of scout for his class but liked carpentry as a hobby and his second class revolved around it too. Once Franklin had given the speech to the refugees on how things would be, Johan had immediately stepped up and volunteered to lead a part of the housing initiative.


    ¡°The sooner we can get all those cleared out, the better.¡± Franklin said. He was making his rounds on all the larger groups of refugees. ¡°Be sure to let me know if you need anything or if we have any sudden developments. I think Sothrun is around here somewhere for everything else.¡±


    ¡°Aye, he wandered that way just before you showed up. See ya around boss.¡± Johan said with a wave as he walked back toward his teams. Frank watched him go for a moment before making his way down the road to find Jess and the rest of the commando teams. He was getting to like Johan and his easy-going attitude.


    With the influx of people, came a lot of new sights and sounds. Many had strange classes that nobody in the city had even thought of. There were also more than a few new species mixed in. Frank was rather taken with the small band of kobolds that had come from one city. He found them to be good natured and rather talented builders.


    In full, the city had gained another 30 thousand people as refugees in the 2 groups. Both of their settlements had been smaller, and they had been plagued by issues with usurpers and the terrain they arrived in. Most of the people had been crafting focused, which was confusing until one of them enlightened everyone that most of the classers had died in the defense of the cities.


    Most, that was the operative word for the refugees. Most were relatively harmless and seemed to be good, honest folks thankful that they would have a second chance and not become slaves to some despot. The few odd ones out were around 500 classers that had held out until the bitter ends and another 34 pilots. There were also more than a few witches that said something about being a coven. Franklin wasn¡¯t sure what that was about, but it had only been a few days and he had plenty of time to get to know everyone.


    The classers, like all the others, had come without weapons. Those were held in a sort of storage that took Franklin a while to figure out and then give them back. The pilots all showed up in a similar state except they all held what Franklin first thought were some sort of lamps. Those ¡®lamps¡¯ were the cores of their constructs. All that remained of their war engines was the core they had bonded with.


    Rohm and Jess had taken the pilots, separating them out and interviewing them individually. They recorded their classes, fighting styles and even the enhancement of their cores. 2 of them had awakened cores like Matt. They were also the only Golsimr that anyone had ever seen. Frank was unfamiliar with the race and would eventually look it up.


    Other than being an odd race, they were like Matt and the recon teams in many ways, mysterious, strong and with a fire in their eyes that few seemed to have. But they had one slight issue that Matt and the others didn¡¯t seem to be subject to. This duo was so codependent that it made Franklin cringe a little.


    The pilot recovery plan was similar to everyone else except it was a 2-step process. They would construct their own home and then help around with some general labors to break the first threshold. At that point, they could resummon their constructs and work at the remainder of their debt. Rohm had already decided that they could help with clearing out some more of the surrounding area since the city had changed so much.


    When Jess, Rohm and Tobias had laid out the plan to get them freed from the indentured contract, Zar and Mali had raised objections. They insisted that they build a house to share. They then set about dictating the terms of their recovery plan. The plan that they had pitched was going to be a hard one for them, but it allowed them to never separate.


    Thankfully, one of the other pilots was familiar with Zar and Mali and filled him in on their odd habits. Franklin sighed, he really was pleased with the state of things and how it had all played out. He was a little disgruntled at having a long walk to get anywhere now that the city was expanded.


    The silver lining was that with Matt and Tobias throwing in all those points, he had been able to get everything they wanted and then some. The walls were now half again as tall and had been pushed out another several hundred meters in every direction. The ground had been lifted and they now stood on a rise rather than a flat spot with rolling hills all around.


    ¡°Frank!¡± Tobias called, waving his arm to get his attention. Franklin stopped and waited for the man to make his way over. ¡°I was just going to try and find you.¡±


    ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± He asked, a little amused as always with how excitable Tobias was.


    ¡°I was poking around in the forge, and I found something. Well, I wasn¡¯t really poking around, I was experimenting and Lisk wasn¡¯t around to say no. you know what they say about forgiveness versus permission.¡±


    ¡°Ha, the point, Tobias.¡±


    Tobias looked up and blinked at him. ¡°Oh, right! So, I found out that we can reforge the constructs.¡±


    Franklin furrowed his brow. ¡°I thought we knew that already?¡± He felt like Tobias had mentioned it before.


    ¡°That was just a term I was using for using the forge to offset the cost of major repairs and using it for some enhancements. No, we can use it to completely remake the refugee pilot¡¯s constructs. We need a new name for them by the way.¡± Tobias threw in before rolling right back into it. ¡°I also discovered that the constructs are based on the pilots in such a way that they change.¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s what happened when the pilots hit level 25 right? The transition to E grade.¡± Frank had seen the results on the commandos and some of Rohm¡¯s people. They all changed but some were more pronounced than others.


    ¡°Yes, exactly. They changed because the pilot¡¯s perception of what a construct is changed. It also helped when they began defining their path.¡± Tobias said. He was leading them to one of the open restaurants that had an excellent tea service. ¡°So, given that all our people just got a good look at what a pinnacle mech looks like...¡±


    Franklin knew that Tobias was spoon feeding him the answer but played right along. ¡°We could have them reforge their constructs and become more efficient like Matt and Van.¡± He didn¡¯t know exactly what to make of the situation but was confident that Tobias would find a way to exploit it.


    ¡°Tobias, how about we have a nice little snack, and you tell me all about your findings.¡±


    *****


    Several days after his unplanned swimming session, Matt once again found himself in the woods. These woods were also rather hilly like the forest around Vil¡¯ Krad but not nearly as lush. The terrain and vegetation were much dryer with little pockets of dark green around bodies of water. It honestly reminded him of the American west in the dry season.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    He did have to be more careful navigating the slopes since the topsoil was rather loose and liked to break free at the slightest pressure. They had set off a few small landslides that didn¡¯t do more than send up a cloud of dust, but it still gave his position away. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t the only thing making dust clouds around there.


    He had taken the opportunity to take out some sort of mountain sheep that were common in the area. They tended to be easy to spot with their white coats and he engaged them at range, usually from across valleys and draws. This ended up being a great method for hunting since the sheep would drop then tumble and slide down into the valley for easy collection.


    The only creature that had managed to give them any trouble was some sort of incorporeal mist monster that came around at night. It seemed to be exclusively nocturnal and had a habit of draining off mana. He had managed to identify it at one point and was both intrigued and horrified.


    Clouded Mana Vampire. Level 51


    He didn¡¯t know more than that since he hadn¡¯t really found a way to kill it and get that sweet, sweet flavor text. They had discovered that it didn¡¯t like concentration of mana that had been given an aspect. In other words, it hated fire.


    Matt was very happy about the fire solution since they had spent a rather sleepless and annoying night fending off the draining effect of the creature. It turned out that one could fight off the effect, but they had to be awake to do it. He guessed it was something to do with contesting the energy that it was trying to consume. Since Matt and Echo ¡®owned¡¯ their mana, the monster had to fight them to take it.


    Matt poked his head into a cave they had found. The area was littered with them which was interesting since none of them ran very deep, a couple dozen meters at most. ¡°Think that mana monster can sneak through solid earth?¡± He asked Van, looking at the walls of the cave.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It sure is persistent though.¡± Van said. ¡°I would expect that we can find out tonight. If we set a fire at the entrance of the cave and see if it comes in through the back, that will confirm it.¡±


    Echo hummed and trilled his agreement. The drake had been snooping in every cave he could fine. Often those caves were already occupied by something when he committed the animal kingdom version of a B&E. They didn¡¯t remain occupied for long after that, however.


    ¡°Well, lets plan on it then. We already know it won¡¯t get within 10 meters of an open flame so lets keep an eye out for a nice deep cave and plan to stop.¡± Matt was needing a break, having been a couple days since he last slept, and the nocturnal annoyance of the vampire hadn¡¯t given him the opportunity to unwind.


    He climbed back into the cockpit and began making his way up hill. They were a few dozen meters below the ridge line. He had wanted to get up to this one since it had a mostly bare and exposed top that would let them get a good view of the surroundings.


    Matt was rather enjoying the scenery as they walked upward, zigzagging along the slope. They were in the shade of the trees but due to them being rather tall and the canopies being thin, he could see quite well. There was also a breeze that was rather refreshing and carried the almost spicy scent of the plant life below.


    ¡°It really is a lovely day for a hike.¡±


    ¡°You are in an atmospherically sealed cockpit while within your sealed armor. The temperature, air pressure and air quality are nearly 100 percent synthetic.¡±


    ¡°Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.¡± Matt sighed.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a bed large enough on this planet for me to lay on even if I did sleep.¡±


    Matt sighed heavily. ¡°Van, its an expression. It means that you started the day in a bad mood.¡±


    Van was silent for a couple moments. It was a noticeable pause compared to their normal chit chat. ¡°I am wondering if there is something wrong with the human species. At the very least there might be something not quite right with the ones on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you might just be o¡­¡± Matt lost his footing and several tons of mech crashed to the ground. ¡°Ah, shit.¡± He said after making sure he wasn¡¯t sliding. ¡°The scree is fricking killing me.¡± He grumped.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?¡± The question was followed by Van¡¯s rumbling laughter.


    Echo reappeared at that point. He was standing on the trunk of a half-fallen tree that got caught in the branches of its neighbor. He sent Matt a mental image of a slightly better path that seemed to be a bit more stable than the crumbling slopes he was on.


    Sending a mental thanks to Echo, Matt returned his focus to Van and the ground in front of him. ¡°Alright ill give it to you, that one was pretty good.¡±  He felt smugness coming from the mental link he shared with the core.


    They continued on for a while longer, thankfully without any more slips and falls. Matt managed to crest the top of the hill just after noon by his estimation. After doing a little peek with Van lifting him just over the crest of the hill, he brought the mech up and crouched with just the head poking over the top.


    After doing a quick look, Matt was glad they ended up going over the ridge rather than around. The spur he was standing on ran for dozens of kilometers in either direction, and he wasn¡¯t sure that there was a path around.


    He looked over the flat top of the ridgeline and down into the much lusher river valley. The trees and other plants appeared to be the same only better hydrated. He suspected that this valley was a lower elevation than the previous ones and acted as a little more of a water shed for the mountains to his west.


    After doing a scan with his normal eyesight, he pushed his magnification and worked his way left to right then back again. He started scanning from near and worked his way up to the horizon, looking for threats or any points of interest. He found a few things that looked like they were worth checking out.


    He didn¡¯t see anything immediately eye catching but Van had much better optics. ¡°Contact.¡± He rumbled. ¡°Moving up the valley. 10 o¡¯clock. Call it 3000 meters.¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡± Matt said as he hopped back in and used the mech¡¯s cameras to get a better look. He had Van start at no magnification and then zoom in to what he spotted. At first, he couldn¡¯t pick up what it was Van saw. Then he saw the flittering movement.


    At the extreme range it was hard to make out exact features, but it appeared to be a chase of some sort. He thought they were people but couldn¡¯t be completely sure without getting closer. Honestly if they would just hold still for a¡­ Crack. A gunshot came softly echoing through his external microphones.


    ¡°Alright, lets get moving.¡± Matt said and guided the mech over the ridge and onto the opposite slope. ¡°Not sure what kind of party we are rolling into but lets get closer and see what¡¯s what.¡±


    He began to follow a shelf like protrusion that ran down the ridge but up the valley, parallel to the people he saw. Echo took off like an arrow, making a beeline down the shelf and into the trees. He jumped when he was just below the canopy level and that¡¯s when Matt lost sight of him.


    Matt knew the drake was going to scout ahead and investigate. He also had a tendency to find good places to set up in advance if he wanted to ambush them. He was hustling along, trying to get his silhouette out of the horizon as quick as he could.


    After a few seconds of a hunched over run, Matt was able to straighten up and slow down. The soil was a little more hydrated and didn¡¯t seem to throw up as much dust, but he still didn¡¯t want to take any chances with a fall or slide.


    Van was still expressing his doubts about running in to other sentient beings. ¡°What exactly is your plan? Or, going on your previous lack of planning, do you have a goal in mind?¡±


    Matt was half focused on keeping his footing, half on where he was going and took a few moments to respond. ¡°My goal is to see what is going on and maybe get some information about others on this planet. These are the first people from another faction that I have seen.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we just get a bunch of refugees?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they are part of our faction. Besides, I didn¡¯t actually meet them. We left before they showed up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Van conceded that point. ¡°I still think it might be best to be cautious about this.¡±


    That was Matts plan, he didn¡¯t want to directly engage anyone but also knew that making a plan was mostly useless. If he had it his way, the group wouldn¡¯t even know they were there. There was also the possibility that he might be able to lend a helping hand if they were in some sort of trouble.


    He was just coming to the point where the hillside flattened out, merging gradually with the valley floor. The grass was much taller in this valley than the previous ones and w was about to comment on it when Echo sent a series of images his way. As usual, they were just fragments, impressions of what he was seeing and trying to say.


    Someone running. That same someone looking over their shoulder. A woman was the best Echo could guess at. She stopped at a large boulder and pointed her rifle back the way she had come. Something in her arms. A glowing faceted cylinder. A construct core. Movement. Far in the distance. A group of people. The woman gets up and starts running again.


    The images shifted and now the vantage point was from above. 7 people running. 7 people wearing the same tabard. All of them spread out and looking. Looking for the woman? They seemed to be following one person at the lead who stopped often. He stopped, waved his hand back and forth then pointed in a direction.


    Matt communicated back to Echo to stay out of sight and follow them. He wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but it seemed that there was a chase of some sort. It looked like the group was gaining on the woman, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. Maybe if he found a way to stall them, he could ask what was going on.


    He wondered if they would have a way of communicating over long ranges. Perhaps there would be some opportunity to establish good relations if he helped catch the fugitive. Did she steal a core? He wondered to himself. Shrugging, he moved off and figured he would find out soon either way.


    ¡°Lets maybe find a good place to set up a little encounter. I don¡¯t outright want an ambush but maybe we have a good killing field, just in case.¡±


    ¡°For the record, this might be more complex than we think. ¡°


    Matt shrugged. ¡°Only one way to find out for sure.¡±

 Chapter 72 – Invalid Nobility

    Chapter 72 ¨C Invalid Nobility


    Ash stopped running as she darted behind a toppled tree, using the root ball as cover. She still clutched Hope¡¯s core to her chest as she braced her carbine on a root. She began scanning the gently rolling terrain for any sign of her pursuers.


    It had been days of constant evasion with little rest, and she was about at her limit. She had hoped that her ruse would last longer than half a day but supposed that something was better than nothing. Still, she had managed to take down 2 of the scouts, the poor bastards.


    The usurper was using those elves as fodder to spare his ¡®chosen race¡¯. She knew it was far too much to ask that he had been reformed. Even in this world, Ethan was a tyrannical zealot. She was just thankful that he wasn¡¯t a pilot, though she was sure he would still be a pain in the ass.


    Only problem was that she wasn¡¯t sure she would live to see him be a pain in the ass. A flicker of movement in the mottled shadows under the canopies of the trees caught her eye. It was probably the hunter party sent after her. She hadn¡¯t passed any more beasts to try and lure them into another trap either.


    A second darting movement confirmed it was the hunters. As much as she hated them for their loyalty to the genocidal maniac, she had to respect their ability to track someone. Ash was sure that they weren¡¯t using anything of hers to follow a mana signature, since she had destroyed and burned everything except her construct.


    ¡°I am really starting to wish I had taken your frame with us.¡± She said to the core in her arms.


    The core responded mentally to her muttered words. ¡°If that were the case, they would have gunned us down before we left the gate.¡±


    Ash had to concede the point. The whole reason she abandoned the construct was because it would act as a distraction and lead to conclusions that she was still at the tower. ¡°Still, the fire power would have been nice.¡±


    ¡°Come on, we have to keep moving.¡± Hope said. ¡°If worst comes to worst, I can self-terminate. The yield will ensure you are not taken alive and more than a few of them will go with us.¡±


    Swallowing hard to clear the lump in her throat, Ash tried to stay positive and not think about that, no matter how likely the scenario. ¡°Let¡¯s see if there is a place that maybe we can set up a better ambush.¡± She said while getting up and moving on, keeping the root ball between her and the hunters.


    The terrain was getting a little more rocky and hilly as she went, where the delta had been mostly flat. This was easily the farthest anyone had been toward the mountains that bordered the lowlands. She wondered if there were other cities that she would be able to stumble upon or if she would be run down before that.


    Ash glanced up through a gap in the trees. She could see the tall ridge line of the mountains and assumed she would be in the foothills within another few kilometers. Her plan was to hopefully get a good vantage and be able to spot a place to go or better yet another city.


    She wished that she could use her other form. Only problem was that it would leave her having to carry the core in her mouth. Well, that and long-distance running wasn¡¯t exactly her strong suit when shifted. She might get to use it soon, if she was able to lure the hunters into a close ambush or a confined area. Even better if the area was dark.


    She thought she could hear voices, her sharp hearing able to pick up the sounds on the wind. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she now saw that the hunters had closed within a few hundred meters.


    ¡°It¡¯s now or never.¡± She growled and began looking around for a good place to set up an ambush.


    ¡°I am with you until the¡­¡± Hope began but suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Hope? Hope!¡± Ash hissed at the core in her arms. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Try as she might, she got no response from her core. Muttering a few choice words, she saw what looked like a boulder pile with a broken off tree limb part way up the hillside to her left. What caught her eye was the gap she could see between the rocks.


    Pivoting, she changed course and angled for the opening she hoped was a narrow cave entrance. It wasn¡¯t far out of the way and if it turned out to be a bust, she could try and climb the hillside to at least get a vertical advantage.


    As she approached, the cave opening seemed to widen slightly. She thought it must be a trick of perspective and the angle. As she closed, she could see a deep dark void where light didn¡¯t illuminate the back. It must be a decently deep fissure. I just hope it leads somewhere.


    At just over 20 meters out, she could hear the voices clearly now. Ash put on a final burst of speed and darted around the obscuring brush and dove for the entrance. She made the jump with barely a hands breadth to spare with her armor, weapon and core.


    She knew the landing would be unpleasant, these crevasses tended to be a simple split that would wedge her in the bottom or a rocky jumble. She was hoping it was one of the rare ones that opened up rapidly and had a somewhat level dirt floor. Rather than a dirt floor or even an uneven rocky one, she dove full speed and headfirst into something solid. She briefly heard the ring of metal and a thump-hiss before she was knocked out from the head injury.


    *****


    Matt was absolutely shocked, completely astonished, some might even go so far as to accuse him of being flabbergasted. ¡°Did that just happen?¡±


    Van was also confused by the sudden turn of events. ¡°Oh, there is more. She knocked herself out.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did that happen?¡±


    ¡°She jumped headfirst into your seat. Unprotected head had a sudden stop against metal.¡± Van explained. ¡°She has the core with her. I have been communicating with it for the past few seconds.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± Matt asked while returning his attention to the group of people coming into the kill zone they made. He had Van set up on the hillside with a good vantage, using his mantle to blend in effortlessly. Echo was across from Matt, lurking in the branches of some trees.


    Van hummed for a moment while he thought about how to describe it. ¡°Hmm. It was like I suddenly could sense a new mind once she came within a certain range. I didn¡¯t know what to do at first, so I just stayed quiet. Then the pull I was feeling almost compelled me to reach out.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± He was curious since Van rarely ever acted on his fleeting thoughts.


    ¡°I said ¡®Hello¡¯ like a normal person.¡± Van said, getting a little defensive. ¡°What was I supposed to say? ¡®The square root of 9 is 3''?¡± He finished in a mocking tone.


    Matt would have face palmed if he thought he could get away with it. ¡°Fine, we can figure it out later. Can you keep them contained? I don¡¯t want them causing a ruckus while licked inside you.¡±


    ¡°I can figure something out.¡±


    Nodding, Matt returned his attention to the group of people that had come rushing into the grassy area at the base of the hill. There was a strip of grass between the slope and the bottom of the valley that would make a great killing field, if things went that way.


    One by one, the group came up to the edge of the grass, stopping to scan the area. He could hear the hushed conversation they had, a departure from their earlier shouts while chasing the woman. Then, just as he was about to lose hope, they all stepped forward and began walking through the knee-high grass.


    After they had all cleared the brush on the edge of the woods, Matt threw a rock from his overwatch position on a slight rise. The clatter of stone got their attention and they all looked to the source of the noise, pointing their rifles in that direction.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Matt called out, still not revealing his location. ¡°I mean no harm and wish to talk.¡± It was the best he could think of in the short time he had since they saw what happened.


    ¡°Who are you and where do you hide?¡± One of them called back, sounding both startled and bossy at the same time. They clearly didn¡¯t know where he was yet as they all circled and faced outward.


    ¡°My name is Matt and I come from a city far from here.¡± He was only giving them the barest of details. ¡°Would you be open to a conversation?¡± The group whispered to each other for a few moments. He couldn¡¯t hear what they said from almost 200 meters away but had his suspicions.


    ¡°I am Lucas, overseer of purgation in service to his divine majesty. I would treat with you, if you can provide some information to us.¡± Said the human man standing on the opposite side of the group from Matt. They still had no idea where he was due to the echo off the wall of the valley.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Before Matt could respond, Van sent him a mental message. ¡°She is a pilot. They want her dead.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Something about a prince?¡±


    Before Van could say any more, Lucas spoke up again. ¡°Show yourself by order of his divine majesty.¡± He sounded a little more annoyed than before, voice raising with a hint of strain.


    Matt didn¡¯t like where this was headed but he decided to play along. He stood from where he had been braced against a log, just his head and rifle poking over the top with his viper hood obscuring him. One of the others saw him first and called out.


    ¡°There he is!¡± he pointed at Matt.


    ¡°Yeah, here I am.¡± He said. ¡°What information were you looking for?¡±


    Lucas, the leader of the group, judging by how the rest of the party moved around him, oriented to face him. ¡°We are after a fugitive. You will comply and answer our questions before returning with us to the tower.¡±


    Matt smirked under his visor. This had the same feeling as lord Alfron all over again. He could sense the aura coming off the group. Their intent was plainly obvious, and he could almost taste the smugness. Lucas was the worst of the bunch with his nearly open hostility. 2 of them were not quite so enthusiastic about the encounter and seemed to be pretty against everything happening.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see about that.¡± He said, being dodgy. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± It wasn¡¯t lost on Matt that he had to ask what they wanted to know multiple times while they were puffing themselves up.


    ¡°Where is the abomination?¡± Lucas spat the last word.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what an abomination is. Can you describe it?¡± He asked, still remaining partly obscured by the tree trunk. He didn¡¯t plan on coming out in the open when they clearly had an authority complex and itchy trigger finger.


    Lucas sneered. ¡°It takes the form of a woman of average looks. Abnormally tall with brown hair and pointed ear tips.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like half the elves I know.¡± Matt said in a deadpan voice.


    ¡°This creature is even worse than them, if you can believe it.¡±


    Matt did not like the sound of that and the one elf in the group shot a rather heated glare at Lucas.


    Unfortunately, Lucas took his silence as permission to continue. ¡°It¡¯s ears are the size of a human but have a pronounced point. The teeth are more telling, with elongated canines.¡± He huffed and looked Matt up and down, seeming to notice that he was covered from head to toe. ¡°What is your race?¡±


    ¡°Mostly human.¡± Matt said with an audible chuckle. He had begun to identify each member of the party and they all seemed to be ahead of the curve based on the people of Vil¡¯ Krad. Lucas was the highest level at 48 with the rest all above 40 except for the elf who was a level 32. Matt was beginning to wonder why he was there at all.


    ¡°And what does ¡®mostly¡¯ mean?¡± Lucas asked, his hand drifting toward his holster.


    Matt had already made up his mind and decided to fuck with them for a while, just on principal. ¡°Well, you know the saying ¡®you are what you eat¡¯? Yeah, I eat a lot of meat, but I won¡¯t turn down some grilled veggies or perhaps a nice bit of fruit.¡± He was really hamming it up, amused at the looks on their faces. ¡°Oh, and booze. Some of the brewers have made some really good beer and my alchemist friend figured out vodka which I was super thankful for.¡±


    The look on Lucas¡¯ face only grew more incredulous as he went on. ¡°And coffee, can¡¯t live without it. I¡¯m running low though so if you find some let me know. Anyway, where was I? Oh right. So given that I have a pretty varied diet, I would say in omnivorous but that¡¯s more of a dietary pref¡­¡±


    ¡°STOP!¡± Lucas said, his face turning beet red once he caught on. His pistol was in his hand now, pointed mostly in his direction.


    ¡°¡­rence. What? You asked. I was just trying to be thorough.¡± Matt said, purposefully overacting and sounding shocked.


    Bang. A single shot hit the dirt several meters to his left. ¡°I command you to stop! Your prattling and blatant disregard for your superiors is irksome. I command you to submit yourself for interrogation.¡± Lucas said. His eyes were nearly bulging as he stared at Matt.


    If he were a better commander, perhaps he would have noticed the tides has turned. 2 of his subordinates, one human and the elf looked at each other before nodding and backing away slowly, hands raised to show they wanted no part of this. Matt just watched them go, not wanting to give it away.


    He still needed to stall for some time if they would make it away safely. He sent a mental message to Echo to let them go while he went back to his conversation. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t recognize your authority. You can give commands until you are blue in the face, but it won¡¯t get you far.¡±


    ¡°Then we will take you by force of arms.¡± He said and they all pointed guns at him. ¡°Now are you going to come along peacefully, or will it be by force?¡± The group began to slowly approach him, fanning out as they did.


    Putting his hand on the chin of his faceplate, Matt made a show, pretending to consider the offer. ¡°That is quite the offer you make. Regretfully, I think I am disinclined to accept your proposition.¡± He could see the man¡¯s lips move as he tried to break that sentence down. ¡°Also, there is one little problem you might have.¡± The deserting duo had backed up past the brush line and had turned and fled according to Echo.


    ¡°And what is that?¡± Lucas said, waving his remaining men to take positions on either side of him.


    Matt smiled, very much enjoying himself. ¡°I out level all of you.¡± He dispelled his hoods masking effect, revealing his full level. That naturally wasn¡¯t where he stopped. As the group froze, the finally crossed into the edge of his domain he had been pushing their way.


    ¡°Through the flames of retribution, cleanse the unworthy. Convert the obstacle¡­¡± He began enacting the spell as he stepped forward, naturally flaring his aura to envelop the area. ¡°¡­into the path. Purge my domain.¡± Speaking the final line, he moved his hand in the appropriate pattern.


    He flicked his palm down, making a wave gesture at the ground before pulling his fingers into a fist. He then turned his fist over and opened his hand. Pale blue, nearly clear flames rose from the ground in a 200-meter radius around him. The closer to him, the denser and larger the flame, nearly becoming opaque as they flared up.


    The men before him all screamed as the ghostly flames burned them. 3 fired shots at him which missed by meters. His image was so distorted by the heat that he doubted any of them could see him. The other 2, Lucas being one of them, fired some sort of spell at him that was absorbed by his domain spell.


    Matt stopped short, not closing more than 50 meters before he heard the thump-thump-thump of the autocannon. Rounds splashed into the round to the right of the group. Each projectile hit, skipped and burst among the hunter squad, spraying all of them with shrapnel. One of them ended up taking the base of a round to the head, which was messily removed.


    Lucas was barely standing as his men collapsed around him. ¡°Demon! Hell spawn! Our lord will cleanse you from this world with his divine presence!¡± he was nearly foaming at the mouth as he shouted at Matt.


    Looking on, Matt cancelled his spell, there wasn¡¯t enough mana coming in to sustain the flames, let alone be useful to him. After the flames had abated, he could see the 4 men bleeding out on the ground behind Lucas. He took off his helmet, storing it in his ring and allowing the man to see his greyish skin.


    ¡°Your lord doesn¡¯t scare me. I have met true gods whose power is so absolute they rule thousands of planets.¡± Matt began, watching as Lucas fell to his knees, staring up at him while cradling what was left of his arm. ¡°Your pretender and his armies will fall before me like wheat to the scythe.¡±


    Eyes rolling back, Lucas fainted. The loss of blood too much for his E grade body to handle. Matt sighed, he walked forward and pulled out his rifle. Standing back a few meters, he put a round into each man¡¯s head, making sure they were dead.


    With a shuddering sigh, Matt felt his wrath recede and the post-fight ache set in after the adrenalin abated. He went and stored each body in his ring, planning to loot them later. He also picked up the rifles, inspecting the lever action design on the 2 surviving examples. With a shrug, he stored those too.


    ¡°That was a little dramatic.¡± Van said. ¡°Honestly I approve, maybe we kick it up a little if we ever get another chance?¡±


    ¡°HA!. Maybe, I would hope that we meet more friendly people in our travels, but who knows.¡± Matt said as he turned and walked back to Van. ¡°How is our guest?¡±


    ¡°Still unconscious. Well, the person is, the core is still awake.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is quite talkative. She hasn¡¯t stopped asking questions since I sealed the hatch.¡±


    Matt considered his options a moment. He had passed a cave entrance not far away that would likely make a good place to set up for the evening now that the sun was starting to make its way back to the horizon.


    ¡°Alright, here is the plan. We backtrack to the other side of the valley and set up in that cave we passed. We can talk to our guest tonight when she wakes up.¡± Then as an afterthought he said. ¡°Van, can you tell her core that we don¡¯t plan to hurt them?¡±


    Getting an acknowledgement from Van, they set out for their future camp site. Echo scouting ahead while Matt walked alongside the mech. I wonder what happened to those other 2. He wondered as he looked back over his shoulder.


    *****


    Gerd was running for his life, sprinting as fast as he could to anywhere but around that monster. Alec was right beside him, the human keeping pace despite being able to run faster. They both regretted stopping to watch the encounter.


    They ran for over an hour, headed mostly back down the valley and toward the edge of the delta. After crossing one of the feeder streams, they both stopped, leaning against a boulder while they caught their breath.


    Gerd was the first to break the silence with something other than panting. ¡°Who the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°No idea, don¡¯t want to know either.¡± Alec said as he looked back over his shoulder.


    ¡°Well, what now? Do we go back to the tower and tell them what happened?¡±


    Alec looked at him like he had lost his damn mind. ¡°Are you crazy? You heard what Lucas said, how he thinks about elves.¡± He then glanced around like he was looking for eavesdroppers. ¡°Between you and me I say we make a run for it. I never wanted any part of this and think going back there would eventually end up with both our deaths.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest? Its sounding like you have a plan.¡± Gerd said. In truth, he wasn¡¯t keen on the idea of being a second-class citizen at best and a slave at worst.


    Sitting down and beckoning Gerd to follow, Alec leaned back against the boulder. ¡°Remember what that guy¡­ Matt, I think. What he said about being from another city?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Right well, if he is from another far away city, maybe there are other far away cities that would like to have a couple new, highly motivated, citizens that are very willing to lend a helping hand.¡± Alec gave Gerd a knowing look. ¡°Listen, we get along great, and I tried to cover for you and the other elves with some of my friends. We didn¡¯t like what was happening after he took power, and we were thinking of ways to fix the issue.¡±


    Gerd nodded along. ¡°Right, and I appreciate that, honestly, I do. What are we going to do? We have no real power or ability to fight him and his enforcers.¡±


    Pulling out a water bottle, Alec took a pull before passing it over to Gerd. ¡°Let¡¯s try to find another city. At the very least we can warn them about Ethan and maybe we can find a way to kill him or hire someone to do the deed.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gerd said with a sharp nod. ¡°Which way then?¡±


    Alec looked over the edge of the rock again. ¡°Well north is not happening, east leads back to the tower. Let¡¯s try west. Maybe we can get on top of one of those mountains and eyeball something.¡± He looked at Gerd and extended his hand. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Gers said, taking the hand and giving it a firm shake. They didn¡¯t know where they were going but they sure knew where they didn¡¯t want to go back to.

 Chapter 73 – About Us

    Chapter 73 ¨C About Us


    Ash twitched, slowly waking up. She gave a slight groan as she felt the top of her head, finding a bump from the impact. Impact? Where was she? She slowly took stock of her surroundings without opening her eyes.


    She was lying on her back on some sort of padded surface. She wasn¡¯t restrained. She could smell smoke. There was a little warmth radiating from her right. She couldn¡¯t hear an¡­


    ¡°Ash, before you panic, just hear me out.¡± Hope''s voice rang loudly in her mind.


    ¡°Where am I? Where are we?¡±


    ¡°A lot happened. Just know that the person you are about to meet has no ill intentions toward either of us. I won¡¯t tell you to trust him but just don¡¯t panic.¡±


    Ash almost snorted. When had she ever panicked? Well, those times in the challenge sections of the tower didn¡¯t count since she was just figuring things out. Just as she was about to ask more questions, she felt something tap her side. That something then clattered to the ground, having bounced off her armor.


    She opened her eyes and saw a rocky ceiling that narrowed up to a small gap before the darkness didn¡¯t let her see any more. She could see a small curl of smoke rising up into that crevasse, likely there was a fire. She was positive there was one since she could see the flickering light on the cave ceiling. Turning her head to the left, she saw a rock wall. Turning her head to the right, she saw a very strange looking pile of metal.


    The metal was piled in an odd shape and leaning against what looked like a blackened log. It had been painted in browns and greens before someone threw some sort of shredded cloth over it. Just as she was about to sit up, the pile of metal shifted, and everything came into focus.


    What she had thought was random scrap, was actually a suit of armor, unlike anything she had ever seen. The faceplate looked like an angular skull with several lenses for eyes and a strange metal mesh for a mouth and chin. Then the lenses clicked and glowed blue before the pile of metal spoke.


    ¡°Good to see you are awake.¡± It said in a slightly distorted voice that was halfway between a human and beastly growl. ¡°Please, stay calm.¡±


    Ash considered the request for all of a half second before she sat bolt upright and backed up as far as she could go, running into the wall of the cave behind her. ¡°What are you? What do you want?¡± she asked and heard hopes voice in the back of her mind saying something about not panicking.


    The armor tilted its head slightly then it seemed to bob and move up and down faintly. Finally, it spoke again. ¡°Stay calm, I think this might help.¡± It said, lifting its hand and holding its palm to her. She noticed a few pebbles dropped as it opened.


    Ash then watched as the hand moved up to grip the side of the head. There was a slight pop and the head tilted forward. She then realized it was not the creatures head but a helmet. And the being within was a human¡­ kinda.


    In a much clearer voice, with much less distortion, it¡­ he spoke again. ¡°Hello, my name is Matt. It is nice to meet you, Ash. I, ah, talked with Hope and she told me a little about you.¡± He then set the helmet down. ¡°I promise that I mean you no harm and only wish to talk.¡±


    Thinking quickly, she determined that what she really needed was to buy time and th¡­


    ¡°Ashley, I swear to the System if you don¡¯t chill out¡­¡±


    Ash flinched as Hope¡¯s voice rang in her mind. She let the threat hang empty as she took a deep breath and decided to trust her core. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s talk. What happened? Are they still after me or did you scare them off or¡­¡±


    Ash stopped, noticing that Matt had relaxed a little. As he let his posture slip, she also noticed the rifle that had been pointed right at her. She hadn¡¯t even seen it due to its strange design and how it was resting across his lap.


    ¡°Can I just show you the tape? It will be a lot easier than giving you the blow by blow, as it were.¡± Matt asked. He seemingly stowed his weapon since it vanished from his hand. That made her feel slightly more comfortable.


    ¡°Um, what¡¯s a tape?¡±


    *****


    Matt sighed. While he hadn¡¯t expected any trouble, the woman was the highest-level person he had seen other than himself and that Lucas character. He had really mistaken her as human at first but his identify said differently.


    Versipellian. Level 49


    The race name sounded familiar to him, but he couldn¡¯t quite place it. He still decided to be the nice guy and show her what he meant. ¡°Let me just show you.¡± Matt said as he summoned his tablet and ran a cord from his helmet to the screen. He then pulled up the relevant video, hit play and turned the screen toward her.


    The moment he did, her eyes were locked onto the tablet. She scarcely blinked as the recording played, showing everything from when they first spotted movement to coming to the cave. While she was being entertained, he took a moment to study her.


    Ash was in most ways very human looking, a very tanned complexion that he compared to someone from Latin America. He would say that she was slightly more muscled than the average woman he had seen but it was hard to tell through her armor. Really the only thing he had to go off of was her neck and forearms but those could be telling.


    Her face had a strong jaw line, and he hadn¡¯t missed that her canines were slightly more pointed than they should be. Her ears were also pointed but not like an elf. They looked like a normal human ear, but the tips came to a finer point that extended more vertical compared to an elf¡¯s backward slant.


    Curiously, he was unable to sense her emotions or anything with his trait. It was like she was a void in the world within his domain. He briefly wondered if he could actively affect her like he could with his calm aura. He still thought he could do other domain things, but the emotion and intent part might not work. Then his mind went down the rabbit hole, was it that he couldn¡¯t sense her or, was she immune.


    Those ass hats earlier sure weren¡¯t immune. He thought back to the ¡®fight¡¯ that had taken place. It was barely a fight thanks to Van. But also, thanks to Van, he only gained a single level from the whole experience. It was fine with him but sitting at 59 when he could feel that 60 wasn¡¯t far off was annoying.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He was just wondering about her race again and the meaning that sounded so familiar when she heard a gasp. Looking back to her, he saw the shocked look on her face and heard the audio for when he had cast his domain spell. ¡°Ah, um that.¡±


    He fell silent again as she looked between him and the screen several times. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. ¡°Asylum. I seek asylum with your people.¡±


    Matt frowned since this was not at all what he was expecting. ¡°Why do you want asylum when you can just become a citizen? That¡¯s kinda how the System does things with cities and all.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡­umm. I didn¡¯t know that was an option?¡± Ash sounded truly confused at the offer. ¡°Why would you grant me citizenship when you could control me with a lower class?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not the way we are doing things where I am from. Well, not right now anyway.¡± Matt had to stop for a minute and consider. ¡°Actually, that might not be true. We took in a bunch of refugees and the System set their status to slave, but we are trying to convert them all to citizens without limiting their paths. My patron explained everything to us before we took them in, it¡¯s kinda this whole thing.¡±


    Ash stared at him like he had a dick growing out of his forehead. ¡°What do you mean refugees? Patrons? Limited paths?¡±


    ¡°Phew. Oh boy.¡± Matt blew out a breath and held up a finger stalling for time to think of how to phrase everything. ¡°What do you know about System events?¡±


    ¡°The System forced us into an event, and we had to win, or we would likely all die.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not quite right. There was another option. At least, our city was given an option to take in refugees from fallen cities and we also had the option to make a bid for refugee status should our city fall.¡±


    Ash was hanging off every word. ¡°What do you mean city? Is that just what you call your tower?¡± She had started to lean forward, clearly fully committed to learning more.


    ¡°How about some food? We can talk while we cook and eat.¡± Matt asked, having the feeling that this would be a long conversation.


    Ash looked a little shocked. ¡°You know we don¡¯t really need to eat any more, right?¡±


    Snorting, Matt replied as he pulled out a folding grill and set it over the coals of the fire. ¡°We don¡¯t need to, but we still can. There is more to a hot meal than just putting calories in you. A warm bit of food or hot tea can do wonders for the spirit.¡±


    He noticed that she watched intently as he pulled out 3 large steaks and set them on the grill top, after he sprinkled some salt and pepper over them. Then he pulled out a kettle and put it next to the grill so it would simmer on the side. ¡°Why 3? There is only the 2 of us, right?¡±


    Matt looked up then. ¡°Oh, yeah, I forgot. This is Echo.¡± He gestured to the drake that he had been leaning against. ¡°Say hi to Ash.¡±


    The color drained from her face as Echo opened his eye to Matts right. The iris around the slit pupil flaring blue for just a moment before his head lifted off the ground and angled to face her. He then rippled his scales along his body as he stretched out and gave her a long sniff. The drake then smiled, showing its rows of massive teeth before laying back down and watching her with just one eye.


    ¡°And Van is outside. He¡¯s the core of my mec¡­ um construct. You will meet him later. I hope it¡¯s not too much of a shock since you have an awakened core too.¡± Matt said as he poked the meat with a pair of tongs that he kept clacking together because of deep seated masculine instinct.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Ash was suddenly looking a lot less sure about this situation.


    ¡°Its fine, he is my bonded familiar. We swapped bits of our souls a while back and now we are stuck together. He¡¯s mostly friendly, as long as you don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°Mostly friendly?¡±


    Matt chuckled slightly and glanced over to Echo, who was faintly grinning. ¡°Yeah, he has a bit of a prankster side. He goes round and round with this crazy alchemist back in Vil¡¯ Krad.¡±


    ¡°How did you meet him?¡± Ash was curiously looking at him now and even scooted a bit closer.


    ¡°Oh, a while back I found a trial orb and after running the trial, I ended up with a summoning token. Echo, you know you can talk right?¡±


    Ash looked shocked. ¡°He can talk?¡±


    Just then, Echo sent out a series of mental images. It showed a brief impression of the field of souls and then some of their exploits afterward. All in all, it was around 100 different impressions only half of which were food or the people he liked to be around.


    Still looking like she was about to pass out, Matt cut Ash some slack and filled in the context. ¡°To be fair, I get a little more emotion and intent through our bond but the dungeon reward on his arm lets him share images with people.¡±


    ¡°Dun¡­ dungeon?¡±


    Matt flipped the steaks and filled her in. ¡°Yeah, we have one of those too. It was originally corrupted, but I purged it with Echo and a couple others so now we have a low tier dungeon that people can run. Actually, I am pretty sure it¡¯s part of what some of the others are calling ¡®The Path¡¯. They get you up to E grade then you do the trial and dungeon back-to-back. With the rewards, it sets you on a better path to actually use your new class.¡±


    Seeing that Ash was still staring at him like he was crazy, he tried to fill the silence. ¡°Ahem, ah¡­ How do you like your steak?¡± It was lame, he knew it, she knew it, hells Tori probably just face palmed, but Ash didn¡¯t mind at all.


    ¡°Rare please.¡± She then seemed to notice what she did on reflex and snapped out of her little daze. ¡°I mean, however you want. Please don¡¯t make any special accommodations for me.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t mind at all, he poked at the steaks and figured they were getting pretty close, so he stood up and pulled out one of his better acquisitions. From his storage ring, he summoned a folding table and 2 folding chairs. After finding a mostly level place to set them up, he pulled out a couple plates and cups. He began explaining as he went.


    ¡°I got tired of always sitting in the dirt when I ate, studied or was otherwise needing to sit. The plates and stuff are from my house, I kinda grabbed a set of 4 on reflex. One of the carpenters in the city was making these tables and I snagged one before I left.¡±


    ¡°I am just going to assume you are telling the truth and that I¡¯m not really dead and this isn¡¯t some sort of strange afterlife.¡±


    Matt shook his head as he pulled off the meat and set them aside to rest a moment. Echo began sniffing at his, but Matt clacked his tongs at him, reminding him to let it rest so it would come out better. Getting a huff in response, Matt moved over and pulled the kettle off and poured some into the tea leaves that he put in his French press. If it works for coffee, he figured it works for tea.


    The entire time, Ash just sat on his sleeping pad and watched intently. She then seemed to have a thought and began looking around.


    Matt noticed and made a logical assumption. ¡°Your gun is behind you toward the top of the sleeping pad.¡± He watched as she found the short rifle and stowed it in her storage device. He suspected it was the necklace she wore but wasn¡¯t positive.


    Walking back over to the table, Ash sat down and waited for Matt to join her. ¡°Can you tell me more about this city? You called it Vil¡¯ Krad, right?¡±


    Matt nodded and began to tell her all about it as they both tucked into their steaks. Echo naturally ate his in one go before curling up around the fire again. The drake liked the meat but oddly never begged for seconds.


    He talked about the city and what it looked like. She was very interested in the nature of its construction, having apparently come from a walled city in her old world. Ash seemed interested in the hub and spoke pattern that it was in, saying her home was a grid style and lamenting the design on more than one occasion.


    Ash also asked about the people, specifically the other races and where they came from. She seemed to be fishing for something so Matt explained what he knew. He ran through the races that were there when he left and tried to recall some of their home worlds.


    After a few more leading questions, he finally just got tired of it. ¡°Ash, you can just come out and ask. I¡¯m not sure what you are trying to find out, but I don¡¯t really intend to hide anything.¡±


    Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Ash finally got to the point. ¡°Ah, well, the thing is¡­¡± She took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°The reason I fled the tower is because I have a bit of a past. I¡¯m not a criminal or anything.¡± She quickly added before looking down at the table and the steaming mug in her hands. ¡°Well, not a real criminal anyway.¡±


    ¡°I got the impression that there was some sort of prejudice going on when Van and I talked to Hope.¡± Matt said in a soft tone. ¡°You don¡¯t have to share but also know that if you do decide to come back to our city, a certain amount of trust must be had. I won¡¯t share secrets but at least I¡¯ll be able to vouch for you.¡±


    She looked shocked for a moment before responding quickly. ¡°No! Ahem, no. it¡¯s fine.¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°Honestly it might be a good idea to share with someone besides hope.¡± She still hesitated, looking like she was struggling with where to begin.


    Matt topped up their cups and leaned back in his chair. ¡°Whenever you are ready.¡±

 Chapter 74 – Story Time

    Chapter 74 ¨C Story Time


    Ash sat very still for a few moments, just staring into her mug. Matt was being very clear that he was not going to interrupt. He wanted her to share on her own and he wasn¡¯t blind that this topic had some trauma backing it.


    ¡°I guess it all starts with my race or species. I don¡¯t know.¡± She huffed. ¡°We are compatible with humans so I would figure it to be a race, but the System isn¡¯t exactly forthcoming on that, and I don¡¯t have anyone to ask. Maybe if I ever get to go back to the exchange or something¡­¡± She trailed off at the end.


    Matt broke his little rule and asked a question. ¡°You didn¡¯t get a portal to the exchange after the first event?¡± Judging by the way her head snapped up, she did not get one.


    ¡°That was a thing! That lying bastard. I swear he¡­ he. ARGH What a fucking cunt!¡± she hissed to nobody in particular. Her hand clenched and opened several times, thankfully not the one holding the mug.


    ¡°Ok, I touched a nerve. Sorry.¡± He said, holding his hands palms out to try and placate her.


    After a few more oaths and choice words about the enigmatic ¡®him¡¯ she got back on track. ¡°Right. My race. We are, or maybe were, known as Versipellian. Do you know what that is?¡±


    ¡°No but it sounds very familiar. Its nudging something in my mind but I don¡¯t know what.¡± Matt freely admitted.


    ¡°Its fine. Probably better if I tell you so you don¡¯t freak out.¡± She sighed before continuing, making sure to stare right at Matt. ¡°We are shape shifters. Naturally born ones and very powerful compared to a normal human.¡±


    Matt perked up, not failing to notice she was watching him intently. ¡°That¡¯s it! Its Latin for ¡®turns skin¡¯ or something. Oh, this makes much more sense ,the last 2 letters are different, but it would be for a race and not just an individual.¡±


    Ash was giving him the side eye. ¡°You have heard of us? What planet are you from?¡±


    Laughing a little, Matt clarified. ¡°I am from outside the system on a planet with no mana. We did get influenced by many things as I¡¯m beginning to learn. There was this game that I played where one of the races or whatever were called Versipellis. I always thought werewolves were super cool.¡±


    ¡°Wait, werewolves?¡± She was looking very confused.


    Nodding, Matt explained a little more. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what we called them. Tons of our planets ancient cultures had something like a werewolf. There is a lot of fantasy and stuff written around them too. Some can control when they change, some can¡¯t, some are bloodthirsty monsters while others are just slightly more primally minded.¡±


    ¡°And this doesn¡¯t bother you?¡± she asked.


    Matt shook his head. ¡°Not at all. Honestly until a few months ago, I had no idea orcs, dwarves, elves and all that were real either. Only race or intelligent species on my planet is humans, as far as I know.¡±


    Ash was quiet for a few moments, contemplating what he had just said. After a while she smiled and laughed softly. ¡°I guess that I was all paranoid for nothing. I worked myself up into expecting that I would have to convince you that I wasn¡¯t a monster.¡±


    Smiling wryly, Matt shook his head. ¡°I know how that feels.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, until recently I had a little problem with my trait. Honestly, it feels weird still, with most people being polite but scared. Only a handful of folks in the city treat me like a normal person.¡± He waved his hand at the bare walls of the cave. ¡°That¡¯s also why I am out here all by myself. I¡­ have an effect on people fighting near me.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°What kind of effect?¡± Ash wasn¡¯t about to let that comment slide. If he was dangerous to be near, finding safe passage might be more difficult.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you are done. Maybe even show you if we have the chance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well then.¡± She fumbled with the dismissal of her question. ¡°What were we talking about?¡±


    ¡°How your race caused you problems.¡± Matt said rolling his hand over his wrist in the universal gesture of helping someone remember.


    ¡°Right. So, it started on my home world. Our people first made a name for themselves as mercenaries because of our physical gifts. We actually mostly did guard work and scouting for merchants and explorers. Our bodies could handle the more dangerous monsters and men that preyed upon the caravans.¡±


    ¡°As the centuries wore on, we developed out own cultural norms and began to settle in some of the more remote places in the mountains on the eastern end of our continent.¡± She seemed to consider something before continuing. ¡°It seems that people were fine with us as the hired help but not so much as their neighbors.¡±


    ¡°Sounds familiar.¡± Matt said, having seen similar situations on Earth.


    ¡°Well, as the story goes, when our ancestors tried to settle the lands in and around the mountains, we ran into another of the races. The dwarves had their own kingdom within those mountains and valleys. Rather than push us out, or otherwise contest us, the dwarven lords decided to treat with us.¡± Ash had begun to tell the tale like one would recount a story they had memorized as a kid.


    ¡°The king and his lords made a covenant with our ancestors. It was simple as these things went, relying more on the spirit of the agreement than the letter of the law. They would cede the lands to us, and in turn we would nurture and develop it. They would help us with building, with food, and all manner of other societal norms. In return, we would protect them and aid them in their goals.¡±


    ¡°The covenant stood for hundreds of years. Our peoples flourished and my race eventually spread out again, safe in the knowledge that we had a home. Our scholars think that may have been the beginning of the end.¡± She said in a sad but curious tone.


    ¡°They betrayed you?¡± Matt asked. He didn¡¯t think a dwarf would do that based on t¡­


    ¡°No!¡± Ash said. Quickly putting an end to his questioning. ¡°No, the covenant still stood. It lasted longer than my people did, at least I suspect so.¡± She seemed to settle back down again. ¡°The problem came from outside. I suspect deception, greed and hubris played their roles well in the wars.¡±


    Ash took another moment to collect herself. ¡°Tragedy began to befall our race. The human and elven cities to the south and west began to look unfavorably on us. They made laws against us then they showed open hostility towards us, driving us from our communities.¡±


    Matt was beginning to get a sinking feeling but didn¡¯t dare interrupt.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t fight, just accepted that times were changing again and withdrew from the other lands. Almost as one, we pulled stakes and migrated back to the holds of our fathers. This left the towns without their favorite guardians, however. Naturally, people did as people do and preyed on each other.¡±


    ¡°I was once told that they blamed us for it. That they said we caused their kinsmen to rob, murder, rape and enslave each other. Honestly it was all the fuel that was needed for the next fire starters.¡±


    ¡°The Trevalign family had been waiting in the wings. They swooped in, ¡®liberating¡¯ the embroiled towns and cities. After all was said and done, and people realized what they had done, they needed a scapegoat. That scapegoat was conveniently unable to say otherwise.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°The Trevalign family began to spread their ¡®religion¡¯.¡± She spat on the ground at the word. ¡°More like a cult. They spread their ¡®holy word¡¯ that we, the Veripellian were the cause of all the evil in the world. They blamed us for everything, using already planted cultural norms to stir the pot and push the people against us.¡±


    Matt could see her silent snarl as she looked at her hands again.


    ¡°They always say that hindsight sees the furthest. Perhaps if our armies had sallied sooner or if we had assassinated that family sooner, we could have prevented the war. Alas, it was not to be. They rallied an entire continent against us, wrapping up everyone in their madness and indoctrinating them into their religion.¡±


    ¡°We sat with the dwarven kings and lords. We begged them to flee and let us fight them alone so they wouldn¡¯t implicate themselves. Their king, king Thalreissis, summed up the response by saying ¡®That would make us cowards at best and traitors at worst, to abandon a friend in their time of need.¡¯¡±


    Matt nodded along. ¡°Brave words.¡±


    Ash agreed. ¡°They were. The dwarves set themselves to work. They put all their industry into helping our people prepare for the coming storm. They churned out arms and armor the likes of which had never been seen.¡± She summoned her rifle. ¡°This is one of their designs. Guns were common but to make one that fired with such rapidity was¡­ unheard of.¡± She put it away again before continuing.


    ¡°They sheltered our civilians, the children and infirm especially. I stood with my family in defense of our dutchy. As a noble family, it wouldn¡¯t due to be seen running. In the end, I was forced to. Two of the sons commanded the army that laid siege to our city. The eldest and the youngest of them.


    ¡°In the fighting, they took the walls after throwing their men at the gates for days, eventually using the dead as a ramp. One of our marksmen was able to kill the eldest prince. They captured the gate house and ended up strolling in thinking that after taking the gate, they had won the day. Turns out that just because you took the wall, doesn¡¯t mean a bullet can¡¯t take your head.¡±


    ¡°We fought for days. Every street, every house, we made them bleed and die for it. Eventually it wasn¡¯t enough, and my father called the retreat. The remaining dwarves were holding the keep and the tunnel below it. After the last of us passed, they would collapse it and we would reinforce another city.¡±


    After a deep shuddering breath, she continued. ¡°I was separated from the main company, just me and a few scouts that had managed to push through the chaos. We ended up outside the city, on a road leading into the valley below. Night had set and we thought we would be safe to over land, but the Trevalign soldiers found us and gave chase.¡±


    ¡°We fought and ran, shifting between forms to try and survive. Eventually I found myself curled in the mud below a bridge, half hanging out of a drainpipe. I was wounded, tired, starving and most of all, afraid. We had split at some point, and I was alone. That¡¯s when the System sent the message.¡±


    Ash was rubbing the back of her hand. ¡°I accepted right away. I didn¡¯t have any hope of making it the full 3 days.¡± Her eyes were getting misty, and her voice grew thick. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to my family. I don¡¯t know what happened to my people. All I know is that my home was razed, and my people killed because of the lies of one family.¡±


    Matt was slightly confused for a moment. He couldn¡¯t feel her emotion at all in his domain despite such a clear and strong one being present. Still, he reached out a hand over the table, palm up and fingers out. Ash took it and held it, gripping hard while she cried.


    After a few minutes, she calmed enough to continue. ¡°*Sniff*. Thanks, I¡­ It¡¯s the first time I have talked about it, and I got a little overwhelmed.¡±


    Retrieving his hand, Matt smiled softly. He might not have his aura, but he was still mostly human enough to recognize the behavior he saw. ¡°Take your time. If you don¡¯t want to continue, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Ash shook her head. ¡°Its fine. I think I needed this.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s easier to talk to a stranger than someone you know.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Seems so.¡± She wiped her eyes and sniffed a couple more times before continuing. ¡°When I got to the classroom, I was able to find a few others of my race. They had waited the full 3 days but hadn¡¯t heard anything about our city or its survivors.¡±


    ¡°Are they also here?¡± Matt asked, wondering if this little adventure was going to turn into a rescue mission.


    ¡°No, we all decided to split up and find different groups. That way at least one of us would survive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horribly pragmatic.¡± Matt commented.


    ¡°They were all civilians and craftsmen back home. I don¡¯t think they would have known how bad the fighting actually got.¡± She cleared he throat again. ¡°Ahem. I just hope I see them again and it would be nice to know my kinsmen are well.¡±


    ¡°So, what made you high tail it out of the tower?¡± Matt asked then smirked. ¡°Pun, maybe intended.¡±


    Ash stared at him for a moment before suddenly her eyes widened and she smirked. ¡°That one was pretty good. Credit where its due.¡± Her grin faded after a moment. ¡°Thanks, I kinda needed that. So, remember that other prince?¡±


    Matt nodded. ¡°The younger one, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one. The System also picked him. And of all the cities and all the worlds, he ended up in our tower.¡± She was shaking her head with incredulity. ¡°What are the odds that the xenophobic shit head would end up there.¡± She asked rhetorically.


    Ash shook her head again. ¡°Anyway, he ended up in our city. He thankfully isn¡¯t a pilot, that would have made him a million times worse. Still, I kept tabs on him, borderline stalking sometimes. I was waiting for him to slip and start with the rhetoric that his family and their cult pushed. It turns out he was normal or at least seemed to be.¡±


    Echo shifted around and ended up sprawling on his back. Ash and Matt both paused and watched while the drake adjusted himself before she continued. ¡°I should have enlisted some help apparently since he was up to his old tricks but in secret. I was never around to catch it though.¡±


    ¡°What did he end up doing?¡±


    ¡°Turns out there was a hidden quest from the System. The betrayer quest as some called it. One of the people was actually a saboteur and worked against the city. I have no idea what they stood to gain from all of this but there must be something.¡±


    Matt thought back and instantly recalled Franklin mentioning something about it and it all came back to him. ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, we had one of those.¡±


    Ash winced. ¡°How bad was it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, not bad. The guy challenged me to an honor duel, and I killed him within a couple seconds.¡± Matt shrugged. ¡°We didn¡¯t even know about the betrayer quest until after the fact.¡±


    ¡°Well, ours did not end that way, though I wish it did. Ethan waited until a critical moment in our event and ended up killing our tower lord. He even had his own men ready to take care of all the lieutenants that he didn¡¯t already have on his side. We won our event but that was barely a footnote compared to the reign of terror that swept through the city after.


    ¡°Lines were drawn, and factions formed within minutes. Us pilots wanted to stay out of it, but he was forcing us over to his side. I ended up making a plan with Hope to escape. In the dark of night, I retrieved her core and left the construct standing in the marshaling yard. I had hoped that it would delay them discovering me.¡±


    ¡°Looks like it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°No, it partly did. But I was also on foot. He sent some of his hunters after me. They hitched rides on constructs until the machines couldn¡¯t pass any farther. After that, it was a foot chase, and I was not suited for it.¡± She grimaced. ¡°Traditionally my people did not do well with speed, only endurance.¡±


    ¡°How long ago was that?¡± Matt asked.


    Ash thought for a moment. ¡°I made my break for it on the first night, I assumed he would know my identity as soon as he took control of the city. Looks like I wasn¡¯t far off. I estimate they were on to my ruse within a day or day and a half, judging by when I first noticed someone on my trail.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. What are your plans?¡± Matt asked after a pause in the conversation.


    ¡°What do you mean? I thought you said I could come to your city?¡± She asked, panic rising in her voice as she sat bolt upright.


    Matt held up his hand. ¡°Relax, that¡¯s not what I meant. I think I have the authority to extend that offer and even if I didn¡¯t, I would make it happen.¡± She sat back a little but still looked wary of him. ¡°What I meant was what are your plans to deal with Ethan and your old city?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She said in a small voice and her eyes darted around, looking everywhere but at Matt.


    ¡°Do you want to just run away and put it behind you? Want to sneak back in and try to liberate some people? We could try and kill him now, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a great idea.¡± Matt offered some thoughts on the topic.


    ¡°I think I need to get away and lick my wounds for now.¡± Ash said after a few minutes. ¡°I want my revenge, but I don¡¯t think rushing back into this is the best outcome. Besides, he likely has won full control of the tower and subjugated its people by now.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me. I sa¡­¡± Matt was just about to tell her his plans when Van rumbled in his mind.


    Our vampiric friend is back. So far, it is staying well away from the fire out here.


    ¡°Shit, there goes that idea.¡± He said out loud.


    ¡°What! What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°The last few nights we have had a vampiric cloud lurking around. Its honestly annoying more than actually hurtful to us. Turns out it hates fire.¡± Matt answered with a smirk.


    ¡°That sounds absolutely awful.¡± Ash said.


    Matt didn¡¯t disagree. He thought the monster was getting rather annoying and would probably deal with it sooner than later. He had a few thoughts on how he would go about that but that was for a later day.


    He told Ash what he knew about the thing and that they would hunker down for the night before leaving in the morning. Matt briefly mentioned that he had an idea on how to kill it but needed to try some things first.


    Ash looked rather relieved that they wouldn¡¯t be traveling, and he told her to go ahead and get some sleep. He would keep watch with Echo and the 2 cores. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she moved back to the sleeping pad, laid down and fell asleep.


    Matt noted that she curled into a ball after a little while. While he didn¡¯t hear any crying, he knew the signs of emotional trauma very well after having had his fair share. It never really goes away, but the sharp edges eventually dull.

 Chapter 75 – Plus One

    Chapter 75 ¨C Plus One


    ¡°Alright, Praise the sun. Check. Morning stretch. Check. Coffee. Check. Second coffee. Check Grumpy traveling companion. Check¡± Matt said in way to chipper a tone as he all but dragged Ash out into the sunlight.


    They had ended up staying the rest of the night in the cave. Ash spent that night sleeping while Matt was reviewing his tablet and running the mapping software. He had a pretty good, if narrow track that he had run. It ran mostly straight other than when he got to the dry and dusty foothills, they were currently in.


    ¡°Are you always this chipper in the morning?¡± Ash grumbled as she shielded her eyes from the sun. She had turned down his offer of coffee, instead brewing her own sort of tea that reminded Matt of Chai.


    ¡°Rarely. He normally is a rather cantankerous and snippy with early wakeups.¡± A voice rumbled. ¡°His good mood is probably because he didn¡¯t actually sleep. He was up all night with me plotting and planning.¡±


    ¡°What? Where?¡± Ash asked, looking around and clutching Hopes core to her chest.


    Matt looked slightly embarrassed, having forgotten to introduce his other companion. ¡°Ash, this is Horizion¡¯s Vanguard or Van for short.¡±


    Still looking around frantically, Ash had to ask again. ¡°Yeah, but where is he?¡±


    Suddenly the boulders to the side of the cave opening revealed themselves to be a mech with a strange netting attached to it. Van was crouched, almost leaning back against the steep slope of the hillside.


    ¡°Thogrils twisted taint!¡± Ash yelled as Van revealed himself to be only a few meters from her.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Matt coughed softly. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s kind of our M.O. these days. By the way, who is Thogril?¡±


    Giving him a rather spiteful glare, Ash answered. ¡°He was the god of the dwarves on my home planet. What does M. O. mean?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it means modus operandi. A phrase from one of my worlds dead languages that translates to ¡®normal operation¡¯ or sometimes ¡®routine behavior¡¯.¡± Matt explained. ¡°Moving on, Van, Ash. Ash, Van.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Ash.¡± Van said.


    Ash bowed low, surprising Matt. ¡°Well met, Awakened One.¡±


    ¡°Aha. That is rather amusing.¡± Van laughed in a way that they could feel in their bones. ¡°While I appreciate the honorifics that Hope no doubt coached you on, please just call me Van.¡±


    ¡°Well, shall we get a move on?¡± Matt asked.


    Looking slightly flustered, Ash responded. ¡°Yes, but please remember to let me keep pace.¡± She adjusted the sling for Hope¡¯s core across her chest.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Umm, I assumed you would be in your construct, and I would be running alongside?¡± Ash answered, now looking very confused. ¡°Is that not the case?¡±


    Chuckling, Matt walked over to the mech, and the hatch opened. Looking inside, Ash was able to see the 2 tandem seats. ¡°Just try not to bump your head on it this time.¡± Matt laughed as he waited for her to climb in.


    After Ash had seated herself in the copilot¡¯s chair, Matt showed her how to use the restraints and helped her stow the core she had been carrying in the tie down points near her seat. He then put his tablet in the mount so she would be able to see more of the outside.


    ¡°From what I hear, its rather dark and disorientating if you don¡¯t have a display. You can adjust the display using these controls.¡± Matt showed her the sliders for the display mode. He adjusted the rear camera and most of the sensors to near Zero while leaving the compass and threat detection field up.


    ¡°This is all rather¡­ fancy?¡± Ash commented. ¡°My tower and the pilots there didn¡¯t have anything this¡­ advanced.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have heard similar from some of the other pilots back in Krad. But on the plus side, you can use this time to get some inspiration for how you want your new mech to look.¡±


    Matt took his seat and closed the hatch. He suddenly remembered something and thought to bring it up before they started moving. ¡°Hey, Ash. Have you had much experience with teleporting?¡±


    ¡°Not any more than the System doing it.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Matt pulled out a few plastic bags from one of the lockers. ¡°Here, just in case I need to teleport. Its not a very pleasant experience the first few times.¡± He then showed her how to open and reseal the bags before sitting back down.


    ¡°So how far was your tower again?¡±


    Ash thought for a moment before answering. ¡°I was running almost nonstop for 11 days. So probably 15-18 days at a fast travel pace. Why do you ask?¡±


    Matt began moving up the ridge line as he explained what he was thinking. ¡°It¡¯s just that I want to know how far out a potential enemy is. I had been meandering my way along for about 8 days so that would put them over a month from us on foot.¡±


    ¡°It would have to be on foot. The delta is somewhat impassible by constructs unless they find a new route around or build some bridges.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why is that.¡±


    ¡°Well, the ground is a little on the soft side once you get within the delta. Most of the pilots avoided it since they would sink in the soft ground. This naturally caused a lot of issues with the other fighting and hunting parties since they had no support from the pilots.¡± She explained.


    Matt found that rather interesting and it put a little bug in his mind about the logistics of moving a mechanized force over such a long distance. It would be a challenge that he would have to face at some point, but he hoped that by then, they would have some other transportation.


    He had finally made it to the peak of the ridgeline that they were on after a few more minutes of climbing. Once there, he summoned a repeater and a mounting pole. From the storage aboard the mech and hopped out to set them up.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ash called down from inside.


    ¡°Repeater tower.¡± Matt replied, his voice coming in from the speaker mounted near her display. ¡°Our communications don¡¯t reach this far, and we use these small towers to boost and send the signals.¡±


    ¡°How does it work?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. Well, I have some idea on the actual use of them but the science behind it is a bit beyond me. It uses radio waves or something. I don¡¯t know much more so you would have to ask Tobias when we get back.¡±


    Matt finished connecting the sections of antenna pole and activated the repeater. After climbing back in, he carefully picked it up with the hand of his mech. Trying to get it as vertical as possible, he used the impressive power of the mech to drive it into the crumbling rock of the ridge line.


    ¡°So, what kind of range do these have?¡± Ash asked.


    ¡°These ones are pretty limited, so I have been placing one every 100 kilometers or so. We are running single channel, plain text so we have plenty of range.¡± Matt explained. ¡°The magic used to make them also seems to make them more reliable. The ones we had back home were not always the most consistent.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Ash seemed to accept that and sat back, fiddling with the display on the tablet when she saw the tell-tale movement of Matts helmet. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Without stopping, Matt reached back and rotated a knob near the speaker on her ¡®dashboard¡¯.


    Matts voice came over the speaker a moment later. ¡°Vil¡¯ Krad Xray, this is Advent.¡± A pause for a couple seconds before a response came back.


    ¡°Advent, this is Krad X Ray. Go ahead, over.¡± A mans voice crackled over the speaker.


    ¡°Krad Xray. Advent is RTB 1 vic, 1 familiar, 2 pax. How copy, over?¡±


    ¡°Roger, Advent. I have 1 vic, 1 familiar and 2 pax.¡± The voice had a slight uptick at the end that almost sounded like it wanted to ask a question. ¡°Estimate RTB, over?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, Krad I estimate, Break¡± Matt then turned back to Ash. ¡°Hey, do you want to head right back or do you mind taking our time and maybe killing some shit on our way?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I¡­ I don¡¯t mind. Whatever you want.¡± She hedged. As much as Ash wanted to get away from her tower, she also was at his mercy.


    Nodding, Matt returned to his transmission. ¡°Krad, I estimate 10 days to return. Will advise of changes. Advent, out.¡±


    Matt ended his transmission then addressed Ash again. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m trying to be responsible and keep them informed. Theoretically, they can track my general location from when I ping the towers but its not the most precise. They also don¡¯t know what I¡¯m up to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t understand like, any of that.¡± Ash admitted. ¡°Who is Advent and Xray?¡± She had her suspicion but wanted to confirm instead of assuming.


    Giving a little laugh he began maneuvering back down the slope. ¡°Advent is my call sign. Its easier than trying to remember names. Its short for adventurer. Rohm suggested I get my own since I am not really tagging along with the recon teams anymore.¡±


    ¡°And Xray?¡± she decided to skip over the other names he just said.


    ¡°That would refer to any stationary or unit level radio station. That particular one is the main command post back in the city. It¡¯s the only one we have but its good to get in the habit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Um, just one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    Ash took a deep breath before asking. ¡°Rohm? Command post? Recon teams? And who exactly is this Tobias character?¡± She rattled off all her questions in rapid fire order.


    Matt laughed again. ¡°Alright, I guess I can cover some basics. Real quick. Do you have the party system?¡± Seeing her shake her head, he continued. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sending a request. You should join until we get back, we need to get your levels up somehow.¡±


    Stunned by the sudden pop up, Ash could only accept the prompt as Matt began to explain everything she had asked about. He was holding nothing back and seemed to be happy to explain references and naming conventions. There was a lot of slang that she didn¡¯t know quite yet. It was a good thing they had time to go over it all before they returned.


    *****


    Tori was working in her study. The room, while technically part of her office complex, was a private room that only she could enter. Most of the time, she used it as a retreat when she needed to be ¡®offline¡¯ for a while and pursue other goals.


    The other goas she was pursuing at the moment happened to be watching a television program from Earth about a bunch of teenagers that went around solving mysteries. Truth be told she was watching one of the later series of the franchise, but it all followed the same pattern.


    As per usual, the dog was running scared with his primary human companion that she assumed was the owner. She was about to look into the team dynamic on something called a ¡®wiki¡¯, when she heard a knocking. Tori looked away from the screen and frowned.


    It wasn¡¯t uncommon for someone to knock on her study door, in fact it happened nearly every day at some point or another. The problem was this knock didn¡¯t come from the door but instead from the desk in the corner of the room.


    Tori stood and pulsed her domain for a fraction of a second. She used her considerable will to isolate and unravel any magics or skills that she hadn¡¯t made. The action was futile as nothing was revealed to her. She approached the desk, looking for something that might have shifted to make the knocking sound.


    No, it was 3 knocks. Evenly timed and of matching sound. Hmmm. Tori had just reached her desk when she felt another presence. A familiar presence that was behind her. Tori whipped around and saw that person now sitting in the chair she had recently vacated.


    Mekristi, The Bearer of Absolution was now sitting in her chair and watching the display playing the cartoon. Tori just sighed. ¡°You could have just knocked on the door like a normal person. But now that we are here, please, sit stay a while.¡± She put a little sarcasm into her words.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± Whispered the tiny assassin that could apparently sneak into anywhere she pleased.


    Tori grumbled as she sat on the couch opposite the lounge chair. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± She truly was curious. It had been a couple weeks since she invited the new goddess to join her organization but hadn¡¯t heard a peep from her.


    ¡°I found one.¡± She whispered, turning from the cartoon to look directly at Tori with her slightly too large and too attentive eyes.


    Waving her hand in the ¡®get on with it¡¯ motion Tori urged her to continue. ¡°I am going to need more information than that.¡±


    Looking slightly confused before realization hit her, Mekristi quickly added on to her statement. ¡°I found someone I want to make a prime.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news. What does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°I thought you needed to know?¡± Mekristi said, clearly confused.


    ¡°Not really but why don¡¯t you show them to me.¡± Tori figured she should humor her newest ally for a little while.


    Nodding, Mekristi summoned a screen and showed a very familiar looking construct.


    ¡°You know Matt is my prime right?¡± Tori was confused. Was the assassin actually telling her that she wanted to take her prime?


    Scoffing, Mekristi adjusted her screen. ¡®Ugh. No. Not Matt. He is good but not the right fit for me.¡± The screen seemed to move through the hull of the construct to show the interior. It then focused on the person sitting directly behind Matt. ¡°Her. I want her.¡±


    Tori watched for a few moments, taking in everything she could about the young versipellan. An interesting choice if she didn¡¯t say so herself. While she didn¡¯t know exact details, she knew that the changeling had a conceptual affinity and a unique trait.


    ¡°Hmm. That is interesting. What do you need from me?¡±


    Mekristi bobbed her head. ¡°I would like you to inform Matt about it, so he isn¡¯t¡­ surprised, by the encounter. He seems to be rather, ah, violent when startled.¡±


    Laughing, Tori agreed. ¡°Indeed, he can be. I will tell him but give them a couple days to get out of the mountains. I want to see what he plans for that vampire creature.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Great and whi¡­¡± Tori began to say before looking over and noticing that the other goddess had vanished. Not only had she visibly disappeared, but she also didn¡¯t even leave a trace of her aura or mana when she did. Sighing, she turned back only to see the screen had vanished too. ¡°I feel like I bit off more than I can chew here.¡±


    *****


    ¡°Why wont the fucking thing coalesce?¡± Tobias slapped his hand on his desk before yelling. ¡°Just project you fuckity fuck!¡± He sighed heavily realizing his yelling was getting him nowhere on his project. Even his upgraded inspect skill was giving him no help.


    Deduce (Legendary)


    An upgraded version of the inspect spell that is given to all sentient beings of the System. Deduce allows the user to inspect an object then get a return on its nature. Returned information is based on users¡¯ knowledge. Returned information may have false positives.


    Tobias sighed heavily for a second time. He was getting nowhere and had spent the last few days cooped up in his lab working on this project. The only break he had was after electrocuting himself and having to sit quietly until the rampant electrical mana dispersed from his system.


    He decided to that a little stroll might be for the best and left his lab to do a couple laps around the city. He liked to do some light exploring every couple of days since so much was changing, due to the influx of people and expansion of the wall¡¯s borders. It also helped with his general knowledge of the city and its people. He thought it was a good idea to know who might be able to help him or might need help from him.


    He strolled down one of the spokes near the center of the industrial section of the city. Mostly because it was close to the forge but also because that¡¯s where he could offer the most help if someone needed it. It wasn¡¯t long before someone needing his help came along.


    ¡°Hello Venri.¡± Tobias said as he walked up next to the dwarf. ¡°Where are you off to?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Morning Tobias.¡± She said, startling slightly as she had been deep in thought. ¡°I am going to try out some of the newer formula for my ammunition.¡± She held up a small vial of the stuff. ¡°I am moving on to using the glass that Kurt made not too long before the event.¡±


    Tobias took the container from her and looked at the pale blue, glowing liquid. ¡°Do you use these because you need to have the liquid in glass?¡±


    ¡°No not at all.¡± Venri said and pulled out one of her moon clips. ¡°These are the perfect size for dipping and my ammunition pouch fits one of those vials perfectly.¡±


    Tobias slowed a bit before stopping as he looked at the ring of cartridges, Venri naturally stopping with him. They stood in the middle of the street like a couple idiots for a moment until Tobias asked his question. ¡°Are you for some reason limited to using that carbine?¡± he gestured at the large bore revolving rifle slung over her shoulder.


    Venri shook her head. ¡°No. It¡¯s just what I have.¡±


    Tobias nodded along. ¡°Does this material need any certain velocity to work?¡± he tapped the glass vial he held.


    ¡°Umm, no? But I will say that more is better. Its part of the reason I haven¡¯t tried to pick up one of the rifles like the recon folks use.¡± She kicked at the ground. ¡°But I wish I had the capacity or rate of fire. Then I would have quite the weapon.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy do I have something I think you are going to like.¡± He said and turned around to head back to the forge. ¡°If you just want the surface area of the round and don¡¯t care much about range there is a solution, we have available.¡±


    Venri had to take he steps very quick to keep up with Tobias. ¡°What solution? I already tried that shotgun think from Lisk but it was a bit much.¡±


    ¡°You know about machineguns, right?¡±


    Venri nodded. ¡°Yeah, its kinda the main thing we arm the wall with.¡±


    Tobias smiled in a way that wasn¡¯t at all reassuring. ¡°Have you ever heard of a sub machinegun?¡±

 Chapter 76 – Trying New Things

    Chapter 76 ¨C Trying New Things


    ¡°Right on schedule.¡± Matt observed. He didn¡¯t move, just sitting and waiting for the creature to approach him and make its move. He could feel the anticipation from Van and Echo who watched at a distance, ready to intervene if needed.


    The energy vampire was closing in on him at its usual creeping pace. Its density was variable, and Matt had noted that it moves slower as its density decreased. He was using his detection field from his upgraded helmet to monitor its progress and wait for the perfect time to spring a trap.


    He continued sitting, back against a rock, as the creature approached. He could feel the first pulls on his mana reserves as it began to form itself around him. It began to condense into a sort of doughnut shape, surrounding him as he continued to do nothing.


    Slowly, the creature brought its mass together and formed the ring as it began to spin. It rotated slowly at first before picking up more and more speed. The faster it spun, the faster its body coalesced and the greater focus it took for Matt to resist the pull.


    Finally, Matt couldn¡¯t see or sense anything outside the ring. It surprised him that the ring was a sort of green color, looking similar to an aurora back on Earth. Holding back his rapidly building anger at the creature that had been a constant annoyance since they entered the mountain range, Kurt cast his spell.


    The domain spell was cast at its maximum level, taking more concentration and energy but also having the greatest effect, despite the limited area. The next thing he did was make a box. A very big and very harmful box.


    The attack or rather the defense consisted of two parts. The domain spell would start to cause damage and then feed resources back to Matt. It also limited the abilities of the energy vampire enough that he could get his mana construct shaped. The box literally sealed them inside and the vampiric mist was not getting out unless it wanted to get severely burned.


    This was the critical juncture since, if the creature was smart, it would just call it quits and bolt, pushing through the mana barrier before it became dense enough to stop it. Luckily for Matt, the creature was pretty damn stupid.


    He felt the pull on his resources increase as his attack began, trying to pull mana from him to fuel its own recovery. His will was still strong enough to prevent this but that was failing as the creature pulled harder and his other spells went on.


    He could see the edges of the cloud starting to shrink and, unlike when it grew denser, this time it was losing mass. The far edges began to get thinner and thinner until they were completely gone, burned away by his domain. Then he brought the walls of his box in.


    When the box shrank, it became stronger, less permeable. It also became easier to manage since it was closer to him and a smaller area. Matt brought the box right up to the edge of the swirling cloud, pressing against it a little and seeing the dull plasma barrier glow from the contact.


    The creature tried to push against the walls, only to find anything that touched it was burned away. The few scraps that did make it through dissipated and burned from the residual mana and no longer being a part of the original ¡®body¡¯.


    Suddenly, there was a lurching sensation, and the creature shifted its shape to be more of an egg shape. Almost but not quite a sphere as the ring all started flowing into the single point. It was from this egg that a tendril of energy lashed out.


    Before, the tendrils that had touched and probed at Matt were very faint and nearly impossible to detect, but this one was different, and he felt it slap against him. It wrapped around his torso and began to pull at his mana in a much more intense fashion that he couldn¡¯t begin to resist. The fight had just entered the attrition phase.


    Matt, thankfully, had a plan for this. Well, a plan was a bit of a stretch, but he at least had an idea since he considered the possibility. He condensed his box even further, bringing the walls in so it was just him and the, now sphere like, monster inside. While he had pretty much trapped himself inside a box with the thing, he also controlled the box.


    Suddenly a wall was created that moved from the floor of the box to the ceiling, cutting through the tendril in its slow path upward. The vampiric tendril tried to shift and move as the wall rose, but it eventually ran out of places to go and was severed as it became caught between the roof and a blade of plasma based mana.


    Gasping as the tendril squeezed and thrashed, causing physical pain, Matt focused on his domain spell and began condensing it in on himself. The tendril was slowly burned away, fading as the ghostly fires consumed it and returned the energy to Matt.


    ¡°Right, time to finish this.¡± Matt said to himself as he stood up and rubbed at where the tendril had tried to wrap around his neck. ¡°Should have fucked off when you had the chance.¡± He said to the ball that was trapped in a slowly shrinking box.


    He was slightly disturbed that it made no noise, not even a rustle or vibration as it interacted with the environment. Stepping forward, he focused his domain spell into the boxes interior as he began to push new walls through the box, sectioning off parts of the creature that slowly burned away in his area spell.


    Nearly half an hour later, Matt was done, and he got a notification that he immediately checked.


    You have killed Clouded Mana Vampire. Level 52


    Class: Pilot - Gunfighter is now level 60


    Stat points awarded.


    Class: Pilot ¨C Gunfighter Skill selection is available


    Matt heaved a sigh and promptly sat down. Thinking better of sitting on his butt, he laid down instead. ¡°Ugh, that sucked.¡±


    ¡°Are you OK?¡± Ash asked a moment later as she stood at a warry distance. She had watched the whole thing with Van and Echo, keeping a respectful distance away.


    While she had been warry of Matt and his power, Ash now had no doubts about his ability. Watching how he planned and then executed on that was truly unlike anything she had seen since coming into the System. Her previous worries of her trouble following wherever she went were greatly mollified.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just a little tuckered out.¡± Matt replied while stretching out on the gentle slope of the hill. ¡°That took a lot of will.¡± It was his first time actually using will power to actually fight rather than his other resources.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Asked Ash.


    ¡°That spell takes mana to cast but uses willpower afterward. It¡¯s kind of self-sustaining to a certain degree but I lose some benefits if I just let it run on its own.¡± Matt answered and sat back up. ¡°It¡¯s one of those hidden resources. I think Tori called them the back pages of something.¡±


    Ash looked at him like her annoyance should be obvious. ¡°Umm, Matt. I still don¡¯t have a reference to what you are saying. Back pages? Tori? None of it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Well, how about we get moving and I will tell you about the time I met a god?¡±


    They reboarded the mech and set off. Matt answered Ash¡¯s questions as best he could. She was surprised he had a patron, but he also knew she would be getting a taste of divine influence soon based on the message Tori had sent. He also had to skip over some of her follow-up questions on how things worked with a patron.


    The encounter with the mana vampire had taken place in a valley that was sparsely populated by trees but was otherwise wide open. This openness allowed Matt to get up to some rather incredible speeds when factoring in the normal gait of the mech along with his travel ability.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    As predicted, Ash had gotten a little uncomfortable with the skill being used but she was able to adjust after an hour of travel over the hills and valleys. Matt couldn¡¯t use the skill when climbing the ridgelines, which had given her little breaks between its uses to adjust. She had unfortunately not done so well with the first teleport.


    He forewarned her about the skill and made sure that she had the plastic bag in hand before he used the skill. It wasn¡¯t just for kicks either since this route took him over some swampy areas that he didn¡¯t want to test his luck with. Needless to say, they took a break after the first one for her to jump out and stumble behind a rock.


    Matt pointedly ignored the sounds that followed since it reminded him of his own first experience with the teleport and he had a sympathetic stomach. Also, since they barely had to eat, it was mostly the stomach going through the routine without the satisfaction of actually getting much of anything up.


    ¡°All better?¡± Matt asked and handed her a canteen from his ring.


    ¡°That was awful.¡± Ash moaned and took the water from him with a nod of thanks.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, the first time I used the skill was just as bad and I still had my helmet sealed.¡± He laughed. ¡°Talk about a race against the clock.¡±


    It was at that point that Van decided to weigh in. ¡°He also fell to all fours and was out for the count for a couple minutes. You handled it much better, Ash.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Matt shouted indignantly. ¡°Who¡¯s side are you on?¡±


    ¡°I thought we were all friends here? When did we pick sides?¡± Van asked in a very loud whisper that was not a whisper at all, but a strange filter effect applied to his external speaker.


    Matt had to admit, the core¡¯s sense of humor and personality were growing. Growing fast too considering that they didn¡¯t actually socialize very much with others. He thought that the little trip with another pilot and awakened core might do them both some good.


    Both pilots climbed back in the mech and set off once more. ¡°Hey, Van.¡± Matt said. ¡°Can you take over for a few minutes, I need to look at my skill options. It shouldn¡¯t be long since I thought I saw one, I really want.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Van said and Matt felt the control slip from his mind.


    Opening the System message, Matt reviewed the list he had looked at before. A bunch of navigation and trailblazing skills but there was one little gem hidden in the list.


    Projectile Guidance. (Epic)


    Guide and alter the flight of your projectiles. Amount of influence and distance vary based on Perception and Intelligence. Degree of guidance varies based on nature of projectile.


    Yeah, that¡¯s the one.<u> </u>Matt thought to himself as he selected the skill and felt the knowledge infiltrate his core and mind. Immediately he knew it would take a lot of practice and wouldn¡¯t be very useful for his higher velocity guns. At least not at anything resembling close range.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it back, Van.¡± Matt said after the selection finished.


    The core was silent for a minute before rumbling in his mind. ¡±So, good skill?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a way to guide the flight of bullets and other projectiles.¡± Matt answered. He didn¡¯t want to share that with Ash just yet. ¡±I think that its going to really be something with the Carl G.¡±


    Van agreed with his assessment after he filled the core in on what the skill told him outright. They talked briefly about the possibilities and how they would employ it but ultimately it came down to what all his other skills had, testing.


    Matt would need to experiment with the skill to figure out exactly how it worked and what it was capable of. Fortunately for him, that testing would come sooner than expected as he poked his head over the next ridge line and saw what littered the valley below. Bugs.


    *****


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s try that one in the back.¡± Matt said and took aim with the autocannon. He fired and watched the round zip out over the corpses of bugs closes to him. Its course began to veer slightly as the skill went into effect or rather, the effect was more noticeable.


    The level 32 beetle was struck in the side and then exploded as the round reacted and detonated inside. His initial assessment of the skill was mostly right, but they found that it worked a little different than expected.


    His skill allowed him to alter the flight of the projectile, but it was only noticeable at extended ranges. This was because it was slowing down enough to actually be influenced. His rifle and the autocannon were the worst offenders, given their high velocity projectiles. His rockets were another matter.


    The rockets were much more responsive, due to their reduced muzzle velocity and he found that he could do some interesting things. The primary thing he liked to do was correct for target movement, easily hitting creatures that had moved erratically. He also found that it could work as a pseudo top-down attack at longer ranges if he fired at an upward angle.


    The big surprise for the day was that a hand grenade counted as a projectile when thrown. Ash had suggested trying it after getting tired of him shooting into the bugs and being hit with the back blast of the launcher. He didn¡¯t have the best throwing arm but the skill more than made up for his lack of precision.


    ¡°Are we done here?¡± Van asked. ¡°You have killed hundreds of the things testing your new skill. I am sure Ash is not appreciating the delay.¡±


    Ash quickly held up her hands. ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t mind. Please stay as long as you want.¡± She definitely did not want to disrupt his practice, regardless of how repetitive it seemed to her.


    ¡°Ash, I am trying to get him to move on and stop playing with himself.¡± Van said in that fake whisper again.


    Matt sighed, ignoring the core and the sputtering from Ash as she laughed into her hand. ¡°Yeah, probably right. All the high-level ones are dead anyway. I just hate leaving these alive.¡± He began moving off, headed along the ridge to finally cross down into the grass lands with the tree islands.


    ¡°They are horrible creatures.¡± Ash agreed. She also didn¡¯t like the insect types of monsters.


    ¡°Wait, you hate bugs too?¡± Matt asked, barely keeping from stopping to talk with her.


    ¡°Umm, yes? They are fucking gross.¡± Ash shivered. ¡°Ugh. Disgusting creatures.¡±


    ¡°I knew there was something I liked about you.¡± Matt said. ¡°Just wish I had a spell to blanket the whole area with my plasma.¡±


    ¡°Plasma? Ash asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s my affinity.¡± Matt replied as he slid his way down the slopes. ¡°What¡¯s yours by the way. I don¡¯t think you mentioned it.¡±


    Ash flushed and shrank into her seat. ¡°I don¡¯t have one apparently.¡± She muttered.


    This time Matt did stop. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°On my status sheet it says ¡®Null¡¯ so I assume it means nothing.¡±


    ¡°Did you get offered any spells or anything in your skill selections?¡± Matt was truly curious since, according to Tori, everyone had some sort of affinity and often multiple with only one being listed.


    ¡°Well, I picked one called ¡®barrier¡¯ that is supposed to project a mana shield based on the affinity you have.¡± Ash said. ¡°But mine just doesn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, hop out, we are testing something.¡± Matt said and knelt down so they could easily climb out of the mech. ¡°Go ahead and project the barrier spell.¡±


    Ash took a couple steps back and held out a hand. He watched as¡­ nothing happened. ¡°Its active. I told you, nothing ever happens.¡± She said.


    Matt had a suspicion however and wasn¡¯t about to let it slide. ¡°Can I try something? Just don¡¯t panic.¡± He then created a mana construct.


    The shape that Matt went with was a pole that extended from the ground and inched its way toward Ash at a moderate pace, easily avoided if needed. Once the end of the pole got withing a meter of her, it began to dissolve, breaking apart into small motes that drifted off.


    ¡°Aha!¡± He shouted. ¡°I just fucking knew it.¡± He pumped a fist and canceled his spell.


    Ash just blinked and stared at where the mana construct had begun to evaporate. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Null is short for nullify or nullification. Or at least that¡¯s my bet.¡± Matt said while somehow looking very smug while wearing a fully enclosed helmet.


    ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡± Ash said as her eyes took on the distant look of someone reading their status. ¡°It is Nullification. The rest of that line just filled in.¡±


    ¡°Fuck yeah.¡± Matt held out a fist.


    Ash stared at the fist.


    Things got a little awkward.


    ¡°Umm, what do I do here?¡± she asked after looking from his fist to his still helmeted face.


    Matt sighed, his head drooping. ¡°Just hold your fist out for a minute.¡± He said and she did as asked. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± he then tapped her fist with his.


    Ash looked at him like he was crazy for a minute before asking the pressing question on the tip of her tongue. ¡°Umm, what is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a celebratory expression, kinda like a high five.¡±


    ¡°Right and what is a high-five?¡±


    ¡°Hold up your hand like this.¡± Matt showed her. ¡°Then we slap hands together.¡± He gave her a moderately firm, but still crisp and neat, high five to demonstrate.


    ¡°And this is common in your city?¡± she was giving him an awful lot of side eye.


    ¡°Nah, more from my home world, but what can you do.¡± Matt said with a shrug. ¡°Anyway, lets experiment with your affinity later, after we get some miles behind us. You can think about how to use it while we travel.¡±


    They climbed back into the mech and set off for the other side of the valley. Putting one more obstacle between them and the tower Ash came from. While Matt was anxious for a good fight, Ash was anxious to get away from the source of her troubles.


    *****


    Unbeknownst to the initiates, the System observed the interaction, satisfied that it didn¡¯t need to intervene in the changeling¡¯s status menu. It noted once more that fates and paths often converged more than they diverged for the beings under its umbrella.


    Out of curiosity and naturally trying to make predictions, the System referenced the changeling¡¯s previous skill offerings. It noted that she had been offered some powerful skills in the past. It then reviewed the recordings of those skill selections and noted the frustration she showed when reading the offerings.


    Perhaps things will change, now that they have met. The System thought to itself as it began to shift its attentions elsewhere but still allocating a significant amount of processing power to Matt and his planet.

 Chapter 77 – Calling in Experts

    Chapter 77 ¨C Calling in Experts


    ¡°What are they like?¡± Ash asked. They had gotten back onto the topic of the gods and how they pretty much now own Matt¡¯s city.


    ¡°Do you mean their personalities or¡­¡± Matt had paused halfway up the slope that would lead down into the small rolling hills that bordered the grasslands.


    Ash mumbled for a moment before speaking a little louder. ¡°I mean what is it like meeting one of them. Its already strange to know that there are so many, when I grew up with our pantheon only having a few.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you will see at some point. It¡¯s really something you have to experience for yourself. I don¡¯t feel anything from them since I am from outside the System boundaries.¡± Matt set out once more, navigating his way through the slightly denser tree cover. He wasn¡¯t trying to be coy but also had been told by Tori to not give anything away.


    He suddenly thought about how these gods intercepted the people they wanted to talk to. Or at least how they did it with the world they were on, since they could just walk up to anyone at the Exchange. The reason he thought this was currently materializing right in front of him.


    He had plotted his course down the slope and through the rolling foothills before committing to the descent. He knew what was supposed to be on his path and what wasn¡¯t. A sudden darkened area that resembled the forest just after sunset was definitely not what he had seen before.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Ash asked. ¡°Why is it suddenly dark?¡± She had adjusted well to life inside his mech and took to watching the display like a hawk, so she immediately noticed when things changed. She then gasped. ¡°How!¡±


    ¡°I think you are about to experience the answer to your earlier question.¡± Matt said and pushed forward. The terrain had changed from wooded hillside to something that resembled a barren hillside with a derelict fort, its fortifications beginning to crumble, with the keep still partly lit.


    Matt pushed through the portcullis, having to slide between the doors that were hanging open. The inner courtyard was in a similar state of neglect with stacks of boxes fallen over, their lower levels having rotted away. There was a low platform in the center with a flagpole sticking out. The flag atop that pole had a long diagonal slash running from the top corner to the far edge, slicing through the iconography in the middle and leaving the rectangular flag as two streamers.


    ¡°Matt, I don¡¯t like this.¡± Ash said as she began fidgeting in her seat, tugging at the harness she wore. ¡°This isn¡¯t supposed to be here.¡±


    ¡°Just relax. Everything is going to work out fine.¡± He stopped next to the platform and crouched. The front hatches opened, and he hopped out, landing just at the edge of a path leading to the central keep.


    ¡°Matt!¡± Ash called from the cockpit before cursing under her breath as she fought with the buckle on her harness. ¡°What are¡­¡± She was suddenly silenced as a pressure descended.


    Right in front of Matt, standing on the steps of the keep, a figure appeared. She was short, slim and almost ethereal in nature. He thought that if he didn¡¯t look directly at her, she would vanish.


    ¡°Mekristi, it¡¯s good to finally meet you.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, prime of The Warden.¡± Came the whispered reply.


    Matt would have shivered at the voice that came from behind the half mask but needed to press onward. ¡°You here for Ash?¡±


    The goddess in front of him tilted her head to the side and her eyes flickered to the open hatch of the mech. ¡°You know the answer already.¡± Her whispered voice was a flat monotone but still he detected the hint of smirk.


    ¡°Yup, but I was talking for her.¡± He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. ¡°She is a bit frozen at the moment.¡± Matt had noticed that Ash had stopped dead in her tracks halfway out the hatch.


    Mekristi nodded. ¡°Indeed. I should have considered the nature of the question. I offer compensation for the misunderstanding.¡±


    Matt waved his hand. ¡°I am good on favors, just pass it on to her if you can.¡± He then turned to the woman that was still staring at the god, half hanging out of the cockpit. ¡°Hey, Ash. You need to get down. This is Mekristi, otherwise known as The Bearer of Absolution. She wants to have a talk with you, and I assume she wants it in private?¡±


    He had turned to glance at Mekristi who nodded and held out her hand. ¡°Come, child. We must convene.¡± Ash¡¯s face turned as white as snow.


    Matt had taken off his helmet after confirming the situation and regretted it as he wasn¡¯t able to suppress his eye roll. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s some creepy shit.¡±


    ¡°D-d-do you k-know her?¡± Ash managed to force the words out of her mouth. He could almost hear the grinding of her teeth.


    ¡°Yeah, well, kinda.¡± Matt had to hedge a little. ¡°She is a subordinate to my patron. Apparently, she¡¯s new to the whole ¡®having blessed¡¯ thing.¡±


    Ash looked from Matt to the outstretched hand from Mekristi then back to Matt. ¡°Can you come with me?¡±


    Looking to Mekristi, he saw the slight shrug of her left shoulder. ¡°Yeah, if it makes you feel better, I can come along.¡± Matt said. ¡°I promise to keep your conversation secret.¡±


    Mekristi looked at him and raised a questioning eyebrow that he could barely see under her cowl. ¡°Even from The Eternal Warden?¡±


    ¡°Yup, even from her.¡±


    Apparently, that was enough to satisfy the goddess since she turned and beckoned them to enter the keep. Ash and Matt started after her with him slightly in the lead. He did notice that she had gripped onto his free hand as they walked. When he glanced at it, she immediately let go but he did reassure her that everything was ok.


    As he had observed from outside the walls, the central keep was the only thing that was still maintained and even had some light flickering in the windows. The hall they entered was spacious and warm but poorly lit, a central fire cast shadows with the numerous pillars around the edge of the middle space.


    Next to the fireplace was a set of rather plush furniture that looked like it was arranged to seat a dozen people to talk comfortably. They were guided to the seats farthest from the fire. Mekristi sat on one couch while they took the other that was pulled into facing hers.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Matt looked at the goddess that sat across from them as she stared in silence. He was being polite and letting her lead the conversation, but as the silence stretched with her not making a move he had to intervene.


    ¡°So¡­ why are we here?¡± Matt led with an easy question.


    Mekristi looked at him then recognition seemed to dawn on her face. ¡°Ah, right. Ash, will you be my prime?¡±


    Matt facepalmed. He literally smacked his hand to his forehead and pulled it down his face. Ash was both confused and suppressed by the inherent nature of the goddess so she could barely speak let alone hold a conversation.


    ¡°Tori!¡± Matt said. ¡°Help her, please.¡±


    Suddenly there was a screech and a rumble from outside. They all looked to the far end of the hall and a moment later, they heard a knock at the door. Matt turned back to Mekristi. ¡°Are you going to let her in?¡±


    Ash was now, curious, confused and suppressed which is why Matt wasn¡¯t surprised when her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted, slumping against his left shoulder. Their host got to her feet and went to answer the door.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Hello Mekristi.¡± Tori said with a nod as she looked around the main hall of the keep. ¡°Nice to see you haven¡¯t changed much about the place.¡±


    ¡°Warden Victoria.¡± Mekristi bowed her head. ¡°How may I be of assistance?¡±


    ¡°My prime saw fit to invoke me to this pocket dimension, and I chose to answer.¡± Tori explained as she stepped around the other goddess and walked over to the couches. She saw Matt laying Ash down on the couch while he slid out from beside her.


    ¡°Hey, can you help coach her on how to have this conversation?¡± Matt asked when he noticed Tori standing at the edge of the rug with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. ¡°She needs some help with this, I think.¡±


    Matt then explained what had happened so far in the encounter and Tori gave her fellow god a lot of side eye. ¡°I only have so much time since I had to negotiate with the System over this. Frankly if it weren¡¯t for it having a liking for my prime, I don¡¯t think it would have allowed this encounter.¡±


    ¡°I would of course appreciate your guidance in this matter.¡± Mekristi said in her monotone whisper of a voice.


    ¡°Great, here is what you need to do¡­.¡±


    *****


    When Ash next awoke it was in a much different atmosphere. Oh, the derelict keep, and the poorly lit hall were still the same but the oppressive weight of the goddess¡¯s presence was no longer smothering her. She noticed that she was laying down on the couch rather than sitting and quickly righted herself.


    Matt was off in the corner talking to someone. She didn¡¯t know who, but the woman was tall, well built and wearing very utilitarian clothing. They noticed her moving and the woman clapped Matt on the shoulder before nodding toward Mekristi then vanishing.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake.¡± Matt said and chuckled to himself. ¡°Anyway, back to business.¡±


    ¡°Who was¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, I am positive we can talk about that later, but we have used enough of Mekristi¡¯s allotted time.¡± Matt said then looked to the goddess who had been sitting unnoticed in the chair the entire time. ¡°Go on, like we practiced.¡±


    ¡°Ash, I would like to have a talk about an offer I have for you.¡± Mekristi whispered.


    Looking to Matt, Ash saw him nod then extend his thumb at her. She just assumed it meant to proceed. ¡°What kind of offer?¡±


    ¡°As you know, Matt is a prime disciple of Victoria, The Eternal Warden. I would like to offer you a similar role under me.¡± Mekristi began and slowly picked up speed in her explanation. ¡°I have watched you and learned of your struggles via the System. I feel that we are kindred spirits and walk a similar path.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ash was much more relaxed now that the divine auras were lessened. ¡°How is my path similar to that of a god?¡±


    Mekristi¡¯s eyes scrunched and made Matt think she smiled behind her mask. ¡°In this case have walked and will walk are implied. You are not the only one who¡¯s past haunted them despite crossing the planes.¡±


    After a brief moment the goddess continued. ¡°I suppose the main difference is the time I had to make sure my past was dead and buried.¡±


    ¡°And you can help me?¡± Ash asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to begin or how to actually do what I need to do.¡±


    Mekristi looked at her with a slight head tilt. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that yet, only that you wish to know then will have the will to act. In fact, the threats will only grow as time goes on.¡±


    ¡°But where do I start?¡± Ash asked in a nearly begging tone.


    Nodding to Matt, Mekristi eased her worry. ¡°He was the right place to start. Fate clings to him like all of his race. This one just has the ability to actually do what needs to be done.¡± Matt frowned at the words but didn¡¯t otherwise speak. ¡°So, to my offer?¡±


    Ash took a moment, holding up a finger while she thought. Eventually, the concentration eased from her face, and she looked back to the god. ¡°I accept.¡±


    ¡°Take my hand.¡± Mekristi said, extending her palm to Ash, who took it, then suddenly tensed.


    Matt knew from personal experience what was happening and just waited patiently. The moment passed and Ash was able to retrieve her hand while Mekristi slumped, thoroughly exhausted from the experience. After a few moments, she was able to recover enough to speak but it once more underlined how much power Tori had compared to some other gods.


    ¡°Go now. Continue on your journey.¡± Mekristi said. ¡°I will be contacting you soon, my prime.¡±


    They said their goodbyes and quickly left. Matt pushing Ash onward despite her wanting to stop and ask questions. ¡°Keep moving, we need to get out soon so she can collapse the space before the System does.¡±


    Matt all but threw her into the cockpit before jumping up himself. Van had them moving before either were buckled in. They were halfway through the gate before Matt was actually able to take over.


    ¡°What is the rush, why do we need to run?¡± Ash was asking while fidgeting with her restraints again.


    ¡°That is the problem.¡± Matt pointed with the mech, and Ash could see on the screen that the castle began to fade before suddenly being replaced by the forest they were supposed to be in.


    ¡°Wait, were we about to die in there?¡± Ash was suddenly much more upset about the whole encounter and her voice was several octaves higher.


    ¡°Well, no. Wait, kinda?¡± Matt wasn¡¯t sure how to explain what Tori had told him but tried his best. ¡°Pretty much how it works is that the god gets a limited pass from the System to come and bring a part of their realm into the world. While the System allows it, the god in question has to sustain the dimension with their own energy.¡±


    ¡°So, she didn¡¯t have the power to sustain it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Matt was reorienting to their direction of travel. ¡°I called Tori, giving her the authority to enter the space regardless of what Mekristi wanted. That meant two gods were in one small space that the System was allowing for this event. It upped the tax on the event and your new patron still had to pay up.¡± He paused a moment. ¡°But I have a feeling that Tori will be offering compensation.¡±


    Ash, chewed on his words for a minute. ¡°But why did you call her?¡±


    Matt disconnected from the mech and turned in his seat to look at her. ¡°Because, while I don¡¯t know much about The Bearer of Absolution, but I could see that she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Tori, being her kinda boss or partner was just the person to help.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have done something? Maybe helped her? You said that you have done something similar already.¡± Ash was still confused about the whole thing and rightly so. This particular god was a bit on the odd side.


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not my place. I don¡¯t want my records mixed in any more than they already are.¡± Matt reconnected and started moving again. ¡°We already are mixed up together, I don¡¯t need to be involved with your patron too.¡±


    Silence was his companion for a while as he wove through the small hills and fading tree cover. He wasn¡¯t going to disturb Ash while she came to terms with the recent events. He actually felt a little bad for her and all the horrible things she had gone through in such a short time.


    After several minutes, Matts passenger finally spoke up. ¡°I think I need to start getting stronger.¡± She said with conviction. ¡°While I very much want to restore Hope, I want to learn more about how you fight and of your weapons before that happens.¡±


    Matt smiled inside his helmet. ¡°That can be arranged.¡± He just spotted a heard of the deer that he had encountered before. ¡°Let¡¯s start now.¡±


    *****


    ¡°What the fuck did you give her!¡± Jess grabbed Tobias by the front of his shirt and hauled him toward her. ¡°Did you see what that thing does?¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too, Jess.¡± Tobias said with a dry tone. ¡°What did I give to who?¡±


    ¡°The psycho dwarf that literally melts people with every shot. You gave her a gun that lets her do it thirty times in a row and in auto.¡± Jess was still gripping him by the coat but had set him back on his feet. ¡°How did you think that was a good idea?¡±


    Tobias glanced at the hands on his shirt and Jess let him go. ¡°First off, she will be fine. You know as well as I do that her devotion to Matt and her being influenced by her patron will make sure nothing bad happens.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I¡­¡± Jess began as her ears wilted, and she glanced away.


    ¡°And I think the real problem here is that you are just jealous.¡± Tobias continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± She denied.


    Tobias gave her a flat look. ¡°I know you have seen all the other new pilots getting special treatment and you are still stuck with the first generation of weapons that we gave you months ago.¡±


    Jess¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to sound ungrateful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not, just a little frustrated is all.¡± Tobias smiled at her. He reached out his hand and grasped hers. ¡°Do you want me to show you what I have been working on?¡±


    Looking down at her hand joined with Tobias¡¯, she quickly looked around before saying in a low tone. ¡°Toby, you agreed to keep it between us.¡± She hissed. Then after confirming that nobody was looking, she darted forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I would love to see what you are working on.¡±


    ¡°Then right this way.¡± He said and began to lead the way out of the lab. He was slowly getting her more and more comfortable with the little public displays, but she was shy by nature. Something Tobias thought was odd given her strong emotions and air of command with her squad.


    They walked down the main hall of the forge and into one of the assembly rooms where there was a large device sitting in a cradle. ¡°I took some inspiration from the last wave of the event but its largely based on an Earth design.¡± Tobias said while walking her over to the cannon.


    ¡°It looks bigger than the one Matt has.¡± Jess observed.


    Tobias laughed. ¡°That¡¯s because they are.¡± Seeing her confused expression, he explained. ¡°Matts has a bore diameter of 25 millimeters. This one has a bore of 40 millimeters. His is fed through a strange magazine that defies logic, these are charged with ten round clips that eject out the bottom when you are done.¡±


    ¡°You said ¡®they¡¯. Does that mean you have more of them?¡± Jess asked while running her hand down the metal receiver and stocks. She saw the piles of ammunition in a crate next to the work area. On the other side of the assembly room is what looked to be magazine pouches that were scaled up for a construct.


    ¡°Indeed, we have made fifty so far. So, plenty for the people whose class would benefit from them.¡± Tobias said. ¡°I think they will pair nicely when we reforge your construct.¡±


    Jess stood up straight. ¡°What do you mean reforge?¡±


    ¡°It is a little thing I discovered after the latest forge upgrade. Come this way and I can show you what we will be doing over the next few days.¡± He put his arm around her waist and guided her into his personal lab. She was so overwhelmed that she didn¡¯t even protest the affectionate touch and just followed along.


    There was about to be a massive overhaul of the construct corps of Vil¡¯ Krad and Tobias was planning on being the driving force behind it.

 Chapter 78 – Party Time

    Chapter 78 ¨C Party Time


    Watch the left. What was so hard to understand? It was a simple instruction that was not at all being carried out. Matt dove forward to avoid a hail of antlers that came from that direction. He popped up a moment later and fired a long burst into the offending deer, dropping two of them.


    ¡°Need me?¡± Van asked.


    Matt was about to say yes but the grass next to the remaining three deer rippled and an after image of four claws hung in his vision as the remains of the flanking element turned into smoldering shreds. ¡°No, I think we are good.¡± He said back to the radio and repositioned to act as better support by fire for Ash.


    He could also see in the party menu that she was mostly ok. She had drained some resources but not enough to worry him. She had been quite enamored with the party process and had immediately forked over some System credits to get her own version.


    He once more was impressed with the power his familiar displayed. He knew it was a choice the drake made and that it was limiting but also could be flexible like in the above situation. Echo¡¯s path was that of hard-hitting ambushes and takedowns, so he often didn¡¯t handle large groups well.


    ¡°Ash!¡± Matt yelled. ¡°I¡¯m on your right.¡± He called out as he approached the position where his companion was currently fighting for her life.


    He circled around to see Echo take down another of the deer and then disappear into the grass once more. Ash had holed up behind a boulder and was trying very hard to gain fire superiority, but the deer were not having it.


    Matt crested the small rise and sent a long burst into the deer¡¯s skirmish line from its flank. The rapid-fire skill drained his magazine in a second, but he had taken down 7 of the remaining deer. That was enough for Ash to get her feet back under her and poke out from behind her cover.


    She worked the lever on her rifle as fast as possible, putting a dozen rounds toward the last few stragglers before having to stow the rifle and drew a revolver. Matt was impressed with how fast she could run that rifle but was not impressed with the caliber.


    It hit hard up close but was not so great at any significant distance. It appeared to be analogous to some of the older Winchester rifles from Earth but was bottom loading rather than using a side gate. It also ejected cases almost vertically but not with very much force.


    Taking aim, Matt put down one of the last few while she popped out and fired two rounds at another. Both hit which stunned him due to the range being nearly a two hundred meters. He would happily admit that she was a great shot with shitty guns.


    He was just taking aim at the last one when it vanished under a pile of black scales that appeared from its side. Scanning the open grass lands, there was no sign of any more of the creatures. He once more scanned one of the carcasses just to be sure of its identity.


    Trunked Brown Ruminant. Level 40


    It appeared to be a variant of the ones he had encountered long before finding the city. He briefly reminisced about those worry-free times before walking over to where Ash was stuffing rounds through the loading gate of her rifle.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the ability, then don¡¯t accept the job.¡± He said in a stern tone.


    ¡°I had the fucking ability but wasn¡¯t expecting to get swarmed by two dozen of them all shooting antlers at me.¡± Ash spat back. ¡°There weren¡¯t any of these in the delta so I had no idea that they would fight at range and refuse to close with me.¡±


    ¡°So, your whole strategy is to bait them into a melee?¡± Matt asked while beginning to store bodies and pointedly ignoring the sounds Echo was making while eating his latest kill.


    Ash took a deep breath to calm her temper before replying. ¡°That was the strategy of everyone in the tower. The guns were too slow to reload so fights always came down to melee. Almost every encounter had four stages. The long range, mid-range, short range and melee. As you can see, I am only equipped for mid-range and in.¡±


    Matt hummed and looked over her equipment. ¡°Yeah, we are fixing that shit as soon as possible.¡± then he thought of something. ¡°Did you want any of there?¡± he held up the deer-like creature by its neck and waved it. ¡°I was just going to cook some and turn the rest over to the crafters.¡±


    ¡°No, its fine.¡± Ash said. ¡°Can we look for some more melee fights for me? Nothing against you, but I can¡¯t match you in the range department.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are some good opportunities in the islands.¡± He said and turned to face Van who had come walking up.


    Ash tilted her head and looked at him. ¡°Islands?¡±


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s easier to show you.¡± Matt said.


    Once they were buckled in, Matt began to run. The long strider skill making the kilometers literally vanish as he began crossing back over the sea of grass, passing some of the smaller tree islands. He was going to try to find a bigger one along their route so the beasts would be of an appropriate level.


    Ash was glued to the display in front of her, eyes scanning everything they passed. She had taken to the enhanced visual display with a startling ease, adapting far faster than the commando teams. She was also quite enamored with the thermal overlay, having declared it the best hunting tool she had ever seen.


    ¡°I see what you mean by islands. With the wind moving the grass, it almost looks like a sea.¡± She commented after a couple hours of travel. ¡°How long will it take us to cross?¡±


    Matt thought about it for a moment. ¡°If I went flat out, I could probably make it in two days. But I plan to stop in a couple of the larger islands for some exploring and we also have the dragons to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Dragons?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, wyverns. Bastards are persistent and tough.¡± He began filling her in on the details before just pulling up the recording for her.  She watched the two encounters and even replayed them a few times.


    ¡°Do you record all your fights?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Actually, pretty much everything is recorded. I tend to dump the waste files like when I am setting up camp and things like that but every fight I have had since upgrading my helmet is on there.¡± Matt answered as he singled out one of the largest groups of trees he had seen so far.


    ¡°What do you do with them?¡± Ash was wondering why he would bother with the practice.


    Matt had to think about it for a second before replying. ¡°Well, it is one of the favorite pastimes of the classers back in Krad. They always like watching the footage. Actually, this one time in the bath house¡­¡± He began telling her the story of when he was still new to the city and tried to make friends with Rohm dragging him into a public bath to socialize.


    ¡°You have public baths?¡± Ash seemed curious about them. ¡°We had them back in my home. They were actually one of the few holdovers from human culture that we kept.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we have at least one. I don¡¯t know if any others have popped up since I have been gone though.¡± Matt stopped at the edge of the trees, waiting for his detection field to fill in. ¡°Anyway, we are here.¡±


    Crouching, he and Ash dismounted and began creeping into the trees, pushing through the brush at the edge. They silently stalked forward until they found the first creature they could actually hunt. This was a species that Matt hadn¡¯t seen before and quickly identified it.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Rock Crusher Ape. Level 53


    Waiting and watching the two-and-a-half-meter tall creature, Matt also picked up a few more returns on his detection field at the extreme range. Likely more of the apes and he compared the image he had to the one he detected with Van.


    ¡°Do you want him?¡± He asked Ash.


    She looked the creature over a little as it fussed over something it had pulled from the dirt. ¡°Yeah, I got this one.¡± She stepped out from behind cover and shuffled to flank the creature. Matt could see she was positioning to be directly behind it when she¡­


    The ape suddenly turned and whipped its arm out. There was crack-zip before a loud smack echoed through the woods. The ape had pivoted on its short legs and used its overly long arm to fling a stone at remarkable speed toward Ash.


    Matt saw her duck, dropping back and to her right as the creature turned and threw the rock. The tree that had been behind her suddenly had bits of shattered stone poking out of it from where the rock had impacted its trunk.


    Ash popped up from the other side of the tree she ducked behind and fired a trio of shots, two of which went wide but the first one had hit the ape in its shoulder. The big monkey screeched in pain and frustration before grabbing another rock and winding up for a pitch.


    Ducking back into cover, Ash circled around, moving farther from Matt and using the trees as cover to hide her darting movements. After a half second, the ape threw its second stone and she popped up farther away to fire another trio of rounds at it. This time all three hit, stitching up its side from a much closer range.


    The ape decided that it couldn¡¯t quite match her in ranged so it would try for melee and summoned a stone club from the ground. Matt watched with morbid curiosity as the club materialized from the soft, loamy dirt.


    While the ape had stopped to get its club, Ash emptied the remainder of her magazine tube into the creature¡¯s chest, hoping to get a lucky shot but failed. When he thought she was going to draw her revolver, she actually pulled out a strange, long handle short bladed weapon.


    It looked to Matt like a Zulu spear but with a cross guard and a more sword shaped blade. He then watched in fascination as she used some sort of lunge ability and swiped a cut across the ape¡¯s biceps, cutting to the bone and making the arm go limp.


    She didn¡¯t stop and continued past the creature before pivoting and slashing at the back of its knee. Once more, the strange blade easily parted the tendons and the ape suddenly dropped to one knee as she grasped the long handle with both hands and drove the point upward into its skull, just under the ear.


    The ape twitched a few times and fell forward where it spasmed on the ground. Ash the kicked the side of the cross guard, forcibly rotating the weapon in the wound before yanking it out. The kick, and accompanying crunch preceded the System notification and left the ape a spasming heap on the ground.


    ¡°Well fuck me.¡± Matt said after watching and saw her head whip toward him. Her eyes glowed a yellow-orange as she focused on him. That glow then faded a moment later and she huffed a breath like a sigh.


    Ash was just about to open her mouth to speak when a spear the size of a signpost ripped it way through the clearing and glanced off her armor. ¡°Shit.¡± She said and turned to face the three new threats rapidly closing and pulling down tree branches that morphed into spears.


    Wood Forger Ape. Level 54


    Wood Forger Ape. Level 50


    Wood Forger Ape. Level 52


    Another spear hurtled toward the space that Ash had the good sense to vacate after seeing the apes. Matt knew this was his time to step in and raised his rifle. He put a long burst at the leading one, stacking four rounds in its face and sending it to the ground as smoke rose from its thrashing form. He followed that up with a little green ball of fun that landed right next to it.


    The resulting grenade explosion shredded the already weakened ape and caused the others to flinch. He fired the rest of his magazine into a second one as it dove out of the way, trying to use the trees as cover from him imbued rounds.


    While he was chasing that one down, Ash was firing her revolver into the third that had rushed her with an axe shaped branch that seemed to glint like steel. All five of the 12-millimeter rounds smacked into its chest and arms but didn¡¯t penetrate deeper than skin as its muscled hardened.


    Ash could feel her other side now. It was pushing, wanting to enter the fray and take its own pound of flesh from the creatures. She was holding out though, keeping it at bay as she fenced with the ape that was double her height. She knew she was fine as long as Matt could be heard an¡­.


    Whap. The ape feinted with its axe and she braced her sword to deflect the blow that never came. Instead, a foot came arcing up from the opposite corner and caught her in the ribs, folding her over it and launching her like a child¡¯s kickball.


    She soared through the air and came to rest after glancing off a tree. The sight of another rock passing over head told her that the monkeys has back up. She tried to sit but a lancing pain in her ribs made her black out for just a second. A second of time that was more than enough for her other side to seize control in her moment of pain and panic as the instincts surged forth.


    ¡°Oh, Fuuu¡­AAAAAWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±


    *****


    A little over a hundred meters from where Ash had been punted like a football, Matt was having a hell of a time. Not a bad time but a very hectic one. He had dealt with his two apes but quickly found that the ruckus they caused had brought more to their little shindig.


    ¡°Trade.¡± Matt called as he dodged a rock and threw his own back at the ape. It just happed that Matt¡¯s rock was roughly the size of a baseball and green in color with yellow writing on the side.


    Boom. The explosion was followed by a screech of pain which was followed by a short burst of rifle fire which was followed by the sound of thrashing. Matt had managed a combo to force the creature out from its cover so he could shoot it. Now he just had to deal with the other four.


    He quickly teleported backward and right into the path of another wood forger that was rushing at him with a lance leveled for his chest. He tried to dodge but was still smacked by the shaft and sent flying into another tree. The wind was knocked out of his lungs and he fought to take a breath as he felt something in his chest pop back into place.


    Just as he tried to level his rifle at the passing ape, it ran under a low hanging branch. That branch then grew another limb that shot downward and hooked the ape under its chin with razor sharp talons. That limb then turned into a black scaled arm as Echo yanked upward, taking the monkey into the tree limbs where it then proceeded to make awful noises.


    While he would very much like to sit and recover, a shape looming in the trees looked like it had just thrown something. He turned and braced against the tree he had just impacted to fire a few shots when he heard a blood chilling howl. Echo apparently could see what made the noise since a moment later, images flashed in his mind.


    Matt watched in equal parts amazement and surprise as Ash rolled to her knees and hunched. She then kicked her legs backward where they elongated and turned into digitigrade wolfs feet. Her whole form lengthened as swelled, becoming fur covered and packed with dense muscle that rippled just beneath. Her clothing and equipment seemed to merge with her body at some point, just fading and being replaced with bulk.


    A second later a werewolf stood where a human had previously. Matt inspected her for a moment, but the image was quickly lost as he heard more apes thundering through the woods. He looked up to see another trio of the wood variant ones rushing toward him through a gap in the trees.


    Summoning his rocket launcher, Matt took aim and fired. The rocket rushed out, racing to meet the oncoming monkeys. One of them tried to throw something at the projectile but Matt made it jink upward before once more correcting its course to slam right into the first one before penetrating its torso and detonating amidst the two just behind it.


    A muffled ¡®crump¡¯ was followed by a meaty rain a moment later in a now slightly charred section of woods. Echo raced off to intercept another couple apes that were converging on Matt, taking both with its plasma slashing ability.


    Matt once more tried to get out of his current position and teleported once more, headed mostly in the direction the apes came from. He hit the ground just in time to fire a burst into the back of an ape, killing it as its friend lashed out with a stone club and knocked his rifle from his hands, tearing it right off the sling.


    Teleporting and leaving a wave of super-heated plasma in his wake, Matt broke contact and tried to reorient on the fight. He drew his messer and pushed plasma into the edge just as a rather crispy ape wielding a stone club burst from the trees.


    He managed to parry the blow, sending it into the ground but missed his repost. At that very moment, he regretted not taking the skill but began to generate a mana construct to help in the fight. Echo sent him an image of that being the last of the apes and Matt readied himself to get the show over with.


    The ape sized him up for a split second before it charged, hurling a rock at him. Matt was forced to dodge, choosing to teleport out of the way. He was just about to close with the monster when a midnight black shape streaked out of the trees and slammed into his stone wielding opponent.


    Ash had finished off her monkeys and had come to help with the cleanup. He watched carefully, backing away from the fight slowly as it progressed. He had seen and done a lot of very brutal things in his time in the System but what Ash did was a step above.


    He saw a snarling face and flashing claws as the two got into ta rolling, tumbling brawl on the forest floor. Matt also noted that he could feel her emotions now. Not that there was much besides unbridled bloodlust in her aura at the moment, but it was an interesting fact.


    The fight was short lived as Ash clamped her jaws around the ape¡¯s throat and bit down hard before shaking. He could feel a skill being used at that point and wondered if her skills crossed over or if she had different skill selections.


    There was a sudden pop-snap and the monkey quit flailing, hanging limp as Ash continued to shake it, slamming it into the ground a few times. It reminded Matt of the few times he had seen bird dogs retrieve ducks and doing a shake to make sure they were dead.


    The werewolf suddenly dropped the limp monkey and stood to her full height. She slowly turned and leveled her gaze at Matt, locking her yellow-orange eyes with his own blue ones behind his helmet. The two stood there, facing off amongst the aftermath of their fight, both waiting for the other to make a move.

 Chapter 79 – Habitual

    Chapter 79 ¨C Habitual


    Matt and Ash continued their stare down that felt like it went on for days but in reality, was only a few seconds. Neither moved other than slight shifts that were natural to any living being. Finally, Matt¡¯s voice cracked over his external speaker.


    ¡°I have got to admit, that is pretty freaking cool.¡± He said while getting a good look at the nearly 3-meter-tall werewolf.


    Ash¡¯s wolf form was massive with limbs that were slightly too long for its body, but they rippled with muscle under the long black fur. Her face was not completely lupine either, instead having a slightly shorter muzzle and a wider overall shape. Her fur was of a medium length, slightly shaggier along the backs of the arms, legs and tail.


    The feet looked like a cross between a human and a wolf, with long claws that hooked slightly but remained mostly canine. Her hands were a different story. It appeared that the fingers had stretched, elongating more than her size would suggest and likely making her arms look overly long. Each of her fingers was tipped with a much more hooked claw that was only slightly duller than what he would see on the feline hunters.


    All and all, Matt was very impressed but had a very pressing concern. ¡°How do we get you to change back? Oh, wait!¡± he suddenly got an idea and extended his palm out. ¡°Shh, suns getting real low¡­¡± he began before she snorted, rolled her eyes and took a step backward as her body distorted.


    Half a second later, there was Ash, kneeling on the ground and panting slightly. She looked like she had seen better days, with cuts and bruises on her exposed skin. He had to admit, she looked like someone kicked the crap out of her.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± She said in a hoarse voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, its fine. Actually, one of the cooler things I have seen.¡± Matt said and summoned a canteen, tossing it to her.  ¡°Question though. What happened to your things when you shifted? Like your armor and stuff.¡±


    Ash took a long pull from the water before capping it and tossing it back. She stood on legs that only trembled a little before replying. ¡°It was the perk I picked. Back home when you shift, your clothes don¡¯t so it was a constant struggle in a war.¡± She stretched and Matt heard joints pop. ¡°Thankfully, between my perk and trait, I don¡¯t completely loose myself and am completely lucid. For better or worse.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What are they?¡± Matt was curious, he didn¡¯t really know anyone¡¯s perk or trait except Tobias¡¯ but he could guess at some of the others.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± she looked like she didn¡¯t want to answer for a moment. ¡°Ah, fuck it, might as well. My trait is ¡®Lucid Mind¡¯ which pretty much keeps this part of me in control if I shift.¡± She said finally just rolling with it and trusting Matt. ¡°The perk is called ¡®Changeling Convenience¡¯ which deals with all my stuff.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡± Matt said and explained his own before it got awkward. ¡°I have a perk called ¡®Resource Generation¡¯ which just gives me better resource recovery times. My trait is something called ¡®Sovereign Aura Domain¡¯ which seems to not affect you.¡±


    Ash thought for a moment as they began making their way back to Van, Echo trailing behind them as they picked up the bodies of the apes. After clearing all the corpses, they pushed to the edge of the woods to move on.


    ¡°So, I think that your trait did affect me. Well, in my other form.¡± Ash said. ¡°It felt weird. Like when we were having the standoff it felt like¡­ oh, I don¡¯t know. Like I should be excited or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that would be me.¡± Matt admitted. ¡°I thought it was super cool to see a werewolf and couldn¡¯t help my excitement.¡±


    ¡°So, your aura can influence people?¡±


    ¡°And other things. When paired with my affinity it actually kinda sets things on fire. Well, it doesn¡¯t set them on fire per se, but it burns things.¡± He was having a hard time explaining as they climbed back into the cockpit.


    Eventually he just played some of the footage from the city defense, letting her see for herself. After she watched the clip of his fight with the icon, she found the video library and began rolling through a lot of the footage he recorded since landing on the planet.


    He could also see what she was viewing in a little popup icon in the corner of his vision which made it a little awkward when she saw the footage of him taking the armor off at one point. While she switched off of it, she did linger a little longer than absolutely necessary.


    Eventually Van broke the silence. ¡°Matt, while I don¡¯t wish to cut our trip short, we are running low on storage space so any fights will mostly be for the experience gain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, man. That sucks.¡± Matt said. ¡°Did we fill your storage already?¡±


    ¡°Between the wyverns, the water monster and those apes, yes.¡± Van had the tone of a very patient father trying to explain something to his ADHD child.


    ¡°Ash, how are you looking on levels?¡± Matt asked as he turned to head more toward the city rather than the planned looping route.


    She hesitated for a moment and then her eyes lost focus as she reviewed the system messages. ¡°I am up by 3 so that puts me at 52 in total.¡± She seemed to hesitate and keep staring off to space. ¡°Why did I go up so much?¡±


    ¡°Remember when I invited you to the party?¡± Matt said. ¡°All those bugs I killed added up too. We share experience while you are in my party.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well that clears that up.¡± She said. Then was silent for a moment longer. Suddenly her demeanor shifted back to normal, and she looked around the cockpit.


    ¡°Sooo¡­¡± Matt lead. ¡°Get a good skill?¡±


    It turns out that she was given a few choices around group combat, something Matt fully expected with the party system. When he asked about her skill choices and the two forms, she clarified what it was like for her.


    Her stat sheet looked the same as his, but she was offered skills for either her human form or her wolf form. The options actually noted which was which for her. She admitted to neglecting some skills she wanted for her other form because she couldn¡¯t use it back at the tower.


    Matt said she should focus on those now and that there was no reason to hide that. She seemed hesitant but he insisted, telling her of how other people reacted to him literally setting everything within a bubble on fire and how nobody cared that he didn¡¯t look human anymore.


    ¡°Look, we are all in this shit together. You being a werewolf probably isn¡¯t the strangest thing in the city, likely not the strangest thing that happened this week.¡± He laughed when thinking about Venri and her experiments. ¡°Just be you and don¡¯t be a dick.¡±


    Ash looked like he slapped her and huffed a reply. ¡°I look nothing like a penis.¡±


    ¡°Wait, no, no-no-no. That¡¯s not what that means.¡± He quickly tried to explain while Van laughed at him. She eventually calmed down when he clarified the statement and also shared some other phrases, he was likely to say.


    Van was rather helpful in this for some reason. The core shared that he was constantly confused by Matt and Tobias for the first few weeks. He even admitted to still not fully comprehending their sayings but he ¡®gets the gist¡¯ as it were. They ended up exchanging common phrases and proverbs from their worlds while they made their way to Vil¡¯ Krad.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    *****


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know how many ways I can say this and am running out of patience.¡± Rohm said. ¡°I will not use my personal relationship with Tobias to get him to make you new gear. If he says he is busy and recommends another crafter, then go see that crafter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair that all the pilots get this stuff, and we don¡¯t.¡± Said Tadic. He was one of the original members of the city, falling under the classer path. Naturally, being a dwarf, he was very stubborn and not letting the topic drop.


    Rohm new of him, knew that he was stagnant in his growth. He also was aware that Tadic was neglecting his second class, only ever taking jobs around his combat class. Like everyone else, except pilots, the man had to find a balance.


    Actually starting to growl, Rohm glared at him. ¡°Let me be perfectly clear.¡± He began in a very low tone, making the dwarf lean in over the desk a little. ¡°Tobias is currently working on things that will benefit the most people the fastest. That means, machines for crafters, weapons for defense of the walls and upgrades for our most casualty producing weapons.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need his personal attention to have a new rifle made or to get upgrades done to your armor. If you are having a hard time waiting, I suggest you do something to actually fix your leveling problem.¡± Rohm was slowly building in volume. ¡°You are a brewer, go and find one of the other brewers or restaurant owners and see about partnering with them.¡±


    ¡°But I¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we all know from the introductions in the classrooms that you need to balance both your classes if you want meaningful growth. If you are going to be too stubborn to accept the word of the System about how it works, then you can die in E grade when you fail to gain another level.¡±


    Tadic looked like he just had his hand slapped as he shuffles his feet and hung his head. ¡°Yes, commander Rohm.¡±


    Not being one to only give the stick, Rohm extended some advice. ¡°Listen, I was talking to Chassha over at The Gilded Skewer, he was trying to get a deal with a brewer for some mead, but I think ale would fit their menu better. Why don¡¯t you head over there and tell him I sent you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, umm, sure thing.¡± Tadic said, looking up with a little more excitement.


    ¡°There you go, head on out.¡± Rohm dismissed the man and returned to his review of the recent scouting reports. He briefly wondered if he should mention that one of the armor smiths happens to frequent that eatery but figured he would quit trying to tamper with people¡¯s lives.


    He was making his way through the reports of beasts seeming to be migrating or rotating their normal territory when a knock sounded. He barely suppressed a groan before he looked up to see Franklin standing in the door.


    ¡°Oh, come in. How can I help, governor?¡± he quickly stood and greeted the orc.


    ¡°Relax, just here for a bit of a social visit.¡± Franklin said. ¡°I was just talking with the coven and needed someone sane to talk to.¡±


    Rohm chuckled. ¡°And you picked me over the likes of Tobias or the commandos?¡±


    ¡°Rohm, none of those people are in any way right in the head.¡± Franklin sighed as he plopped down in the chair. ¡°Those commandos have still been hogging the simulations in the training hall, barely rotating out to eat and sleep.¡±


    That peaked the commander¡¯s interest and he pressed for more details. ¡°What do you mean hogging?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all Tobias¡¯ fault.¡± Franklin moaned, covering his face with his hand. ¡°The lunatic has managed to bring some games from his home world.¡±


    ¡°Ok, what do games have to do with the simulation arena?¡±


    ¡°Apparently games for Earthlings are much more¡­ vivid than those of our worlds. They use computers and stuff¡­ oh, just come watch, it¡¯s easier to explain that way.¡±


    They walked out of Rohm¡¯s office in the hub and down the street toward the forge. A large stadium like structure had populated when Franklin purchased the upgrades after the event. The inside was an open arena which could have real fights in it, but also could have simulated encounters through some magical devices that the user just had to touch.


    They braved the surprising number of people that were crowded into the stands and found seats to watch what was happening. It took a few moments for Rohm to get a hang of what he was seeing and to make any sense out of the 9 images that seemed to expand based on his attention.


    The screens showed two teams of 4, each team wearing matching colored armor. One team had blue armor and the other had red. The armor itself slightly resembled Matt¡¯s but looked bulkier and more angular with a strange, visored helmet.


    He watched as one blue team member appeared in what looked like a desert canyon with a squat grey building at either end. The armored figure ran up a ramp on the building and picked up a rifle that was just sitting there in the sun next to some strange white boxes.


    That person then seemed to magnify an image of the distant caverns in the walls of the canyon where two red armored figures had just emerged. The rifle barked once, twice, three times in quick succession, each shot leaving a white vapor trail that led to the enemy troops.


    Rohm tried to focus on the image, and it expanded to fill his vision when he saw those two red figures get shot, a faint glow around them before they fell. Suddenly a voice boomed in his ears.


    ¡°Double-Kill¡±


    And he looked around only to see another screen focus on the blue soldier and a similar vapor trail connect the red marksman¡¯s rifle to the blue soldier¡¯s head.


    ¡°Frank what the hell am I looking at?¡± Rohm asked after watching the exchange that occurred over a few seconds. The individual screens that had gone dark then switched to new views as they began moving again.


    ¡°These are called ¡®First Person Shooter¡¯ games or FPS games.¡± The orc sighed. ¡°Its all the rage with the classers and the commandos.¡±


    ¡°Tripple-Kill¡± The voice suddenly said again and many of the watching crowd began applauding.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this supposed to be used for training? Like, why are we playing games when we could use the simulations for monsters and enemy soldiers?¡± Rohm was very confused at what was happening.


    ¡°Just wait.¡± Franklin said and the watched for a few more minutes until the game was called for a red victory, eliciting many cheers from the stands.


    After several more minutes, the arena lit up once more with a wall of text. Someone seemed to be scrolling through and selecting options for various scenarios and inputting values. Eventually the screen changed again to show an urban setting with buildings and streets that were several stories tall.


    The number of screens changed as well, shifting to eight on each side. The central screen turned into a very detailed image showing the city from above with many markers showing the competitors and where they were looking with little arrows.


    Each side seemed to be of two teams. That put two constructs and six dismounts on each. Rohm recognized Jesse¡¯s construct standing with another of the commando constructs. The central screen flashed a count down and the two teams leapt into action.


    They watched as the teams deployed, some of the dismounts moving along streets, some going into buildings while others actually found underground tunnels. They maneuvered into place and slowly converged until two opposing constructs spotted each other.


    Thump, thump, thump. Jesse fired a trio of rounds from her new cannon that missed her opponent from the extreme range. Lisk, who had narrowly dodged the attack, ducked behind a building and rushed forward down another street.


    Jesse moved sideways, attempting to flank but was stopped by a rocket streaking across from a five-story building, forcing her to stop. That stop was all it took for her to return fire and punch several holes into the concrete side of the structure. A moment later, one of the screens winked out.


    Two of the screens on Jesse¡¯s side suddenly went dark and a puff of dust and debris went airborne from around a mile from her. Pivoting, she kicked forward just in time to dodge a shot from another opposing construct.


    The one that had fired at her, was soon toppled as two rockets impacted it. The first took it in the hip joint while the second hit it square in the side of the torso. The whole construct pitched forward and fell face first into the ground.


    Rohm then hears small arms fire erupt from a section where two of the dismount teams had encountered another. They were beginning to suppress and flank that team when Lisk suddenly appeared and leveled his shotgun.


    Before the demon could get a shot off. 5 rounds of cannon fire stitched up the side of his mech and he also toppled. Jesse leaned back into cover of the building she was behind and shoved another five rounds into her cannon, topping off the magazine and getting ready to move.


    Franklin gestured to the screen. ¡°This has been going on for the past week. Every time they convince one of the forge staff to design a new arena, they face off. Not always in constructs either. The last one was a brutal slog through an underground that was collapsing in certain sections.¡±


    ¡°So, what did we see earlier?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that was some of the other classers. They prefer the games for some reason.¡± Franklin rubbed his chin while he thought. ¡°Come to think of it, they said something about getting inspiration for new equipment? Ah, I don¡¯t know. I just know interfering might make it worse.¡±


    ¡°Umm, probably not.¡± Tobias said, suddenly behind them.


    ¡°GYAH!¡± Rohm and Franklin both shouted and flinched away.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, just came to watch and saw you here.¡± Tobias gestured to the screen. ¡°Its easy to get sucked in and loose track of your surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± Rohm sat back down. ¡°What were you saying earlier?¡±


    ¡°Oh, video game addiction is a very real thing. At least back home.¡± Tobias pulled out his tablet. ¡°We should consider limiting time or making a reward system to use the game features. I think the commandos are fine since they are actually training and leaving only long enough to go fight and rest. Problem is since they are rather high level, they don¡¯t need as much rest, so they are here a lot.¡±


    They watched as the fights continued. Occasionally the realistic setting would change and more of the video games would show but the matches only lasted a fraction as long as the actual training did. Tobias took the time to explain each game and how it worked. Rohm was both impressed and annoyed at the spectacle. He would just have to get a turn of his own sooner than later.

 Chapter 80 – Home at Last

    Chapter 80 ¨C Home at Last


    ¡°There she is.¡± Matt said while standing atop a hill and finally getting a look at Vil¡¯ Krad after his little trip. ¡°You will never find, a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.¡± He did his best impression and smirked to himself.


    ¡°Wait I thought you said it was a good city?¡± Ash sounded a little panicked, but Van quickly smoothed things over.


    ¡°Matt is quoting from a movie that he is fond of.¡± Van said. ¡°The city and its people are actually rather friendly and considerate.¡±


    ¡°Whats¡­¡±


    Matt cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s like the recordings I showed you but its all acting. Imagine a play made to be recorded and shown on a screen like you have.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­ makes sense?¡± she didn¡¯t sound so sure of it herself.


    ¡°Just go with it.¡± Hope said in her mind. ¡°Ask questions later when we have time.¡±


    They didn¡¯t make it very far before the radio crackled. ¡°Advent, Vil Krad X-ray.¡± Ash had heard the radio before, since Matt had put it through to the internal speakers, but this was the first time they called him.


    ¡°Go for Advent.¡±


    ¡°Advent, what direction is your approach to the city.¡±


    Matt stopped for a second. ¡°We are approaching from the southeast.¡± He said.


    There was a pause before the voice came back over the radio. ¡°Roger. Advent confirmed approach from south-east.¡± There was a pause before the voice started again. ¡°Advent, expect to be met by Recon 3. VIl¡¯ Krad X-ray, out.¡±


    Matt waited for just a moment and Ash felt like he focused on something before moving forward. ¡°Hey, looks like Lisk is going to meet us.¡± He said while changing course to intercept the now visible construct.


    Not long after a new voice came over the radio. ¡°Well met, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Lisk, just¡­ stop.¡± Matt sighed as he came parallel with the other pilot.


    ¡°Hahaha. Whats wrong? The burden of nobility holding you down?¡± Lisk said. ¡°You know what they say ab¡­Yahgah.¡± He suddenly cut out with a shout and Ash saw that there was a scaled shape crawling over the shoulders of the other construct.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Drake got your tongue?¡± Matt laughed at the sight. He called his familiar off once Echo started chewing on the shoulder armor of Lisk¡¯s construct.


    Ash noticed that there were troops on the ground, running along beside the two constructs and Echo was now bounding along in their formation. She thought she saw one of them feed something to the drake who then nuzzled into the hand after taking the scrap of food.


    ¡°Also, Lisk.¡± Matt suddenly said. ¡°I have a guest riding along with me so please behave.¡± He then turned to her and spoke both to Ash and over the radio. ¡°Ash, say hello to Lisk.¡±


    ¡°Umm, hi? Its nice to meet you.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to proceed since she couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say its nice to meet him, but to each their own.¡± Matt quickly interjected.


    That apparently offended the other pilot. ¡°Hey! Bold of you to say I have to behave when you act like that.¡± Lisk huffed before continuing. ¡°Ash, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, or whatever this is. Also, I am terribly sorry that you had to suffer with Matt as your only company.¡± He laughed.


    Matt was slightly impressed with the demon. He was actually being cheeky and his normal self, clearly not as affected by his aura as before. He briefly wondered if that was because the ability was more under control or if Lisk had grown. He decided to inspect the other pilot and find out.


    Construct (Allied) Threat: Mild.


    Nope, same as before so Matt guessed that it was more on him for improving his control. He then inspected the rest of his squad and saw they were in the high thirties and low forties for level. Seeing that they hadn¡¯t been slacking in the two weeks was nice but the sudden jump was concerning since he had only been gone a couple weeks.


    ¡°Hey, how have you leveled so quick?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, right you don¡¯t know about that yet.¡± Lisk said, seeming to remember something. ¡°So, the creatures in the area have been, ah, changing. Its like there has been a migration of sorts and those that didn¡¯t get stronger were pushed out by new creatures.¡±


    ¡°Between that and the arena, we have seen a massive boost in our growth and actually, a lot of us are seeing better growth and skills after training in the arena.¡± He hummed thoughtfully for a second before continuing. ¡°Its like we are pushing ourselves more to really know our skills and abilities. It allows us a risk-free environment to push boundaries and really get into the finer points of fighting.¡±


    Ash keyed her microphone and spoke up. ¡°What is this arena?¡±


    ¡°I think the actual name is called a ¡®training hall¡¯ but its not exactly like that. When Frank summoned and placed it, it took the shape of a stadium.¡± Lisk was pantomiming with his constructs hands which Matt thought was rather funny looking. ¡°It actually has a lot of features, but the popular ones are set scenario battles and the games that Tobias put in there.¡±


    ¡°Games?¡± Matt asked. LIsk then went on to explain that his friend had managed to upload several of the popular titles from Earth. Apparently, he even created traditional controllers and screens for the players while the match would be projected to the crowd in the arena.


    They talked all the way back to the gates where Lisk parted ways and his squad returned to their patrol around the city. Apparently, the increased level of the local beasts was enough to warrant regular patrols to cull them back.


    The first thing Matt did was head for his house to drop off Van. He had already called for Franklin and Rohm to meet him at the hub later and didn¡¯t doubt that Tobias would follow soon after. As they moved around the ring road, he noticed a lot of changes to the area.


    First and foremost was the increased size of the walls and the terrain changes around the city, something he had seen from the outside but had also expected. The second thing was all the people and new buildings that were popping up. Sure, the pilots all had their abodes around the exterior ring road but it was now a little more populated on the inside of that road.


    He could see what he thought was the arena but also noticed that the roads were all paved, covered in something like concrete but some how smoother while being coarse enough to grip. There were also lights along the streets and sidewalks that bordered the roads. He even recognized one demoness in particular planting a few bushed in some green space.


    When he got to his home, Matt found it was still on a large plot with some slightly bigger trees in the yard. His house was a little more secluded, being at the far end of the pilots¡¯ rows and mid-way between gates. His neighbors were still pilots, judging by the constructs in front of the homes on either side of his house.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    After settling Van into his space near the house, Matt and Ash hopped out and he showed her inside. ¡°This is my house. Though I don¡¯t really use it much. Hell, I only just got it before the event then I left right after.¡±


    Echo pushed past them before flopping down in a sun beam coming through one of the windows. The drake flashed the image of a party then the event then Matt waving goodbye as he set off.


    ¡°Anyway. Umm. I guess you can set your stuff here? Wait, you probably want to keep it all with you. Yeah, storage rings make travel easy.¡± Matt said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lovely home.¡± Ash said while looking around. She was unfamiliar with a lot of the furnishings but recognized some based on what it looked like they did. ¡°Can I see the rest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Matt said and gave her the tour. She liked the look of the kitchen and commented on the layout of the bedrooms being ¡®novel¡¯ in their design. She was briefly fascinated by the shower concept and wondered about the large basin in the floor until Echo flopped into it with room to spare. They did briefly split and he changed out of his armor, storing it in his ring while putting on more casual clothes.


    When they reached the basement, Matt noted that there were a few new additions. Over against the far wall was a cabinet that he didn¡¯t remember and then there was a box near the work bench. When he opened the box, he saw it was filled with little devices that he couldn¡¯t begin to figure out but the note from Tobias said to talk to him before touching.


    The other cabinet was mostly empty but had some items stacked inside. Among those was some potions that he recognized as being Venri¡¯s handiwork. There were also a few other trinkets that looked familiar, but he couldn¡¯t place them. With nothing else to do, they left for the hub.


    Echo followed after them but ended up splitting off at one point. He was on a mission to investigate what restaurants were open and likely to bully or beg is way into food. That being said, the scaley companion¡¯s begging looked an awful lot like ¡®feed me or I eat you¡¯ to most people.


    ¡°Is he ok to just¡­ roam?¡± Ash asked as the drake slinked off through the streets. She was still clutching Hope¡¯s core to her chest as they moved.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, most people wont even see him.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, Matt watched as Echo blurred and faded from sight. ¡°And there he goes.¡±


    Matt saw a lot of new faces around town. Naturally there were a lot of the original Kradians? Kradites?... a lot of the original citizens. He waved to some that he recognized, even stopping to say hello to one of the other pilots that he knew.


    Soon they were standing in front of the round, tower like structure of the hub. People were constantly moving in and around the building, all hustling as they moved to work on whatever task they had assigned. After climbing up to the second floor, they found Franklin and Rohm sitting in the orc¡¯s office.


    ¡°Welcome back!¡± Rohm said, standing as Matt and Ash entered. ¡°How was your expedition?¡±


    Shaking hands, Matt summed up his trip to the rolling ridges and hills where he found Ash. ¡°Ah you know, saw some things, fought some stuff. I met a bunch of people, killed most of them, but that was their fault.¡±


    ¡°Aha.¡± Rohm said while looking to Ash. ¡°And your¡­friend?¡±


    ¡°Rohm, this is Ash, short for Ashley. Ash this is Rohm the commander of our more militant citizens when we need to organize as a cohesive fighting force.¡± Matt introduced them. ¡°And the big man behind the desk is Franklin, our governor.¡±


    ¡°Umm, i-it¡¯s nice to m-meet you.¡± Ash said while trying to duck behind Matt.


    This was interesting. While Matt hadn¡¯t experienced much if any real shyness from her, the presence of others seemed to cow her a little. Apparently, the look on his face said as much because Franklin decided to speak up.


    ¡°Well, Ash, as the governor of our city I would like to welcome you to Vil¡¯ Krad. I hope we can work together and grow as a community. Here, let me do this.¡± Franklin said before making a motion in the air.


    Ash seemed to stiffen slightly then her eyes lost focus for a minute before she returned to her previous state. It seemed she was a little more relaxed since she wasn¡¯t trying to become part of Matt¡¯s shadow anymore.


    ¡°Thank you, I promise to work as hard and be a value to the city.¡± She said and bowed a little.


    ¡°Do or don¡¯t, its your path.¡± Franklin said. The comment seemed to confuse Ash, so he explained. ¡°We take the approach that those who want to excel will, and we will help them. Those that don¡¯t want to wont, so we let them be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very much a system of rewarding hard work.¡± Rohm said, confirming what Franklin said. ¡°You are a pilot and I don¡¯t doubt that you will naturally excel at whatever you do.¡±


    Ash bowed again. ¡°Thank you, commander Rohm, Governor Franklin.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Frank, its what everyone else does.¡± He said with a laugh.


    ¡°Just Rohm is fine unless we are conducting military operation then use the appropriate call signs.¡± Said the felid man.


    Half a second later, there were steps in the hall that heralded the last person Matt was waiting for. ¡°Sorry, I am apparently late to this party.¡± Tobias said after catching sight of everyone standing there.


    Matt stepped forward and wrapped Tobias in a hug. ¡°Good to see you.¡±


    ¡°You too buddy.¡± Tobias said, giving him a few firm pats on the back. ¡°How was the trip?¡±


    ¡°I will show you the highlight reel later, this is Ashley, she goes by Ash, the pilot I met on my trip and someone who has some potentially valuable information to share.¡± Tobias greeted her and they all moved to the small sitting area with some couches and low tables.


    Ash followed Matt to a couch and sat right next to him as the rest of the people turned to her. He found that interesting since she hadn¡¯t really come withing more than arms reach at any time in their journey back to the city. Apparently in the presence of strangers with a focus on her, she needed some support.


    She began to tell them of the tower she had come from. They all listened intently as she explained the last thing she knew of it and gave some additional context about the people that lived there. She did skip around why she was chased out, only stating that there was a religious disagreement.


    ¡°Which god or pantheon?¡± Franklin asked.


    ¡°Ah, none that I am aware of. I didn¡¯t know about them until Matt and even then, was unsure until I met one.¡± She answered.


    ¡°The kid is just a delusional psycho from what I know.¡± Matt said. ¡°And from how is lieutenants spoke, I think he might have a problem with non-humans in general.¡±


    ¡°Ah, one of those.¡± Franklin sighed. ¡°There were more than a few of those on my home world. Every race had them and every time they would get folks riled up for no good reason.¡±


    ¡°Look, there isn¡¯t much we can do about him or that he can really do about us.¡± Matt began. ¡°From my understanding, he can¡¯t even move his mechs out of the area he is in. Right Ash?¡±


    She looked at him in confusion as she mouthed the word mech then it seemed to click for her. ¡°Oh, the constructs. Not easily. There are some areas that were passable but there wasn¡¯t a straight path in this direction. It¡¯s partly why I came this way, so the delta would slow them down and I hoped I would make it far enough with my endurance that they couldn¡¯t catch me on foot.¡±


    ¡°Tobias, can we look into getting some airlift capability at some point?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Oh sure. While I am at it, I might as well start planning to colonize the moon.¡± He grumbled. ¡°How the hell are we supposed to create an air force?¡±


    ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t have to be C-17¡¯s and Euro fighters, hell if its just a utility zeppelin design, that allows us to cross things we would normally sink in.¡± Matt said while patting the air.


    ¡°I will consider some options but that¡¯s all I promise.¡± Tobias said.


    Franklin stood then. ¡°Well, I think that is all we can really know for now. Matt if you can send that mapping information to operations that would be great. Ash, it was very nice to meet you and I hope you find our city to your liking.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Frank, a couple things before I leave.¡± Rohm said and walked with him to the desk while everyone else filed out.


    ¡°So, are you ready to get your construct back?¡± Tobias asked Ash as they walked back onto the lawn outside the Hub.


    ¡°Wait, now?¡± Ash seemed surprised.


    ¡°How about tomorrow?¡± Matt suggested. ¡°That way we can clear out the inventories and get some credits. I get the sneaking suspicion that this is going to be expensive.¡±


    Tobias shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself, I don¡¯t have any projects that need my direct oversight at the moment.¡± He looked around for a minute. ¡°How about some lunch?¡±


    They began following the forge master along one of the streets. Matt thought he knew where they were, but things had changed to the point that he wasn¡¯t sure anymore. After seeing a few landmarks, it was confirmed that they were going to a particular tavern. A tavern that currently had a crowd of people huddled around the far side of the street.


    Matt didn¡¯t need to ask what was going on as he walked over to the door, he knew exactly what had happened. One bystander ran over to them, trying to warn them.


    ¡°Wait, sir, don¡¯t.¡± The man said. ¡°There is some sort of monster that just appeared inside and seems to have the owner cornered. He had been keeping it at bay with food but we don¡¯t know how long that will last.¡±


    Sighing heavily, Matt pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at the newcomer. ¡°It¡¯s not a monster, he is my familiar. This is his favorite restaurant because the owner gives him free smoked meat.¡± He pushed the door open. ¡°Here, just look.¡±


    The man and several of his companions all looked around the frame of the door and saw the jovial elven owner at the center grill, chatting away happily with Echo while flinging the occasional bit of meat at him.


    ¡°Oh, Lord Matt! Welcome back.¡± The man said as echo groaned and rolled over, acting like a cat and basking in the warmth of the grills.


    ¡°See, just a lazy familiar looking for handouts.¡± Matt said and pushed his way inside

 Chapter 81 – Reborn

    Chapter 81 ¨C Reborn


    ¡°Alright, so how does this all work?¡± Matt asked while looking at the large summoning pad in one of the bays of the forge.


    ¡°Quite simply.¡± Tobias said off handedly while expanding one of the displays on the side of the bay.


    Matt stared at him while he continued fiddling with the machinery. After glancing to Ash, he confirmed that his words weren¡¯t exactly soothing. ¡°Care to elaborate?¡±


    ¡°OH! Right.¡± Tobias said and swiveled back around on his heel. ¡°So, remember in the forge room in the exchange?¡± Seeing them both nod, he continued. ¡°Right, so that sorta capsule thing.¡± He gestured to the corner. ¡°Will scan the pilot and then template a construct off of them.¡±


    Ash began to fidget a little as he said that. The capsule door hissed open, revealing an interior with several bands of metal running around the inside that seemed to glow softly. She did not like the idea of walking into that thing and the door closing, never to open again.


    ¡°And it will recognize all¡­ this?¡± She waved her hand at the mostly new equipment she was wearing. ¡°Do I need to have it on me when I step in?¡±


    Tobias shrugged. ¡°Hell, if I know. I just remember that is how Matt did it and how he got Van.¡± He finished making a few inputs and the interior of the capsule began to glow along the bands of metal. ¡°Alright, hop in.¡±


    Ash approached hesitantly, looking back at Matt. He gave her a nod, reassuring her it would be alright. She had come to trust him over the past couple days as she got to know him and the people of the city a little more.


    ******


    Two days previously:


    ¡°Ok, ok. Venri I promise to help you with the mage glass before I take off again. How about we do it in a couple days?¡± Matt said to Venri as she bopped along next to him and Ash.


    ¡°Deal, I swear by the concoctor that I will hold you to it.¡± She said before quickly changing direction with a wave goodbye. ¡°See ya later. Oh, it was nice to meet you, Ash.¡±


    Ash returned the wave and watched her go for a moment while they continued the walk to the forge. ¡°Is she¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to phrase the way the dwarf had acted but ¡®culty¡¯ came to mind.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And you always tolerate it?¡±


    Matt rubbed his chin for a moment while he thought. ¡°Well, one time I did pick her up and bodily throw her but that was because we got jumped by mutants.¡± He looked lie he was going to explain then thought better of it. ¡°Just watch the recording. It will explain better.¡±


    They continued on their way up to the forge and inside to where Tobias was likely lurking. Along the way, they bumped into Nix and Sari, the latter of whom was a little too interested in Ash. The pilot was able to bear the intensity of the demon until Nix was able to pull her away.


    Once they reached Tobias¡¯ office, they pushed through the door to discover more than one person in there. Jess was standing across the desk from the forge master, looking intrigued. ¡°Matt!¡± she called and came up to them.


    ¡°So glad you are back, we have this arena¡­¡± She began talking rapidly while giving him a quick hug. ¡°You have got to try it.¡±


    Ash seemed to bristle at the sudden intrusion but didn¡¯t do more than stepping slightly aside which brought her in contact with his shoulder. She was fully intent to let this situation play out without her, but the woman turned to her.


    ¡°And Ash, right?¡± Jess said while extending her hand. ¡°Welcome to Vil¡¯ Krad and the Construct Corps.¡±


    ¡°Uhh. Thanks?¡± Was about all Ash could come up with. She was curious about the elf¡¯s intentions with Matt until she saw how the other woman was around Tobias. It was a dead giveaway, but she didn¡¯t mention anything. She then wondered why she cared but before she could think much on the topic, Matt spoke up.


    ¡°So, we were hoping to get some better gear for Ash.¡± He began. ¡°The armor is kind of meh but her gun needs replacing for sure.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my rifle?¡± Ash asked and summed the lever action to inspect. She was a little offended at the statement. She liked her gun; sure, it wasn¡¯t as good as¡­ oh. ¡°Ah, I see. Never mind.¡±


    ¡°How about this.¡± Matt said. ¡°What did you like about the gun in relation to the other ones used by the people in the tower?¡±


    ¡°Oh, its a medium caliber, so not too much for in close but still had some reach. It is pretty handy, not too long.¡± Ash began to think about it in relation to her former peerage. ¡°Also, it had a good rate of fire. A lot of the other guns were single shot to begin with or a few revolving rifles. In ideal situations I could top it up and keep a sustained fire up for a while.¡±


    ¡°So, what you want is a medium caliber with a lot of capacity and sustained fire?¡±


    Ash thought for a moment. ¡°Yeah, I think that about sums it up.¡±


    Tobias had been looking through his tablet while she talked and had come up with a pretty narrow list of options. ¡°How about something like this?¡± He projected the design to the holographic display that popped up over the design table.


    Matt recognized the displayed firearm, well, partly. It was based off the standard light machinegun that was common around the city. It fired the same 6mm bullet that his own rifle fired so the power and range were excellent. The only difference in this one was the front end was significantly shorter than normal, the barrel being cut down significantly.


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Ash asked.


    Tobias did something with his tablet and the floating design began to move in an animation. A mannequin like figure appeared and held the gun. The figure then opened the top cover, placed the belt of ammunition over the feed tray and shut the cover before running the charging handle. Then the figure proceeded to fire several bursts from a few different positions, cycling through standing, kneeling and prone. After reloading, the animation repeated.


    Ash watched the display in awe. It was everything she could hope for and more. The power, the speed and the belt of ammunition took ages to run out. She watched as, after the second round through the firing demonstration, the figure changed the barrel by pushing a button, letting the short barrel fall to the ground and inserting one that seemed at least half again as long.


    ¡°Can I have multiple barrels?¡± She asked after watching the demonstration. ¡°Like, can I have a long one for, lets say an open field or woods, and a short one of inside a building or cave?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same barrel and all just different length and a slightly different gas port. There needs to be some back pressure and if there isn¡¯t enough the dwell¡­ you don¡¯t care.¡± Tobias began to explain before sighing heavily.


    ¡°Not any more than that it works.¡± Matt said with a laugh.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Anyway, this is great and all but how do I get one?¡± Ash was curious about how this was supposed to work. ¡°Is this generated by the forge?¡±


    ¡°No, well it is made here, but not generated like you are probably used to. We are making these already so I will just have one of the barrels cut down and altered to fit.¡± Tobias explained. ¡°We can do your armor too if you want, something like¡­¡± He gestured to Jess.


    The elf in question summoned her armor from her storage and held it up. Matt also got a good look since he hadn¡¯t seen any of the new armor yet. It was a composite chest piece with what looked like a base layer of either leather or a synthetic. Over that was a design similar to Matt¡¯s with a series of hard plates that overlapped to allow some flexibility.


    ¡°The arm and leg armor somewhat matches. Well, color matches but there isn¡¯t much of the segmented plate.¡± Jess said. She stored the chest piece before summoning everything to cover her.


    Ash thought it looked pretty good. The overall design was pretty slim and seemed to offer a good balance between coverage and flexibility. She was sure there was System nonsense involved in that sine the overlap of hardened armor shouldn¡¯t provide the protection it actually does.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you expect me to pay for all this.¡± Ash said. ¡°I also have to take into account resummoning my construct.¡±


    Tobias hummed and rocked his head from side to side. ¡°Tell you what. We can do the arms and armor on a loan. You can pay back the balance with say 20% of your income from each excursion or event?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ash had been cautioned about taking loans out and how some of the deals were actually too good to be true.


    ¡°What I mean is, we determine the cost of the gear and that is the debt that you have to pay back, no interest. If you sell a natural treasure or some ingredients or monster parts, we take 20 off the top. As an example, you kill a beast and sell the carcass through the forge or to a shop in town. If you sell it for 1000, we will take 200 and you keep 800. That 200 goes toward the loan.¡± Tobias explained it as plainly as possible.


    ¡°How do you enforce this? What if I decide I don¡¯t want to repay the loan.¡±


    Jess snorted then leveled a finger at Matt. ¡°Him. He can enforce this.


    Ash turned and looked at Matt. The other pilot just rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine, I can back her for the loan. Now can we get on with it?¡±


    They walked out of the office and down the hall, headed for what was likely one of the assembly rooms that was reserved for the production of small arms. Ash was looking everywhere she could as they walked the halls. On more than one occasion she stopped to stare at the rooms full of mills, lathes, stamping machines and hammer forges that were producing various parts. When she saw a pilot in his construct picking up what looked like multi shot short barrel cannon, she couldn¡¯t stay silent anymore.


    ¡°Matt, why does it look like you are gearing up for war?¡± she whispered in a low voice, hoping that the elf wouldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Most of this is just dragging our people out of the pre-industrial era of weaponry. By the standards of what Toby and I have back on our home world, we are decades behind the curve.¡± Matt answered in a tone to match hers. ¡°I know for a fact he hasn¡¯t started developing guided weapons yet, but he will soon.¡±


    ¡°I hate it when you do that.¡± She grumbled as they were walking through a set of doors.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°When you make me feel like a prim¡­¡± She stopped in her tracks as they entered the assembly room. ¡°Oh, what the fuck.¡±


    The room they had entered was a little over 300 meters in length and only 75 wide. Running in long lines down the length of the room were 5 separate rows of tables that all butted up to each other. There were dozens of people in each line, all chatting away as they worked in an assembly line pushing the guns farther down the line.


    Ash saw the lines terminate in what appeared to be a section made for storage. There were groups of free-standing shelves that had wheels on the bottom, allowing them to be moved around. She saw that there were 5 different types of guns being made and placed on the mobile racks.


    There were short compact guns that she had never seen, the rifles like Matt used, what looked like two types of machineguns and a series of longer rifles. Every rack was filled with dozens of them, and each was tagged and labeled, some going to specific people while others were marked as ¡®arsenal¡¯.


    ¡°I see small arms production has developed nicely.¡± Matt said while looking around.


    ¡°Small arms?¡± Ash said, very confused because some of these looked awful big.


    ¡°Ah, when something is meant to be operated by one person or maybe a two-man team.¡± Matt supplied. ¡°We don¡¯t count the weapons for constructs or the heavier wall defenses.¡±


    Ash was distracted enough that she didn¡¯t see Tobias grab a small, empty cart and load some parts onto it before walking their way again. They followed after, talking as the group went to a machine room and Tobias made his modifications with the help of the staff there.


    ¡°And here you go.¡± Tobias said after a few minutes of tinkering on a work bench. ¡°One Light machinegun. It is open bolt, belt fed, and gas operated. The rate of fire is adjustable to four positions that will roughly work out to 500, 750, 1000 and 1200 rounds per minute depending on which recoil spring you use with which setting.¡±


    He stepped forward and handed Ash the gun and a small box of parts. He then handed her one of the enchanted magazine pouches and several matching pouches that had strange clips on the back. She just stood there like a deer in the headlights until Matt stepped up.


    ¡°Here, just store it all for now and we can get your kit sorted out and get some range time.¡± He held the various components for her until she could store them.


    ¡°Thanks, I-I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡± She said while looking at the strange weapon.


    Jess snorted. ¡°We start by getting out and shooting some shit so you can figure out how to use your new gear. Come on, we can show you the way.¡±


    Jess then led them out to the firing range that had been set up on the outside of the city wall. She pointed out several key installations like her favorite bar, the best bath house and then some less important things like the stairs to the rampart or on of the defensive mortar pits.


    Once they got to the berm that ran the length of the range, Matt showed her how to attach her pouches, using a mostly standard placement and telling her that it was easy enough to change and that she would need experience to make that decision.


    He then showed her how to load and operate the machinegun and had her run a few practice drills with the process, so she knew exactly how it worked. After an hour of teaching, Ash finally got to shoot the gun.


    Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang. She fired on the slower 750 round per minute setting. Ash let the gun move in her hands, feeling the action cycling and the recoil. She then tightened up her grip, pulling the stock into her shoulder and locking the gun in place as she let out another burst.


    ¡°Lets try the fast setting.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s still super controllable and I feel like I would prefer volume of fire rather than sustained fire.¡±


    ¡°Ok, lets just pop this open¡­¡± Matt popped the stock off and pulled out the recoil spring and guide rod. He changed it for the heavier spring and then set the gas at the maximum open position. ¡°OK, try this.¡±


    Ash took the gun and loaded the belt back on the feed tray before closing the top cover and running the charging handle. Brrrrraaaat. A long burst spat a tongue of flame from the end of the gun and she let off the trigger. She then tightened up her grip on the gun and pulled it again, ripping out a ten round burst that knocked the target over, stand and all.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the stuff.¡± Matt said, clapping slowly. ¡°Do some transitions, like from target to target, I will be right back.¡± He then wandered off while Ash continued to adapt to the new and very exciting weapon.


    When Matt returned, it was with a large object that looked like a set of stairs in profile with a bunch of random shapes cut into the sides of the sheet of wood. He set the device up on the berm next to her and gestured at it.


    ¡°Alright, now put your armor on and try shooting from several different positions so you get a feel for how it will be to use that from odd angles and such.¡± He pulled out his own rifle and ran through a few positions, using both the steps and the inside shapes to contort into odd positions.


    Ash tried to copy him and found that kneeling and standing were fine, but she had problems reaching her ammo pouches when prone. Matt then helped her move the pouches so she could reach them from any position.


    ¡°What now?¡± Ash asked after several more runs through the shooting prop.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± Matt said, pausing for effect as Van moved out through the gates in the city wall. ¡°We go on a little hunting trip and stress test. You need to run the trial after all.¡±


    *****


    Ash stopped just before the open capsule and adjusted her armor one more time. It was of a similar design to the one she had gotten from the forge, but it had been upgraded with one of her rewards from the trial orb. It now resembled something closer to Matt¡¯s with its base layers under more ridged plates and more advanced secondary systems.


    Her machinegun had stayed mostly the same except for adding a few aiming devices for her new enhanced vision modes. She was quite fond of the new weapon, having used it to great effect in the trial and on a few creatures, they had encountered while wandering.


    Focusing on the task at hand, Ash stepped to the side and placed Hope¡¯s core on the tray near the capsule. She let her hand linger for a moment sharing a few impressions with her bonded core. Then she placed the ¡®Construct Enhancement Token¡¯ next to the core before turning and easing her way into the cramped confines of the scanner.


    Matt stepped up at that point, giving her a knowing look of concern and confidence before clapping a hand on her shoulder. ¡°See you in a minute.¡± He said before smiling softly and closing the door.


    Ash¡¯s world went dark for a brief moment before she was enveloped by the System¡¯s brilliant golden light that started at her feet and worked its way up. Despite her nerves, she knew that in a few moments, she would be a pilot once again.