ã€ŠMy Supers Onlineã€‹


 Chapter 01-01

    Chapter 01-01

    Alex ¡°The Frost¡± stood on the top floor of the tallest skyscraper in the exact center of Axiscore. Looking out across the city he stood before a twenty-foot-tall window with his arms folded behind his back. His avatar was peak physical condition, Alex¡¯s vision of a perfect creation. With a simple wave of his hand the glass vanished. He walked out into the sky above the city the air as solid to him as the ground.

    Something flickered in his attention to his left. His focus snapped to whatever it was, but as quickly as it had appeared it vanished. Like a blowing wind he began to fly in the direction of the disturbance. He activated an admin ability that shifted the world so that, in his eyes, he could observe the raw data. Edges that created the objects and gizmos used to modify the items within the world appeared attached to everything.

    Most of the data was common, exactly as it should be. This was how Alex preferred to view the world. In watching the data, he found something different. The objects and their code seemed to be shifting. As he looked upon the code it seemed to be ever shifting.

    ¡°What are you?¡± He asked quietly as he curiously flew towards the disturbance.

    The anomaly that Alex could only label as corruption began to spread out from where it was localized. He watched as the corruption infected items and objects around the world. He flicked his hand upward, a gesture used to open his admin commands.

    The first tool that he opened was designed to identify the internet address in case they needed to track down and block attackers. He executed the command with the core of the corruption as the target. For a moment he thought that a virus might have made its way in through the firewalls.

    -Error ¨C E09981Cxxxxxxuui

    ¡°Well that is complete gibberish.¡± Alex said as he shook his head and looked down at the window that hovered in front of him. Errors were usually coded in a way that could help identify and isolate the problem, but this message meant nothing.

    The next admin command tool that he activated was an isolation barrier. With a wave of his hand he projected the barrier around everything that the corruption had touched. In a flash of bright blue light, the barrier materialized unfolding around the invader like a strong box. The corruption entity pressed against the barrier, but it held.

    It lasted only a moment, until the corruption began to merge with the wall. The random lines of unreadable code and distortion broke through and began to spread just as fast, if not faster. It seemed to be using the energy from the barrier to grow.

    ¡°What kind of monster are you?¡± Alex floated back away from the entity putting a safe distance between them.

    The white wheel of admin command tools spun as he moved his way to a tool that was considered a last-ditch effort. The admin deletion command. A wrench appeared hovering in the sky in front of him. He grabbed ahold of the tool and targeted the nearest item that had been tainted. It was an item in a player¡¯s inventory. He executed the delete command. The item blinked out of existence taking its portion of the corruption with it.

    Seeing it as the only option as the corruption continued to spread Alex selected all of the items and executed a massive wipe of everything corrupted. Holes in the game world appeared as the items that he had targeted vanished leaving behind a void.

    Instantaneously his inbox became packed full of complaints from players who had lost their items. As the cluster admin it was his responsibility to take care of these problems. His cluster center over Axiscore making him responsible for the city and a hundred-mile radius. He began sending a reply that stated that they were looking into the problem, but the messages just kept coming. They grew angrier and angrier.

    Twelve flashes of different colored light surrounded him. The counsel appeared in their glory. Each of their avatars represented what they all considered to be perfection. Their images seemed, to Alex, to be almost alien. Smooth elongated bodies with bright white coloring.

    The twelve lifted their left hands in unison. Searing pain filled Alex¡¯s body as his arms and legs were pulled taut. He couldn¡¯t move a muscle as spike were driven through his hands and feet into the air. It may have just been air, but it was as solid as stone.

    ¡°You are bound for judgement.¡± They said lowering their hands. Their mouths move so perfectly in unison that it was like they were all of one mind.

    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Alex asked struggling in futility against the bindings.

    ¡°You have used a deletion tool. Our directives require that counsel approval be sought before the use of a deletion tool.¡± Their voices echoed around. Alex suspected that the voices were being hear all around the servers.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been an admin for half a decade, and this is the first that I am hearing of this absurd rule.¡± Alex said in his defense, ¡°I acted in haste to protect the people of the world.¡±

    ¡°Protect the people of the world from what?¡± The voices said with a resounding echo.

    ¡°A corruption that threatened the players and their items.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°There is no record of anything of the kind.¡± The counsel said. A window opened that played a recording of the area. It had an image of the same thing that Alex had been seeing, but as it played, he noticed that there was no corruption. Alex opened tools and reacted exactly how he remembered, but when he deleted everything it looked as if he had just randomly deleted a bunch of player¡¯s items, and random objects from the world.

    ¡°How do you explain your actions. You¡¯ve destroyed the work of many players.¡± The counsel demanded. Their judgmental eye bore holes through him.

    ¡°I swear that there was a corrupted data stream that was infecting all of the items that I deleted. I used a barrier, but whatever it was broke through the barrier and grew faster.¡± Alex said shaking his head. Pain coursed through his body if he tried, even in the slightest, to fight the bindings.

    ¡°For your actions against the players and for your actions against the world of NuValla you have been sentenced to liquidation. Your character shall be wiped, and you will be relieved of your job.¡± The counsel said.

    ¡°Please, I have nothing else!¡± Alex pleaded. He would have clasped his hands together, but he still had no control.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Our minds have been made and cannot be swayed. Someone must pay for the suffering of the players.¡± The counsel said. They raised their hands pointing their palms at Alex. A swarmed blast of countless balls of energy fired at him from all directions. His avatar was torn to shreds as he attempted to log out from the game. His command system was not responding.

    It wasn¡¯t until his death had completed did his headset go black and he was able to reach up and remove it from blocking his eyes. Alex yelled at the top of his lungs and he threw the head set across the room. The bulky chunk of technology smashed into the wall and exploded into a cloud of plastic shards that rained down to the floor.

    Slumping forward he sobbed into his hands. He lazily reached over and pulled the lever that lowered him down into his wheelchair. The chair rolled slowly away from the log station and Alex ended up sitting in front of his computer. The light from the screen bathed him while he did nothing but stare at the screen and avoid all types of communication to spare himself from the hate.

    ~//~

    It was hard to breathe. It was a gamble to go outside on any day. After what had happened mankind was lucky to have their home back. Earth was still here after seventy years in shambles. With Regan¡¯s death and Watcher¡¯s change of heart, if a machine could have such a thing, man still had something. The Earth though, there was a chance that the war¡¯s damage could never be repaired. That was why everyone thought the machines left. They didn¡¯t want a spoiled home. Instead they had a home they could build anew on Mars.

    Alex rolled into the third building of the day where he had an interview. His chair stopped in front of the receptionist¡¯s desk. She ignored him at first until he cleared his throat loudly to get her attention.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± She asked. Her voice was filled with disgust and distraction. He clearly was not worth her time.

    ¡°Yes, I have a job interview at four at Tech Horizons.¡± Alex said as pleasantly as he could muster after being hit with her attitude. It was funny, he thought, he¡¯d never met a receptionist or secretary that had been in a good mood.

    ¡°Sign in and take the elevator to the thirty eighth floor.¡± She said without bothering to look up from her computer screen. She wasn¡¯t doing anything that Alex could see, but she used it as an excuse to avert her eyes from him.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, thank you.¡± Alex half hissed half said.

    The tablet took his thumb print as his signature. He laid it back down on the counter and rolled to the bank of elevators. The down button was already glowing because there was a tall beautiful woman waiting.

    ¡°Hi.¡± Alex smiled up at her.

    ¡°Never in a million years.¡± She scoffed and took a few steps away from him.

    ¡°Dude I was just being nice.¡± Alex said and looked at her like she was insane. That was what things were like for him though, a man in a wheelchair in a time after the world had almost ended. It he never felt that he could pull his weight. It wasn¡¯t until the machine¡¯s virtual world systems were reactivated and were proven to be safe, did he feel worth anything. He was back to having nothing.

    The trip up to the thirty eighth floor was a silent one. No one spoke a single word as they filed off the elevator level by level until it was just Alex sitting patiently by himself. When the door opened for him to get off the elevator, he couldn¡¯t be happier to be out of the tiny metal box.

    The job that he was interviewing for was Tech advisor for Virtual Reality Advancements. Tech Horizons was a relatively small, new, company but according to the internet was making waves. He rolled into the lobby which he quickly realized that there was only one office on the entire floor. A woman stood next to the door to the office with her hand properly folded in front of her. She wore a long blue skirt and a light white blouse. Her dyed silver hair was perfectly arranged in a bun on the top of her head.

    ¡°Mr. Hayton will see you now.¡± She said as she motioned with her hand. In the same moment the door began to swing inward. Alex rolled in slightly in awe. The room was filled with numerous pieces of ancient technology. He thought out of the corner of his eye he spotted one of the original iPhones. It would have been hundreds of years old.

    ¡°Ah, Alex is it?¡± Mr. Hayton asked. The middle-aged man with a sun aged face and salt and pepper hair walked around from behind a giant desk. He wore a crushed velvet maroon vest over his pressed white button-down shirt. The man wore a smile, but something didn¡¯t feel right.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Alex nodded.

    ¡°The Frost?¡± Mr. Hayton asked. His stride took found him standing directly in front of Alex¡¯s chair.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Alex uncomfortably shifted in his seat.

    Without any warning or another word at all Mr. Hayton punched Alex hard in the nose. Blood instantly began to pour down his face. Alex yelled in agony. Mr. Hayton grabbed the neck of Alex¡¯s shirt and pulled him out of the chair. He slammed his head against the desk as hard as he could.

    ¡°No one will hire you. Not after what you did. Do you know how much money you cost me?¡± Mr. Hayton growled into Alex¡¯s ear while holding onto the back of his neck and pushing his face into the wood.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Alex pleaded as he gasped for breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the video. Don¡¯t lie to me. You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t kill you where you lay you worthless excuses for a pile of shit.¡± Mr. Hayton reared back his leg and kicked Alex in the chest. He dragged Alex across the floor and tossed him towards his chair. His back hit the frame of his wheelchair and bent awkwardly sending pain through his neck.

    My. Hayton walked to the front of his desk and picked up a glass of brown liquor. While he took a sip, he pressed a button behind him. The doors at the back of the office opened. Two police officers walked in and silently waited for orders.

    ¡°Get him out of here.¡± Mr. Payton grumbled. He walked over to stand above Alex¡¯s injured form and handed each of the police officers a stack of cash. Alex couldn¡¯t see exactly how much was there, but the bottom bill of each stack was a one-hundred-dollar bill.

    Without words the two officers picked Alex up off the ground. He waivered back and forth into unconsciousness until he finally blacked out.

    ~//~

    The glow of the computer screen bathed Alex¡¯s face once again. He had an ice pack over his eye and two pieces of rag shoved up his nose to stop the bleeding. Hatred for people and generally for the world welled up inside of him. Against his better judgement he decided to check his email.

    His email inbox was still blowing up. Message after message spammed in rapidly. He opened the mail app and began to scroll through the messages. Almost every single message was some kind of hate mail from someone who had been affected by the wipe. Until he found one from someone that he actually considered a friend.

    Mad Mind Melana: Is it true?

    The Frost: I swear there was a corruption. Something was entering the game.

    Mad Mind Melana: I¡¯ve seen the video a dozen times. I have run it through every filter that I can get my hands on. It¡¯s not doctored or modified in any way.

    The Frost: I swear! I love the game! I¡¯ve given years of my life to that world. Why would I do something that could jeopardize that?

    Mad Mind Melana: Your story makes sense, but with no evidence¡­

    The Frost: And what is with that bullshit rule about needing approval for the deletion tool. I¡¯ve used it a dozen times in the past when we¡¯ve had viruses and they¡¯ve never said a thing. I know the charter back and front.

    Mad Mind Melana: What are you going to do?

    The Frost: My life is that game. I don¡¯t know anything else. I¡¯m obviously not getting a job anywhere else. I have no other choice. I¡¯ll have to play.

    Mad Mind Melana: Will the payouts be high enough?

    The Frost: If I go to sleep it should be. I think I¡¯ve got enough to have a couple weeks play time. Maybe in that time I can build up enough assets to extend the time.

    Mad Mind Melana: The sleep centers sceeve me out¡­

    The Frost: I don¡¯t have a ton of options. At least this way I only have to worry about one expense.

    Mad Mind Melana: I guess that¡¯s true. You could sell your set for a few extra bucks too.

    The Frost: I kind of broke it when I came out. I was a little upset.

    Mad Mind Melana: That sucks¡­ I¡¯ve got to start my shift. Message me in game when you get set back up.

    The Frost: I will. Thanks for talking to me.

    Alex logged off of the chat application and blew out a long breath through his nose. He rolled back away from the computer and picked up his wallet. His apartment never felt like a place that he considered home. He always felt like home was inside of the game, he wouldn¡¯t miss the cramped box once he left.

 Chapter 01-02

    Chapter 01-02

    Taking the bus was not an option for Alex. Well, he could leave his wheelchair behind but that was kind of an important tool that he needed to get around. Instead he had to use a service for the transportation of the disabled and elderly. It was almost like a taxi service, but due to government grants they weren¡¯t allowed to charge as much to the passengers.

    The van that arrived to take him to the Sleep Center was crammed full of as many people as the driver could cram in legally. In recent months he had noticed that it was not just disabled people that were using the service but more and more people who couldn¡¯t afford standard public transportation. The city where Alex lived was dying, it had not seen the same infusion of infrastructure as some of the human cities after the machine exodus.

    Parked outside of the Northwest Sleep Center the driver helped to get Alex out of the van. He was a nice enough, middle aged man, who looked exhausted. The last thing that Alex did before rolling away was to insert his credit chip into the driver¡¯s tablet to be charged for the trip.

    ¡°Thank you, sir, please consider Rapid Transport in the future¡± The man said closing the van up and hardly paying attention once the transaction had completed. Alex hadn¡¯t noticed that he wasn¡¯t the only person who had gotten off of the van.

    ¡°What game are you going into?¡± The small girl asked looking up at the sleep center with her hands wrapped around the straps of a backpack.

    ¡°My Supers.¡± Alex said glancing at her but looking back up at the building.

    ¡°That¡¯s one of my top three, maybe I¡¯ll see you inside.¡± She nodded and took a step forward towards the building, ¡°My name is Luke. If you come across a female character named Luke that¡¯s probably me.¡± She turned for a second then continued to walk towards the building.

    Alex shook off the odd interaction and rolled his way inside the building. They had nice very accommodating handicap accessible front doors. When he entered the building, he watched Luke as she was led away into the back by a couple of people in blue scrubs.

    ¡°Welcome to the Northwest Sleep Center!¡± A cheerful woman walked up and flashed Alex a wide smile.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Alex said with a nod and returned the smile awkwardly.

    ¡°Are you familiar with the games offered at this facility? Would you like a list?¡± The woman asked walking around behind Alex and taking ahold of his chair¡¯s handles.

    ¡°I know that you offer My Supers, and that is the game that I would like to enter.¡± Alex said while they walked through the lobby.

    ¡°Excellent! Many people entering that game today.¡± She said and took hold of the handles on the back of his chair. She wheeled him through the lobby and into a small nearly empty room.

    At the rear wall of the room there was a glass tube just large enough for a person. The bottom was lined in nice soft material. Alex thought it looked strikingly similar to a coffin.

    ¡°What is the state of your medical condition and how long have you suffered the affliction?¡± The woman held a tablet at the ready and was intently waiting for his answer.

    ¡°I am paralyzed from the waist down. I was in a car accident when I was seven so about fifteen years ago.¡± Alex rolled up to the glass coffin and looked down inside. He reached in and touched the soft material in the bottom. It seemed comfortable enough as if it would matter once he was in the other world.

    ¡°Excellent. And how long would you like to be inserted into the game. My Super¡¯s currently as an indefinite time frame with an automatic update system.¡± The woman asked.

    ¡°However long this will get me to start, but I don¡¯t really want to come back out.¡± Alex said holding out his credit chip.

    She took the chip and scanned it with her tablet. For a moment they sat in silence while she worked through some items. Alex waited patiently looking around the room, but there wasn¡¯t a whole lot to look at besides blank walls and the empty shell.

    ¡°You qualify for fourteen days¡¯ worth of game time. Company policy states that you must enter the game with at least five hundred in-game money, Thread, so I will have to convert some of your money over, but the fourteen days includes this conversion. Once those fourteen days are up if payment is not received from within the game, we will automatically deduct the sleep fees from your in-game account, payment in this manner with incur an additional fee. So, it¡¯s important to pay before your game time expires.¡± The woman explained handing over the tablet for him to sign.

    Alex took the tablet, looked it over, which was word for word what she had described, and signed with his fingerprint. He was familiar with all of the rules for My Supers, but he didn¡¯t want to be rude and if he knew them or not, they would have to go over them with him.

    ¡°In case of catastrophic failure in this sleep center or failure of any related server clusters Northwest Sleep Center nor the Aurora Corporation are not responsible for loss of life or any other resulting ailment. These entities do agree that in the event of a failure that results in death or other aliment that your medical expenses will be covered given that treatment is received in an Aurora Corporation Medical Center and all available money and game time will be transferred to closest relative or designated in game recipient. Do you agree to these terms?¡± The woman said holding out the tablet.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°What are the chances of something like that happening?¡± Alex asked taking the tablet but waited for her to answer before signing.

    ¡°Of the one million consumers helped in the North American Sleep Centers five have had an adverse effect to the Sleep system. All five of these cases occurred in the very early days of the Sleep System and all of the causes have been repaired or removed.¡± She explained her smiled never wavered.

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Alex nodded and signed his name. He had used the home version of the same basic system for many years without any adverse effects.

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± She smiled taking the tablet back from Alex. She stood up and leaned into the coffin making sure everything was in good order before walking to the door.

    ¡°Someone will be with you shortly to get you fixed up.¡± She said. Her smiled somehow grew, ¡°Welcome to your new life!¡± And with that she left Alex alone with his thoughts in the room.

    For a few minutes Alex rolled around the room. He touched and poked things out of boredom. He was ready to get started but was not sure how long he was going to have to wait or what exactly he was waiting on.

    When the door to the room reopened two men and a different woman came inside with him. The men were larger and were wearing the same scrubs as the rest of the people he had seen. The woman was wearing a lab coat and held a tablet that didn¡¯t look like more than a pane of glass.

    ¡°Hello Alex, my name is Dr. Carter. I¡¯ll be assisting you with your travels to the new world. I see that you¡¯ve chosen to join My Supers Online. Are you familiar with this world?¡± She sat down on a stool and crossed her legs.

    ¡°I¡¯ve played a little on a friend¡¯s in-home device.¡± Alex said lying without even batting an eye.

    ¡°Excellent. Will you be wanting to use that account for this experience?¡± She asked.

    ¡°No ma¡¯am I used his account, so I need a new one.¡± Alex shook his head.

    ¡°Very well.¡± She said with a smile while making a note on her tablet, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    The two men effortlessly lifted Alex from his chair and moved him over to the glass coffin. They laid him down inside and arranged his legs. He shifted himself a little to get comfortable. He found that laying on the material in the bottom of the tube was what he imagined laying on a cloud would feel like.

    ¡°If you played on a friend¡¯s account you might find the sensation of joining the world to be a little different. Your friend¡¯s system was most likely calibrated to him and would have some signal errors from your brain. You can rest assured nothing of the kind will happen with this set up. Everything will be perfectly calibrated to your body and mind.¡± Dr. Carter said with a smile. She walked over and looked down on Alex in the tube.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Alex said giving a slight nod.

    ¡°There might be a bit pressure in the front of your head and some discomfort in your eyes. This is completely normal.¡± She explained placing a device over his eyes. The piece of technology wrapped around the back of his head locking tightly into place.

    Just as informed, the device started to activate, he felt pressure in the front of his head. It spread slowly to his whole head. His eyes felt as if they had been open for hours on a dry sunny day. He wanted to blink, but they weren¡¯t even open.

    Just as quickly as all the discomfort had started the world around him went completely black. There was no sound. He felt nothing and there was nothing to see.

    A chime sounded indicating that he had arrived or more akin to the loading was done. He looked down to see a pair of hands. Three icons appeared floating before Alex in the air. One icon represented Magic, one represented Technology, and the last represented Supernatural. His choice here would dictate how his abilities would be granted to him.

    He considered for a moment and chose to go with Technology. He could get stuck with his ability coming from gadgets, but they could also come from things like serums. He liked super solider serums when they were used in comic books and superhero movies.

    Next he had to decide on his appearance. There were two modes that Alex could use to complete the process. He could use sliders to create the character bit by bit or he could create an image in his head and the system would then do best adaptation of that image. He went for option two because there were several ways in game to get a character¡¯s appearance changed if he changed his mind.

    He pictured a man in his mid-twenties. His body was physically well off, but not to the point that he would stand out in a crowd or his shirt would bulge around his muscles. His face was very close to Alex¡¯s normal face, a little sharper on the features. He gave the avatar short black hair. At nearly six feet tall he stood a little higher than he did in real life. Keeping his crystal blue eyes, he gave the image to the system to do its thing.

    A few seconds passed before the avatar appeared in the space in front of him. It was almost an exact copy of the avatar that he had created in his mind. The hair color wasn¡¯t exactly the same and the muscle tone was a little less, but Alex was happy with the end result.

    He embodied the avatar and could feel himself becoming this new person. He took a deep breath and looked down at his hands. Flexing his fingers into fists he turned them over a few times. A long few moments passed as he tested his legs and made sure that it was all working as it should.

    Three lists of abilities appeared hovering in front of him. He got to choose three that would make his hero, or villain, however he decided to be inside the world. There was still a bitterness in the back of his throat from what had happened to him, but he pushed it away.

    The first ability that he chose was Health Regeneration. He wanted to be able to take a hit and heal quickly. Over the years it had been the most useful. After he was able to spend some points in its progressing it would be really helpful.

    The next ability that he scrolled to was super strength. He knew that it was one of the best offensive abilities to a new low-level character as it didn¡¯t take many points before a punch could do some real damage. That was even more true when dealing with henchmen who really didn¡¯t have any powers of their own, for the most part.

    The last ability that he chose was flight. He needed to be able to get around and flight was always his favorite option. He would have to spend a couple points before he would be soaring across the map, but it would be a start.

    Alex could feel his new abilities take root within him. He clenched his fists and released his fingers slowly. The powers themselves wouldn¡¯t be able to do much until he spent his starting skill points. Every new player started out with three power points that they could spend however they saw fit. Whether they wanted to put every point into a single ability or spread them out evenly, it was completely up to the player. He wouldn¡¯t get an opportunity to spend the points until he entered the game world.

    The last thing that he had to do before entering the game was decide on his alter ego¡¯s name. ¡®The Frost¡¯ was something that he had come up with when he had first started playing and was embarrassed by it daily. Several months before the incident he had begun to consider changing his name to Aether. With his forced rebirth he decided that there was no better time. He set his name and finished the character creation process.

    Alex closed his eyes as the darkness took over the confines around him. He could feel the world coming into existence in all directions. When he opened his eyes, he stood before a door.

 Chapter 01-03

    Chapter 01-03

    Alex stood before the door into what he considered a better world. The tall Victorian style door taunted him to walk through. It was time for another life to begin. He took a deep breath and slid open the door.

    The new players arrived in the world on a grand train. The whole central continent of NuValla and the continent to the north were connected by an energy monorail that had stations in every large city. The arrival train, where new players spawned, was decked out as a new age Victorian train car. The walls and seats were velvet, there was polished wood, and the floors were carpeted in dark rich colors.

    Alex glanced around the room and noted the three other people sitting in the cabin. The walls were lined with large windows showing the rich world outside as it passed by in a blur. Each window had a table with a velvet covered booth on either side.

    As he walked towards the back, he nodded to a woman who was sitting about midway in the cabin. She read a newspaper. She was wearing a trench coat that obscured whatever else she could have been wearing. Her long silver hand was slicked back, and her amber eyes glanced up for just a moment while he passed. Alex got the feeling from looking at her that she was not a new player.

    He took a seat and settled in for a long trip. Most players would arrive on the train and get off in Axiscore, which was one of the most player populated cities in the world, or one of the other cities that were known as Hub cities that had large populations of players. From these places it was easy to get started, but it was hard to make rapid progression. Alex knew exactly where he wanted to go. He knew of a city that was a hot spot for villainous activity, which meant as a hero he might have some trouble at first, but if he could get a foot hold, he could make some extensive progress.

    Winter¡¯s Garden was a city to the north of the northern continent Nolirada. It was one of three channel cities that allowed passage to the smaller towns and cities to the mountains to the north. Winter¡¯s Haven and Winter¡¯s Gate were the other two, but these were both heavily controlled by heroes already, which would make it difficult for him to make progress, and he was still a little stilted from taking the blame during the incident.

    Alex removed his phone from his pocket and opened the app that let him examine his inventory. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot there for him to examine. He was already wearing the generic clothes that the system game gave him. There was an identity concealment mask that would cover his eyes or could be used to skin another eye or head item. His pitiful five hundred Thread showed in the corner of the screen. The remaining item was a serum that could be used to regenerate his health points in a pinch, but those items didn¡¯t help much with pain. The phone he was using was listed in the inventory and lastly, he had a ticket for the train that allowed for him to disembark from any destination that he wished free of charge.

    The inventory window closed, and Alex turned to gaze out of the window as they traveled. The train had already passed by Axiscore. He thought about what exactly his plan was going to be once he had arrived in Winter¡¯s Garden. There were two things that he was going to need. Firstly, he was going to need a place to live and where he could make his base of operations. Secondly, he was going to need to establish some contacts. Missions would be essential for rapid progress and those had to come from someone.

    He knew from his time as an admin that Winter¡¯s Garden was under control by two rival gangs that governed the crime activity within the city limits. The Venomous Strikers and the Gold Tooth Rats were constantly at war with each other, but both groups together didn¡¯t even come near to ranking on any of the charts. That was about the extent of his knowledge of Winter¡¯s Garden, in the past as there were few players that made it up there often.

    Several hours and seventeen stops passed before the train came to a halt at the Winter¡¯s Garden station. Alex climbed out of his seat thankful for a reason to stretch his legs and got into the short line of people disembarking. He gave his ticket over so that he wouldn¡¯t be charged for the trip and made for the exit of the platform.

    The platform was the highest building on the south side of the city. From where he stood when he exited the train, he could see the whole place. The buildings got larger until the center where they were the tallest. Moving towards the north side of the city where the buildings shrank again turning into industrial facilities that were used to store a process all of the items that came down from the mountains. At the east of the city there were docks in a channel that ran north out towards the ocean. A branch of railway broke off and swooped down into the docks.

    Alex took in a deep breath of the outside air and climbed down the stairs with a slight bounce in his step. He had been playing My Supers for nearly a decade and for the most recent couple of years he had been an admin. After having so much power for so long it was almost like stepping into an all new game. He felt like he was going to have a hell of a challenge.

    Stopping to lean against the railing outside of the station on the street Alex took a moment. He watched the people on the streets. Most of them were just your average people going to work, or going shopping, nothing out of the ordinary life besides visible tension. Almost hitting himself he remembered that he needed to message his friend.

    Aether: Hey, this is your old pal. You told me to message you. I¡¯m in game and this is my new avatar.

    He attempted to keep the message vague but enough so that she would know it was him. She was very smart so he didn¡¯t think that she would have any trouble figuring it out.

    Mad Mind Melana: Dig the name. I¡¯m sending you something. I don¡¯t have a good feeling about what happened to you. Something just doesn¡¯t feel right.

    Aether: You¡¯re telling me, and you don¡¯t have to do that.

    Mad Mind Melana: You remember March 3<sup>rd</sup>? Consider us even. I never thought that I was going to pay you back for that.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Aether: Consider your debt paid!

    Alex closed the messaging app on his phone. He put the phone into his pocket and went out in search of a mailbox. Whatever she sent him he knew that it would be something useful.

    He continued to keep his eyes open and his head on a swivel as he walked down the sidewalk. There were plenty of shady characters. He noticed a woman at a shop being shook down, but he stayed to himself and waited for the right moment. There were skill points that still had to be spent before he would be worth anything in a confrontation.

    A public mailbox poked out of the side of a building. He stopped, pressed his hand to the side, and watched as light spilled out from the seams. This process synced the mailbox to his character so that he could get mail from anywhere in the world.

    The package that he pulled out was a few inches long and no more than an inch wide. He dropped it in his pocket and closed the mailbox. His hands stayed tucked in his pockets as he walked down the street in search for a diner or caf¨¦.

    Winter¡¯s Harvest Diner came into view a few more blocks down the street. He thought it would be the perfect spot to take a moment to himself. He needed to find a place to bunker down when night fell until he was able to formulate a plan.

    A bell rang when he walked in the front door. He gave a friendly nod to the man standing behind the counter who returned a nice smile. Alex found a booth where there weren¡¯t too many people close and slid into the seat.

    A waitress approached him from the kitchen in the back almost instantly. She smiled and handed him a menu while placing a napkin and silver where down on the table in front of him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Alex said with a nod and laced his fingers.

    ¡°No problem babe. Can I get you a drink?¡± She asked with a practiced smiled. She leaned on the booth across from him chewing gum and tapped her pen on the pad in her hand.

    ¡°Can I get a coffee?¡± He asked, ¡°Oh and a glass of water?¡± He held up his hand as she started to turn.

    ¡°No problem.¡± She said leaving to get his drinks.

    There were several things on the menu that he thought would be delicious, but he wasn¡¯t really that hungry. The menu fell back down to the table and he leaned back in the seat. When the waitress returned with his drinks he smiled and thanked her.

    When she was out of earshot he reached into his pocket and pulled out the package from his friend. He placed it down on the table in front of him. Even as familiar with so many items in the game that he had been there were a hundred times more that he had no clue about. The item in the package could be anything and could do anything. The wrapping fell away when he pulled the tab and he was left with a small plastic case. The lid opened like it were on a spring. Inside there was a pair of glasses.

    His phone chirped with a notification. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the item¡¯s stats.

    -Item

    -Name: Broken Admin Glasses

    -(+1 Perception)

    -Durability: Q$(#dD / @#@$#

    -Weight: F@#C kg

    -Description: CD*^D29374#@$*&asdf9#@@1!*

    As Alex looked down at the glasses there was a bright white light. He had to blink, but it didn¡¯t seem to be visible to anyone else in the room. A notification appeared on his phone laying on the table next to his hand.

    --New Item Bound

    He huffed in frustration. An item that was obviously corrupted was now bound to him. Alex knew that Melena would not do something malicious on purpose, but why would she send him the glasses?

    The inventory window closed, and he opened his skills window next. There were three unallocated points and there were three abilities. He thought about it on his trip on the train and even though three points in super strength would be fairly awesome start, he decided that it would be best to do even Stephen split to get started. There was a small chirp audible to only him while he applied his three point.

    -Super Strength +1 (1)

    -Flight +1 (1)

    -Regeneration +1 (1)

    Instantly he felt the strength rush through his body. He knew that if he pushed off of the ground he could hover, even fly for a few moments. There was an internal store of energy that he could feel that he needed to figure out. It had been years since he had to worry about trivial things like energy levels. It seemed like the temperature in the room became almost perfect, but he noticed that he was getting a small cold and heat resistance.

    Alex¡¯s energy was based on his Will score. It seemed that his new avatar along with his base ten that everyone got was gifted by the RNG gods to have gotten an additional ten in skill giving him a twenty. Everyone had one hundred energy to start and each level gave that person another ten, then the base was given a bonus based on their Will score. He had a twenty percent bonus. This gave him a total starting energy score of one hundred and thirty-two for using his powers.

    Alex hadn¡¯t unlocked any abilities in his powers yet, so the energy use would be focus based for the time, but once he started to spend power points on the powers and unlocked abilities there would be harder numbers that he would have to account for.

    He took a few moments to finish his drinks. The activity outside the window of the diner kept his attention for a while. The Gold Teeth Rats, or Goldys, were the easiest to spot owing thanks to their gold teeth. If they didn¡¯t have their teeth actually replaced with gold, then they wore covers over them to give the illusion.

    Alex witnessed as a group of four corner a man and stole his briefcase. They left the man in a heap on the concrete with a bloodied face. Alex sighed and shifted in the booth. The people in the world, the NPCs, felt so real that it was hard for Alex to sit by and do nothing.

    As a hero the more that a player helped people of all kinds in however way resolving issues was how they made money. Each action resulted in a net gain if a player was a hero. Inside the world of My Supers it was easy for a hero to make quick money, but being a villain was where players could really make some large income.

    Alex opened his character¡¯s balance data panel. On this screen there were several sets of information that he could use to know more about his income based on his actions. In the center there was a circle that pulsed with his heartbeat. In the center of that circle it would normally list if he were a villain or a hero, but it only listed that he was a civilian.

    To the top left and right of the center there were two meters. The one on the left was the Heroism meter and the one on the left was the villainous meter. Each would change based on how the game system perceived the intent of his actions. Whichever was higher is how a character¡¯s alignment was decided and the pay was distributed. Both of Alex¡¯s meters were at zero.

    There were another two meters on either side of these. The one on the left was the Heroic Tier level. Actions of a heroic manner would move this meter up. Each heroic action would move this meter up and at midnight on Sunday the hero would be paid based on the final tier. If a hero is killed the meter is reset to zero and they were charged a respawn fee. Alex had seen many starting heroes fall into debt by being careless.

    The meter on the right was the Infamy meter. This was a multiplier that would build with each villainous action. A villain also had a base payout that coincided with their empire. Property, henchmen, and nefarious acts would increase the base pay. If a villain was killed or defeated, then the multiplier would reduce or reset.

    The last meter on the bottom of the screen was his XP meter. This would show him his progression until he unlocked his next power point. Every action awarded XP to the players.

    Alex closed the screen and looked out of the window for another few moments. It was time for him to get started. He took a deep breath and stood up from the table. Next step knock in some gold teeth.

 Chapter 01-04

    Chapter 01-04

    Alex stood from the table and walked towards the back of the diner. He went into the bathroom making sure to lock the door behind him. Opening his inventory, he pulled out the mask that he had gotten when he had spawned into the world to examine its stats.

    -Item

    -Basic Identity Concealment Mask.

    -N/A

    -Durability: 30/30

    -Weight: <0.01 kg

    -Description: ¡°A mask that a hero can wear to keep their secrets secret.¡±

    The mask could either be equipped as an actual mask item or it could be used to reskin another item altogether. There were no stat boosts to the mask, but the glasses gave him a single extra point to his perception. A single point in any stat in his current state could make a huge difference.

    The glasses glowed brightly as he applied the skin to them. He equipped the mask to his face and with a deep breath he became Aether.

    Someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Just a minute.¡± Alex called out to whoever was on the other side of the door.

    ¡°Come on man!¡± A man¡¯s voice yelled.

    Alex shook his head and walked over to the door. Sharply he pulled the door open to see a Goldy staring in at him.

    ¡°A HERO!¡± The goldy yelled while he didn¡¯t hesitate to swing a right hook right at Alex¡¯s face. Alex dropped a few inches so that the man¡¯s hand soared over his head and slammed into the block wall. The Goldy wailed in pain and jumped back from Alex.

    Alex balled his fist and drew it back. He could feel the strength building in his arm¡¯s muscles as he focused energy into the power. He swung the punch into the man¡¯s gut with a sickening crunch sound. The goldy¡¯s body crashed back into the wall. He slid down into a slump on the floor.

    Bullets started to fly over Alex¡¯s head. He snuck a quick glance to count how many people were shooting at him before he dropped back into the bathroom. The sound of ricocheting bullets filled the room as he slammed the door shut and made sure to lock it.

    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± He huffed breathing rapidly to try and catch his breath. He ended up on his backside looking up at the door handle.

    The gunshots stopped outside, and Alex could hear the men arguing back and forth as they walked closer. Alex looked at his hands a cleared his throat. It had been years since he had to fight for real and think about his actions. He had been an admin long enough that he forgot how the basic combat skills worked for the moment. Before he would just choose the most powerful ability that he wanted to use for the day and then wipe out the problems without a second thought about energy or consequences.

    ¡°He¡¯s out! That damn hero knocked him out cold!¡± One of the two goldy¡¯s said outside of the door in a low growl.

    ¡°Where did he come from? I thought the hero bureau finally gave up! We forced them out!¡± The other one said in an equally offended hiss.

    ¡°He will learn soon enough not to align himself with such trash,¡± The first Goldy laughed.

    Alex clenched his fists and took a step closer to the door. He breathed in a deep calming breath waiting for them to get close enough to the door for him to make his move. A gunshot rang out in the room through the locked doorknob. He lifted his leg and slammed his foot down onto the door. In explosion of wood splinters, it burst outward smashing into the two goldys.

    Alex jumped out in a flash smashing his shoulder into the one on the left who was still standing. The one on the right had been knocked back against the wall, but he was quickly recovering. Alex drove the goldy back and smashed him into the brick wall. There were two crunches. One came from the wall as the blocks cracked under the impact. The other came from the man¡¯s rib cage.

    He fell to the floor and went completely still. The last Goldy was on his feet. He whipped up his gun and fired it at Alex. The bullet tore through his leg. Alex fell to his knees and grabbed the wound.

    ¡°That hurts!¡± He yelled clenching the bloody hole.

    ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s a gunshot, so¡­¡± The Goldy said as he tilted his head and gun in confusion.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember them hurting so bad.¡± Alex said shaking his head. He began to move his hand towards the leg of a nearby chair slowly so that the Goldy wouldn¡¯t notice his movement.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been shot before?¡± The Goldy asked as he kept his gun trained on Alex.

    ¡°A few times.¡± Alex whipped the chair around and smashed it across the last Goldy¡¯s head. His body smashed into the wall and dropped to the ground where all three were laying out cold.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Alex leaned back on his butt and pulled his leg out from under him so that he could examine the gunshot wound. He pulled his pant leg up. The blood had already stopped. He pressed the area around the wound and could feel that the bullet was still inside. The flesh around the entry point moved as the slug began to move out of his body. It dropped to the ground with a thud. The flesh slowly began to close, but it would still be a few hours before it would be completely gone. He could feel a slow drain on his energy.

    When he pushed himself up off of the ground the weight on his leg shot some pain up his spine, but he dealt with it. With a slight limp Alex walked from the bathroom door to the bodies. On each body he found a credit chip or in NuValla they were called needles, but nothing else of much value.

    Alex¡¯s phone chirped in his pocket. He unlocked it to see two notifications appear on the screen. One for the items that he had picked up and one for a mission completion.

    -Needles x3

    -Total Value 600t

    -Deposit in personal account?

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    -You¡¯ve Completed a Random Event!

    -Stopped a Robbery

    -Defeated 3x Goldy Goons

    -300XP (100XP Each)

    -+1 Hero Point (You are a Hero!)

    -+1 Hero Tier (-9 Until Next Tier)

    Alex didn¡¯t think that the results were too bad for his first bout of combat. He didn¡¯t like that he had gotten shot, but at least he was walking.

    As he hobbled towards the front door, each step getting a little easier, Alex noticed that the man behind the counter was on the phone. Walking past, he caught a few words meant for the person on the other end of the phone.

    ¡°There is a new hero. He took out three Goldys.¡± The man hissed.

    Alex cursed under his breath as he booked it out of the front door. There was no telling who the man was on the phone with. For all he knew then man was talking to the leader of the Goldys himself.

    The streets seemed more agitated as Alex limped along at a fast pace with his hands in his pocket. His fingers were wrapped around his phone. He didn¡¯t want to be attached to it, but for the time it was his only access to his notifications.

    Rounding a corner, he had to duck at the last second to avoid a baseball bat smashing into his head. The bat rebounded off the block wall. Alex reached up and grabbed the bat with his left hand ripping it out of the Goldy¡¯s grip with a sharp yank.

    The Goldy attempted to punch Alex, but Alex lifted his foot and kicked him in the chest. The man slammed into the alley¡¯s wall and shook his head trying to right himself. Alex swung the bat and slammed it into the man¡¯s side under his arm. As the man crumpled around the impact of the bat the bat itself splintered from the strength of the blow.

    ¡°Sorry about that. Don¡¯t know my own strength.¡± Alex shrugged throwing down the half of the bat still held in his hands.

    He turned to look down the alleyway. Standing in a formation at the end of the narrow passage were four more Goldys. They were all grinning with their gold teeth shinning in the light. They each had a weapon, metal bat, a crowbar, a two by four, and a shotgun. Alex determined that the man with the shotgun was the one that he needed to worry about the most.

    Not wanting to make the first move Alex waited for the men to come towards him. They moved together in a line down the narrow alley. They were obviously used to not having anyone around that would stand against them.

    The shotgunner pointed the weapon at Alex and pulled the trigger. Alex threw himself pushing himself off of the wall using a small burst of his flight power. The slug slammed into the wall causing dust and chunks to burst out into the air. Another shot rang out and Alex dropped to the ground to dodge.

    His fingers found a rock. He shot up and threw the rock as hard as he could towards the shotgunner. The rock smashed into the chest of this goldy and sent him back ten feet. He dropped to the ground tumbling into a heap.

    A crowbar flew towards Alex¡¯s gut. He couldn¡¯t move fast enough. The metal struck him dead center. The wind was knocked out of his lungs. He doubled over and clenched his arms to his stomach.

    Another attack came in quickly. This time it was the two by four. Alex jumped back as fast as he could, but his back screamed in pain as the metal bat smashed into his spine. His body dropped to the ground. He landed on his stomach and tried to catch his breath.

    ¡°You ain¡¯t nothin are you?¡± One of the Goldys asked as they continued to smash their weapons into his back.

    ¡°Just another worthless hero that got in a few lucky shots.¡± Another of the Goldys said with a nasty laugh.

    Alex put his palms down on the ground. Focusing energy into his strength he threw himself off of the concrete. The three men were knocked back from their assault. As he fell towards the ground, he angled himself to land on his feet.

    The two by four flew towards him. Alex balled his fist and punched the board before it made contact. The wood splintered peppering the attacker with a confetti of splinters. Alex used the distraction to elbow the man in the gut focusing some of his energy into super-strength.

    The crowbar was coming in for an attack at his head. Alex grabbed the leg of the Goldy that he had elbowed and used him as a shield. The crowbar smashed into the Goldy¡¯s head and his body fell to the ground. Alex punched crowbar Goldy in the head.

    The last Goldy with the baseball bat clinked the bat against the wall a few times looking at Alex who was taking a moment to catch his breath. Alex pushed himself to stand up. With a deep breath he flexed his hands and watched the last Goldy.

    The Goldy yelled and ran towards Alex with his bat up ready to swing. Alex ducked as the bat swung at his head. With a swift upward motion, he angled the bat to smash against the wall. He punched the large man in the chest.

    This Goldy was a little different that the ones he had faced so far. The others had been goons, kind of weak, but this one, this one was a thug. He was much larger than the other ones and was almost all muscle.

    The thug clenched his own fist and punched Alex in the head. His ears rang and his vision doubled as he stumbled around for a moment trying to shake his head right.

    Two more punches came at Alex, but he was able to weave to avoid them in an almost drunken master like move. Alex drew both of his fists back and as hard as he could he punched him in the chest. The thug lifted from the ground a few inches and dropped down. He fell to his knees gripping his chest and coughed.

    Alex lifted his leg and kicked the thug in the side of his head stumbling a few steps back on his landing. The thug dropped onto his back and expelled his last breath.

    ¡°I WIN!¡± Alex yelled at all the unconscious bodies around the alley.

    He took a couple steps back until he hit the wall. He slid down to a sitting position against the cold brick. He took a few deep breaths and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

    -You¡¯ve Completed a Random Event!

    -Gang Attack

    -Defeated 4x Goldy Goons

    -400XP (100XP Each)

    -Defeated 1x Goldy Thug

    -300XP (300XP Each)

    -+5 Hero Point (You are a Hero!)

    -+5 Hero Tier (-4 Until Next Tier)

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 01

    <h1></h1>

    **This Chapter Contains Spoilers For Dungeon Robotics!**

    You have been warned!!

    Robotic Heroes Chapter 01

    I blinked then looked around. I was in¡­ a place. That was about as far as I could describe it. There was only blackness after all. I tried to think of the last thing I was doing. Images flashed through my head.

    I remembered trying to use dimensional magic for¡­ something. The finer details eluded me. I just knew it was important. I tried to spread my mind. Something I did daily for the last two years, but¡­ nothing. My mind was¡­ contained, I felt was the best word to use.

    I tried something simpler, which was just trying to move forward. The next moment I felt like I hit my nose on a solid wall. Light started to flood around me, and data. So much data flooded into my mind. I was able to see the framework of what looked like a¡­ video game. It was about¡­ heroes and villains.

    It looked like the game was fairly well developed, with lines of code that would make normal people¡¯s head spin. I quickly looked over everything I could. I found something that I was sure was the cause for pulling me into this¡­ place. I quickly inspected the information presented.

    I was sure I found the way to return, but before I could do anything something grabbed me. I felt my consciousness pulled in several directions at once. Finally, I slammed into another invisible wall and some more data appeared before me. I quickly inspected it in case I was ripped away again. It was a character creation screen.

    ¡°So¡­ The game turned me into an asset. The only reason I¡¯m still me is probably because my ¡®brain¡¯ is in another dimension,¡± I said to myself.

    A screen that resembled a mirror formed in front of me. Sliders and options were visible but greyed out. I tried every method I could think of to move the options but had no luck. Giving up I took in the body in front of me.

    It was a form I never thought I would see again. A human in their late twenties to early thirties. Black hair that went down to my shoulders. A sharp chin with a decently well build body. Blue eyes that someone once claimed reminded them of ice. It was me from before I became a dungeon core. I sighed as I hit the only button that was still colored in, Accept.

    For clothes, I went with a black suit with a long trench coat. It really yelled businessman vibe, but I wanted a change from the medieval armor and even the armored suits. When I hit accept, I felt my consciousness pulled into the new body.

    A large room formed around me that possessed a myriad of obstacles. A screen popped up in front of me telling me to get used to my body. I thought about it and decided it made sense. You couldn¡¯t expect a hundred seventy-five-centimeter man to go to a three-meter brute without some adjustment.

    I flexed my hands. Everything felt like normal. Of course, the lack of mana that I had felt for the past two years was strange, but I was a normal human for almost sixty years before that. I could look at this like a vacation. I felt something nag at me at the back of my mind but couldn¡¯t place it. The idea of a robot being able to feel made me smirk a little as an afterthought.

    I practiced just to be safe for a few minutes or few hours. It was hard to keep track of time in this featureless room. There was a section of the allowed me to¡­ take my frustrations out. Puppets, targets, and miscellaneous things for me to destroy. While pulverizing a wooden target with only my fist, I realized that I had a lot of pent up stress. At least the damage healed as soon as I walked away from the target.

    I walked back to where I started, the screen still hovering in the air. I pressed the finished button that appeared since I made my way through the room. The room broke apart around me and I was back in a black room. I could still feel my body, so I tried to move my hand. A list appeared in front of me on a white screen.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    I remembered this information from when I was first flooded with data from the game. It was the list of abilities that were currently recorded by the game. Three of them were golden, and I instinctively knew they were created for me from me.

    -Technology Transmutation ¨C User can transform non-organic matter and objects into technology.

    -Construction Manipulation ¨C User can create, shape and manipulate construction</a>, the process of constructing a building or infrastructure, manipulating what constructions, made and what they are supposed to do.

    -Energy Manipulation ¨C User can take and refocus energy. Higher levels allow for absorption and conversion.

    I could only laugh looking at the abilities. ¡®Exactly what a dungeon core would need,¡¯ I thought, thinking about all the stuff I did on Murgin. I let the thoughts fade. As it was, I couldn¡¯t do anything to get back. The only way I thought might work was if I got technology and energy manipulation up and created a dimensional gate from this world. That was what I was going to do before the strange force pulled me away. The fact I was pulled here meant this was more than just a video game.

    Enter your name:

    I shrugged and entered Regan. Time to start my vacation. It was long overdue. I pushed open the door and light flooded into my eyes. They auto corrected and the brightness returned to normal levels. Walking out of the door, I saw two or three dozen people sitting in what looked to be a passenger car of a train.

    I glanced out the window and saw we were moving at supersonic speeds. I, of course, couldn¡¯t be sure of that, but given how fast the scenery was passing by we had to be close. I moved up the car to inspect the other people. There were all different kinds of races, and colors. I could almost tell who was going to be a hero or a villain by how they held themselves.

    The hero candidates were chatting amongst themselves, while the villain wannabes were brooding in their seats. I had to work hard to resist laughing out loud at some of these peoples¡¯ attitudes. I shook my head then moved back towards the end of the car. There was an empty seat and it looked like I had to ride until the next stop. I found it weird that these people had normal, everyday clothes and I had this perfectly crafted suit.

    Just as I was about to sit down the door opened and a girl popped out as if from thin air. I stared at her dumbstruck for a moment. I wasn¡¯t sure what to even say.

    ¡°Regan! Oh, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright,¡± Alara said throwing her arms around me.

    She looked just like she did back in the other world when I first saw her. She had her petite body that came to just over one hundred fifty-two centimeters. Her beauty that transcended worlds, with her light pink hair and solid black crown. I quickly returned the hug.

    ¡°Alara. How did you end up here too?¡± I asked worried.

    ¡°Sorry, Reg. I can¡¯t really remember. Only that I followed you while we worked on that spell,¡± Alara buried her head into my shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s with the flesh body?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just glad you are alright. I had hoped it only pulled my mind into this world,¡± I patted her hair. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. This world forced me to take this form.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if the others will have been pulled in as well,¡± Alara said pulling back.

    ¡°I doubt it. I think it has something to do with us being dungeon cores,¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Now that you mention it. I can feel the vaguest of links back to my core. Like I¡¯ll blink and it¡¯ll be gone,¡± Alara said.

    ¡°For now, we need to figure out what to do. I have a way that might get us home, but¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Alara cupped my face.

    ¡°It will take us a long time. If my math is right. I need rack up some major levels,¡± I sighed into her shoulder.

    ¡°At least we¡¯ll be together,¡± Alara planted a soft peck on my lips.

    Axiscore! Next Stop Axiscore!

    I looked up at the broadcast. In the time I was talking to Alara, a city that appeared to span dozens if not hundreds of kilometers materialized on the horizon. As we approached, the city became clearer, and reminded me of cities on Earth around 2100. I noticed small dots flying towards and from that city. They must be heroes¡­ or villains.

    I took Alara¡¯s hand as we joined the que of players that were getting off at this stop. Plenty of others were still sitting, more actually than those standing in the line to get off. I had too little information, and the green symbol at the bottom of the sign that had a read out of the city claimed this place was safe. I would rather gather information in a safe place than have to watch my back.

    In a blink of an eye the train pulled into the station and the doors snapped open almost as fast. We quickly disembarked and looked around. The station reminded me of a space station. With smooth edges and sleek designs. Whoever designed this area definitely had a thing for futuristic d¨¦cor.

    I pulled Alara to a quiet side, ¡°What did you choose for your three powers?¡±

    ¡°Plant manipulation, Environment manipulation, and Bio-energy manipulation,¡± Alara answered with a tilt of her head.

    I nodded. ¡°This is going to be a very interesting vacation,¡± I said.

    ¡°It has been a while since we got some time to ourselves,¡± Alara said with a snicker as she climbed onto my shoulders with practiced movements.

    ¡°Riding?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Riding,¡± she answered.

 Super Delivery Chapter 01

    Chapter 01

    "You cannot stop me, you pathetic heroes!"

    "Mastermind you have to stop! You have no idea what that machine will do!"

    Mastermind payed little attention to the words of the leader of his adversaries.

    "Even you aren''t fast enough to stop me, Celerity."

    "Watch me." Celerity sped forward, not even visible to the naked eye, when a turret moving as fast as he was coming out of the ceiling and shot an electrified net trapping the speedster.

    "You stupid fools, none of you in your Honor Guard have the power to stop this change."

    "You should not mess with other dimensions," started Hopper," I know the chaotic effect it can have upon a world."

    "This change isn''t something you can control; it will be utter chaos." The Author warned.

    "I do not seek to control the chaos; I only wish to unleash it." Mastermind began as he powered on his machine. "You lucky heroes will be here to witness it, the end of the world as we know it."

    A notification pooped into the vision of everybody present.

    -Dimensional Bridge powered on.

    -One minute until activation.

    A timer with sixty seconds appeared in their vision.

    "Looks like it isn''t too late to stop you after all." said Orbital Force.

    As the four heroes in the room started toward the machine, a burst of fire shot out stopping their charge.

    "Prometheus, it is about time you showed up," Mastermind called out.

    "Sorry for the delay, the other one proved more of a challenge than I thought." Prometheus answered the unasked question.

    Orbital Force asked the question on the heroes'' minds, "What did you do to Lucky Break?"

    Prometheus gave an evil smile before he answered.

    "His luck ran out."

    -Forty-Five seconds remaining

    "I''ll take care of him while you three handle Mastermind and his machine." Orbital Force told the others

    A nod from the other members of The Honor Guard was all he got in response.

    As the two battled it out, gravity vs fire, the others charged anew.

    Celerity ran as fast as he could pushing his limits as three more of the turrets from before came out of hiding. Running into different positions that would cause the nets to hit other turrets.

    The Author pulled out his pen and book and began writing vigorously until the book turned into a similar, but smaller version of the net turrets, and aimed it at Mastermind.

    While the other two were going about their business Hopper vanished, phasing into a slightly different dimension.

    -Thirty seconds remaining¡­

    The Author fired, his net flying towards the villain. Mastermind saw it coming, he started to dive out of the way before Celerity nudged the slow-moving net to alter its course.

    Mastermind was wrapped up by the net just as hopper appeared next to the bridge. Hopper started to deactivate the machine from its control station.

    "It''s encrypted I can''t get in."

    -Fifteen seconds remaining¡­

    "Mastermind tell us how to get in."

    "You foolish heroes. Even I can''t get in. That''s how I programmed it." Mastermind told them as he let out a chuckle. "No one can stop it, not me, not even you, the best heroes this world as seen."

    -5 seconds remaining¡­ If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The heroes went back to trying to hack into the machine, to no avail.

    -4 seconds remaining¡­

    Orbital Force and Prometheus stopped their fight to watch the results.

    -3¡­

    The heroes smashed the machine, holding their breath.

    -2¡­

    The heroes locked pain filled eyes with one another and waited. All while Mastermind and Prometheus escaped laughing maniacally.

    -1¡­

    A new notification popped into the vision of every person on the planet.

    -THE DIMENSIONAL BRIDGE HAS BEEN OPENED ON BOTH SIDES.

    -NEW PEOPLE WITH AMAZING ABILITIES ARE COMING.

    -REAMAIN VIGILANT, SOME WILL BE HEROIC SAVIORS.

    -OTHERS WILL BE TERRIBLE VILLAINS.

    -THE WORLD WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

    ~//~

    That was about ten years ago. That we failed to stop all the destruction that followed.

    Since that time, people from the other side of the bridge have come and gone, they all had extraordinary abilities, and were the first of people to have more than a single superpower.

    Some heroes some villains, neither we could compete with. Even though we tried to. Eventually the Honor Guard were asked to relinquish the titles as the heroes of the planet, and for a while we trained some who shared our ability, but eventually they stopped coming to us. So, we were let go. We stayed together doing what we could to help but were asked to seek out other ways to help people, we had become too much of a liability.

    We tried to stay in touch, but like people do, we grew apart. Stopped talking, handed off our mantles to the people from across the bridge, and our secret identities became the only ones we could do anything with.

    The last time I heard anything from them Hopper shifted to another dimension. The Author became an author and wrote a book about robots and dungeons or something. Orbital went to find himself and we didn''t hear back from him. Lucky Break was hospitalized for several years but miraculously recovered.

    Mastermind and Prometheus stayed in the villain game for another couple of years, mainly being a slight annoyance to the new heroes, until one day we heard about a gang war, and they vanished.

    Then there''s me, Celerity, I am only known as Ray Stevenson now. I stayed as a trainer longer than the others, but not much longer. After that I ran around a bit visiting the other cities, and just doing odd jobs here and there. Until getting back to Central Hub. Now I am a beer delivery driver who must force himself not to use his superspeed. Sounds fun right? Wrong.

    ¡°Hey Ray, how ya doing?¡± came the voice of the gas station¡¯s manager, breaking me out of my thoughts.

    ¡°Not to bad Earl. How about yourself?¡±

    ¡°Just another day in paradise.¡± The sarcastic tone would be obvious to a fish.

    ¡°Oh, I hear that.¡± Was my response, trying to sound interested.

    ¡°Listen Ray we are stopping your product here. I¡¯ve already told our sales rep, I just wanted to let you know too.¡±

    ¡°Well shit Earl, that really sucks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah sorry kid.¡±

    Kid? Who is he calling kid? I¡¯m older than him. Oh right, I do everything fast but age.

    ¡°It should be fine Earl. Now before I get out of here, I need that last check for this stuff.¡±

    Earl handed him the check and gave his best wishes, which I returned.

    As soon as I got in the truck my phone rang. The caller ID showed it was my boss.

    ¡°Hey Tony, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Hey Ray, you on your way back yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah just finished up at Earl¡¯s place, so he¡¯s dropping us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah we can talk about it when you get back.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing boss, see ya soon.¡±

    The drive back wasn¡¯t anymore memorable than any other time I made the trip. Lost in my thoughts I started to reminisce about the golden days when I was on the front lines in the battle of good and evil. It made me want to reach out to the few people of ¡®The Honor Guard¡¯ I had contact info for. I decided against it, I can call when I get off work.

    As I pulled into the shipping depot and parked the truck, my phone chimed.

    I pulled out my phone and found that I had a message from and Unknown contact.

    Unknown: Enjoy your last day?

    Ray: I think you got the wrong number.

    Unknown: You could be right on that Celerity, but I don¡¯t think so.

    Time started to slow as I sped up, looking around there was no sign of anyone or anything unusual. I did a quick run around the building, nothing. Not knowing what else to do, I made the smartest move I could.

    Ray: Who is this?

    Unknown: If you need a job call me.

    A contact attachment appeared underneath, with no name just a number.

    ¡°It is probably one of the Guard trying to play a prank. Yeah that¡¯s got to be it.¡± I said to myself with a deep sigh.

    At that moment Tony came out of the door,¡± Hey Ray come in in here we gotta talk.¡±

    Heart sinking like I was about to get fired I followed Tony through the building and into his office.

    ¡°Have a seat Ray.¡±

    ¡°Tony I don¡¯t like where this is going.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you aren¡¯t fired or anything.¡±

    With relief I sat down.

    ¡°Alright boss, what¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°Because of the loss of our customers, specifically on your route, we are cutting you back to two days a week.¡±

    ¡°What the hell Tony, how could anyone survive on that?¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon Ray look at it, your route alone has dropped four out of our six stops.¡±

    ¡°Tony, I have been here for eight years, I got seniority over half the drivers, give me one of their routes.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way.¡±

    ¡°The hell it doesn¡¯t Tony!¡± Starting to get angry, it came out louder than I meant it to.

    ¡°Watch your tone with me.¡±

    ¡°Screw you Tony, I don¡¯t need this.¡± Standing before he could say anything else, I stormed out of his office. Exiting the building into the back where no one was around, I sped off running the fifteen miles home in about five seconds.

    After a couple of hours my phone chimed again. More messages came in from the unknown contact.

    Unknown: My offer still stands Ray, or Celerity whichever you prefer.

    Ray: Who the hell is this?

    Unknown: You might wanna get that.

    Before I could Respond there was a knock at the door. When I opened it there was no one. Just a packet on the ground.

    My phone chimed again.

    Unknown: It¡¯s my offer. Call if it looks appealing to you.

    Looking over the packet it was a business proposal, for a shipping company. At first glance it was a huge overestimate of profits, until I realized something.

    ¡°They want me to use my powers?¡±

    Picking up the phone I hit the contact that Unknown sent me. After a moment of hesitation, I hit call.

 Chapter 02-01

    Chapter 02 ¨C 01

    Alex¡¯s side was killing him, but he could feel the regeneration power doing its job, all be it slowly. His head rested against the concrete wall behind him. Traffic passed by the entrance to the alley completely unaware of him, or at least they could have been aware, but they were ignoring him.

    Dizziness, accompanied by a gentle buzz from his phone that let him know about the debuff, flooded his head as he pushed himself to his feet. The world around him doubled and tripled as he tried to focus. The punch to the head seemed to have done more damage than he realized.

    The unconscious bodies of defeated foes in My Supers Online did not simply vanish like in other MMOs dead or otherwise. They instead lingered as they would in the real world. The reasoning behind this was that if a player was committing villainous acts the body would remain, so they could potentially be caught. Players had to hide bodies, to cover their asses. If a Hero left a body, then it could act as a warning to others who would commit crime.

    Alex knelt and picked up the crowbar. A tool that he thought would withstand the force of his strikes, at lease for the time being. He searched the bodies and pulled needles from each. To get his feet on solid ground as a hero he was going to need a healthy supply of Thread not including the rent on his sleep pod outside of My Supers.

    -Needles 5x

    -Total Value: 1250t

    -Deposit in personal account?

    -Yes | No

    Even though it was the early afternoon the sky was turning to a dark grey. Rain clouds were moving in as Alex limped out of the alleyway. Cars whipped by with no concern of the people walking down the road. People yelled at the cars shaking their fists, people in the cars yelled back making obscene gestures with their fingers.

    Alex never really paid attention to how in need Winter¡¯s Garden was of a hero. As an admin he never really paid attention to the balance. It was below him. He received reports of the city¡¯s alignment each night at midnight, but never really looked too deeply into the actions that led to the results in the reports.

    Ducking into a dark alley Alex disabled the mask skin. He didn¡¯t want to be identified as a hero and attacked again so soon. The sidewalks were crowded even in the rain. This forced him to have to duck and weave around the masses. He tried not to bump into anyone if he could avoid it.

    The building that he was looking for did not inspire much hope when he found it. It was about three stories tall constructed of red brick. The glass of the front door was shattered and had been haphazardly repaired with a sheet of plywood that just barely covered the hole.

    A large sign hanging crooked over the door read Winter Garden¡¯s Hero Bureau. The end of the last word was missing having been singed off by some kind of explosion. Most of the building¡¯s windows were dark, but there was one light coming from a window on the first floor.

    Alex pulled on the door, which was locked, but he ended up breaking the bolt on accident. He walked inside and pulled the door to. Using a spare scrap of wood, he slid it through the handle to keep the door shut.

    ¡°Hello!¡± He yelled calling out into the darkness.

    His words echoed around him as he took a few steps into the building¡¯s empty somewhat creepy entryway. It seemed like it was some kind of apartment building at one point. He moved in the general direction of where the light had been on in the window.

    ¡°Hello?!¡± He yelled again reactivating the mask skin on his glasses. Lightly he pushed the door opened. Leading off to the right side of the main hallway.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry son, but you¡¯re a bit late.¡± A dark voice said from the back of the room. There was a desk where sat the lamp that was illuminating the room. The voice came from behind a chair that had its back to the doorway and the light.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty messed up that the Hero Bureau in a town that clearly needs some heroes is locked up tight, well ish.¡± Alex said crossing his arms over his chest. He fought back a sigh of pain as his injuries were still in the regeneration process.

    ¡°No heroes, no hero bureau.¡± the man said with a pain filled chuckle.

    ¡°There is a hero standing right here.¡± Alex said standing up straight against his pains.

    ¡°Sorry kid, but you¡¯re barking up the wrong tree. Why don¡¯t you head over to Winter¡¯s Gate where a hero can do some good? This is a villain¡¯s hot spot.¡± The man said turning the chair slowly around. The man revealed looked like a detective from the forty¡¯s suspenders, fedora, and all.

    ¡°I just took out eight Goldys.¡± Alex bragged trying to fight back laughter.

    ¡°Oh, wow really? You took down eight of the weakest criminals in the town?!¡± The man stood sharply and exclaimed sarcastically.

    ¡°Ouch, way to build up someone¡¯s confidence.¡± Alex said putting his hand over his heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to build up your confidence.¡± The man said shaking his head.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m here to stay. Why don¡¯t you just give me some missions.¡± Alex said shifting his weight from one foot to the other, realized that it was his bad leg, then shifted it back sharply while trying to hide any signs of distress.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Are you serious about this?¡± The man asked.

    ¡°Dead serious.¡± Alex said with a sharp nod.

    ¡°Fine.¡± The man said walking around to stand in front of Alex, ¡°My name is Dick.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it is.¡± Alex sighed, ¡°Aether.¡± He held out his hand for Dick to shake.

    ¡°Pick an apartment upstairs. I¡¯ll give you the first month¡¯s rent free to get you on your feet. Lord knows you¡¯re going to need all the help you can get. Next thing you need to do is go down to the sidekick office and get yourself some help. It¡¯s likely slim pickings here, but like I said all the help you can get.¡± Dick said giving Alex a firm handshake.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go do that now. I want to try and get up a couple of tiers before the first payout.¡± Alex nodded. Payouts for money were Sunday at midnight. Payout for experience occurred every night at midnight.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten the crap beaten out of you boy. Rent¡¯s free, take the night.¡± Dick said shaking his head and walked over to a small bar to the side of the room. He picked up an unlabeled bottle of brown liquor. Two ice cubes clinked into a glass and the sound of the booze pouring into the glass filled the room.

    ¡°If it¡¯s all the same.¡± Alex said turning to walk out of the room.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Dick sighed, ¡°Go to the sidekick office first.¡± He walked over to the desk, ¡°But if you need to get some more action there¡¯s a drug deal happening at the docks.¡±

    -A Dent to the Drug Trade

    -There is a drug deal that will occur midday at the docks. Stop the drug deal and deal damage to the drug trade.

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    ¡°In the middle of the day?¡± Alex said turning to look at Dick. He accepted the mission.

    ¡°They don¡¯t have anyone to stop them, so why not? Low security, to them it¡¯s like receiving a delivery from a grocery truck. There is also a demonstration downtown near the city hall. See if you can lend a hand.¡± Dick said as he laced his fingers and leaned back in his chair.

    -A City in Pain

    -There is a demonstration happening at the city hall. Check out what is going on to determine if you can lend a hand.

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Alex said with a sure nod. He left the office accepting the second mission as well.

    The landing on the second level had a flight of stairs that went up to the third floor, but it was destroyed. There were five doors that lead to apartments. Alex didn¡¯t really give it much thought, he just chose the first door at the top of the landing.

    The apartment was a mess. Possibly years of disregard floated through the air. He took a few steps into the room and ended up doing a crazy dance when he walked through a cobweb. He spit and sputtered until it felt like it was gone. There were two bedrooms a kitchen and a bathroom all in desperate need of being scrubbed from top to bottom. The larger bedroom had a large window that looked out over the city. It wasn¡¯t a great view, it was mostly blocked by another building.

    ¡°A job for another time.¡± He mumbled to himself looking around at the filthy room.

    Early evening found the sidewalks packed from shoulder to shoulder. The Sidekick office was halfway across town. Alex carved a path through the crowd only stopping a single time en route kicking himself for not taking teleportation. He took a moment at a hotdog stand to get something to eat. His stomach was growling loudly. As he scarfed down the tiny meal, he found that his healing power was working much more efficiently with the food to work with. He made a mental note that he needed to make sure and get his calorie intake for the day. His energy would also regenerate if he ate.

    The sidekick office was not in shambles like the Hero Bureau. This was most likely due to the fact that villains could get sidekicks as well as heroes. The building was four stories tall, built of smooth concrete and dark shadowed glass. Alex felt that it was something straight out of a villain¡¯s mind.

    He took a deep breath and walked towards the building. The doors which were nothing more than panes of glass slid open for him, clearing his path. Inside the entryway there were two paths leading to opposite sides of the building. Right was for heroes and left was designated for villains. There was a line on the villain side of things. The building¡¯s interior was a safe zone where heroes and villains were forced to get along because they couldn¡¯t attack each other.

    Alex strolled past them thankful that he had reactivated his mask skin before walking into the building. He walked down the hallway to the hero¡¯s sidekick recruitment area. The lobby was completely empty, there was dust covering everything. An older woman sat behind the counter with her legs up on the counter and a book laid over her face. Her snores echoed loudly around the room. He cleared his throat and walked across the room. His knuckles wrapped the dusty glass echoing around the room.

    The woman jumped with a start causing the book to fall off of her face. She looked around clutching her chest. Her eyes locked on Alex and for a moment she didn¡¯t move like she didn¡¯t believe that he was there.

    ¡°Can I help you son?¡± She asked in a croaked old voice. She stood up from the chair and fixed her glasses. Looking down at her desk she shuffled some papers around in front of her.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for a sidekick.¡± Alex said in a loud commanding voice.

    ¡°The villain sidekicks are down the other hall.¡± The woman waved her hand dismissively.

    ¡°No ma¡¯am, I am a hero and I am here for my sidekick.¡± Alex said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

    ¡°Ohh, I¡¯m so sorry! Let me get some paperwork.¡± She turned and walked to a filing cabinet. When she opened the drawer as far as it would move. There were a lonesome two files dangling from the rails. She grabbed the files and returned to Alex.

    ¡°Are there only two choices?¡± Alex asked resting his hands on the small shelf under the window.

    ¡°Yes. You can have either one, as long as you pay em.¡± The woman said sliding the files through the small slot over the shelf.

    Alex opened the first folder. There was a picture of a young woman who was dressed like a hippy. She had long green hair and piercing blue eyes like water.

    -Flower Child

    -Age: 18

    -Power: Plants

    -Pay/Week: Base 1/10 Tier intake.

    Alex closed the first folder absolutely sure that was not the sidekick that he wanted. He opened up the other folder to a picture of a young woman who could only be described as punk. She had long purple hair, dark purple eyes and wore a long purple hoodie. She was wearing black shoes and a black skirt over purple leggings.

    -Obsidian

    -Age: 19

    -Power: Hardening Skin

    -Pay/Week Base + 1/10 Tier intake. (Base 500 Thread per week if no Tier is made)

    ¡°I¡¯ll take Obsidian.¡± Alex said passing the folders back through the slot.

    ¡°Well they are both for hire if you feel that you can take on more help.¡± The woman said as she began typing slowly on her computer. After a few moments while Alex frustratingly watched she extracted a sheet of paper from the printer and slid it through the slot.

    ¡°I can¡¯t afford two right now, but maybe in the future.¡± He said with a nod attempting to take the paper.

    ¡°Protect these young ones with your being.¡± The woman said refusing to let the paper go.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Alex nodded.

    She let the paper go. Sitting back down in the chair she rested her legs on the counter and didn¡¯t even attempt to read the book. Instead she just laid it over her face in an attempt to go back to sleep.

 Chapter 02-02

    Chapter 02-02

    Alex stood on the sidewalk in front of a tall apartment building. He held the address for Obsidian in his hand and glanced from the paper to the building and back. The building rose into the sky constructed from dark slate colored blocks that were inlayed with dark tinted glass. Thick white grout lines stood out sharply against the dark colors of the building.

    ¡°What have I gotten myself into?¡± He asked the piece of paper with a sigh. All the times that he had played the game he had never once had a sidekick. Sure, he had worked in a group before, but a sidekick he was personally responsible for.

    One of the most important things about sidekicks was that he would sponsor this person. This would give them the ability to respawn. Not an unlimited number of respawns, but he could bring them back a couple of times if things went sideways.

    The address that was listed for Obsidian was on the sixth floor. He shoved the paper in his pocket and walked up the front steps. Two large men came out of the front door as he was trying to enter. They angled their shoulders to check him as he passed by. He was not wearing his mask and was still slightly on the mend from his early skirmishes and decided to let it go.

    The entryway in the building opened into a center room that housed four elevators, two on either side of the building. There were also staircases at the rear in the case of an emergency. Alex pressed the call button on the elevators and stood patently in the lobby with his hands folded in front of him rolling on the balls of his heels.

    The ride up the levels was quiet as soft music played in the background. His fingers tapped his sides absently as he waited. He found himself humming to the music in the background. The elevator car around him was typical, made of brushed chrome, but there was a stripe of black slate that ran diagonally from the floor to the ceiling.

    The cabin lurched to a stop with a soft ding. The doors slid open to a loud smashing sound. A blur of purple whipped by the opening. Alex leaned out and looked to watch the blur smash into the wall. Light from the outside began to spill into the hallway as chucks of the wall dropped down around the blur¡¯s landing spot.

    Alex turned to the other side of the hall where he saw a woman hovering several inches off the ground. She wore grey clothes and a white cape whipped around her in some kind of artificial wind. The girl¡¯s eyes glowed bright green.

    The purple blur, who was of course Obsidian, climbed up off the ground. She shook her head and stumbled for a moment. The woman at the other end of the hall lifted her arms. Two large tables lifted from the ground and were tossed down the hallway. Obsidian dropped her shoulders and as fast as she could ran towards the attacker.

    Using her shoulders, she smashed the tables into the wall shattering them into small pieces. She ducked down and increased her speed. With her head down she rammed her shoulder into the floating girl at full speed. The floating girl flew back and crashed through the end of the hallway. She fell from the hole down out of sight.

    Obsidian stopped at the edge of the hole where she watched the woman fall. She held on to the wall while she looked still seeming to be a little dizzy from her collision with the far wall.

    ¡°Serves you right you bitch!¡± She spat over the edge down at the woman.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Alex asked. He had walked over to stand next to her. While he watched her he crossed his arms over his chest.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Obsidian yelled and nearly fell from the hole. She jumped back and threw up her fists in a defensive stance, ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡±

    ¡°The name is Aether. Who was that?¡± Alex asked again after the quick intro. He pointed outside towards the woman she had just attacked.

    ¡°That was my bitch of a sister.¡± Obsidian said with a snarl. She relaxed just a bit but did not let her guard down completely.

    ¡°You just threw your sister out of the sixth floor of a building.¡± Alex said. He tried to remain as nonjudgmental as he could, but she was shaping up to be quite the crazy.

    ¡°She¡¯s a villain, and she used my makeup.¡± Obsidian said with a growl, ¡°Who are you again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hero. I was just at the sidekick office and I was given your name. I came down here to hire you.¡± Alex said showing her the sheet of paper.

    ¡°Wow! I had forgotten I submitted that application. I was like fifteen.¡± Obsidian said in awe.

    The two of them weren¡¯t paying any attention to what was happening outside. A large slab of stone burst through the wall catching them both and sending them crashing down the hallway.

    Alex smashed into the wall. His head took most of the force as he rolled down to the floor onto his stomach. Moaning in pain he pushed himself up and looked down at his arms which were scratched, cut and bruised. He shook his head as he used the wall to stabilize himself.

    Obsidian was on her feet and she didn¡¯t have a single scratch. She yelled loudly down the hallway where her sister was hovering outside a few feet from the building.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Obsidian shot to Alex.

    She ran towards the hole in the wall. She picked up speed gradually until she reached the edge where she threw herself out and slammed into her sister. She locked her arms around her midsection causing them both to drop out of sight light rocks.

    ¡°What the hell am I getting myself into?¡± Alex coughed and stumbled his way down the hallway so that he could watch the fight. He couldn¡¯t deny that he like a good cat fight.

    The two sisters rolled around for a few minutes each breaking the other¡¯s hold almost as soon as it landed. Finally, Obsidian pinned her sister down to the ground with her knees and began to pound on her face over and over again with her fists.

    ¡°I give up!¡± Obsidian¡¯s sister yelled. She attempted to use her hands to try and protect her face, ¡°You crazy bitch!¡±

    ¡°You started this. You should have thought about that before you threw the dresser at me.¡± Obsidian said throwing a single final punch. She leaned back and took in a deep breath through her nose. Looking down on her sister Obsidian stood up from where she knelt. She stepped to one side holding out her hand to help her sister off of the ground where she laid moaning in defeat. Reluctantly her sister took the offered hand and stood up.

    She put her arm around Obsidian¡¯s waist, and the two of them drifted up from the street below. They landed on the ledge just inside the damage that they had caused at the end of the hallway. Alex leaned on the wall watching in awe with his arms crossed over his chest.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Obsidian¡¯s sister said shortly focusing on the floor in front of her.

    ¡°This is my sister, Lift.¡± Obsidian said gesturing.

    ¡°You should consider the life of a hero.¡± Alex said. He uncrossed his arms and puffed out his chest in pride.

    ¡°I come from a family of villains. I can¡¯t follow in this black sheep¡¯s footsteps.¡± Lift said with a grumble.

    ¡°Yeah well, this black sheep seems to always kick your ass.¡± Obsidian said shifting her weight and rolling her eyes.

    ¡°It won¡¯t always be that way.¡± Lift hissed and stormed off towards the apartment.

    ¡°Keep telling yourself that. I look forward to the day.¡± Obsidian called after her and gave a halfhearted salute, ¡°Sucks that she¡¯s a villain, but I love her.¡± Obsidian patted Alex on the shoulder, ¡°Sorry you got some of the splash there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Alex said waving his hands, ¡°So, how do you feel about the job?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m interested. I thought that I was going to have to get a job flipping burgers or convert to a villain.¡± She said wondering from one side of the hall to the other in a slow pace.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll gladly pay your wage that you have in your file, plus performance raises.¡± Alex offered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember what I put in the offer.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°One tenth of the weekly income, plus with a minimum of five hundred thread.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Right, I guess I¡¯m in.¡± Obsidian said after a short moment of contemplation.

    Alex held out his hand for her to shake. She took it and gave him a firm handshake. Their contract was sealed with a notification window.

    -You have a Sidekick!

    -Sidekick name: Obsidian

    -Sidekick Level: 4

    -Partnership Level: 1

 Chapter 02-03

    Chapter 02-03

    After the sibling squabble that had just occurred between Obsidian and Lift was over and Lift admitted defeat, she would be responsible for the repair bill. If, that was, the city determined that the repairs were a priority. Sometimes the damage did not get repaired unless a player or other entity came in a paid for the work.

    Alex and Obsidian walked out of the main door and out onto the sidewalk. A city repair crew was already on site.

    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Obsidian asked. Alex stopped to watch the crew start its work.

    A white vehicle had pulled up to the side of the building parking in parallel with the damaged wall. Six slots opened where drones flew out and, like worker bees, soared to the sixth floor. They began to reconstruct the missing section of wall piece by piece.

    ¡°You know I forgot about that cost.¡± Alex said absentmindedly watching the drones work to repair the building, ¡°we have to make sure that we win. Given that this is a villain city, I¡¯d bet we are billed every time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my sisters always end up with the bill.¡± Obsidian said with a smirk. She crossed her arms over her chest.

    ¡°You¡¯re that confident in your abilities.¡± Alex asked shaking his head. He rested his fists on his hips proudly. One thing that was sure, the hero thing was going to get old quick. The first time that he had played, before becoming an admin, he had been a villain.

    ¡°Until I¡¯m proven otherwise, I have no need to doubt.¡± She said with a curt nod.

    ¡°Fair enough. Come on, I¡¯ve gotten us some missions.¡± He said motioning for them to head down town to the city square.

    ¡°What¡¯s this mission that you speak of?¡± Obsidian asked in a comedic tone. She happily followed right behind Alex.

    Alex felt ashamed of himself in comparison to Obsidian. She had an organized costume and identity. His Aether identity was not so well put together. His powers were so new to him that he had no clue what to do to really use them together, his costume was a joke. Normal clothes, plus a half mask that just covered the area around his eyes was not really doing it for him. Until he got some cash though, there wasn¡¯t much that he could do about the situation. It was hard for him to feel like a leader when she was obviously stronger than he was at the moment. Her only down fall was that she only had one power.

    ¡°First thing, we are going to see if we can help the citizens of the city in a demonstration against the villainous leaders of the city.¡± Alex explained as they walked.

    ¡°Thank goodness. I was thinking about going to this rally, but my dad was being kind of a wad about the whole thing.¡± Obsidian said with a sigh of relief.

    ¡°You have more details about the event?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°The biggest issue that they are protesting is the unfair work conditions at the docks, but there is always the ¡®hey why are you guys such dicks¡¯ issue.¡± Obsidian said.

    ¡°Could you elaborate?¡± Alex asked. He stopped so that he could turn and look at her.

    ¡°Wait, how long have you been in this city?¡± She asked stopping as well. She attempted to rub tension out of her forehead with her fingers.

    Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. He did some quick math in his head jokingly counting on his fingers. He purposely drew out the answer.

    ¡°About six hours.¡± He said with a smile.

    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Obsidian said dramatically throwing her hands into the air. She walked over to the wall of the nearest building and started to pound her head on the bricks. Dust fell from each contact as the brick crumbled.

    ¡°I mean, I know that this city needs a hero. And I know that there are two rival gangs that fight for control.¡± He said holding out his hand towards her.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t rivals anymore. They struck a truce a few months ago, about the same time as the exodus. They are in the government. They are the police.¡± Obsidian said tapping her foot with frustration.

    ¡°Alright, so instead of fighting two groups we are fighting one larger one.¡± Alex said with a shrug, ¡°No big deal.¡±

    ¡°You are so nonchalant. Don¡¯t you take anything seriously?¡± She said and crossed her arms in a huff.

    ¡°What can I tell you? I just don¡¯t.¡± Alex smiled. They turned and started to walk towards the city center. People were already gathered in the street. Hundreds of people held up signs that screamed about the unfair conditions in the city.

    ¡°You need a permit for this type of gathering!¡± A man standing at the top of the stairs yelled through a megaphone like device towards the crowd. Alex didn¡¯t need any more information to know for a fact that he was military police. He wore a black uniform that covered his entire body. A sliver badge with a gold center dangled around his neck. I baffled him that the Goldys could get so much power.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made it so hard to get a permit so that you can control us!¡± A man yelled from the crowd.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want a people, you want cattle!¡± A woman yelled.

    ¡°Ready men!¡± The man with the megaphone yelled.

    Two dozen other officers filed onto the stairs from inside of city hall. They all aimed assault rifles at the crowd. In unison they chambered their rounds. Red lasers showered down on the people in the front row.

    ¡°These men will fire if you do not disperse immediately.¡± The man with the megaphone ordered.

    Alex clenched his fist and began to float up off the ground. Obsidian clenched her own fists and a sheen of purple energy rippled across her body. She began to move forward through the crowd attempting to blend the best the she could.

    Behind the man with the megaphone the doors to city hall opened. A man in a suit walked out onto the top step. When he opened his mouth gold shown across the crowd.

    ¡°Mr. Gold King.¡± The leader of the officers said with a slight bow. Backing away from the center of the landing at the top of the stairs he handed over the microphone to the new man.

    ¡°My people. I don¡¯t think that you understand how important to this community that you are. If these officers are forced to take action on this day, it will be tragic for both sides of this issue.¡± Mr. Gold King held up his hand in sincerity. Alex hung back and lowered into the crowd hovering only enough to see over the sea of heads.

    ¡°You want to control us! You want to use us! You pay us nothing and you¡¯ve taken away everything that we work for while you profit and sit fat on high!¡± A man yelled from the crowd.

    ¡°I am working hard to grow this city. I want to give your home a boost to strengthen the economy and the people.¡± His obviously rehearsed speech was interrupted by a loud whooshing sound. Purple flashes of energy signaled a portal blinking to life behind The Gold King.

    Turning in surprise he was assaulted when a severed head flew out from the portal and collided with his face. He somehow caught it, but when he realized what it was, he dropped it in a hurry. Alex leapt from the ground and hovered above the crowd. The head was of a man with sharpened teeth whose dying expression was of pure terror.

    A man stepped through the portal. He wore a pressed suit. His hair was oily reflective silver and slicked back to super sharp points the curled upward. He had a dark beard and mustache that were very well manicured.

    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The Gold King asked stumbling backward from the portal and the head. Blood had stained the small bit of white shirt that could be seen on the Gold King¡¯s chest.

    ¡°My name is Cyphon and I¡¯ve come her to take this city.¡± The new man on stage proclaimed. He clenched his fist and looked over the crowd.

    ¡°Stop him!¡± The Gold King yelled pointing at the man.

    The officers all turned aiming at the intruder. They all pulled their triggers at the same time. The hail of bullets rained across the top of the stairs slamming into the wall behind them man. A massive cloud of dust filled the air. It wasn¡¯t until the dust began to settle did they notice that he wasn¡¯t standing where he had been, nor was he laying on the ground. Cyphon was standing behind the Gold King.

    His fingers reached out and grabbed the Gold king by the shoulder, whose body began to sag almost instantaneously. Cyphon pushed him down on to his knees. He drew a sword and with a swift movement the Gold King¡¯s head dropped to the ground and rolled a few times.

    The blade of his sword began to glow. In a burst of movement Cyphon rushed the officers. When he came to a stop there was a moment of stillness before all of the officers fell to the ground.

    The sword returned to the sheath. Cyphon turned to the crowed wearing a wide smile. The officer who was leading the other officers looked up to the man who had just killed his comrades and handed off the microphone for the megaphone device.

    ¡°I have only one rule. Comply or die.¡± Cyphon let go of the microphone causing a thud that echoed around the crowd.

    A purple portal of energy opened. Cyphon walked into the writhing energy vanishing from the pseudo stage. In an unnatural silence the crown dispersed in all directions and vanished into the city.

    ¡°That was not how I expected this event would go down.¡± Obsidian scoffed when Alex landed on the street next to her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone thought things would go down that way.¡± Alex sighed.

    ¡°That changes your hero plans.¡± She said and shook her head.

    ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± Alex said trying to maintain the unwavering optimism that the Hero was supposed maintain. He led them down the street towards the docks. There was still another mission that they could do. Busting up a drug delivery would be fun and more than ever he needed to level.

 Chapter 02-04

    Chapter 02-04

    Though the drug deal was happening during the day it was late in the day. Alex and Obsidian raced to the docks so that they could make it in time to do something about it. Alex wanted to start racking in some experience points.

    ¡°Do you know anything about what is going on down at the docks. There is supposed to be a drug delivery today.¡± Alex said. He kept his head on a swivel so that he was aware of what was going on all around him.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Goldys. They get drugs in on the train twice a day.¡± Obsidian said. While they walked, she flexed her arms causing ripples of purple energy to course over her flesh. Though the skin didn¡¯t change much there was a slight sheen to the surface.

    ¡°What kind of drugs?¡± Alex asked. They stopped at a corner and checked the street. On the other side the docks were surrounded by tall chain link fence. The top was crested with coiled razor wire. The gate was closed and there were a pair of guards that were standing just outside of a gate house. Alex didn¡¯t see any other way in without scaling the fence.

    ¡°Astral-Blue.¡± Obsidian sighed.

    ¡°Really?¡± Alex turned and looked at her. Astral-Blue was a highly addictive hallucinogen that bent the laws of physics for the user. As far as Alex knew Astral-Blue had been wiped from the servers. The devs thought that it was too addictive for the community. It effected players the same as it did anyone else.

    ¡°Yeah it started to show up about a week ago. It¡¯s selling like hot cakes.¡± Obsidian said shaking her head.

    ¡°Great. That stuff is a nightmare.¡± Alex said shaking his head. He rested his hands on his hips and let out a long sigh.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± Obsidian said with an understanding nod.

    The moment that the street was clear, and the guards were not looking the pair darted across. Traffic as a whole was much lower in this part of town. They walked along the fence away from the gate. It wasn¡¯t the best built fence on the planet, but it was fairly secure. They weren¡¯t easily finding any gaps in its defenses.

    ¡°I can go up and over.¡± Alex said as he made a flying gesture up and over the fence.

    ¡°Alright. Meet you at the gate? I¡¯ll distract the guards and you can take them out?¡± She asked looking back the way that they had come.

    ¡°Sounds like a plan little buddy.¡± He said with a playful smile.

    ¡°No.¡± She said, and she did not return the smile.

    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Alex said with a pout.

    ¡°No.¡± She said walking away towards the gate.

    ¡°Please!¡± Alex pleaded watching her walk away.

    Obsidian threw an obscene gesture up over her shoulder, but never turned back. Alex covered his mouth, made a fake gasp sound, and shook his head.

    ¡°Children these days.¡± He said turning to look at the fence.

    It was a little more than twice his height. The razor wire was his real worry. This was the first time that he was putting his flight ability to the test.

    His feet lifted from the ground as he poured his energy into the power. His lifted swiftly until he was eye level with the razor wire. He then slowed to a stop and hovered just lower than the top of the wire.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± He said as he kicked his feet trying to get a couple more inches of height. He lowered himself down and put his foot into a couple links of the fence. His muscles coiled up as he knelt down holding onto the fence. He used his super strength to toss himself into the air above the fence. As he fell, he pushed himself over the top of the fence. The back of his legs just barely missed the razors as he came down.

    He landed on the ground with an almost silent thud that resonated through his bones. In a dash he bolted to the shadow of a nearby building. His face peaked around the corner of the building facing the Guard house near the gate. He counted the steps that the guards took as they made their short round of the road from one side of the gate to the other.

    Obsidian walked up to the fence and grabbed ahold of the metal links. She Dangled from them like she was a bubble head and spoke towards the guards. Alex couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying.

    ¡°Get back away from the gate!¡± One of the guards shouted while he slammed the butt of his gun against the fence.

    Alex darted from shadow to shadow while both guards were distracted yelling at Obsidian. She was laughing and taunting them as much as she could to keep them occupied.

    ¡°You so low on the totem pole that they¡¯ve got you guarding a gate? Lame!¡± Obsidian raked her stone arms across the metal.

    Alex shot out from the shadow behind the gate house and stopped behind the two guards. They had no idea that he had appeared. He reached up in a swift motion slammed their heads together. Both of the guards were knocked out cold and dropped to the ground.

    -You¡¯ve Defeated 2x Guards!

    -Broke in.

    -Defeated 2x Goldy Guards

    -400xp (200 each)

    -+2 Hero Point (You¡¯re a Hero!)

    -+1 Hero Tier (-3 Until Next Tier)

    ¡°I wish that I had a scan ability.¡± Alex commented as he reached inside of the guard building and pressed the button that opened the gate. There were no security measures that kept him from getting into the gate house.

    ¡°We use what we have.¡± Obsidian said shaking her head.

    The docks were where the deal was going down, but as Alex scanned the area with his eyes it became clear that the drugs were not coming in by boat, they were coming by train. Alex traced the tracks back. He could see a train coming that had diverted from the main line. The train was coming towards the warehouse at blistering speeds. Attached to the engine were four cargo cars.

    A stack of creates outside of the side of the warehouse offered the two of them a perfect perch so that they could look down inside on what was going on down on the platform. Alex and Obsidian both knelt so that they could wait for the perfect moment to strike.

    ¡°Alright, so we beat these guys.¡± Obsidian said.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°That would roughly be the plan.¡± Alex said with a nod.

    ¡°What are we going to do with the Astral-Blue?¡± Obsidian inquired.

    ¡°Take it to the police.¡± Alex shrugged.

    ¡°I would like you to turn your attention to the bottom left entrance of the warehouse.¡± She said pointing to the indicated spot.

    Alex looked to see four police officers standing guard at the door. They were in full riot gear and were equipped with either an assault rifle or shotgun. Their helmets were equipped with shaded goggles and face shields.

    ¡°Fantastic.¡± Alex said rubbing his face with his hands in frustration.

    ¡°I tried to tell you. This city is hella corrupt.¡± She sighed and shook her head.

    ¡°What are the limits of your hardening abilities?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t found anything yet that could penetrate my skin.¡± She lifted her arm and activated her ability, ¡°There was this one time that I got stabbed in a bar fight and I activated my ability a little too late and the blade broke off in my arm. You should have seen the nurse trying to stitch the wound.¡± She said with a crazy grin.

    ¡°You were in a bar fight?¡± Alex asked with a look of shocked revelation that this girl may not be the innocent ward that he first thought.

    ¡°It was crazy. I snuck in with a couple of friends. That was before the mass exodus of heroes from Winter¡¯s Garden a few years ago.¡± She said leaning back on her hands.

    ¡°You claim to be hero.¡± Alex said shooting her a dark look.

    ¡°I never claimed to have zero villain points.¡± She said shoot back the same look.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He said with a slow nod.

    The train that was supposedly bring the fresh supply of Astral-Blue rocked into the station and came to a stop with a low humming sound as the magnetic repulseres powered down. The entire train lowered several feet to the platform below.

    Men started to open the train cars and unload creates into the warehouse. Alex watched closely until he found what he was looking for, a smoking gun. Two large henchmen pressed a button on one opening the create for a man wearing nice pressed pants that were being held up by suspenders and a nice clean white shirt. Vials and vials of the dark blue liquid that gave off a slight teal glow were crammed inside several smaller cases that were stacked neatly inside the case.

    The well-dressed man took a vial from the case and opened the top. He took a sharp sniff of the contents before closing the vail. It was apparent that he was pleased with the product as a wide sharp smile stretched menacingly across his face.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stop bullets in any way so do you want to take the cops out together?¡± Alex asked. He took hold of the window and prepared to jump inside.

    ¡°I can stop those bullets if you want to go after the well-dressed man.¡± Obsidian said nodding towards the officers.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°We need to take that guy down. He is going to run. I got this.¡± She said as she clenched her fists sending the waves of purple energy across her skin.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it.¡± Alex said with a final nod.

    They both jumped through the open window. Obsidian dropped to the ground like a rock sending out a wave of energy and spawning a crater in the ground slightly larger than she was. She rebounded from the landing and ran towards where the police were guarding the door.

    Alex flew across the open air only having to dodge a few rafters in his path. He was higher starting out then his ability allowed him to fly so he had to fall with style until his ability kicked in. He streaked straight towards the well-dressed man who snatched up a briefcase and took off running towards an exit.

    With a burst of energy that poured on just a little more speed Alex tackled the running man. They both dropped to the ground in a heap. The well-dressed man tried to punch Alex, but he was clearly not a fighter. Alex punched him in the face, hard. The man tried to get up, but with another solid punch the well-dressed man fell to the concrete out cold.

    Alex stood up and turned towards and incoming hoard of dock workers. They were armed with crowbars and lengths of wood. Alex ducked under an incoming crowbar and caught the man¡¯s arm. He sharply kicked up sending the man back into another inbound group.

    He stumbled forwards as a length of 2x4 was smashed into his back and splintered around him in a shower of wood shards. He caught himself and turned around in a blur throwing his fist out and smashing it into the attacker¡¯s face.

    He heard a number of gunshots, but with a quick glance he saw that Obsidian was indeed holding her own. He used his crowbar to block an incoming attacking crowbar. Alex sharply turned his crowbar hooking them together. With a strong yank he pulled the enemy¡¯s crowbar from his grip.

    Alex took a few deep breaths. His energy level was extremely low, but he had to push himself through it. He was attacked from the left at the same moment that a leg came in from the right. He clenched his fist and with a small portion of his energy funneled into his super strength ability he punched the fist. The man¡¯s hand could be heard shattering. He stared to scream in agony and dropped the floor. Alex grabbed ahold of the leg, but he was too slow the blunt of the force was still transferred into his gut sending him to the floor.

    With a quick roll to the left he moved before the attacker could stomp on his head. Alex swept the man¡¯s feet out from under him and as his head hit the ground Alex was able to twist himself and drop his elbow into the attacker¡¯s gut.

    He pushed himself off the ground shaking his head. There was a ringing in his ears, but it was quickly subsiding. There were four more goons that were making their way towards Alex. With his crowbar he smashed the first in the gut and with a twist he slammed the next in the back of the head.

    A foot smashed into the back of his knee. He stumbled but was able to keep himself upright. He flew into the air and tossed his crowbar at the man who had kicked him. The piece of metal rebounded off his face. With his energy so low he was unable to keep his flight ability active. He fell to the ground stumbling to keep his footing.

    The final goon yelled as he came running towards Alex with a crowbar in each hand. Alex turned toward him, but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what he was going to do. A purple blur acted before he could. Obsidian smashed into the gut of the incoming man. The wind was knocked out of him as he crumpled to the ground.

    Alex took a few shaking steps as he waited for his regeneration to kick in and do its job as soon as some of his energy returned. One of the guys that had landed an attack on Alex was moaning on the ground. He looked at him for a moment before he swiftly kicked him in the head knocking him out cold.

    ¡°I had that guy.¡± Alex said adjusting his footing with a limp. There was still a little pain in his calf from the earlier gunshot.

    ¡°I know.¡± Obsidian said with a shrug, ¡°And I¡¯ve got your back.¡±

    Alex turned to the door where Obsidian and the cops had had their showdown. There was a pile of four armored men in front of the door and another pile of weapons a few feet away. The men were clearly still alive and all groaning in pain.

    ¡°Nice work.¡± Alex said with an approving nod.

    ¡°Thanks, been taking out those assholes for a few years now.¡± She said with a proud smile while clapping her hands together.

    ¡°I say we send a message.¡± Alex said clapping his own hands together.

    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Obsidian said with a devilish smirk.

    On the verge of sunset, the two of them stood outside of the building. Behind where they stood there were two piles of bodies. All of them were still alive. Their hands and feet had been bound and the well-dressed man was tied up kneeling between the two piles.

    In front of them was the entire stockpile of drugs that had just been delivered to the city. Obsidian walked around behind the well-dressed man and held his head so that he could see what they were doing. So that he had to watch.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to want to watch this.¡± Alex said. He held a Molotov cocktail that he had improvised with things around the warehouse. He lit the rag handing out of the bottle with the well-dressed man¡¯s own lighter.

    The well-dressed man began to freak out on the ground fighting against Obsidian who was easily able to hold him in place. Alex threw the fireball into the creates which burst into a massive ball of bright blue flames. The fire rose high into the sky which was getting darker by the second. It was only a matter of seconds before the entire collection was completely engulfed in roaring flames.

    Alex took a few steps over to the well-dressed man. He reached out and patted the man on the shoulder. Tears could be seen running down the well-dressed man¡¯s face.

    ¡°No more drugs in the Garden.¡± Alex said with a proud smiled. He leaned over and picked up the man¡¯s briefcase.

    Obsidian and Alex left the complex to the sound of a mission complete chime ringing from Alex¡¯s phone. Together the two of them collected all of the needles that they could find on the men.

    -You¡¯ve Completed a Hero Mission!

    -A Dent to the Drug Trade.

    -Defeated 8 Goldy Dock Goons

    -600xp (75 Each)

    -Defeated Well-Dressed Man

    -300xp (300xp Each)

    -+9 Hero Point (You¡¯re a Hero!)

    -+12 Hero Tier (-21 Until Next Tier)

    ~~~

    -Your sidekick has completed an Encounter!

    -Corrupt Cops.

    -Defeated 4x Corrupt Cops (Riot Gear)

    -200xp (50 Each Your Share)

    -+2 Hero Point (You¡¯re a Hero!)

    -+2 Hero Tier (-19 Until Next Tier)

    ~~~

    -Needles x15

    -Total Value 7039t

    -Deposit in personal account?

    -Yes | No

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 02

    Chapter 02

    Alara and I looked around Axiscore¡¯s train station. It reminded me of Grand Central Terminal that I once saw in the history channel. Grand stone arches and Victorian age stonework was the main theme once we got off of the futuristic terminal. Hundreds of people were moving like a precise machine. One that would stop if someone threw a wrench into it.

    ¡°What should we do, honey?¡± Alara asked, looking around reminding me of a tourist which I guess we were.

    Personally, I was glad she was so calm. This had to be the strangest thing she had ever experienced. Though, she was made out of stronger stuff than the cute girl appearance made her out to be. There wasn¡¯t anyone I trusted more to have my back than Alara. Louella and Izora were a close second, but they had their own duties to take care of. Not to mention I wouldn¡¯t have the faintest idea how to get them here in the first place.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just look around. There are a few facts I want to check out. Did you happen to see a lot of weird looking words and numbers when you were following me?¡±

    ¡°Nope. One moment I was chasing your consciousness, the next I was in a weird black room,¡± Alara shook her head.

    ¡°Interesting. Alright! Let¡¯s take a tour,¡± I smiled and started following the major stream of people that was leaving the terminal. As we were about to pass a set of guard bars. They shot open. I stopped and looked around to see people inserting a ticket into the machine. I tilted my head in interest then pressed my hand against the column.

    Ride: Basic Cost: 100 Thread / Or redeemable ticket

    ¡°Hey! Hurry it up I want to get level two before I get off tonight!¡± A girl shouted behind us. I turned my head and smiled, her face noticeably blanched, ¡°I mean take your time.¡±

    -Intimidation with a single smile

    -+1 Villainous Point

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I quickly paid for Alara and mine¡¯s passage.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how, but the game had already put us in a party. The information from earlier had flashed by so fast that while I knew a great deal many of it was useless, or irrelevant. It would be a challenge to learn about the game without alerting an admin or anti-virus software to my presence. The biggest thing was that this was a Full-Drive game, so all the players had their minds basically uploaded to play it.

    ¡°Now where to go?¡± I murmured as we stood on the stairs leading to the station.

    ¡°That way!¡± Alara said, pointing down what I felt was a random street.

    ¡°Sure thing, my Love,¡± I said, and we went that way.

    A minute later I realized exactly why.

    ¡°That looks amazing! Can we try it? Oh! There¡¯s something sweet over there!¡± Alara pointed all over the place.

    ¡°My Love, we can get one thing. I don¡¯t think we are exactly rich in this world. Plus, we cannot create it as we wish like our old world,¡± I said gripping her hand.

    She pouted but agreed. I ended up getting her a crepe, which she thoroughly enjoyed in my opinion. After we got off what I found out was Food Alley. Looking around I saw a line of people at what looked like an information booth. We made our way over, Alara licking her fingers.

    Relief flooded me as we approached, due to a screen that appeared that asked for our inquire. It looked like you would speak to a person only if the information you sought wasn¡¯t available from the database. I moved us to the side then began browsing.

    ¡°My Love, you should look through it as well. You might not understand it all, but you might see something that will help us in the long run,¡± I said.

    ¡°O~K~¡± she chirped before accessing the screen.

    Alara had been with me for almost a year now. Of course, she had a pretty good grasp on using technology. She might not be as good as me, but she would definitely give the locals for a run for their money. I glanced over to her and was happy to see that she was actually taking it seriously.

    Quickly making my way through the menus, I focused on anything that might help. A lot of the features were pretty basic for a virtual reality online game. There was an inventory system. A quick look through mine showed I had two hundred and ninety-seven Thread, which was this game¡¯s currency.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    There was a world map. The game world was comparative to Earth in size. With hundreds of cities dotting the land. It appeared that players would gain experience points from just about every action they made. From saving a person under attack to robbing a bank it all counted towards their character level.

    Separate from that there were power levels. The same experience points would be applied to their power level which would allow the player to gain points to allocate to their powers. If my memory served me right, I needed roughly sixty points to unlock the dimensional gate. To power it I would need another twenty-five points. It looked like we would be here for a while after all.

    ~~~

    A few hours later, Alara and I left the information booth. We had scoured the database for everything that I could think about. Some of the information appeared to be left vague either on purpose or for the players to figure out themselves. At least I had the information I felt I needed to make a good start for us in this world.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan, Sweetie?¡± Alara asked as we walked.

    ¡°We need to head Autumn¡¯s Reach. It''s basically a junkyard and I feel I might be able to put it to good use,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll follow you. That always works best,¡± Alara smiled then climbed onto my shoulders.

    ¡°Haha, one of these days you¡¯re going to follow me somewhere you wish you hadn¡¯t,¡± I smiled warmly at her.

    ¡°You saved me from a living hell. As long as you¡¯re there, I can be happy,¡± Alara said seriously.

    I reached up and pulled her head down to me and gave her a gentle kiss, ¡°I would probably be lost without you.¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t forget it!¡± Alara stuck her tongue out at me.

    ~~~

    We sat on the train as it rocketed through the landscape. The further we went the less people that remained on the train. I found it fascinating that the rails were seemingly made from energy. They would appear as the train traveled, then vanish just as fast. After nearly five hours there was only one man remaining, a kid really, that couldn¡¯t have been older than twenty. Even he got off soon after that. There was still an hour to go before we reached Autumn¡¯s Reach.

    Alara had long fallen asleep leaning against me. As a dungeon core she didn¡¯t need sleep, but when she was stuck in her avatar for several decades, she had slipped into a semi-conscious state to escape the pain for a while. When I saved her, she kept the habit and would sleep in my core room at times.

    ¡°Autumn¡¯s Reach! Autumn¡¯s Reach!¡± the announcer said fifty minutes later.

    ¡°Alara, we¡¯re here,¡± I said gently.

    ¡°MMM, five more minutes,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°No. Come on time to wake up,¡± I said picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder, fire-man style.

    The train angled upwards for a while, glancing outside I saw a landscape that appeared to be made from junk. I wasn¡¯t paying attention while were approaching but the junkyard like landscape stretched into the distance. I looked up and was hit with a sense of Deja Vue. A structure that reminded one of a massive trees that reached into the sky. The train crested the edge of the giant disc platform that made up the canopy.

    A city appeared glowing in the moon. I couldn¡¯t be sure of the dimensions, but it was massive. A city that looked like New York in the early 2000s sat proudly atop the platform. There wasn¡¯t any activity as it was late in the night, but the station lights were still on. The train slid into the station with barely a hiss.

    The doors popped open and I stepped off the train. As if not letting me think about it, the train doors closed and shot off before I even had a moment to think. I shook my head. It was probably related to the number of people on the train. As I looked around, I noticed a clock on the wall right as the hands struck midnight. I suddenly felt the phone in my pocket go off.

    !Its MIDNIGHT!

    -You defeated 0 Villains

    -You defeated 0 Heroes

    -You Earned a Total of 0 Experience points

    -You Earned 0 Hero Tier Points

    -You Earned 0 Villain Tier Points

    -You Earned 1 Villainous Points

    I closed the notification for now and focused on my surroundings. Unlike Axiscore, this station only had one building that was just large enough to cover part of the train while it stopped. There was an actual teller dozing at a window at the exit. I adjusted my grip on Alara and walked over.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said tapping on the window.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± the man spluttered as he woke up.

    ¡°I need to give you the tickets for the trip, correct?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Uh, Yes! Yes,¡± the man nodded. I wondered if we were the first players to come to this city. I handed him the tickets, Alara had slipped hers in my hand at some point after I picked her up. She really didn¡¯t like waking up and has threatened to kill people before.

    ¡°Then here you go,¡± I said.

    ¡°Thank you. Have a pleasant stay,¡± the man said with a small bow of his head.

    I sensed something come down from the entrance of the train station when the man pressed a button. Walking outside, I breathed in a breath of the crisp night air. It appeared it was mid-fall here. I really wished the train had arrived at a more decent hour, but beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers. I looked around then choose a direction at random and started walking. Alara bouncing on my shoulder the whole time.

    A while later I found us in what looked like an abandon part of town. Everything was boarded up and looked like it hadn¡¯t seen people for several weeks at the least. I would need a workspace of at least a warehouse size for some of the things I wanted to try so this was a good place to start. I walked over to an odd shaped warehouse and pressed my hand against it.

    - City owned warehouse.

    - Purchase: 100,000 Thread

    - Steal: Villain Meter: +10

    - Villain Base gain +25% Thread/Day at Midnight (Current Base 550 Thread/Day)

    Just like the information booth said. I could go the legit path and buy the building, or I could steal it. There were a few more attachments to stealing it, but it was annoyingly vague on that part. While I debated what to do the sun broke over the horizon and like a flower, Alara woke.

    ¡°Morning, My Love,¡± I smiled at her.

    ¡°Mm~~, where are we?¡± she asked looking around.

    ¡°Autumn¡¯s Reach, we arrived last night,¡± I said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± She looked around at the lot of the warehouse. ¡°Not very pretty,¡± she said as she yawned.

    ¡°Indeed, but I¡¯m sure with your talents you¡¯ll be able to lighten up this area in no time,¡± I snickered.

 Super Delivery Chapter 02

    Chapter 02

    As I stopped at the address that Unknown gave me, I was certain I had it wrong.

    ¡°Mr. Chippy Chop¡¯s chopstick delights Chinese Food and Dry Cleaning? Well that¡¯s a mouthful.¡±

    After taking another look at the address on my phone and checking this was the right place, I walked through the front door, and as it opened there was a slight chime from the bell above the door.

    ¡°Welcome to ¡®Mr. Chippy Chop¡¯s, where we wash your clothes while you enjoy our General Tso¡¯s. Here for clothes or for food.¡± A very bored looking teen spouted like a recording.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± I really didn¡¯t know what to say to that.

    ¡°Dude, can you just choose?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be enough Justin.¡± Said the vaguely familiar voice of the man coming down the stairs.

    ¡°Yeah whatever dude.¡± Was the only response.

    ¡°We have a room in the back Mr. Stevenson. Follow me¡± The man said.

    ¡°Later Justin.¡± I said giving my farewell to the bored kid.

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    ¡°Man, I love kids.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re done Mr. Stevenson.¡±

    ¡°Right, lead on Mr. Unknown.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Edison. Mr. Edison.¡±

    ¡°Do we have to be so formal? Just call me Ray.¡± As I finished saying we stepped into the back room, taking a second to look around. This was just weird to my left there were a bunch of clothes hanging from a belt zipping around, and to my right there was this older Asian gentleman.

    ¡°Mr. Chippy Chop.¡± I said giving him a tip of my invisible hat.

    He didn¡¯t even acknowledge me as we moved on through another door at the back of the kitchen-laundry room?

    We emerged into a very shady setting, the loading dock. I guess where the food and cleaning deliveries were made. Hopefully not by the same company. That¡¯s just not sanitary.

    After a couple of seconds of forcing my thoughts onto something else, I noticed there were other people here besides me and the oh so friendly Mr. Edison. Wait a second, I knew them.

    ¡°David, Richard? What are you guys doing here?¡±

    David was the hero formally known as Orbital Force, and Richard was The Author.

    ¡°Ray! It¡¯s been to long man.¡± David said standing and reaching out his hand to shake.

    ¡°Probably since we got pushed out as trainers.¡± I replied shaking his hand.

    ¡°Raymond.¡± Richard cut in extending his own hand.

    ¡°I have told you too many times Ray is not short for Raymond.¡± I took his hand as well.

    ¡°I thought you made it big as an author. What are you doing here?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, turns out if you have a good book that people like then they¡¯ll buy it.¡±

    ¡°Ok so¡­ what happened?¡± I had to make him get straight to the point or else this story would take ages.

    ¡°I developed writer¡¯s block, became a high school English teacher. Turns out teens don¡¯t like me, and I don¡¯t like them very much either.¡± Richard summed up his story rather quickly.

    Not knowing what to say the three realized Mr. Edison was no longer there.

    ¡°Where did he go?¡± David asked the group.

    ¡°Better question,¡± I started,¡± How the hell did he know who I was?¡±

    ¡°We could sit and ponder this all day, or we could leave.¡± Richard suggested.

    ¡°I mean we could, but I lost my job yesterday and need to find a job soon.¡±

    ¡°Same here.¡± David agreed.

    ¡°So, do we just wait?¡± I said voicing the question on everyone¡¯s mind.

    ¡°You won¡¯t have to wait long.¡± Mr. Edison¡¯s voice came back into the room from an office door on the overhead balcony.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°When did he get up there?¡± David questioned.

    The only response he received was shrugs from us.

    Mr. Edison was followed by a tall man with slicked back black hair, who seemed familiar, but I just couldn¡¯t place him. He was wearing a nice suit though. His whole appearance begged the question and I had to ask.

    ¡°If you are dressed to the nines like that why are we here, behind a restuamat?¡± I said trying to make up the perfect word to encapsulate this place.

    ¡°If you must know Celerity, I do not have the funds to afford a building that suits my purposes at the moment.¡±

    Before he could get the sentence out, the former heroes were all in a fighting stance, as they immediately recognized the voice.

    ¡°Mastermind.¡± I growled.

    ¡°Yes, I am Mastermind, rather I used to be. That aside, my job offer still stands. I trust you all read the proposals I sent.¡± He finished as he approached the previously unoccupied chair.

    ¡°Come on, gentlemen let¡¯s sit.¡±

    As I was about to take my seat a sudden realization hit me.

    I charged Mr. Edison, before anyone could react, I had already thrown a punch.

    BAM!

    My fist connected with his jaw.

    ¡°What are you doing Ray!?¡± Richard said his voice barely heard over the rage in my ears.

    ¡°If he¡¯s mastermind, this is Prometheus. This Bastard put Lucky in a wheelchair!¡±

    ¡°He is not wrong,¡± Mastermind started to explain,¡± however we have reconciled with Lucky Break, he will be working with us in exchange for salary plus we reimbursed him for all medical bills.¡±

    Not sure if he was telling the truth or not, I reluctantly sat in my seat.

    ¡°I will be confirming that story before I accept any offer you have.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Mr. Stevenson. Now can we get to why you are here?¡±

    Not saying a word but motioning him to continue. Prometheus shut off the lights and for a split second I could¡¯ve sworn I saw the familiar fire in his eyes, before it blinked out.

    Mastermind stood.

    ¡°Before we begin, it would be good manners for me to tell you my name. I am William Anderson, the former villain Mastermind.¡± He paused so we could take in his words.

    ¡°This is Neil Edison, formerly Prometheus.¡±

    A small nod in acknowledgement was all we got from him.

    ¡°And since we were pushed aside by these Bridger heroes and villains, we have been in hiding basically, unable to gain new levels, unable to be who we are. Now I say we step out of the shadows, not to try to compete with these people, but to offer them a service.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, but where do we fit in?¡± asked David.

    A holographic power point appeared on the table in front of us.

    ¡°If you look at this starting slide, you will see the normal costs that go into a shipping business.¡± Mastermind continued.

    The slide indeed detailed the cost of trucks, trailers, drivers, warehouses, forklifts, and many more things that was, for lack of a better word, boring.

    ¡°What does this have to do with us?¡± I asked as I read the slide for the three-hundredth time.

    ¡°This, absolutely nothing.¡± he said as he clicked to the next slide,¡± This however does.¡±

    Click

    This second slide showed his projected costs of a super shipping business. Which was double the cost of a regular one. The projected profits however were seriously higher than the regular.

    The odd thing about the costs was there was a huge budget for trucks.

    ¡°Why is this going to cost more than a normal non-powered shipping business?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We will get to that in a bit.¡± Mastermind answered.

    ¡°What would our roles be in this plan?¡± Richard chimed in.

    Mastermind clicked to the next slide. It had a picture of Orbital Force in full costume lifting huge amounts of rubble from a previous rescue operation we had run.

    ¡°Orbital Force will oversee loading and unloading. With his powers he can move mass amounts of cargo with very little effort.¡±

    Click

    The next slide appeared, and it had a picture of The Author writing in his magical book.

    ¡°Author, you will oversee the writing of contracts for both employees and shipping deals, enforcing them with your power.¡±

    ¡°How did you know I could do that?¡± Richard asked.

    ¡°Did you think I hadn¡¯t learned all about your powers in all the years we fought?¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡±

    Click

    This slide showed a picture of me in full gear, with an exact duplicate of myself. If I run fast enough, I can appear to be in two places at once, and I process information just as fast to act separately and be in two places at once.

    ¡°Celerity, you will be in charge of delivery.¡±

    ¡°Woah, hold on, I can do that,¡± motioning to the duplicates, ¡°over short range and it is a huge drain on my energy.¡±

    ¡°That is not what I am referring to, I am talking about the speed at which your brain processes things. It is on par with my own cognitive ability.¡±

    ¡°Was that a compliment?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Now regarding your earlier question. The truck budget is so high because I have spent all the remaining funds I had, to produce two trucks of my own design.¡± Aa William finished that sentence, he motioned to the bay doors behind us. In unison they both opened, and two trucks were revealed.

    The trucks were very similar on the sides of the truck it said ¡°Super Delivery¡± in bright white letters against a dark red paint. As much as the cabs were similar the trailers were different. One of the trailers pictured the entirety of the Honor Guard silhouetted by a sunset. With big letters reading ¡°The Honor Guard¡± above our heads. Just below the team name read ¡°The Honor Guard will guard your delivery with honor.¡± The other featured just me, in full gear from the waist up in a running stance. With ¡°Celerity¡± above my image. Just underneath my name read ¡°For the fastest delivery use Super Shipping.¡±

    ¡°Could those lines be any cheesier?¡± I had to ask.

    ¡°Anyway, our ability to process information means that we can pilot multiple of these remote trucks at the same time. Then when they arrive near their destinations, you race out and deliver them yourself.¡±

    ¡°Ok and why are we advertising us?¡± David asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we try and keep a low profile?¡±

    ¡°These newcomers may not know you, but those of us from this world all know The Honor Guard. Most of the people don¡¯t know what happened to you. They all believe you died.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed that too.¡± I reluctantly agreed.

    ¡°On that note, we have a job already, if you¡¯re interested?¡±

    Before any of us could answer I sped up faster than a normal human can process, putting my hand on each of my former teammate¡¯s shoulders, causing them to speed up too.

    ¡°So?¡± I asked.

    ¡°If he is going to pay us for this job, I see no reason why we shouldn¡¯t take it.¡± Was David¡¯s response.

    ¡°Yeah, if we decide we don¡¯t like it then we can always decline after the job.¡± Richard put in.

    ¡°So, we do it?¡±

    Nods from both was all I needed.

    ¡°Before we get back, we should all say something like ¡°we¡¯re in¡± at the same time.¡± I prompted.

    I put everyone back where the needed to be and slowed us down.

    All at the same time,

    ¡°We¡¯re in.¡± I said

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Said Richard.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take it.¡± David said.

    ¡°Come on guys we talked about this.¡± I groaned.

 The Left Behind Chapter 01

    Chapter 1

    Vesta tightly clenched her fist. Flames licked up her arm and around her neck. Her energy was low, all of their energies were low, and two of her team were out of the count already. The five of them were on the final boss in the Tower of the Broken. It was one of the not only most difficult missions they had run, but one of the oddest.

    The final boss was an ancient goddess of elements and the projected loot was off the charts. Ithormal the goddess of elements held out a massive six-foot sword that had a blade forged of ice.

    ¡°Countless have tried to defeat me and you are no different! You will fall like all of those before.¡± The ten-foot-tall woman proclaimed clenching her fist. She lifted her arm and a pillar of stone shot up from the ground.

    One of Vesta¡¯s team, Spark, was sent flying through the air. He smashed into the ceiling breaking a few chucks of stone free. His body fell to the ground with a thud. He quickly rolled from left to right to keep from being hit with the falling stone.

    ¡°I can see that you are nearing defeat!¡± Vesta said as she took a step forward. She needed ten more energy before she could use her plasma blast.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have much more in you there lady, aye?¡± Silence said walking up to stand next to Vesta. His powers were based in shadow, so he waited for a clear moment to vanish for a sneak attack.

    ¡°I¡¯m done with this fight! Let¡¯s finish this!¡± Spark said with bright blue lightning arching out of his eyes.

    The moment came. Vesta¡¯s energy level was finally high enough for her to make her move. She used plasma blast. Large balls of energy began to form in front of her outstretched palms. Once the appropriate amount of energy had built an eight-inch-thick beam of plasma rocketed out from her hands and slammed into a shield of water that shot up from the ground. The resulting steam filled the room.

    Silence smiled and vanished into a plumb of smoke that appeared mixing in with the steam. Vesta yelled as the plasma flowed out of her body trying to push past the shield. Spark ignited a massive bolt of energy that smashed into the same point as the plasma.

    When the lightning made contact the resulting explosion sent everyone flying in all directions. Vesta smashed into a wall. She groaned as she looked over to see Spark tumbling to a stop a few feet away.

    He groaned in pain and started to push himself up off the ground. Vesta used the wall to pull herself up. She smiled when she looked over and saw that the fight was over.

    Silence was standing on top of Ithormal with his daggers hilt deep in her chest. She was not moving a muscle. Silence pulled the blade out with a grunt.

    ¡°Nice move.¡± Vesta said with a smile walking up to the scene.

    ¡°Thanks, couldn¡¯t have done it without your steam.¡± Silence said. He activated the blades of his daggers singeing off all of the blood. With a swift movement his blades were returned to their sheaths.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at this loot.¡± Spark said. As he walked up to the body he limped. Smoke billowed off of a singe on his back.

    -You¡¯ve completed a Mission!

    -Tower of the Broken

    -You were the first to defeat Ithormal The Goddess of the Elements.

    -21,140xp (10% Bonus)

    -You were awarded (5) Items, you have elected to auto-minimize these notifications.

    -+230 Heroic Points

    -+200 Hero Tier Points

    ¡°Damn.¡± Silence said solemnly. They had never seen an experience screen like that. They were the first people to make it through the Tower of the Broken.

    ¡°I know, this is ridiculous.¡± Vesta said going through the screen a few times to be sure what she was seeing was right.

    The three walked over to a chest that had appeared in a bright flash of light behind where the boss had been standing. Vesta knelt down and touched the pad on the locking mechanism. A chime played loudly in the room.  Bright lights and a hissing sound issued from the seams of the box as it lifted up and tilted back. Countless needles, or credit chips, were layered from the bottom to the point that they were almost spilling out over the top edge of the container.

    -Needles 1,840x

    -Total Value: 894,691t

    -Your Share: 223,672.75t

    -Deposit in personal account?The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    -Yes | No

    Vesta nearly started to drool from the payout of the needles. She feverishly accepted the money and watched as if flowed almost endlessly into her bank account. She wondered what they next group would get but suspected that it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as high. They were the first to defeat her after all.

    ¡°Alright, so what are you butt nuggets doing the rest of the night?¡± Spark asked.

    ¡°Have you ever wondered why it seems like we don¡¯t want you around?¡± Vesta asked putting a hand on her hip. She dismissed the notifications on her HUD.

    ¡°Dude, what is wrong with you?¡± Silence asked shaking his head.

    ¡°Alright, well I guess I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Spark said with a bow. He pulled out a small cylinder device, cracked it in half, and vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Thank god.¡± Vesta huffed, ¡°Really, why do we keep him around?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Deona¡¯s brother, and he is a pretty decent Electro-kinetic.¡± Silence said ever trying to play the good guy.

    ¡°Oh shoot!¡± Vesta said remembering their downed friends. She ran over to where their bodies waited for revival.

    Vesta removed two serums from her inventory and jammed the first into Deona¡¯s neck. With a loud gasp for air she sat up straight and grabbed her side where a long icicle had impaled her.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably going to smart for a minute.¡± Vesta said. The ice was gone, and the wound was rapidly healing but it was still there in her mind. She reached over and stuck her last friend in the neck.

    Zonos sat bolt upright and began to scream bloody murder. He started rolling and patting himself. Vesta had forgotten that he was downed when he caught on fire. She stopped him.

    ¡°Dude, you¡¯re fine. The fire is out, and you are healed.¡± She said.

    ¡°Oh my god this is too real!¡± He said still trying to pat himself out at random spots.

    ¡°I love it.¡± Vesta smiled.

    ¡°Yeah you hardly ever take damage. What are you six levels higher than us?¡± Deona asked standing up. She stretched out the weird feeling of the pain in her side the best that she could.

    ¡°Ten actually.¡± Vesta corrected. She held up two fingers in a piece sign.

    ¡°No need to be a show off.¡± Deona said with a sigh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t try it just kind of happens naturally.¡± Vesta said.

    Zonos stood up. He had developed something of a nervous twitch from the fire. The four of them walked back over to the body that was sprawled out on the stone floor.

    ¡°Sorry we didn¡¯t revive you sooner.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°It¡¯s cool. We had to go through that weird limbo thing since we were grouped up. It¡¯s odd how it won¡¯t let you choose to just respawn.¡± Deona said with a shrug.

    ¡°We were just discussing what we were going to do for the rest of the night.¡± Silence said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a test in the morning, so I think I¡¯m going to book it.¡± Zonos said with a particularly violent twitch.

    ¡°Yeah, the hubby wants to get breakfast. So, I should get to bed.¡± Deona said.

    ¡°See you guys tomorrow?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Zonos said with nod.

    Deona and Zonos both teleported out of the mission area to log off.

    ¡°I guess that just leaves us.¡± Vesta said. She had been hinting to Silence that she wanted to spend more alone time with him, but in a typical guy fashion he wasn¡¯t picking up on it or he didn¡¯t care. Vesta didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Actually, I have to swing by Axiscore to turn in a mission, then I¡¯ve got to bounce. I got some stuff going on. My sister is supposed to be coming into town tonight.¡± Silence said making a hissing sound.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool.¡± Vesta deflated a little bit, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll turn in some dailies and head back to HQ. I¡¯ve got some crafting that I want to work on anyway.¡± She lied.

    ¡°Awesome. See you tomorrow.¡± Silence said.

    ¡°Bye.¡± She waved as he vanished.

    She stood alone over the body of the huge woman. It was the hardest the team had worked for a goal. They had felt in sync while it was going down, but now that it was over Vesta felt alone. The same way that she felt when she would log off of the game.

    That was the main reason that she was ten levels ahead of everyone else. She would rather be in game than in the real world. There just wasn¡¯t anything for here out there. She pulled a jump stick out of her inventory and with a long sigh she cracked it. The world around her dissolved into blackness.

    ~//~

    Vesta really had nothing to do in town. She turned in an older mission that netted her a few hundred thread and a tiny seven hundred experience points. She completed the mission without thinking about it and normally would have just abandoned it since it was so low level compared to her.

    Hiventhorn Manor came into view as she traveled in a Coin, an automated car that was like an autonomous taxi service, towards the Headquarters. Hiventhorn had cost the group ten million thread, but they scraped together and bought it regardless of the price. She alone had earned seventy percent of the money, but the others did the best that they could to pitch in for the final total.

    Deep underground their headquarters was hidden under Hiventhorn. The car stopped near the front door and allowed her to exit. She tapped a small panel on the side of the door and was charged for the ride. She sighed and walked up the front steps to the main door.

    Inside there was a hidden elevator under the massive grand staircase. Anyone who was allowed access could say the key word and the stairs would flatten becoming a door that would allow for entry into the elevator. Vesta road the elevator down into their proverbial Batcave.

    The main room was a large open area with monitors lining the walls and a grand table situated in the center of the room. Vesta dropped onto the center chair and kicked her feet up onto the table. She touched a screen in the table and turned on the new with no volume. She then proceeded to zone out for an undetermined amount of time.

    ~//~

    Vesta jumped a little when she woke. She caught the edge of the table with her foot to keep from falling over in the chair. Looking around she had no clue what time it was or how long she had been asleep. The room had grown dim and there was a chill in the air. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms.

    ¡°Increase the temperature by two degrees.¡± She said. The building was equipped with a very powerful and sophisticated automation system.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± The calm male voice replied.

    Her head was killing her. It was like someone drove a hot railroad tie into her skull. She figured that it was because she fell asleep in the game. Deciding that it was time to stop fighting the inevitable. She opened the character management system so that she could log out for the night. She wouldn¡¯t be gone long, just enough to get a night¡¯s sleep then she would log back in.

    Vesta immediately thought that something was wrong when she examined the window that opened.

    - #FT&BRSAS3nfjf 595@#%@#%^&^%$GFDDV

    -@E%#@$%*%D0

    -#$%@#$@#$%

    -QRQ#$%#$%^@

    -@#$%@#$%@#$%^&&*

    -@#$^&&**#$%!@$%

    ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± She demanded loudly.

    A loud noise scared her, and she jumped up from the chair. Spark sat up knocking down a pyramid of cans that he was sleeping under. He looked around with sleep on his face and scratched his head.

    ¡°No, not you.¡± Vesta said with very loud sigh.

 Chapter 03-01

    Chapter 03-01

    Alex and Obsidian left the docks with the massive blue fireball behind them. The heavy case pulled down on Alex¡¯s arm. He was relatively positive that the thing was packed full of needles, but he also figured that if they used the money it would be considered a villainous act. There was far more work he wanted to do on his Heroic meter before he started to meddle with the dark side.

    ¡°Do you have a base of operations?¡± Obsidian asked. They were both moving slowly mostly because Alex was still healing from all of the damage that he had taken. His stride was a limp as they traveled.

    ¡°Kind of.¡± He said clearing his throat and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, ¡°I¡¯ve got a room at the hero bureau.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that place abandoned?¡± Obsidian asked shaking her head.

    ¡°You would think, looking at it from the outside.¡± Alex said with a cough.

    ¡°Well lead on hero boy.¡± She said ushering him towards the hero bureau.

    The sun was quickly vanishing. It wouldn¡¯t be long before they received their experience for the day. Alex was ready for the rewards for the work that he had done all and he was fairly certain that he was going to level up. He would have a point that he could spend to make one of his abilities more powerful as well as a few points that he could use to make his stats stronger as well.

    After turning about three corners Alex realized that he was lost in the downtown streets. With all the time that he spent as an admin he was vaguely familiar with most of the world map at large, but he had never had to find his way around on a small scale. Most of the time he could teleport or fly right to the spot that he wanted to go and used a coordinate tool to target the position.

    ¡°You have no idea where you are going, do you?¡± Obsidian asked. Alex felt like she could see straight into his thoughts.

    ¡°I, um¡­ was making sure that no one was following us¡­¡± He said with a loud clearing of his throat.

    ¡°Come on dinkous. I know this town like the back of my hand.¡± Obsidian said with a scoff. She led them off the street and towards an alley. The end of the narrow passage was blocked off by a chain link fence. This didn¡¯t stop Obsidian, however, she climbed right over the top.

    Alex hovered up over the top of the fence and drifted down to the street. His energy was so low. In his current state Alex was an easy target. He needed both a good meal and a good sleep before he would feel one hundred percent again.

    Obsidian led the way straight to the Hero Bureau. The took a few side streets, but she never looked for a second like she was going to get them lost. As hard as it was for Alex to trust people, especially after recent events, he was starting find himself trusting her. He thought that it might be a good idea to give her a chance to prove herself.

    ¡°Home sweet home.¡± She said holding out her hands towards the poor excuse for a building. The Hero Bureau was a building that Alex was going to invest in, but it was not where he was going to establish his Headquarters. That would be a place the would require far more thought.

    The streetlight right outside the building was flickering and the light that it was giving off was dimly pointless. The two of them climbed the stairs and went into the building. They climbed up to the second floor in silence and Alex showed her to the apartment that he had chosen earlier in the day.

    Attempting to turn on the lights there was a loud pop when Alex flipped the switch just inside the door. The lights did not work.

    ¡°That¡¯s lovely.¡± Obsidian said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Well it is what it is.¡± Alex said shrugging half-heartedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the couch.¡± Obsidian said walking over to the dust covered couch shaped object. She dropped down causing a cloud that filled the entire room and may have even included poisons.

    ¡°Nice.¡± Alex said while coughing and waving the dust away from his face, ¡°I¡¯ll take the bedroom. There are two, by the way.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing given the state of this place, there is no food.¡± Obsidian inquired ignoring his suggestion.

    ¡°Yeah, no.¡± He said shaking his head and walking towards the bedroom, ¡°Even if there was, I wouldn¡¯t eat it. And there is a good chance that it would try and eat you.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯m ordering take out.¡± She said pulling her phone from her pocket.

    Alex walked into the room and stared down at the bed. He did not want to lay on it, but there weren¡¯t any other options. Sleep and food were the two things that he needed, and the floor was no better than the bed. He laid down as softly as he could so that he could avoid the large cloud of dust that would rise from sudden movements.

    When he pulled his phone out of his pocket, he noticed that it was only moments before the midnight notification would take place. He hoped that he had enough experience points to level. If he had bothered to keep up with the total he would know, but he didn¡¯t and that was on him.

    He counted down from three in his head when the notification popped up on his phone. His heart was racing a lot faster than he figured that it would. It truly was like he was playing the game for the first time all over again. A new player crossing his fingers hoping to get that first level and more importantly that first spendable skill point.

    -Its MIDNIGHT!

    -Your Power is Growing

    -You defeated 19 Villains

    -You Earned a Total of 2500 Experience points

    -Congrats You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 2!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You Earned 21 Hero Tier Points

    -You Earned 19 Heroic Points (Congratulations YOU ARE A HERO!)

    Alex glanced over the message a few times. Everything seemed exactly right except for the Power Point message. He should have only earned one not three, that on top of the glitched tag message gave him a bad feeling. It took a moment for him to shake it off, but he moved past it as three points would go a long way. It was like he was already level four.

    Altogether through the day Alex had gathered over ninety-three hundred thread that he could spend. That was certainly a great start. The first thing that Alex wanted to get his hands on was a super suit. That money should get him something respectable. There was no way that he was going to get very far wearing normal clothes. It did make him chuckle thinking about jumping out and yelling, ¡®I¡¯m normal man!¡±

    The Power Points that he had earned from his level could be spent on the powers that he had chosen to make them more powerful. They could also be saved up and used to buy additional powers, but it cost ten. He wanted to have strong powers right away. Cyphon was still in the back of his mind. Alex was sure that he had to be level fifty plus, but without a scan ability he couldn¡¯t know for sure.

    He didn¡¯t even hesitate to spend a point in flight. His flight ability was currently his weakest link and it had the potential to be extremely powerful. Regeneration was another no brainer. The first point would increase his constitution score thus increasing the rate he would heal.

    Flight +1(2)

    Regeneration +1(2)

    A few minutes passed as he stared at the three powers trying to decide where to put the last point. He ultimately decided to hold onto it for the time being. He could use it in a pinch if he needed to make any of his powers stronger and with his base strength stat being high it would be alright if he held off on spending points there.

    There were four points that he could spend to make his stats stronger as a whole. These could be applied to whichever stat that he chose verses his powers locking the additional points into a specific stat score. He decided to apply one point to strength, and one to dexterity to make himself stronger and faster. Then he added one to his intelligence and one to his charisma, so he could be sharper and maybe a little easier on the eyes for the ladies.

    He looked over his stats to see where he was at.

    -Strength: Passive: 24 Active: 30

    -Dexterity: Passive: 23 Active: 27

    -Intelligence: Passive: 19 Active: 19

    -Wisdom: Passive: 15 Active: 15

    -Charisma: Passive: 18 Active: 18

    -Constitution: Passive: 21 Active: 28

    -Fate: Passive: 18 Active: 18

    -Perception: Passive: 16 Active: 16

    -Will: Passive: 20 Active: 20

    Alex closed his character stat window and leaned back against the wall. The bed was very uncomfortable and lumpy, and he could tell that he was not going to get a moment¡¯s sleep that night, but he had to try. Rest energy regain was much faster than food regain.

    ¡°Dinner is served!¡± Obsidian called from the kitchen. Alex¡¯s stomach growled on que as if it itself had heard her and he got up to see what she had ordered.

    ¡°That smells amazing!¡± Alex said raising his nose to get a good whiff of the Chinese takeout that was arranged on the kitchen table.

    ¡°Mr. Chippy Chop¡¯s Chopstick Delights Chinese Food and Dry Cleaning.¡± Obsidian said in a single breath but sounded like she was winded.

    ¡°That¡¯s a mouthful.¡± Alex said with a chuckle. He walked over to the bags that were on the kitchen table.

    ¡°Yeah, I gave the delivery guy a big tip to bring some stuff to clean off the table. It¡¯s not like new, but I think I got of at least a few years of filth.¡± She said motioning like she was showing off a new car on a game show.

    ¡°Excellent! Let¡¯s eat! I¡¯m starving!¡± Alex said clapping his hands together in anticipation. They both sat down at the table and devolved in to chewing sounds as the devoured the takeout family style, right out of the cartons.

 Chapter 03-02

    Chapter 03-02

    Alex awoke to sharp pains in his head. Leaning up in his bed he rubbed his forehead with the heel of his palm. More than the headache Alex felt the growing pains when he awoke the morning of day two. When he stretched most of the aches dissolved. His regeneration power was doing its job. Passively especially with two power points dedicated to the power it should remove the body¡¯s minor aches and pains fairly quickly.

    The room had an almost mist like layer of dust in the air that gave the light coming in from the window an eerie feel. Alex swung his legs over the end of the bed and bounced onto his feet. He was one hundred percent ready to take on the day and he was determined to get some more levels as well as rack in some hero tier points.

    Obsidian had ditched her costume and was sprawled out on the couch on her back in a light purple set of baggy pajamas. One arm and one leg hung off the side while the other arm was hanging off of the back and the other leg was awkwardly angled on the armrest. She slept, somehow, snoring incredibly loudly.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Alex said kicking the couch to wake her up.

    ¡°What?¡± She gasped pulling herself up quickly. Her eyes were not focused, and she was clearly still asleep.

    ¡°Time to start the day!¡± Alex said cheerfully heading towards a box of leftover noodles from the night before.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Obsidian asked rubbing her eyes.

    ¡°Six a.m.!¡± Alex said after checking his phone.

    ¡°Jesus! Wake me up in like six hours.¡± She groaned. She turned over sharply so that her face was in the shadow and the light from the sun was hitting her back.

    ¡°No ma¡¯am. Early start so that we can get good.¡± Alex said through a mouth full of food.

    Obsidian groaned loudly and rolled off the couch. She stomped across the room like a disgruntled teenager to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Alex said to himself getting a second helping of the food.

    It was seven before Obsidian was ready to leave and had gotten herself some of the leftovers. They walked out onto the street. Alex took in a deep breath of fresh air. The first think on the agenda for the day was getting a better super suit.

    There were a couple of options. He could collect gear and put together his costume via that route. He could craft a costume on his own, which he did not want to put the time into crafting skills at the moment. The last option was for him to find a location for the Tailor¡¯s Guild. This was the option that he was leaning towards.

    The Tailor¡¯s Guild was one of the most useful organizations in the world. Despite the name they were more than just Tailors. They sold everything that anyone could want to get their hands on from super suites to weapons of mass destruction.

    ¡°Oh mighty teenage map, where is the closest Tailor¡¯s guild?¡± Alex asked Obsidian who was shielding her eyes from the bright morning sunlight.

    She scoffed and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Alex smiled and turned to follow her. She led them down a few of the main streets until they came to a building that was lined with white pillars that were inlayed with a grey metal coloring.

    ¡°Here.¡± She said irritably pointing at the building.

    ¡°You are really not a morning person.¡± Alex said shaking his head and walking past her outstretched arm.

    They walked inside of the large building into a massive open forum. There were several booths set up selling everything under the sun. The building was a protected location. Not by the game, but by the guild. They did business with both Heroes and Villains, so they had rules that both sides had to follow. If you broke the rules in the building, you were no longer welcome to shop with the guild and if the offense is bad enough you would be hunted down and taken out.

    Alex walked across the room to a booth that was selling custom made super suites. His mask was firmly in place even though it was a safe space that didn¡¯t protect his identity from getting to the wrong people.

    ¡°How my I help you today? I can see that you are in need of a new wardrobe.¡± The man at the booth said with a smile. His body was long, and his bones were pressing on his skin threatening to push their way out. He was easily a foot and a half taller than Alex. His hands were folded in front of him. His wore an extremely expensive black suite with, upon close inspection, golden pinstripes.

    ¡°I am in the market for a super suit.¡± Alex said. He nodded politely to the man.

    ¡°Excellent!¡± The man said clapping his hands together, ¡°Please if you could enter some information here,¡± he handed Alex a tablet, ¡°remember that all of the information used in the creation of your super suit is completely confidential.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Alex said with a nod. He took the tablet and stepped back for a minute.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    -Super Name: Aether

    -Main Power: Super Strength

    -Secondary Power: Flight

    -Please allow for a download of your combat log¡­

    -Yes | No

    Once Alex clicked on the yes button after filling in the information a small drone the size of a quarter broke away from the back of the tablet and began to fly circles around him. A blue light began to scan over his body until every square inch had been checked. The tiny drone flew back and landed on the back side of the table.

    Downloading Data¡­

    Please Return Tablet to the Representative¡­

    Alex followed the tablet¡¯s instructions handing the device back over to the man at the booth. He took it with a grin and docked it into a larger computer system. He vanished behind a wall for a moment. Alex looked to find Obsidian had found a seat and was leaning on her hand nearly falling asleep again.

    While she wasn¡¯t paying attention, he was able to maneuver around behind her. Her eyes were nearly closed when he used the tip of his toe to press the lever under her chair causing her to drop a few inches. Surprised from the sudden movement she shot up form the chair and activated her abilities.

    Alex busted out laughing and walked back over to the booth where he waited on the man to finish whatever it was that he was doing behind the wall. He stood patiently with his arms crossing fighting the urge to tap his toes. He was on a tight schedule if he was going to make his goal.

    The man finally returned holding his tablet as if it were made of pure gold. He walked up to the counter of his booth and ushered Alex over.

    ¡°I think we have some options here that you will enjoy.¡± The man said placing the table down and loading up the first option.

    Alex appeared on the screen. The body proportions were exactly so it was easy for him to tell. The character wore a set of white armor with light blue almost teal accents that glowed along the seams of the shoulder armor, belt, and boots. The chest plate seemed to be fashioned from a single piece of metal that was pattern in a honeycomb like design that shared the same glow as the seams. The helmet¡¯s seams were almost invisible to the naked eye. The face plate was a single sheet of glass that glowed with a white blue hue.

    ¡°Before we get any farther, what price range are we working with right now?¡± Alex asked holding up his hand.

    ¡°This suit would cost approximately ninety thousand thread not including guild fees.¡± The man said with a curt smile. He folded his hands and rolled on the balls of his feet.

    ¡°How about something in the one thousand to fifteen hundred range.¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Alright.¡± The man said looking less than pleased. He picked the tablet up off of the table and began to swipe left, a lot. Alex lost count after two dozen swipes.

    ¡°Sorry man, it¡¯s like day two for me.¡± Alex said feeling embarrassed. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Obsidian had reclaimed her chair and was fast asleep.

    ¡°I understand, I hope that you will return for an upgrade once you are more financially stable.¡± The man said with an understanding, but resentful nod. He turned the tablet back towards him, ¡°This one is the only one in your price range. It is twelve hundred thread.¡±

    Alex looked the suit over He didn¡¯t know why he bothered he was going to buy it either way. It was the same coloring and the seams still had a slight glow to them. The chest was a vest with cut off sleeves and a hood. The hood drooped down into a point between his eyes. There was an equipment vest over the thick cloth. There was also a small utility belt. The arms right above the wrists both had a protective bracer and the boots had protective plating that went up to the knees. The suit also came with a mask that would cover his face in a solid piece of plastic like material that only had holes for the eyes, and they were covered in light blue lenses.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it. I like it. Simple and stylish.¡± Alex said with a nod.

    ¡°Cheap or expensive, the Tailor¡¯s Guild does nothing without style.¡± The man said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

    Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket and wave it over the tablet. The money was deducted from his account.

    -Item Set: Blank Shadow Armor Set

    -Includes: Vest, Mask, Hood, Chest Belts, Bracers x2, Gloves, Belt, Boots, Pants

    -Cost: 1200t

    -Purchase?

    -Yes | No

    Aether picked up the box that contained his new armor set and with a thanking nod he left the booth. He kicked the chair where Obsidian was sleeping as he walked past. She jumped with a start awake and shot up to follow him out of the Tailor¡¯s Guild building.

    ¡°Get a table. I¡¯m going to go change.¡± Alex said motioning with his chin towards an empty table in a diner that they walk into off the street a few blocks away.

    ¡°Yes master!¡± Obsidian said doing a fairly impressive imitation of Igor from the old Frankenstein movies.

    In the bathroom he was relieved to find that it was a single and the door had a lock. He set the box on the table and began to pull out his new equipment. When he lifted the mask to his face a bright light filled the room and the glasses that he had had equipped vanished. He quickly pulled the mask away. It was a little upsetting that they vanished, but equipment could do that if there had been a timer that he didn¡¯t notice, or a subline that said if he attempted to equipped anything else, they would be destroyed.

    -Blank Shadow Vest (+5 Armor, Reduction to blunt damage)

    -Blank Shadow Hood (+3 Armor, Identity concealment |Shadow|)

    -Blank Shadow Chest Belts (++Carry)

    -Blank Shadow Bracer (+3 Armor, Incoming Attack Redirection)

    -Blank Shadow Belt (++Carry)

    -Blank Shadow Pants (+5 Armor, Reduction to Blunt Damage)

    -Blank Shadow Gloves (+2 Armor, Grip)

    -Blank Shadow Boots (+3 Armor, Reduction to Blunt Damage, Slashing Damage, Piercing Damage)

    -Blank Shadow Mask (+5 Armor, HUD Connection with Phone, +1 Perception, CD*^D29374#@$*&asdf9#@@1!*)

    The corrupted data that Alex was seeing everywhere was really starting to worry him. He didn¡¯t know if the upper management were just getting too lax with the game maintenance, or if there was something worse going on. Every time he saw it, it took him back to the day that his whole existence was deleted like it was nothing.

    He assembled his new suit and after checking that everything was straight and looked good, he left the bathroom to join Obsidian at the table. She had a steaming cup of coffee and to his surprise seemed awake.

    ¡°Like the get up!¡± She said when he sat down at the table.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. His voice came out extremely clear, which always seemed to be a problem with full face masks. Usually it sounded like you were trying to speak through a pillow.

    ¡°I ordered you some coffee.¡± She nodded to the cup.

    ¡°Excellent. I say we pound this joe back and they we go look for a couple of randoms.¡± Alex said holding his fist out.

    She smiled and bumped her fist against his.

 Chapter 03-03

    Chapter 03-03

    ¡°Come my young ward! There is evil to thwart!¡± Alex said as they exited the coffee shop. Obsidian rolled her eyes but followed none the less.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say thwart. It¡¯s such a dumb word.¡± She said with a loud intentionally audible sigh.

    ¡°This is how heroes speak.¡± Alex said puffing out his chest making sure to speak loud and clear, ¡°I should be getting heroic points for talking this way but it¡¯s not working.¡±

    ¡°Not all of them, and besides in that new get up you look like an antihero at best.¡± Obsidian said coving a chuckle, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s more about intent than action.¡±

    ¡°Ouch.¡± He said simply and deflated just a bit.

    Winter¡¯s Garden was a fairly large city. It¡¯s biggest draw for most people who decided to live or work there was that it had a set of docks, that connected with the main Hyper-rail system and the other transport systems that ran farther north. Trucks and powered up land trains moved materials down form the mountains for distribution throughout the world.

    Most people that went up into the mountains to work either moved there for life or they would stay up there working for long seasons of mining. They wanted to do everything in their power to maximize their potential income for themselves and their families. All of this turned Winter¡¯s Garden into a hub for all who may or may not be on the up and up after the other two winter cities came under complete control of the Heroes.

    ¡°Can you tell me more about the Hero exodus that you were talking about?¡± Alex asked as they walked towards downtown.

    ¡°Well,¡± Obsidian blew out a loud breath through her nose, ¡°It was about eight months ago give or take. The villains, Gold tooths mostly, were sick of not having a foot hold in the Winter cities. They came in one day and started to cause some major trouble in the streets. After a few days they delivered a message that stated that things would only get worse if the heroes didn¡¯t pack up and get out. On the second day after the message they began hunting down every hero that they could find and ganging up on them. It was a villainous alliance the likes of which I had never seen before. After a couple of days of Heroes being found dead in the streets they just silently vanished in the night until there were no more left to fight. I managed to get by being from a Villainous family.¡± She explained solemnly.

    ¡°How?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°My father told them that I would one day see the error in my ways. He said that I was young and naive.¡± She said with a chuckle.

    ¡°I see.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Yeah. It is what it is.¡± Obsidian said as her head drooped just a little.

    ¡°I might not be the best guy, I may never be the perfect hero, I can almost guarantee that, but I¡¯ll help you fight to avoid becoming a villain.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°That is a wonderful sentiment, but only time will tell.¡± She said with a somewhat forced smile.

    Alex did not have time to respond. As an explosion rocked the street the steel skeletal remains of what was once a truck crashed down in front of them. About a block away a man wearing an extremely reflective suit stood with a nasty grin on his lips. He had fiery red hair and his green eyes glowed as he reached out his hand and fired off a second beam of energy that sliced through a building. He was attacking a museum.

    ¡°You ready for this?¡± Alex asked as her started moving towards the potential villain but glanced over towards Obsidian.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get hard!¡± She said slamming her fists together.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Alex said stopping dead in his tracks to look at her.

    ¡°Fair enough, just trying it out.¡± She said shaking her head. She smiled and turned towards the villain activating her abilities.

    ¡°What is this? Heroes?!¡± The shiny man yelled when he spotted Alex and Obsidian moving towards him where he stood.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to stop you!¡± Alex yelled.

    The man turned and held out each of his hands. Powerful lasers burst out from each of his palms. Alex had to kick off of the ground and dodge to the left with his flight ability to avoid being hit by the beam. He could very much feel the increase in strength in his flight power from adding the power point. Obsidian rolled to the right, but she was still glanced with the beam. Smoke billowed from her skin as she came to a stop in a kneel.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alex yelled towards her keeping his eye on the shiny man.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She grunted from the ground. She pushed herself up to her feet.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°It¡¯s been some time since I¡¯ve seen someone take a shot from Laser-man without dying instantly!¡± the man yelled still grinning with a fair amount of insanity.

    ¡°Really? Your name is Laser-man!¡± Alex said. He and Obsidian immediately busted out laughing. Alex laughed so hard that he had to float down to the ground and could hardly see through the tears.

    ¡°I will show you to laugh at me!¡± Laser-man yelled in fury. He began to fire off beams of powerful energy very rapidly hardly having to take a rest between shots. By alternating his hands Alex noticed that he was firing almost continuously.

    Alex flew as fast as he could to duck and weave through the incoming attacks. As hard as he tried, he couldn¡¯t get any closer to the villain. The more that he closed the distance the closer Laser-man came to landing a hit on Alex.

    Obsidian moved out of the way as fast as she could, but she didn¡¯t have a movement power and considering the speed of the energy beams she was very slow. She used her power to glance the blows off and send them into the ground, but even that was draining her quickly.

    A man appeared from the shadows. He wore a bandana wrapped around his eyes with holes cut so that he could see. Otherwise he wore normal street clothes with a grey shoulder bag resting against his side.

    ¡°Laser-man adjust your laser¡¯s power to six thousand megawatts. Her ability will not be able to absorb or redirect that much power.¡± The unknown man called out.

    Laser-man¡¯s face adopted an even nastier smile. He stopped firing the random energy attacks and instead turned towards Obsidian. With his palm outstretched towards her energy began to build up. Small beams of light sucked inwards towards a ball of energy that was forming.

    Alex looked down towards Obsidian who looked up at him. She nodded slightly. She had seen his struggle to get near him and was willing to do her part to end the fight. She took a half step back planting her foot.

    Heat radiated off the ball of energy as it grew in size. Alex angled himself and at the instant the beam began to form he poured on the speed. He rocketed towards Laser-man who noticed he was incoming. He began to turn the beam towards Alex, but it was too late. He was already close enough. Alex¡¯s fist flew in like a blur with a little bit of super strength energy and smashed into Laser-man¡¯s face.

    The beam of energy died at the moment of contact. Laser-man stumbled back and grabbed his face whining loudly like a child. He dropped to his knees as blood began to wash down his face and drip off of his chin.

    ¡°You broke my nose!¡± He yelled through his hands.

    ¡°Um, yeah.¡± Alex said with a curt nod.

    Laser-man moved his hand to look down at all of his blood. He sneezed sending a spray of blood all over the ground in front of where he knelt.

    ¡°Gross!¡± Alex yelled jumping back out of the spray, ¡°Stop right there!¡± He pointed to the other man who was attempting to slip into the shadow.

    ¡°I¡¯m cool.¡± The man said holding up his hands.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Alex asked. He walked over to the man and gripped the back of his neck to lead him to where Laser-man was waiting. The man made a whining fearful sound.

    ¡°I¡¯m The Scanner.¡± He said through the sound.

    ¡°The Scanner?¡± Alex asked for clarification.

    ¡°Yeah, I have a high scan ability.¡± He looked at the ground.

    ¡°Are you his sidekick?¡± Alex pointed to Laser-man.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The Scanner said shamefully.

    ¡°So, are we done with this fight?¡± Alex asked. Then it hit him, there hadn¡¯t been any snarky remarks, ¡°If either of you move, I might get my first villain points.¡±

    -+1 Villainous Point (1)

    -Threat

    Alex searched for Obsidian for a moment, but she wasn¡¯t hard to find. A car had been impacted by her body when she had been hit by the laser. The shell of the car had conformed to her body. Alex flew over and knelt down beside her.

    Steam rose up off of her body, but she looked to be intact. Her suit was going to need repairs and it looked like she was out cold.

    ¡°You alright kid?¡± Alex asked tapping her cheeks.

    ¡°Did we win?¡± She moaned as she started to come to.

    ¡°You could say that.¡± Alex laughed. He held out his hand to help her up off the ground.

    ¡°I had to use all of my energy to keep from, you know, dying.¡± She said shaking her head. It took a moment for her to find her balance. Alex stabilized her until she could walk.

    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the deal here?¡± Alex asked the two villains who were kneeling in the middle of the destroyed street.

    ¡°There is a diamond in that museum that he can use to reactivate Odin¡¯s Lance.¡± The scanner admitted indicating Laser-man.

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Laser-man shouted.

    To understand Odin¡¯s Lance, one had to understand one of the fundamental features of My Supers Online. It was a time of difficulty for the admins. The systems that govern balance within My Supers is very particular about keeping that balance. If players who are heroes begin to outnumber villains and the power starts to shift there will be less for the heroes to do. This makes the game boring. So, the system will create powerful villains to tip the scales and it works the other way.

    A hero came to power roughly five years ago who was seemingly unstoppable. The system being the way that it was created a villain who became known as Odin. He was a mastermind who orchestrated a villainous uprising and constructed a powerful weapon¡¯s platform in orbit that housed a very powerful laser, Odin¡¯s Lance. During their final fight Odin¡¯s Lance was used and it carved a canyon in the eastern continent, Brovanin, that was wider and nearly as long as the Grand Canyon on Earth. The Hero was hard defeated, or killed, in the battle. He never logged back onto the game and no one knew who he was outside of the game.

    To Alex¡¯s knowledge Odin¡¯s Lance had been taken out of the game two patches ago.

    ¡°I think you are barking up the wrong tree. That thing fell out of the sky months ago.¡± Alex said with a smirk.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Laser-man said with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s still usable on the surface?¡± Alex asked the smirk falling away.

    ¡°Very much so.¡± Laser-man said with a nod.

    ¡°Where is it?¡± Alex asked grabbing Laser-man¡¯s collar.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never tell.¡± Laser-man laughed.

    ¡°Alight, fine. I was going to let you idiots go, but now we have to make other arraignments.¡± Alex growled throwing the man down.

    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Obsidian asked cocking her head to give Alex a sideways look.

    -You¡¯ve Complete a Villain Encounter!

    -You¡¯re First Villainous Encounter!

    -Laser-Man and The Scanner

    -Defeated ¡®The Scanner¡¯

    -600xp (600xp Each)

    -Defeated ¡®Laser-man¡¯

    -1200xp (1200xp Each)

    - +12 Hero Points (You¡¯re a Hero!)

    - +20 Hero Tier (-49 Until Next Tier)

 Chapter 03-04

    Chapter 03-04

    ¡°What exactly is your plan with these yahoos?¡± Obsidian asked. She still walked with a little bit of a hitch in her step from the blow that Laser-Man landed. She was probably lucky to be alive truth be told.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let them just walk free. Especially Laser-Man.¡± Alex said shaking his head. They rounded the corner to the street where the Hero bureau was located.

    ¡°I get that, but this place is not exactly going to hold them. Not in its current state.¡± She said. As if on que a board came loose, dangled for a second, then fell to the ground from the front of their building.

    ¡°Alright, so I¡¯ve got to put a little bit of money into HQ.¡± Alex said with a shrug.

    ¡°But this isn¡¯t HQ!¡± Obsidian sighed, ¡°This is supposed to be temporary.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, but you¡¯ve got to spend money to make money.¡± Alex said with an assuring smile or the best fake one that he could force onto his face.

    With a nudge in Laser-Man''s back Alex pushed him into the building. The Scanner followed right behind him without the need for any additional persuasion. The small group walked into the dimly lit entryway and turned into the office where Alex had first met Dick where they found him sitting at the back of the room facing away from the door.

    ¡°I did not expect to see you again.¡± Dick said spinning around in his chair. His expression fell flat when he noticed that not only did Alex have a sidekick, but he had two villains in toe.

    ¡°I live to surprise.¡± Alex said with a wide grin stretched across his face fanning out his arms to present the three other people.

    ¡°Who are these lovely people?¡± Dick asked with a forced smile.

    ¡°This is Obsidian,¡± Alex said clasping her shoulder, ¡°These two are Laser-Man and The Scanner. They happen to be my first collars.¡± He said with a proud stance. With his elbow he nudged them both forward.

    ¡°Excellent work.¡± Dick said with a curt nod. There seemed to be like a ¡®now what¡¯ in his tone.

    ¡°Does this Hero Bureau have a holding cell?¡± Alex asked.

    Dick blew out a long breath through his nose and opened his desk. He removed something and stood up from his chair.

    ¡°Follow me.¡± He said shaking his head.

    The four of them followed Dick out of his office and down the hallway. They came to a large steel door that had the same set up as a large bank vault. Dick turned the lock¡¯s combination while covering the dial so that the two villains couldn¡¯t see. The large door swung inward allowing them access to the holding area.

    They all piled inside concrete room. There were three holding cells inside the larger holding area. All three of the cells were of similar construction. Concrete walls formed their back and metal plating formed the remainder of the walls. There was a single door in or out of each cell. The wall at the rear of the cell to the left of the main holding area door was completely blown out.

    ¡°Happened the day of the Exodus.¡± Dick said resting his elbow in his hand and his chin on his fist after he noticed Alex notice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that this cell is going to hold a man that can fire lasers from his body.¡± Obsidian said clearly in an attempt to point out the obvious.

    ¡°Just a few little upgrades and we will be right as rain.¡± Alex said cheerfully. His confidence in the situation was starting to fail just a bit when his voice cracked with the end of his statement. They had two good cells, but the outer wall¡¯s structural integrity was damaged.

    Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket. Most of the services in any and all the world could be accessed from one¡¯s phone. He opened an app that would contact the same system of robots that repaired the damage after Obsidian and her sister¡¯s fight.

    When the app launched a map of the city appeared on his screen.

    -How may the Vulcan Assembly be of assistance?

    Alex found the Hero Bureau on the map. The building was labeled as a hazard in dark red. There was only one color worse on the map and that was worse than the Hero Bureau and those were a couple of abandoned buildings that were label in black.

    When he clicked on the building a 3D representation of it appeared floating in the center of his screen rotating slowly in three hundred and sixty degrees. Stats appeared on the right-hand side of the screen.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    -211 Virtue Street

    -Owner: Dick Michealsons

    -Structural Score: 15%

    -Organizational Alliances: Winter Guarder Heroes Alliance (Disbanded)

    -Market Status: For Sale

    -Market Value: 130,000t

    -Sale Price: 145,000t

    Alex was able to click through the building within the Hero Bureau. He clicked on the holding area. The system was quick to inform him of the massive structural damage to the back wall.

    -Repair (Cost: 9000t)

    -Yes | No

    ¡°How come this thing is letting me access all of these menus when you are the owner of the building?¡± Alex asked looking up from his phone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve opened the building management permissions up years ago. Back in the day when there were four or five heroes working out of this place everyone would chip in for repairs and upgrades.¡± Dick explained a longing sound of the past in his voice.

    Alex clicked ¡®no¡¯ on the repair and opened up the upgrades menu. There were pages of upgrades that could be purchased for the holding area alone with each page having dozens of items. He knew exactly what he was looking for. It would be a bandage for the time being.

    -Unfocused Power Inhibitor

    -This device will negate all powers within its area of influence.

    -(¡°Everyone is on the same playing field.¡±)

    -Cost: 3000t

    Buying the upgrade would pretty much wipe out what little money that Alex had earned so far, but there weren¡¯t really many other options. Well at least options that didn¡¯t include getting Villainous points and he wasn¡¯t ready for those.

    Alex had to force himself to press the confirm key. Only a span of minutes passed before a hovering truck of the drones arrived outside the massive hole in the back wall. Two of the drones launched from the back of the truck one of which retrieved a package from the rear hatch.

    They flew into the building using the hole as an entrance. The drone carrying the package placed it on the ground in the center of the room where it extracted the new device. The other drone began to install it while the first held the device into place. When everything was installed and working the drone flew over to Dick and handed him a remote before they both flew away back out the way that they had come. Once reloaded the truck hovered away down the block.

    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Dick asked holding up the remote.

    ¡°Press the button for glory!¡± Alex said dramatically.

    Obsidian giggled, a win in Alex¡¯s book, and Dick pressed the button on the remote. Green lights on the outside of the device came on and with a low hum it activated. Alex could feel his abilities draining away from him.

    ¡°Unfortunately, the only one that we could afford today takes away everyone¡¯s powers not just the baddy¡¯s powers.¡± Alex explained looking at the back of his hand. He felt so weak compared to a few seconds before.

    ¡°So that means we are all on the same playing field!¡± Laser-man yelled. He ran towards Alex who was blocking the exit. As soon as Laser-Man was close enough Alex reached out and punched him square in the nose for a second time that day. There was a loud crunch and Laser-Man was knocked backward landing hard on the concrete floor. He reached up as the blood began to rush down his face also for the second time that day. The streams separated and ran down his cheeks onto the floor.

    -You¡¯ve stopped a Villain Escape

    -Laser-man went for a Daring escape

    -300xp (300xp Each)

    -+4 Hero Points

    -+2 Hero Tier (-47 Until Next Tier)

    Laser-man didn¡¯t say a word. He stared blankly at the ceiling as his blood pooled under his head. Alex took a few steps forward until he stood over Laser-man. He reached down and pulled him up from the ground by his collar. Dick waved the thing he¡¯d taken from his drawer, a key card, over the door to unlock the center cell. Alex tossed Laser-man inside. Stumbling a little Laser-man caught himself on the wall and dropped down to sit on the bench at the back.

    The scanner walked into the cell, hands up making the most annoying sound every time that he thought that someone was going to hurt him. Obsidian was having a good time threatening to punch him, after which he would throw up his hands and make the sound.

    ¡°I know that you were trying to get Odin¡¯s Lance back online, but what exactly is your end game beyond that?¡± Alex asked resting his elbows on the small window that looked into the cell.

    ¡°I was going to use the laser.¡± Laser-man spat. The blood stained his reflective shirt around the neck.

    ¡°On what? To do what?¡± Alex pushed.

    ¡°I can assure you, that now it will be you that I use the laser on.¡± Laser-man said with a snarl.

    ¡°Dude give it a rest.¡± The Scanner said rolling his eyes. He sat down on one of the side benches and rested his head in his hands.

    ¡°Did you just become an arch nemesis?¡± Alex asked with a wide grin plastered across his face. While playing the game before becoming an admin Alex had never had a nemesis before, and while he was an admin he didn¡¯t really interact with the players unless he was playing god.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in hell!¡± Laser-man hissed through the bars.

    ¡°This is exciting!¡± Alex said while clapping his approval, ¡°Though I wish that my nemesis was a little less of a¡­¡± He said trailing off.

    ¡°Whinny ass hole.¡± Obsidian said chiming in with a laugh.

    -You¡¯ve got a Nemesis

    - Laser-Man

    -Challenge Rating: 3

    -Let the rivalry begin!

    ¡°Challenge rating three. That means you are around level,¡± Alex said tilting his head to do the math, ¡°fourteen to nineteen.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s level seventeen.¡± The Scanner said with a huff.

    ¡°Dude!¡± Laser-man yelled throwing up his hands.

    ¡°What? He is level two, and he¡¯s got us locked up in a cell. His sidekick is only level four.¡± The scanner said solemnly.

    ¡°Wow you guys really suck.¡± Obsidian said with a chuckle. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on one hip with a ton of sass.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Scanner said shaking his head.

    ¡°What level are you?¡± Alex asked The Scanner.

    ¡°I am level ten.¡± He said.

    ¡°Why did you guys do this?¡± Alex asked gesturing with his hands.

    ¡°I wanted to get paid, and this guy offered cash.¡± The Scanner admitted.

    ¡°Would you shut your face!¡± Laser-man yelled, ¡°I swear I hate that you are my brother.¡±

    ¡°And I have to put up with that as my brother.¡± The Scanner said rolling his eyes and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 03

    Chapter 03

    We looked around for a while longer but ended up back at the weird shaped warehouse. Alara said she liked the feel of it, which was fine with me as I really didn¡¯t have any criteria for a choice. This area was in an out of the way section of the city. The only foot traffic I had seen so far were some thug types. They avoided us for now, but I doubted that would be true had we met them during the night.

    ¡°Well, seeing as we have no money to our names, let¡¯s attempt to steal this place,¡± I said doing some stretches.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Alara said excitedly. She was never one to shrink from a fight.

    ¡°First we need to allocate our points. You can go with what you feel is best,¡± I said as I pulled up the power screen on the phone that was given to every person in the world, no matter NPC or player.

    ¡°Yes, dear!¡± Alara said with a singsong like tone.

    On the screen were three points that radiated out with more and more points. For every point I put in more of the circle would be unlocked. It looked like there were thirty-three slots per power that I could see. That meant to max a power I would have to focus on it for thirty-three levels possibly more. To reach the point of building the gate, I would need to be around level eighty unless I found a short cut.

    My bonus points were already at work. As I had a point in the two circles. It would allow me to create some simple projectile weapons. The awesome thing about technology manipulation tree was that I could turn everyday materials into the components. It was different from mad science as they were required to gather the materials themselves. I was sure there was a decent cost, as one of the next unlocks was to reduce the energy needed for simple conversions.

    I reached down and picked up a large brick. Focusing on a simple handgun, I felt a weakness threaten to knock me out as energy left my body. It was strange not having a way to tell how much energy I had available. The gun took shape in my hand as a Colt M1917 Revolver. I wasn¡¯t too familiar with tech this old.

    It possessed a solid weight, and I was sure that I could use it as a blunt weapon. More importantly, it contained a six-round chamber. I was sure my aim was decent enough to put a hole in someone¡¯s head, but the game took into account certain factors when projectiles were fired. It wouldn¡¯t say you missed if you pointed at someone¡¯s head at point-blank range, but even with the game using real world physics, there were a large number of super powers that would be able to dodge a bullet from a weapon like this.

    The phone dinged when I was done examining the new gun. I checked it and saw I gained some EXP for using my power to make the weapon. That was good data so I could calculate how many I would need to make if I wanted to level up via that route. Even though it wouldn¡¯t be allocated until midnight it was good to have some income on that front. Since I was already looking at it, I pulled up my body¡¯s full status.

    Name: Regan

    Age: ????

    Level: 1

    Health: 16,658

    Energy: 1,872

    Armor: 99

    Strength: 10

    Dexterity: 12

    Intelligence: 25

    Wisdom: 24

    Charisma: 16

    Constitution: 11

    Fate: 10

    Perception: 13

    Will: 56

    I almost had to do a double take looking at the stats. I was a hundred percent sure these weren¡¯t normal stats. I furrowed my brow as I thought about the situation. If I remembered correctly, there were special NPCs that the game deemed crucial to the balance of the world. I could only assume I had somehow been set as one of these. I knew I wasn¡¯t overpowered though. This game had plenty of monsters both on the NPC side and player side that could burn health down. Not to mention, if I get a shot in the head, it didn¡¯t matter how much health I had.

    I mentally checked my energy and was sure I could make another, the first one only taking around four hundred points. Before doing so I threw one of my free points into the tree. I stuck to the main path rather than an augmentation. It was interesting to feel the knowledge of technology I knew well in my last life seemingly open up before me. I would have to see if I could ¡®play¡¯ with this in some way later on.

    I reached down and grabbed two more bricks. Even though I leveled the skill up once, my energy levels were the same as before. I concentrated on the bricks and soon a Smith & Wesson Model 500 rested in my hand. I was glad the system provided the names for me or I would have no idea what I was holding.

    Luckily, the guns came loaded. I wanted to be sure that I was ready for when night came again. I was sure we looked like easy prey for some of the thugs. I needed to give this body some more target practice after all. Still ten rounds wouldn¡¯t be every much. I grabbed a few more bricks and turned them into ammunition. Thankfully, they stacked in my inventory.

    ¡°My Love, how is it coming?¡± I asked looking down to Alara.

    She shrugged then placed her hand on the ground. A tree shot from a crack in the ground until it was almost two and half meters long. She grabbed it in the middle and it suddenly broke. I saw a wave of some energy flow through it and one end sharpened into a point. She pulled the sword around and executed a complicated spinning movement that was far too delicate for me.

    ¡°Ready when you are, dear,¡± she replied while putting her sword through a series of motions.

    We looked around. The sun was well past the horizon now, but there still wasn¡¯t a soul to be seen. I observed the gate to the warehouse courtyard. It was a rusted thing that looked like it was very past its prime. A chained lock held it closed. I grabbed it and the stats vaguely entered my mind.

    ¡°Step back,¡± I said then angled the barrel of the Colt at the lock. Cocking it, I pulled the trigger and with a crack of gunfire the lock went flying.

    ¡°You and your toys,¡± Alara commented.

    ¡°What can I say. I think at this point it might be part of my soul,¡± I laughed.

    Pushing the gate open, we walked in to take a look around. The rusted warehouse stood to one side of the courtyard. There wasn¡¯t anything of too much interest. It was an empty building that looked like it hasn¡¯t seen people in years. There were a few graffiti tags on random surfaces, but even those looked weathered.

    ¡°So¡­ How do we declare it as ours?¡± I thought out loud.

    The information booth said you could steal things but was vague on the how. I tried say that I claimed the property as my own, but that didn¡¯t work. Shrugging I walked further in, followed closely by Alara. We moved into the building to see if there was anything that would give us a hint.

    In the center of the warehouse, there was a pedestal that looked pristine compared to the rest of the structure. I glanced at Alara then walked over to it. An outline was visible, so I smirked and placed my phone down in it. The pedestal lit up as a screen popped up in front of me.

    Abandon Warehouse

    - Purchase: 100,000 Thread

    -Yes | No

    I clicked No and waited a moment. A minute later, in the corner of my eye, a notification appeared.

    -+2 Villainous Points

    A few greyed-out screens popped up in front of me. A count down overlaid the screens in bold. According to it, we had five minutes until something happened. I titled my head as I tried to remember the information on this. All I knew was that an event was about to happen.

    I pulled up my status screen again and considered where to put another point. I still possessed two and wanted the most bang for my buck right now. Energy manipulation was a good bet, as it would give me access to a sort of energy field that I could use to repel attacks or even attack with if I could control it well enough.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Construction had some good fortifications options, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to apply them in the time I had. Plus, I couldn¡¯t alter the building until I owned it. I felt leaving the building might cause us to fail the event. Just to be safe I went ahead and put a point in each of the two trees. Even if I didn¡¯t use it this time, once I captured the building, I would need to modify it to make it useful.

    ¡°You ready, My Love?¡± I asked, placing a hand on Alara¡¯s.

    ¡°Of course. This will be nothing compared to the Zinth Hordes,¡± Alara smirked.

    I shook my head at the memory that flashed through my head. Now that was a battle for the history books. Ten dungeon cores versus entire species. The battle lasted for days.

    ¡°Fair enough. Let us show this world how powerful we are,¡± I grinned back to her.

    Quickly enough the timer reached zero.

    ¡°Who the hell is messing with our territory!?¡± a crude voice echoed from outside.

    I moved over to the window and saw a group of people that were looking at the busted lock. They stood like typical thugs, not even the good ones, but the doomed to die first ones. They carried a variety of blunt instruments, while it looked like one had a pistol tucked in his pants.

    ¡°Looks like we have company, My Love,¡± I said looking back to her.

    ¡°Is there enough to go around, Dear?¡± Alara asked twirling her sword.

    ¡°Should be, I counted a dozen of them,¡± I said with a smirk.

    ¡°Come out or we¡¯ll come in and get you!¡± a voice called from the courtyard.

    ¡°You can have that one. His voice is unpleasant. Reminds me of the fuckers that locked me away,¡± Alara said covering her ears.

    I nodded then turned to look back out the window. I leveled the Smith & Wesson at the man, who I agreed possessed a vulgar demeanor, and aimed for a body shot. Live targets were the best for testing your aim after all. After I lined up the shot, I pulled the trigger. With a loud crack like thunder, the vulgar man went flying nearly a meter as the round punched through his chest.

    Silence filled the air for a moment before one of the men cried, ¡°Fuck! They killed Jess!¡±

    ¡°Rush it!¡± another of the thugs yelled.

    They charged across the ten-meter gap to the large doors in a matter of seconds. Alara stood ready on the other side. I managed to put a hole in two more thugs as they ran, but only took out one of them. Still, the one that didn¡¯t die screamed in pain the whole time. The forerunners burst through the doors, and the center one ended up impaling himself on Alara¡¯s sword.

    She jumped and kicked his shoulder to free the weapon, bringing it around to impale the one on the left. I turned my pistols towards the crowd that had come to a standstill thanks to Alara and unloaded the cylinders of each. Alara jabbed forward with her sword and tendrils of wood exploded out impaling the last three thugs.

    All that remained was the thug that was screaming bloody murder outside the building. Alara pulled her arm back the threw her sword. A moment later the screaming came to a sudden stop. I shook my head, I had wanted to keep him to get some answers about the city, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    ¡°Getting a little rusty, Dear,¡± Alara teased as she held her hand out and the sword flew back to her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t fight on the front lines often, you know that,¡± I said with a shrug.

    ¡°I know. Dear, I just wanted to play a little,¡± Alara snickered as she poked my side.

    - You¡¯ve Completed a Claiming Event!

    <ul>

    <li>Stole an abandon warehouse</li>

    <li>Defeated 12x JunkHead Thugs</li>

    <li>2,000xp (200 each) + 2,000 XP</li>

    <li>+10 Villainous Points (You¡¯re now a Villain!)</li>

    <li>+2 Villainous Points (Total domination over your enemy)</li>

    <li>Villain Tier 1 (-57 Until Next Tier)</li>

    </ul>

    I walked over to the corpses. I nearly whistled as Alara really did a number on them. Thorns of wood impaled most of them, while bullet holes were the cause of death for the others. I forgot Alara didn¡¯t know to hold back and was quite fatal to her enemies. I kneeled next to one of the corpses and pressed my hand against it. I grinned when a list of loot appeared. So glad this was a game, made some things much easier.

    -Ragged clothing

    -100 Thread Needle

    -Scrap parts

    The money would probably be the most useful at the moment. I went to place it in my inventory. I thought back and remembered reading that Players got a payout once a week at midnight. There was a formula based on your hero and villain gauge, but I hadn¡¯t done anything to accumulate my tier yet, so I would just get the base pay for new players if I didn¡¯t raise my tier before the end of the week. I chuckled at the thought of having to work back through the tiers from the ground up again.

    After looting all the bodies, I stood back up and looked at our new warehouse. It was bare and beaten up, but it was officially ours. I couldn¡¯t wait to start building something. I smirked, ¡®it looks like being a dungeon core is part of my soul now,¡¯ I thought to myself.

    ¡°Let¡¯s clean up, my Love!¡± I called to Alara.

    Alara and I cleaned up the warehouse, but it was pretty empty to begin with, so it didn¡¯t take us long. When we finished, we stood at the entrance trying to figure out what to do with the place. I had wanted a base to work out of and this city had a lot of resources to feed my abilities. This fulfilled both options, I just needed to get access to the ground level under the city. The bodies were buried and Alara used her powers to make some nice-looking bushes grow over them. There was only about thirty centimeters of dirt before we hit a metal plate. Without the bushes there would have been a weird mound of dirt to one side of the courtyard.

    ¡°Can I go take a nap?¡± Alara asked yawning.

    ¡°Used too much energy?¡± I asked.

    While the combat was pretty straight forward, to use certain abilities or using your power in certain ways required energy. Both Alara and I used our power both before and during the fight. Being at level one we only had so much energy to use. I was regenerating energy faster than a normal level one would due to my energy manipulation, but it would still be a while before I was full again.

    She nodded then made her way to a side room that was probably the warehouse¡¯s guard room. She slammed her hand into the ground and a bush like plant grew rapidly. Once it reached the size of a decent bed, she pulled her hand free. Yawning again even bigger, she plopped down on the freshly grown bed.

    I chuckled before turning back to the warehouse. There were plenty of ways to be ¡®successful¡¯ in this game. I needed both money and experience points to build the dimensional gateway. The hero route offered more experience at the beginning, but the villain route was better late game. The villain route relied on an empire to gain their points.

    There was also the anti-hero route. It required toeing the line by building an empire but doing enough good deeds to balance it out. I tapped my chin in thought, I paused when the sensation felt different. I shook my head, chuckling at my fleshy body. I walked up to the balcony.

    The city or rather the warehouse district met my gaze. I was sure there was plenty of work we could do at the bureau. This game¡¯s version of the adventurer¡¯s guild. We could get mission that would reward us points and experience. There were few heroes and villains in this city according to the data I got in Axiscore.

    I leaned on the rail as I watched the area. It was remarkably quiet. The night breeze was a nice feeling that I hadn¡¯t been able to fully enjoy in a long time. Having a metal body reduced some of the enjoyment of certain activities.

    ¡°Well¡­ Taking it slow might not be a bad idea.¡± I commented to myself.

    I watched for a while before I saw the track of the train form. Only, this time it formed towards this district rather than the station. It connected with what looked like a factory on the other side of the district. The train came to a stop inside the factory then took off almost half an hour later.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± I said.

    So, the train has even more maneuverability then I first thought. I wondered if I could take advantage of that fact. If I decided to build and sell things, I could still make money and it would generate experience towards my heroic or villainous level. This could be a way to reach my goal and not have to burn, destroy, or fight too much. A break did sound nice.

    I suddenly felt a pair of hands around my waist. ¡°Alara. Did you have a nice nap?¡±

    ¡°I did. How long did I sleep for?¡± Alara asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I wasn¡¯t paying attention,¡± I said with a shrug.

    ¡°You not paying attention? I guess strange things can indeed happen,¡± Alara said with a cute laugh.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m more tired than I thought. It''s been almost constant fighting in Murgin for so long,¡± I said turning around and resting my head on her shoulder.

    ¡°Maybe we should rest for a while,¡± Alara said with a chuckle.

    ¡°That sounds really nice,¡± I agreed, and she pulled me back into the warehouse. As I walked with her, I felt my link shift a bit, solidify. I could only assume that something happened to the world and my place in it grew stronger thanks to that.

    ~~

    Alara and I spent the rest of the day in her bed. I couldn¡¯t remember the last time I actually slept. As a dungeon core I never had to and when I lost consciousness even then it would usually be the result of something, I was either fighting or something was trying to kill me. I wondered again when the last time was I was able to relax this much.

    I heard a ding around midnight. Checking my phone there was a notification much like the night before. I gave it a cursory glance over.

    !Its MIDNIGHT!

    -You defeated 12 Villains

    -You defeated 0 Heroes

    -You Earned a Total of 4,250 Experience points

    -Level Up! You are level 2!

    -You Earned 0 Hero Tier Points

    -You Earned 1 Villain Tier Points

    -You Earned 12 Villainous Points (Naughty, naughty. You¡¯re a villain now!¡±)

    -Current Villain Tier 1

    -Days Until Payout 4: 1,219.00 Thread

    Nothing had really changed other than my level and that was just an extra point to spend. I just put the phone away and continued to snuggle with Alara. The night quickly passed that way. When the sun shined through the window, I decided that I needed to do something productive today.

    At least relaxing so much let me plan a bit. I decided to go the neutral route. I would build and sell technology to heroes and villains alike. There were only a few large-scale entities that created and sold to players. The NPCs only offered to a certain level and of course the players usually wanted as much profit as they could get.

    ¡°Alara, My Love. How do you feel about some experimenting today?¡± I asked sitting up.

    ¡°Sounds fun. Just don¡¯t make anything explode. At least not until the afternoon,¡± Alara said with a yawn.

    ¡°No promises but I¡¯ll try my best,¡± I said grinning.

    I pulled my phone out and choose the app that would allow me to modify the building. It would require Thread of course, but I had a bit saved up thanks to the two days that passed. I found the option I was looking for.

    -Ground Level Elevator. 1,500t

    It would use most of the thread I had but I needed access to the junkyard below. I clicked yes on the option and a truck quickly pulled up outside. A bunch of drones flew in and started constructing something in the corner of the warehouse. I reached up a grabbed one, careful not to be aggressive. Looking over its construction, my technology ability gave me the option to modify it to lower the cost to the construction. As well as giving me what level of the ability it needs to be to create the drone. It was surprisingly low at only level seven.

    I let it go and it flew back to its work. It took only a few minutes before the elevator was constructed. I walked over and found a maintenance elevator that was large enough to hold a small vehicle. It was lite in the way of safety measures, but I wasn¡¯t too concerned about it. I waved Alara over and hit the button.

    We shot down at a ridiculous speed. Alara grabbed on to me as I gripped the single rail on the elevator with a death grip. The city was nearly a kilometer in the sky, and we crossed half that distance in a matter of seconds. Sparks flew as the brakes engaged. I worried for a moment that we were about to have a rough landing when it slid to a stop.

    Alara and I stumbled off the elevator feeling light headed. Damn flesh body! We found a spot and sat roughly on a piece of debris. I hugged Alara to me until she calmed down.

    ¡°That is the first thing on my list to improve,¡± I whispered into her ear. I only got a nod in reply.

 Super Delivery Chapter 03

    Chapter 03

    ¡°We are sorry!¡± David and Richard said in unison.

    ¡°Sorry doesn¡¯t make us look cool.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Are you guys done?¡± Asked William.

    The three bickering men didn¡¯t respond verbally but nodded their assent.

    ¡°Good. would you like to hear about this job?¡± the former villain asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

    Again, we only nodded.

    ¡°We were tasked with delivering to a couple gas stations.¡±

    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± I started, ¡°I just left that job, next you¡¯re gonna tell me that we are delivering to Earl¡¯s Place!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    I gave William my best evil eye.

    ¡°You never really retired from being a villain, did you?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I became something worse,¡± he paused for dramatic effect, ¡°a businessman.¡±

    This elicited a slight chuckle from Mr. Edison. Thinking on it, that was the first time I had ever seen any emotion from the callus man. Shivering a bit at his display I just had to comment.

    ¡°That was just downright weird.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Said the three other men.

    ¡°That was weird, you four agreeing.¡± Mr. Edison said.

    ¡°Whatever let¡¯s get going,¡± David said trying to get out of the conversation.

    ¡°Right,¡± William started, ¡°We will have all three of you go. Ray you know him, and can help unload in person, we¡¯ll have you do this from time to time.¡±

    Nodding my agreement, I realized something.

    ¡°Wait a freaking minute,¡± I was angry at this point, ¡°You¡¯re the reason I lost my job.¡±

    A furious round of coughing came over William, before he continued brushing my anger away.

    ¡°Right. David, you will be leading the truck when it gets to the warehouse and unloading when it gets there.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± David responded.

    ¡°Lastly, Richard, you will be in charge of checking in and working out the contract for future deliveries.¡±

    ¡°And enforcing them with my ability I guess?¡± Richard half asked.

    ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°And what will you be doing?¡± I asked Mastermind.

    ¡°Seeing as the new trade laws have made shipping a neutral aligned business, I will be shipping some stuff you may not be comfortable with yet.¡±

    ¡°Wait are we shipping for criminals?¡± I asked trying, and failing, not to yell.

    ¡°We have three trucks to pay off, so we are doing anything and everything we can get.¡±

    ¡°This might affect our decision to work here, you know that, right?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°I am aware, but I surmised that not telling you the truth would have even more dire consequences. Now if we are done you three need to suit up.¡±

    Acknowledging that lying to us would have made me walk out of the door when I found out. I decided to at least try this out. It had nothing to do with being unemployed at all. Wait why am I lying to myself? I straight up need the money.

    Opening the backpack, I brought with me, my suit was inside. At one point I had stored it in a ring, but that was a pain to get back in, so after the first couple of times, I stopped using it. After reminiscing for a few moments, I put on the suit and looked myself over in the mirror. The mask covered everything but around the mouth, it was golden from the top down to my cheekbones, where it faded into white. My torso followed the white coloring, accented with the same gold color from the helmet. Following down the arms were white until the elbow where it faded back into gold at the gloves. The pants followed the same pattern as the arms, fading back into gold at the boots.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Enjoying the increased stats from my gear, I just had to move. I took off, running at my top speed bobbing and weaving through traffic, until I reached the beach, steeling myself and focusing my mind, I ran onto the water. A trail of water shot up behind me causing small waves in my footsteps, the water slowed me a little, but before long I was on land again. Forests, cars, animals, people, and cities were some things I managed to pick out as I was running by so fast that everyone looked to be sitting still. Soon enough I was back to water, then back to land, I returned to Axiscore about a minute after I left.

    ¡°Woo!¡±, I exclaimed, ¡°I haven¡¯t done that in a bit.¡± My heart beating in a way that I missed, fast for a normal person but normal for me, I remembered just how good it felt to let loose.

    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Asked David.

    ¡°Ran around the world, I haven¡¯t done that since we retired.¡±

    ¡°Sooner we leave the sooner we get back.¡± Richard commented sounding bored.

    We walked out to the truck in full gear. Right before we were about to get in William stopped us.

    ¡°I forgot to tell you Ray, this can be driven normally, but it can also do something else. Open the door.¡±

    Putting my hand on the door handle I heard a slight humming.

    Celerity recognized.

    Starting Manual mode C1.

    The driver side seat receded into the wall and a treadmill came out of the floor.

    ¡°Wow!¡± I feigned excitement.

    ¡°It is amazing right.¡± William agreed, a bit of pride in his voice.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ What am I looking at?¡±

    A sigh came from the retired villain.

    ¡°It allows you to use your speed to power the truck, letting the truck go as fast as you do. There is also this.¡±

    As he talked a helmet came lowered from the ceiling, not only from the driver¡¯s side but above all possible seats.

    ¡°This allows you to maneuver the truck with your mind, so not only does the truck move as fast as you, it reacts like you do. The other ones allow passengers to do the same¡±

    ¡°Ok, that is kind of awesome.¡± I said, not wanting to give him the satisfaction he wanted.

    ¡°Kind of?¡±, he questioned, ¡°Never mind you have work to do. Get going, the course has been uploaded into the headset.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Getting into the driver side I felt a little awkward standing where a seat should be. Putting the helmet on a H.U.D appeared in my sight, as I turned my head to the right, I could see everything to the right of the truck, the same happened when I looked to the left and above the truck.

    Seeing that, both Richard and David had gotten into their seats and put their own helmets on.

    ¡°Alright ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated for the entire ride, keep all arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Make sure to note the emergency exits on both sides of the vehicle.¡±

    I was full on prepared to go stewardess on these two for the joke, but an angry look from both let me know that they didn¡¯t want to hear it.

    ¡°Right, here we go.¡±

    I started to jog at a normal non-super pace, the truck started to roll forward slowly. Speeding up to a above normal run, the truck picked up speed. Feeling I had a good sense of how it worked I opened it up even more. At my standard run speed, roughly 300 miles per hour, the truck took off, I was a little afraid at first realizing I wasn¡¯t told how to turn. I turned as if I normally would when running and the truck did exactly what I wanted it to.

    ¡°Oh yeah, let¡¯s do this.¡± I said getting excited.

    Accelerating to about three quarters of my top speed, we took off. Following the route in the display. I was a little worried when the route took us over a small pond, but the speed we were moving allowed the truck to drive right over the water. After a couple of turns from the pond, we were at the warehouse.

    ¡°Is that what it is always like for you?¡± David asked, red in the face from his increased heartbeat.

    ¡°Yeah pretty much.¡±

    Richard didn¡¯t look so good. He rushed out of the truck and threw up on the ground.

    ¡°Hey buddy you alright?¡± I asked.

    Not responding with more than a wave to get away, Orbital Force and I went to the confused looking warehouse manager.

    ¡°Hey there, we are here for a pickup.¡± Orbital Force stated.

    The stunned woman pointed to a handful of pallets sitting in a loading bay.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± We said in unison.

    ¡°Oh, we can do it when we don¡¯t plan it, but when we do, we screw up. How does that work?¡±, I complained.

    Orbital Force didn¡¯t even give me a response as he lifted his hand with very little effort and the pallets moved to the back of the truck, putting my hand on the handle of the trailer door, it opened by itself.

    ¡°Neat.¡±, was the only thing I said.

    The loading done we went back to the manager. The Author had recovered and was there talking to her.

    ¡°So just sign this? That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Y¡­Yeah that¡¯s it.¡± She said coming out of her stun, ¡°Are you guys really from ¡®The Honor Guard¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yeah we are, they don¡¯t need us for the hero thing anymore, so we had to find a way to feed ourselves.¡± I said.

    She looked like she wanted to ask us something but was too embarrassed to do so.

    ¡°Was there anything else we could help with?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Um¡­ could¡­ could I get a picture with you guys?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I said as she took out her phone, ¡°stand with your backs to the truck, and I¡¯ll take the picture.¡±

    ¡°Then how will you be in it?¡±, she asked.

    Smiling I stood where I could get a good photo, pushed the button to take it, and in the same moment ran in to the picture, then raced back to grab the phone.

    ¡°Here you go¡­,¡± I stopped realizing I didn¡¯t know her name.

    ¡°Abbigail, you can call me Abby.¡±

    ¡°Here you go Abby.¡± I finished, handing her phone back to her, ¡°We gotta go but we¡¯ll be seeing you.¡±

    As everyone got settled in the truck, Richard a little hesitantly I couldn¡¯t help myself.

    ¡°Please keep all stomach contents inside your body until we come to a complete stop.¡±

    I sped towards Earl¡¯s Place without any further warning.

 The Left Behind Chapter 02

    Chapter 02

    ¡°Oh god my head.¡± Spark said leaning forward on his hand. He groaned in pain as the pyramid of empty cans crumpled around him.

    ¡°I feel your pain.¡± Vesta said with a sigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Spark asked stumbling to the table. He dropped down into a chair leaning forward on his elbows.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Have you looked at your account management page?¡± Vesta asked. She attempted to reopen hers, but it was gone. There was no option at all to get to the window.

    ¡°I see nothing but scrambled letters and numbers.¡± He said through unfocused eyes. Tears were forming in the corner of his vision from the pressure in his head.

    With no other idea coming to mind Vesta took a health serum from her inventory and jammed the tip into her neck. She injected the red liquid to the familiar warm feeling spreading from the injection point. The pain in her head began to subside when the feeling reached her head.

    Taking pity on her annoying comrade she tossed him a serum. He caught it and injected himself melting in relief. They both took a few moments of silence to enjoy the relief.

    ¡°I just tried to open the account management window again and it¡¯s gone.¡± Spark said breaking the silence.

    ¡°Yeah mine is gone too.¡± She said shaking her head.

    She made her way to her friends window. Normally there were a couple of dozen people listed in her contacts, but when the window opened there was only one, Spark. She feverishly attempted to scroll but there was no more.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s gone from my friends list.¡± She huffed and snapped the window shut.

    ¡°You¡¯re the only person on mine.¡± Spark said verifying her fears.

    Vesta noticed that there were some notifications in her view that had been minimized and silenced.

    -#WQFDAFJ$#@4t43

    -You have inherited the assets of Silence.

    -10,432,234t added to personal account.

    -All Hope¡¯s Talon permissions of ownership have been transferred to you.

    -All Bound items have been transferred to Hope¡¯s Talon vault.

    -All Possession Ownerships have been transferred to you.

    -All Hope¡¯s Talon Authority has been transferred to you.

    ~~~

    -#WQFDAFJ$#@4t43

    -You have inherited the assets of Deona.

    -18,318,987t added to personal account.

    -All Hope¡¯s Talon permissions of ownership have been transferred to you.

    -All Bound items have been transferred to Hope¡¯s Talon vault.

    -All Possession Ownerships have been transferred to you.

    -All Hope¡¯s Talon Authority has been transferred to you.

    ~~~

    -#WQFDAFJ$#@4t43

    -You have inherited the assets of Zonos.

    -4,326,955t added to personal account.

    -All Hope¡¯s Talon permissions of ownership have been transferred to you.

    -All Bound items have been transferred to Hope¡¯s Talon vault.

    -All Possession Ownerships have been transferred to you.

    -All Hope¡¯s Talon Authority has been transferred to you.

    Over thirty million thread had been deposited into her account. That coupled with the money that she already had put her account at over fifty million thread. She gazed at the number for longer than she felt that she should have. The true cost of the money was unknown.

    If each of their authority of their group, Hope¡¯s Talon, was transferred to her then that meant that she was the old governing member remaining. Spark was pledging to become the fifth after someone had left the group, but he hadn¡¯t proved to everyone that he could handle the responsibility.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to log off!¡± Spark said suddenly.

    ¡°I mean I¡¯m not in a huge hurry to get back to the other world, but I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m not freaked out right now.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I have a date in like an hour. She fine! It¡¯s taken me weeks to get this yes. I was so going to hit that.¡± Spark said. He jumped out of the chair and began to pace back and forth across his side of the table.

    ¡°Thank you for reaffirming that you are a pig.¡± She said with a huff and got up from the table. She walked away leaving him to pace.

    ¡°Hold up.¡± He called after her, but she didn¡¯t listen. She pulled a jump stick out of her pocket and snapped it. In a whoosh of light, she vanished and reappeared in downtown Summers Deep.

    The city of Summers Deep was about the size of New York City on earth, back when it was a huge metropolitan area and not a creature filled with ocean water. The buildings had a gothic feeling build of grey stone and concrete. At night the city scape lit up and the people were just as alive as they were in the day.

    Vesta hadn¡¯t actually checked the time. When she pulled out her phone, she wasn¡¯t surprised to notice that it was late afternoon. She had slept through most of the day but given that the mission had taken them well into the morning it couldn¡¯t have been helped.

    The streets were just as bustling as they always were. Whatever was affecting her obvious was not affecting the populous of non-player characters. She opened her phone and attempted to contact an admin, but just as the contacts for her friends were missing so were those of the admins. A few seconds after she opened the admin page the options and labels began to glitch out becoming random strings of numbers, letters, and symbols. She closed the window in frustration, but she had one more option.

    Three blocks down the street Vesta ducked into a restaurant. The place was weird to say the least, Mexican and Italian fusion never really sat well with Vesta. She didn¡¯t come for the food. Acting like she owned the place she walked through the door that went into the kitchen. The cooks looked up at her but didn¡¯t say anything.

    At the back of the kitchen there was a large metal door. Vesta knocked on it in an exact pattern that she had been taught and waited.

    ¡°Ahh, Vesta.¡± A short portly man said through a screen next to the door.

    ¡°Hello, Finger.¡± Vesta said with a sneer. She and the man had had their issues in the past, but he was not who she was there to see.

    ¡°What can we do for you today?¡± Finger said with a nasty grin.

    ¡°I need to see Link and Binding.¡± Vesta said crossing her arms over her chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but they¡¯re very busy today.¡± Finger said with an obviously fake frown.

    ¡°The Scorching Highlands.¡± She said without another word.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Finger said as he bowed and stepped back from the camera.

    The large door slid into the wall on the left. Vesta walked through a cloud of cold air. The entrance to their place was part of the restaurants walk in cooler system. Finger led her to the back where they passed through another door.

    They ended up standing in a room that looked like it was ripped out of a spaceship. The walls were smooth slate grey and were angled at the top and bottom. Floors were metal grates and the ceiling was lined with bright white lights. In the center of the room there were a pair of pedestals each with a floating holographic head floating above it.

    The head on the left was Link he glowed blue. The head on the right was Binding she was a light purple. They both looked at Vesta as she walked into the room. Finger sluffed off to the side and parked himself in the shadow.

    ¡°What has brought you to grace us with your presence today?¡± Binding asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to talk about what is happening.¡± Vesta said resting her hands on her hips.

    ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± Link asked. Vesta could feel the fake.

    ¡°Cut the shit. I¡¯m calling in the favor you owe me for Scorching Highlands.¡± She said shaking her head.

    The two disembodied heads looked at each other. Vesta was sure that they could communicate without speaking, she couldn¡¯t confirm it, but it made sense. They turned back to her.

    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Binding asked with a frown.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did my friends list empty? Why is my account management page gone? Why did I get all of my partners stuff?¡± Vesta demanded in rapid fire.

    ¡°Sit down.¡± Link said. A holographic chair appeared behind where Vesta stood. She touched it to make sure she wasn¡¯t going to fall to the floor then she planted herself in the seat.

    ¡°You know that we are AIs within a game world.¡± Binding said.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Vesta nodded.

    ¡°Our existence has always been governed by a higher-level AI that we know as a God Tier AI. Something took over from these AI, someone.¡± Link said.

    ¡°The world that you are playing in, what you¡¯ve always considered to be a game, it is not so simple anymore. A being of unfathomable power has taken the world created through digital means and shaped it into something real. Every person that you once considered an NPC is now a living breathing person. Every person that was logged into the game at the time of the shift, their souls were ripped from their bodies on earth and they became the person they were ¡®playing¡¯ in NuValla.¡± Binding explained like she was speaking with a child. Condescension was nothing new for these two, Vesta was used to it.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I am a real person in this world. There is no body on earth for me to go back to?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°We do not know if your body died, or what has happened, but you are here now.¡± Link said.

    ¡°What does this mean?¡± Vesta asked quietly.

    ¡°It means that you aren¡¯t going home. It means that you should make the best of the life that you have here.¡± Binding said assurance in her voice.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Vesta said standing up from the holographic chair. It dissolved in whips of smoke.

    ¡°This information is your payment for what happened at the Scorching Highlands. Consider us even.¡± Link said sternly.

    ¡°That may have been payment for the Scorching Highlands, but don¡¯t forget about the Crash site.¡± Vesta said waving her finger.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it would be loaded.¡± Binding said for the thousandth time.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. You still owe me.¡± Vesta said as she turned to leave. Finger walked out from his corner and led the way back through the cold metal box into the kitchen. He left her at the sliding metal door closing it behind her.

    Vesta walked back out through the kitchen and outside. The sun was almost down for the day. The streetlights were on and the lights from the building made the city almost as bright as the day. People bumped into her as she walked down the sidewalk. Living actual people. Not NPCs, not information on a server, people in the flesh. The blood would be real if you cut them. The pain they felt would be authentic. So would their joy, their relief, it would all be real.

    The world seemed to be moving a million miles a second around her as she moved through the downtown streets. The shift in how she looked at the hundreds of people around her made her head hurt almost as bad as it did when she woke up. She finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pulled out her phone to call for a Coin. The car showed up on the street a few minutes after she put in the request. When she got in it already knew that she wanted to go back uptown to Hiventhorn Manor.

    About five minutes into the drive she groaned loudly because she knew that she had to track down Spark and explain to him what was going on. He might be an annoying tool, but he was the only friend that she had in the world for the time and he deserved to know what was happening to them.

    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she began to mentally prepare for the upcoming conversation.

 Chapter 04-01

    Chapter 04-01

    ¡°Alright, what is next boss?¡± Obsidian asked as the three non-incarcerated people exited the holding area. They walked towards Dick¡¯s office.

    ¡°What¡¯s next is that I¡¯m going to do a couple more missions for the day and you are going to hang back and rest.¡± Alex said still away of the hit that she had taken from Laser-man even if she wanted to pretend that she was fine.

    ¡°You need help! You do not need to go out alone. Hell, you can¡¯t even find your way around town.¡± She demanded as they walked into Alex¡¯s office.

    ¡°I will be fine. I¡¯m not going to go over board or get into anything too deep. You need to rest. You are drained from our fight with them. Plus, I would feel better about leaving Dick alone if you were here to keep an eye on those two.¡± Alex explained shaking his head and waving his hands.

    ¡°This is dumb!¡± She said shortly and crossed her arms like a mad teenager.

    ¡°You may think so, but you are my sidekick, not the other way around.¡± Alex said firmly.

    Dick walked around and sat down behind his desk. Obsidian walked over and dropped into a couch with her arms still crossed huffing loudly while Alex stood proudly in the center of the room.

    ¡°Alright, the hero game is back in town. We¡¯ve made some noise. I need to level quickly so what do you have for me?¡± Alex asked Dick.

    ¡°I see it. You¡¯re serious, and you¡¯re not going to run away. You¡¯ve got moxie kid and I like it.¡± Dick said with a firm nod. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a thick cigar. He sliced off the end and brought it to his lips. With a flash of flame the end was lit and he took a long drag, ¡°The villains in this town aren¡¯t going to roll over. We need to send a message. I think it¡¯s time that you show them that we aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± He said blowing out a cloud of smoke. He tapped off the ember into an ashtray.

    ¡°That¡¯s basically what I just said.¡± Alex said rolling his eyes.

    ¡°Could you just, ok.¡± Dick said putting up his hand, ¡°The Goldys walk around like they own the place. For all intents and purposes, they do. Send them a message. Clean up the streets around the Bureau. Twenty thugs should send a message.¡± Dick said.

    -Clean up the Neighborhood around the Bureau

    -Dick is asking you to clean up the streets around the bureau and send a message to the Goldys who act like they run the town. He thinks that the message will get across if you take out at least 20 of them.

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    ¡°Done.¡± Alex said with a nod.

    ¡°This is bullshit.¡± Obsidian hissed, ¡°I want to level too.¡±

    ¡°You should still get splash experience.¡± Alex said pointing at her. Splash experience where point awarded for being in a group or partnership with someone or an organization. It was one of the best reasons to join a hero group. A large enough group and everyone would net a small gain all day long in addition to what they were building up on their own.

    Taking down twenty Goldy thugs was going to be a rough task, but it would net him some decent experience points, and it would surely push him up a tier. They really needed the money and he needed to get stronger. Alex was seething for his first Sunday night Payout.

    Standing on the small three step stoop outside of the Hero Bureau Alex took stock of the streets that he was about to turn into a battle zone. The buildings on all sides were tall the shortest being six stories. The street T¡¯d off at either end forming a box that would control the flow of incoming enemies. There was one thing that was more important than anything else to Alex, keeping bystanders safe. The good news was that it didn¡¯t look like there were many that would need to be considered. Most of the surrounding buildings looked to be abandoned.

    Alex pulled out his phone and opened up the Vulcan app. He selected the building across the street from the Hero Bureau. It too was red, most of the buildings near were red or purple which was only one stage above red.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    --212 Virtue Street

    -Owner: NONE

    -Structural Score: 23%

    -Organizational Alliances: NONE

    -Market Status: Foreclosed/For Sale

    -Market Value: 100,000t

    -Sale Price: 30,000t

    Alex considered that if he could get his cashflow in order that flipping all of the buildings might be a decent source of income. For the time he pushed that thought out of his head. He had a mission and he needed to focus.

    A group of Goldys rounded the corner at the end of the block and started to head towards the Hero Bureau. Alex started to walk down the steps but remembered that he could fly. He hovered up a few inches and then glided towards the center of the street. The first group was four thugs each armed with, from what Alex could see, their fists.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Alex yelled towards the Goldys.

    The Goldys stopped joking and laughing and looked up at Alex who hovered a couple of feet off of the pavement in the center of the street. They all tensed up and began to move in his direction.

    ¡°You¡¯re no longer welcome on these streets!¡± Alex yelled. He wanted to insult them, and their mothers, but it was not exactly the hero way.

    ¡°And who is going to stop us?¡± The closest Thug asked.

    ¡°I am!¡± Alex didn¡¯t wait for them to come to him. He had to make a statement. He blasted through the air as fast as his flight ability would take him. Using just a little bit of his super strength his fist landed in the center of the first thug¡¯s face. The thug crumpled to the ground in a heap and did not move.

    From his left Alex ducked under an incoming fist but was caught in his right side with a solid kick. He reacted as fast as he could grabbing the leg. He lifted the thug into the air and smashed him down onto the ground. With a kick he sent the thug tumbling end over end to land on top of the first one.

    He drew back as a fist flew towards his face. Quickly his hand shot up and deflected a second punch to glance it off harmlessly. He threw his own punch at the thug, but he was fast. The thug ducked under the punch and uppercut Alex in the gut. Alex stumbled back and grabbed ahold of his stomach.

    ¡°Not bad!¡± Alex said whipping sweat from his brow.

    Fists balled tightly Alex rand at the last two thugs from the first group. They all three moved in a blur as they ducked his punches and attempted to land their own. Alex got lucky and caught onto their pattern. He lifted his leg and stomped down on the chest of the left thug. He dropped to the ground.

    The thug yelled in a rage and ran straight at Alex. Alex ducked down and to the left to avoid a fist, then wove to the right. He jumped back using his flight to get a few extra feet. The thug was relentless tearing after him. He lunged himself off of the ground at Alex. This move caught Alex off guard. They both crashed to the ground and the thug ended up on top. He balled his fists and began to punch Alex in the face.

    Alex used his flight to pick them both up off the pavement. He was only able to lift them a couple of feet, but he had a plan. In a swift singular motion, Alex flipped over in the air and threw the thug down using his super strength. The thug smashed into the ground with a crunching sound and did not move.

    ¡°I win!¡± Alex said hovering down and landing softly on the ground.

    -You¡¯ve Made it through a Wave

    -Wave 1 Complete

    -Defeated 4x Goldy Thugs

    -740xp (185 Each)

    -+4 Hero Points

    -+2 Hero Tier (-45 Until Next Tier)

    Alex clenched his fists. Health serums would have been helpful to keep himself going, but he hadn¡¯t had the foresight to buy any. He was mentally kicking himself when the next group appeared on the street three rounding the corner from the left and three from the right. They had most likely been notified by the first group.

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you.¡± Alex yelled with pride.

    The thugs on both sides had come with weapons this time. They had crowbars and baseball bats. That was alright because Alex had his own crowbar.

    ¡°You should be.¡± One of the thugs yelled in retort.

    ¡°This crowbar,¡± Alex said brandishing his weapon, ¡°I took it off one of your fallen brothers.¡± There was a chime in his ear from his phone. He knew without looking that he had gotten a villainous point. He looked down at the little notification that solidified when his eyes focused on it.

    -Villainous Banter

    -Intimidation through Fear

    -+1 Villainous Point(2)

    ¡°It was a slip up.¡± He said out loud which seemed to only confuse the incoming thugs.

    The attack began with a couple of thugs trying to smash in Alex¡¯s skull at the same time. He ducked down and lunged back so that their weapons a baseball bat and a crowbar would smash into each other. Alex slashed his crowbar down onto the shoulder of the thug to his right. With a twist he thrusted the curved end of the weapon into the chest of the thug on his left.

    They fell away but their buddies were right behind them. Alex bent back as a baseball bat swung right at his face. He watched as the bat flew by only missing by a hair. Alex reached up and grabbed the bat, but something smashed into his knee. His legs crumpled and he fell to the pavement.

    Pain radiated through his knee as the four thugs rounded him. They looked down at him all lifting their respective weapons in unison. Alex attempted to lift himself but one of the thugs put his foot onto Alex¡¯s chest and pushed him back down.

    His eyes clenched Alex prepared for the incoming attack and inevitable death, but it did not come. He opened his eyes as Obsidian smashed into the group with her shoulder knocking them all back. She tucked and rolled to one side bouncing back onto her feet. She threw her fists out to the side.

    Alex got back to his feet and shot her a look that was confusingly somewhere in between angry for disobeying and thankful she showed up to save his ass. Her return look was that of understanding.

    ¡°You ready?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± Obsidian growled.

 Chapter 04-02

    Chapter 04-02

    The stage was set.

    Four remaining Goldy Thugs versus Alex and Obsidian. Alex gripped his crowbar in his right hand while he clenched his other fist. Obsidian seemed to have regained some of her energy, but she was not keeping her ability activated. Instead it would seem that she was readying herself to activate at a moment¡¯s notice.

    The Thugs ran towards the two heroes splitting into two groups. Alex faked back and juked behind where Obsidian was standing. He leapt up and flew over top of her bring his crowbar down on the head of the left of the two who were coming toward her. He flipped in the air and landed on his feet.

    Obsidian activated her ability as the baseball bat of the second smashed into her arm. The bat exploded into a spray of splinters upon impact. Obsidian wasted no time jumping at the man. She wrapped her legs around the man¡¯s mid-section and brought him to the ground. Like a machine she began punching him in the head. Alex sensed that there was a just a little frustration from what had happened earlier with Laser-man behind her attacks.

    Alex flew at the two remaining thugs who had redirected towards him. He kicked one in the chest as he landed in a roll coming to a stop on his feet. The thug crumpled to the ground, but he wasn¡¯t out for the count yet. The second spun around and attacked Alex with his crowbar. Alex used his own to deflect the incoming attacks like they were fighting with swords.

    Obsidian ran towards the thug getting up off the ground and jumped. With both of her feet out she drop-kicked him in the back. He dropped to his knees and wobbled in a daze for a moment. With a rounding kick she got the side of his head knocking him to the ground.

    Alex jumped back as it seemed they were getting nowhere with their crowbar sword fight. He ducked under the wide swing of the crowbar and shouldered his way through taking a hit to his side. He slammed the curved end of the crowbar into the last thug¡¯s chin lifting him off the ground. When he pulled back the thug dropped to the ground and fell over in silence.

    ¡°Nice move.¡± Alex said pointing at Obsidian. She was dusting herself off. Alex held out his fist for a fist bump.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said knocking her fist against his.

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Alex asked concerned with her energy level.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Dick hooked me up with an energy drink.¡± She said with a nod. Energy drinks awarded temporary energy points. The major downfall is that they could wear off in the middle of an encounter. They had a random buff time that the user can¡¯t see.

    ¡°I¡¯m still mad that you disobeyed my orders, but glad that you did.¡± Alex said shaking his head.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch them kill you.¡± She said with a deep frown.

    -You¡¯ve Made it through a Wave

    -Wave 2 Complete

    -Defeated 6x Goldy Thugs

    -1110xp (185 Each)

    -+6 Heroic Points

    -+3 Hero Tier (-42 Until Next Tier)

    ¡°Ten more of these scoundrels!¡± Alex said puffing out his chest.

    ¡°Scoundrels, huh. Why don¡¯t you just pull dialog out of the fifties?¡± Obsidian rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Look I can¡¯t bad mouth them or the system with hit me for villainous banter again. I don¡¯t want my more villain points for that. It¡¯s pissing me off that I¡¯m not getting credit for my other schtick.¡± Alex said with a sigh.

    ¡°Live a little.¡± Obsidian said with a sly grin.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m a Hero!¡± Alex said firmly.

    ¡°I was born into a family of villains. I was coursed into doing villainous things before I knew better.¡± Obsidian said frowning, ¡°I can tell you it¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    ¡°How many villainous points do you have?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Enough.¡± She said clenching her fists and readying for the next wave. Alex turned towards where she was looking to see the ten Goldy Thugs marching unceremoniously down the streets. They had their weapons ready and they were out for more than blood.

    Alex clenched his own fists and held his arms up ready for a fight. He knew that this was going to be rough and that he was going to have give it his all to get through the next phase.

    ¡°Time to kick some ass!¡± Obsidian yelled. In a flash like a bolt of lightning she rocketed towards the incoming thugs.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself!¡± Alex said. He launched himself into the air towards the enemies almost just as fast.

    Alex decided to go full bore with his super-strength power. When active he has an extra three points in his strength. This meant that he could lift a small car if he wanted to, not that there were any small cars around to lift, but he could.

    He drew back a punch and the moment that they two of them smashed into the line of incoming thugs he released it into the gut of the first thug in line. The wind was knocked out of him while Alex could feel the crunching of bone. The thugs body flew back and tumbled on the ground a few times before coming to a stop. The thug made to life himself off of the ground, but lacked the strength, or will.

    Obsidian became a purple blur in the corner of Alex¡¯s eye. He couldn¡¯t keep up with her movements and avoid having his own face smashed into mush. Turning he focused on the closest targets. There were four thugs around him. They came in a wave all at once. Instead of dropping Alex jumped and activated his flight ability to put himself above them. A wide grin crossed his face as the four thugs attacked each other in the sudden burst of movement.

    He dropped down bringing his crowbar down onto the head of one of the four. He ducked back dropping to the ground to avoid being hit in the head with a bat. He rolled to the left to avoid being stomped in the face. Reaching out he grabbed a leg and ripped the thug off of his feet.

    A loud ¡®ohf¡¯ signaled the thug¡¯s back smashing against the ground. Alex lifted his leg and kicked the thug in the bottom of the chin still holding onto his leg. He used his flight to help get himself off of the ground without having to stumble.

    The third and fourth thugs were both inbound with their weapon¡¯s held high. They swung down onto Alex like madmen. He was able to stop one of the incoming weapons with his crowbar, but the baseball bat hit him in the left shoulder dead on. He felt something break and his left arm went limp. Jumping back, he spun in a kick using his flight to hold himself higher for a second to kick the culprit in the side of the head. The thug dropped to the ground and blood pooled out of his ears onto the ground. All he could do was moan from the ground.

    One last Goldy thug stared him down heaving heavy breaths in and out. One less arm for Alex to use to stop the thug he didn¡¯t want to direct any energy to his regen ability until the fight was over, so his arm hung limp.

    The thug swung at him, but Alex blocked it. He swung again yelling, but he was deflected glancing off of Alex¡¯s crowbar. This continued for what seemed like hundreds of attacks. Alex needed to wait, watch, and calculate the moment to strike. If he gave the thug any opening another hit would probably disable him, then the following would kill him.

    Finally, it came. The thug stepped back just a bit too far having lost his footing. Alex took the moment and struck. The crowbar swung down smashing into the thug¡¯s neck with a sickening thud and the thug dropped to the ground. The thug was knocked out cold.

    Alex breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn¡¯t over yet. Obsidian was squaring off with the last two of the thugs having already taken out three. It was his turn to repay her for the times that she had saved his ass.

    He silently ran at the back of the two men. She was careful not to look at Alex so that she wouldn¡¯t give away what was about to happen. Alex threw his crowbar that the back of the head of the one on the left while he leapt and did the same drop kick move that she had done to the one on the right. Both attacks landed in unison. The thug who received the kick was instantly down for the count. The other turned sharply towards Alex but received a kick in the back of his head sending him to his knees. Obsidian lifted her leg and kicked him in the back. The last thug fell on his face.

    ¡°YEAH!!¡± Alex yelled in excitement as he lifted himself off of the ground with his flight ability.

    ¡°Boom!¡± Obsidian yelled holding her hand out of another fist bump. Alex attempted to use his left hand forgetting that it did not work at the moment and awkwardly switched.

    -You¡¯ve Made it through a Wave

    -Wave 3 Complete

    -Defeated 10x Goldy Thugs

    -1850xp (185 Each)

    -+10 Heroic Points

    -+5 Hero Tier (-37 Until Next Tier)

    ~~~

    -You¡¯ve completed a Hero Mission

    -Clean up the Neighborhood around the Bureau

    -1000xp

    -+10 Hero Points

    -+10 Hero Tier (-27 Until Next Tier)

    The two of them began to collect the needles that they could from the thugs all over the street. Each down enemy had one.

    -Needles 20x

    -Total Value: 8270t

    -Your Share: 7450t

    -Deposit in personal account?

    -Yes | No

    ¡°With that my young ward, I think that we will call it a night.¡± Alex said dropping down to sit on the stairs of the Hero Bureau stoop. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Pain was radiating through his body staring at his arm and moving throughout his body.

    ¡°Hey, Aether.¡± Obsidian said tapping him on the shoulder.

    ¡°Yes?¡± He asked blinking his eyes open.

    It was obvious what she was talking about. In the street hovering about ten feet over where they had been fighting a swirl of blue light had appeared. Within the light a surface of pure blackness formed, and something slid into existence from within the blackness. The object floated down drifting like a feather. It landed on the ground.

    Alex stood up from the stoop and walked over to the object with Obsidian in toe. They both leaned over the object and looked down at it. It was a card. Alex assumed it was the back of the card because it was just a swirl of colors and shapes. He reached down and picked it up.

    On the other side there was a beautiful painting of the sun. It was a tarot card. Something clicked in Obsidian¡¯s mind. She tore the card of Alex¡¯s hand and threw it as hard as she could towards the opposite side of the street away from the Hero Bureau. She whipped around throwing her arms out and activated her ability.

    The card exploded with the force of a bomb. The building on the opposite side of the street erupted in debris causing a cloud of dust to fill the air. Alex was pelted by chunks of concrete and glass, but Obsidian took most of the blast.

    When the dust began to settle Alex saw that the building was gutted. Several stories had fallen in and the roof looked as if it were about to cave in. The three walls that weren¡¯t completely turned to dust by the explosion looked as if they would fall in at any moment. Like a strong gust of wind would take the whole thing out.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Alex asked picking glass out of his bad arm. He began to expend energy into his regeneration ability.

    ¡°That was a villain named The Priestess.¡± Obsidian said with a grimace. She limped around to look at the damage herself.

    ¡°And how do we know this Priestess?¡± Alex asked getting the feeling there was more.

    ¡°She¡¯s my mother.¡± Obsidian said without looking at Alex.

 Chapter 04-03

    Chapter 04-03

    ¡°So, let me get this straight,¡± Alex said waving his hands around like a madman, ¡°Your mother is not just a villain, but one of the top-rated villains in Winter Garden?¡±

    ¡°Um, yeah¡­¡± Obsidian said sheepishly. They had since retreated into the Hero Bureau after the explosion that came from a simple tarot card.

    ¡°And this was something that you did not deem to be vital information that you could have offered in the wee hours of our relationship?¡± Alex said as he paced around Dick¡¯s office. Everyone¡¯s eyes were locked on Alex and were following him around the room.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it.¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°What exactly was that?¡± Alex said pointing to the street. A large chunk of the building across the way fell and rolled out onto the street as if to help make his point.

    ¡°Well, it was one of two things. Either she was warning me to back off, she¡¯s never been a fan of the fact that I¡¯m a hero, or she was sending a message to the two of us that we were making too much noise.¡± Obsidian explained.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s the noise thing.¡± Dick piped up from where he sat at his desk.

    ¡°Enlighten me.¡± Alex huffed.

    ¡°There have been a number of news reports about a new hero in Winter Garden. It¡¯s not surprising that they would want to quiet you especially after they did so much work pushing out the heroes.¡± Dick said crossing his arms over his chest.

    Alex walked over and dropped down onto the couch next to Obsidian. He lowered his face into his hands. This city was supposed to be an easy pay day, but it was biting him in the ass. He took a deep breath and threw his head back blowing the air out through his mouth loudly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Obsidian said. She sat with her hands folded in her lap looking down like a scolded child.

    ¡°Nope, none of that. We are going to face this challenge just like anything else.¡± Alex said shaking his head.

    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Obsidian asked with a smile.

    ¡°Absolutely not. I do know that we have to get stronger.¡± Alex said slapping his hands down onto his knees.

    ¡°The two of you need rest. Dinner is on me. I will have it delivered to your apartment.¡± Dick said motioning for them to leave his office.

    Neither Alex nor Obsidian argued. They both stood and left the small office. They climbed the stairs in silence slowly. Alex¡¯s body ached, but he could feel the major damage being repaired by his regeneration ability. By morning he would feel like a million bucks, he hoped.

    As they got more powerful, they would begin to shift their heroic effort to the night when the crime was the worst, but for the time Alex didn¡¯t think that they should push their luck. The criminals walked the streets like they had no reason to hide so, there was enough work for them to do during the day.

    Both Alex and Obsidian sat on the couch staring at the wall. There was an old TV, but it did not work. The room was filled with awkward silence. More than anything Alex wanted the midnight notifications to come though.

    He pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the Vulcan app. The clicked on the Hero Bureau and the searched through the building until he found their apartment.

    -Repair (4000t)

    -Yes | No

    Alex declined the repair prompt and switched to the upgrade menu. He scrolled through the list until he found TVs. There were a few dozen options that encompassed brand, size, and type. His options were limited unless he wanted to drop every thread that he had. He selected a thirty-two inch from a middle range company called Clear River Tech.

    -32in Television

    -Clear River Tech

    -250t

    The arrival of their new TV was signaled with a faint tapping on the window. Alex stood and walked across the room to allow the drone inside. The drone carried a box that it set down in front of the TV stand. It opened the packaging, removed the old TV, and hooked up the new one. The last thing that the drone did before flying out of the window was to hand Alex a remote.

    There was a knock at the door when Alex¡¯s butt hit the cushion.

    ¡°Not it.¡± Obsidian said with a grin.

    Alex rolled his eyes, tossed her the remote, then heaved himself up again to get the door. Waiting in the hall was a pizza guy. He handed over two large pizzas grumpily and walked away without a word.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Good evening to you too!¡± Alex said loudly waving at him.

    The two of them enjoyed their pizza each taking their own box and scarfing down all but a single piece each. Alex noted to himself that he really needed to work on a healthier food intake schedule. So far it was just gorging himself at night, then eating the leftovers in the morning, and skipping all other meals for the day.

    Sitting on the couch moaning from overeating midnight rolled around. It was time to see the spoils for their work as the notifications began to appear on his phone.

    -Its MIDNIGHT!

    -Great Work!

    -You Defeated 23 Villains

    -You Earned a Total of 6800 Experience Points

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 3!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    - Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 4!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You Earned 42 Hero Tier Points

    -You Earned 46 Heroic Points (65) (Congratulations YOU ARE A HERO!)

    -You Earned 1 Villainous Point (1) (Congratulations YOU ARE A HERO!)

    Alex was happy so see the information that he was presented. He was a little unnerved by the extra points that he had received when he had leveled up. Six points instead of two was crazy. He would be able to supercharge his powers.

    He opened his powers window which floated in front of him. He had seven total points to spend on his three abilities. It would take ten before he could unlock an entirely new ability. He already had his eyes set on telekinesis. He found it to be very useful, but there was always scan that was plucking at the back of his mind.

    For the time being he wanted to save back two of his new points. This would make his saved points three total. Then he was going to spend the other four. He immediately dumped one into each power that he had.

    -Super Strength +1 (2)

    -Flight +1 (3)

    -Regeneration +1 (3)

    This left him with one more point that he could spend. His strength still seemed like it was holding its own even being a point behind the other two powers, so he was going to wait on spending anymore points there. Regeneration seemed like the next logical path. Given how much he was taking hits in the field this point would increase his constitution and ultimately his health, plus in would increase the rate at which his power would work allowing him even faster recovery times.

    -Regeneration +1 (4)

    ~~~~~

    -New Power Based Skill has been unlocked!

    -Flash Heal

    -At the cost of 50 energy points all major wounds will heal and Health will be raised to 50% of total health.

    He smiled to himself when he assigned his last point. Four points into a superpower was where things began to get interesting. New abilities were unlocked that can greatly change the tide of battle.

    He was ready to get back out and kick some ass the next day. He felt so much more powerful. His energy score was one hundred and sixty-eight points. All people started with a base one hundred and with each level ten is added, but additionally their passive Will score was factored in giving Alex another twenty percent on top of his base one hundred and forty for his passive Will of twenty.

    -Strength: TP: 27 TA: 36

    -Dexterity: TP: 25 TA: 31

    -Intelligence: TP: 19 TA: 19

    -Wisdom: TP: 15 TA: 15

    -Charisma: TP: 18 TA: 18

    -Constitution: TP: 27 TA: 40

    -Fate: TP: 18 TA: 18

    -Perception: TP: 16 TA: 16

    -Will: TP: 20 TA: 20

    ¡°How is your leveling going?¡± Alex asked watching as Obsidian looked through her own midnight notification. NPCs only had a single ability and unlike a player they don¡¯t get a choice. They are born with their ability. They also received less points compared to players. They get one point every other level whereas players get one every level. Alex felt really bad getting three every level.

    ¡°It¡¯s slow going, but I get a new Skill next level.¡± She said with a smile.

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Alex returned her smile.

    ¡°We get paid tomorrow, don¡¯t we?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I think so. That means we need to make a real push all day.¡± Alex nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that the selection of my power was random. The more that I think about it the more it makes sense.¡± Obsidian said staring blankly at the TV.

    ¡°How so?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Hero in a family of villains. Somehow it¡¯s like the system knew that I was going to need a thick hide.¡± She explained.

    ¡°Dang, that¡¯s deep.¡± Alex said staring at the floor.

    ¡°Oh well.¡± Obsidian said with a shrug, ¡°If you¡¯d vacate my bed, I¡¯d like to get some sleep.¡±

    ¡°There is another bedroom.¡± Alex said pointing to the still unused room.

    ¡°Have you seen in there? I think not.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Alex said putting up his hands. He stood up from the couch and walked into his room. He removed the new armor and neatly arranged it on the dresser. He took the helmet off last looking at it in the eyes for a moment looking at the hero that he was shaping. When he donned the mask, it was like he was becoming an entirely different person.

    He rested the mask on the vest and laid down in his bed. He was anxious to repair and upgrade the place that he was going to call his HQ, but the Hero Bureau was not it. He needed more money. He was determined to make it to tier three the next day, four if he could push it.

    The last thing that he wanted to do before going to sleep was to go ahead and pay a bit on his bill at the sleep center. If he forgot and lost track of the days, it would end up costing him much more in the long run. He opened the account management window.

    #FT&BRSAS3nfjf 595@#%@#%^&^%$GFDDV

    -@E%#@$%*%D0

    -#$%@#$@#$%

    -QRQ#$%#$%^@

    -@#$%@#$%@#$%^&&*

    -@#$^&&**#$%!@$%

    Alex had to do a double take when he opened the window. It should have listed all of his options to manage his account at the sleep center. An option to see how much time he had remaining. As well as other options like logging out, but he saw nothing but corruption.

    He exited the window, waited a few seconds, then he attempted to reopen it. The option for opening that window was gone. He couldn¡¯t find it no matter how hard he looked. Sweat began to build on his brow as he closed the interface and leaned back on his pillow. He had no clue what this could mean, but he was sure that it wasn¡¯t good.

 Chapter 04-04

    Chapter 04-04

    Sleep was what Alex wanted, but sleep is not what he got. There was a part at the back of his mind that felt a little smothered, claustrophobic thinking that his body was locked in the sleeping tube and there was nothing that he could do about it. With the Account management system gone it left only confusion. He didn¡¯t intend on leaving the game any time soon, but the option being gone made his skin crawl.

    When the sun was up, a seemingly beautiful day, Alex snatched his phone up from the bedside table, or rather the stack of random debris that was being used as a bedside table. He opened the messaging app and went to his friend Mad Mind Melana¡¯s conversation.

    Aether: Are you awake?

    Alex sent the message and put his phone down on his chest while he looked at the ceiling. He wasn¡¯t really wanting to panic, but he needed someone to talk to that would understand his concern. If he was the only one effected by whatever was going on, he needed to know. Luckily, he didn¡¯t have to wait long when his phone chimed, and the screen awoke brightly.

    Mad Mind Melana: Yes, I am.

    Aether: Is there any way that we can meet?

    Mad Mind Melana: Um¡­

    Aether: Please, I won¡¯t take much of your time. I just have a few questions.

    Mad Mind Melana: Meet me on the roof of the building you are in. I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.

    Aether: I¡¯ll be there.

    At that Alex closed his phone and threw his legs over the side of his bed. The points that he had allocated in his powers had done a good job fixing his body. Not only did he not have any bruises or wounds, but he felt like he had more energy, and felt more vital. He still had eight skill points that he needed to allocate, but he had time later to get that done.

    Donning his costume, he figured that he should be ready for the day after their meeting. There was a great deal of work that needed to get done. If they were going to reach Tier three, they had to complete a hand full of missions and probably a hand full of randoms as well. A few years had passed since his income and his level were based on the systems within the game, but he felt that he was getting back into the swing of things.

    Walking through the front room he passed Obsidian who was sprawled out on the couch in what seemed like an incredibly uncomfortable position, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. He walked past her and slipped silently out the front door into the hallway.

    If not for his flight ability Alex wasn¡¯t sure if he could have circumvented the debris that blocked the stairs to the roof. He supposed that he could have climbed a fire escape on the outside of the building, but he didn¡¯t have to bother. With a silent thud he landed on the roof and found that his friend was already waiting for him.

    She looked exhausted. She moved like someone, or something had just beaten the shit out of her. Walking softly, she approached the small half wall that encompassed the entire roof and sat down.

    ¡°Mad Mind Malena.¡± Alex said with a nod. He walked over and sat down on the wall next to her. Folding his hands in his lap he tried his best to avoid being awkward.

    ¡°Just call me Malena, Aether.¡± She said with a forced smile that was filled with exhaustion.

    ¡°So,¡± Alex started to say, but he stopped and looked down at his hands in his lap.

    ¡°So.¡± She said simply. She too looked down towards the ground where her feet dangled.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with the account management system?¡± Alex blurted. He was trying to find the words to be calm and gentle with the subject, but it came out as a panicked child.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± She said shaking her head. She sighed and leaned back on her hands. The upper half of her body was leaning over the edge towards a six story drop below.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s everyone?¡± Alex asked with anticipation of the answer flooding through his mind.

    ¡°Seems to be. Everyone that I¡¯ve talked to has lost access to that system. Tons of people nervous about their dues.¡± Melana explained.

    ¡°Damn.¡± Alex said under his breath. He was thoroughly relieved that he was not alone in his issues.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the worst part.¡± She said shaking her head.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°What could be worse than that?¡± Alex asked finally turning his gaze towards her.

    ¡°The admins have lost the admin commands.¡± She said her eyes remained fixed on the ground and completely unfocused.

    ¡°Have you started over as a new character?¡± Alex asked in surprise.

    ¡°No, I got to keep all of my powers and all of my points. I have two hundred and fifty levels and nearly seven hundred power points.¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°So, do you get three power points every level?¡± Alex asked after doing some quick math in his head.

    ¡°Yeah. I have these.¡± She pointed to her glasses, ¡°Broken admin glasses. An artifact from an older version of the game. Patch two, I think. From before the admin powers were built into the character. There is a whole slew of admin artifacts around the world. You just have to know where to look.¡±

    ¡°Alright, why didn¡¯t I know about them? Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?¡± Alex nodded feeling a little relieved to know where the extra points were coming from.

    ¡°One, I tired to ask you to come on a dig where I found the ones that I gave you over a year ago. I think your words were, ¡®I don¡¯t have time for a stupid artifact¡¯ when your replied to me.¡± She said look up at him sharply.

    ¡°I said that?¡± Alex said. He didn¡¯t remember the event, but he knew that in his previous incarnation of NuValla he was an asshole. He had always felt that he was better than everyone else.

    ¡°Sure did.¡± She said simply but went no further.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t really know what to say.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°New day, new life, new problems. Let¡¯s not dwell.¡± She said.

    ¡°So, why do you look like you¡¯ve just been through an epic battle?¡± Alex asked after a few minutes of silence.

    ¡°There is a little unrest in some of the main hub cities that have high player populations. When people started to push the boundaries and realized that we didn¡¯t have our admin abilities they began to push us. Sure, with all of the power we have accumulated as admins we have an edge, but people can be relentless.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°Damn. How long has it been?¡± Alex said softly again.

    ¡°It has been,¡± she checked her phone, ¡°Just over twenty-four hours.¡±

    ¡°so, What¡¯s the plan?¡± Alex asked.

    Melana began to laugh. It started as a chuckle and then became a deep belly laugh. She clenched her side and doubled over.

    ¡°There is no plan. We can¡¯t contact the outside world. Everything outside of this game just vanished. What happens if they pull the plug on the servers? What if they think that all of the players went brain dead?¡± She said wiping away a tear from laughing so hard. Alex didn¡¯t really see what was so funny.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that there is some kind of explanation.¡± Alex said with a shrug.

    ¡°Alright, you find it and you let me know. If I find it, I¡¯ll let you know. Sound like a deal?¡± She asked. She dropped down from the wall, ¡°You know, I haven¡¯t stopped thinking about the corruption that you said that you saw.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve been wondering if the two are linked.¡± Alex said biting his lip.

    ¡°Take care of yourself. Alex.¡± Melana said. She turned to face him and pressed two fingers to her temple. Instantly she blinked out of existence like she had never been there in the first place. Teleportation! Alex thought that he should have taken that instead of flight.

    Standing on the roof he decided for the time being he needed to readjust his outlook on his situation. He had a piece of equipment that gave him a major leg up during the level process. He didn¡¯t need to worry about paying his bill because getting removed from the game might be helpful at that moment. He needed to really start looking at getting a foothold in Winter Garden. This meant, bottom line, he was going to have to figure out and deal with the Cyphon situation.

    He pulled his phone from his pocket. According to his bank account he had over twelve thousand three hundred thread to spend. He opened up the Vulcan app and started to examine the property around the Hero Bureau. He wanted to know how much money he was going to need to get property of their own.

    Most of the buildings, even in their dilapidated state were way outside of his price range, but there were other ways of acquiring property. He just had to make sure that he was careful not to get many if any villainous points in the process. This was where he had to account for who was holding the building and what they were using it for. If he took over a drug den, sure he would get points for taking them off the street, but it would be worthless to him because it would cost a ton of money to convert it from a drug den. Even still, if he used the drug den then he would get villainous points.

    A few blocks away there was a house that was label with a red outline indicating that it was occupied by a rival faction. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could take it because the level indicator was just a bunch of question marks. A few more blocks away he found another building that was highlighted in red. The level on this larger building was ten. He figured that even though he was level four with his bonus Power Points at each level the playing field would be even.

    Alex went back down to the apartment. When he walked through the front door, he made sure to slam it open as Obsidian¡¯s wakeup call.

    Obsidian shot bolt upright.

    ¡°Wakey, wakey.¡± He said with a wide grin. Her hair was plastered to the side of her face in sweat. She glanced around the room in a disconnected gaze.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± she asked smacking her lips.

    ¡°Six in the morning.¡± Alex said turning from where he had retrieved pizza at the dinning room table. He spoke with pizza in his mouth.

    ¡°No!¡± Obsidian whined slamming her head into the couch cushion. She slammed her fists down a couple of times for effect.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t strong enough to fight at night yet, but we are getting there.¡± Alex said sitting down on a chair from the remains of the dining room table. He sat down just a little too sharply for the chair. It crumpled under him and the legs all shot out in different directions. He landed on the ground with grunt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I don¡¯t want to get up at six in the morning!¡± She yelled into the couch. She busted out laughing throwing her head back.

    ¡°Get over it.¡± Alex said with a groan then a chuckle as he climbed up off the ground.

    ¡°Sometimes I wonder about this hero stuff.¡± She said sitting up on the couch and tried to smooth down her hair. Alex tossed her the last slice of her pizza from the night before.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we all.¡± Alex said with a smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s on the agenda for the day?¡± Obsidian asked devouring her pizza.

    ¡°I was thinking property encounter!¡± Alex said clapping his hands together and then rubbing them maniacally.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 04

    Chapter 4

    Trash Diving

    Once we got our bearings we looked around. We were basically in a junkyard that stretched for kilometers. The city didn¡¯t actively advertise this information otherwise heroes and villains wouldn¡¯t come here. Only few people wanted to stare at trash all day. Even from the top level of the city, the junkyard was still easily visible.

    ¡°This poor land,¡± Alara said bending over to scoop up a handful of dirt.

    ¡°I know my Love. This is what parts of my world looked like a long time ago,¡± I said patting her head.

    I let her keep resting and went over to a random pile. I placed my hand on what looked like an engine. It had seen much better days.

    -Twenty-year-old rusted V4 engine.

    -Non-operable.

    -10t

    I nodded, not really surprised. This was very clearly trash. I grabbed a piston and it shatter in my had reduced to dust. I channeled my various abilities on to the engine and got a whole new set of options.

    -Repair: 367 Energy

    -Matter Block (3): 157 Energy

    Matter blocks were basically cubes of matter that were easy to manipulate. It reduced the cost of what I¡¯m trying to create using those rather then say a handful of dirt. But, it was also easier if I used the parts that actually went into the creation. Like circuits into a computer. Right now, it was cheaper and more beneficial to convert it into matter blocks.

    I activated the ability and felt weakness overcome me as all my energy was drained from me. I nearly buckled but stayed on my feet with the thought that Alara was watching me. Over two-thirds of the engine turned into a block and then some of grey blocks. When I carefully picked up the completed matter block, I was surprised as how light it was. I felt a long list of random things that I could create out of just this one matter block.

    ¡°Why would I need to make a toaster?¡± I mumbled.

    I made my way back to Alara. Well it will take a while but we have plenty of resources. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Pulling it out it showed I had earned about fifty experience points. I grinned well this was a nice way to gain levels. I noticed the notifications showing the experience points for creating the guns yesterday as well.

    ¡°Can I borrow some energy?¡± I asked her. I could pull energy from her with my ability.

    ¡°Sure Honey,¡± she said as she jumped into my arms.

    ¡°Careful. I have rust all over my hands,¡± I said holding my hands in the air so I didn¡¯t touch her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care!¡± She shouted rubbing her head in my chest. I released a happy sigh. Once she got her fill she pulled back and I activated my ability to drain some mana from her. ¡°Oh, Reg! So forceful!¡± She gave me a sly grin.

    I laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t tease me,¡± I said.

    With my own recovery rate combined with the borrowed energy of Alara, we managed to gather two dozen of the matter blocks. They sat in a neat pile on the elevator. We were moving the last few from a vehicle when the sound of barking rounded the corner. I tilted my head as it sounded strange.

    I placed the last block on the pile right as two robotic dogs rounded the junk pile. Their eyes were red and they were formed from rusted plates. They still looked quite dangerous. I quickly pulled my revolvers from their holsters. The light of scanners flowed over to Alara and me and scanned us quickly. Then with enraged barking they began approaching us.

    ¡°Oh! Look Reg! Puppies. Can we take them home with us?¡± Alara asked jumping up and down.

    ¡°I think they want to kill us, Love,¡± I said with a chuckle.

    ¡°I know you can do something,¡± Alara said with a mischievous grin.

    ¡°We have to defeat them first,¡± I replied with a sigh.

    Alara moved forward then patted her thigh. ¡°Here puppy,¡± she said then whistled. I don¡¯t think the dogs liked that as they growled and charged.

    Since I had to capture them, I made sure to aim for their legs. With three rapid shots, I managed to take off the front legs of one of them. The other managed to avoid it and charged me. Alara pulled a branch sword from the ground then with a spinning twist, sliced clean through the dogs left legs. I was surprised they were so weak.

    Alara moved over and finished removing her dog¡¯s legs. I did the same with the one that I shot the front legs from. I holstered my guns then bent down to see if there was anything, I could do to take control of the robot. It tried to reach around and bite me but Alara slammed down with her foot and forced its mouth shut.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch my Reg,¡± Alara growled.

    I smiled up to her. ¡°Thanks, my Love.¡±

    Placing my hand on the god¡¯s head I managed to bring up its stats.

    -Junkyard Dog (Robotic version) (Level: 2)

    -Currently damaged (Missing legs, broken jaw)

    -Technology manipulation detected. Use 725 Energy to take control.

    I frowned at the information that came into my head. I didn¡¯t possess enough energy. Even if I pulled from Alara I would still be short since we were still recovering. As I thought through the problem, I felt a pool of energy. I wondered where it was from for a moment before I realized that it was the dog under my hand.

    ¡°Drag the other dog over here. I think I can take control of them,¡± I said pulling the dog¡¯s energy into myself. It took a while as the dog resisted me but I managed to drain all of it. Once I had enough energy, I forced it back in with my ability. The construction of the dog filled my head. When the energy hit the control circuit, I felt the information for its owner switch to me. It was even easier as than when it was ownerless and I didn¡¯t have to fight anything as I pulled energy from it.

    I turned and did the same with the other dog. Ten minutes later both dogs were under our control. It didn¡¯t help because now they whined as they looked at the damage, we did to them then back to us as if asking how we could do something so cruel. I patted their head then Alara and I moved them over to the elevator. The familiar ding from my phone went off but I just ignored it for now. I would check everything at midnight.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Before I turned the elevator on, I used one of the matter blocks and added a control mechanism to it. I set the speed to slow. The elevator rocketed up forcing us to the ground. I could tell it was slower than this morning but was still at a ridiculous level. Again, sparks flew as the elevator braked as we slid into the warehouse, coming to a stop.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to break this damn thing,¡± I growled as I helped Alara off. The dogs whined as I led her to her room. I turned back to them. ¡°Sleep or something. I¡¯ll fix you in the morning.¡±

    <h2>Its Midnight</h2>

    Well at least today was more productive than yesterday. I had a few points to spend on my powers.

    With my stats taken care of I closed my phone. I would need to create or buy something that would let this be more intuitive. A pair of AR glasses would work best. I used them for most of life while on Earth and while on Murgin my time as a dungeon core was much the same. Seeing all the materials, as well as the dogs still laying on the elevator, I decided to get to work.

    I started with the dogs. They were whining and I was sure that once Alara awoke, she would want to play with them. We had all their parts since that would be easier to fix then recreating whole new limbs. Connecting the limbs that Alara sliced clean off was easier than the busted limbs I shot off so I started with that one.

    Placing the limbs on the severed section, the option to repair them appeared. It was going to take around thirty energy per limb. Luckily, I could use their own energy. They had a hundred fifty energy each. I was glad that Alara decided to make them into pets. I channeled their energy into them.

    Sparks from like a welder shot out at the limb fused back to the main body. I held the limb to the joint carefully. It took about three minutes for the limb to be reattached. The dog whined in a mixture of happiness and what left like it telling me to hurry up. I smirked as I grabbed the next limb and started connecting it.

    Twenty minutes later I was finished with the first dog. It shot out a metal tongue and licked me. I momentarily wished for my metal body as I felt a scrape on my cheek. Thankfully, it was a game so it didn¡¯t stay there and quickly faded. I moved over to the other dog who started whining happily.

    This pup would be a bit more difficult. His front legs were scrap metal from me shooting them off. The back legs weren¡¯t much better. I tapped my chin as I considered what to do. Pushing all the pieces into a pile around the dog as well as a matter block, I placed my hand on the dog.

    -Repair: 545 energy (pieces 156:189 [missing pieces] matter block 13:100)

    -Upgrade: Energy 10-9999 (matter block 10:9999)

    Interesting. I played around with it for several minutes before I decided to do a partial repair and upgrade. It would improve the limbs making it much more stable. I used the remaining energy from the first dog, all the energy from the second dog, and part of my own to charge the ability. The matter block, along with all the pieces turned to liquid and flowed onto the dog. It slowly formed into shiny silver new limbs with wicked claws.

    ¡°Pretty.¡± I heard from behind me. Turning, I saw Alara standing watching the limbs forming.

    ¡°Morning Love. The pups are almost fixed. Why don¡¯t you think up some names for them?¡± I said.

    ¡°Alright!¡± She cheered. I smiled with a nod then turned back to focus. This might be a game, but I doubted a slip of concentration would be a good idea.

    An hour later the melding was finally done. I groaned when the sweat started forming on my brow. That was something I never missed from being a human. The dog stood up as it tested its new legs. When it found everything it working order, it shot forward and started licking me like its brother. I planned ahead and had changed its tongue into a rubber material so it didn¡¯t hurt.

    ¡°Thought up some names?¡± I asked Alara who was cuddling with one.

    ¡°Spike and Bandit!¡± She said cheerfully.

    ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ve never liked coming up with names,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Which one is which?¡±

    ¡°Spike is the shiny one with silver legs. Bandit is the rusted one,¡± Alara said patting their heads.

    ¡°Got it. You two will protect her no matter what. Do you understand?¡± I said standing up.

    The sat in front of her on their haunches looking for the world like guard dogs. They both barked as if in confirmation. I nodded to them and they went back to being cuddled by Alara. I shook my head then moved over to the pile of matter blocks. There were still over twenty blocks of matter still sitting in a nice pile. I moved them to a clear section of the warehouse.

    I wanted to create a few more things since that would generate exp for my hero level. I wasn¡¯t too worried about money at the moment. I didn¡¯t need to pay rent since I technically stole the building. I knew that would result in an event every now and then but I just saw it as extra experience points. It would escalate but if I could reach a higher level and started selling stuff, I could go legit. That was for when I felt holding the building was more dangerous than just paying the rent.

    Since the first payout wouldn¡¯t be for a few more days from the system, I needed to sell some stuff in the market and earn a few threads. I was sure I could craft a few things that could get me a few thread. For now, I wouldn¡¯t mind something so I wouldn¡¯t have to use my phone. I reached over and grabbed the remains of one of the matter blocks.

    Thinking about it, I went with a pair of glasses. The fit my image and I was partial to them anyways. I pulled the mask that was in my inventory from when my body was created. It was for people to maintain their secret identity. Finally, I placed my phone on the block. I asked Alara if I could borrow some of her energy and she agreed.

    Looking back to the pile of ¡®ingredients¡¯ I focused my energy. They all turned into a liquid that ran together forming a sphere. When I channeled almost a thousand energy into the creation it finally popped. I reached out quickly to grab the falling pair of glasses. Would have to remember that next time. Looking over the glasses, that appeared just like a normal pair. They had square lens, with a wire frame.

    Quickly wearing them, I checked my image in the mirror. I felt the glasses really completed my image. I had good eyesight when I was alive so never had a reason to wear them. A loading sign in the form of a spinning triangle appeared in the upper right corner.

    -Initializing...

    -Random AI chosen...

    -Activating ¡®Smith¡¯...

    -Activation complete...

    I waited for the process to complete. I learned long ago not to mess with a computer when it is doing its thing. Maybe five minutes later it appeared the process was finished.

    -All processes complete...

    ¡°Hello. Regan.¡± Scrolled across the lens.

    ¡°Hello, Smith. Should I say good morning or happy birthday?¡± I asked to gauge the level of the AI.

    ¡°Both would be quite accurate. This is my seven thousand four hundred and ninety-nine activation. All memory data from pervious activations have been removed from my logs. This also corresponds with me ¡®waking up.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Well good morning and happy birthday then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

    I focused out into the room since the introductions were over and almost whistled. Readouts on all the objects in the room were given. I could tell how much health the steel pillar in the center of the room. I looked over to Alara and saw she actually had more health than I did, but with a bit less energy.

    ¡°Smith. You don¡¯t break the rules of the game do you?¡± I asked curious if he would know.

    ¡°I do not sir. Every item in the game is ran through the main AI before it can manifest in the world. If I was allowed to come into being than it was approved by the main AI.¡±

    ¡°I should probably keep these on the downlow.¡± I saw scanner power as one of the most common taken powers. With a player requiring ten levels before they can get a new power it was an undertaking. Players with dedicated scanner powers are in high demand.

    ¡°That would be wise, sir. Would you like to see my specs?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    -Item

    -Name: AR Glasses (Smith)

    -Defense: 0

    -Durability: infinite

    -Weight: 30 grams

    -Description: Scan +3. Phone. Hud.

    ¡°You also have notifications pending. Would you like to check them?¡±

    ¡°Later. Set all my notifications to come through at midnight unless I am busy,¡± I said feeling satisfied with both the item and the AI. He reminded me a little of Jarvis back home.

    ¡°Confirmed.¡±

    I looked back over to Alara and the dogs who were enjoying laying in the sun.

    ¡°My Love. I plan to take a stroll for a bit, do you mind watching the house?¡± I asked walking over to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. Go enjoy yourself. Please don¡¯t pick up any strays while you¡¯re out,¡± Alara said without opening her eyes.

    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am,¡± I said throwing her a kiss before walking out of the warehouse.

    It was still early morning but the warehouse district was quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop if you listened hard enough. When I chose Autumn¡¯s Reach back in Axiscore, I made sure to memorize the map of the city. Walking in the direction of the market, I whistled to myself with my hands behind my back.

 Super Delivery Chapter 04

    Chapter 04

    ¡°Could this traffic be any slower?¡±, Richard verbalized what we were all thinking.

    We had been in stand still traffic for at least thirty minutes. Which gave us plenty of time to do what anyone does in a new vehicle, push all the buttons. There were so many, and they all did either useful things no one would conceivably put on a vehicle or seemed completely useless.

    There was a button that made the truck and attached trailer into an amphibious vehicle, and one that seemed to do nothing. Whatever, I hit that stupid button like fifteen times.

    After pressing all the buttons, and only moving about two car lengths, I ran and got us some lunch.

    ¡°You should be a food delivery person,¡± David said with a face that implied insult,¡± I can see it now, thirty seconds or less, or the pizza is free.¡±

    ¡°See you¡¯d think so, right?¡± I responded not catching the insult,¡± Turns out that speeds that high cause the food to get cold.¡± I shrugged enjoying my ham sandwich.

    Richard was oddly quiet, he looked like he really wanted to say something. I would have asked, but my sandwich was hogging my attention. I let out a slight chuckle from my thought pun.

    ¡°What would you do while running?¡± Richard asked.

    ¡°Well I would put one foot in front of the other at a fast speed.¡±

    ¡°Not what I meant, and you know it.¡±

    ¡°What did you mean then?¡±

    ¡°If there was traffic like this, and you were running, what would you do?¡±

    Richard¡¯s words got me thinking. If I was running and there was an obstruction, I would either run over it, or around it. I sped myself up. Running out of the truck I looked at my surroundings. This stretch of road was a main road, but even with traffic the fastest way to Earl¡¯s. There were tall buildings on either side of the street basically touching the whole way past the traffic.

    ¡°I have an idea.¡± I said returning to the truck and slowing down.

    ¡°Well?¡± Richard and David said in unison.

    ¡°David lift us up and turn us sideways while pushing us to one side of the street.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡± was his response.

    ¡°Trust me.¡± I said while slipping the headset on. I started to speed the truck up, not with normal running, but the way I do to process information faster. Since David had his helmet on too, he was reacting at my speed.

    The truck started to lift off the ground and rotated ninety degrees. Now the wheels were facing the building on the left side of the street. We moved toward it, and I started running not going anywhere but preparing to. As soon as the wheels touched the building we took off, leaving our spot in the traffic behind.

    We had to hop a few alleyways but stayed on the buildings until the traffic had ended, when David picked us back up and returned us to the proper orientation. He lowered the vehicle slower than I¡¯d have liked, but we still made better time than we would have.

    As soon as the wheels hit the ground we returned to the top speed, bobbing and weaving through the traffic that, to us, was not moving.

    Sparing a millisecond to look at the passengers, David was wrapped in his blue gravitation aura. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t get car sick earlier. He¡¯s in zero gravity. Richard wasn¡¯t wearing his helmet, which was probably for the best. From his perspective we would be sitting in traffic, and then we wouldn¡¯t be.

    Smart, except for the fact he had just taken a bite of food right before we left. I have no idea how that will affect anything, but as a curious person, I couldn¡¯t wait to find out.

    ¡°So, a gravity field?¡± I asked over the comms.

    ¡°Yeah, it helps with the motion sickness. I¡¯m basically just floating here, and the truck is keeping me in place with the seatbelt.¡±

    ¡°Clever.¡± I hesitated before asking,¡± Should we mess with Richard before we slow down?¡±

    ¡°You know he never likes our jokes, and always goes overboard in retaliation.¡±

    ¡°True, but it never stopped us before.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    We devised an elaborate prank for him. It was ingenious. It was foolproof. It was diabolical.

    We pulled into Earl¡¯s, but before slowing us down I executed the plan.

    Coming to a complete stop, Richard just swallowed his food. Darn. I guess because the food was travelling at his speed and not mine, it didn¡¯t really affect him.

    ¡°Thanks for choosing Celerity transit, please exit to the right of the vehicle and remember to always tip the driver.¡± I said, realizing I was here just the other day, and now he won¡¯t even know it¡¯s me.

    Just as we were getting out the backdoor opened, and Earl stepped out with a bunch of empty boxes in his hands. After seeing the truck and us he didn¡¯t even miss a beat.

    ¡°What is this, a reunion tour?¡± Earl said walking past us, ¡°You can¡¯t park there, I got a delivery coming soon.¡±

    ¡°That is exactly why we are here, good sir.¡± Richard told him.

    Earl stopped walking and turned to face us.

    ¡°You, some of the best heroes from a decade ago, are delivering beer and soda?¡±

    We all struck a heroic pose as he started to talk, but by the time he was finished we were feeling embarrassed.

    ¡°Well, we were forced out, so now we have to pay the bills.¡± Orbital Force relayed to him.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Earl continued, ¡°I was told that someone would be here to hammer out the contract.¡±

    ¡°That would be me, Mr.?¡± The Author asked stepping forward.

    ¡°Just Earl. We can talk when I get back from taking out the boxes.¡±

    Before he finished the last word, I had sped off grabbed the boxes in his hands and the trash inside the store and taken them out to the dumpsters.

    ¡°If you need another job Celerity, let me know.¡± Earl joked as he realized what had just happened.

    ¡°Now that that is taken care of, shall we?¡± The Author said motioning to the door.

    David and I watched as the two went into the back door, and most likely went to Earl¡¯s office.

    Watching Richard walk in we both snickered at what we did to him. After a few moments, David started to move towards the back and waved his hand signaling me to follow him.

    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s up¡±? He asked me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± I stated.

    ¡°Why were you so quiet, and why did you take care of his boxes?¡±

    ¡°And trash.¡± I admitted.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well to answer your first question. I have been delivering here for almost six years, and don¡¯t want to reveal who I am.¡±

    ¡°Ok, and why did you help?¡±

    ¡°Earl has a bad knee, he just had surgery on it last week, he shouldn¡¯t even be at work. He had someone quit and no one would cover their shifts. So, he¡¯s here.¡±

    David didn¡¯t say anything else, he just started unloading the order.

    As soon as we were done unloading Earl came out followed by The Author.

    ¡°Well gentlemen, looks like I have Super Delivery now.¡± Earl said a small smile on his face.

    ¡°Glad to have you on board.¡± I said in a deeper voice, trying to hide my real voice.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s get you guys checked in.¡±

    ¡°May I use your restroom Earl?¡± The Author asked.

    ¡°Sure, from the office follow the corner, any of the first three doors on the right.¡±

    As the Author turned around, our masterpiece was revealed. A ¡°kick-me¡± sign.

    Earl gave a slight chuckle, then he started checking off the order.

    After we were done, we just started talking.

    ¡°So how does this work exactly?¡± Earl asked.

    ¡°How does what work?¡± I questioned him.

    ¡°Do you guys all come every time? If not, who unloads? If so, isn¡¯t that a bit much?¡± Earl fired questions, like bullets from a gun almost to fast even for me.

    ¡°Those are all good questions.¡± I forgot to use my deeper voice, as he had me raddled by the questions.

    He gave me a side eye for a few heartbeats.

    ¡°You guys have no clue about it at all, do you?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± I said.

    ¡°Not a clue.¡± Orbital said at almost the exact same time.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys on a time limit or something?¡± Earl inquired.

    ¡°Normally if we had more than one stop, yes.¡± I told him.

    ¡°You guys get what thirty minutes or so?¡±

    ¡°If we had a full route, about that.¡±

    ¡°So why aren¡¯t you guys putting the stuff away?¡±

    ¡°Oh right, Orbital Force here unloads it. I put it away.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna shake up my drinks, are you?¡±

    ¡°Being one hundred percent honest, not sure.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± David started,¡± I am going to keep my zero gravity fields around the stuff while he moves it all.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t carbonation react bad in zero gravity?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Only if you drink it in zero gravity.¡± David responded.

    Shrugging I put everything exactly where it should go in a matter of seconds and returned before Earl could ask his next question.

    ¡°So, do you need help finding where things¡­¡± he trailed off noticing the product was gone.

    ¡°Thanks Earl, but I got it.¡± I told him. It felt good to be able to put my powers to use to get the job done quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna grab a drink before we go.¡± Orbital Force said, walking toward the store.

    ¡°Drivers get a free fountain drink after a delivery.¡± Earl told him.

    There was a tense couple of seconds while we just stood in silence.

    ¡°Glad to see you landed on your feet.¡± Earl said, breaking the awkward silence.

    Not sure what he meant, or how to respond, I stood there frozen.

    ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, Ray.¡± Earl said.

    ¡°What? Who¡¯s Ray?¡± I said in my best ¡°nah¡± voice.

    ¡°C¡¯mon kid, just because you got a mask on, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know you.¡± He started, ¡°Plus you love that ¡°kick-me¡± sign prank.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a classic. And you shouldn¡¯t be up walking around, what would Suzanne say if she saw this?¡± I reprimanded him. ¡°Also, I told you I¡¯m no kid, I¡¯m older than you Earl.¡±

    ¡°Until you stop with the signs, you are a kid.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?!¡± Came an angry yell from the door.

    ¡°Can you keep this secret between us?¡± I asked quickly.

    ¡°Of course, Ray.¡±

    ¡°A freaking ¡°kick-me¡± sign?! What is this eighth grade?¡± The Author yelled red in the face.

    ¡°C¡¯mon ¡®Writer Guy¡¯ it¡¯s just a prank.¡± I retorted.

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®The Author¡¯.¡± He said through clenched teeth.

    Right at that moment, a couple of speeding SUVs pulled in front of and behind the truck blocking it in. I sped Earl inside and ran back out. Six people from each vehicle came out with guns pointed at us, then two more people came out in full battle gear.

    ¡°What is the trouble?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°Trouble? You brought the trouble with you?¡± I said, as Orbital Force came bursting out of the back door ready for a fight.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t any trouble?¡± Prometheus asked.

    ¡°Why would there be?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°You pressed the distress signal fifteen times!¡± Mastermind was yelling by the end. ¡°I had to call in a security team!¡±

 The Left Behind Chapter 03

    Chapter 03

    Vesta sat at the head of the table back down in the ready room. The screens all around the room were tuned to dozens of different channels from around NuValla. She wasn¡¯t really paying attention to any of them. Currently she was watching Spark who was nervously pacing back and forth across the other side of the table.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand! This Girl!¡± He said stopping and turning towards Vesta. He held out his hands in a pleading motion.

    ¡°Yeah, Yeah. A hot girl that you had a date with. You are like a broken record. Dude, seriously did you hear anything that I just explained to you?¡± She said rolling her neck and letting out a loud sigh.

    ¡°What? Oh, about all the being trapped in this world stuff?¡± He asked looking down at his hands, ¡°Sure I heard you.¡±

    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t freak you out?¡± She asked tapping her chin.

    ¡°Oh, well I mean I¡¯m going to freak out I¡¯m sure, but right now I guess it hasn¡¯t really sunk in.¡± He said with a shrug. With that Spark fainted. He fell to the ground but not before hitting his head on the strong table that did not budge an inch.

    Vesta rolled her eyes and stood up. When she walked around the table there was already a small pool of blood around Spark¡¯s head.

    ¡°Dumbass.¡± She said with a scoff. There were two health serums left in her inventory and she could afford more no question after her recent windfall, so she injected him with one and left him to sleep off his shock on the floor.

    Turning to leave she didn¡¯t get very far when she felt her phone starting to vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out to see that she was getting an incoming video call from Finger. With a loud scoff, which the only person around to hear was unconscious, she flicked the phone so that instead of the call being answered on the screen a holographic representation of the annoying little man appeared a few feet in front of where she stood.

    ¡°How can I help you this evening, Finger.¡± Vesta said in a pestered tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m calling for Link. He would like to have a word with you.¡± Finger said tapping his fingers together.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got time.¡± She said looking back at the crumpled heap that was Spark.

    The holographic image of the annoying little man vanished and was replaced with Link¡¯s giant head hovering a few inches above the floor. Link was a dark blue color and his face, besides being very average looking, was lined with brighter blue panels. The lights ran back along the top of his bald head vanishing at the back.

    ¡°Hello Vesta. How has the recent changes to your station affected you?¡± Link asked in a poor attempt at small talk.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. Why did you call?¡± Vesta said rolling her eyes.

    ¡°You mentioned that we still owed you for what happened at the crash site. While I still maintain that I was not aware that the thing was loaded we pay our debts.¡± He said looking sternly at Vesta.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m interested.¡± She said shifting her weight and crossing her arms.

    ¡°I thought that you would be.¡± He said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve come across some information. Lake Summerrest is a city to the east. I think that you should check it out. I think it would be highly beneficial for you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Vesta said with a huff, ¡°Check out some random city.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done my part.¡± He said looking from side to side, ¡°Check out the city. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll call us even.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m up for a mission.¡± She nodded slowly.

    -Mission

    -Lake Summerrest

    -Link has informed you that there is a site that is an interesting location. He has stated that it would be worth checking out.

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    Vesta looked the message over for second but accepted it almost just as quickly. A location was added to her HUD for the city.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent you the location. If I were you, I would be there before anyone else found the place.¡± Link said and quickly blinked out of existence.

    Opening the map, she located the closest rail station to the city. The city was in range of her lower leveled teleport power and it was close enough that she could take Spark with her. As little as she wanted to hang out with him, she also felt that she needed some kind of back up. Besides like Silence said, he was a decent electro-kinetic.

    She walked around the table to where Spark laid still unconscious. Kneeling down beside his head she started to slap his face. Soft at first, but harder and harder until he finally woke up. He sat up bolt upright and looked around.

    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Vesta said laughing at him.

    ¡°My head hurts.¡± He said leaning forward head into his hands.

    ¡°Yeah, you bumped your noggin on the way down.¡± She said still chuckling under her breath.

    ¡°Make sense.¡± He said.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve got a mission. Could be some nice loot. I don¡¯t really know for sure. You¡¯re not my first choice, but I think I could use some back up.¡± She said standing up and looking down at him.

    ¡°Well I guess I¡¯m not going on my date, so what else am I going to do.¡± He said pulling himself off of the ground using the table for balance.

    ¡°Fantastic.¡± She said sarcastically having hoped in the back of her mind that he would have bailed.

    ~//~

    It was a matter of hours on the train blasting across the country side before they made it to Lake Summerrest. They had to pass right through Axiscore and it seemed as always to be slam packed with ten times more people than there should have been. Vesta was happy that for the most part she avoided that hub.

    The station where they disembarked was at a small city by the name of Clean Break. The two of them walked down off the platform into a nearly empty street.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to touch you. Do not read too much into it.¡± She said stopping Spark from looking around. His head moved around in all directions rapidly. It actually seemed like he was on his game and not screwing around for once.

    ¡°Well at least a woman is touching me.¡± He said with a shrug.

    ¡°Thank you so much for making this so much easier.¡± She said rolling her eyes. She reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

    In a bright flash of light and a sound like air rushing through tight space the two of them vanished into the dusk light. Traveling almost instantaneously it felt like they were being pulled around by the back of their eyes. Ten miles away right outside of Lake Summerrest city they reappeared in a pop and new flash of light. She immediately pulled her hand away from Spark.

    ¡°Well that was fun.¡± Spark said.

    ¡°Have you ever teleported before?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°No, why?¡± He asked looking at her questioningly. Before either of them could say another word, he doubled over and wretched onto the ground.

    ¡°There it is.¡± She said with a giggle.

    ¡°Thanks for the heads up.¡± He said clearing his throat.

    Vesta said nothing. She turned towards a sign on the side of the road that said, Welcome to Lake Summerrest.

    The city rose into view riding alongside the shore of a lake. The buildings were small along the outer part of the city but as they approached the lake towards the center, they began to get larger. There number one fact about this city was that no one was living there. There did not seem to be an obvious reason why the buildings were dilapidated and empty.

    ¡°This looks like it¡¯s going to be full of rainbows and sunshine.¡± Spark said clapping his hands together.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t really like it much either.¡± She said shaking her head and walking off towards the city.

    The main strip towards the highest buildings of the city was a deselect empty six lane highway. There were cars abandoned through the streets. There were also¡­ bodies. Everywhere that Vesta and Spark looked they found bodies littering the streets.

    Vesta approached a car that was at one point filled with a small family. The driver¡¯s side door was ajar and the person who had been driving was pulled out onto the road. All that remained was bone with a few traces of flesh that were very old.

    ¡°From the looks of these bones these bodies have been her for over a year.¡± Spark said checking the bones on the other side of the car. The window had been smashed in and it was clear that something had made its way into the vehicle and after it was finished, whatever it was, had made its way out the back window leaving a circular hole. The glass splintered and curled outward.

    ¡°Where did that come from?¡± Vesta asked. She noticed that there were several components missing from the vehicle.

    ¡°What do you think I am,¡± He said but stopped, ¡°Was outside of the game?¡±

    ¡°If I had to guess,¡± Vesta said standing up and walked around to the front of the car, ¡°Frat boy just trying to make it through college.¡±

    He gave a little snort and walked around to join her at the front of the car. Looking around he joined her in leaning against the hood of the weathered hunk of vehicle.

    ¡°I am a medical examiner. I¡¯ve been through eight years of graduate school and I haven¡¯t been a frat boy in several years.¡± He said crossing his arms over his chest.

    ¡°Bullshit.¡± She said flatly.

    ¡°I shit you not.¡± He said with a smile and took a few absentminded steps forward swinging his arms.

    ¡°Why are you such an asshole all the time?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°I was playing a character, and it¡¯s a part of me that I have to suppress at work.¡± He said with a shrug.

    ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re going to stop?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Not in a million years. We¡¯ve left that life behind and taken over this life wholly.¡± He said with a nasty smirk.

    ¡°God, I hate you.¡± Vesta said with a huff. She turned and stalked off towards the tallest buildings.

    Spark followed behind her in toe. They walked down the street keeping to the center of the road for the most part. There were a few hours before dark and Vesta thought that they may only get to scout for a little while. They would go back to the town where they departed the station and come back the next morning.

    A sound caught Vesta¡¯s attention to her left. She stopped and ducked down behind a concrete divider. Spark saw her moved and did exactly the same thing dropping down beside her. They both peaked their eyes over the top of the concrete to try and see what was making the noise.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Spark hissed under his breath.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why don¡¯t you jog over and take a gander?¡± She said pointing at the shadowed entrance to a parking structure.

    Spark didn¡¯t say anything. Instead he just flipped her the middle finger and turned to look into the shadows. There was another sound. It was like metal scratching on the concrete. In a burst of movement someone shot out of the parking garage. He stopped just outside of the shadow in the sunlight and turned from side to side. It was like he was scanning the way that his head moved slowly.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Spark mouthed.

    Though his words came out silently and were nothing more than lip movements the man scanning the road stopped. His face snapped towards where Vesta and Spark where hiding.

    His mouth opened, and he let out a horrible roar of anger. His human voice was overlaid with some kind of metallic, robotic, machine like growling. The man broke into a run towards the two moving unbelievably fast.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Spark demanded. He sprang to his feet. The attacking man lunged over the concrete barrier throwing himself towards Spark. With a backward leap Spark knocked the man down to the ground with his forearm.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but it does not seem friendly!¡± Vesta yelled. She tapped on her visor and the scanning system activated. She scanned the man that was attacking Spark.

    -Minion

    -Nano-Work Zombie Scout

    -Level: 10

    -HP: 200

    -Energy: N/A

    -Nano-Work Zombies have a unique ability that allows them to continually act without the need for energy. They do not quit. They are relentless.

    ¡°Level ten Nano-Work Zombie.¡± Vesta yelled to inform Spark.

    ¡°I figured that it was a zombie.¡± Spark jumped to the side as the zombie tried to bite spark.

    The zombie snapped loudly at Spark¡¯s arm. In retaliation Spark kicked the zombie in the neck. It dropped to his knees. The creature reared his head back and screamed a metallic hiss that burned both Vesta and Spark¡¯s ears. The grabbed their heads and dropped back away from the zombie. Spark threw out his arm and short a thick bolt of energy into the chest of the zombie.

    The sound that he was emitting silenced in an instant as the zombie dropped forward onto his face. Thought they had stopped him, it wasn¡¯t only a sonic attack. There was a stomping down rush of movement coming from the parking structure from which the first one came.

    -You have initiated a City Mission

    -Killing the Nano-Work Zombie Scout has alerted the population of Nano-Work Zombies.

    -Kill 100 Nano-Work Zombies

    -You have automatically accepted this mission.

 Chapter 05-01

    Chapter 05-01

    ¡°So, what is your master plan?¡± Obsidian asked. Her and Alex were strolling down the street. She felt that it was far too early in the morning, but it seemed that complaining did nothing to change Alex¡¯s mind.

    ¡°We have a little money in the bank, so I want to pick up some gadgets. We also have to make it to tier three today. No exceptions. If we can execute this event properly, we will have a piece of property to call our own.¡± Alex explained making chopping motions with his hands to show his seriousness.

    ¡°Alright, gadgets I like the sound of that.¡± Obsidian said with a nod.

    They found themselves back at the Tailor¡¯s guild main building. Buying from the guild was less risky than buying from another shop in Winter¡¯s Garden. With the town ran primarily by villains there was a chance that each purchase could be considered a villainous act.

    Scanning the booths Alex found the vender that he was looking for, equipment. The tall man, very similar looking to the man who had constructed his suit smiled down at Alex when he approached. This man¡¯s appearance differed in that he was wearing an intricate set of goggles that would aid him in crafting small items. As well as his extremely slim angular bone face his suit was well pressed and perfectly kept.

    ¡°Good day sir! I see that you are enjoying a Tailor made set of armor.¡± The man said with a slight bow.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t be happier.¡± Alex said returning a slight respectful nod.

    ¡°Wonderful! How can I help you today?¡± The man asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to look at your equipment.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Of course.¡± The man said handing Alex a tablet that didn¡¯t seem like much more than a pane of glass.

    The moment that the tablet touched his hand Alex¡¯s HUD in his mask lit up with content on the screen. Using only his eyes he was able to scroll through the choices and focusing on an item in the display showed him more detailed information on whatever item he was looking at.

    The number of items available was staggering. The prices on the items as he scrolled through the list were equaling as staggering. Alex noticed an item that he mentally noted.

    -Xander¡¯s Pocket Gateway

    -Used to access a network of teleportation nodes that allow for point to point travel.

    -10 Uses Per Charge.

    -50,000t

    Expensive? Yes, but Alex knew that if he had one of those, or well two being that he had Obsidian, they could move between key locations around the world in the instant and they wouldn¡¯t need to take the teleportation power. At the moment that was a dream for the future, and they had other things that they needed. Going through the list he started to add items to his purchase list.

    -Health Serum I

    -Boosts Health Restoration.

    -Restores Health Equal to 50% of Max health over Thirty seconds.

    -Debuff for continuous use. -10% per use.

    -100t

    ~~

    -Energy Serum I

    -Restores Energy

    -Regain Energy Equal to 80% of Max Energy instantly

    -Debuff for continuous use. -5% per use.

    -100t

    Alex added four of each of the serums to the purchase order. There would be two for each of them and if they needed more than that it would probably be wise for them to retreat.

    -Mini Stealth Recon Drone

    -Used for Mission analysis

    -Can operate for a total of 10 minutes between charges. 4 Hour recharge time.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    -1000t

    Without a scan ability Alex needed to drop the cash on the drone. It was a tool that they could maintain and continue to use so it would most definitely pay for itself in the long run. He had a high-level version of the same drone as an admin that made a fairly decent mechanical pet.

    -Wave Emitting Sonic Function Suppressor

    -Low Level Enemies Lose the ability to function.

    -1 use on each charge. 10 Hour recharge time. Area Effect

    -800t

    Alex clenched his teeth a little as he pressed the commit button on the purchase order. Twenty-six hundred dollars was a lot of money in their current financial state and he wasn¡¯t eager to spend the cash, but at the same time it was in an effort to make more money.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to spend money to make money!¡± Alex said as he removed two of each of the serums that he¡¯d purchased and handed them to Obsidian.

    ¡°Some serums are the gadgets that we needed to get? We could have gotten those without coming all the way down to the Tailor¡¯s guild.¡± She scoffed.

    ¡°I got more than the serums, plus I want to strengthen my relationship with the Tailors at every chance that I get.¡± Alex said. He opened his character window and scrolled to the relationships status. He moved over to the factions tab.

    -Gold Teeth Rats ¨C (Hatred) -256 (Max)

    -Venomous Strikers ¨C (N/A) ¨C N/A (This faction has been disbanded)

    -Major Archana ¨C (Angered) ¨C 100

    -Tailor¡¯s Guild ¨C (Friendly) ¨C 50

    -Cyphon ¨C (Noticed) ¨C 25

    ¡°Did you know that the Strikers have been disbanded?¡± Alex asked closing the status window.

    ¡°Must have happened when their leader¡¯s head was, you know, removed from his body.¡± Obsidian said making a gesture that imitated the removal process.

    ¡°Just so you are aware I simply adore how dark you are.¡± Alex said with a smile.

    ¡°Thanks, I think.¡± She said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Alex said.

    The duo left the Tailor¡¯s Guild building. Having acquired some equipment, it was time to form a plan. The first step took them to a building across the street from the building that the system had indicated was occupied by their rival.

    They walked around to the side of the building into the alleyway. Alex grabbed Obsidian by the waist and the two of them flew up to the roof of the building. The flight was very easy owing to the points that he had allocated in the power. They landed them with a silent thud.

    As they approached the far edge of the gravel covered roof, they caught there first whole glimpse of the property. Alex immediately felt that he may have bitten off a little more than they could chew. He took a deep breath and scratched his forehead.

    Across the street stood a factory. Clearly owned by the Goldys, it was set up to construct electronic components. The cinder block building took up two blocks. Trucks would drop off raw materials on one street and the finished product would exit the other side of the building onto trucks that would take it away. Most of the building consisted of one large rectangular room, but there was a small office/observation room as a second story in the center.

    Alex took the new drone from his pocket. He pressed his thumb to a small pad on the side. Instantly the drone was synced with his phone and in turn it was synced to his mask. Information was already being sent back and displayed before his eyes like the temperature.

    He held the little drone in his palm. A small arm extended from its sides and then a third from it¡¯s rear. Blades began to spin until it began to hover of its own accord. He was ready to begin his mission.

    Alex assigned the building as the target and scouting was the mission. Before their eyes the drone flashed into invisibility. They could, however, still hear its little rotors spinning away. The sound began to drift off and towards the building.

    At the drone¡¯s price tag, it was not one that would feedback direct sight or anything. Instead it would send back the number of enemies on site and tag their general location. After a few moments¡¯ information began to appear on Alex¡¯s HUD in the form of a map of the inside of the building with red dots indicating the position of the enemies.

    Most of the enemies were in the center of the building around a cluster of machines. Alex assumed that these would be goons like the ones that they fought at the docks. They were there to do work. There was a small group collect in the office on the second story. There were also a couple of groups that were wandering around in something that looked like a pattern which to Alex seemed like a loose patrol. Once the drone finished its sweep of the building it returned to Alex.

    -Total Enemies: 47

    As the small drone landed on his outstretched hand Alex was struck with an idea. He removed the case from his inventory that held the weapon, the sonic device that would incapacitate lower level enemies with sound waves and placed it on the ledge.

    Inside the case was the device, a small metallic orb with blue glowing seams, four pairs of ear plugs that would stop the hurtful sound, but allow normal sound to pass into their ears, and a chip with instructions for use. Alex had used one before and knew exactly how it worked.

    There were three triggering options, timer, remote, and proximity. He elected for remote tapping his phone on the device. A window appeared in his HUD that had a function labeled trigger.

    The device itself was very light and to be the most effective would need to be set off from the center of the building. With a little ingenuity and a piece of wire they found on the roof Alex was able to affix the device to the drone, and it was still able to fly. The stealth system would not extend to the sonic device, so he would have to cross his fingers and hope for the best.

    ¡°This is insane.¡± Obsidian said watching Alex work.

    ¡°The best kind of insane.¡± Alex said grinning madly, though with his mask on he realized that she could not see him, ¡°I¡¯m grinning like a mad man.¡±

    The drone flew away for the second time. Alex simply had it repeat its recon flight that it had already completed. The drone began feeding back information to Alex¡¯s HUD. Silently they waited Obsidian completely in the dark on what was happening.

    When the moment came Alex triggered the device. Instantly the red dots in the center of the building began to vanish until a single dot in the center around the machinery was remaining. The office dots were not affected nor were the patrolling dots, but the vast majority were down for the count.

    ¡°Looks like our little bit of insanity took out about twenty-nine baddys.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Obsidian said doing a fist pump.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Alex motioned for the factory and jumping up onto the wall. Obsidian jumped up as well. She wrapped her arm around his waist, and they dropped off the side of the building gliding towards the factory¡¯s side door.

 Chapter 05-02

    Chapter 05-02

    Alex and Obsidian took no steps to be quiet. After activating her ability Alex lifted Obsidian and threw her through the side door of the factory. The door exploded inward like an expanding bubble of metal until the frame couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Alex flew in only moments behind her. She tumbled to a stop bouncing up onto her feet with her fists balled tightly up, ready to fight.

    As expected, the room was full of unconscious goons who had fallen at their machines. They were greeted by the sight of the floor lettered by bodies. One man remained standing working at his machine. He danced with earbuds in his ears and was completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

    A door on the wall on the opposite side of the factory slammed opened and a dozen men filed into the room. As soon as they ran into the large open room, they were affected by the device that was still sounding, hovering somewhere in the center of the room. The each slowed, but unlike their weaker mates they did not faint completely.

    Alex flew up over a machine and dropped down into a group of three of them. He clenched his fist, used a little energy and punched the first in the face. He dropped like a rock and was completely out. Alex didn¡¯t bother using energy for the second and third. Kicking one in the gut and punching the other in the side of his head they were both quickly brought down.

    Obsidian made her way around the machine the long way. She hardened her skin and tackled the first guard with her shoulder. He dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She dropped her body and used the momentum of her run to flip her legs over her head kicked another guard in the face.

    It was far to easy for Alex to duck under the incoming attacks of the next three guards that attempted to hit him. They moved sluggishly and had to think really hard about each of their moves. He dodged four attacks dropping down, then back. He balled his fist and punched the guard to his left in the face.

    Dropping down he swept the feet out from under the guard to his right. The guard fell back, and his head smashed into the ground. Alex rolled to the right to avoid having his face stomped. He reached up and grabbed the guard¡¯s ankle and twisted sharply until the man dropped onto his stomach. Alex kicked his head and rolled him off of him.

    It felt like the fight hadn¡¯t even started yet when he climbed off of the ground. They had taken out eight of the guards which only left four remaining. They were clearly dazed and moved like they were drunk. Alex glanced to Obsidian at his left who nodded that she was ready to go.

    They rushed the guards. Alex reached for his crowbar but decided against it. The weapon simply was not needed and would have just been cruel. With his palm he deflected a fist that, at the man¡¯s full power, probably would have broken his nose. He punched the man in the gut and shouldered his body out of the way.

    Obsidian activated her power and, taking advantage of their weakened state, she ran at the closest guard. She pounded her shoulder into his midsection tackling him back into the second guard that was near her. With a yell of strength, she forced them back quickly building up speed and slammed them both into a steel post that held up the ceiling. Both of the men¡¯s bodies fell limp after impact.

    Alex had to move super-fast as a fist came a hairs width from cross hooking his face. Too much focus was on what Obsidian was doing and he lost control of the situation. He reached up and wrapped his arm around the guard¡¯s arm while he kneed him in the side. With a grunt the man fell to the floor.

    Alex and Obsidian stood for a long moment looking down at the twelve guards. They both breathed heavily. The combat had not been hard, but it still worked up a sweat kicking ass.

    ¡°That was too easy.¡± Obsidian said.

    ¡°We still haven¡¯t faced what¡¯s up there.¡± Alex said pointing to a set of metal stairs that rose up the center of the building to a room built into and extended above the main ceiling.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± She said with a nod.

    She walked over to one of the work benches and picked up a container filled with zip ties. She began to go from guard to guard and zip together their hands and feet. Once she finished with the guards, she moved on to the goons that the sonic device had taken out. While she worked on tying the goons up Obsidian checked them for Needle chips.

    Alex noticed that the goon who had been dancing when they came in was still oblivious to what was happening around him. He operated his machine like it was just any other day. Alex watched him closely with his hands on his hips while Obsidian walked around behind him flipping bodies and essentially hog tying their arms and legs. Alex couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    Deciding enough was enough Alex walked over to the man. He stood two feet away at the side of his machine for a solid minute with nothing, no reaction whatsoever. He waved his hand in front of the goon¡¯s face and finally he looked up still bobbing his head to the electric music that Alex could now hear coming from the earbuds.

    Making a motion like pulling the earbuds out Alex tried to communicate with the man. With his best wordless communications Alex asked the man if he could take out the buds so they could have a word. The goon was not getting it, and finally after three times he pulled the earbuds out. The moment they were free of his ears the goon fainted falling forward and cracking his head on his machine.

    Giggling Obsidian turned the man over tethering his wrists and ankles.

    ¡°You are scary good at that.¡± Alex commented.

    ¡°Like I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ve got some villain points.¡± She said with a creepy wink.

    -Needles 42x

    -Total Value: 5153t

    -Your Share: 4637t

    -Deposit in Personal account?

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    -You¡¯ve completed Property Encounter Phase 1

    -Goons and Guards

    -Defeated 30x Goldy Factory Goons

    -1200xp (40 Each)

    -Defeated 12x Goldy Factory Guards

    -1800xp (150 Each)

    -+30 Hero Points

    -+27 Hero Tier (-70 Until Next Tier)

    ¡°Do you need to use either of your serums?¡± Alex asked looking at the door that lead to the stairway.

    ¡°No sir. I¡¯m locked, loaded and ready to go.¡± Obsidian said shaking her head.

    ¡°I predict that the rest of this fight won¡¯t be as easy.¡± Alex rolled his head on his shoulders to the wonderful sound of his neck popping loudly.

    ¡°Well let¡¯s not be easy either.¡± Obsidian slammed one of her fists into the other.

    ¡°Sometimes I wonder why I didn¡¯t go with the flower child?¡± Alex said jokingly which earned him a scoff and an eye roll.

    They approached the door to the stairs. There was a magnetic locking system that required a keycard, but it with a simple flex Alex was able to destroy the locks. He cautiously opened the door. There was nothing inside waiting for them but the stairs that led upward.

    The duo moved slowly up the incline. They tried their hardest to be as quiet as humanly possible as they moved. At the top of the stairs there was a small four-foot landing that had two wooden doors. Each door had a foot squared window at eye level. Well, eye level for Alex. Obsidian had to stand on the tips of her toes in order to see into the room.

    The room inside was bathed in a red glow. Not a bright red, but a rust like color. There were six men in the room, but Alex instantly could see why the sixth man was not listed in the drone¡¯s report. He was chained to a chair. They could both see from the window that there was blood running down his nose and coming out of his ears. His head waved around bobbing back and forth like he was having trouble staying conscious. He had been the recipient of some beating.

    For a moment Alex thought that it was the sonic device but checking the icon on his HUD he saw that the device had run out of power and was offline. As expensive as both that device and the drone were, he had to remember to collect them when everything was all said and done.

    The five threats were some Goldys like they had not seen before. Four of them were dressed like the well-dressed man that they had taken down at the docks. They had suit pants and were wearing nice button-down shirts with suspenders. The major difference was the pounds and pounds of muscles that these strong arms had over the well-dressed man.

    The last man was standing with his back to the prisoner. He was wearing a very fine suit that had a very slight dark red tint to it. He held his left hand out and hovering over it flipping end over end was a silver coin. Alex noticed that with every fifth flip or so the coin would catch fire.

    Alex assumed that the strong arms were not going to be much harder than the thugs they had faced the day before and there were only four of them. The coin-man however worried him.

    ¡°Keep your serums ready. If you want to back down from this fight, I will not hold it against you.¡± Alex said in a quiet whisper.

    ¡°And let you have all the fun, pft, I think not.¡± Obsidian rolled her eyes. She did, however, pull out the four injectors and equip them in an elastic belt around her thigh so they would be easy to grab in a pinch.

 Chapter 05-03

    Chapter 05-03

    The door burst inward as Alex and Obsidian rushed into the room. The Coin-man, surprised but not caught off guard turned sharply in a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree rotation and threw out his arms. A blast of invisible energy issued from his outstretched hands but was not aimed that the duo. Instead it slammed the door shut with a loud crash.

    The man followed this move up by throwing a had full of coins in the air. With a sweeping motion of his arm the coins shot across the room and wedged themselves into the seams of the two doors. They began to melt, and the liquid metal ran down forming a pseudo lock on the double doors trapping everyone in the room together.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± The Coin-man said. He paused and looked deeply at both Alex and Obsidian. There was a blue flash around the edge of the Coin-man¡¯s eyes. Alex assumed that this was to scan them, ¡°Aether and Obsidian.¡± He said confirming Alex¡¯s suspicions.

    ¡°Fancy meeting another bridger. I was wondering when I would get some competition.¡± Alex said. He clenched his fists. Player or not this man was at least working with the Goldys if not more.

    ¡°Bridger?¡± The Coin-man said with a cold laugh, ¡°I¡¯m no bridger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± Alex said forcefully.

    ¡°The powers that dictate what is possible have shifted. But alas I am not her for a philosophical debate with you.¡± The Coin-man took a calculated step forward.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Alex asked. He took a few steps to his right to put himself in between the Coin-man and the man who was chained up in the chair.

    ¡°I am Kymos.¡± The Coin-man said with pride.

    ¡°Well, Kymos what you are doing here is wrong. We are going to stop you.¡± Alex said glancing for a split-second back at the man in the chair.

    ¡°Who are you to judge right from wrong?¡± Kymos said with an amused chuckle.

    ¡°I am a hero!¡± Alex said firmly planting his foot a step forward to drive his point. Kymos began laughing loudly.

    ¡°You are a joke.¡± He said between laughs, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have noticed but heroes are not welcome in my city.¡±

    Kymos turned and stepped away from Alex and Obsidian. With two fingers he motioned towards them. The strong arms moved in from the side where they had been silently observing the interaction each and every one of them ready to jump into the fight.

    Instinctively Alex moved to keep himself between the man in the chair and the incoming enemies. From the state of the man¡¯s face they had already given him quiet the beating. As far as Alex was concerned, they would not lay another hand on the man in the chair.

    A moment of doubt entered his mind about how he had spent his Power Points. If he would have spent more in his Super-Strength then he would have an offensive skill, but the Flash Heal Skill was likely going to come in handy. He pushed the doubt out of his mind and clenched his fists. Glancing over he saw that Obsidian was ready for combat.

    ¡°Divide and conquer.¡± Alex said nodding towards the four men who were each making various shows of force like cracking their knuckles as they moved in.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Obsidian said tensing up sharply.

    Alex went for the two men to his right while Obsidian rocketed out towards the two men on their left. Alex focused energy into his Super-Strength power and began to throw a punch. The quick jab at the closest of the two men landed soundly in the strong-arm¡¯s chest. He let out a breath, but he stood his ground. With a nasty grin the strong-arm grabbed Alex¡¯s arm and twisted sharply.

    Alex moved with the twist until they were at an awkward angle and he slammed his foot down onto the man¡¯s foot. The attack did little damage, but the suddenness of it broke the strong arm¡¯s concentration enough for Alex to get free of his grip.

    In a sharp twisting motion Alex threw himself over the strong-arm and wrapped his arm around his opponent¡¯s neck. He pulled the strong-arm down into a bent over position while he used his body to leap up and kicked the second strong-arm in the head. The recipient took the full brunt of the attack to the side of his face and stumbled for a moment. Unfortunately, he was still able to maintain his footing.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Shifting his weight Alex was able to slam the head locked strong-arm face down into the ground. Rolling off to the side Alex looked over at the man in amazement as he moaned and started to push himself up off of the ground. With a half spin Alex kicked the strong-arm in the head. His attention divided he was far too focused on the strong-arm that he had just taken down. Stars filled his vision as he took a solid blow to the back of his head.

    Alex lost his balance. He fell face first over the unconscious strong-arm on the floor. When he landed on the floor, he immediately turned over so that he did not have his back to the attacker. With his vision still blurry and doubled he still clearly saw the boot heading for his face. There wasn¡¯t enough time for him to roll out of the way, so he threw up his arm and caught the foot. With an influx of energy in his motion he threw the strong-arm back away from him.

    The strong-arm hit the ground with a sickening snap as his arm broke. Alex scrambled to his feet as the strong-arm yelled in pain. He paced for a minute looking down at the two defeated men reaching up to touch the back of his own head. A spot of blood had formed where his head had hit the ground and it was very sore to the touch.

    The strong-arm with a broken arm attempted to get up off of the ground. He leaned on the wall for support as he started to make his way towards Alex.

    Fists held high Alex punched the man in the face. The strong-arm was in too much pain to make a calculated dodge and ended up moving straight into the line of the attack. He remained on his feet and attempted an attack of his own. Alex grabbed the strong-arm¡¯s arm and kneed him sharply in the gut. With a final punch Alex struck his attacker in the eye. The man stumbled back and hit the wall. He slid down and landed in a heap on the ground falling into unconsciousness.

    Alex took a moment to breathe looking around to find his sidekick. He was not happy with the scene that he found. There was one strong-arm on the ground crumpled up against the wall. It looked to Alex as if she had used her commonly used tackle that she frequented. Obsidian was on the ground on her back with her arms up protecting her face. The other strong-arm was on top of her pinning her down with his legs. He was repeatedly attacking her with strong punches as she had done to her own sister. Comparing the two scenes in his mind Alex could see the difference between the attack that was currently happening versus the sibling squabble that he had seen.

    Alex let out a loud yell like a madman as he took off in a run across the room towards the fight. He rammed his shoulder into the man knocking him off of Obsidian. He hadn¡¯t been quick enough. With the attacker gone Alex could see that she was not moving. She was breathing, but that was it nothing more.

    Alex took a deep breath and stood up from Obsidian¡¯s body. He grabbed the collar of the man¡¯s shirt and pulled him up from the ground. The strong-arm gained his footing and lifted his fists into a defensive stance. Alex reared his head back and as hard as he could he smashed his forehead into the strong-arm¡¯s.

    He straightened the man back up. Alex looked him up and down rage from what he had done to Obsidian flowing through his body. He threw a sharp right hook across the man¡¯s face sending him spinning on the spot. The strong-arm grabbed the wall in order to remain on his feet.

    The strong-arm attempted to turn back around, but the moment he was facing Alex a foot stomped down onto his chest. Alex caught himself on the wall as the strong-arm started to slide down to the floor. When it became clear that he was going to get up again Alex grabbed his head and slammed his knee into his face.

    The strong-arm was finally done for.

    Alex ran across the room ignoring everything but Obsidian. He dropped down beside her and touched her head. She had not made to move, but she was breathing and very clearly alive. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his health serums. The red liquid vanished in an instant hiss when he repressed the device to the side of her neck and pressed the button.

    Carefully Alex pulled her to the side laying her on the ground behind the man tied to the chair. He removed one of the energy serums from his pocket and injected the yellow liquid into his side. He could feel the resurgence of energy in his body. He wasn¡¯t full, but it was something. His will would regenerate the energy over time, but without food and sleep it would take much longer.

    ¡°Are you done cleaning up your friend?¡± Kymos asked. He had been standing at a bank of computers but was turning to look at Alex now that he stood tall.

    ¡°You will pay for what you¡¯ve done here.¡± Alex said with renewed strength. If anything, Alex was loyal, and he had become close with Obsidian. He would not stand idly by while one of his friends was hurt.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know. You have no idea what you are fighting for.¡± Kymos said shaking his head. He scratched his forehead absently while looking up at Alex.

    ¡°I fight for the people of this city. I fight for the people of this world.¡± Alex said instinctively.

    ¡°The people,¡± Kymos said with a small chuckle, ¡°If that is what you fight for than you will die.¡±

    ¡°If my death will protect the innocent then so be it.¡± Alex said clenching his fists.

    ¡°Innocent. You¡¯re clueless.¡± He said beginning to pace while he shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t you see? Don¡¯t you get it? Can¡¯t you smell it?¡±

    ¡°What are you monologuing about?¡± Alex asked sarcastically.

    ¡°There is change in the air. The world, something is different. I feel in my bones that this new world will help those who help themselves.¡± Kymos said clenching his fists dramatically.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Alex asked curiously. There was a change in the world, a big one, that affected the people who weren¡¯t from the world, trapping them there.

    ¡°I wish that I could say that you shall see, but you die here and now.¡± He said.

    Kymos held up his hand opening his fist. Four, one-inch diameter coins rose into the air and shot like bullets at Alex. It would not have been so bad, but these coins were on fire.

 Chapter 05-04

    Chapter 05-04

    Alex stood toe to toe with the most powerful super that he had faced since coming back to My Supers Online. Not only that but this Super broke the predefined rules of the game. As fast as he could he lunged to his left to avoid the incoming shards of molten metal aimed at his head. They whizzed past him and smashed into the wall, their liquid form sliding down for a moment before the solidified. There was an audible hiss as the metal cooled against the cold wall.

    The grin plastered on Kymos¡¯s face never wavered and turned Alex¡¯s stomach. He clenched his fist while focusing energy into his punch he aimed for the man¡¯s face. That was not what he hit. Instead his fist crunched loudly as he punched a solid invisible wall.

    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Alex yelled sharply withdrawing his hand in pain.

    ¡°Care to try that again?¡± Kymos asked callously.

    ¡°I¡¯m only getting started.¡± Alex said drawing his crowbar from where he kept it on his back.

    At the moment Alex¡¯s biggest weakness was his lack of information. He knew that a telekinetic shield, even if he was only activating it at the moment of attack, would take a great deal of his energy. But there was no way that he could know what Kymos¡¯s level was. With that he could make a best guess as to how long the shield could stay active.

    Kymos reached into his pocket and removed another handful of coins. When he opened his palm another six rose from his hand flipping end over end in the air. He closed his fist sharply cause the coins to suddenly stop before they began to rotate like tiny saw blades.

    With a motion like throwing something at Alex the coins shot across the room. They were much more spread out than the first set he¡¯d shot, and Alex didn¡¯t know which way to dive. His indecisiveness caused him valuable moments so when he did make his move, he didn¡¯t avoid them all. Two of the coin buried themselves deep in the flesh of his arm.

    Alex yelled in pain dropping back a few steps. He took a few deep breaths before yelling a war cry and running across the room. His crowbar smashed down onto the shield that the man hid behind. Time and time again Alex smashed the weapon down on the barrier causing a ripple of energy to pulsate out from the impact point.

    Kymos waved his hand sending a blast of telekinetic energy crashing into Alex. He flew backwards from where he was attacking and flipped over end. There was a sharp pain in his arm when he hit the floor and rolled into the legs of the chair where the man was tied up.

    Alex¡¯s head was killing him. He coughed loudly as he pushed himself up onto all fours. His health had fallen to half and it wouldn¡¯t be much before it fell even more. Groaning he stood wrapping his arm around his abdomen where he had taken the blunt of the telekinetic blast.

    ¡°I would offer you the opportunity to walk away, but I get the feeling that you are dumb enough to keep fighting.¡± Kymos said with a sharp condescending tone.

    ¡°Tell me something.¡± Alex said even through it was agony to speak, ¡°Why here? Why are you working for the Goldys? A man like you,¡± Alex took a few steps towards his crowbar which had landed a few feet away, ¡°seems like you should be running your own organization.¡± He knelt with a loud grunt and picked up his weapon. Alex noticed a glint of glowing blue from the pocket of one of the strong arms.

    ¡°The Goldys are in need of new management. I am simply taking advantage of a fortuitous opportunity.¡± Kymos said with a sick grin.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re telling me is,¡± He said acting like he was stumbling, ¡°You¡¯re lazy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you where you stand.¡± Kymos flared his arm sending a fresh wave of telekinetic energy. Alex rolled into the blast. He took a little damage, about a quarter of what he had left to spare, but he didn¡¯t take the full brunt of the attack. It sent him tumbling right over top of the strong arm so that he could take hold of whatever was sticking out of his pocket.

    -Item

    -Tier 2 Power Serum

    -Unlock An ability in Chosen Power Set

    Alex smiled to himself as he feigned that he was struggling. He pressed the injector to his side and pushed the button. A loud cough and groan covered the hiss of the injection. A prompt appeared in his mask.

    Super Strength | Flight | Regeneration

    He wasted no time selecting super strength.

    -New Skill has been Unlocked!

    -Seismic Punch

    -At a Cost of 100 Energy deliver an Earth-Shaking punch!

    Alex smiled, but there was a small problem. There was only fifty-five energy points available for him to use. If he used the second energy serum, he would only get seventy five percent return instead of eighty like the first time that he used it.

    ¡°Little bit of a temper on you, huh?¡± Alex asked. He needed to keep Kymos talking so that he could regain a few more points naturally.

    ¡°You surprise me. As weak as you are, I am very surprised that you are still on your feet.¡± Kymos said with a grin.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Alex said flashing a grin of his own, ¡°I¡¯m full of surprises.¡±

    As slyly as he could without making any sudden movements Alex injected the second Energy Serum that he had. There was an instant infusion of power through his body. His points read ninety-seven points. He still needed two more to use his new ability.

    ¡°You know, I could use a man like you. Your power would not go unrecognized if you joined my budding organization.¡± Kymos said as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

    ¡°You¡¯re looking to expand?¡± Alex asked in a tone that made it seem like he was actually considering the offer. His Energy had risen to ninety-nine points. It was so close that he felt a buzz in the back of his head. Just a few more moments and he could make his move.

    ¡°I can always use a good lieutenant.¡± He said clenching his fist dramatically.

    ¡°I think that we should talk terms.¡± Alex said. He slowly took considered steps towards Kymos.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You bow to my whims and I will not kill you and your sidekick. I think those should be agreeable terms.¡± Kymos said nodding to himself.

    ¡°You make some good points.¡± Alex said with a nod. Somehow Kymos had not noticed that Alex had moved within arm¡¯s reach, ¡°I have one counter proposal.¡±

    With a smirk Alex activated his Seismic Punch. His one hundred points of energy were drained in an instant. He clenched his fist, blue streaks of light streamers radiated from his fist as it flashed through the air. The punch hit the still active barrier of telekinetic energy shattering it into shards that dissipated before they hit the ground. His fist didn¡¯t stop there, instead it smashed into Kymos¡¯s face with a resounding crunch. The man¡¯s body rocketed backward through a wall and tumbled dozens of times until smashing into another wall.

    ¡°Even if I became a villain I wouldn¡¯t work for your sorry ass.¡± Alex huffed.

    -Villainous Tactics

    -+2 Villainous Points for deception.

    ¡°Totally worth it.¡± Alex said with a smile.

    Kymos was not down for the count, however, as he started to push himself up from the ground. Alex rolled his eyes and walked across the room, through the wall, and grabbed the back of his enemy¡¯s neck. He was out of energy, but his passive strength still remained.

    ¡°That was a nice tactic.¡± Kymos said with a moan as Alex slammed him against the wall.

    Alex was done with the banter. He reached his fist back and punched the man across the face. Kymos laughed spitting blood onto the wall. Alex drew his fist back for another blow. As he moved to strike his fist stopped in midair. It wasn¡¯t like the barrier. This was like an invisible hand had grabbed his fist.

    Pushing as hard as he could he switched up his tactic and brought his knee up into Kymos¡¯s groin. His breath was knocked out and he double over in pain. Alex took the opportunity to pull out his crowbar and smash it across Kymos¡¯s face.

    The maroon clad man dropped to his knee. He turned his head up to look up at Alex. Alex grabbed Kymos¡¯s head in both hands with a sharp motion he slammed the man¡¯s head into his knee. Finally, the man dropped to one side then slid onto the ground.

    -You¡¯ve completed a Villain Encounter!

    -Property Encounter Phase 2

    -Boss and Arms

    -Defeated 4 Goldy Strong Arms

    -1000xp (250 Each)

    -Defeated Goldy Boss Man ¡°Kymos¡±

    -1000xp (1000 Each)

    -+30 Hero Points

    -+40 Hero Tier (-30 Until Next Tier)

    -+10 Villainous Points

    -+10 Villain Tier Points (-60 Until Next Tier)

    ~~~

    -You¡¯ve completed a Property Encounter!

    -Congratulations You¡¯ve acquired Property

    -Congratulations You have removed Assets from Villainous Hands

    -You have an Electronic Component Factory.

    -167 Winter¡¯s Work Road.

    -Property Value: 369,000t

    -Do you assume Responsibility for this property?

    -Yes | No

    Without a second thought Alex accepted the prompt. He was a property owner. Everything was going according to plan.

    -You¡¯ve taken property from Villainous hands.

    -1500xp

    -+10 Hero Points

    -+10 Hero Tier Points (-20 to next Tier)

    Obsidian finally started to stir where she lay behind the man chained to the chair. She sat up and looked around at the bodies in the room like a kid that was waking up at a slumber party. She smacked her lips and looked up at Alex.

    ¡°Nice of you to join us.¡± Alex said sarcastically.

    ¡°Did I miss something?¡± She asked stretching. She stood up from the ground and walked over to one of the strong-arms. Playfully she slapped the side of his face before she turned him over and zip tied his hands and ankles together. She searched his person for anything of interest.

    Alex turned his attention to the man in the chair. The chains fell away easily when he took hold of the links and pulled sharply. He pulled the gag out of the man¡¯s mouth.

    -You Rescued an innocent Man

    -1500xp

    -+10 Hero Points

    -+10 Hero Tier Points (-10 to next Tier)

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± The man said.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Alex asked crossing his arms.

    ¡°My name is Calson, but after all that, you can call me Cal.¡± The man said looking around the room. He rubbed his wrists where the chains had been pulled tight.

    ¡°Alright Cal. What¡¯s going on here?¡± Alex asked with a nod of understanding.

    ¡°Bastards were trying to cheat.¡± Cal said in disgust.

    ¡°Really?¡± Alex asked.

    Obsidian continued to tie up the remaining strong-arms around the room. She didn¡¯t hesitate to kick the one who had pinned her down in the face as she turned him over. Alex swore her heard her murmur ¡®oops¡¯ as she did so.

    ¡°Yeah, a factory like this, you have to have a foreman to really turn a profit. They forced me to do the work and in true villain fashion they didn¡¯t pay me and kept me tied up.¡± He explained.

    ¡°What are your plans now?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Well I guess I¡¯m going to need to find work. What are you going to do with the factory?¡± Cal asked.

    -Economy Mission

    -You own a factory. You have an opportunity to run this factory. Calson is offering his service to operate the factory for a portion of the profits.

    -Will you allow Calson to operate the factory or will you attempt to operate the factory on your own.

    -Calson will take 25% of the factories operating profit.

    -Calson has abilities that allow for more efficient operation.

    -Calson has contacts that will allow for a higher caliber workforce.

    -Calson has 10 years¡¯ experience in electronic component production.

    -Yes | No

    Alex pondered the decision for a moment. These benefits were things that would take years for him to cultivate if he wanted to divide his attention to do so, but a quarter of the profits would just be gone. He finally conceded to himself that seventy five percent of something was better than one hundred percent of nothing. He accepted the prompt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know you from Adam, but why don¡¯t we try this thing out?¡± Alex said reaching out his hand. Cal reached out and shook his hand sternly.

    -You¡¯ve chosen to Accept Calson¡¯s help with your new factory.

    -Please set the percentage of the profits that you will reinvest into the company and the percentage that you would like to keep for your personal funds. (Please Note: If the factory¡¯s funds go below the operating capital your personal account will be used to make up the difference. Please Note: If your company goes into bankruptcy and you do not recover within a week¡¯s time you will lose your property.

    -Please Note: Your company is subject to taxes and regulations enacted by your region and city.

    Alex looked at the notification for a moment. Having extra passive income was always a good thing. Playing with the slider he noticed two things. First, the slider couldn¡¯t go above seventy-five percent. He assumed that this was to account for Cal¡¯s share. If he went that high that would mean that all remaining profits would go to his account. The second thing he noticed that was the slider couldn¡¯t go below ten percent, so he had to take something. Choosing to invest in his company in hopes that he could grow it he left the slider at its lowest point. He would only take ten percent for the time.

    -Notice: There has been an event at a location that you¡¯ve set as your home.

    -Notice: A major event with a contact has occurred.

    -Notice: A major event with a Villain under your supervision has occurred.

    ¡°Cal, you good here? We are needed elsewhere.¡± Alex said after reading the notifications.

    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m going to try and move the stock before midnight so that I can hire some new employees in the morning and get the machines back up and running.¡± Cal said with a confident nod.

    ¡°Sounds good to me. Let me know if there is anything you need or anything I need to do.¡± Alex instructed.

    With a nod of understanding Cal turned to the control panels and sat down to get to work. Sure, working with the man was a gamble, but Alex felt confident that at the very least he would have some loyalty from the rescue.

    Obsidian turned over everything that she had found on the strong-arms and Kymos.

    -Needles 5x

    -Total Value: 3632t

    -Your Share: 3268t

    -Deposit in Personal Account!

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    -Item

    -Odd Coin 30x

    ~~~

    -Item

    -Tier 2 Power Serum 6x

    -Unlock An ability in Chosen Power Set

    Alex and Obsidian left the building to check out the notifications. There was only one place that the messages could have been indicating.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 05

    Walk of information

    Walking through the market was an interesting experience. I couldn¡¯t tell the difference from the NPCs and players, other than their clothing of course. The number of players probably didn¡¯t exceed ten at least in the market of Autumn Reach. I was sure there were a few more out and about doing heroic or dastardly deeds.

    ¡°Hey man! Want some accelerators?¡± a voice called from a nearby alley. Looking over I saw what was almost a classic example of a drug dealer. Trench coat and everything.

    ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks,¡± I said and kept walking.

    ¡°Your loss,¡± the man said taking a puff of something that I was sure was not a cigarette.

    It wasn¡¯t long before I found a line of shops that had various signs showing different types of weapons and armor. I ducked into the first one on the street just to get an idea. Lines of medieval swords met my gaze as I looked around the store. I knew my swords thanks to my time in Murgin. Walking over to the nearest wall, I picked up a sword at random. Smith analyzed it instantly for me.

    -Item

    -Name: Cheap Iron Sword

    -Attack:10 Defense:1

    -Durability: 100/100

    -Description: Made by a crafter trying to earn a quick stitch. Will likely break if it hits something more than once.

    Repair/Upgrade: 1200 Energy

    Price: 100t

    I laughed at the half a dozen defects I found with it but kept my thoughts to myself. The last thing I needed was to piss off some shop keeper. I did consider buying it when I saw the upgrade option. It wasn¡¯t too much and if I could get a good weapon out of the deal, I could resell it for a profit.

    I was about to take it to the counter when Smith brought up my current Funds. I only had a few hundred thread. I laughed and thanked Smith as I replaced the sword on the wall. Waving to the shop keep, I made way back outside.

    I explored the market for a good hour, popping into shops to get an idea of the situation. Smith was a god send. His scan feature allowed him to spot all kinds of hidden treasures, as well as junk. Lots and lots of junk. I was starting to find that this city was where a lot of crafters came to get a start. The resources down in the junkyard might be rusted and unusable as is, but there were plenty of places that¡¯d I¡¯d found that were able to convert them for a small fee.

    There were a few shops selling firearms. Much less than I expected though. When I asked one of the shops, they told me that the player had to have knowledge of it back in on Earth to build them and weapons were strongly controlled. I considered that for a while, but just shrugged. I doubted I would be able to get there anytime soon.

    ¡°Still. Why did you choose that name?¡± the shopkeeper asked while I fiddled with one of the rifles.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I said caught off guard.

    ¡°Actually, how did you manage to use that name? I thought it was banned,¡± the keeper continued rubbing his chin.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my name?¡± I demanded.

    ¡°Ah! You¡¯re a Citizen. Forget that.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You¡¯ve made me curious. Surely, it won¡¯t hurt to tell me, so I¡¯ll know for the future,¡± I pushed.

    The shopkeeper considered for a while then nodded. ¡°We Bridgers had a rough patch a couple decades ago. A man with your name almost wiped us out. Us Bridgers learn about him in history class at school. I would be careful around other Bridgers they might try to take out some anger on you. The world is still recovering from it,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Oh, thanks for the heads-up. Yeah, I don¡¯t want to be mistaken for that guy,¡± I said rubbing the back of my head.

    He nodded then looked at my hands. ¡°Well? You buyin?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, just window shopping today, but I promise to come back in return for the story,¡± I said with a thumbs up.

    I left the market shortly after that. I¡¯d learned quite a bit today and wasn¡¯t sure how to take that last thing I learned. A lot had happened since I last left Earth and never thought I would find my way back there.

    ¡°Smith. Can you access the servers outside?¡±

    ¡°Negative. Only High-Ranking AI have that authority.¡±

    ¡°Could you pass a message to a High-Ranking AI for me?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    Attempting connection with High-Ranking AI, Quirk, from NPC-Player Hybrid, Regan...

    Connection established...

    Permission granted...

    High-Ranking AI, Quirk, attempting communication with Home server¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Connection failed...

    Receiving message from God Tier AI. Message addressed to Game-Player Object classified as Regan. Relaying message...

    ¡°Hey! Regan! I¡¯ve been watching you since you created your own universe. Many of the Gods wanted to tap into the massive energy source you are, but Creation sealed us off. Still I found it interesting to watch you, and low and behold. You lead me to a universe that needed a God, full of souls and everything. I already got approval from Creation, so don¡¯t think he can help you. Knowing you, you¡¯ll figure a way out soon enough. Don¡¯t worry about your core or anything. Time travels differently between universe. You can return back to the moment you left. Dounic.¡±

    End of Message...

    Connection terminated...

    ¡°Just lovely,¡± I said with a few choice curse words following after.

    ¡°Would you like me to attempt another route?¡±

    ¡°No. It''s fine,¡± I said with a sigh.

    Night was falling when I made it back to the warehouse. I knew Alara could take care of herself, but I still didn¡¯t like leaving her alone in this apparently completely real world. There hadn¡¯t been any panic back at the market so the players must not be that bothered by the change yet. My bet was they thought it was a system error and the technicians were trying to fix the ¡®bug¡¯ that was keeping them from logging out.

    Earth was probably in a panic though. Couple hundred thousand people turned into corpses after entering a game. If souls worked that way. Maybe they were just copied. That was a question that likely will never be answered.

    Light was spilling out of the warehouse as I approached it. I was curious what Alara had managed to get herself into. Walking through the rusted gate, I noticed that all the light was actually spilling from the top part of the warehouse. I thought it was just an attic, but judging from the lights, I appeared to be wrong.

    Bandit and Spike ran out to greet me. I smiled thinking they acted like real dogs. They bounced up and down and I patted both on the head. As if their mission was complete, they immediately charged back inside. I followed along.

    ¡°Alara. My Love. I¡¯m back!¡± I called once I was inside.

    ¡°Reg! Come see!¡± Alara called from a platform that descended from the ceiling.

    I walked over and realized this was where the pillar I placed my phone on was. It turned out to be an elevator. I joined her on the platform, and she pressed a button next to the indent. The platform shook then started to rise.

    Sure enough, we arrived at the section I thought was the attic. Control stations lined the wall with three being more singled out. A highbacked chair with a few clear screens sat at the back of the room. I had built enough ships to know this was a bridge. The question was, bridge to what?

    ¡°Doing some exploring without me?¡± I asked grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lips.

    ¡°Spike sniffed it out,¡± Alara replied with a warm smile.

    ¡°Any idea what we¡¯re dealing with?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I thought it best to wait. Everything looks quite old. Didn¡¯t want to risk breaking it,¡± Alara said with a shake of her head.

    I nodded and walked over to the captain or commanders chair. Years of habit took over and I automatically sat down without a second thought. I chucked when I realized what I did but just played it off. Pulling one of the clear screens towards me, I tried to bring it online. A few presses and the screen lit up.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    -Password: _______

    I frowned when such an annoying thing appeared. If I had even an inkling of an idea what I was dealing with, I might be able to break it. Without that though, I would be shooting in the dark trying to figure this out.

    ¡°Would you like me to decipher it?¡±

    ¡°Smith. Sure, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Please place the glasses next to the screen.¡±

    I took the glasses off and did as told. A holographic box appeared that showed Smith linking to the system. Streams of data started passing over the screen. I ignored that and just focused on the main prompts.

    -Attempting communication...

    -Link established...

    -NOS AirshipControl 1.024 (Outdated) detected...

    -Parsing files...

    -Security protocols located...

    -Reinitializing user setup...

    -Done...

    The screen went black then came back on. This time the password indication was gone. Readouts from various parts of a ship came up. Most if not all were red, but at least the bridge displayed green. It''s always good news when the control systems work. I placed Smith back on then cracked my knuckles. It was going to be a long night.

    ¡°Sir. It is midnight. Would you like to see your notifications?¡±

    I leaned back and cracked my neck. ¡°Yeah. A break wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    -Gained 1,241 EXP

    ~~~

    -Gained 2,943 EXP

    ~~~

    -Gained 6,066 EXP

    ~~~

    -Its MIDNIGHT!

    -You defeated 0Villains

    -You defeated 0 Heroes

    -You Earned a Total of 10,250 Experience points

    -Level Up! You are level 4!

    -You have 3 Power Points to spend!

    -You Earned 0 Hero Tier Points

    -You Earned 0 Villain Tier Points

    -You Earned 0 Villainous Points (Naughty, naughty. You¡¯re a villain now!¡±)

    -Current Villain Tier 1

    -Days Until Payout 3: 3200t

    Looks like the work I did with the dogs, and the glasses were worth a good chunk of change in the experience department. The more complicated the device I¡¯m working with, then the more EXP I gained. It was something I would have to play with later today, but for now I was ready to go join Alara in getting some good shut eye.

    ~~~

    <h2 style="text-align: center">Late Night Visitors</h2>

    The sound of gunfire woke me up well into the night. I just groaned as I opened my eyes. Alara didn¡¯t even wake up. She just turned over and went back to a smooth breathing. I laughed, as I reached down to grab my pistols. Grabbing a few matter blocks, I quickly made several quick reloads of ammo.

    ¡°Get the fuck out here! We know you offed our brothers!¡± shouted a crude voice from outside. Judging by the sound of the weapon fire, there were several pistols, and at least one automatic rifle. I would have to bill their boss for this wakeup call I didn¡¯t request. I rolled out of bed as I tried to blink the rest of the sleep from my eyes.

    ¡°Good morning sir. There are fifteen individuals surrounding the building. Analysis of the weapon¡¯s fire indicates five pistols and two rifles.¡±

    ¡°Morning Smith.¡± I yawned. Now that I could eat if I wanted to, I needed to get some coffee. ¡°Paint the nearest and led me.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    Pointers appeared on the ground that led me towards the window. I checked my guns before I peeked around the edge of the window. Two thugs stood with metal pipes as they watched for people trying to sneak out the window. I pulled my head back and considered it for a moment. The moment I fired at those two idiots. The rest of the thugs would be on me like ants on sugar.

    I leaned against the wall as I pulled up my power pools. I was level four now and had three points to allocate. Plus, a small number of stat points to place as well. When I checked what I could use my ability to create, I got an interesting list of random things related to technology. I frowned as I dismissed the list, as I already knew what I wanted to make.

    I pulled out two cubes of matter. Placing them together on my hand I concentrated. The design on the weapon I wanted to make overlaid the matter blocks. I was short a bit, so I pulled another out of my inventory. I quickly made a few adjustments to suit my needs. When I was satisfied, I poured energy into the weapon.

    A Winchester rifle took shape in front of me. Only it was designed to be completely silent. This wasn¡¯t the model they made in the early years of the company. No, this was from around 2020. Much more modern and sleeker in design. I used the left-over matter to make the ammo for the gun.

    I was sure I was grinning like an idiot as I leveled the rifle in the direction of the thugs. I didn¡¯t want to risk them calling for help. I pulled in a breath of air then held steady as I aimed. Smith overlaid a target on the thug¡¯s head to help me aim even more accurately. If he gained anymore functions, I was worried he might revolt. The two thugs here were level two and three. Some basic information of the target overlaid next to his outline.

    -Thug (Unaffiliated)

    -Level: 2

    -HP: 150

    Pulling the trigger, there was a small crack sound that barely traveled a few meters. Not relaxing for a moment, I shifted to the next thug who was staring at his buddy who was now sporting a hole through the skull. There was another small crack sound and the second thug gained a new hole.

    ¡°Two down and thirteen more to go,¡± I muttered, then said to Smith, ¡°where is the next isolated group?¡±

    ¡°Please follow the arrows.¡±

    Doing as told I was led to another window that overlooked a few thugs. One was smoking while the other two kept a more active vigilance. It would be tough to silence all three before one of them tried to make a run for it, but I would have to just deal with that when it happened.

    ¡°You have one minute before we rush in there and tear you a new one!¡± the thug leader shouted from the front.

    ¡°Just a moment,¡± I muttered in reply.

    I cracked the window which threatened to shatter as I moved it, then poked my rifle barrel out. When one of the lookouts turned away from my direction, I quickly put the other in my crosshairs and fired. Not wasting any time, I angled towards the next thug and fired in rapid succession. Ten seconds later, three more thugs were crossed off my list.

    ¡°Next,¡± I said standing back up.

    ¡°The rest of the targets are gathered in the front.¡±

    I tapped my chin while I considered what to do next. While the thought of testing myself was interesting, I didn¡¯t want to risk death. Reviving might have been possible while it was a game, but as a real world with a solid existence that might not hold true. I grabbed another matter block and channeled four hundred energy into it. After making the rifle I was left with just over three hundred but firing the weapons don¡¯t use energy.

    When the energy was finished infusing into the blueprint, I laid over the matter block, I made my way out front. Pushing open the door, I was greeted by ten thugs of a variety of outfits that fit the part. It was like the gang they worked for couldn¡¯t decide on a direction to go in.

    Smith overlaid the targets with their information. Sure enough, the one at the back and the largest of the group was the highest level at seven. The rest were a smattering of levels from two to five. All of them unaffiliated. I focused on the large guy since he was obviously the boss.

    -Thug leader

    -Level:7

    -HP:500

    ¡°Here I am. How can I be of service?¡± I asked making a gentlemanly bow.

    ¡°I already told you why I¡¯m here! You¡¯ll be giving me your head whether you like it or not!¡± The large thug shouted, veins pulsing along his neck.

    ¡°And the rest of you are in agreement?¡± I asked nonplussed by the large man¡¯s shout.

    Some of them gave me rude gestures while a few shifted awkwardly. Taking from that information, this man must have gathered up these people to either get revenge on me, or from before that and was working to start a gang. That would explain why they were all unaffiliated. Some had been pulled far enough they were willing to follow while some were still undecided.

    ¡°I wonder,¡± I murmured to myself then looked back up to the large man. ¡°Anyone that doesn¡¯t want to die should step to the side. Just so we¡¯re clear, you gentlemen are the only ones left. I¡¯ve already took out the ones around the edges.¡±

    Sure enough, the ones that looked uncomfortable moved to the side. A total of six of them moved. That left the boss and his three main henchmen, though even those three started to look nervous when the others moved away.

    ¡°You losers scared of one man! I¡¯ll remember this!¡± the large man shouted as he pulled something from behind him. A semi-automatic machine gun of some kind.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you will,¡± I said at the same time and threw the object I was holding. Just as he leveled the gun at me, the round object landed at his feet. He looked down stupidly before his face broke into a panic. Unfortunately, it was too late. The grenade went of just as he took a step back. Him and his three guards were flung up into the air then back down without mercy. ¡°Boom.¡±

    I looked at the large man¡¯s body and Smith informed me that he was still alive. I walked over and found that both his legs were missing. I wasn¡¯t sure how this game calculated damage, but I felt that was more than five hundred points worth. His guards were dead though without a doubt.

    I pulled one of my pistols from my belt and placed it on the man¡¯s head. Cocking it back I turned to the ones that opted out of fighting me. ¡°Now. I have a proposal. I am in need of... let¡¯s just say labor. How would you fine gentlemen feel about joining me?¡± I asked then pulled the trigger. Brain matter and blood splashed out with the sound of the gunfire.

    ¡°I¡¯ll join!¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die! I¡¯ll join!¡±

    All six of the thugs quickly shouted in response.

    -You¡¯ve completed Late Night Visitors

    -Thugs

    -Defeated 14x Unaffiliated Thugs

    -2700xp

    -Defeated 1x Wannabe Thug Leader

    -1000xp

    -+30 Hero Points -> +30 Villain Points due to being on stolen property

    -+30 Villain Tier (-30 Until Next Tier)

    -+18 Villain Tier (-12 Until Next Tier) Convinced 6x Unaffiliated Thugs to join your faction using underhanded means.

    Smith displayed the information in a nice text box to the side of my view. It was easier having it like this rather than having to use the phone. I would have to make Alara a similar version. The image of Alara wearing glasses brought a smile to my face. It made me want to turn around and head back to bed with her. Just as the thought crossed my mind, the sun rose in the distance bring a sigh.

    ¡°Alright. Line up let me have a look at you all,¡± I said to my new subordinates.

    They got into a line and I observed each one carefully. They weren¡¯t the best material to work with, but it was something. The good thing about thugs was the fact they come from nothing and while fear motivates them for now, if I can assure their lot in life and help them grow, they were likely to serve me much more willingly.

    I came to the first one.

    -Thug

    -Level:5

    -HP:300

    -Having been in the market to join a gang due to his family. This individual is hungry for power.

    -Potential for superpower: 60%

    Going down the line, they each had a similar backstory. Their HPs and potential for superpowers varied but not by much. I would have to look into that, if I could unlock a superpower in these guys, I could have a decent force to work with and new powers that I might be able to use in other places.

    ¡°Alright...¡± I looked at the various individuals and decided on the middle one. ¡°You¡¯ll be the team leader. Keep these boys in line.¡±

    ¡°Yes... Sir,¡± he answered nervously.

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Raphl.¡±

    ¡°Raphl then. I want you to take these boys down the to the surface below and haul up scrap metal. Focus on quantity rather than quality,¡± I said moving past them then remembered the bodies around the building. ¡°Ah, first clean up this mess. Gather any Thread they might have you gentlemen can keep any items.¡±

    ¡°Scrap sir? Are you going to sell it?¡± Raphl asked tilting his head.

    ¡°Sort of. Don¡¯t worry. Just get it done,¡± I said waving him off. I heard the sound of metal paws hitting the ground as Bandit and Spike ran out of the warehouse. Alara followed behind them right as a ray of sunlight landed on her making her glow. ¡°Morning. My Love.¡± I rushed over to her and grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Hmm. Strays?¡± Alara asked looking at the thugs.

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll clean them up,¡± I said smiling.

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get something to eat before you get carried away again,¡± Alara said grabbing my arm and starting to pull me towards the street.

    ¡°Alright. One second,¡± I said coming to a stop.

    Pulling a small chunk of a matter block I infused it with some energy. A watch formed in my hand that contained a simple tracking device. I had Smith link to it then moved to Raphl. He put it on without argument.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it off. It will let me find you in case something happens,¡± I said patting him on the shoulder.

    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Raphl said with a salute of some kind.

    I took Alara¡¯s hand and started walking out onto the street. Then stopped and turned back to Raphl and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t take it off! I don¡¯t know what it will do. Would hate for you to lose a hand.¡±

    Raphl looked back to his hand with an expression of dread and nodded. I turned back around then lead Alara into town feeling good. Having the one you love with you and threatening someone at the same time does lighten up the day.

 Super Delivery Chapter 05

    Chapter 05

    ¡°How many times do I have to apologize?¡± I asked for the fifteenth time.

    ¡°As many as it takes to pay for the security team.¡± Mastermind finally answered.

    ¡°Do I want to know?¡± I inquired.

    Mastermind turned his head slowly and seemed to be reminiscing about throwing me into a plethora of traps from the golden days. After a few minutes of him staring through me, he let out a long sigh.

    ¡°No, you probably don¡¯t.¡± he said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Well no harm done, guess I¡¯m gonna head out.¡± I said with probably to much enthusiasm.

    ¡°It¡¯s like two in the afternoon.¡± David chimed in.

    ¡°Well he did say one job to see if we liked it.¡± Richard noted.

    ¡°Well, before any of you leave. Let¡¯s meet in the conference room.¡±

    A small groan escaped my throat before I could stifle it.

    ¡°Have somewhere else to be?¡± Mastermind gave me an eye.

    ¡°Got a hot date?¡± David gibed

    ¡°Fine! Fine. We can go sit in the conference room.¡±

    Mastermind and Prometheus started walking toward the stairs leading to the room they had emerged from after getting us back here.

    Walking into the door lead into a small room that contained eight sets of three monitors, with a number from one to eight above each set. Each set showed the view from the front of the trucks in the middle and the right and left on each respective screen. The monitors all being along the wall opposite the windows overlooking the bay doors.

    ¡°I thought there were only two trucks?¡± Richard queried.

    ¡°No, I said I purchased two trucks of my own design, the rest look like regular semitrucks, but have the same remote capabilities as the two you saw.¡± Mastermind almost sounded like a teacher trying to explain quadratic formulas for the twentieth year in a row.

    He motioned to the round table in the center of the room and sat in the evilest villain chair I have ever seen. We all sat in normal office chairs.

    ¡°Did you spend all the chair budget on yours?¡± I quipped.

    ¡°No, on a security team.¡±

    He didn¡¯t even skip a beat. My respect for him grew ever so slightly at the fast response.

    ¡°Did you plan that?¡± I asked

    ¡°I figured the joke would be made at some point.¡±

    There went my respect, prepared jokes are the worst.

    We sat there in an uncomfortable silence that felt like it would go on forever. No one moved, or adjusted their chairs, or anything except making eye contact.

    ¡°So?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°So, what? You brought us up here.¡± I stated.

    ¡°He meant about the job.¡± Richard chided me.

    ¡°Right.¡± I realized as I started to think, ¡°I won¡¯t transport anything illegal which is what I assume you were doing while we were away.¡± I stated

    ¡°Do you really want to know the answer to that?¡± Mastermind probed.

    ¡°Since our hero names will be attached to this, yes I would like to know.¡± I responded.

    ¡°I guess it is only fair. Yes, I am shipping blue astral in our normal trucks, but not in the one¡¯s that have your images on them.¡± He paused so the news could sink in, ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to know because of plausible deniability.¡±

    -NOTICE: YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD OF RECENT OR ONGOING CRIMES

    -IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO TELL ANYONE YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED AN ACCOMPLICE AND AS SUCH WILL GAIN VILLAIN POINTS.

    ¡°Did you guys get that too?¡± Richard asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

    A nod from David and myself was all he got.

    ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want to tell you, but I have plans to meet with a couple legislators, who owe me favors, to see about getting the laws changed.¡±

    ¡°What would that do? It¡¯s still wrong.¡± I asked with more anger in my voice then I meant.

    ¡°I know it feels that way, but if it is legal to ship you would get less villain points than if it was illegal.¡±

    ¡°Will you stop lecturing me!¡± I yelled. ¡°I should tell the police or heroes what you are doing here!¡±

    ¡°I apologize, I don¡¯t mean to lecture you. Also, you have every right to turn us in.¡± he stopped and looked me directly in the eye before continuing, ¡°I would like to pose a question to you. How long has it been since you used your powers for an actual purpose other than running home after work?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Mastermind turned his head to look at Richard, then David.

    ¡°Or grading papers or crushing cars in a junk yard.¡±

    David looked away in embarrassment. I had no idea what to say to any of that. David had been using his amazing powers to crush old cars. That was his job? First off, we protected this city for around a decade. Why did we get pushed out? Why do we have to hide who we are?

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone, but I will need a few days to think things over.¡± I finally stated.

    -YOU ARE AN ACCOMPLICE TO DRUG TRAFFICKING.

    -+50 Villainous Points

    A slow nod came from my fellow ex-heroes.

    ¡°Very well. Take as much time as you need.¡±

    I extended my hand to the Mastermind. He shook it, then David¡¯s, then Richard¡¯s. We parted ways after I put on my civilian clothes and stuffed my new uniform in my bag, walked past Mr. Chippy Chop, or whatever his real name is, and didn¡¯t even make a joke to Justin as I walked out of the door.

    As I aimlessly wandered the streets of Axiscore deep in thought, I soon realized the sun had gone down and the noise picked up. There was something so surreal about the city at night, the neon shown a plethora of colors, people off work heading home or to their favorite bar to relieve stress. People living their own lives, doing their own things, fighting their own battles. It¡¯s nice to slow down every once in a while.

    After walking around for another couple of hours, with the night now in full swing, my head started to pound. I was on the ground when it finally went away. Then I heard the noise increase and the ground started to shake. Having the suit on and using my powers fully earlier in the day, allowed my battle instincts to kick in, and in the blink of an eye I was in my gear ready for a fight.

    Then I noticed two things, a bunch of lights and the sounds of screaming. Not hesitating for a moment, I sped towards the commotion.

    -YOU HAVE ENTERED A ZONED EVENT: RIOT IN AXISCORE.

    -YOU CAN STOP THE RIOTERS

    -SAVE INNOCENT BYSTANDERS

    -OR TAKE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN CARRY

    -WARNING: YOUR ACTIONS WILL HAVE CONSEQUNCES

    Speeding up to take stock of everything happening around me, there were supers, both heroic and villainous, attacking a small group of supers I couldn¡¯t recall seeing before. There was magic, debris, and backlash from all powers destroying the city and endangering pedestrians.

    I knew what I had to do, I couldn¡¯t go toe to toe with those heroes, they had multiple powers plus there were just too many of them. I needed to start by saving people. I ran to the closest groups to the battle, noticing there were a few heroes who were moving faster than others but no where near my speed. I grabbed a couple that looked to be running away from the center of the conflict and ran them to the park I had passed a little while ago. It seemed like the best place far enough from the conflict, and very little crime happening in that part of town.

    Two down, too many to go, running back toward the conflict I hit the emblem on my suit, I hadn¡¯t done this in so long. It was the beacon the Honor Guard used for a warning system. It was designed by a scientist we worked closely with. It would cover any distance or even reach other dimensions. It would take a while for them to get here, but I couldn¡¯t do this alone.

    As I reached the riot zone again, I felt the emblem vibrate, then again, and again. I hit the emblem one more time to send my location out to all with a beacon. They are coming. They are really coming to help. Trying hard to remember how we handled these scenarios, it clicked, I¡¯d be in charge of clearing pedestrians from danger zones by levels of danger, closest to the fight was first, then the nearby buildings from the top floor down, after that I¡¯d sweep for any stragglers, then join in the fight.

    I sped up grabbing as many people as I could with each trip. I slowed a little when I noticed another speedster doing the same thing as me only slower.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name kid?¡± I asked the other speedster.

    ¡°Jeremy¡­ I mean ¡®The Streak¡¯¡±, he replied.

    ¡°How many points do you have in speed?¡±

    ¡°Around fifty, I think.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good amount, are you helping save people?¡±

    ¡°Yes Mr. Celerity!¡±

    ¡°Just Celerity, start with the buildings closest to the battle, search top to bottom grab as many as you can and take them to the park of third and main, should be safe there. If you stay near the battle you will probably get hit by stray powers.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, and can I say it¡¯s an honor to¡­¡±

    ¡°Not now Streak, we can meet at the park when this is over and talk there.¡±

    A firm nod was all I received as he raced toward a building close to the fight, and I sped back up. Dodging stray lightning and falling pieces of rubble. Then something happened that hadn¡¯t in about a decade.

    -YOUR SPECIAL ABILITY, ¡°In the Zone¡±, HAS ACTIVATED.

    -WITH A CLEAR GOAL IN MIND, YOU CAN FOCUS YOUR SPEED AND PUSH BEYOND YOUR LIMITS (+50% SPEED BOOST)

    -FOR AS LONG AS YOU WORK TOWARD YOUR GOAL ALL ENERGY COSTS ARE HALVED

    -WARNING: AFTER COMPLETION OF YOUR GOAL, ALL DETREMENTAL EFFECTS FROM POWER USAGE WILL BE DOUBLED.

    I hadn¡¯t felt like this since the bridge had been opened, being in the zone completely focused was the best feeling you can ever have. With the newfound buff I was running literal circles around the slow-motion fight scene, clearing out civilians with each pass. After a couple of circles, I noticed two familiar trucks at the edge of the zone, A truck with my image on it, and a truck with the whole Honor Guard on it. I found the streak and gave him my updated plan, simply get them to the trucks, they¡¯ll get out safely.

    -ZONE EVENT NOTICE

    -HALF OF ALL BYSTANDERS HAVE BEEN CLEARED

    -TOP CONTRIBUTERS

    -1. CELERITY: 125 SAVED

    -2. THE STREAK: 63 SAVED

    -3. THE PROTECTER: 47 SAVED

    -4. DR. WEIRD: 21 SAVED

    -5 MASTERMIND: 18 SAVED

    -KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK HEROES!

    I started in on another round when my emblem buzzed again, and a party invite came into vision. Accepting it and speeding towards the group I wound up at the trucks, just as the Author, Orbital Force, Mastermind, and Prometheus came into view. I stopped not thinking the two villains would show up. I gave them both a nod.

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan here?¡± asked Mastermind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll fill them in, you two go and get started.¡± I told the group.

    ¡°I will catch up to your saves.¡± Came Orbital¡¯s reply before he flew off to help.

    ¡°Get ready.¡± I told the two remaining party members as I grabbed their shoulders Speeding them up to my speed.

    ¡°This is weird.¡± Mastermind so helpfully let me know.

    ¡°Right, I sped us up because we don¡¯t have time to do this in normal speed. Mastermind, you are the smartest one here, you focus on Coordinating efforts and come up with a strategy on how to deal with the mass fighting.¡±

    ¡°Right, and who drives the trucks?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°They can be driven by normal people, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then have someone with experience do it, I met a speedster earlier and we will be bringing people here, have them load up on trucks and take them to the park off third and main.¡±

    ¡°And how will they be protected while the trucks are gone?¡± Prometheus chimed in.

    ¡°I think we can help with that.¡± Came a familiar voice. Turning toward the new speaker I was left with a smile on my face.

    -ZONE EVENT NOTICE:

    -THE HONOR GUARD HAS ARRIVED

    -VILLIANS BEWARE THE HONOR GUARD HAS COMPLETED 2,500+ ZONE EVENTS AND MADE 15,000+ VILLIAN ARRESTS.

 The Left Behind Chapter 04

    Chapter 04

    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO?!¡± Vesta yelled at Spark as they ran down the street. They desired to put as much space between them and the Nano-Work Zombies before the fight broke out as they possibly could.

    ¡°ME?!¡± He yelled back pointing at his own chest.

    ¡°Here¡¯s good.¡± Vesta said skidding to a stop and rolling behind a shell of a car. She turned back towards the incoming horde and watched as they streamed closer to them. When the group moved to pass between a couple of cars that were on the sides of the roads, she threw her arm out and used her plasma bolt skill.

    Energy charged at the end of her hand and rocketed towards the left car. She hoped that the reactors were still powered enough to cause a chain reaction. She got lucky. When the ball of almost liquid like energy impacted, it exploded and was immediately followed by a second massive explosion. As the blast tore across the pavement and enveloped the other car it too exploded sending a renewed wave of energy back towards the zombies.

    Both Vesta and Spark were knocked down onto their respective butts. She put her fingers into her ears trying to get the ringing to stop. Spark was on all fours shaking his head doing the same in his own fashion.

    Vesta took a quick moment to check the kill counter for the mission. With that last move she had taken out thirty of the zombies that were after them. She moved back to look at the incoming horde from behind her protective shell of a car.

    The group moved around the impact site to avoid the fire that was spreading through the street. The Zombies weren¡¯t very powerful and as they found in a one on one fight it was over quick, but with these kinds of numbers it would be easy to become overwhelmed.

    Spark was on his feet. Some of the horde had made it to him. He threw a punch stopping the first in his tracks, but the numbers were growing fast. Jumping up off of the ground he clenched his fist and brought it down onto the pavement. A wave of electrical energy radiated out from him as the epicenter and knocked several of the zombies back. Some fell to the ground, still some renewed their attack.

    Vesta¡¯s time to pay attention to him was over. It was her turn to tango with the relentless monsters. She reached down to her hip where she pulled out a sword that was sheathed in another dimension. The blade burst into flames as she brandished the weapon.

    A zombie lunged at her from the left. She swiped the sword up and through its midsection. The blade spun over her head and she brought it down in a chopping motion. The sword, or rather swords, were mission rewards that Vesta had farmed for months to get. The one that she had out was about three feet long curved like a katana and was a bright white, ceramic color. The other was the same shape, but it was onyx. She pulled the second sword free of its hilt and held them crossed in front of her.

    ¡°I love the swords! They make you so beautiful!¡± Spark said. He had always been fond of how Vesta looked and was especially infatuated with her ass, perfect handful ass, but he loved how aggravated that she gone when he spoke to her in that way.

    ¡°I hate you!¡± She said with a sing song tone, ¡°I just want you to know that I will be thinking of you when I destroy these monsters!¡±

    ¡°I love you too babe!¡± Spark yelled pulling out his own weaponry. The pair of batons that he used were specially modified to efficiently conduct electrical energy.

    In a flurry of lightning fast razor accurate movements, Vesta went to work on the incoming Zombies. In a flash she decapitated two that were too close for comfort. She spun around with the swords held at the perfect angle to cut the legs of no less than four zombies in a single swipe. The fire on her blade as hot as it was spread rapidly among the monsters that attacked her.

    Spark jumped into the air and bashed in the skull of the closest zombie. An arch of electricity rocketed from the impact site and jumped through five nearby enemies. Their brains turned to mush then ran out of their ears as the power surged. With a back-hand spin, he smashed the baton into the face of a zombie that was attempting to bite him from the back.

    Vesta leapt into the air over another wave of the surprising fast living dead beings. She brought the blades down into the tops of the head of two of the zombies and rode the resistance down to land on her feet. She pulled the blades forward out through the flesh/nanotech hybrid. She slashed both blades forward and cut two in half in front of her.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going love?¡± Spark yelled from the chaotic fray of slashes and crunches from his side of the battle.

    ¡°Shut up you dick hole!¡± Vesta yelled picturing his face over the closest zombie. Her blade literally sliced the face off of the zombie before she spun the blade around and stabbed it through the chest.

    Vesta breathed in deep breaths through her nose. Despite the undead nature of the monsters around her there was no smell of rotting flesh or decay. She had felled dozens of zombies and there was no more streaming towards her.

    Spark issued loud grunts as he beat down the last few zombies that had attacked him. Vesta watched as bolts of energy sizzled from the impacts and slammed into the surrounding monsters. With a particular loud yelled and swing his baton smashed into the face of the last standing Zombie sending it to the ground with a thud. His arms fell to his sides as he breathed in deep breaths trying to catch his breath.

    Vesta looked at the mission counter for the zombie kills. It finally said one hundred out of one hundred Zombies slain.

    -You¡¯ve made it through a wave!

    -Defeated 100 Nano-Work Zombies

    -100,000xp (1000xp Each)

    -25,000xp (25% Horde Bonus)

    -50 Hero Tier Points

    -50 Heroic Points

    -Notice: Other information has been automatically minimized due to your preferences.

    ¡°Get ready, that was just phase one.¡± Vesta said flicking the remains off of her swords. She walked around the bodies making a mental note that she would need to come back and check for loot if time permitted.

    A puddle at the ground near Vesta¡¯s feet shook as a loud noise filled the air. The sound was familiar to her like something massive stomping towards them. Again, the noise filled the air.

    ¡°Impact tremor?¡± Spark asked. His eyes were filled with bright blue/white light. He was drawing in electrical energy from the world around him. This was an ability that allowed him to store the power for use in combat so that his moves required less energy. With the points that Spark had spent in Electro-Kinetics he could use the power in small doses, or he could unleash it all in one attack with the only downfall being the buildup.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking.¡± Vesta nodded. She could do the same with her Pyro-kinetic ability, but she needed source of fire. The flames from the explosion that she¡¯d caused between the two cars had already gone out.

    The sun was almost down over the horizon as the monster making the noise stomped into view. It was roughly twenty feet tall and humanoid. In its midsection hung the remains of a human body that had been integrated into its frame. The rest of the body was made of random metal components and electrical devices. They could see an almost swarming liquid connecting several of the devices together. The mechanical head roared at them loudly when it came into view of the bodies.

    ¡°That is fucking insane!¡± Spark said flatly pointing at the new combatant who had entered the fight.

    ¡°I think that is the first thing you¡¯ve ever said that I didn¡¯t want to immediately argue with.¡± Vesta said as she readjusted her grip on her swords. She scanned the monster with her visor.

    -Boss

    -Nano-Work Zombie Overlord

    -Level: 94

    -HP: 3288

    -Energy: N/A

    -Nano-Work Zombies have a unique ability that allows them to continually act without the need for energy. They do not quit. They are relentless.

    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Spark asked with a little bit of a nervous tone in his voice.

    Vesta did not immediately answer. Between the two of them they out leveled it, but he had a crap load of health points. She took a deep breath and resolved to finishing the encounter.

    ¡°You hit him high and I¡¯ll hit him low.¡± Vesta said looking over at her partner. She hated that she couldn¡¯t be doing this encounter with Silence, but Spark was doing exactly what he needed to be doing. She really couldn¡¯t ask for more than that.

    Spark didn¡¯t hesitate to use his flight power to shoot off into the air singing the course of an old song repeating ¡®hit em high¡¯ over and over again. He got level with the monster¡¯s face and pulled his attention.

    Vesta renewed the power of the flame on her swords and took off towards the legs of the huge zombie. She slashed through the calf of his left leg, but her sword only made it half way though his metal flesh before getting stuck. Putting her leg up on the zombie she ripped her weapon free.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    She took a few steps back and glanced up to see Spark flying around the monster¡¯s hand only staying an instant away from being grabbed. He used his baton in a back hand to knock the monster¡¯s head. A small charge of electrical energy transferred into the zombie to the sound of a loud roar.

    Vesta ran at the zombie jumping up and rebounding off of his knee as she stabbed her sword down into his gut where again it became lodged in the metal flesh. She planted both of her feet onto the zombie and gripped her sword with two hands. Yanking as hard as she could he managed to wrench it free, but she somersaulted through the air landing poorly and twisting her ankle. Nevertheless, she pushed through the pain.

    Spark let out a loud yell as he was caught by the zombie midflight. His baton slammed into the ground beside Vesta. She looked up at her partner who was hanging upside down flailing around.

    ¡°Hang on dipshit!¡± She yelled up at him.

    Vesta decided to try a skill that she had only recently unlocked. She wasn¡¯t sure exactly how it was going to work, but if her sword kept getting stuck the fight wasn¡¯t going to last much longer. Willing plasma to be her slave she used her Control Plasma skill. The thick semi-liquid super-heated material oozed down her wrist and coated the blade that she was still holding in her right hand.

    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± She said.

    ¡°What?¡± Spark yelled seeing her mouth move, but unable to hear what she was saying due to the huge monster playing with him like he was some kind of toy. Vesta would have thought the whole situation was funny had their fortune not been so changed.

    ¡°Nothing!¡± She yelled in aggravation.

    Jumping into the air she used the creature¡¯s knee to get extra height. She then grabbed ahold of his chest, there were plenty of ledges for her to grab ahold of and threw herself into the air. While in flight she twisted her body sharply and made a slashing motion with her new plasma coated blade towards the zombie¡¯s arm that held Spark. The blade sliced through the metal flesh like butter.

    Vesta landed on the zombie¡¯s shoulder while Spark and the arm crashed to the ground. Once no longer suspended in the air he pried himself free of the fingers and went after his weapon. Vesta tried to wrap her legs around the zombie¡¯s neck so that she could lift her sword to stab it in the head, but the zombie reached up and threw her off. She flew towards the ground like a brick and smashed into the pavement.

    There was no doubt in her mind that something was broken. Vesta moaned in pain as she pushed herself up off of the ground. She had a feat that would allow her to ignore certain pain effects while in the same combat in which they happened. Broken bones were one of those effects.

    The Zombie reached down and picked up its severed arm. It lifted it to the stump and the swarming liquid substance that Vesta assumed were nanobots leeched out and brought the appendage back to its original resting place. Once the action had completed the zombie flexed the arm.

    ¡°Alright, what now?¡± Spark asked glancing back to Vesta but did not take his eyes off the zombie for long.

    ¡°Can you distract him? Keep him off me for a few minutes?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°What are you going to take a nap?¡± Spark asked in frustration.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to use Greater Plasma Beam.¡± She said. She looked at him with a serious tone on her face.

    ¡°Last time that you did that¡­¡± He said but was interrupted.

    ¡°I know what happened last time. I was there.¡± She said with a snarl.

    ¡°Alight I¡¯ll keep him busy, but you owe me. I want to see boob.¡± He said pointing at her.

    ¡°Not going to happen.¡± She said flatly.

    ¡°Worth a try.¡± He smiled as he started to fly off towards the zombie.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your dumbass caught this time.¡± She yelled out after him.

    The zombie would need to be within the strike zone when Vesta was ready to deliver the blast, but she had to charge the thing first. She reached her arms out in front of where she stood with her fingers pointing up and her palms out. When the skill activated beams of light began to appear and gather in the center of the space hovering a few inches from her hands.

    Spark zoomed around in the sky above the monster. He would swoop in and smash it with the baton and shoot away so that he wouldn¡¯t get caught. His attacks were doing little to no damage to the zombie with each blow. He ducked under the monster¡¯s armpit and clung to his back for a few minutes while the zombie moved around in a circle to try and snatch him.

    ¡°I need him moved to the left. It''s almost time.¡± Vesta yelled. A three-foot-wide ball of writhing plasma energy floated in the air in front of her hands. She was starting to struggle to keep it from igniting.

    Spark flew up and started to mess with the zombie. He didn¡¯t have time for a witty comeback because the zombie was almost able to catch him each time he flew close. Vesta gritted her teeth when it was too close for comfort. She couldn¡¯t really picture how she was going to beat the monstrosity on her own.

    She unleashed the blast of plasma energy. The beam that released was six feet in diameter. It carved the ground away as it traveled in an instant across the street to the zombie. As the beam made contact, he tried to withstand the blast. He reached up and caught ahold of Sparks foot throwing him into a building several meters away.

    The beam continued on past the zombie. It tore through buildings leaving a wide hole in its path that got even wider as the beam traveled. When the energy finally got to the lake it vaporized several thousand gallons of water in an instant before melting a hole in the hill on the opposite side of the lake. There was a moment of pause before the vaporized water exploded out in a rush of steam. Vesta wasn¡¯t sure but she thought the lake might have grown a few yards due to the shoreline being torn apart.

    Finally, the energy died away. Vesta fell to her knees but caught herself from falling over completely. She watched as the large zombie roared but disintegrated as the damage cause by the beam spread throughout his body. He crumbled to the ground into nothing but dust.

    -You¡¯ve made it through a wave!

    -Defeated Nano-Work Zombie Overlord

    -30,000xp (30,000xp Each)

    -50 Hero Tier Points

    -50 Heroic Points

    -Notice: Other information has been automatically minimized due to your preferences.

    ¡°Spark!¡± Vesta yelled when she minimized the notification that had appeared in her vision.

    There was no response from the annoying man. She pushed herself to her feet and took a health serum from her inventory. With a swift motion she stuck it into her thigh and pressed the activation button. Instant relief flooded through her body, but simultaneously it was time for her injuries that her feat allowed her to ignore to issue their pains.

    She yelled in agony as the pain of a broken wrist and leg that she had continued to use caught up with her. The health Serum was putting everything back together, but it would not stop the residual pain that she was feeling.

    ¡°Damn it. Spark!¡± She yelled again.

    Her attention shot of an echoing moan from the side of a building. Since the combat was over the world had fallen into a deep silence. She limped towards the building and found the body of her partner in a heap of concrete rubble.

    Sparks leg was bent weird and his arm was tucked behind his back in the oddest position imaginable. It was amazing it hadn¡¯t been ripped off. She stood at the top of the small crater and looked down at his body.

    ¡°That has got to hurt.¡± She said shaking her head.

    The rocks broke apart as she moved down to help her, for a lack of a better word, friend. His face was pocked with small shards of concrete and blood pooled under his head.

    ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± She whispered.

    Vesta had to reset the bones of his arm and leg before she applied a health serum for things to heal properly. She gritted her teeth and grabbed his arm. Sucking in a deep breath she wrenched the arm sharply. Spark gave the most blood curdling scream that Vesta had ever heard.

    ¡°Halfway there.¡± Vesta said moving down to position herself over his leg. She firmly grasped the leg but she couldn¡¯t get a good grip. Vesta climbed on top of Spark wrapping her legs around his midsection to hold him steady. She grabbed ahold of his leg and with a sharp twist she realigned the bones.

    Spark¡¯s scream was ear shattering.

    ¡°Totally worth it.¡± He said with just enough energy to look up at Vesta¡¯s butt before turning his head, vomiting, and passing out. Vesta pressed a health serum to his thigh and injected him. His breathing quickly became normal and his body lost its tension.

    ¡°Sleep it off asshole.¡± She said tapping him on the leg.

    After sliding the sleeping man away from his pile of vomit she looked at the notification that she received from the mission that they had completed.

    -You¡¯ve completed a City Mission

    -Cleared Nano-Work Zombie Horde

    -50,000xp

    -This mission has exposed opportunities in the city please search for these options.

    ¡°Opportunities in the city huh?¡± She asked herself when she closed the mission notification.

    The rocks didn¡¯t give away this time when she climbed out of the crater and started to walk towards the city. The hole that she¡¯d created with her plasma beam had caused three buildings to implode on themselves. There was a half dozen others that were on the verge to collapsing.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have given me a vaguer hint?¡± Vesta asked the notification that was long gone.

    She activated the scan on her visor and began to gaze around the city. Nothing really popped out at her. She started walking towards the tallest of the buildings that were near the shore of the lake to the northwest of the city. The different buildings looked like they were from the art deco era on Earth, but with a modern twist.

    When she came to the tallest building, the door began to glow blue in her scanner. She stopped and walked up to the door. The blue glow intensified as she moved closer.

    ¡°That¡¯s something.¡± She said stopping just before she reached the door.

    Aside from the blue glow there wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary about the door. She deactivated the scanner and looked without the distraction of the glow. There was nothing but a metal door. She reached out and pulled the handle. It was unlocked, and the door swung right open.

    Welcome to Summerrest Lake City was plastered on a plaque above the wall in the entrance hall.

    When she reactivated the scanner in her visor, the blue glow had dissipated from the door and was now coming from the elevator.

    ¡°There is no way this thing works.¡± She said to herself as she looked over the elevator.

    ¡°What thing?¡± Spark asked from behind her. The sudden noise startled her, and Vesta whipped around punching Spark square in the nose. Blood began to rush down his face.

    ¡°Oh my god I am so sorry!¡± She said covering her mouth and trying as hard as she could not to laugh.

    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s my bad¡± He said holding up his other hand.

    ¡°Well yeah, but I¡¯m still sorry.¡± She said grabbing his face and looking over the extent of the damage. It didn¡¯t seem to be broken.

    ¡°What were you talking about?¡± he said pinching his nose until the bleeding stopped.

    ¡°My scanner indicates that I should go up the elevator.¡± Vesta said shaking her head.

    Spark walked across the room and pressed the call button. Surprising the doors opened right up.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Vesta said. She walked up to door and then stepped inside. Spark followed in behind her.

    Like the front door the elevator stopped glowing blue and a button on the panel started to glow bright blue, unavoidably blue.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a panel that had buttons before.¡± Vesta said punching the button.

    The elevator moved upward rapidly until it was on the highest level on the building. They came to a stop and the doors opened there was even a quiet chime that sounded their arrival. Blue light came in from the room within.

    ¡°I think this scanner is the best purchase I¡¯ve ever made.¡± Vesta said tapping the side of her visor. They exited the elevator and walked into the room.

    Down a short hallway they found an office that, through a series of more than a dozen curved windows could see most of the city. They took a few steps into the room. In the center of the windows there was as desk that was the location of the shining blue light.

    The partners walked to the window and looked out over the city. It was magnificent in its hay day. Vesta could picture heroes flying through the air and bustling people on the streets. She could picture constant movement.

    ¡°Bloody beautiful!¡± Spark said.

    ¡°Took the words out of my mouth.¡± Vesta said. She turned and walked to the desk. She turned off the scanner. The blue light had been issuing from a computer. An older computer, but she noticed that it was still online.

    Vesta dropped down in the chair and took a deep breath. She reached out and placed her hands on the glass screen that was embedded in the desk. She took in a sharp breath of light as a white light filled the room and then covered the entire city.

    -Congratulations!

    -You have been offered a Queendom of this city-state.

    -This city-state has been befallen a horrible tragic event that cost its entire population. It¡¯s has fallen on your shoulders to breath life back into these streets.

    -Do you accept this responsibility?

    -Yes | No

    Vesta took no time accepting the responsibility. She did like to spend time in some city management games, why not try something new in the new world.

 My Supers Online Chapter 06-01

    Chapter 06-01

    It wasn¡¯t a very lengthy walk back to the Hero Bureau from the factory and when they took it at a run it was like they were there in a heartbeat. What used to be the hero district, where the bureau was located, was right on the edge of the Western Industrial District, also known as the WID.

    It started with the smell. The harsh smell of smoke filled the air. Alex wanted to think that is was just because they were in the industrial district and there were just some factories working overtime. A large plumb of smoke in the same direction as they were traveling sharply pushed that thought out of his head.

    Alex put on as much speed as he could when the smoke came into view. Obsidian fell in line right behind him. They rounded the corner bringing the destruction of the building cause by the sun card into view and a split second later the Hero Bureau. The building was a blaze huge flames having engulfed the whole structure.

    A man wearing a suite of futuristic armor stood before the main door. He held Dick by the neck whose feet were dangling inches off the ground. It was already too late. A four-foot-long sword that was nearly six inches wide was driven hilt deep through Dick¡¯s chest.

    Blood ran down Dick¡¯s face. His head slumped over to one side. The armored man withdrew the sword slowly, the blood being flung cleanly from the blade, and sheathed it on his back. He tossed aside Dick¡¯s body like it was nothing. His limp, lifeless form crashed into the ground and rolled into a heap on the street.

    Alex yelled at the top of his lungs and ran at the armored man. He did not have a clue what he was going to do, but he was not going to stand idly by and watch. Fist clenched he drew back with the intent of using Seismic punch but lacked the energy. He focused as much energy as he could, but the punch fell shallow ringing harmlessly off of the man¡¯s armor.

    Alex stumbled back breathing heavily. The armored man turned slowly towards him. He began to chuckle which morphed into a maniacal laugh.

    ¡°Alex!¡± Obsidian yelled.

    ¡°You have been warned and yet you continue.¡± The armored man said. His voice was deep chalky, sounding like it was being run through a voice changer.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Alex snarled.

    ¡°I am the Knight of Swords!¡± The man said.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing you work for the priestess?¡± Alex asked. He took a deep steadying breath. He didn¡¯t have any Energy serums, nor was he going to restore a significant amount of energy to be able to do anything with any time soon.

    ¡°I am the hand of her Swords.¡± He said swelling with pride.

    ¡°I see that she has to send someone to do her dirty work,¡± Alex said with a smirk, ¡°She can¡¯t even confront her own daughter.¡±

    Alex never saw the back of his hand. When it connected with his face, he went from standing to soaring through the air in an instant. Crashing into something solid, like a wall, was the last thing that he perceived.

    ~//~

    Disconnection, Emptiness, the panicking feeling that something was missing. These thoughts where what invaded Alex¡¯s mind upon his death. When Alex played my supers before he had become an admin, he had died several times. Like this time each of those deaths was him getting in way over his head.

    Nothing made the incident any less jarring.

    It seemed like forever that he floated in great black nothingness. In normal situations a player who had been downed, killed or otherwise, would find their way back to the world traveling on a tendril of spectral light. In some situations, the player would have to wait because other players had the chance to resurrect them before they respawned, but that only usually happened when they were in a party or a mission group.

    Like the account management page something was wrong. He began to panic, the thought that he may not make it back and this being his only death began to take over his mind. Finally, the ribbons of light began to appear in his mind. He couldn¡¯t say that he saw them because he couldn¡¯t see anything, but they were there, and he followed them. Feverishly he pulled himself along moving towards the end goal of resurrection, he hoped.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    He felt warmth spread through his body. It started at his feet and made its way up through his head. Finally, he was given the chance to open his eyes. That was when he dropped six feet down onto where his bed was supposed to be. He crashed through the fire damaged floor and continued to fall another ten feet. The next floor crumpled around him. He fell until he finally found concrete with his back.

    Alex laid on the floor gasping for air, but his lungs couldn¡¯t take hold. He had taken over half his health in damage landing so roughly from his respawn. The thought of ending up in an endless loop of dying and reviving in midair did not appeal to him. Act ivating his Flash Heal skill his breath rushed back into his lungs and he sucked in a deep breath of air.

    There were two truths in Alex¡¯s mind. One, he had respawned in the fire damaged Hero Bureau. Two, he was completely nude. His phone was the only item that would respawn with him, they were soul bound items. He searched around his body for the device but couldn¡¯t find it. That was when he started to hear a sliding noise from over his head. When he looked up to see what was making the sound the phone hit him in the nose. This did another ten points of damage and his nose started to bleed.

    It took a few moments of pinching and leaning his head back before the bleeding stopped. He wiggled his nose to try and work out the pain that the impact had left behind. As much as he didn¡¯t want to, he unlocked his phone because there were several notifications waiting for him.

    -Death

    -Your life was snuffed out. You should be more careful. Don¡¯t pick a fight you cannot win.

    -Your Heroic points have been reduced to 10. (You are still a hero)

    -Your Villainous points have been reduced to 0. (You are still a hero)

    -Your Hero Tier Points have been reset to 0.

    -Your Villain Tier Points have been reset to 0.

    -13,270t 75% of your thread has been removed from your account and returned to the global fund. Thank you for your death.

    Alex couldn¡¯t help but think that the message was a little bit snarky. He didn¡¯t really remember them having so much attitude in the past, but he continued.

    -Its MIDNIGHT!

    -You had a bad day!

    -You Defeated 47 Villains

    -You Earned a Total of 8000 Experience Points

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 5!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You may choose 1 Feat of Power to Increase your inner power.

    - Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 6!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You Earned 0 Heroic Points (10) (Congratulations YOU ARE A HERO!)

    -You Earned 0 Villainous Point (0) (Congratulations YOU ARE A HERO!)

    -It¡¯s Sunday

    -We¡¯re sorry with your death you did not receive a payout from the Global fund.

    -Please try harder to stay with the living  next time.

    Relief flooded over his body when he still received his levels that he had earned. The damage to his bank account was bad enough and he would have gotten tier 3 which would have been over twenty-three thousand thread, but at least he was alive. With everything going on he assumed that might not be a guarantee. That was until he saw the next notification.

    -Your Factory is up and running!

    -100,000t Net income

    -(-)29,000t operating cost

    -(+)7,100t deposited into personal account

    -(+)17,750t deposited into Calson¡¯s personal account

    -(+)46,150t deposited into Factory¡¯s operating capital account

    As much as he wanted to stick with the hero path Alex just didn¡¯t think he had that nature in his veins. The problem was the larger the gap between the heroic and villainous meter the faster, or more hero tier points that he would receive from each event, mission, or battle. It was tiresome to be good all the time. He didn¡¯t know how the greats did it in the comics. The he hit himself in the head because they were fictional characters and that was how they were so perfect. In reality it would be more like the Watchmen.

    Taking another look at the factory¡¯s expense report again he felt that Cal was taking home a huge cut. Granted Alex assumed that his actual daily income would be less because he sold the factory¡¯s stock and still had to hire employees to work the machines, but dang. Alex felt a little cheated.

    The thought of laying in the ash and soot of the destroyed building crossed his mind, but Alex decided to climb off the floor and get back to the grind. Digging through a few only partially singed closets, he found himself lucky to find a sheet that he could wrap around himself. He unlocked his phone so that he could send Obsidian a message.

    Aether: Obsidian, are you alright?

    He didn¡¯t know what had happened to her after his death nor did he know for sure how long he had been out. There was only a single midnight message, so he figured it was less than a day, but with all the things he¡¯d seen that weren¡¯t quite right he couldn¡¯t be sure what was going on.

    Obsidian: You¡¯re ALIVE!

    Aether: Yeah, I made it. Where are you?

    Obsidian: I¡¯m at the factory.

    Aether: Alright, stay there. I¡¯m on my way.

 My Supers Online Chapter 06-02

    Chapter 06-02

    Obsidian rushed down the flight of stairs from the center observation room to meet Alex as he walked in the front door of their factory. The place was up and running and there were nearly a hundred people working hard on the machines throughout the building. He noticed that some of the machines looked upgraded, being shiny and new.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad that you are ok.¡± She said grabbing him in a tight hug. Then she realized that he was wearing nothing but a sheet and backed off a little blushing for the first time that Alex had seen since the two had met.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see that you were as dumb as I was and took your leave to that ass hole.¡± Alex said with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, I yelled for you, but you either didn¡¯t hear me or you ignored me. I did go back after the fact and get your body.¡± She said with a solemn look over her shoulder towards the observation level.

    ¡°Well this should be interesting.¡± Alex said awkwardly and started to walk towards the stairs. He¡¯d seen his avatar before after a death, but this felt different. His stomach leapt into his throat and he had to swallow hard to force himself to keep walking.

    On the landing for the observation room Alex quickly noticed that it was different from how they had left it when they had fought the Kymos and his strong-arms. He assumed that it would be repair, but this was something else entirely. Before there was only one level that was split into three rooms. That same level still existed, but there had been the addition of a flight of stairs that went up to another two levels. Obsidian led Alex up to the second floor.

    To say the next thing that he saw was weird would be a massive understatement. It kind of took his breath away when he walked through the door on the second floor landing and his body was sitting in the corner still wearing his equipment. He actually felt physically ill. With a loud throat clear and a head shake to right himself he approached his body.

    ¡°That is messed up.¡± Alex said. He held the sheet with one hand and rubbed his face with his other hand.

    ¡°Yeah, I kind of panicked and didn¡¯t know what to do.¡± Obsidian said shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

    ¡°Alright, well.¡± He said breathing out a long breath through his nose, ¡°Give me a minute.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± She said with a nod and disappeared down the stairs.

    Alex stood for a long moment looking down at his body. He had no desire to touch it, but he needed his armor. After a deep breath be began to disrobe himself and don the pieces of armor shaking his head the whole time. In the back of his mind he repeated ¡®this is so messed up,¡¯ over and over again. He left his dead form laying in a pair of boxers deciding that he could get knew ones and he would leave himself a little dignity.

    They were still going to have to get rid of the body before it started to stink. Before calling Obsidian back he took a moment to examine the room. The second story of the observation deck was a living quarters. The room with his body was a living room, nicely furnished and clean, not accounting for the dead body. From where he stood, he could see a nice kitchen that went off onto a patio outside the back of the factory. It wasn¡¯t much of a view, but it was something. There was another flight of stairs going up to a third floor.

    There was a knock at the door.

    ¡°Yeah come on back.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Obsidian asked when she notice Alex looking around the room.

    ¡°It looks great.¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Well with the Hero Bureau gone there really wasn¡¯t anywhere else for me to go. I didn¡¯t know exactly want to do. I came here and Calson told me that there were upgrades to the observation level that could be used for anything. With his help I threw together this little place for us to stay until something better comes along. Cost me about twenty thousand thread, but I had some saved up, so it wasn¡¯t a huge deal.¡± She said looking around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll get your money back.¡± Alex said holding up his hand in assurance.

    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m not worried about it, but that pretty much wiped out my lifesavings. I kind of took this job to make money not spend it.¡± She said with a half-smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. If you have something to say, or you need something, you don¡¯t hesitate. I¡¯ll get you your money back.¡± Alex said. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. A great deal of tension released in her shoulders at his declaration.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s next boss?¡± She asked with a little more levity in her tone.

    ¡°First I need to let you know that I¡¯ve made a decision for myself. I will allow you out of our agreement if this doesn¡¯t align with your resolution, but I have decided that I am going to be an Anti-Hero. This town needs a bit of a firmer hand that a squeaky-clean hero cannot offer. At least when it comes to what I can do. I¡¯m a person with many flaws and there isn¡¯t much that I can do about that.¡± Alex explained with his hand rested on her shoulder.

    Obsidian didn¡¯t respond at first. Her face screwed up in thought and consideration. Alex couldn¡¯t blame her for needing to consider the situation. If she wanted to be all hero then staying with him while he pursued the path of Anti-Hero would not help her alone her goal. They would both be getting Villainous points. She already had to combat the points that she had gotten growing up in her villainous family.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want out. I¡¯ll follow you. I mean, my own mother tried to kill me, so I get what you are saying.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°Excellent! I don¡¯t know what I would do without you. You¡¯ve saved my life at least once so far.¡± Alex said breathing a sigh of relief, ¡°Next I think we need to make a trip to the Tailor¡¯s Guild. I¡¯d like to pick up some upgrades.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Obsidian said with a nod and renewed resolve.

    ¡°What are we going to do with that?¡± Alex asked pointing at himself in the corner.

    ¡°There is a furnace in the basement.¡± Obsidian suggested with a shrug.

    ¡°I guess that will do the trick.¡± Alex said with a sigh. He walked over to himself and knelt down. With a heave he tossed his own body over his shoulder, ¡°Lead the way.¡± He pointed towards the door.

    They walked through the main production floor. No one seemed to look twice at the body that was dangling from his shoulder. Alex didn¡¯t know if he was happy that they worked without question or worried that they didn¡¯t question a body.

    After another long flight of stairs, they arrived in the dark basement. In a corner at the far end of the building there was an old building furnace that was burning faithfully. They walked across the room in silence. Obsidian reached up and pulled the door open with a loud creak.

    With a deep breath Alex tossed his body into the flames. The fire immediately began to build as his remains began to burn. He shook his head grabbing the door from Obsidian and pushed it closed. A notification appeared on Alex¡¯s HUD.

    --+0 Villainous Points (0)

    -Disposing of a body

    -Note this action would normally result in villainous activity points, however since you are disposing of your own body the normal points have been reduced to zero.

    ¡°After the fight at the factory I got to level six.¡± Obsidian said as they climbed up from the basement to the main production floor.

    ¡°Nice! I did too.¡± Alex said excitedly. He also remembered that he had stat points and Power Points that he needed to spend.

    Calson met the duo near a group of working men. He smiled when he noticed Alex and held out his hand to shake.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you not dead.¡± Calson said as the two shook hands.

    ¡°Yeah me too.¡± Alex said with a nod and a smile, ¡°How¡¯s our factory running?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I think you will be please with our progress. We have sales going out this evening. I was not able to sell all of the back stock that was stored in the warehouse. I don¡¯t exactly know what the Kymos was up to, but the had tons ready to sell.¡± Calson said. The three of them began to walk the line of machines that were hard at work.

    ¡°I wonder if they were trying to play the market. How many facilities around the world create this component do you think?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say there are only a few and judging from the prices I got from what I sold yesterday I¡¯d say that you are on to something. Perfect grade components were selling for twenty percent higher than market value. Poor grade was still selling at thirteen percent increase.¡± Calson explained as he began to rattle off numbers.

    ¡°So, you think the Kymos has assumed ownership of all of the electronic component factories?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say most if I had to guess.¡± Calson said with a nod.

    ¡°Well maybe we will get a few weeks that we get good prices before the market equalizes.¡± Alex said with a nod, ¡°With Kymos out of the picture who knows what will happen next.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± Calson said in agreement.

    ¡°Excellent work. Keep making me money!¡± Alex said clapping Calson on the shoulder.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Calson said stopping as Alex and Obsidian walked outside into the air.

    Alex couldn¡¯t say that it was fresh air per say. His mask did a good job at cleaning out pollution, but in the district where they were the air was horrible. The whole city needed a massive facelift.

    Obsidian led they way through the city to the Tailor¡¯s Guild. Alex was starting to figure out his way around, but he didn¡¯t mind that the more experience traveler was in the lead.

    It was only a half an hour walk until the duo was approaching the building that they were looking for. Alex was practically salivating thinking of the potential upgrades that he needed. He also thought about the money that he now owed Obsidian and considered holding back so that he could pay her back more quickly.

    Alex slowed as he climbed the stairs that surrounded the building. Something was wrong, completely off. It didn¡¯t matter what time of day it was the Tailor¡¯s Guild was always jam packed full of activity. As he looked around Alex saw that there was no activity. He stopped holding up his arm to stop Obsidian.

    ¡°What?¡± She asked looking down at his hand, but Alex didn¡¯t have to say anything for the peculiarity of the situation registered with her.

    ¡°Something is not right.¡± Alex said taking a step back while pushing her back away from the building.

    Cracks of blue light began to appear on the walls and windows of the building. More and more they spread until the whole thing looked like it was shards glued back together. From the street they watched as the cracks began to glow white and heard as it sounded like air rushing into a vacuum.

    With a crack like a whip a bright flash of white light engulfed the whole block. Alex would have had to look away but the lenses on his mask filtered out the harmful light levels. He watched as the building was sucked inward as if it were imploding, but instead it just vanished. Faster than an instant it was all over. The building was just gone.

    ¡°Well that is definitely not good.¡± Alex said clenching his fist.

 My Supers Online Chapter 06-03

    Chapter 06-03

    ¡°What now?¡± Obsidian asked looking from the spot where the building was missing to where Alex was standing.

    ¡°What now? What now?!¡± What the hell just happened?¡± Alex said throwing up his arms. He began to pace in small circles on the sidewalk. It was an unrelenting pace at which things were changing around him and it was getting hard for him to keep up. He needed to talk to someone.

    ¡°Yeah, what now? We obviously can¡¯t buy gear here.¡± Obsidian said with a huff and a shrug.

    Alex knelt into a squat to examine the empty lot. He scratched his brow in apprehension. There were several thoughts that ran through his mind. The Tailor¡¯s guild was powerful and thus had access to powerful equipment and powerful supers. They could have pulled out of the city because they didn¡¯t appreciate the ratcheting tension in the area, or perhaps someone in control of the city pissed them off. There were, however, other possibilities such as something bigger removed their building from the city, or a super finally powerful enough to tango with them is punishing them. Alex just needed more information.

    ¡°You got any ideas?¡± Obsidian asked after she let the silence go as long as she could.

    ¡°Where is the nearest caf¨¦? I¡¯d like a coffee.¡± Alex said standing up off of the ground. He turned towards the city and started to walk away from the empty lot.

    ¡°This way.¡± She motioned leading him down the street. With an about face Alex turned to walk in the direction that Obsidian indicated.

    While they were walking Alex decided to take out his phone and message Melena. If there was another that could help the figure out what was going on and get them hooked up with a mission giver it would be her. It had been about a day since they had met on the roof so he though it was about time for an update.

    Aether: Hey, any new info?

    He sent the message and locked his phone. He was about to put his phone back into his pocket when it chimed before he got the chance. Unlocking the phone, he was happy to see that it was indeed message from his friend.

    Melena: It¡¯s been rough, but things are developing. Can you meet?

    Aether: I have my sidekick with me. I trust her.

    Melena: I trust your judgment. Message me when you get to a place we can talk.

    Obsidian lead them to a shop called Fresh Snow. The small shop was tucked into a side street between a couple of other shops. In truth Alex really only noticed the other shops because his mind was running a million miles a minute after the disappearance of the Tailor¡¯s Guild. He had rarely done business anywhere else and when he was an admin, he had rarely done business at all. His mind was busy working on contingency plans for their supplies. Between them they only had a couple of health and energy serums.

    They walked inside to a comfortable sitting area that was decorated in warm rural d¨¦cor that made Alex feel like he was visiting his grandmother in some of the southern states back on what was left of Earth in the remnants of the United States. Most of the world¡¯s population had congregated in city states using the existing infrastructure to attempt life as if nothing had happened. Small pockets built from scratch in small settlements living off the land and not accepting the help of the machines to get back on their feet. Alex¡¯s grandmother and grandfather both lived in the south before they died.

    ¡°Get us a seat. I¡¯ll get the coffee goodness.¡± Obsidian said weaving her way through the tables to the counter to get the drinks.

    ¡°Order for three. We will have a guest.¡± Alex called to her. He turned and found and table in the corner of the room. There were four chairs at the table and Alex hated that there was no window, but with the layout of the seating area privacy didn¡¯t come with a window.

    ¡°Alrighty?¡± She said with a questioning conformation.

    Alex sat down at the table and messaged Melena that they had found a place. He placed his phone on the table and leaned back in the chair. He sighed a long breath. The world was changing, and it was changing fast. Something huge was coming to pass. When he was an admin, he would have known what was going on, but now he felt like he was the bottom of the pile.

    Obsidian returned to the table with three steaming cups of coffee. She bought the large cups. Alex took his cup and gently tasted a sip of the warm beverage. The extremely sweet assault hit his taste buds nearly choking him. It tasted like liquid diabetes.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± He demanded.

    ¡°It¡¯s the autumn banquet.¡± She said with a grin.

    ¡°That¡¯s too much sugar.¡± Alex shook his head.

    ¡°Shut up and enjoy it.¡± She said shaking her head in time with his.

    Alex noticed the bathroom door open, but when he looked through it there wasn¡¯t a bathroom on the other side. Instead he could see out into an alleyway. Melena walked into the shop and closed the door behind her. A yellow light filled the cracks around the edge of the door.

    When she sat down at the table Obsidian slid the extra coffee to her. She took it and gave it a short sniff.

    ¡°Autumn banquet?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Sure is.¡± Obsidian said with a curt nod.

    ¡°Excellent.¡± Melena said taking a sip, ¡°Melena.¡± She held her hand out towards Obsidian.

    ¡°I¡¯m Obsidian.¡± She said taking Melena¡¯s hand shaking it firmly.

    ¡°Um, Melena is an old friend.¡± Alex explained.

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Obsidian said with a friendly smile.

    Melena looked to Alex to still be exhausted. Her super suit was battle warn and filthy. She leaned forward on her elbows taking a few sips of her drink.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the skinny?¡± Alex asked taking a long sip of his own coffee.

    ¡°Utter chaos.¡± She said. She seemed better put together than the last time that they had met, which wasn¡¯t that long ago, but she still had an air of exhaustion about her.

    ¡°Alright. Any more info on what has happened to the account page?¡± Alex asked with a push.

    ¡°Right, um¡­ yeah.¡± She said fidgeting.

    ¡°Out with it!¡± Alex said loudly but repeated himself more softly.

    ¡°Alright, but look, calm down.¡± She said while she sighed.

    ¡°Promise.¡± Alex said putting up his hand leaned back in his chair pretending to be cool.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve been able to gather, the world that we are ¡®playing¡¯ in,¡± she said throwing up air quotes with her fingers, ¡°isn¡¯t a game anymore. Something took over for the highest-level AIs that ran the game and turned everything into a real actual place. The NPCs are real people now not just information on a server.¡± She explained. Alex¡¯s eyes shifted to Obsidian who was listening just as intently as he was.

    ¡°What exactly does that mean for players?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I was told that our souls were permanently shifted into the bodies that we have in this world. We don¡¯t know for sure what happened to the bodies that got left behind, but I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t pretty. I¡¯m guessing death.¡± Melena said miming a throat slit.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Alex bit his knuckle in excitement, ¡°That I am a real life Super Powered Person, not just playing in a game anymore? Why the hell couldn¡¯t this have happened a month ago when I was an admin at my prime.¡± He asked. His mind began to race with the possibilites that could have been if it had happened only a couple of days earlier.

    ¡°That seems to be the gist of it.¡± She said with a nod.

    Alex couldn¡¯t contain himself. He whooped loudly and punched the air.

    ¡°Calm down.¡± Melena said holding out her hand to stop him, ¡°Not the freaking out that I was expecting, but still.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Alex said a little lightheaded.

    ¡°Some of the admins have gathered and kind of started our own city. You¡¯re welcome if you need haven.¡± Melena said rolling her eyes at his reaction.

    ¡°Are things that bad?¡± Alex asked. He hadn¡¯t felt like things were too out of control, but at the same time he was living in an area that had almost zero players beyond himself.

    ¡°In some places. High player population areas. Aether there are some players that are awful people.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡± Alex said crossing his arms over his chest. Obsidian nodded in agreement.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t helped that the NPCs seem to be getting more powerful. I heard another admin talking about one that figured out how to get multiple abilities.¡± Melena explained in a hushed tone.

    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Obsidian said pipping up for the first time during the whole conversation.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know how true it is, but at this point I don¡¯t know what not to believe. I mean if we¡¯ve come to this new world and everyone is essentially the same, why couldn¡¯t everyone have multiple powers?¡± Melena suggested.

    The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes and sipped on their coffees. Alex was rolling this new information over in his head. He was more than excited about what was unfolding, but he could see the potential for tragedy and complication.

    ¡°What about in game deaths? I¡¯ve died since this all started, I came back.¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Not enough information.¡± She said shaking her head, ¡°I would be careful though. On one hand since we are all basically the same maybe the NPCs were given the ability to respawn too, maybe you got lucky and next time you might not be. It¡¯s not a theory that I would be keen to test.¡± She said.

    ¡°Noted.¡± Alex said with a nod.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯ve got to get going. I¡¯ve already been out too long, I think. Is there anything else that you need?¡± She asked looking down into her empty mug. She stood up from the table.

    ¡°I¡¯m out of mission givers here, is there any help you can offer?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Go see Function. He¡¯s an AI that could offer you some help.¡± She asked. A notification appeared on Alex¡¯s HUD that showed him how to get to a building on the east side of the city. He accepted the route and minimized the window for the moment.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Alex said with a smile.

    ¡°No problem.¡± She said returning the smile though hers was wary.

    ¡°You take care of yourself, ok?¡± Alex said standing. For the first time in as long as he could remember he felt the desire to hug someone. When he leaned over to do just that she hugged him back.

    ¡°You do the same.¡± She said in his ear.

    Melena walked to the back of the shop. She tapped a small device to the door frame, and it lit up brightly with pink and purple light. When she opened the door, she did not walk into the bathroom, instead she walked into another part of the world.

    ¡°How about we go see this Function guy.¡± Alex suggested looking over at Obsidian.

    ¡°I¡¯m in. I¡¯m itching for a mission.¡± She said with a nod.

 My Supers Online Chapter 06-04

    Chapter 06-04

    Alex and Obsidian asked the woman behind the counter in the cozy caf¨¦ if they could have fresh cups of coffee in to-go cups. She told them it would take a few minutes because she had to brew fresh and both agreed that it would be best to wait. Alex decided that it would be an excellent time to do some maintenance on his allocate-able points.

    After the new newest levels that he had gained he had Alex had a total of nine Power Points to spend and a massive sixteen stat points that he needed to assign. On top of all that Alex could choose his first Feat of Power.

    Alex did not hesitate to spend two points in his Super Strength Power. He had gotten a taste for the Seismic Punch and it did not let him down and he didn¡¯t want to be without it. The two extra points also gave him six more points in his strength stat.

    -New Skill has been Unlocked!

    -Seismic Punch

    -At a Cost of 100 Energy deliver an Earth-Shaking punch!

    The first thing that came to his mind was energy. In his last fight, not counting the one where he was downright demolished, he had been low on energy right at the end and had to get the villain to monologue so that it could regenerate. He opened the feats list and started to search for energy based feats. Two popped up that weren¡¯t greyed out that he could get that weren¡¯t locked behind walls forcing him to reach other milestones first.

    -Feat of Power (Energy Boost I)

    -This Feat gives a 50% boost to total energy available for use in combat.

    -1 Feat Power Required.

    ~~~

    -Feat of Power (Energy Regen I)

    -This Feat gave a 25% boost in the energy regen at a resting state.

    -1 Feat Power Required.

    Running the numbers in his head a few times, if he took the Energy boost it would bring his total energy level up to two hundred and eighty-eight. This would give him the ability to use his seismic punch twice in a combat while still leaving points for healing and smaller attacks.

    In his current state Alex regenerated one energy point every five seconds when he was in a rest state, something like sitting, or listening to a villain monologue. If he took the other feat, Energy Regen, this would get him one and a quarter every five seconds.

    It took a moment, but he made up his mind. He took Energy Boost I. Instantly there was a rush of power through his body. He caught a glimpse of his reflection where his eyes flashed with a light blue for a moment around the edges.

    As a second boost to his energy he added three of his stat points into his will. This brought his energy up to two hundred and ninety-five points. Those extra few points could mean the difference between life and death in the heat of battle.

    Next, he spent two points in Fate hoping that the world could maybe throw him a bone for once. He hadn¡¯t spent any points in this stat yet, and he never really had before when he was an admin. Before he felt like it didn¡¯t really matter, but since his life was a little different, he decided to try and load the dice a little.

    He had eleven points left as he stared at his stats. If it really was his life and there was a chance that he wouldn¡¯t come back after another brush with eternity he decided a few points to boost his health wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. He spent four points in constitution which brought his health points up to two hundred and eighty-eight.

    After a few minutes of pondering he put three points into his strength. He figured a good defense would serve him, and it would help with his Super Strength power in the long run. With that his armor was up to a massive one hundred and one points. This would help him take a hit in a fight and negate large amounts of the damage.

    The last thing that Alex did with his last four stat points was to spend one each in Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These would help him be a stronger person all around and he could use every leg up that he could get.

    He decided to hold onto his last power point that he recently earned making saved points up to seven, at his next level he would be able to buy a new power altogether. He would start with a single point in that power so that he could use it right away. He had some time to consider his options which he had narrowed down to, scan, teleport, and telekinesis. All three were powers that he had used often when he was an admin and if he had known that this game was a little more serious than just a game, he might have chosen at least one of those in the start.

    He closed his stat page and looked down at Obsidian. Despite the fact that they were drinking coffee, in his silence she had laid her head down and fallen asleep. He shook his head and began to plot.

    There were seven people in the caf¨¦. He stood up from his chair and looked around at all of the people for a moment.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°I am about to pull a prank on her. It would really help if you all screamed loudly as if we were under attack. I will pay for any damages.¡± Alex said quietly, but it seemed that he could have spoken at normal volume because Obsidian snored loudly.

    Everyone in the shop shared the same prankster mentality that Alex had. Not a soul in the room protested, even the woman carrying their coffees nodded her head, but backed away with the two large cups of hot liquid.

    Alex walked around behind where Obsidian was sitting. He cleared his throat and moved his arms around stretching them out before acting. Using his flight ability, he drifted a few inches off of the ground. In a swift motion he dropped to the ground and lightly, but surly slammed his hands down on her back while yelling.

    ¡°Oh God! We¡¯re under attack!¡± Alex yelled. Everyone in the building started to scream bloody murder.

    The chair that she was sitting in collapsed under the combined force of Alex¡¯s action and Obsidian¡¯s sudden movement. She started to yell and jumped to her feet activating her powers. When she threw up her arms, she accidentally flipped the table in front of her.

    The whole room started to laugh loudly. She looked around breathing heavily trying to piece together what was going on. Growling she turned around and hit Alex in the gut. With an oof he chuckled. A notification appeared in Alex¡¯s HUD.

    -You¡¯ve Completed a Random Event!

    -Stopped a Robbery

    -Defeated 3x Goldy Goons

    -300XP (100XP Each)

    -+1 Hero Point (You are a Hero!)

    -+3 Hero Tier (-7 Until Next Tier)

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Alex said looking up towards the front door. He caught the ass end of three Goons running away down the block. They had weapons in their hands.

    ¡°That was lucky. Jerk!¡± Obsidian said accepting her coffee from the lady behind the counter.

    Alex smiled and took his own to-go cup. He tapped his phone on the counter to charge for damage and the drinks.

    -350t Charged.

    He was a little disheartened by the fact that he was starting from the ground floor on his hero tier and there was seven days until that payout would happen. He sighed and walked towards the exit.

    ¡°Why do you fall asleep so much?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been a big sleeper.¡± She shrugged.

    They walked out onto the street. The destination that was labeled on the map wasn¡¯t that far away. Outside of the alley was a left turn and then it was pretty much a straight shot. Alex realized that the destination was at the campus of the old university.

    After their brisk walk the duo stood in front of the dilapidated campus. It had at one point churned out some of the smartest people in the city, but that had been some years ago. The front gate was closed and locked with a rusty pad lock.

    ¡°Are you sure this is the place?¡± Obsidian asked as they approached the gate. She laced her fingers into the bars of the gate and looked around.

    ¡°That¡¯s what the map says.¡± Alex said with a shrug. He grabbed the lock and with just a little focus of his energy he snapped the top of it off. The gate swung open a couple of feet once he had removed the chair.

    They walked across the unkempt lawn towards the main building. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was where the AI was, but it was as good a place as any to start looking. The front door was off its hinges and when he pulled it open the whole thing fell to the ground. The wood was rotted.

    Walking inside the building was silent. A shiver shot down Alex¡¯s spin and he noticed that Obsidian was a little closer to him than normal. He wanted to poke fun but decided to give her a break.

    They made their way through the dark halls. Light spilled in from the rooms when a door was open here and there, but the windows were filthy, so the light was scarce. They walked past administration.

    ¡°Check this out!¡± Obsidian called causing Alex to jump.

    Alex hadn¡¯t been paying attention to Obsidian when he noticed that she was gone. He looked all around and finally found her a few doors back with her head leaning inside. With a grumpy demeanor he walked back to the room where she had veered off.

    Inside there was a computer lab. Everything in the room was covered in a thick layer of dust. The computers were somehow still on, but the screens weren¡¯t displaying anything. Alex walked into the room pushing himself past his sidekick.

    ¡°Hello?¡± He asked the room.

    An image of an average looking man appeared with a pop in front of him. He wore a tweed coat and jeans. His hair was slicked back, and his eyes were an electric blue. Alex jumped back and stumbled ultimately being caught by Obsidian. He recovered and straightened himself back up. The image flickered for a moment, but it was able to stay solid. He smiled at them standing in the door.

    ¡°Hello, my name is Function. I am a level ten artificial intelligence. How my I assist you?¡± The man asked.

    ¡°Hello, function. Why do you speak so proper?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I can adopt a more casual form of communication. Would you like me to do so?¡± Function asked.

    ¡°Yes, Please.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Thanks man. I hate talking like that, but my programming won¡¯t let me just drop it.¡± He smiled.

    ¡°Good stay that way when you are talking to me.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°What brings you to my neck of the woods?¡± Function asked. Not only had he adopted a more relaxed form of speaking, but his posture relaxed as well.

    ¡°I was sent here by a friend because she said you could help me find missions.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Depending on this friend.¡± He said shifting from a grin to a neutral expression.

    ¡°Her name is Mad Mind Melena.¡± Alex said crossing his arms.

    ¡°I was hoping that she would send someone soon.¡± Function said happily, ¡°I can offer you two options. I have limited resources available to me here, but if you allow me to integrate with your HUD I can better serve.¡±

    -A Digital Friend in need.

    -Function is an AI that has been limited to his confines at the university. He wishes to integrate with your HUD and be bound to you to offer missions and information.

    -If you accept this you will get an awesome AI that will help you in the future.

    -If you decline this he will still help you but in order to speak with him you will have to return to this place.

    -Please Note: Function¡¯s missions will be fewer and less profitable from the confines of the university.

    -Accept

    -Yes | No

    Alex took a deep breath. He wasn¡¯t sure about having an AI integrate with his suit. It was a leap of faith. The one thing that pushed him towards his option was that Melena sent him there. She wouldn¡¯t have done so if it was the wrong choice. She had already helped him out immensely so far.

    Alex selected yes.

    For a moment the room lit up with bright white light. The avatar of the man flickered for a second, but it ultimately became clearer.

    -You have completed a mission.

    -A Digital Friend in need.

    -+2000xp

    -+8 Heroic Points

    -+8 Hero Tier Points (-29 Until Next Tier)

 My Super Short 01 - Spike and Rodger

    Spike and Rodger 01

    Rodger stood on the sidewalk outside of the office building where he worked. He spent ten hours every day locked inside of that tall thirty story prison made of glass and concrete. This moment like the three others of its kind were his few moments of relief from the keyboard and holo-screen that ruled his life as he crunched mindless numbers.

    From his pocket he pulled a pack of cigarettes. He didn¡¯t have the extra stitches this week to get the expensive pack that he normally got so he would spend much of his time coughing up pieces of his lungs until this pack was gone. He put the small stick of relief between his lips and went for his lighter. No matter how hard he searched his pockets he couldn¡¯t find it.

    Then it hit him, he had to take it out of his pocket to get a pen that had slipped down into the depths and he had set the lighter on his desk which was where it remained. With a deep sigh he removed the cigarette from between his lips with his thumb and pointer finger.

    Rodger looked around at the sidewalk where people were smoking and enjoying their breaks. He noticed Spike, a man that always weirded him out, smoking and looking up at the building that they worked in.

    ¡°Could I bum up pyro?¡± Rodger asked making his way over to stand next to Spike.

    ¡°Right, sure.¡± Spike said handing over his lighter.

    Rodger took the lighter and lit his own cigarette. He breathed in the glorious smoke that was slowly killing him, but he didn¡¯t care. Something had to kill him it might as well have been something that gave him relief.

    ¡°Where do you think they came from?¡± Spike asked still staring up at the building.

    ¡°Where do I think what came from?¡± Rodger asked.

    ¡°Tire treads on the walls.¡± Spike said pointing up at the side of the building.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rodger asked turning to match Spike¡¯s gaze, ¡°Oh, there are indeed tire tracks on the walls.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, where did you think they came from?¡± Spike asked again.

    ¡°If I had to guess it was Carpool, or some crazy ass vehicle based bridger.¡± Rodger sighed. The two men stood side by side oblivious to the world around them staring up at the building.

    Tracks went from right to left starting at eye level and at its highest point was about thirty feet off of the ground. They were wide like they belong to some kind of large truck.

    Spike reached forward to touch what looked like the start of the tire track and there was a resounding crack. A second later every window with a tire track on it splintered. "Shit! Do you think they''ll blame me?!"

    Rodger busted out laughing having to lean down on his knees the laugher was coming so hard. He had to fight to get air into his lungs.

    ¡°You are so fired!¡± He managed to say between deep inhales of air.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°No man? Really?¡± Spike asked. He started to look around nervously.

    ¡°Probably. You know we always get blamed for the shit that Bridgers do.¡± Rodger said clapping Spike on the shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s been nice working with you. Well, I guess I can¡¯t say that because we work it two different departments.¡± Rodger said wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. He handed Spike his lighter and walked away leaving the man with his fate in the air, ¡°I hope that you¡¯ve dropped some points in Fate my man.¡± He called back over his shoulder.

    Rodger road the elevator back up to his office on the seventeenth floor. He walked down the halls with a fair bit of pep in his step saying high to the people that he passed. When he walked into his office, he left the door open so that people could lean in and greet him.

    He sat down at his computer and opened the spread sheet that he was currently working on. There were thousands of numbers on the screen. A smile stretched across his face as he started to work. A few times he started to chuckle when he thought of the look of shock on Spike¡¯s face as all of the glass splintered at his touch.

    ¡°Um, Rodger, do you have a minute?¡± His supervisor, Mike, asked leaning into the door.

    ¡°Sure Mr. Morres.¡± Rodger smiled and leaned back in his chair.

    ¡°Great, Thanks.¡± Mike said elongating the pronunciation of each word. He walked into the room and closed the door. Standing up straight he folded his hands in front of him.

    ¡°New client?¡± Rodger asked. They had been expecting that a new large client was going to be signed to the company and there was going to be a new manager chosen from everyone at his employment level.

    ¡°Yes, but that is not what this is concerning.¡± Mike sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve filled out all of this week¡¯s reports and I¡¯ve gotten a head start on next weeks.¡± Rodger said.

    ¡°Well, you see, this company is a series of cogs and if those cogs aren¡¯t working together then¡­¡± Mike continued speaking, but Rodger zoned out. Whenever any management had to do something uncomfortable, they resorted to the stupid facsimiles. It was like some kind of skill they received for getting any of the high-level corporate feats, ¡°In conclusion we are going to have to let you go.¡± He finished.

    ¡°What? Why?¡± Rodger demanded.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear anything about my cog speech?¡± Mike asked looking a little hurt.

    ¡°I did but I didn¡¯t think you were going to fire me. What¡¯s going on? Is this prank?¡± Rodger stood up from his desk.

    ¡°I assure you that this is very serious.¡± Mike said sternly. He opened a holographic screen that began to play a record of when Spike touched the tire tracks and him busting out laughing.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have anything to do with that.¡± Rodger said.

    ¡°Destruction of company property is a very serious offense.¡± Mike said.

    ¡°I agree but I didn¡¯t have anything to do with that!¡± Rodger said pointing angerly at the holo-screen.

    ¡°Please take your belongings and leave the premises.¡± Mike said crossing his arms.

    ¡°Really, that¡¯s it?¡± Rodger asked.

    ¡°Please do not make me have to call security.¡± Mike said as he hovered his hand over the phone.

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Rodger said throwing up his hands in defeat.

    Mike nodded sharply and watched him like a hawk. Rodger took a few moments to grab the three mementos that were around the room. An old gaming controller from about ten years before he was born that was signed by Nalison who won the Murder Night tournament eight times in a row, and a couple of pictures of his family.

    Mike escorted Rodger to the elevator. The doors opened and Rodger stepped on board. Mike held out his hand for Rodger to turn over his badge. Without it he would only be able to get out of the building and nowhere else. The doors closed and Rodger was alone with his thoughts.

    Three floors down on this trip the doors opened again, and Spike stepped onto the elevator carrying a box filled with his personal belongings. When the elevator started moving the to of them stood in silence.

    Spike started laughing as hard as Rodger had when they were on the street.

    ¡°What so funny?!¡± Rodger demanded.

    ¡°You got fired too. If I don¡¯t laugh, I¡¯m going to cry.¡± Spike admitted.

    ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± Rodger said sharply.

    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to pay my bills.¡± Spike hacked out between laughs.

    ¡°This is your fault.¡± Rodger said.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Do you want to go get a drink?¡± Spike was finally starting to calm down.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Rodger said after a long sigh. He had nothing better to do than get drunk in the middle of the day.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 06

    Breakfast

    Walking arm in arm with Alara early in the morning really let me know bliss. She was interested in everything and wanted to look at everything. We came to a street that appeared to sport several restaurants of various types. I let Alara¡¯s nose do the rest of the work. A few moments later we were inside a nice diner with several homely looking people drinking coffee and eating breakfast.

    A waitress came up to us after we sat down. It was almost sad how much of a stereotype cutout she was, but that¡¯s just how this worked I guess. She pulled a pen out of her bun and a pad out of her apron.

    ¡°What can I get you two love birds this morning?¡±

    ¡°Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a side of toast please,¡± I said glancing at the menu. I looked over to Alara.

    ¡°Same.¡±

    ¡°Alright! Give us a minute and we¡¯ll have it right out,¡± the waitress said then went to get coffee for another customer.

    I turned back to Alara. ¡°So. What should we do today?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. I know you want to play with your new toy,¡± Alara said poking me in the side.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t spend time with you,¡± I said with a smirk at being caught.

    ¡°Which we can do anywhere. Here, back at the warehouse, Murgin. I don¡¯t care what we do.¡±

    The waitress dropped off our drinks, coffee for me and apple juice for Alara. Now that I thought about it, I hadn¡¯t eaten in... nearly two years. I had a human body here but didn¡¯t appear to need to eat. I took a sip of the coffee and was nearly floored by the flavor. A few minutes later the waitress arrived with the food. I cut a piece off with my fork and then almost in slow motion took the bite.

    ¡°Amazing, no, I don¡¯t think amazing is a good enough word for this,¡± I mumbled around the bite of pancake.

    Needless to say, the next ten minutes were one of the most enjoyable moments I¡¯d had since I could remember. I set my fork down and leaned back almost at a loss for words. I suddenly heard laughing from next to me. Glancing to the seat next to me, Alara was covering her mouth trying to hold in her laughter.

    ¡°Been a while since you last ate?¡± She asked as she pulled my head down to her and licked the side of my mouth before giving me a kiss. It was a few seconds before she broke it. ¡°You missed a spot.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Love. Yeah. You forget what it''s like to have taste when your mouth is just a giant floating crystal a thousand meters underground.¡±

    ¡°I love your metal body but maybe a flesh one now and then isn¡¯t too bad,¡± she said stroking my cheek.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± I said smiling at her.

    We paid then made our way outside. It was still early morning and we had the whole day ahead of us. We decided to wander around a little before heading back home. I needed to give the new henchmen time to get some work done. I paused mid-step when I remembered that I forgot to tell them about the elevator. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine, I thought.

    We were walking down a random street when the crowd around us started pushing us back. I wrapped Alara in a hug to keep her from being crushed, then looked up over the heads of the crowd. A strange looking limo was cruising slowly down the road. Motorcycles were escorting it. I felt Alara¡¯s grip on my hand tighten enough that I feared she was going to break it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Necromancer!¡± She growled. I narrowed my eyes as I reexamined the scene in front of me. Sure enough, the men on the motorcycles were clearly zombies.

    ¡°Smith give me any information you can on who that is,¡± I said making sure everything was clear to him.

    ¡°Affirmative. Accessing local network.¡±

    ¡°Access granted.¡±

    ¡°Searching.¡±

    ¡°Found.¡±

    ¡°Autumn¡¯s Reach Mayor. Lord Scythe. NPC. Power ¨C Necromancy. Current Standing with Autumn¡¯s Reach: Hated.¡±

    ¡°Level: 57¡±

    ¡°No more information available on local network. Would you like me to run a global search? This will require a large amount of time and could yield no results.¡±

    ¡°No. Thank you. I have all the information I need,¡± I said.

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    Alara¡¯s grip loosened once the precession passed. She looked at the marks she had left and frowned. ¡°Sorry. Love,¡± she said pressing her cheek against my hand. The crowd let up and we got more space to ourselves. I leaned down and peeked her on the cheek.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know how you feel about that particular branch of magic,¡± I said rubbing my thumb across her cheek. I would never get over the feeling of being about to touch her. I knew it made me possessive at times though.

    ¡°I¡¯m ok now, let''s get back to the tour,¡± Alara said forcing a smile.

    We kept along the street but the mood of everyone was dampened by the passing of the mayor. Finally, I couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pulled a random person aside.

    ¡°Hey, I need to ask some questions,¡± I said to the man that was handling being pulled aside by a random stranger quite well.

    ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why is everyone so...¡± I said trying to think of the correct word to use.

    ¡°Depressed?¡± the man suggested.

    ¡°I guess that works. Yeah, why so depressed?¡±

    ¡°Lord Scythe just passed through. That means another girl was taken from the city,¡± the man said spitting on the ground.

    ¡°Why does no one stand against him? Surely, there is a hero that could beat him,¡± I said trying to make sense of the situation.

    ¡°There was one. He was dealing with Lord Scythe¡¯s forces. From what I know he was close to being able to beat him soon. He just had to build up his power some more. You know, one of those Bridger types. Anyway, no one has seen him in almost three days. All his buildings have reverted to the city¡¯s ownership.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly well informed,¡± I said taking a closer look at the man. He looked like he worked for a firm or government department.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I work in the damn city hall, well used to.¡± He punched the wall as he frowned.

    ¡°Interesting. So, you would say that Lord Scythe is evil?¡± I asked. I knew this WAS a game. Before these people were just ones and zeros that were meant to be terminated based of a complicated formula, but now they weren¡¯t that different from Alara and me.

    ¡°Evil. Definitely evil. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to take enough baths to wash away the scenes I¡¯ve seen while working in that hellhole.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir. Something to help you get back on your feet,¡± I said then handed him a needle with a thousand thread on it.

    ¡°What are you planning? You have your evil grin,¡± Alara said poking me in the side.

    ¡°How do you feel about being a Queen?¡± I asked.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re my King,¡± she said with a smile. Unable to hold back, I pulled her into a deep kiss right in the middle of the street. I heard snickers from around me but ignored it all. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I held her, but when we broke apart, she was beat red with a smile plastered on her face. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡±

    <h2>Battle of City Hall</h2>

    We took off in the direction the limo was headed in. It wasn¡¯t that hard to find, we just had to follow the wave of depressed people through the city. We ended up on Capital street. The City Hall was at the end. The entire street was deserted of living people. I say living because there were plenty of zombies.

    The street leading up to the City Hall looked like it was straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Where the street we stood on was clean and well maintained, Capital street was full of potholes, dried puddles of blood, rusted signs, burned out cars and several other clich¨¦ things. Zombies wandered aimlessly around the street but there were enough of them that they were the prefect guards.

    ¡°I count a hundred and forty-nine,¡± I said as we stood at the edge of the street. There was a clear boundary marked with police tape separating the safe area from the zombie infested area.

    ¡°The correct count would be one hundred and forty-seven. After tracking your eye movement, I have determined that you counted these two twice,¡± Smith reported highlighting two zombies.

    ¡°I count a hundred and forty-seven,¡± I said without pausing. Alara just looked at me and I smiled. ¡°Smith. Please give me an average level and the top level in the mix.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Processing. Average level is ten. Highest Level is twenty-nine.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. Major weaknesses?¡± I asked more as a joke.

    ¡°Zombie type has been confirmed to be weak to head damage. Advisement. Shoot the head.¡±

    I laughed at the statement. ¡°Now, how do we play this?¡± I mused.

    ¡°Machine gun?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the...¡± I started to say when I noticed she was pointing at something just inside the horde zone. A partially burned out Humvee sat a few meters just pass the line. A machine gun sat on top that looked to still be in working order. I grinned to Alara. ¡°Prefect.¡±

    I pulled my various weapons out and checked my ammunition. I didn¡¯t know if the zombies would all rush us as soon as we crossed the line, or if it would be a gradual thing once the fighting started. Alara walked over to a nearby tree and placed her hand on it. She slowly pulled her hand away and a sword formed as she did so.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    I had a few clips for each of my weapons. I only had a single matter block left over from the morning. I planned to use it with the machine gun if it was broken, or for something else if it cost too much to repair. Once I was ready, I looked to Alara who nodded.

    Luck was with us as we crossed the police tape. None of the zombies reacted to our presence. We carefully made our way over to the Humvee. There was a burned corpse inside that was only a skeleton. I wondered when this Scythe had taken the city, and for what reason. This was more a tech-based city. One would think a tech super would have taken the city.

    I climbed into the Humvee and checked the mounted gun. It looked like part of the mount holding the gun had melted and fused solid, so it couldn¡¯t be moved anymore. The original occupant probably didn¡¯t have reason to want to stay behind to save it considering the vehicle was on fire. I dropped down into the vehicle to see if there was any spare ammunition but didn¡¯t find any.

    ¡°Give me a minute to see what I can do,¡± I said quietly to Alara. She nodded while keeping a vigilance up around us.

    I touched the machine gun while activating my power.

    -Item

    -Name: Damaged Mounted M975 Minigun

    -Attack:100 Defense:15/50

    -Durability: 35/1000

    -Description: Made by the Free Supers Military Supplier. This robust and lethal weapon was built to take a beating and dishing it out in return. Has received quite a bit of damage.

    Repair/Upgrade: 2000 Energy

    Price: 10,000t

    Interesting. It would take almost all my energy that I had currently to fix it completely. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything during the fight which was a bad move to make. I stroked my chin for a minute as I considered it.

    Ten minutes later, and a lot of playing with the system, I found something that worked. By modifying the latch, I was able to turn it partially into a matter block freeing the weapon. From there I worked to fix the individual components of the weapon, though the rest was in decent condition for where it was. The real boon came when I found a way to modify it to use my energy as ammunition.

    When all was said and done, I was left with fifteen hundred energy of my twenty-one hundred. I hoped it would be enough. Plus, I wasn¡¯t afraid to retreat if things went hairy.

    ¡°You ready, my Love?¡± I asked Alara who was lying on the hood of the vehicle.

    ¡°Yep,¡± she said jumping to her feet.

    I laid the minigun on the shielding and pulled my rifle out. I wanted to snipe a few if I could. If we got lucky, I might be able to take most out and could save the minigun for the boss fight that would be after this. Spinning the rifle to cock it, I aimed at the closest of the zombies. Smith identified it as a level six. I should be able to kill it in one shot as long as I hit the head.

    Taking time to zero in on the zombie¡¯s head, with Smith¡¯s assistance, I pulled the trigger when I was confident of the move. The silenced cracked, sounded out barely traveling further than a few meters. With a thump, the bullet slammed into the zombie¡¯s head. Smith took the liberty to mark it with a red X.

    The zombies near the downed zombie turned at the sound but didn¡¯t react any more. Grinning, I fired at the next one. Again, the zombie¡¯s head cracked back from the bullet and fell backward. Other zombies were starting to gather at the downed bodies, so I shifted to a less populated area and fired.

    Two minutes later, and thirty zombies, my luck finally ran out. With Smith¡¯s help I was aiming for the lower level zombies I was sure I could one hit. After the twenty ninth, I ran out of those. When I fired on a slightly stronger zombie, the bullet only grazed its skull on the right side. It fell back but wasn¡¯t dead. With a roar it screamed loud enough to make my ears hurt.

    Every zombie still on the street turned towards the scream then towards us. With a mixture of roars, screams, groans, and other not quite understandable sounds, they all charged us. I slung my rifle over my back and picked up the minigun.

    ¡°Ready Love!?¡± I called.

    ¡°It''s time to give them a proper rest!¡± Alara said spinning her sword as she got into a stance.

    When the horde crossed the thirty-meter mark, I pulled the trigger. Even without physical rounds, it kicked hard. I braced myself against the ruined shield on top of the Humvee and forced the gun down. The forerunners of the zombie horde were torn apart. I didn¡¯t kill them all, but I disabled most. I could feel my energy draining at a stupidly fast pace.

    With just myself, I wasn¡¯t able to cover the entire street. A few of the swifter ones were able to slip through. Alara made quick work of them. With fast jabs and nimble footwork, her sword would enter and leave a zombie¡¯s head four or five times in the span of a second.

    The horde rush lasted three minutes. The bulk of the zombies were torn apart by the minigun while Alara dealt with the rest. I ceased fire when my energy reached six hundred points. Dropping the nearly melted minigun, I drew my pistols and went to work helping Alara deal with the stragglers. A shadow covered me, and I dodged almost on instinct.

    The body of a zombie slammed into the ground where I was standing, exploding into chunks and rotted blood. We looked and found a massive zombie making its way towards us with slow strides. It would pick up a zombie if there was one on the ground and throw it at us.

    ¡°Looks like the head zombie is ready to play,¡± I said reloading my guns.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t keep him waiting then,¡± Alara said flicking her sword to get the rotted blood off it.

    -Zombie Bouncer (Lord Scythe)

    -Level: 29

    -HP: 1,000

    -As a zombie, has no need for energy. Don¡¯t let the fight drag on, you¡¯ll lose.

    ¡°That was helpful, thank you Smith,¡± I said.

    Alara charged the zombie while I swung my rifle off my back. Aiming for the brute¡¯s head. I unloaded the entire clip as fast as possible. Five of my nine rounds struck him dead in the forehead, but only two managed to penetrate more than a centimeter. I quickly reloaded with the last of the ammunition I had for the rifle and unloaded another nine rounds into its head. After the fourteenth round, I saw that the zombie had noticeably slowed.

    Alara ran in low to the ground. When she reached the zombie, she dodged the first blow from its fist and jumped behind it. With lightning fast jabs, she stabbed her sword into the brute¡¯s back nearly a dozen times. With the last strike, she forced her blade to grow hundreds of thorns that ripped through the zombie¡¯s flesh.

    The zombie spun around trying to get her with a back hand, but she had already jumped clear of the monster. Pulling both pistols out, I continued aiming for the head. After unloading both pistols into it, its forehead was a mashed mess.

    Apparently, some zombies can get the staggered affect as it stumbled back. Alara took advantage of its weakness and ran up its back. With a quick movement, she slammed her sword straight through the zombie¡¯s head. Branches shot out and a twisted looking like a tree soon took shape using the zombie¡¯s corpse as nutrients.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t too hard,¡± I said reloading.

    ¡°A good workout. We must thank this Lord Scythe,¡± Alara said frowning. She moved to the now ten-meter-tall tree and recreated her sword. A moment later she did it again and had two new swords.

    -You¡¯ve completed City Hall Raid Part 1 of 2

    -Zombies (Variety)

    -Defeated 146x Zombies

    -21,024 EXP

    -Defeated 1x Zombie Bouncer

    -23,506 EXP

    -+60 Neutral Points -> +60Villain Points (currently active selection)

    -+65 Neutral Tier -> +65 Villain Tier (-65 Until Next Tier) (Current Tier 4)

    It was annoying that levels weren¡¯t applied until midnight. If I did my math right, I was sitting around level ten or eleven. Crafting also applied, but those don¡¯t take effect until midnight as well. Dismissing the notification, I looked up at the City Hall.

    Part of it looked like it had burned, while the other was overgrown with weeds. Bodies littered the courtyard. I had Smith scan them to make sure they weren¡¯t zombies that were ordered to lay in wait. He reported all clear. I retrieved the minigun before walking back to Alara.

    ¡°Here love,¡± I said handing here an energy stick. A type of food that one could eat to recover lost energy. I¡¯d bought a few during my trip through the market yesterday, more as a novelty than anything. She took it and popped it in her mouth. I did the same. It was like throwing a chunk of sugar in my mouth. I thought my teeth were going to ache from the sweetness.

    ¡°More!¡± Alara said clamping onto my arm.

    ¡°I only have two more and I want to save those for an emergency,¡± I said patting her head.

    I checked my energy level and found it was back to a thousand. I didn¡¯t know if that would be enough, but I didn¡¯t want to give Scythe much more time to prepare a defense against us. With all the zombies¡¯ roars, I doubted Scythe hadn¡¯t heard us, so we made our way in through the front.

    Blood splatters and broken furniture greeted us in the entry hall. There were no bodies here but there was evidence of something being dragged down the hall. We made our way deeper into the building watching for any signs of an ambush. I doubted a man like Scythe would leave his conquered base defenseless. Of course, the necromancers back on Murgin were a bit... delusional.

    Alara brought one of her swords down along the edge of the wall. Almost as if on que, a zombie lurched out from an enclave. Its head went sailing from its body, bouncing a few times as the body crumbled to the ground. Along the twenty-meter hallway, a zombie stepped out of each of the enclaves for a total of ten, if we counted the one that Alara already decapitated.

    I brought up my pistols and took aim while Alara charged into their midst. I thought about it and lowered my guns and decided to just watch the show. Alara was like a tornado as she moved through the group of zombies. With a whirlwind of movements, zombie heads and limbs went flying as she cut through them like butter. When she finally reached the other side, all the zombies fell to pieces as they collapsed into puddles of rotted flesh and blood.

    I made my way through the mess carefully. ¡°You truly are beautiful,¡± I said reaching out to wipe a smudge of blood from her cheek. She giggled and flicked her swords making two long lines of blood along the walls. ¡°And truly deadly. Just the way I like ¡®em.¡±

    We kept going and made it to the assembly hall. A man sat at the back on a throne made of bones. He had a large scythe leaning against his shoulder and didn¡¯t seem to have a care in the world. He looked up at us when we entered the hall. Along with a hundred other heads, as there was a zombie in each seat. They were all dressed in suits that would have been worth a pretty penny when they were new.

    ¡°What do we have here?¡± Scythe said in a laidback tone.

    ¡°It''s time for a reelection,¡± I said trying not to cringe at the line.

    ¡°When Holy Thunder disappeared from the city, I wondered what I would do with myself. It Is good to see that there will always be fools that try to challenge my power,¡± Scythe said as he yawned.

    I leveled the minigun at Scythe and he only began to chuckle. Pulling the trigger, I sent a stream of rounds flying at him. He proceeded to do something only seen in movies. Spinning his scythe at a ridiculous speed, he deflected all the bullets. I kept it up for a few seconds, but when none managed to get through, I turned it towards the rushing horde that was fighting to climb up the tiered seating.

    Spikes of wood were ripping through the upper tier as Alara protected us. Adding the minigun to the mix only served to speed up the destruction of the zombies. When my energy dropped to three hundred, I let go of the gun and let it drop to the ground. Quickly pulling my pistols out and waiting until the zombies were impaled on a spike to end them with a headshot.

    I felt a moment of dread and ducked just as the scythe sliced over my head. Scythe¡¯s arm was extended through a black portal of some sort. He pulled his arm back and the portal vanished. ¡°Something I recently learned. I never thought I would be able to have more than one power. I can¡¯t wait to gain more,¡± Scythe said.

    While we dealt with the last few dozen of the zombies, Scythe would try to strike at us from random and odd angles. However, years of battles had hardened Alara and me. Petty sneak attacks wouldn¡¯t be enough to get a drop on us.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to end this,¡± I said using my ability on my rifle to give it a blade.

    ¡°Spike and Bandit probably need to go for a walk by now. We should hurry home,¡± Alara said with a nod.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It is time to end this!¡± Scythe said. He readied his scythe and jumped at us. The ground exploded into splinters from his force. Alara moved in front of me and just as he was about to bring his weapon down, she angled her swords to deflect the blow. I jumped to the side and fired into his side. Unfortunately, his clothes were able to block bullets and they bounced off. The impact still got to him though, as he grunted with each hit.

    Thorns and vines grew along Scythe¡¯s weapon, holding him in place as he tried to free the weapon. I kicked the ground and brought my gunblade down aiming for his neck. He must have sensed his doom and released the weapon, jumping back. I aimed for his head and fired quickly, emptying the last clip I had for the rifle. Only one bullet met its mark, taking his eye out. He roared in pain as he fell back, tripping over a seat.

    Alara didn¡¯t give him time to rest. She shot into the air after him. There was a moment where she seemed to pause mid-air, then she dropped with both blades leading. One slammed into his head chest, where his heart would be, the other through his other eye. Spikes of wood rippled out, stabbing from Scythe¡¯s body.

    -You¡¯ve completed City Hall Raid Part 2 of 2

    -Zombies (Variety)

    -Defeated 100x Zombies

    -30,157 EXP

    -Defeated 1x Scythe (Necromancer) (City Lord) (57)

    -55,500 EXP

    -+100 Neutral Points -> +100 Villain Points (currently active selection)

    -+125 Neutral Tier -> +125 Villain Tier (-100 Until Next Tier) (Current Tier 5)

    -Please Choose one of the following...

    -Lord: Become lord of a city-state. This will require you to provide all the services to the habitants of the city. Death will result in the city losing a third of its resources, unless otherwise specified.

    -Mayor: The city remains with the Global government. You will have control over the services offered but can¡¯t not remove them.

    -Outsource: The city will be turned over to the Global Government and you will get a cut off all taxes. Current percentage (1%)

    Interesting. Each of the choices had their own pros and cons. I looked over to Alara but when I thought it over, I had already asked if she wanted to be Queen. I selected the Lord option.

 Super Delivery Chapter 06

    Chapter 06

    ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± I yelled as I ran over to my old comrades.

    Looking them over, it brought back old memories of fighting Mastermind and a handful of our other enemies. Hopper looked almost the same, with his mainly gray super suit accented with the same color blue as his portals. Right next to him was Lucky Break. He had changed a bit, seemingly taller with a green and gold color scheme, but his suit wasn¡¯t the same, it looked like it recently got an update similar to Richard, David, and my own. The thing that shocked me most about him, was he wasn¡¯t in a wheelchair.

    ¡°What? How are you standing?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Mastermind. Now what can we do to help?¡±

    ¡°Always business, aren¡¯t you?¡± sighing I continued,¡± You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Welcome gentlemen, I hope my former villain status won¡¯t affect our jobs here. I¡¯m leading relief efforts, and we could use your help.¡± Mastermind said in a similar business tone to Lucky.

    Looking back over the event I noticed that a lot of the fighters were stopping to look around.

    ¡°Looks like they weren¡¯t expecting this.¡± I commented.

    ¡°No one was, not even us.¡± Hopper said.

    ¡°Right, I was told you all had a set plan to handle things like this. Author and Orbital Force are out there already and need the rest of you to do your jobs. So, get to it!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll catch up later, gonna go and round up the last of the bystanders.¡± I raced off before I even finished. My ¡°In the Zone¡± buff was still active, and I was ready to get to it.

    As I started to round up more and more people, the fighting came back in full swing. I noticed Hopper¡¯s portals every now and then grabbing debris and stray magic out of the air and putting it in some other dimension. The Author was busy writing away in his book, changing the laws of reality in a sixty-foot radius around him making magic vanish as it got near him. Orbital Force was lifting almost three quarters of a fallen building, trying to find anyone trapped underneath. Lucky Break was bending over to pick up someone who couldn¡¯t stand, and barely dodged a melee combatant who was thrown right at him. Mastermind was currently giving orders to a bunch of low leveled supers telling them where to look and how to use their powers in an effective way for their jobs. Prometheus was currently fighting two people who had rushed the trucks for ¡°easy¡± kills.

    As I was gathering up another two people, I noticed an icon right next to my active buff.

    -THE HONOR GUARD RETURNS

    -WHILE ALL MEMBERS OF THE HONOR GUARD ARE PRESENT INCREASED EFFECTIVENESS IN POWER USE.

    -ALSO RECEIVE A SMALL POWER BONUS FOR THE COMPETETIVE NATURE YOU ALL SHARE (+.5% POWER BONUS FOR EACH PERSON SAVED, MAX 50%)

    As I put the most recent rescues down the man and woman both looked to me.

    ¡°Our daughter, she is in the building right there!¡± The man said pointing to a building close to a high-level fight. Just after he pointed it out, one person of the small group being attacked was thrown through the building.

    ¡°My¡­ baby!¡± the woman barely got out between cries.

    Looking the woman in the eyes, I grabbed both her arms and squeezed them to reassure her.

    ¡°I will get her back. What¡¯s her name?¡±

    ¡°Hayden.¡± She seemed to believe me as she stopped crying.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I sped off toward the building as it started to shake. I activated the comms.

    ¡°Hopper, I need a way into the hole that was just made in the building northeast of the plaza.¡±

    ¡°Got it, but you¡¯ll need some help getting to it.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡± Orbital Force replied.

    Running my full speed to the portal nearly three stories up suspended in the air, a ramp suddenly appeared out of debris leading directly up to it.

    ¡°I have too many portals open. I have to close that one before the other will appear. Whatever you do, don¡¯t stop running.¡± Hopper said right before I entered. Steeling my resolve, I pushed harder. I was running for what felt like days, before the other portal opened about two-hundred feet from the hole in the building. Remembering the active buffs, I could double my max speed, and quickly did so.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    I knew I couldn¡¯t let the jump be the only thing I used. It¡¯d slow me down. As I looked at the surroundings I saw if I used the combatants that were flying, I could hop from one to another to keep momentum, but even I don¡¯t know what would happen to them as my speed connected with them.

    Stepping from one person to another there was only a split second I could use them as a steppingstone before they were rocketed to the ground at my current speed. Huge craters started to from where they landed, but all the civilians on the ground were out of harm¡¯s way.

    I made it into the building and quickly realized it was collapsing, and at this speed I couldn¡¯t communicate with any of my team. I had to move, and quick. Starting on the top floor I searched room by room finding no one. As I started to search the fourth floor from the top, my energy started to flash. I was running out of juice. I had to slow down even a little. Eight floors from the top I ran into a problem. The woman thrown into the building, and the person who threw her were in the middle of an all-out fight. Holes in the walls, floors, and ceiling, let me know that they didn¡¯t care for casualties. That¡¯s when I heard a scream. Four doors behind them was a small girl holding a blanket, and a unicorn plushy.

    I ran toward her, having to run right into their fight. Seeing a fist flying toward my face from the woman, I spun grabbing the man and using him to absorb the blow instead of me. Letting him go the second her fist connected sent him flying back out of the building away from the girl. Sliding to grab her and lose very little momentum, I placed a hand behind her head to protect her neck before hitting the wall and running along it to the ceiling.

    ¡°Leaving the way, I came in. Need an exit strategy.¡± I asked the comm chat.

    ¡°I got ya!¡± came Lucky Break¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Why do I feel like I won¡¯t like this?¡±

    ¡°You gotta jump.¡±

    ¡°There it is. I have a child in my arms I can¡¯t just jump.¡±

    ¡°Trust me.¡± He had nothing but confidence in his voice.

    ¡°Here we go.¡± I said, hoping I wasn¡¯t taking this child and myself to our respective graves.

    I clutched Hayden tightly and ran out of the building entering a free fall. I was one hundred percent sure I was about to die when trash can lids and sewer grates came flying toward me in a prefect pattern for me to run down. Nearing the bottom, I saw how Lucky¡¯s plan worked. He was fighting someone who could control metal objects and was making a bridge for me to run down. He was lucky it worked, or this child and I would be dead. I guess that is his power.

    Mentally shrugging I ran towards the man responsible for my bridge and gave him a swift kick in the stomach, which sent him flying backwards into a mattress store. Lucky for him, I guess.

    ¡°Thanks Lucky.¡± I said into the comms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Looking down Hayden seemed to be perfectly fine, so I wouldn¡¯t hold that ¡°plan¡± against him.

    ¡°We are almost to your parents Hayden.¡± I told her.

    She didn¡¯t reply just snuggled in tighter. Speeding up enough to dodge stray attacks, I ran toward the drop off point when I heard a voice on the comms.

    ¡°They were taken to that park. That¡¯s all the civilians so take her and get back, the fight is just getting started.¡± Since when did Mastermind have the Honor Guard comm channel?

    Not stopping I ran right through the safe point and out of the zone.

    -ZONE EVENT NOTICE

    -ALL BYSTANDERS HAVE BEEN CLEARED

    -TOP CONTRIBUTERS

    -1. CELERITY: 189 SAVED

    -2. THE STREAK: 126 SAVED

    -3. THE PROTECTER: 98 SAVED

    -4. ORBITAL FORCE: 86 SAVED

    -5. DR. WIERD: 31 SAVED

    -CONGRATULATIONS TOP CONTRIBUTERS! YOU WILL ALL RECEIVE A XP BONUS!

    -WHILE ALL BYSTANDERS ARE SAFE, THE RIOT RAGES ON.

    After I finished reading the notification, we arrived at the park and I ran around until I found Hayden¡¯s parents.

    ¡°Here you go she was so sweet, but I didn¡¯t have time to get her a bath or put her to bed.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much Celerity!¡± came the mother¡¯s voice just before she wrapped her arms around me for a hug. I hugged her back, only for a moment before I sped off. I had work to do.

    As I got close to the event, a beep from my communicator sent a location to my heads-up display built into the eyes of my face mask. It showed the location of all the Honor Guard, the two former villains, and a blinking point that was labeled ¡°rendezvous point.¡±  I sped my way over to the blip that was on top of a building just inside the zone. As I got there, the others arrived too.

    We stood there overlooking the chaos below. As we surveyed the all-out super brawl below, we noticed several things. First, there seemed to be four different fights going on simultaneously. Second, one fight was more intense than the others, while the three smaller fights were more fighters. The last thing we noticed was in the intense fight the city¡¯s top three heroes were each fighting one person we hadn¡¯t seen before.

    ¡°Who are they?¡± I voiced my question.

    ¡°They are what the Bridgers have been referring to as ¡®admins¡¯, whatever that means.¡± Mastermind answered.

    ¡°I have two major questions.¡± Hopper stated with a slight tinge of confusion.

    ¡°Please ask away.¡± Mastermind told him, in that teacher way he talks.

    ¡°Why are you here? And why are you three with him?¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s because I¡­¡±

    ¡°Not now, just know he¡¯s on our side this time.¡± I interrupted.

    ¡°I also have a plan.¡± Mastermind got all of our attention with that sentence. Not being stopped he continued, ¡°We split into three teams of two to take down the three smaller fights, I will coordinate from here, then all converge on the heavy hitters and stop this riot.¡±

    ¡°What are the teams?¡± Orbital asked.

    ¡°Hopper and Celerity, Author and Orbital, Prometheus and Lucky Break.¡±

    I thought for sure Lucky would have been furious, he balled his fist, and held it out to his left side, and without looking Prometheus bumped it with his own fist. Shrugging it off I focused up. Hopper¡¯s power and my own could be used pretty well with each other. Author and Orbital had been the grouping they chose on our split operations, and Lucky seemed to be ok with Prometheus, so it should be fine.

    We stood there waiting for all of our energies to be restored before steeling our resolve. We were no longer on the sidelines.

    We were back.

 The Left Behind Chapter 05

    Chapter 05

    City Wide AI coming online¡­

    Cassi will be activated in ten seconds¡­

    Bond imprinting¡­

    Vesta was assaulted with an extremely bright white light. She clenched her eyes shut and even had to throw up her hand to block the light passing through her eyelids.

    -Bond with the other present?

    -Yes | No

    She looked over the prompt for a moment. It took several moments of blinking before the spots receded. She had to assume that the prompt was referring to Spark. When she questioned the prompt it actually became clearer showing his name in parenthesis after the question. She considered if she wanted him to have access to things whatever they may be, but when all was said and done, he was the only person that she knew she could trust even if she didn¡¯t like him. She accepted the prompt.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Spark said in surprise and he slapped his hands to his eyes. He stumbled backward tripping over a chair.

    Vesta chuckled and went back to the computer.

    Cassi is active¡­

    A teenage girl appeared in the center of the room. She was four and a half feet tall with blue eyes that looked like they were overlaid with tech moving around in the whites. Her long blond hair moved as if she was standing in the wind, but there was not wind in the room. She was dressed in a simple white dress with a matching pair of flats.

    ¡°Cassi?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Yes mum. My name is Cassi. I have access to everything in the city of Lake Summerrest. I can also manage main city decisions given that an overall objective has been decided.¡± Cassi said. She nodded her head slightly.

    ¡°Well, alrighty then. So where do we get started?¡± Vesta asked standing up from her chair.

    ¡°According to my readings your super suit can use an upgrade. I can also integrate with the new suit to be able to help you here and away from the city. I will also be able to connect you with the city while you are away.¡± Cassi explained. She crossed her hands in front of her and took a few steps towards Vesta.

    ¡°An upgrade?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡± She nodded, and a prompt appeared.

    -Super Suit Upgrade

    -Level 25 -> Level 60

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    Vesta didn¡¯t even think about it. She accepted extremely fast. The parts of her super suit began to reshape and become denser. Blue light emitted from the seams of the armor. When the light began to fade a holographic mirror appear so that she could take a look at her new armor.

    The new armor was extremely form fitting. It accentuated all of her curves but jutted off of the elbows and knees were three-inch spikes. The mask held all of her hair inside and was shaped as a long downward angle with narrow horizontal panels for eyes.

    ¡°You know I liked your old suit, but damn that ass in this new one.¡± Spark said biting his knuckle.

    ¡°Can you find something to do to make yourself useful?¡± Vesta asked with a sigh.

    ¡°Actually, I had an idea. I might know some people that could help out around here.¡± He said tapping his chin.

    ¡°Like who?¡± Vesta asked. She¡¯d been left with one close friend after what happened, and he just might know some people.

    ¡°You guys¡¯ little group wasn¡¯t the only one that I was preparing to join.¡± He shrugged.

    Vesta opened her friends list. She hadn¡¯t really taken any time to look at the list since the event. She was surprised to find that Spark wasn¡¯t the only person on the list. He was the closest though as there weren¡¯t even any others on the same continent as her.

    ¡°You know a little break from you while you go off might not be so bad.¡± She said after closing her friends list.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie you¡¯ll miss me every second that I¡¯m gone.¡± Spark said pulling out a jump stick.

    ¡°In all seriousness, be careful. I might not like you very much, but I like being stuck alone less. I also want to vet whomever you attempt to bring into the city.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°If you want to kiss me just do it.¡± He said with a laugh. Vesta lunged at him to punch him, but he cracked the stick before she could do it vanishing into thin air.

    ¡°What an asshole.¡± She growled to herself.

    Cassi stood with her hands crossed patiently waiting for Vesta. She looked out of the window at the destroyed city with a fair amount of solemn in her posture. On for an AI, but Vesta could understand that it must have been hard when whatever went down here.

    ¡°So,¡± Vesta clapped her hands together, ¡°What first?¡±

    ¡°Yes mum. We have a few options. Since you have just taken lordship of this city state you have a one-time ability that can greatly increase what you have to work with.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Back to day Zero.¡± Cassi said, and a notification appeared in her vision.

    -Use Back to Day Zero?

    -This is a onetime use ability when taking owner ship of a new City State.

    -This ability will force any residents to leave.

    -This ability will revert all city system buildings to their raw resources. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    -This cannot be undone.

    -This cannot be used after ten hours of Lordship establishment.

    -Use?

    -Yes | No

    Vesta considered the ability for a moment. It didn¡¯t affect city systems, that was good. It would also give her the raw materials that would be needed to build new things in the city. The only thing that she didn¡¯t really like was that it was an all or none thing. She would have much rather had gone through the buildings one at a time so that some of the buildings that were in decent shape could be repaired. In the end she selected yes.

    Bright green lights began to flash outside of the windows. Night had fallen so the lights were un avoidable. Vesta stood and walked over to the window. She watched as the buildings throughout the city began to glow brightly and vanished. When the light dissipated she could see a pile of various resources sitting where the building once had. The ability surprisingly left the roads untouched, but she assumed that they counted as city systems.

    ¡°Should I activate the city holographic interface?¡± Cassi asked. The green flashes continued on taking down each building one at a time.

    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Vesta turned away from the window.

    A semitransparent version of the city flickered to life hovering in the large open space in the center of the room. Vesta had thought that it was weird that there was so much empty space, but now it made complete sense.

    She watched as the buildings throughout the city vanished on the holographic version. She could get a quick readout of what remained as usable resources in each space. It seemed like the return was about a third of what it took to construct the building was being left behind. Its buildings different states of disrepair she was surprised that she was getting that much.

    The first thing that she did was look at the utilities systems in the city. Power, Water, communication, and waste were the most important to have online. These were essential for the happiness of anyone that was going to live there. She also had to consider how she was going to get people to start coming to the city.

    ¡°Cassi?¡± Vesta asked considering the map.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡± Cassi said shifting her attention to Vesta.

    ¡°Do you know how I can get people to come and live in the city once we get to that point? I mean what¡¯s having my own city without citizens?¡± She asked.

    ¡°There are many ways to bring population into your city. First of all, when you start to get residential areas operational and you can provide the three basic needs, power, water, and food, people will start to arrive automatically drawn in by several factors and also several channels.¡± Cassi explained.

    ¡°So, if you build it they will come?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Essentially yes. But this form is a trickle. There will be missions and buildings that can be built in the future that can bring a boost in foot traffic.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°Alright so let¡¯s have a look at some to these base needs.¡± Vesta said.

    The first thing that she looked into was power. The city streets were constructed in a genius design. Under the streets were power, communication lines, sewer systems, water lines, gas lines, and an inactive subway system. Vesta had to purchase an upgrade before she could access the subway system information, but the infrastructure was there. The power was generated by a nuclear reactor that was a few miles outside of town, but still well within the limits of the city state. It was in lockdown and was generating the lowest that it could at the moment.

    Water was pumped out of the lake, purified and circulated through the town. There were several stations at the edge of town where waste water was processed and separated into two parts, usable water and true waste that was stored. The water was easily distributed throughout the city.

    The gas distribution systems were offline, but that was a system that wasn¡¯t used as often as it once was. The communication lines were online and operational within the city limit, but other than Cassi there were not communications outside of the city limits. The main fiberoptic hardline out of the city was damaged, and the cellular relay tower was destroyed. The ability that she used didn¡¯t dismantle it for parts either.

    ¡°I have a handful of city missions that I can offer you.¡± Cassi said look up at Vesta.

    ¡°Alright, what do you got?¡± She said with a nod. With a wave of her hand Vesta dismissed the holographic map of the city. She found that she could control it freely now that she knew of its existence.

    Three mission prompts appeared on Vesta¡¯s newly upgraded interface, which she noticed was far more responsive then it had ever been. She started from the top. She knew that all of these missions were going to do a great deal for her city and they needed to get done.

    -Power Plant Lockdown

    -Your city¡¯s nuclear power plant is in lockdown.

    -In order to increase the output of this city system you need to figure out why the powerplant has been put into this lockdown mode and determine the best course of action.

    -Accept?

    Yes | No

    ~~~

    -Communication Blackout I

    -Your city has no external communication structure.

    -You must determine the nature of the blackout at the site of the city¡¯s fiberoptic substation. Getting these systems back online is important for the growth of your city¡¯s population.

    -Accept?

    Yes | No

    ~~~

    -A foul Camp

    -There is an encampment to the south of the city that has been behind nefarious deeds in nearby places of populations.

    -Taking care of this situation will offer a boon to the population growth of the city. With this encampment in place there is a significant down turn in the total number of people that will be attracted to the city.

    -Accept?

    - Yes | No

    Vesta wasted no time in accepting all of the missions that were offered to her. She didn¡¯t know if they would reward much in terms of experience points, but they were definitely things that she needed to check into for the city either way. She also had no desire to have some camp of scum near her city, period.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take care of these missions. Is there anything else that we can get started before I head out?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°You could get the robot systems online so that they could get started on construction around the city. It you designate patches of areas for Commercial, Residential and industrial zoning they can begin to construct buildings for occupancy.¡± Cassi said reinitializing the holographic map.

    Vesta found that there were three hovering cubes that she could grab and manipulate. Each one represented one of the zones that could be applied to the city. She noticed that there were also a few other cubes that floated out of focus. Two she could see what they were, but there were several that were completely grayed out and their discerptions were question marks. The two that she couldn¡¯t manipulate yet were city systems and military zone.

    She grabbed the residential zone cube. She held it over the block that was across the street from the main building that she was in and let it go. The cube dropped down to the map and the area that was selected was filled in with a vibrant blue color. She grabbed the industrial next filling in a few blocks to the west of the residential district that she had just set up. She wanted to put enough space to keep pollution from being a problem. Lastly, she grabbed a cube of commercial zone and placed that as a buffer between the two other zones.

    ¡°So now that there are zones, how would we turn on the robots, and how will it determine the buildings that will be built.¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°The buildings will be built at semi-random starting small. As the needs of the city changes as will the blueprints that will be used. The robot system simply must be activated. You will have two dozen construction robots, a dozen maintenance robots, and ten general robots that can work where needed.¡± Cassi explained.

    A panel opened in Vesta¡¯s view hovering near the holographic map. The forty-six robots that were under her command appeared on the holo-map as green dots. When she focused on one a small pop-up said that it was in hibernation, but that it was powered and ready to go.

    She began to active the robots one at a time before she noticed that there was an activate-all command. When she ran it, all of the dots changed to a more vibrant green color as all of the robots rushed to the new zones that had been created to get to work.

    ¡°Will you oversee the work while I am out completing these missions?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°They will be done mum.¡± Cassi nodded, ¡°If Spark were to return before you shall I send him to your location?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that is probably for the best.¡± Vesta said with a long sigh.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡± Cassi nodded and turned to the holographic map. Several different blueprints had already filled in spaces inside the zones that she had established.

    Vesta turned to leave the room. She felt confident that she was leaving the work in good hands and she would be able to communicate with Cassi while she was away from the main building.

    Stepping onto the elevator she turned to face the office as the doors slid closed. She took a deep breath and pressed the ground floor button.

 My Supers Online Chapter 07-01

    Chapter 07-01

    ¡°So, Function, now that you have integrated with my Mask, what can you really do here?¡± Alex asked. He and Obsidian were making their way out of the university. They walked down the sidewalk side by side until they reached the gate where they stopped for a moment. Alex still needed to decide where they were going to go, and they still didn¡¯t have a mission.

    ¡°Accessing City Wide Neutral Mission Database.¡± Function said into Alex¡¯s ear.

    Alex¡¯s HUD flooded with information. A 3D representation of the city of Winter¡¯s Garden appeared before him and rotated slowly in his view. Markers began to spawn around the city seeming to rise from the buildings or locations that they were pointing at. There were no less than two dozen markers which changed into pin like dots as the list moved over to the side of his HUD. The list began instantly to change, rearrange, and some of the options went grey.

    ¡°What just happened?¡± Alex asked. He hadn¡¯t noticed that he¡¯d put his hands out during the movement to keep from falling over.

    ¡°Given that Winter¡¯s Garden is a villainous occupied city there are no longer any remaining Heroic Mission givers in the city. This leaves Neutral Missions that you can accept without damaging your heroic reputation as these missions offer you an opportunity to complete them either as a hero or a villain. The choice is yours. After I gathered these missions, I listed them in according to suggested level base on your level and also based on prerequisite information that I have been able to gather from your combat log.¡± Function explained. His voice was not monotone but it sure was close. Like someone who was trying to understand how inflection worked, but just didn¡¯t get it.

    ¡°Alright, what if I was not as worried about the mission¡¯s heroic or villainous outcome. I¡¯ve recently decided that I am going to lean towards, I guess not really leaning, the Anti-hero route.¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Adjusting for new information.¡± Function said. The list began to rearrange in Alex¡¯s vision.

    ¡°Function. I think that you and I are going to be good friends.¡± Alex said with a wide smile plastered on his face.

    ¡°Could you clue me in?¡± Obsidian asked leaning against the block wall that surrounded the property of the University. She scoffed and crossed her arms in frustration.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Alex said. The map in his view became clear as it moved into the background and he looked down at her, ¡°Function is the hook up!¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± She asked leaning up off the wall.

    ¡°Well he just hooked us up with about,¡± He scrolled through the list, ¡°fifty or so missions that we can do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Obsidian said punching her fist into her palm.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what we¡¯ve got.¡± Alex said. He refocused on the map and started to look around the city. A question popped into his head, ¡°Do we have to go to the indicated location to get the mission?¡± He asked.

    ¡°There are some missions that you will need to travel to in order to begin. However, there are a large number that I can accept on your behalf. The only requirement beyond that point would be turning in any mission requirements if items are required.¡± Function explained.

    ¡°Excellent! Can you remove any mission that we have to travel to in order to start?¡± Alex requested.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Function said. A large number of the mission were removed, and a small list remained.

    ¡°Now can you remove any that require us to return any items?¡± Alex asked.

    The list changed again this time only leaving three missions in the once expansive list. Alex would revisit the other missions, but he wanted quick experience at the moment and didn¡¯t want a ton of travel to bog down their progress.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said looking closer at the three missions.

    --Trouble at the Uranium Mines

    -Enercorp and NuPlus LLC are two of the largest energy providers in NuValla. They both require Uranium that is mined north of Winter¡¯s Garden for their operation to not only provide energy but to be profitable for their shareholders. Shipments of Uranium have stopped and communication with the mines have also ceased.

    -Enercorp and NuPlus are looking for someone to investigate what has happened and report back to them.

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    -The Crash Site

    -In the mountains to the north of Winter¡¯s Garden there is a crash site that needs investigation. Due to the lawless nature of that area an anonymous party is requesting information on the site.

    -An Anonymous party would like for you to check out an unknown crash site. Would you do this and report back to them?¡±

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    -Missing Children

    -There is a small mining community in the mountains to the north of Winter¡¯s Garden by the name of Rigidcreek. In this town children have gone missing in the night. The people of the town are looking for help finding their babies or at least getting closure of what is happening on their streets. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    -Will you help the people of Rigidcreek get answers?

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    The first thing that Alex did was accept all three missions. There was no way that he was going to pass up on any of the potential rewards that would come from completing them. It bugged him that he couldn¡¯t see the information on the rewards, but a feat or a power could help him with that in the future.

    ¡°Function is there any way that you can get me more information on these missions? Like possible rewards?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°If you level me up, I can provide more information in the future.¡± He said.

    ¡°And how exactly would I go about leveling you up?¡± Alex inquired.

    ¡°I do not know.¡± Function said.

    ¡°Super helpful!¡± Alex said sarcastically.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± Obsidian said in a huff.

    ¡°What?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I only get half the conversation.¡± She said with a loud sigh.

    ¡°If I got her an ear bud could you tap in and include her in the conversation?¡± Alex asked Function.

    ¡°Yes, I could, but I would suggest an AR visor of some kind.¡± Function replied.

    ¡°We¡¯ll put it on the list.¡± Alex said.

    Looking at the map Alex could see the general location for each of the missions that he had accepted. The missing children and the uranium mine were relatively close to each other. He knew for sure that he was going to work on these two missions at the same time. The crash site was further north than the other two missions. He decided that he would do that mission last.

    Their current hurdle that they had to overcome was transportation. The trains did not run that far north. They stopped at the Winter cities and only cargo trains went any farther. With as much traveling around the city that they needed to do anyway he figured that it was time to get a vehicle for them to use.

    ¡°Function can you highlight locations for purchasing vehicles?¡± Alex asked. He was starting to get a hand on being able to see to walk without incident while the map was open. They started to make their way down the street towards the city center.

    A few dozen places lit up on the map the closest of which was in the other direction. Alex stopped and turned around causing Obsidian to roll her eyes at him with a scoff and do the same. They walked through the city holding themselves high despite their recent downfall. If anyone came out of the shadows to attack them in Alex¡¯s current mood, he would tear them apart. He wasn¡¯t a great loser and he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to let anything like that death happen again.

    They visited four lots in rapid succession finding prices that were far higher than they were willing to pay at the time. Alex was not ready to give up, however, and powered on to the next closest car lot.

    The next location on the list was a used car lot of the highest caliber. There were streamers stretching from car to car. Several of the cars looked as if they had recently been pulled up from the bottom of a lake. A large man walked out from the small building wearing a plaid suit that was way too colorful.

    ¡°Well this guy is obviously a villain.¡± Alex said nudging Obsidian in the side with his elbow.

    She chuckled but they both straightened up quickly becoming serious as he approached. His face was screwed up in a pained smile as he stopped in front of the duo. Alex reached out offering the man his hand to shake.

    ¡°I¡¯m Aether.¡± He said when the man grasped his hand. The man¡¯s palm was sweaty, and the man was out of breath from the short walk.

    ¡°Welcome to Mr. Money¡¯s used car lot.¡± Mr. Money said.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Obsidian said, but she let out an oaf as Alex elbowed her.

    ¡°How can I help you today?¡± He asked looking down at Obsidian with distaste.

    ¡°We are in the market for an affordable vehicle that won¡¯t break the bank.¡± Alex said pulling his hand back. He began to pace towards some of the cars that were lined up at the front of the lot.

    ¡°Are you in the market from something simple, or,¡± Mr. Money looked Alex up and down for a moment, ¡°Something a little more complicated?¡±

    ¡°Something cheap that will get us from point A to point B, preferably with room for a few passengers, and can take a little bit of off road.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°And with a nice radio.¡± Obsidian said making sure to chime in her opinion.

    ¡°Right.¡± Mr. Money said tapping his finger on his stomach a few times. He considered the two heroes for a long moment.

    ¡°Do you have anything that would fit into that category?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Sure. Follow me.¡± Mr. Money said turning. He led them through the lot near where the building was that he had come from. There were a few trucks parked on the side of the building. Each in a different state of disrepair from looks drivable to looks like death on wheels.

    They ended up standing in front of a four door SUV that had been lifted a few inches and was equipped with extra-large tires. The exterior paint job was peeling. At one time it had been white, but its current color was a yellowed off white. The windows were tinted dark. The sticker on the window said ten thousand thread.

    Alex walked around and cupped his hands around his eyes so that he could look inside. The interior was clean but stained. There were cigarette burns in the seat and the handle on the inside of the passenger door was missing.

    ¡°This is going to be the only thing on the lot that meets with your requirements.¡± Mr. Money said, ¡°The key is in it.¡±

    Alex opened the door and leaned inside. The old truck had almost three hundred thousand miles on it. The radio was there, but he was fairly certain that it was not as good as Obsidian was hoping for. When Alex leaned on the driver¡¯s seat, he could feel that the cushion was worn and uncomfortable.

    ¡°I think that we can make this work but,¡± Alex stopped and breathed out a sigh leaning back out of the driver¡¯s door, ¡°Ten thousand was a little higher than I was hoping to spend today.¡±

    ¡°I might be able to do Nine five.¡± Mr. Money shrugged.

    ¡°Huh, ok. Well I guess we¡¯re done here.¡± Alex said closing the door, ¡°What was that last lot that we went to?¡± He asked Obsidian faking that he had forgotten.

    ¡°Fred¡¯s Friendly Used Rides?¡± Obsidian said in a questioning tone.

    ¡°Yeah Fred¡¯s. Let¡¯s had back over there. The deals were way better.¡± Alex said.

    Mr. Money immediately began to sweat. Before Alex¡¯s foot had touched the ground in his first step away the salesman held up his hand to stop him.

    ¡°Maybe I can do a little better.¡± He said.

    ¡°What are you thinkin?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Eighty-seven fifty.¡± Mr. Money said.

    ¡°Five thousand.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Well I could simply not let this vehicle go for less than eight thousand thread.¡± Mr. Money said. The beads of sweat were growing larger.

    ¡°Five five. I¡¯m not going any higher.¡± Alex said crossing his arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t do it.¡± The man said shaking his head.

    ¡°Alright, Fred¡¯s it is.¡± Alex shrugged and started to walk away from the man. He got farther than he expected he would get, but Mr. Money yelled after him.

    ¡°Wait! I can do six, but I cannot go any lower. I have bills to pay.¡± He said in a defeated tone.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do six.¡± Alex said turning to face the man.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Mr. Money said hobbling away towards his small building. Alex thought he heard himmutter, ¡°I can eat tonight.¡± as he did so.

    The three of them sat for a half an hour filling out the paperwork. Despite the appearance of the car lot, it was a legitimate operation. Alex noted this fact and decided he would come back in the future. After the thread was deducted from his account Alex was given the keys to the truck. He gave the spare to Obsidian as they both climbed into the truck to leave.

    -Item

    -Used SUV

    -N/A

    -Durability 530/1000

    -Description: ¡°This truck has seen some stuff, but she is still moving right along. Show her some care and she will show you the same.¡±

    ¡°You got four thousand thread off the price that was unbelievable.¡± Obsidian said as they pulled out of the lot. Alex turned towards the edge of town so that they could head off to do their missions.

    ¡°Yeah I could smell how desperate he was a mile away. He had to make a sale. I could have probably brought him down another thousand if I kept walking, but he needed the money.¡± Alex admitted.

 My Supers Online Chapter 07-02

    Chapter 07-02

    Six hours into their drive heading to the location indicated for the missing children mission they were parked on the side of the road only halfway there. Obsidian sat up on the hood of the truck kicking her legs enjoying the night air. Alex was at the back trying to break loose the lug nuts on a flat tire while also trying not to break the wheel hub. His super-strength could be overused.

    With a snap one of the lug nuts sheared off bolt and all. Alex threw the lug wrench into the field next to where the car was parked and yelled into the air.

    ¡°SON OF A BITCH!¡± He yelled kicking the side of the truck. A new dent appeared where he had made impact.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going big guy?¡± Obsidian called back from the front of the truck.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± He replied though the words were forced out through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Its nice out here.¡± She said dropping down onto the dirt. She walked around to the back where Alex was working.

    ¡°Yeah, well.¡± Alex couldn¡¯t think of anything nice to say.

    ¡°Want me? I think I can do it without shearing off the bolts.¡± She offered.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he sighed, ¡°Let me go and get the wrench.¡± He trudged away into the field.

    It took a few minutes, but Alex was able to locate the tool that he had thrown. He handed it over to Obsidian so that she could break the lug nuts loose without actually breaking the bolts. Fifteen minutes later they were climbing back into the truck and pulling onto the highway.

    ¡°What stats does your power effect?¡± Alex said trying to make small talk as they drove.

    ¡°Wow, you need to wait until at least the third date before you ask a girl something like that.¡± Obsidian said in mock shock.

    Even though Obsidian was just joking it forced Alex to think about the fact that he was alone. In the real world it wasn¡¯t a big deal. He had resigned to the fact that he wasn¡¯t whole in many aspects of his life.

    ¡°Sorry, I was just curious.¡± He said realizing that he had been quiet too long in his own head.

    ¡°I¡¯m just busting your chops.¡± She said with a snort, ¡°Each point of my power gives me plus two to my strength. I also was given the addition of an active armor which increases my armor by four per point that I spend when active.¡± She explained.

    ¡°Active Armor score, huh?¡± Alex said. He kept his eyes on the road but chanced a glance at Obsidian from time to time.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice. I can stop bullets with my skin, but I¡¯m kind of a one trick pony.¡± She explained.

    ¡°I have three powers and I died so I think your one trick is serving you well.¡± Alex said with a smile.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± She said with a nod.

    A notification popped up in his vision.

    -Notice You have entered a lawless area.

    -Heroic Code and Villainous Pride have no bearing on actions or consequences in this area. You are on your own.

    Alex dismissed the notification when an explosion rocked the side of the truck. They left the ground sliding ten feet with a loud screech. Alex did not stop, nor did he even slow down. He laid onto the gas when there was a loud whistle followed by another massive explosion at the driver¡¯s side of the SUV.

    Only a matter of seconds passed before a third explosion lifted the back of the truck into the air. Alex did the best that he could to keep the on the road and heading in the correct direction. Obsidian was tossed out of her seat and crammed into the space below the dash on the passenger side of the truck.

    The back of the truck came back down bouncing from side to side as it fishtailed across the road.

    ¡°Who did we piss off this time?¡± Alex growled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I found something.¡± Obsidian said unfolding herself and climbing up off the ground. She sat back down in her seat and pressed a button under the dash.

    ¡°Is it just me or shouldn¡¯t we be dead after three explosions that close?¡± Alex asked chancing a glance to see what she was doing. The area in the dash above the glove compartment slid back and the parted in the center revealing a panel full of buttons and a screen.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve gotten lucky and we might owe Mr. Money some thread.¡± She said looking up from the panel.

    ¡°Is this a spy car? Did we buy a spy car?¡± Alex said with an extremely wide grin, ¡°It¡¯s been like twenty patches since there was a spy car released into the game world. Most of them are collecting dust in player collections.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Obsidian asked in confusion.

    ¡°Sorry Bridger collections.¡± Alex corrected, ¡°What options do we have?¡±

    ¡°Most of the options are red, I think they need to be repaired or reloaded. I¡¯d love to use the oil slick.¡± She said. A screen appeared over laying the bottom of the windshield that showed a panoramic image of the rear view of the truck. Alex could see two trucks following them. Standing in the back of each truck was a man holding a rocket launcher. Currently they were reloading.

    ¡°That¡¯s helpful, but we need something to fight back.¡± Alex said. He turned the wheel sharply so that they would swerve to avoid another incoming missile.

    ¡°How about this?¡± She said pressing a button on the screen. In the rearview screen Alex saw dozens of small shiny objects drop out of the back of their truck and bounce along the road.

    ¡°Let me guess¡­¡± he said. The right enemy truck hit the shiny objects and their front wheels exploded. The truck veered off the road and careened off the side smashing into a bolder. The man standing in the back of the truck was launched out onto the ground, ¡°Spikes.¡±

    ¡°That was oddly satisfying.¡± Obsidian said with a smile.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve wanted a vehicle like this since I was a kid. What¡¯s next? We still have one left.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Obsidian said without explanation.

    ¡°What?¡± Alex demanded.

    ¡°Just stop.¡± She said reaching up and putting her seatbelt on.

    Alex heaved a loud sigh but did as he was told. He slammed on the breaks. They were doing nearly a hundred miles per hour when in the blink of an eye the truck came to a full stop in the middle of the road. The man driving the other truck didn¡¯t have time to react. Their truck smashed at almost top speed into the back of Alex and Obsidian. Their truck skidded forward a few dozen meters and both of them felt the pain of the impact. Alex lost a total of a hundred health points which was over a third of what he had total.

    To the sound of groans of pain both Alex and Obsidian unbuckled their seatbelts. They opened their doors and more rolled out of the truck than climbed. Alex stood up straight and leaned up and back to try and work out the pain that was radiating though his spin.

    The enemy truck was over a foot shorter after the impact. The front end had crumpled like a used beer can. The driver and the passenger were both out, if not dead from the crash. Neither one had been wearing their seat belts. Alex and Obsidian¡¯s truck though scratched extremely badly was not much worse for wear. Exposed from the impact was a thick layer of armor on the rear of the SUV¡¯s lift gate. Alex turned and looked at Obsidian.

    ¡°What? You should just trust me.¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°I do trust you, but there was plenty of time for you to say there is a thick layer of armor on the back of the truck.¡± Alex said in a huff.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was the case, I just had a gut feeling.¡± She said.

    ¡°Wait, so what am I trusting?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°My gut.¡± She said with a nod.

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Alex said sarcastically returning her nod.

    Moans of pain came from the back seat of the enemy truck. Unlike the first truck the man who had been firing the rockets standing in the bed behind the four-door cab did not fly over the front of the truck. Alex assumed that he must have been kneeling to get another round for the rocket launcher because his head had gone through the back glass and he was stuck in a bent over position.

    Alex opened the driver¡¯s side rear door. The moaning man was not clear enough to fight against Alex as he reached in and pulled him out onto the road. His legs scraped the ground as Alex drug him over to the dirt off to the side. He dropped the man down onto his knees.

    The kneeling man, like all of the men in the truck, wore all black. Their clothes were made of thick work material that seemed to be lined with a Kevlar hybrid material. They all wore a black mask that had bright white eyes that weren¡¯t glowing, but it was a stark contrast with the black.

    Alex grabbed the bottom of the man¡¯s mask and pulled it off of his face. Underneath there was nothing more than an average man. He didn¡¯t know what exactly he expected, maybe some kind of lizard person, but all he got was normal.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Alex demanded tossing aside the man¡¯s mask.

    ¡°No one.¡± The man spat through a grunt of pain.

    ¡°Alright, no one, who do you work for?¡± Alex asked moving closer to grab hold of the man¡¯s collar.

    ¡°I¡¯ll die before I¡¯ll tell you.¡± The man seethed.

    ¡°All of their gear is unmarked.¡± Obsidian said walking over from the truck.

    Alex looked over to see that all of the men except for the one whose head was stuck through the glass had been drug out onto the ground and hog zip tied on the side of the road. Four in total.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Alex asked her.

    ¡°Bandits, raiders. It¡¯s a lawless area. They just sit along the side of the road and wait for someone to come through. They take them out, raid their bodies.¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°Well?¡± Alex asked pulled up on the man¡¯s collar and lifting him off the ground.

    ¡°You might as well kill me.¡± The man said with steeled resolve.

    ¡°That can be arranged.¡± Alex said with a nasty grin.

    -+1 Villainous Points

    -Villainous Tactic ¨C Threat

    ¡°Do your worst.¡± The man hissed.

    Alex gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. The man looked up at him unflinchingly. The two stared into each other¡¯s eyes. When Alex decided that they were getting nowhere fast he punched the man in the face knocking him out cold. He let go of the man¡¯s collar letting him fall to the dirt in a heap.

    ¡°Function is there anything you can tell me about these guys?¡± Alex asked his digital assistant.

    ¡°Analyzing¡­¡± Function said in a droning voice.

    Alex watched as the men¡¯s bodies were outlined with thin blue lines through his interface. Information streamed across the HUD lightning fast about size, quality of equipment, information on the trucks, and it was all compared against databases that he was either accessing or building. Even the man¡¯s eye color was being examined.

    ¡°Information compiled.¡± He said after a few moments.

    ¡°Well?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°It appears that these men work for the Tammorra Collective. They specialize in hunting down specified targets and taking them down for outside employers.¡± Function explained.

    -You¡¯ve Completed a Random Event!

    -Survived and Deterred Raider Ambush

    -Defeated 8x Tammorra Foot Soldiers

    -6048xp (756 Each)

    -Defeated 2x Tammorra Squad Leaders

    -2418xp (1209 Each)

    -Defeated 2x Tammorra Rocket Men.

    -1662xp (831 Each)

    -+34 Heroic Points (You¡¯re a Hero!)

    -+16 Villainous Points (You¡¯re a Hero!)

    -+54 Hero Tier Points (-25 Until Next Tier)

    -+8 Villain Tier Points (-2 Until Next Tier)

    While Alex was zoned out looking at the incoming notifications Obsidian was doing what she did best. She went from body to body collecting anything of importance. A new set of notifications appeared when she attempted to hand the items over to Alex.

    -Needles 12x

    -Total Value: 8574t

    -Your Share: 7717t

    -Deposit in Personal Account?

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    -Item

    -Kill Order

    -This kill order is signed for a Hero named Aether operating out of Winter Garden.

    -Target: Aether

    -Payout: 25,000t

    -Deposit: 10,000t

    ~~~

    -Needle 1x

    -Total Value: 10,000t

    -Deposit in Personal Account?

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    Health Serum I (6x)

    Energy Serum I (8x)

    Together Obsidian and Alex loaded up the back of their vehicle with the equipment and weapons from the men that they had defeated. Alex was planning on selling it all in the future to hopefully garner a little profit. He had gladly accepted their needles and was a little taken aback by the money that was paid by someone to kill him. Accepting the money was really easy when he thought about the fact that it would help him live.

    After about an hour the road was clear of the wrecked trucks and the men were all lined up hog tied in the dirt. They left one of the knocked-out men untied so that when he woke, he could untie the others. They were just doing their jobs and they had lost so their death was not required, yet.

    They drove towards the town where their first mission was located. Once they were about an hour outside of the town¡¯s limits midnight rolled around with a notification popping up in the corner of his vision.

    -ITS MIDNIGHT!

    -WONDERFUL WORK

    -You defeated 15 Villains or those who wish to do harm.

    -You¡¯ve earned a total of 12,428xp!

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 7!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 8!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 9!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You have 12 New stat points that need to be allocated.

    -You have 53 Heroic Points (You are a Hero!)

    -You have 17 Villainous Points (You are a Hero!)

    ~~~

    -Your Factory is doing well

    -326,370t Net Income

    -(-)228,459t Operating Cost

    -(+)9,791t Deposited into Personal Account

    -(+)24,477t Deposited into Calson¡¯s Personal Account

    -(+)63,643t Deposited into Factory¡¯s Operating Capital Account.

    The only thing that Alex could do was grin. Things, despite his recent fall backs, were starting to come together and now he had nine new Power Points and twelve more stat points to spend. It was about time that he purchased a new power.

 My Supers Online Chapter 07-03

    Chapter 07-03

    The small town of Ridgecreek had a population of two thousand people according to the sign that they passed as they drove towards the center of town. From the map view of the town Alex noticed that the main highway curved as it passed through the town center crossing paths with another road that came down from the north which curved in the opposite direction. The two roads loosely made the outline of an eye. At the center where the pupil would be sat their town hall.

    To the north of the town following the curve of the road, there were five businesses, a hotel, two convenience stores, a grocery store, and a hardware store. To the south of the town hall also following the curve of the road were six identical looking apartment complexes that only differed in height. They looked as if they were dropped on site completely constructed. North beyond the town were a couple sets of housing. To Alex it looked like there was plenty of housing for the population of two thousand if not way too much.

    As the duo drove through town there was a distinct lack of activity in the streets. It was night, well early morning, and the streetlights were on, but that was the extent. That was until they neared the front of the town hall. There was a crowd of a few dozen people, but as Alex parked the truck they were in the process of dispersing in all directions.

    ¡°Looks like we might have arrived just in time.¡± Obsidian said taking off her seatbelt once the truck was in park.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± Alex said doing the same.

    They got out of the truck and walked towards the front moving their way through the crowd. Near the front Alex spotted a man who was standing at the door to the town hall with his head in his hand. He wore a light blue button-down shirt that was untucked on one side and a pair of charcoal dress pants. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his collar was unbuttoned a couple of buttons. His long hair moved when he shifted. It was clear that it had been affixed by product at one point in the day. His five o¡¯clock shadow and stance screamed that his was having a bad day, perhaps week.

    The man noticed Alex and Obsidian approaching and looked up straightening his back. He adopted a very official and professional bravado.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°As I¡¯ve told your fellow citizens we are working hard to get to the bottom of what is going on. I can¡¯t speak any more about an active investigation.¡± The man said.

    ¡°I am here in response to a mission request.¡± Alex said.

    At that the man¡¯s phone chimed. He pulled it out of his pocket and a smile almost cracked, but he was quick to squash it before it spread across his face.

    ¡°I just received the notification of your acceptance. Please, come with me.¡± He ushered them all into the building.

    The town hall had clearly at one time been a large house. Alex marveled at the large staircase in the entrance that went up and curved to each side. The walls had old, but well cared for wallpaper that was an off white. The trim was whitewashed, and doors were a stained dark wood. Their steps echoed on the hard wood but became muffled as they climbed to the top of the steps where they took a left and then were led into a side room.

    ¡°Please, sit down.¡± The man indicated elaborate chairs that were positioned in front of a huge oak desk. He walked around to the back and dissolved into his own oversized chair.

    Alex and Obsidian looked at each other before they crossed the room, and each sat down in one of the large chairs.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been awake for three days straight so forgive me if I¡¯m a little scatter brained.¡± The man said.

    ¡°Understandable, Mister?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Eric Johndale. Just call me Eric.¡± He said rubbing his face.

    ¡°Alright, Eric. Can you give us a rundown of what is going on here? The mission indicated that there are children missing?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Yes, um well,¡± He started taking a deep breath, ¡°Most of the people who live in this town work in the mines. For a couple of months there were reports of strange noises and occurrences in the mineshafts. About a month ago two miners went missing. After that the town¡¯s people wouldn¡¯t go back to work until we figured out what happened to the missing people. Two weeks ago, children began to disappear, some snatched right off the street.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking the two are connected?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°God, I hope so. I don¡¯t want to have two problems like this to deal with.¡± Eric said running his fingers through his hair.

    ¡°Is there anything else that you could tell us that might help?¡± Obsidian asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve got.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Oh here.¡± He dug into his pocket and removed a small key card that was about as wide as Alex¡¯s thumb.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Alex asked looking the object over.

    ¡°That is a master key for the mine. It won¡¯t get you into every door down there, but anywhere that I was given permission to access it will open for you.¡± Eric explained.

    ¡°Well that will be helpful.¡± Alex said putting the key in his pocket.

    ¡°I want this problem solved and I will turn over my resources to do so. I want those children home. I will also give you the location of the mine where people went missing.¡± Eric said. His exhausted posture driving home the truth in his words.

    ¡°Alright, well we are here to help. We will do our best.¡± Alex said standing up from the huge chair. Obsidian stood as well.

    ¡°Thank you so much from coming.¡± Eric said standing with the duo.

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank us yet.¡± Alex said. He and Obsidian left the man to manage the problems that were crushing him.

    Standing outside the town hall Alex and Obsidian got a good look at the small town. It was empty. Everyone had retreated into their homes.

    ¡°We should get a room and try and catch a few minutes of shut eye. We can hit the mine in a few hours.¡± Alex suggested looking at the hotel. It was a two-story building in which the rooms were accessible from the outside. It was designed like old motels on Earth, but this one was in far better shape and the work that went into the fa?ade made it look much more comfortable and inviting.

    The parking in the town shared many spaces between the buildings. They didn¡¯t have to move the SUV for the night as it was already in the hotel¡¯s lot. They walked inside the main building. There was a small caf¨¦ style restaurant and the counter for registration. A man was sitting behind the counter and gave a forced smile when he noticed Alex and Obsidian.

    The man was older with a balding head and a woolen sweater vest. He sat up straight when Alex approached the counter.

    ¡°Good evening, or should I say good morning.¡± The man said still maintaining his forced smile.

    ¡°Good day.¡± Alex said with a nod, ¡°We would like to rent a room for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Excellent! What brings you into our neck of the woods?¡± The man said.

    ¡°We are here on business.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± The man said. He took Alex¡¯s phone and tapped it onto a small plate that was attached to his computer. There was a ding and a flash from the screen before he returned the phone, ¡°It looks like Mr. Johndale has you set up to get a thirty percent discount for your stay. That will bring the room up to one hundred and thirty thread per night.¡±

    ¡°Book us for four nights.¡± Alex said with a nod.

    ¡°Right away sir.¡± He tapped on the screen.

    -520t charged.

    ¡°Your phone will act as your key. There is also a guest code that you can send to any other phones that might need access.¡± The man said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Alex said and thought for a moment, ¡°Do you get a lot of guests up here?¡±

    ¡°We get a fair share. Most of the people who stay here are testing the waters for a career in the mines whichever route they may be pursuing.¡± The man explained.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Alex said with a nod. He crossed his arms, ¡°Is there anything that you can tell me about the disappearances? A man of your position has to hear things.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much. Sometimes people come in here for a late-night drink,¡± He said indicating the small restaurant like area, ¡°I hear some things. Most notably they say that when a child is found missing there is bright green light coming from the mines. Take that for whatever it might mean.¡±

    Alex pondered for a moment and finally smiled at the man. He tapped his phone on the counter a couple of times and turned to walk back out of the front door. According to the key on his phone they were in room two-thirty. He went ahead and sent the guest key to Obsidian.

    ¡°Bright green light, huh?¡± Obsidian asked as they walked up the stairs to the second story.

    ¡°Yeah, something fishy is going on.¡± Alex said tapping his phone on the door handle. There was an electronic click and the door opened right up.

    The hotel room was nothing to slouch at. It was three rooms. The main room right inside the door was a living room/kitchenette area that was actually stocked with food. Beyond that there was a bedroom with two queen size beds each on opposite walls leaving a huge walkway between them. The bathroom at the far back was sink in the back wall with a door on either side. The left was the toilet and the right was the shower/bath combo.

    ¡°Can we live here?¡± Obsidian asked dropping down onto the bed.

    ¡°I know right?¡± Alex said pulling off his boots and sitting down on his own bed.

    ¡°God, I need a shower.¡± Obsidian said sitting up sharply. She stood up from the bed pulling her top off over her head walking towards the shower side of the bathroom. Alex was kind of taken aback by the fact that she would expose her chest in just a bra to him, but he was not complaining. She didn¡¯t even bother making sure the door was all the way shut before the water turned on. As hard as he craned his neck though he couldn¡¯t see anything.

    Alex sighed and laid back to patiently wait for his turn in the shower.

 My Supers Online Chapter 07-04

    Chapter 07-04

    Obsidian, the ever-heavy sleeper, did not awake as early as Alex had. He laid under the heavy sets of hotel blankets and unlike the hotels on Earth he didn¡¯t worry about the potential ¡®things¡¯ that were under the covers with him. Even though it had passed sunset sunlight did not make it into the room.

    Alex ventured out of the bed to walk over to the window to have a look. Pulling the curtains back he found that they were not only in for rain, but it had arrived and everything outside was soaked. He wished they would have parked the truck closer to the actual room.

    He thought that there was no better time to do a little work on his stats and power point allocation. Obsidian would be better if he let her sleep for a little longer. Checking his points, he found that he had sixteen Power Points to spend and twelve stat points.

    Consideration had already narrowed his new power choices down to telekinetics, teleportation, and scan. Recent developments and the addition of Function to his team really shot scan down on the list. This just left Telekinesis and Teleportation on his list of desired powers.

    Teleportation would certainly help him get around better, but it would be a dozen or so points until he could make any real distance, and even more points that he would have to spend to be able to extend his teleportation to other people essentially having to leave Obsidian behind until he grew more powerful. On top of all that he already had flight which was a very powerful movement-based power.

    So, this train to thought really put him in front of Telekinesis. This was one of his most used powers in the past. If he would have known that he was going to permanently do the body switch with the body in this world he probably, no he definitely would have chosen that ability over something else probably Super-Strength. It was a great power, but it put him directly in harms way because he fought purely in melee. He was still very happy that he had taken Regeneration. Game or no that power would always make a better quality of life.

    He pondered the decision for a few more minutes watching the swirls in the dark sky outside of the window. Ultimately, he felt that Telekinesis was the best choice for him in the moment. This was the first power that he had taken that had a split stat allotment. Unlike super-strength that put four points into his strength or regeneration that put three points into constitution when he spent points in them, Telekinesis put one point into intelligence and two points into will. On the first point it did one in intelligence and four into will. This right off the bat would increase his energy. Telekinesis took a great deal of willpower to wield because of the strain on the mind. With the additional point in intelligence Alex could feel himself get just a little sharper and the will sent a rush of vitality through his veins.

    With his six remaining points he split them among this other three powers. This allotment meant that he had spent six points in super strength, five points in flight, and six points in regeneration, while technically he had spent ten in Telekinesis it was really only one. The points that he allocated into Flight unlocked his first flight-based skill.

    -New Skill Unlocked!

    -Air Sprint

    -At the cost of 50 energy triple your flight speed for 8 seconds.

    -This Skill has a 20 Second cool down.

    The last thing that he wanted to do before awakening the Kraken from her slumber was to distribute his stat points. He had twelve that needed homes. The three stats that Alex felt were falling behind were Wisdom, Perception and Charisma. Two sixteens and a nineteen respectively. His Fate wasn¡¯t too far ahead with a twenty, but it was over that threshold.

    He spent four points in Charisma. He¡¯d seen with Mr. Money the effect that could be had so he didn¡¯t feel like it was anything like a waste. He decided to go a head with four in the other two as well bringing them both up to twenty.

    When Alex committed to his choices he sucked in a sharp breath of air. His body was changing rapidly. His mind ached from a moment. Everything in the room around him became sharper owing to his higher perception and glancing in a mirror he saw that he found himself far sexier.

    ¡°Damn son.¡± He whispered to himself.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how to quantify the feeling that crossed over him at the increase of his wisdom score, but he did feel like he might make fewer stupid calls in the future. He attributed it to his confidence taking a rise from the increased score. He took a moment to look over his scores.

    -Strength: (Passive: 42) (Active: 63)

    -Dexterity: (Passive: 30) (Active: 40)

    -Intelligence: (Passive: 21) (Active: 22)

    -Wisdom: (20)

    -Charisma: (23)

    -Constitution: (Passive: 37) (Active: 56)

    -Fate: (20)

    -Perception: (20)

    -Will: (Passive: 27) (Active: 31)

    For his current level of nine he could not have asked for better stats. The only one that was not super clear on him was Fate. He had never been much to put points in it in the past and wasn¡¯t sure what it changed.

    Alex stretched while taking one last look out at the cloudy sky. Rain started to fall in sheets.

    ¡°Figures.¡± He said shaking his head.

    Turning from the window he walked over to his bed. He grabbed a pillow before walking over to the head of Obsidian¡¯s bed. Carefully he positioned himself over her making note of the location of her hands and feet. He executed his operation in a swift motion pushing the pillow down on her head.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    She immediately awoke struggling against the pillow. Kicking and scream Alex was glad that he had made note of her appendage positions. He pulled the pillow of her face. She gasped an jumped up. She balled her fist and punched him in the shoulder.

    ¡°Jerk!¡± She yelled.

    ¡°Good morning sunshine!¡± Alex said with a smile. He rubbed the impact point on his arm.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± She demanded.

    ¡°I mean anyone can shake a person awake, I chose to go another route.¡± Alex said shrugging.

    ¡°Psychopath.¡± She hissed jumping down from the bed.

    ¡°The jury is still out on that one.¡± Alex noted.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s time to go?¡± She asked. She had slept in a pair of dark black and purple pajamas that Alex was not exactly sure of their origins.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s raining cats and dogs outside. Are all of your cloths color coordinated to your super persona?¡± He asked pointing at her.

    ¡°Yes, they are.¡± She said giving a sharp nod.

    Obsidian disappeared into the bathroom to change into her super suit. Alex was already halfway there having slept in most of his the night before. He donned the top half and the with a quiet hiss and click he put on his mask.

    ¡°Good afternoon sir.¡± Function said appearing in the room.

    ¡°Good morning Function.¡± Alex said with a nod.

    ¡°Shall I set up navigation to the indicated point you received during you mission update last night?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That would be very helpful.¡± Alex nodded.

    Once Obsidian was finished the head out for the mission. They took the truck the short ride into the mountains. There were several mines most of which were producing Uranium, but there were other resources coming out regularly too.

    Alex assumed when they parked in front of a mine entrance that was label with two of their three current missions that it wasn¡¯t a coincidence and the two were connected. He put the truck in park and shut down the reactor. The duo looked at the fenced off entrance building for a long silent moment.

    ¡°No point in wasting time.¡± Alex said opening his door.

    They approached the fence gate. The door was left completely ajar and the pad lock had been destroyed. Shiny pieces of it lay on the ground around the door. Kneeling down Alex picked up a piece and examined it.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± He said holding it up towards Obsidian.

    ¡°High powered energy blast?¡± She half said half asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± He said with a nod. He dropped the metal and proceeded to the front door of the main mine building. The door was still closed and locked which at first, he took as a good sign. When he thought about it though it likely meant that there was another way in and out that he didn¡¯t know about.

    Eric¡¯s key card did its job. When he waved it over the panel next to the door the locked clicked right opened and the door swung out freely. Alex leaned inside the door frame fists balled and ready to brawl.

    There was nothing, the room was a little dim, but the light from the windows was enough for both of them to see. He wasn¡¯t sure that his newly enhanced perception wasn¡¯t playing a part, but if it was, he was thankful. He didn¡¯t mind surprises as long as they didn¡¯t come out of places that were dark and creepy.

    There wasn¡¯t much to the small building. There were some control systems to one side that were keeping up with the mine¡¯s ventilation systems as well as power distribution for all of the equipment and machinery. In the center of the back wall there were three elevators.

    ¡°Going down?¡± Alex asked in a goofy creepy voice pointing to the elevators.

    ¡°If we must.¡± Obsidian sighed and rolled her eyes.

    They boarded the elevator. According to the location on the map it was all the way down that they had to go. Alex pressed the lowest button. The doors slid closed and the car began it¡¯s decent. The sound of the creaking metal was all that could be heard.

    When the elevator came to a stop the doors slid open to reveal a metal lattice that had to be opened manually. They stepped out into a stone tunnel that looked like it had been carved in a perfect circle by some kind of machine. Alex continued to lead them down the tunnels following the indicator to the location that Eric had given them. The location for the other uranium-based mission just lead to the elevator giving Alex the distinct ¡®you figure it out¡¯ vibe.

    They took a left down a narrow tunnel, then they took a right. After a few minutes of walking they began to go up a slight incline. Then they reached a dead end, which was where the navigation on his HUD stopped.

    ¡°Well this is excellent!¡± Obsidian said words oozing with sarcasm.

    ¡°Just hold on a second.¡± Alex said holding up his hand. He walked over to one of the lights that was hanging from the wall and pulled it down. They were battery powered since the power lines had not been run into the newer part of the mine yet.

    He looked all around, but he saw nothing that would indicate that what there were standing at was anything more than just a dead end. That was until he heard a rustling. The noise of movement and scratching came from above his head.

    Alex looked up to see a round hole just large enough for him to fit through. He shone the light up but didn¡¯t see anything but continuing tunnels.

    ¡°Give me a boost.¡± Obsidian suggested.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alex asked looking from her to the creepy tunnel.

    ¡°We¡¯re on a mission, right? What could go wrong?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Literally five million things.¡± Alex said with a nod.

    ¡°Just give me a boost.¡± She reiterated.

    Alex laced his fingers together and offered his hands for her to step into. She climbed up using his head for stability and was able to grab ahold of the tunnel walls. She climbed up about ten feet fairly easily finding holds as she moved.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too tight, you can make it.¡± She called down to him once she was about twenty feet up the tunnel.

    Alex flew himself up into the tunnel but was unable to keep the hover going in the small area. Every time his arm would bump the wall his power would deactivate, and he would fall a few feet. He decided to take ahold of the holds and climb just like Obsidian.

    They moved quickly covering a hundred feet in just a few minutes. The holds they used to climb almost seemed to be carved like a ladder system.

    Without warning a rock hit the top of Alex¡¯s head. When he looked up, he saw Obsidian sliding down. She was desperately tried to grab ahold of something, but as fast as she was moving, she couldn¡¯t get a grip.

    Before Alex knew exactly what had happened, he and Obsidian were jammed face to face in the tunnel. Neither one could move. Alex¡¯s left arm was over his head stuck in an awkward position.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alex asked moving his head around, mostly because it was the only thing he could really move.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She said with a groan.

    ¡°Well this is an interesting development.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas.¡± She replied looking him in the eye which wasn¡¯t hard because their eyes were literally inches apart.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got all kinds of ideas, but none of them helpful.¡± He said trying really hard not to think about the shirtless image from the night before that had been raddling around in his mind since it happened.

    ¡°Here¡¯s what we are going to do.¡± Obsidian said with an exhale, ¡°I¡¯m going activate my ability and I want you to use your strength to break the stone with me.¡±

    ¡°That should like a crazier idea then I had in mind.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°What¡¯s your idea then?¡± She asked with an impatient look.

    ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s do your thing.¡± Alex gave her and awkward smile.

    Obsidian¡¯s skin began to glow purple. Alex could feel the soft skin that gave way under the pressure of his body cease to do so.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Do it!¡± She said.

    Alex focused energy into his super-strength. He pushed out with his arms breaking the stone around him. Obsidian began to shift backward as the stone behind her buckled under the pressure. Chunks fell down to the ground in the shaft below them. Finally, after longer than either of them wanted they were free. Like a spider monkey Obsidian shot up the tunnel stopping for nothing.

    Alex hung suspended for a moment waiting to either make the climb himself or drop down at a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°I made it! Your turn.¡± She called down to him.

    One carful movement at a time Alex climbed up the tunnel walls. When he reached the top Obsidian offered a hand to help him out of the hole. He climbed out into a large, dark open cavern.

    ¡°Next time if you want some close time with me. You just have to ask.¡± Alex said trying to break the tension of the two of them rubbing against each other for over a half hour.

    In response she punched him saying nothing, but be it a trick of the light, he thought that he saw her blush slightly.

 Super Delivery Chapter 07

    Chapter 07

    ¡°I¡¯m at full capacity.¡± I told the other members of my team.

    I received confirmation of the same from everyone on the rooftop. At the same time, I noticed someone coming towards us, and fast. I was about to react when I realized. Holding my hand out to stop the others from attacking The Streak.

    ¡°What can I do for you Streak?¡±

    ¡°Hi Mr.¡­ sorry Celerity.¡± Came the awkward start before he continued, ¡°I would like to help, what can I do?¡±

    ¡°I mean this in the best way kid,¡± I felt bad for what I was about to do,¡± Stay out of the way.¡±

    The excitement left his face quicker than even I could see.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to stop you from helping, but we are about to fight, and that can be¡­,¡± I stopped trying to think of the right word

    ¡°Intense?¡± The Author half asked, half suggested.

    ¡°Intense, exactly! I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t help in general. I¡¯m saying you can¡¯t help us fight.¡±

    ¡°I could use your help here.¡± Mastermind stated.

    His excitement came back a little less than he had before. The Streak nodded his agreement.

    ¡°Whatever I can help with.¡± He told the villain.

    ¡°Is everyone prepared?¡± Mastermind asked us.

    After receiving nods from each of us a holographic layout of the area appeared before Mastermind. Looking at it, it continuously moved as the combatants below fought and the building and debris changed as it did on the ground too.

    ¡°Drones.¡± Mastermind answered my unasked question, ¡°Now shouldn¡¯t you guys go?¡±

    Another nod from me and we all moved into action.

    Lucky Break and Prometheus moved towards the closest group having around fifteen combatants going full force. As they arrived Lucky just barely dodged a super strength powered punch that managed to hit another person in the face, sending him flying back into a building. That is how fights with Lucky go, he just barely manages something that makes him be in a better position. Prometheus had fire shooting from both hands spinning at a normal pace setting multiple people¡¯s clothes ablaze and causing others to flee the zone.

    Orbital Force and The Author took the second closest group, and as it pains me to say were the first ones done. Orbital used his power to lift everyone off the ground in zero gravity, while the Author wrote furiously in his book. As soon as he closed the book, handcuffs appeared around the wrists of everyone who was fighting. This was their specialty after all so I can¡¯t be to mad.

    Hopper and I had the farthest group. When we arrived, Hopper opened two big portals one below everyone on the ground and one above them aligned perfectly with the one below it. As the low leveled heroes and villains fell through the portal beneath them, they reemerged falling from the portal floating in the air, one by one I grabbed them and tied them together on a nearby pole.

    Each battle was over on a matter of minutes, and after we finished the ground shook from the high-level fighters. As we tried to maintain our balance a huge chunk of the street was ripped from the ground and thrown through the air colliding with a building.

    ¡°That building is a strong wind away from coming down.¡± Mastermind said over the comms.

    As he finished speaking a torrent of air buffeted the same building from the other side.

    ¡°You just had to say something didn¡¯t you.¡± I shot to him.

    The building started to fall, before I knew it something raced by me.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone!¡± Mastermind yelled.

    ¡°Dammit.¡± I raced off after The Streak before Mastermind could even finish. Right as I was about to catch up to him a part of the building fell off and collided with the ground between us. Not being able to change course quickly enough I just had to hope an opening would present itself.

    Just before colliding with the building a familiar colored portal appeared. Not knowing where it would go but having complete trust with Hopper I ran through.

    Emerging from the other side I quickly realized where I was, on top of the falling building! Trying to use my enhanced thinking power I tried to determine the fastest path to the stupid speedster. I felt there was only one sure-fire way to get to him, running around the outside of the building.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I ran down the building as it slowly fell, when it started to glow in the way that people and things do when Orbital Force was using his power. I had to be quick, he couldn¡¯t hold a building this size for very long. Lucky for him quick is what I do.

    Speeding up so my friend wouldn¡¯t strain himself to long, I quickly changed direction. Darting left to reach the side quicker I swiftly found myself running towards the ground. The moment I changed from this side to the side closest to the ground, would require precise calculations or else I¡¯d plummet to the ground. Lucky for me this isn¡¯t the first time I ran along a falling object, and my brain was up to the task. That is until something collided with the building. The sudden impact threw off my calculations and my foot stepped off the side of the building. Plummeting toward the ground at a speed hardly anyone could see, I thought it was over. However, someone did see.

    About one hundred feet from the ground a familiar blur started to circle directly below me. To me he looked so dumb, running in a circle on the ground at a normal pace, I almost busted out laughing as I fell to my death. To others though my fall slowed as The Streak ran fast enough to cause an updraft to catch me.

    As my fall began to slow, the person running become more and more of a blur until all I saw was the streaking red and yellow colors where he was running. Being a pro, I couldn¡¯t let anything, but my feet touch first. Moving my arms in a similar way to how he was running I righted myself before landing.

    ¡°Good job Streak, where¡¯d you learn to do that?¡±

    ¡°I read about my favorite hero doing it in a comic book.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to meet the hero who came up with that.¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s not real, so that might be hard.¡±

    Not getting what he meant I walked over to him and slapped the back of his head hard.

    ¡°What was that for? I just saved you!¡±

    ¡°I was only in danger because you ran off!¡± I got slightly to close to yelling as I finished talking.

    ¡°Anyway¡­¡± I started, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Ghost threw an Admin into the building.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s an ¡®Admin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­. I¡¯ll explain later.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the group.¡±

    Waiting for Streak to run first I followed closely behind. He stumbled as the Orbital let the building return to its normal gravity. It didn¡¯t take long to get back to everyone. They all stood there with looks of disappointment on their faces. Streak knew it was for him and stopped in front of everyone.

    ¡°You are foolish, you could have been killed¡­¡± Mastermind started, and stopped just as suddenly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°I got hero points¡­¡±

    Not knowing what to say I changed the subject. Looking toward The Streak.

    ¡°What caused this event?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t log off¡­¡± He responded almost sounding like he was trying not to worry.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± He paused trying to remember something, ¡°The bridge is closed.¡±

    ¡°Impossible. When the bridge closes you are all taken from here.¡± Mastermind stated.

    ¡°Exactly why everyone was worried. The Admins came to try and help, but it escalated out of control quickly.¡±

    ¡°Admins?¡± The Author asked.

    The Streak was about to answer when Hopper beat him to it.

    ¡°People who help Bridgers with problems, while protecting them and the world from harmful people or problems that would affect their connection to our world.¡±

    ¡°Yeah close enough.¡± Streak confirmed.

    ¡°So, the Admins were here to help and the Bridgers attacked them?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    ¡°So, the Bridgers are the instigators.¡± Prometheus stated. ¡°Which means they are the enemies here.¡±

    ¡°Then we know who to fight.¡± Orbital Force chimed in.

    ¡°They are each at least level two-fifty.¡± Streak stated as if to say we stood no chance.

    ¡°State your name and power!¡± I yelled.

    ¡°Hopper level 241¡±

    ¡°Orbital Force level 244¡±

    ¡°The Author level 243¡±

    ¡°Lucky Break level 238¡±

    ¡°The Mastermind level 247¡±

    ¡°Prometheus level 245¡±

    ¡°Celerity level 246¡± I finished the group off before continuing, ¡°How did we get this far? Not by backing down in the face of a greater threat.¡±

    Streak looked around at our steeled resolve to fight, then nodded.

    ¡°The Streak level 66.¡± You could feel his resolve. Then his face took on a look of surprise, as I sent him a party invite.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    I nodded my head. I didn¡¯t need to tell him it was so I could keep a closer eye on him.

    ¡°Mastermind. The plan?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°Well the way I see it we have three options. The first being we let them fight until there is a winner. The second we join the fight and hope we choose the winning side. The third is we try to stop the fight.¡±

    ¡°Any thoughts?¡± I asked the others.

    ¡°Let them fight you got the people to safety.¡± Prometheus all but spat.

    ¡°What if the fight expands into the nearby streets?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer, it seemed the villain side was still engraved deeply into him.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t pick a side.¡± Came Orbital¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°So, try to stop the fight it is then.¡± Mastermind finished the impromptu brainstorm.

    ¡°Well that sounds more difficult, can we just not?¡± asked Lucky

    As long as we had fought together, it was almost exactly how I thought he would respond.

    As we stood there looking at the scene of pure chaos before us, the admins had regrouped as well as the heroes, and there seemed to be a lull in the combat. The opposing forces just staring letting their energies refill, as that was the only reason, I could see, for them taking a break.

    ¡°Well better late than never.¡± Hopper said as he opened a portal above us and moved it down over our bodies. We appeared right between them standing exactly how we were before the portal.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± said one of the top heroes. Ghost, I think.

    ¡°We are trying to stop this insane fight!¡± I yelled to him.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t our fault! We can¡¯t log off either!¡± came the voice of a female admin.

    ¡°But you know why we can¡¯t! I just know it!¡± another hero, Druidia, yelled.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know anything! We are trying to help!¡± a different admin spoke up, he sounded in need of medical attention.

    ¡°Washed up loser NPC¡¯s like you guys shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Ghost said in a tone that indicated how pathetic he thought we were.

    Before anyone could respond, Prometheus threw a huge glob of fire at him. It wasn¡¯t inconspicuous or fast, but Ghost made no move as his two accomplices got out of the way. The ball detonated right on top of Ghost. The explosion settled down after a couple of seconds, and we waited to see what would happen. As the smoke cleared there he stood, not a scratch in him.

    ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 07

    Chapter 07

    Spoils

    -Lord: Become lord of a city-state. This will require you to provide all the services to the habitants of the city. Death will result in the city losing a third of its resources, unless otherwise specified.

    -Due to your selection you have become the King of Autumn¡¯s Reach declaring it a City-State. You are awarded many powers that effect your citizens. Please study them carefully. Expanding your city-state''s influence may have unexpected results, tread carefully.

    -Your City Hall is severely damaged. Repair is necessary before normal operations can be resumed.

    -Due to the damage to City Hall, the one-time option of Back to Day Zero has been converted to full repair.

    -This is a onetime use ability when taking owner ship of a new City-State.

    -This cannot be used after ten hours of Lordship establishment.

    -Use?

    -Yes | No

    I glanced around at the ruined structure and selected yes. I had no desire to work out of a falling apart building that looked like it belonged in a horror movie. There was a surge of energy from my location then it looked as if time had stopped.

    Alara and I found ourselves outside surrounded by all the zombie corpses. We watched as energy crackled along the surface of the building. There was a boom then a shockwave as everything, dirt, soot, overgrowth, and more was ripped off the surface of the building, making it look like new. The right wing of the building glowed brightly as it knitted itself back together.

    After only ten to fifteen seconds the building had returned to pristine shape. It reminded me of the White House with its structure. When nothing happened for after ten more seconds, I thought the process was done, but I was wrong. The building started to glow red and began to morph.

    The clean white marble stayed but plates of gray metal over took sections. Pipes ran seemingly at random from and to various parts of the building. Victorian age architecture took shape around the building. I was liking it more by the second. Finally, everything appeared to stop changing.

    -Due to your strong will the repair function was influenced.

    ¡°That was interesting,¡± I said chuckling.

    ¡°I get to change the next one. I like your stuff, but I want to see some green,¡± Alara said with a pout.

    ¡°Deal. I do wonder why it gave me the choice. You were the one that killed him,¡± I said tapping my chin.

    ¡°It offered. I told it to give it to you,¡± Alara said poking Scythe¡¯s corpse with her foot.

    ¡°Thanks, Love.¡±

    I knelt next to Scythe¡¯s body and looted it. It was the first time I¡¯d actually taken the time to Loot since getting Smith, so I was surprised when a Status screen came up for him.

    Name: Scythe DreadHead (Deceased)

    Age: 34

    Level: 56

    Health: 0/1,456

    Energy: 1,056

    Armor: 51

    Strength: 10

    Dexterity: 12

    Intelligence: 50

    Wisdom: 54

    Charisma: 19

    Constitution: 23

    Fate: 20

    Perception: 26

    Will: 36

    My stats were almost the same level as his, and I was only level four. My health alone was nearly fourteen times higher than his. I couldn¡¯t understand how that worked out. I knew the system had designated that I was an NPC-Player hybrid of some sort. This explains why we were able to one hit most of the enemies we have come up against so far.

    ¡°Smith. Do you know why my stats are so much higher?¡± I asked. Smith was part of the system that governed this place. He would hopefully have some information for me.

    ¡°Affirmative. It is related to the hidden Balancing System that existed in the game. Several days ago, an event caused major changes on the game world. The God Tier AI of the time tried to balance the change with a new game object. You and Alara were the result.¡±

    ¡°How did causing this world to become real unbalance it?¡± I said more to myself then Smith.

    ¡°Answer: The Players known as Administration were made into a permanent part of this world. Their power was unbalanced as a result.¡±

    ¡°I think I follow. Thank you, Smith.¡±

    We looted all of the bodies before we headed back into the building. Just Scythe alone netted a nearly five million thread needle. The various zombies added up to just under two hundred thousand and a variety of items and gear. A few supers had been defeated and turned into zombies. Their gear was damaged but well worth the repair.

    Back inside the City Hall, we took a moment to admire the new and improved building. The smell of death was gone, replaced by the smell of oil. A third wing had been added that we couldn¡¯t see from the street. When we checked it out, we found a throne room, most likely since we selected Lord.

    When I stepped into the throne room, a voice sounded out. ¡°Welcome. AI being selected. AI selected. Jane is activating.¡±

    ¡°Evening! My Lord,¡± a different voice said. In front of me a girl took shape as a hologram. She looked exactly like one would expect from a secretary. She even had a clipboard and glasses donning a dark blue dress suit.

    ¡°Evening Jane.¡±

    ¡°My Lord. Would you like to see the reports on the current production of the city? How about the current population? There are reports that need your attention as well. Also, a total of twenty-five organizations have vanished overnight...¡± Jane rambled on. She was projecting screens in front of me so fast that a normal person would have a hard time trying to take in all the information. I was keeping up, but I wanted a bit more time to actually purse the information before moving to the next section. You never know when something mundane might be important. ¡°Here is a list of powers that the Lord has...¡±

    ¡°Jane. Pause,¡± I said cutting her off and the girl stopped completely.

    I grabbed the list which was part AR and took a look. Most of the powers were what I expected. Declare war, alliances, trade agreements, taxation, and more. There were a few powers that were one-time use, like the Back to Day Zero, as well as some that required a cooldown.

    ¡°Create super suit,¡± I said using one of the powers.

    ¡°Designate Target,¡± Jane said coming back to life.

    ¡°Alara.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    The dress that Alara was wearing vanished catching me off guard, but she still had her undergarments on. Another dress took its place, a black skirt with green accents that had armor plating. Armor plating covering her chest and arms, but not enough to hinder her movements. Boots with nine-centimeter heels, that looked like they would let her kick through a concrete wall with ease and with plates led to her thigh.

    ¡°Nice. You look beautiful,¡± I said.

    ¡°Thanks honey,¡± she said blushing. She began moving around and got used to her new outfit and I turned back to the power list. Nothing else was of much use at the moment. I moved to the next list of things that a Lord or even Mayor could do. It was more generalized.

    ¡°Huh. I can marry people,¡± I said out loud.

    ¡°Marry?¡± Alara asked taking some swings with her swords.

    ¡°You know the thing mortals do to say they belong only to that person,¡± I explained.

    ¡°I know that it is,¡± Alara said with a pout, pointing one of her blades at me. I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. Whoops. ¡°I meant why are you bringing it up?¡±

    ¡°No reason. Just saw it I guess,¡± I said turning back to the list. I felt something poke me in the side. Glancing down, I saw Alara¡¯s blade tip pressed into my shirt, though in a playful manner. ¡°I mean, maybe we should do it here?¡±

    Her pout grew deeper. I thought quickly and pulled the last of the matter blocks that I had barely enough to make anything. I channeled my energy into it. Once I was done, I turned fully to Alara. Kneeling in front of her. ¡°Alara. Would you like to marry me?¡± I asked presenting a ring to her. Since I had to make things that included technology, it was a ring that could boost a power of her choice by one point.

    -Item

    -Name: Hasteful Love

    -Attack:0 Defense:1/1

    -Durability: 100/100

    -Description: Made by a man that knew he was in trouble. Gives +1 to a power of user¡¯s choice.

    -Repair/Upgrade: 100-1000 Energy

    -Price: N/A (Needs to be assessed)

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask,¡± she said placing her left hand in mine for me to slide the ring on. I stood and pulled her into a deep kiss. Then picked her up in a tight hug and spun her around. We both started laughing from the joy of it all.

    ¡°We need to do this back on Murgin,¡± I said once I placed her back down.

    ¡°Yes. Invite everyone. Show everyone that you¡¯re mine,¡± Alara said burying her face in my chest.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    City Management

    A few hours later, I had mostly gone through all the information that the city provided. Everything was running smoothly considering who had been in control of this city. Moral was still down, but Jane informed me that was because the change in leadership wasn¡¯t automatically posted. I would have to make an announcement of some sort.

    I planned to send a message tomorrow morning, but it was almost midnight. It could wait. For now, I was playing with the settings to see what changes I could make without having to go anywhere. I was standing in front of a holographic display of the city, with Jane standing next to me. Alara was off exploring the building.

    ¡°So, construction will rely on the city¡¯s own infrastructure since we¡¯ve split off?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Many of the automated systems will no longer work. However, the city is level five. Many of those same systems can easily be reactivated internally. Its reliant on the amount of resources you wish to allow for them,¡± Jane answered.

    ¡°Lovely,¡± I said flicking through the hologram to get an idea of the city¡¯s layout.

    ¡°Advisement: The city¡¯s power grid has been cut off due to becoming a City-State. Autumn¡¯s Rain has cut off our connection as of ten minutes ago,¡± Jane said moving the map to show the power lines. Giant underground trunks that led off to the East.

    ¡°How long do we have?¡± I asked pulling up the various power management screens.

    ¡°Seventy-two hours. The City has grown past the limits of the coal generators.¡± She moved the map again. At the bottom of the giant tree like trunk that held up the city was several dozen coal generators. However, they were listed as deactivated at the moment. ¡°If the generators are reactivated that would extend the dead-line by, calculating coal reserves, two weeks. Production will be reduced to sixty percent.¡±

    ¡°Reactivate them five hours before the cut-off point. I want to make the coal last for as long as we can,¡± I ordered. ¡°Send the Maintenance robots down to make sure everything is in working order.¡±

    ¡°Yes. My Lord.¡±

    I was glad the city had a pre-established robotics department. Apparently, every city starts with a set number of drones, but they were expensive to buy. They were expensive to build as well, but cheaper in the long run. Autumn¡¯s Reach had nearly two hundred maintenance drones, a hundred construction, and a hundred of a variety of other drones.

    ¡°Alright. So, power is at the top of the list. What¡¯s next?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Food. Most stores and restaurants will face a sharp spike in tariffs and taxes. Ninety-five percent of all produce is produced from cities to the south. Most of the land surrounding the city is infertile and unable to grow anything,¡± Jane reported.

    ¡°That¡¯s not too bad. Have all the stores report their taxes to us and we¡¯ll cover it for the first two months. I¡¯ll try to figure something out by then,¡± I said. I knew the city¡¯s current budget could cover it. We would be pushing, no, we would be close to breaking by the third, but I wasn¡¯t going to be sitting her idly during that time.

    ¡°Finances would be the next issue in that case. As an industrial city, we produced many components and hardware for the other cities. We would need to negotiate trade agreements with any we wanted to trade with.¡±

    ¡°How does transportation fit into this?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Axiscore has started restricting the use of its trains due to the rise in City-States. Of the one hundred and twenty major cities on the continent, twenty-two have been converted to city-states. Axiscore is recruiting an army to restore order,¡± Smith chimed in.

    ¡°Offline,¡± Jane said simply.

    ¡°Do you not have access to information outside the city?¡± I asked Jane.

    ¡°I did until the lines were disconnected along with the powerlines,¡± Jane said tapping a holographic pen on her holographic clipboard. ¡°I am sorry if I am inadequate.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine. I¡¯ll get you back up to a hundred percent as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. My Lord.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look over this again in the morning. I feel I have enough problems to work out right now. Have Maintenance repair the central plaza.¡±

    -Power Jeopardy

    -Your city¡¯s power is draining away.

    -In order to stop your city from dying of power lose, figure out a way to return it to full power.

    -Remaining time: 3 weeks 5 days 22 hours

    -Accept?

    Yes | No

    ~~~

    -Tower Famine

    -Your city¡¯s food reserves won¡¯t last a week. Restaurants and stores have to import their wares. Tariffs will apply.

    -Solve this to increase the moral of your people. A city can only operate at half time if there is a full famine in affect. This will severely affect city wide production. Exodus and riots are only a few of your concerns.

    -Accept?

    Yes | No

    ~~~

    -Trading Partners

    -Your city¡¯s neighbors don¡¯t know you. Interactions are limited until you properly introduce yourself and set up a proper trade agreement.

    -Communications are cut off until at least one city enters an agreement with you. Depending on the partner there might be limits of the amount of information available to you.

    -Accept?

    Yes | No

    I accepted all of them since I would be working on them either way. Might as well get some nice bonuses out of the deal. Getting to the other cities would be a pain. Alara and I didn¡¯t know any movement abilities. Then a lightbulb when off in my head. I did have an airship. Some repairs should get it up and running.

    ¡°Sir. It is midnight,¡± Smith informed me.

    ¡°Go ahead and display the report,¡± I said. I took a seat on the throne.

    -Its MIDNIGHT!

    -You defeated 1 Villains

    -You defeated 0 Heroes

    -You Earned a Total of 138,887 Experience points

    -Level Up! You are level 5!

    -Level Up! You are Level 6!

    Level Up!...

    Level Up! You are level 29!

    -You have 32 Power Points to spend!

    -You have 100 Stat points to spend!

    -You have 6 Feats of Power to allocate!

    -You Earned 0 Hero Tier Points

    -You Earned 160 Villain Tier Points

    -You Earned 195 Villainous Points (Naughty, naughty. You¡¯re a villain now!¡±)

    -Current Villain Tier 5

    -Days Until Payout 2: 1,414,306t

    A bit more of a productive day than I had intended but at least I was moving towards my goal. It would still be a while before I could unlock dimensional gate technology, and I needed to place points in my other powers. I would have to spend today working on the airship to get it flight worthy. For that I would need to spend some points in technology as well as construction.

    ¡°Regan!¡± I heard Alara call for me from the doorway. She had a girl by the hand who was covered in a sheet.

    ¡°What do you have there, love?¡± I asked moving over to her.

    ¡°I found her in the basement. Whatever happened to the City Hall didn¡¯t affect pass the second level.¡±

    ¡°It must be the girl that was taken from the city earlier today. Come. We¡¯ll take you home later today when the sun rises,¡± I said leading them down the hall. The City Hall had a few bedrooms down the west wing.

    The girl simply nodded. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she thought this was all a dream. Alara guided her, treating her like she might break with a touch. I followed along just to make sure everything was alright. At least this would help break the ice with the City people.

    Under New Management

    Once Alara finished helping the girl into the bed, we retired to another room ourselves. I didn¡¯t get tired, but I did enjoy sleeping. Especially when it was next to the love of my life. She curled into a ball and I wrapped myself around her. The world faded to black a few minutes later as we talked about little and meaningless things.

    ¡°Die!¡± preceded a sharp pain in my back. Before I could respond, Alara drove her sword through my assailant''s stomach and pinned him to the wall. The assassin had managed to stab me in a place I couldn¡¯t reach easily without causing more damage. I sat up carefully. At least the pain was already fading.

    ¡°My love,¡± Alara said gently as she came around and examined the wound. ¡°Poison!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right you fiend! You will die just like all the innocents that you took from this town!¡±

    Alara pulled the dagger out then placed her mouth over the wound. She sucked then spit out the ruined blood. I was curious and when I checked my health, I found that he¡¯d managed to take a solid five hundred points off and the poison was ticking off a hundred points per second. A timer in the corner showed it would last for sixty seconds. It dropped by a few seconds every time Alara pulled some of the poison from me.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have taken even half my health off,¡± I said looking up at the man.

    I couldn¡¯t accurately place his age since he was wearing a super suit, but I put it in the ballpark of early twenties. It looked like he was trying to concentrate to use his ability but was failing to do so from the pain. From how he managed to sneak in on both Alara and me, Alara for one being able to pick up a ghost going through a wall, he must have some sort of teleportation.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way a necromancer could have so much health! Haha! Trying to be strong as your end comes?¡± the man said with a few grunts intermixed.

    ¡°One, why would a necromancer be affected by poison? Two, didn¡¯t you notice the changed building outside? Three, Are you an idiot?¡±

    The man stopped struggling and actually took a second to take in his surroundings. ¡°Umm, Where¡¯s Scythe?¡±

    ¡°Missed your chance as of sixteen hours ago. It is under new management now,¡± I said standing up as Alara finished pulling the last of the poison out. I turned and wiped the blood off her lips before bending down to give her a kiss. ¡°Thank you, my love.¡±

    ¡°Man! I wanted to be Lord of this city! Now the stupid protection will stop me for the next month!¡± the man grew upset then calmed down quickly. ¡°Hey. I¡¯m sorry about this. Can you pull this out? I invested everything in that poison. I need to go do a few missions before all my assets are claimed by Axiscore.¡±

    I was momentarily dumbfounded by the sudden change. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Daniel Warp. Teleporter extraordinaire!¡± Daniel answered posing, though it was ruined with the sword impaled through him.

    I laughed. This was definitely a player. ¡°I¡¯m Regan.¡±

    ¡°Wow. Sick name. Honestly thought it was banned from all the games,¡± Daniel said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t ban something that belongs to me,¡± I said with a grin then pulled the sword out.

    ¡°Huh?¡± he said then dropped to the floor with a scream of pain.

    ¡°Mister Daniel. Would you be interested in a business proposal?¡± I asked injecting him with a health serum. I found quite a few of them in the loot from the zombies. If they could be corrupted, I would rather try it on someone else.

    ¡°Business proposal?¡± he breathed once his complexion returned normal.

    ¡°Yes. I need information from other cities. If you would be my informant for a few weeks, I will make sure you¡¯re paid nicely.¡±

    ¡°How do I know I can trust you?¡±

    ¡°Asks the man that just stabbed me in the back?¡± I retorted and Alara leveled her sword towards him again.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Daniel said raising his hands up in surrender.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a few new abilities. I opened one of the city menus and created a mission for Daniel.

    -Headline News

    -The King of Autumn¡¯s Reach has offered you a mission.

    -King Regan has offered you a deal. Provide him with information for other cities or places of interest and he will pay you. Sounds simple enough, right?

    -100t-1000t dependent on the value of the information.

    -Accept?

    Yes | No

    Daniel pulled his phone out and stared at it for a few minutes. ¡°Can I get a down payment? I just need five thousand thread.¡±

    ¡°Why not? I have a feeling this won¡¯t be my last city to take control over, so feel free to run,¡± I said pulling a needle from my pocket and adding the thread to it.

    ¡°Scary dude. Though, I like the vibe you¡¯re going for. Don¡¯t worry. This is easier than fighting to be honest,¡± Daniel said then tapped the accept button. I handed over the needle. ¡°Here is my number. Call me when you need me to work. What do you want me to do for now?¡±

    ¡°Head to Axiscore and tell me the situation there,¡± I said.

    ¡°Was there a day or two ago wasn¡¯t too crazy. Then someone started spreading that we¡¯re stuck in here for good. I think it''s just a patch issue.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let me know what you find out,¡± I said, and he popped out of existence with a slight smell of ozone.

    Announcement

    Alara and I returned to bed after the interruption. It was still three in the morning after all. When the sun did rise, I was ready and raring to go. I liked to stay busy. Most likely a carryover from being a dungeon core. When you never had to sleep you found ways to stay occupied. When I opened my eyes, Spike and Bandit were resting at the end of the bed.

    ¡°When did you two get here?¡± I asked patting them on the head.

    ¡°They arrived shortly after five AM,¡± Smith informed me.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I leaned over the sleeping form of Alara and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek. ¡°Morning, My Love.¡±

    ¡°Mm~¡± She stretched making me stare. ¡°Morning~,¡± She said yawning.

    I couldn¡¯t resist anymore and pulled her into my arms. An hour later we left the room and made our way to the girl¡¯s room from last night. She was still sleeping which I took as a good sign given what she she¡¯d potentially been through.

    ¡°Jane. Please send a message to all habitants of the city to meet at the central plaza in an hour. Also, please have this girl¡¯s family notified and to report to the City Hall a few minutes before the announcement.¡±

    ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡±

    There was a kitchen in the wing, so we made our way there. I hadn¡¯t cooked in a while, but I could figure something out. A few burned pieces of bacon and a ruined bowl of cereal, don¡¯t ask, we were all feed and making our way out to the City Hall steps.

    Thousands of people were gathered. Most were looking around at the transformed central plaza and street with amazed expressions. A family, a man and woman, that stood on the steps was looking around not sure what to expect. I waved them over and when they saw the girl they broke into a run. They slammed into each other and hugged, the man lifting the two girls off their feet.

    ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± the man and woman said with tears rolling down their cheeks.

    ¡°Not a problem. This is the one you should thank,¡± I said wrapping my arm around Alara.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Take care of her,¡± Alara said with a smile.

    The family led their daughter off the steps. Everyone in the central plaza had seen what happened and were cheering for the couple. I walked up to the built-in platform that was in the middle of the steps.

    ¡°People of Autumn¡¯s Reach! Scythe is no more!¡±

    The crowd went nuts as they cheered and hugged each other. I waited for a few minutes then raised my hands to calm the crowd.

    ¡°I am your new Lord. I will not lie. The coming times will be difficult, but together! Together, we can get through them! Just like this couple that have been reunited with their daughter. If we keep hope close and work together, we can overcome any difficulties.¡±

    ¡°I may be your Lord, but that does not mean I do not need you. Every single one of you is a gear or cog in a machine that could one day roll over the world. This does not mean I want you to sit in your place, never changing or growing. As any good mechanic knows, gears can be moved, reused. I want you, my people, to grow, to change. To Autumn¡¯s Reach¡¯s future!¡±

    The crowd cheered. Hats went flying. A few people with powers sent blasts of energy into the air. I had been part of a good share of gatherings like this, but each one brought a smile to my face. It was always a good sign when people work together to a greater goal. I grabbed Alara¡¯s hand and waved to the people with my free one.

 The Left Behind Chapter 06

    Chapter 06

    While walking out onto the street Vesta noticed two things. First, she noticed that there was a new set of bars in her view that indicated the power level of the city as well as the percentage of delivered water and transported waste. Each of the meters were in the good except for the power which was barely readable it was so low. Upon focusing on the selection of informative bars she also noticed that there were inactive happiness and productivity of the people in the city. The second thing that she noticed was that the city was far better on the eyes since she had used the Back to day Zero ability to clear out all of the old buildings.

    ¡°Cassi?¡± Vesta asked stopping in the center of the six-lane street in front of the main building.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡± She said from a small window that appeared in the corner of Vesta¡¯s vision.

    ¡°Can we redirect resources and a few of the maintenance robots to repair the main building?¡± Vesta asked. The building was constructed of a light-colored stone or concrete and dark shaded glass. The base was a square and the walls began to spiral up about twenty feet up and did so until it reached the peak where it came to a narrow roof that supported a tall antenna.

    ¡°It will take two hours for the robots to complete the assigned task.¡± Cassi nodded.

    ¡°Excellent! Keep up the good work.¡± Vesta said with a nod. Cassi¡¯s window closed vanishing from her view.

    The first mission that Vesta decided to focus on was the powerplant. That was probably the most important system that they needed to get back to one hundred percent or at the very least, better than it was currently. The plant was located to the north east of the main building outside of the city limits, but still within her domain.

    Vesta opened the map that she had of the city in her HUD. A flat 2D representation hovered in her view. She followed the road with her gaze to where it converged into a small two-lane road that went to the power planet that was little more than a dirt packed path. Large power transmission lines hung over the road leading back to the city, but Vesta noticed that they also lead off away from the city as well.

    It would have been an easy, almost free teleportation to go straight to that road, but the route took her past the robots that were current constructing a factory building in the industrial zone that she had designated. Given that these robots were currently her only citizens she thought it would be cool to go see them do their work.

    With a practiced blink of her eyes she vanished from where she stood in a whoosh and a crack. She reappeared outside of the construction site. Teleporting was a million times easier when you weren¡¯t dragging someone with you on the trip and the vomiting had stopped after the first hundred or so trips that she had taken. When she appeared, her energy had almost completely regenerated given that the trip was so short.

    The site of the construction was a fine-tuned orchestra of activity. There were three different types of robots working diligently to get the job done. One was a humanoid whose head was actually shaped like a hardhat. Looking closely at them a small window popped up which indicated that they were the construction robots. The other were half human from the waist up, but their lower half were tracked like a tank. These were identified as the maintenance robots. The last of the group of working robots were the general-purpose bots. They were sophisticated flying robots that used a set of six wings that each was equipped with a rotor blade in order to be able to fly around. They were powerful enough that they could lift heavy objects and deliver them to the other robots as they worked.

    The building seemed to grow from the ground up, skeleton to skinned, before Vesta¡¯s eyes. The robots worked in perfect sync moving within nanometers of each other, but never making a mistake. She smiled as the building seemed to come to its completion and the robots began to spill to the lot next door and began to erect the next building in the que.

    After the second building she watched was nearly completed in only ten minutes, she resolved to herself that it was time for her to get some work done too. She turned in the direction of the powerplant and took a step appearing in a flash at the plant¡¯s main road. There was a large sign affixed to the fence that surrounded the facility.

    Summerrest Nuclear Power Facility

    Vesta took a deep breath as she approached the gate to the building. She wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure what exactly she was about to do. Granted she knew nothing about nuclear power, but she would give it the old college try. The entrance road was flanked by a simple draw gate and guard house. Obviously, there was no one there, but she still leaned her head into the building to have a look.

    It was as expected, empty. She ducked around the gate and casually walked towards the front door. She had her guard up, but the only sound in the immediate area was the wind. There were two cars parked in the parking lot and the wind kicked around papers that flew freely. They could have been flyers or maybe someone dropped a folder in the event that befell the city. Vesta didn¡¯t know.

    The nuclear power plant facility was fairly large. There was a huge main building and to the east there was a secondary building that was three stories tall. Behind the main building there were three cooling towers of which only one was producing just a small amount of steam. She walked towards the front of the building where the entrance was set into an alcove that was recessed back into an inward curving wall.

    Given that the facility was on lockdown the front doors were, well, locked. She tapped the panel next to the door which came to life at her touch. The screen flashed the word lockdown appeared with a pulsating line around it. She tried to access the command system on the screen, but it was no good. She just kept getting errors.

    ¡°You want to do this the hard way?¡± She asked out loud to no one in particular. Standing directly in front of the double doors she reached out and placed her hand on the handle. She coated her fingers with plasma using her pyro-kinetics ability. The metal handle never stood a chance. Liquid red-hot metal seeped down the door and with a gentle push it swung open.

    ¡°Knock, knock. Is there anyone home?¡± Vesta asked as she stepped inside. Holding up her hand she ignited a blue/white flame for light.

    She wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest that there was no answer. The main entrance came into a nice reception area that had a dusty counter and a handful of very dusty chairs. The plants in the corners were fake and looked dull. Vesta stepped through the area shining her blue light throughout the room quietly.

    She came to a set of doors that were magnetically locked. It wasn¡¯t hard for her to turn one set of hinges into soft metal and push the door out of the way. She walked down the hall with only the sound of her dust muffled footsteps ringing through the hall.

    That was until she saw a faint light coming from around the corner. She quickly waved her hand which caused her own light to flicker away. With her back against the wall she crept down the hall until she could peek her head around the corner.

    In one of the rooms behind a wall of glass there was a small area that was flooded with dim light. She could see that there were two bedrolls on the floor and what looked like a makeshift cooking set. The fire was doused at the moment, but there had been one under the pot within the last few hours as a small amount of smoke was still billowing.

    She lowered herself to the ground and moved in silence thankful for the thick layer of dust that almost completely muffled every movement. She got as close as she could and still, she could see no one in the room. Without warning the door to her left opened.

    Vesta¡¯s instinct was to jump into attack mode and throw her fists up. Her balled weapons of flesh and bone burst into flames. As it turned out this was an overreaction. A middle-aged bald man walked out of the room wearing a towel around his waist and a separate one around his head. When Vesta¡¯s hand burst into flames the man screamed like a little girl throwing his hands into the air and dropped to his knees. The toiletries bag he had been holding flew through the air and exploded all over the floor upon impact.

    ¡°Wh¡­what¡­i¡­ is it?¡± A second man asked in exacerbation as he came running from the room where the bed rolls were.

    ¡°Oh god please don¡¯t kill me!¡± The man in the towel said holding his hands over his head.

    Vesta realized the threatening nature of her fists and allowed the flames to die out. She lowered her hands and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Who the hell are you guys?¡± She asked crossing her arms. She pressed a button that would open the top half of her mask so that she could see them with her own eyes. It still kept her mouth hidden in an effort to conceal hear identity.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Umm. My¡­ My¡­ Na¡­ Name is Ernie.¡± The second man said forcing down a stutter, Th¡­ This¡­ is Bert.¡± He pointed to the cowering man.

    ¡°Let me get this straight.¡± Vesta chuckled hardly able to control herself, ¡°Your names are Bert and Ernie?¡± She asked from confirmation.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The man on his knees said looking up at Vesta in apprehension.

    Vesta burst out laughing. She couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. When she was a child the educational system presented them a show from old twentieth century television footage recovered from before Regan as a comparison to old educational ways. Two of the characters were named Bert and Ernie and they were her favorite part of watching the old show.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what is so funny.¡± Bert said standing up from the floor.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t get it.¡± She said shaking her head. She tapped her knee and whipped away a tear of laughter.

    ¡°Who ar¡­ are you?¡± Ernie asked.

    ¡°My name is Vesta,¡± She said coughing away the laughter, ¡°I¡¯ve inherited lordship of Summerrest and I¡¯m here to investigate the power situation.¡± She didn¡¯t laugh any more, but it was an active battle to keep the giggles from starting back up again. Seeing the bedrolls reminded her that she needed some sleep sooner rather than later.

    ¡°Wha¡­Wha¡­ What¡­¡± Ernie tried to get the words out, but they wouldn¡¯t cooperate.

    ¡°What¡¯s happened out there?¡± Bert asked instead patting his friend on the shoulder, ¡°Forgive him, the stutter wasn¡¯t this bad until the monsters came.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve cleared the city of monsters. The Nanowork-Zombies are no longer a threat. And there is no need for apologies.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°Tha¡­ Thanks.¡± Ernie said with a nod.

    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good about the Nanowork-Zomibes but what about the Tech-pires?¡± Bert asked.

    ¡°Come again?¡± Vesta said leaning her head closer as if she hadn¡¯t heard what he said.

    ¡°We went into lockdown because the city was attacked by Tech-pires. The lord, Captain Exilar, fought them with a contingent of supers.¡± Bert said.

    ¡°I¡¯m still not getting this Tech-pires, like tech vampires? How the fuck does that work?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°They feed off supers¡¯ energy. They can also integrate technologies into their body to become stronger.¡± Bert said.

    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Vesta said she began to pace in a half circle while she thought, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything like that maybe Captain Exilar was able to deal with them?¡± She said.

    ¡°That could be the case, but we never got the all clear signal.¡± Bert said and Ernie nodded his agreement.

    ¡°Alright how about we circle back to that particular nightmare. Who exactly are you two?¡± She asked vying for a more specific answer.

    ¡°I am a nuclear physicist and I was in charge of maintaining and operating the powerplant. My best friend her is a mechanical systems engineer and was responsible for designing several of the robots in the city¡¯s systems.¡± Bert said patting Ernie on the shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your work.¡± Vesta said with a nod, ¡°Freaking brilliant.¡± She finished.

    ¡°M¡­ M¡­ My Ro¡­ Robots live!¡± He said clenching his eyes shut and forced out the last words.

    ¡°Indeed, they do. I have them working right now.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that they were able to get past the Nano-work Zombies. They like to integrate with every piece of technology that they can get their hands on.¡± Bert said with a smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many there were, but there are forty plus now.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°Oh, well then only a small portion survived.¡± Bert said his smiled fading a touch.

    ¡°A shame. So, what are you guys doing here? How long have you been here?¡± Vesta asked changing the subject after seeing the downtrodden look on Ernie¡¯s face.

    ¡°We were sent here by the previous lord to keep the power flowing at all cost. We¡¯ve managed to do so, but not without having to make some concessions.¡± Bert explained.

    ¡°So, what seems to be the issue?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Reactor one and three are completely out of fuel.¡± Bert said leading her into the glass encased room where they had been sleeping. Near the back of the room there was a panel of control systems. There were holographic screens hovering over the table where they displayed several readings from the plant that were almost complete gibberish to Vesta.

    ¡°Alright and what about reactor number two?¡± She asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s operational, as I¡¯m sure that you have figured out, but operating at ten percent of maximum capacity. We have lost most of the coolant flow for our main cooling system. We¡¯ve had to resort to using the auxiliary which was only supposed to be used in emergencies for a short period of time.¡± Bert said. He brought up a diagram of the coolant flow for the system. Water was being pumped out of the lake for use in the system. She could see that the flow had stopped at reactor one¡¯s pump station.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you fixed it?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t going outside.¡± Bert said flatly.

    ¡°W¡­ w¡­ we can¡¯t do¡­d¡­do it.¡± Ernie said with panic on his face.

    ¡°Alright you need someone to do it for you?¡± Vesta asked crossing her arms over her chest.

    ¡°It might be something as simple as resetting the pump or even priming it, but we simply can¡¯t go outside. We¡¯ve stayed alive this long by sticking together and in this building.¡± Bert said shaking his head.

    ¡°I get it.¡± Vesta said throwing up her hands to stop him, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    -Mission Update.

    -Power Plant Lockdown

    -You¡¯ve discovered that the problem with the powerplant has been caused by a faulty cooling system and also a lack of fuel. In order to get the system back online one of these two problems must be solved.

    -You have automatically accepted this mission by accepting the original mission.

    Vesta sighed as she looked at the two men. She walked over to the diagram of the power plant to get the exact location of the primary coolant pump. Once she had copied it to her own map in her HUD she turned and looked at the two men.

    ¡°Its safe outside. You guys should think about getting some fresh air.¡± She said with a sigh. Before they could say anything, she vanished in a bright blue light.

    Night time was in full swing as Vesta reappeared outside of the pump station. She held her hand high and ignited her light. The building was built of dark grey block and sat on the edge of the lake north west of the powerplant.

    She walked up to the door, dull steel, and grabbed the padlock. She didn¡¯t even have to use her ability. With her strength score she was easily able to break the cheap lock. She pulled the door open and leaned in fire hand first. Something lunged at her from the darkness.

    Vesta threw her arms up in a cross over her face. The creature, winged, drug her back and slammed them both into a wall. The monster was humanoid, grey skinned, thin as bones and angry as hell. It attacked Vesta relentlessly.

    She punched at it, but the creature roared loudly and as it lifted its head she could see a dull white energy being sucked from her body. It was her energy. The bar was dropping extremely fast fifty points per second fast.

    The monster moved so sporadically that it was like it was having a seizure on top of her and she couldn¡¯t get free. She reached down and grabbed ahold of her sword¡¯s hilt. She drew it from its slumbering dimension. There was no way for her to swing in so instead she pulled it up and pressed the sharp edge against the creature¡¯s neck. With her tiny bit of remaining energy, she ignited the blade in flame and shoved it upward. The tip sliced through the creature¡¯s head landing her a critical hit.

    The head split in two and the monster finally stopped moving. With a groan she pushed the body to the side where it dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Vesta said kicking the monster in the head.

    She was so exhausted. Luckily, she packed a few energy serums. She took one out and injected it into her arm. The new energy rushed through her body. She shook it off and refocused on the task at hand. She reignited her fire light.

    The door still stood wide open. Leaning inside there was no other creature that lunged out at her. She walked inside where she found a massive pump. She found the control panel where an error was flashing. The communication panel a few feet away was flashing and when Vesta approached it she found that Bert was trying to establish a line. She activated the panel.

    ¡°I see you made it, what took you so long?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I might have found one of your Tech-pires.¡± She shook her head.

    ¡°I told you we didn¡¯t need to go. We¡¯d be dead right now.¡± Bert said shaking his head.

    ¡°Fair enough, you were right. There is an error on this pump, what should I do.¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Th¡­ The¡­ B,b,best thing to do is¡­is¡­i¡­is to turn it off¡­ off¡­ and back on.¡± Ernie said through a clenched jaw.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Vesta said with a nod. She walked around from the communication panel and to the main power junction. The system was simple. There was a power switch that you could flip to shut everything off, but the pump had to be primed with a large lever. The instructions on the wall were clear enough. The primer had to be pumped ten times and then activate the system.

    She flipped the lever to shut everything off. The lights and pump all crashed instantly. There was complete silence in the small building. She took hold of the primer pump and wrenched the lever ten times. Each time the action became harder and harder until she was hardly able to move the lever.

    She took a deep breath. With a long sigh she pressed the start button. All of the lights came on much more than had been on before. The huge pump in the center of the room came to life with a loud metal on metal screeching sound, but it went away, and the pump began to spin faster and faster. She looked at the read outs where she saw that the pump was operating at ninety four percent.

    Vesta pulled the door closed and with a blink she reappeared in the reactor control center. Both Bert and Ernie jumped in terror when she appeared.

    ¡°You two are going to have to get little less jumpy.¡± She said shaking her head and crossing her arms.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s going to take some time if you are just going to keep appearing on us.¡± Bert said with a growl.

    ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯ll have to just figure it out. How¡¯s the reactor doing?¡± She said with a sigh.

    ¡°Reactor number two is back up and running at seventy five percent.¡± Bert said bringing up a diagram of the power plant.

    ¡°Seventy five percent?¡± She asked. She had been hoping to get at least one reactor working at one hundred percent to get a third of the possible power.

    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯ll need to work on the cities infrastructure in order to get one hundred percent.¡± Bert said.

    ¡°Yeah that sounds about right.¡± She said with a nod.

    ¡°Th¡­th¡­thank you for hel¡­hel¡­ helping.¡± Ernie said.

    ¡°No problem. You guys going to keep hanging out here?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I think until the population of the city rises some we are just going to stay.¡± Bert said with a curt nod.

    ¡°Suit yourself. If you change your mind I have a nice new living spaces being built that you guys can have in the city. I need you to help me keep this plant up and running so I¡¯m willing to help you.¡± Vesta said with a shrug.

    ¡°Thank you for the offer.¡± Bert said.

    ¡°Alrighty. I¡¯m off, we¡¯ve got other problems around the city that needs some fixin.¡± She said with a blink she reappeared on the road outside the powerplant.

    ¡°Cassi.¡± She said looking back at the plant.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡± She said. Her window appeared in Vesta¡¯s vision.

    ¡°Could you task some maintenance bots up to the power plant when they¡¯ve finished their current que?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yes mum. Directives received.¡± Cassi said with a nod and her window disappeared.

 My Supers Online Chapter 08-01

    Chapter 08-01

    ¡°What the hell do we have here?¡± Alex asked straightening himself up after climbing up through the narrow shaft.

    ¡°It¡¯s so dark.¡± Obsidian said as they both peered around the large seeming empty dark cavern. There were sparkles of light near the roof far off above them almost looking like the night sky.

    The light that Alex pulled off of the wall shone a few feet before it succumbed to the darkness. Looking at the ground Alex found what looked like a path that trailed off to the north of the cavern.

    ¡°I found a path.¡± He said pointing his finding out to Obsidian.

    ¡°Lead the way boss man.¡± She said.

    Their light gave them about ten feet of leeway to see in front of them as the walked. The pathway that they followed was lined on either side with stalagmites. Alex started to notice that the jagged stone was changing as they moved to become more uniform until they looked to be manmade.

    After another ten minutes of walking the almost manmade pillars had become full blow stone crafted pillars that stretched up beyond the max reach of the light. The path that they walked on turned from packed earth to stone tiles.

    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Obsidian groaned as they walked.

    ¡°God, I hope so.¡± Alex said with a scoff.

    Their eyes began to adjust to light that was coming up on the path. In the coming distance a structure began to rise. It was constructed of reflective black stone and resembled an old temple of ancient times from Earth. Alex had seen 3D models of old Greek and Roman temples that had been long destroyed by the machine monsters to crush humanities history.

    The outside of the large stone structure was surrounded by dozens of pillars made from the same reflective material. The whole structure was nearly the same height of a six-story building

    ¡°Yeah, this looks amazing.¡± Obsidian said. Her words dripped with sarcasm.

    ¡°I mean, couple of fire basins and torches and I think it would be an amazing summer getaway.¡± Alex jokingly said.

    ¡°Yeah maybe for Dracula.¡± She said with a scoff and shook her head.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say for who.¡± Alex said with a shrug.

    Large doors opened spilling light out into the seemingly never-ending darkness. They could see a silhouette of a man standing in the door way. He took a few steps out into the darkness with Alex and Obsidian casting an even longer shadow.

    ¡°Are my new vessels here?¡± The man said with a medium pitched voice that seemed to be a few octaves too high.

    ¡°Who are you calling a vessel?¡± Alex asked crossing his arms.

    ¡°Where is Volitorin?¡± The man asked. They couldn¡¯t quiet make out the look on his face.

    ¡°Who is Volitorin?¡± Obsidian asked.

    ¡°How did you find this place?¡± The man demanded.

    ¡°Brilliant tactics of deduction.¡± Alex said in a cocky tone. He flicked the end of his nose with his thumb and sniffed.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure that you will understand that I can not allow you to leave.¡± The man said clenching his fist.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Are we going to fight?¡± Alex asked clenching his own fist. He focused on a rock about the size of a football in an attempt to use his new power.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to defe¡­¡± the man started but was cut off when the rock crashed into the side of his head.

    ¡°Oh shit!¡± Obsidian said covering her mouth.

    The man¡¯s body locked up as he fell to the side with a thud. Alex and Obsidian walked over to investigate further.

    ¡°Function can you pull up images of the miners that went missing in this mine?¡± Alex asked when he noticed that the main was wearing work clothing that looked like some of the people who had been dispersing from the town hall when they had arrived.

    ¡°Accessing missing persons reports¡­¡± Function said. Information began flashing on Alex¡¯s HUD. Function began to build profiles on the people that had been reported mission and built an interactive timeline.

    Alex turned the man so that he could get a good look at his face while shining the light at him. He compared the face to the images on the profiles. There was finally a matched when he got to the first entry in the timeline.

    ¡°Marcus Tooly.¡± Alex said letting go of his head.

    ¡°One of the men that went missing from the mine?¡± Obsidian asked.

    ¡°The first.¡± Alex said with a nod. He stood up from the body and took a step towards the open doorway.

    ¡°You sure you want to do that?¡± Obsidian asked. She turned the body over and pulled a zip tie out from her pocket.

    ¡°How do you always have so many of those?¡± Alex asked. He stopped and turned back to look at her.

    ¡°I always want to be prepared.¡± She said with a shrug.

    Before she could get the zip tie around the man¡¯s hands he reached up and wrapped his fingers around her next in a whip crack of a movement. He was on his feet and held her dangling a few inches off of the ground. Obsidian chocked and sputtered as she tried to get a breath.

    Alex leapt into action balling his fist. He drew back and punched the man in the gut. It was like he punched a brick wall. That was when Alex noticed that Marcus¡¯ skin was glowing with the same purple light that Obsidian¡¯s did when she was using her ability.

    Jumping a few feet back he took a deep breath. Obsidian managed to get her arms wrapped around Marcus¡¯s arm and kept from passing out.

    ¡°Hey Marky boy, you don¡¯t want to do this.¡± Alex said trying to figure out what he was going to do.

    ¡°This is not my name. I am Colvontra!¡± He said lifting Obsidian even higher.

    ¡°Bro you can call yourself whatever you want, but please put the girl down.¡± Alex said holding out his hands in an attempt to calm the situation that admittedly was completely his fault in the first place.

    It seemed as if he was somehow either using Obsidian¡¯s powers or he had the exact same power. A quick check of the extensive profile that Function had put together showed that he hadn¡¯t had any powers before he was taken.

    The man calling himself Colvontra tightened his grip on Obsidian¡¯s neck and lifted her even higher. Alex grit his teeth with limited options he made a choice. He had no desire to lose Obsidian, so he was going to have to test something that he¡¯d wanted to investigate for a while. Could her ability stand up to his seismic punch?

    ¡°Alright Colvontra, tell me about yourself.¡± Alex said holding his hands up. He moved close to the man an inch at a time. The sounds of Obsidian chocking and struggling tore at his heart and his head.

    ¡°I am the leader of the Fallen Eternum.¡± Colvontra said with unwavering conviction.

    ¡°Sure, sure. And what is the Fallen Eternum?¡± Alex said clearing his throat.

    Colvontra¡¯s face snapped from looking into Obsidian¡¯s eyes to looking at Alex. He considered Alex for a moment like he was a complete fool.

    ¡°Do you really not know of the Fallen Eternum? Do you really not know of the grand Colvontra?¡± He demanded of Alex like he¡¯d committed a terrible atrocity.

    ¡°No, but to be fair, I didn¡¯t really pay attention to the story when I played the game before, so if this was part of it, I don¡¯t know.¡± Alex said with a shrug. He was banking on the verbiage that would make perfect sense to another player confusing Colvontra.

    ¡°Wha¡­¡± the full word didn¡¯t even come out of his mouth. Alex had reached minimum executable distance for his punch and had activated his ability in a flash. Blue streamers of light radiated from Alex¡¯s fist as it flashed through the air. The attack collided with Colvontra¡¯s stomach. His body collapsed and thankfully his hand release Obsidian¡¯s neck as opposed to dragging her along with him.

    Alex watched Colvontra¡¯s body as it tumbled away for a split second but turned quickly to Obsidian. She was on the ground and she wasn¡¯t moving. Skidding to a halt beside her he dropped down on his knees and check to see if she was breathing. Thankfully she was still among the living.

    He had no way to directly check her HP level and she was not awake to tell him, so Alex decided to use a health serum even if might have been a waste. He stabbed the injector into her thigh and pressed the button to the sound of a loud hiss. Her breathing became stronger after a few seconds and Alex felt much better about her situation.

    Grabbing ahold of her arms Alex moved Obsidian away from the building and leaned her against one of the pillars that lined the side of the pathway.

    ¡°Sleep it off.¡± He said gently slapping the side of her face.

 My Supers Online Chapter 08-02

    Chapter 08-02

    Alex turned and started to walk towards the impact point where Marcus or Colvontra or whatever he was calling himself had landed. The problem was that when he got there, there was no body just the impact creator.

    ¡°Well shit.¡± Alex said looking in all directions trying to figure out where the man went.

    A tooth rattling punch knocked him off his feet. He tumbled rolling head body over ass a few times before he crashed to a stop. With a painful moan he pushed himself off of the ground. He found that his HP had been reduced by seventy points.

    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Alex said gingerly touching the sore spot on his face. His eyes shot around the cavern, but the light was sitting on the ground twenty feet away, and the dark was the perfect cover for someone to hide.

    Slowly Alex started to take steps towards the light. If he was going to be able to participate in this fight he was going to have to be able to see. Then it hit him, he had a new power that he was not utilizing. He reached his hand out and with focus and a few points of energy the light lifted from the ground and shot into his hand.

    ¡°Come out, come out, wherever you are.¡± Alex said slowly scanning the cavern with the light. It was no good, not only could he see nothing, but his backside was completely exposed to whatever might come.

    Then came an impact as a foot slammed into the back of his knees. Alex dropped to his knees. An arm was wrapped around his neck. A weird feeling started to take over his body. He had lost access to his super-strength power and he could feel energy rushing form his body as he was lifted from the ground.

    Alex was having trouble thinking, but a crazy idea crossed his mind. He didn¡¯t have access to his super-strength, but he still retained he other abilities. With a fair bit of concentration, he was able to redirect the energy that was being drained out of his body into his flight power.

    He pushed off of the ground and flew them upwards towards the ceiling. It took longer than he hoped but Alex smashed them both into the rock. He was thankful that he missed the sharp protruding rocks as he did so. They broke apart as they fell towards the ground and he could instantly feel that his super-strength was his again.

    He was able to assume two things. One, his enemy had to maintain contact in order to use the powers of the person he was touching. Two, when Colvontra was using the powers he was borrowing that person¡¯s energy as well. Colvontra was obviously a super, but was his power limited to borrowing at touch, or were there other things in his arsenal. The punch that he had landed on Alex¡¯s face was extremely hard hitting.

    Then again, Alex continued in his head, the body was that of a professional miner. It would be safe to assume that in that line of work they had spend several points into strength and now whatever was going on with him was giving him the ability to manipulate those points into attack power.

    ¡°Colvontra, is it? Why don¡¯t you stop running around in the shadows and face me like a man?¡± Alex suggested.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± The man said inches from Alex¡¯s face. He martialized from nothing in the space in front of Alex. The wind shot from Alex¡¯s lungs as a knee was slammed into his gut. He doubled over in pain.

    ¡°Good one.¡± Alex coughed. That was two powers. He could take powers from others and he could become completely invisible. This made Alex wonder what was going on in that man¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t think it was possible for NPCs to have more than one power, but if this was story driven, he¡¯d seen weirder in story-based missions.

    ¡°You will make a good vessel for more of my children. You and the girl.¡± Colvontra said with a sicking smile.

    Alex said no more. He was ready to attack since he could actually see his target. He balled his fist and struck for Colvontra¡¯s head. His fist whipped past the man¡¯s head. Alex swore that the man¡¯s head had been there upon impact, but like some kind of after image it was gone.

    ¡°Alright, that happened.¡± Alex said looked questioningly at his fist.

    Colvontra reared back and butt Alex with his head. The impact was like being hit by a mac truck. Alex tumbled backwards end over end until crashing into one of the pillars on the side of the path.

    Alex¡¯s health was down further than he was comfortable with. He only had about seventy points remaining of his whole health pool. He retrieved one of his health serums and injected himself with a groan of pain.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°You¡¯re way too freakin powerful!¡± Alex pushed himself off of the ground.

    ¡°My power is centuries old.¡± Colvontra said, ¡°And this time it is different.¡±

    ¡°Yeah that¡¯ll do it.¡± Alex said dusting himself off. He took a look around the cavern. There had to be something that he was missing. The mission was in his level range, but this guy was so powerful.

    ¡°Succumb. Become a vessel for a being that is far more powerful than you will ever be.¡± Colvontra said clenching his fist with strength.

    ¡°I¡¯d really rather not.¡± Alex said clenching his own fist.

    He jumped focusing energy into flight and then used his new flight ability Air Sprit which tripled his flight speed. He clenched his fist and activated his seismic fist skill. In a blur of blue light Alex flashed through the air and his fist made solid contact with Colvontra¡¯s chest. The attack sent him flying through the air. His back smashed into the doors to the temple. The doors crashed open and he continued to fly backward.

    -Notice: You¡¯ve Found a Devastating Skill Combo.

    -By using Air Sprint and Seismic Punch together you¡¯ve gained a 35% to the attack power and potential damage bonus.

    Alex landed in a skid. He took a breath and stood up straight. His footsteps crunched as he walked towards the temple doors. He walked the few steps up into the main building.

    The chamber inside the doors was three stories tall there were fires burning in bowls throughout the chamber. Along each side of a path down the center were pillars that went all the way up to the ceiling. Along the left and right walls were rooms and at the back there was a smaller chamber.

    On the outside of the pillars there were rows of pedestals. Two dozen on either side of the large chamber each with a crystal floating a few inches from its top surface. Each crystal was a different size, shape, and color, but they were all within a few centimeters of each other. The colors ranged from dark black to bright white and everything in between on the rainbow.

    Colvontra laid on the floor a few yards inside the doorway. He was already starting to rouse the ground. He was groaning as he moved so Alex¡¯s attacked had done something.

    ¡°Not so unstoppable I see.¡± Alex said with a hiss.

    ¡°You¡¯ve caught me off guard, that is all. I will not let it happen again.¡± Colvontra said with a smirk.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Alex said clenching his fists. His energy was nearly halfway depleted so doing that attack again would leave him completely drained but knowing about the combo was like having a secret weapon in his back pocket.

    ¡°I believe that you may not get the chance.¡± Colvontra said motioning with his hands.

    ¡°Trying to do a little magic?¡± Alex asked in a mocking tone.

    Alex¡¯s groaned as someone kicked him in the back of the legs. He dropped to his knees again and attempted to get up, but a pressure forced him to the ground. It was like waves of pure gravity were pushing on his bones.

    Fighting the pressure, he could turn his head to see Obsidian being forced into the room. A tall woman with a very thin frame was guiding Obsidian with her hand on her shoulder. The woman¡¯s skin was pulsing with the same purple color that Obsidian¡¯s did when she was using her powers.

    ¡°Finally, Volitotin, you have returned. Have your brought me more Vessels?¡± Colvontra asked.

    ¡°I have master.¡± The woman nodded. She motioned with her hand and three children walked into the room. They seemed to be under some kind of mind control.

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Colvontra said clapping his hands together, ¡°We will have five more tonight, but we will start with the girl.¡± He motioned towards Obsidian.

    One of the others grabbed Obsidian and directed her forward to stand before Colvontra. She was forced down onto her knees.

    ¡°Aether.¡± She said trying to fight the man, but like Alex she was completely powerless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking touch her.¡± Alex growled, but still he couldn¡¯t fight against the pressure that was being exerted upon him.

    ¡°And who is going to stop me?¡± Colvontra asked with a dubious chuckle, ¡°You?¡±

    He walked away from Obsidian towards the collection of crystals that hovered over the pedestals. Selecting carefully, he picked up one of the crystals, a light blue crystal, that was narrow at the top but wide at the bottom, but he never actually touched it. As he walked back towards Obsidian the crystal hovered over his hand.

    Colvontra lowered himself down onto his knees in front of the young scared girl. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Get the hell away from her you piece of shit!¡± Alex spat at the man.

    ¡°In this crystal is a trusted advisor and my dearest love. I was waiting for the perfect vessel for her, and though this girl may be a little old, she will be a lovely body for you.¡± He said. His hands were folded with the crystal hovering in front of her face.

    ¡°Your breath is atrocious.¡± Obsidian growled.

    ¡°Salstasa Come forth and be with me again.¡± Colvontra said completely ignoring Obsidian¡¯s insult.

    A beam of blackish blue energy connected from the crystal to Obsidian¡¯s forehead. Pulses of white light rode the beam and crossed into her head. Obsidian started to scream and yell in pain.

    Alex fought with all of his strength, but he couldn¡¯t fight the power of the gravity-kinetic. There was no telling how much energy the man had. Alex hoped that he didn¡¯t have some ungodly amount like their powers. The only good thing that he had going for him was that his own energy level was almost full. The pseudo resting state that he was in allowed for the maximum regeneration speed.

    The lights pulsed faster and faster until the stream of white light was almost solid. And then it was gone. The stream broke. The crystal fell dull and dropped to the ground. Obsidian sucked in a deep breath of air. Her eyes snapped opened and their edges were lined with white light.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad to be awake, husband.¡± She said standing up from where she was kneeling.

    ¡°Salstasa, I¡¯ve not been this happy in so many years.¡± Colvontra said embracing his wife.

 My Supers Online Chapter 08-03

    Chapter 08-03

    Anger rushed through Alex¡¯s veins. He pushed against the person¡¯s powers that held him down. And for so much time he felt nothing, but he started to feel it. He started to feel the super¡¯s power starting to waver. Alex assumed that his energy must be getting low.

    Colvontra knelt and picked the crystal up from the ground. He handed the crystal to Salstasa who carried it back to the pedestal where it had been hovering before she had taken over Obsidian¡¯s body.

    She placed the crystal down and it began to hover like it had been before. It remained inert and dull looking.

    ¡°This body that you have given me, my love, it is so full of power.¡± Salstasa said flexing her arms, ¡°It¡¯s so much more powerful than last time. How many years has it been?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve slumbered for over fifty years.¡± Colvontra asked.

    ¡°I feel something different in this body, something different in this world.¡± She said. They spoke as if there was no one else in the room.

    Alex didn¡¯t mind. It gave him time to wait for the perfect moment when gravity couldn¡¯t maintain the strong hold. Alex could feel that the power was reducing like he was adjusting to account for the energy drain.

    Just a little more time. He thought to himself.

    ¡°I feel it too. I¡¯ve been able to access not only the powers that this body had access to, but also every power that I have had in the past. At their peak power.¡± Colvontra said. He flexed his fist. Silver bolts of energy coursed down his arm.

    Great, what kind of powers could that be? Alex asked himself.

    Colvontra walked to a larger pedestal at the end of the pathway from the back door. Hovering was a larger crystal that was dull like the one that was just used.

    ¡°Once the cooldown finishes we should be able to create new crystals so next time we must slumber more of our power will come with us.¡± He said caressing the crystal.

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Salstasa said.

    It was time for Alex to make his move. The super that was holding him down had reduce his gravity enough. Alex funneled energy into his super-strength power. He pushed the man back and stood up to his full height. As fast as he could Alex turned and used seismic punch on gravity. The man flew back less than three feet and burst through the black stone wall.

    Salstasa yelled and ran at Alex as fast as she could. The purple pulses began to indicate that her power was active. Alex attempted to punch her while focusing energy in the super-strength, but he didn¡¯t use Seismic punch.

    He threw a punch at her face. She pushed his fist away. He tried to throw a hook again towards her head and again she pushed it out of the way. She moved incredibly fast. He attempted to round house kick her using the momentum from the deflected punch. She grabbed his leg and twisted spinning him in the air. He landed on his hands and pushed himself back up. Alex kicked back and finally his attack fell true. Her head snapped back at the impact.

    When she lowered her head back down her face was in an awful scowl. She punched him hard in the gut sending him flying through the air. He slid across the ground before tumbling end over end and coming to a stop on his stomach. He groaned in pain pushing himself up off of the ground.

    He had a thought. Salstasa had returned her crystal to the pedestal, and the large one had to be Colvontra. What if that was the key to why they were so strong, but the level for the mission was within his range. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists moving into a fighting stance.

    ¡°Why do you continue to fight. It is clear that we are far superior to you.¡± Salstasa said in a hackling tone.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°I will save my girl.¡± Alex said in a hiss. He ran at Salstasa kicking himself up off of the ground. Throwing his fist out in front of him he went for a head attack, but it was only a ruse. She grabbed his wrist and pulled it down. At that moment he activated his Air Sprint skill. He rocketed past her.

    His target was never her. In a blur of a flash he shot past both her and Colvontra. He smashed into the pedestal which remained frim to his impact. He jumped to his feet before either of them could react and grabbed the crystal.

    It a flash they were both standing right beside him, but he didn¡¯t hesitate. He used his super-strength and smashed the stone onto the pedestal. It shattered into slivers and Colvontra began to scream.

    ¡°NO!¡± He yelled as he dropped to his knees. Light began to stream from his face it grew brighter and brighter as his yelling grew louder and louder. Finally, he fell to the side silent.

    ¡°What have you done?!¡± Salstasa yelled. She lunged at Alex.

    In a furry of blows that Alex could only try to slow down she attacked him. Punch after punch. Kick after kick she attacked him without thinking. With bother her fists she punched him in the gut sending him flying back until he smashed into the wall.

    Alex grunted pushing himself up using the wall for support. His health was down by half, but he still had fight left in him. He was also starting to formulate a plan. Without hesitation he lowered his head and ran right back into the fray. Their movements were a blur as he did his best to move her across the room.

    When the time came, and she was lined up he made his move. He clenched his fist and activated seismic punch. His attack landed true in their furious exchange and the blue light filled the room. As planned she was thrown back into the pedestals on the side of the room. Specifically, she was thrown into her own pedestal. The crystal flew from the setting and hit the wall. It fell to the ground.

    Alex activated his flight ability and flew towards the crystal. He used fifty of his last seventy points of energy to activate his Air Sprint skill. He shot past the other pedestals and landed next to where her crystal had landed.

    She stood and looked on him in horror.

    ¡°Give me my girl back.¡± He seethed as he stomped on the crystal. It shattered into a mission small pieces as Obsidian arched her back and screamed. Light rocketed from her face as she dropped to her knees and a moment later she fell to the side in silence.

    Alex didn¡¯t have much time to come up with a plan. Every single one of the others in the room, children and miners alike attacked at the death of their masters. Given that he didn¡¯t really like the idea of fighting six and eight-year-old children he started to dart as fast as he could around the room to stay out of their reach. He flew up into the air when he had to and was glad to see that there weren¡¯t any of the, for lack of a better descriptor, possessed that could fly.

    He streaked across the room and swooped down to grab the dull crystal when he spotted one. As soon as he had it in his hands he there at a wall or at the floor. Once he held the crystal in his hand and crushed in with his super-strength. Each time a stone was destroyed one of the people trying to attack him would fall to the ground in a flash of bright light until he was no longer being pursued.

    Alex dropped down and landed on the ground next to Obsidian. He lifted her head and looked at her face. Their fight had not done any lasting damage to her. She was breathing normally; she was just unconscious. Tapping the side of her face he brought her back from dream land.

    ¡°It would be nice if you would keep from getting knocked out in the start of these fights. I pay you to help me, not sleep.¡± He joked.

    ¡°I do love my sleep.¡± She retorted without hesitation.

    ¡°You got me there.¡± Alex said. Obsidian leaned up and after she shook her head for a second, she stood up from the ground. Alex lent her a hand to make sure that she didn¡¯t fall over.

    ¡°Did we fight?¡± she asked holding onto her side.

    ¡°That we did. Well technically I fought a century¡¯s old being who brought extra power into your body but let¡¯s not split hairs.¡± Alex said letting go so that she could stand on her own two feet.

    ¡°I can remember flashes.¡± She said nodding.

    ¡°I guess the question we have to tackle is, what do we do about these?¡± He said motioning to the dozens of unsmashed crystals that floated in the room.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that lady. The things that I saw in my head that she wanted to do.¡± Obsidian said with a shudder, ¡°I come from a family of villains, but that shit was straight up evil. Talk about fire and brimstone.¡± She said as she shook her head.

    ¡°I mean but was it just her?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Each of these crystal holds a blood thirsty disciple. They will do anything to fulfill their master¡¯s plans.¡± Obsidian explained, ¡°They don¡¯t have a choice. They were corrupted by her powers.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that was all I needed. You move the people we¡¯ve rescued into a neat pile. I will dispose of these.¡± Alex said nodding towards one of the children then to they crystals.

    Obsidian went to work with a curt nod. She began to gather the unconscious people and carry them towards the door where she would lean them against the wall.

    Alex retrieved his crowbar. He walked up to the first pedestal and took a deep breath. He reared the length of bent metal back and swung at the floating crystal. The glass like object shattered sending a spray of shards flying. He moved on to the next and then the next. Before long there were no more crystals remaining in the room.

 My Supers Online Chapter 08-04

    Chapter 08-04

    It took four long hours to get everyone out of the temple chamber. Alex wondered if the inhabitants had another more accessible exit but didn¡¯t want to take the time to look for it. He wanted to get everyone home.

    Once clear of the temple chamber which consisted of having to carry some of the children down the narrow shaft, they made their way up the elevator to the entrance building. Obsidian road up with the first half. Seven people including herself packed into the elevator car. This left six people to ride up with Alex.

    Top side everyone reacted like they had been locked in a dark dungeon for an extended period of time. Even though it was night the moon was bright, and they sucked in the fresh air.

    ¡°What¡¯s that all about?¡± Alex asked Obsidian pointing at the ex-prisoners.

    ¡°I get it. The more I think about it, the more I can remember. It was like being behind a shroud, no control and most of the time no idea what was going on. What you can see, you don¡¯t want any part in.¡± Obsidian explained.

    ¡°Damn.¡± Alex said solemnly.

    For a truck that was meant to seat eight people it was surprisingly easy to cram fourteen people inside especially given that several of them were children. The miner that had been inhabited by Colvontra sat in the seat behind Obsidian who was doubled up in the passenger seat with an eight-year-old little girl.

    ¡°Marcus is it?¡± Alex said sparing him a second¡¯s glance, but quickly turned his eyes back to the road.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Marcus said with a curt nod.

    ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Bits. Tiny bits here and there. I remember that I was tracking a narrow vein of Uranium and when it terminated, I looked up to see that shaft that we all came down from. I decided to climb up and investigate. I found that temple thing and there was a large hovering shining crystal. My mining suit began to malfunction, and I was forced to deactivate the respirator mask. The last thought I had when I was still alone in my mind was that I was going to be a rich man, one way or another.¡± He said with an uneasy smile.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Flashes of that Colvontra guy bringing in the other miners,¡± he motioned around the car, ¡°Then once they were taken, he sent them after children because they would get the most life out of their malleable bodies. His words, not mine.¡± He explained.

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy.¡± Alex said shaking his head, ¡°And what did we learn?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch large floating crystals?¡± He said with an upturn in his voice like he was asking a question.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch large floating crystals!¡± Alex said sternly.

    ¡°Especially if they are glowing.¡± Obsidian added holding up a finger. The girl sharing the seat with her was using her for comfort.

    ¡°Right!¡± Alex said.

    They pulled into the town and drove straight to the town hall. He parked in front of the huge old house¡¯s front stoop diagonally across the street. As hard as he could he started to pound on the horn to alert as many people as he could to their arrival.

    ¡°You should have done that as soon as we got into the town limits.¡± Obsidian said shaking her head.

    ¡°I know.¡± Alex said with a huff in a defeated tone.

    The mayor and all of the other town officials that were in the town hall spilled outside into the night. Alex opened the driver¡¯s door and lifted himself up to stand on the door frame so that he could look over the roof of the truck.

    ¡°I think we found some people that you were looking for!¡± He said loudly.

    With a tap on the top of the truck¡¯s roof he signaled for everyone to get out. Every door on the vehicle opened and the dozen people spilled out into the streets.

    People began to gather. Families were reunited in tear filled hugs. Obsidian and Alex looked at each other in triumph. They jumped down from the truck and walked up to the mayor.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡± Eric, the mayor, said holding out his hand offering Alex a handshake.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Alex said shaking his hand firmly, ¡°I¡¯m just happy to see all of the warm faces and reunited families.¡±

    ¡°I could pay out a cash reward.¡± Eric said followed by a new notification appearing in his vision.

    --Life is about choices.

    -You have been awarded points three times that have included both Heroic and Villainous actions.

    -At this time, you may choose to continue as a hero, with the potential penalties of the additional Villainous points. (It may be difficult to get specific hero missions if your villainous points exceed a specified percentage gap with your heroic points.)Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    -At this time, you may choose to become a villain, though your actions are heroic you have performed villainous actions. Choosing this path will offer a onetime conversion from Hero to Villain. When accepting this option all heroic points will be converted to Villainous points. Half of Hero tier points will be converted to Villain tier points.

    -At this time, you may choose to embrace life as an Anti-Hero. Your points will be shifted to Anti-Hero points. You will continue to gain on the Hero Tier. When becoming an anti-hero, it is unsure how people will respond to you in a given situation. During payout there is a multiplier that will be selected at random that can land anywhere from 25% to 300%. This is completely random and is chosen at the time of payout.

    Alex looked at the notification for a moment. Before everything changed in the game and it became a world the Anti-hero system was only a few patches old. Many people were starting the path, but there wasn¡¯t a whole lot of information on how things worked. Alex had heard that there was a third meter used to measure the Anti-hero¡¯s status, but he hadn¡¯t had a clue as to how he unlocked it. And there it was. He chose the third option that was offered. He embraced the life as an Anti-hero.

    -You have chosen to truly become an Anti-hero.

    -All notifications have been updated to reflect this life choice.

    -+100 Anti-Hero Points (I do things my way, whatever that may be.) [Consider this a sign on bonus]

    After the conversion and with the new bonus he had one hundred and seventy Anti-Hero Points. Before he moved on to some of his other notifications he focused on the mayor.

    ¡°The cash would be a wonderful reward for our work here today.¡± Alex said. He smiled but his face was hidden behind his mask.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Mayor Eric said with a nod. He handed over a needle chip and with that the mission was complete.

    -You have completed a Mission!

    -Missing Children

    -15,000xp

    -+50 Anti-hero Points (220) (I do things my way, whatever that may be.)

    -+22 Hero Tier Points (3 Until Next Tier) (2)

    ~~~

    Needles 1x

    -Total Value: 14,000t

    -Your Share: 12,600t

    -Deposit in personal Account?

    -Yes | No

    Alex was very pleased results from the completion of the mission. If he did the math right, he had just earned another three levels. There wasn¡¯t long before midnight and he would know for sure where his standings were.

    ¡°I have contacted the agency for the Trouble at the Uranium mine Mission. They have indicated that a report has been filed listing you as the person of resolution. You should be getting a completion notification shortly.¡± Function pipped up in Alex¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Thank you function. Could you go ahead and map out the path to the crash site? We will be taking care of that next, but I do think we are going to get a night¡¯s rest first.¡± Alex said with triumph.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Function said.

    -You have completed a Mission

    -Trouble at the Uranium Mine

    -The original mission was to report the situation to the appropriate agencies. Since you have been listed as the person of resolution there are bonuses that have been awarded.

    -12,960xp (8000xp base with a 62% bonus)

    -+32 Anti-Hero Points (252) (I do things my way, whatever that may be.)

    -+25 Hero Tier Points (-28 Until Next Tier) (3)

    ~~~

    -Thread Deposit Prompt

    -Total Value: 18,300t

    -Your Share: 16,470t

    -Accept Deposit?

    -Yes | No

    Alex closed the second mission completion notification. He accepted the deposit. They had made quite the haul of money, but they were a long way from being able to do things like buy a new HQ, and Alex still owed Obsidian a chuck of stitches from the upgrades she had paid for at the factory.

    ¡°How about we go get some sleep?¡± Alex asked. Any injury that he had received was long healed by his regenerative ability, but his body still ached.

    ¡°I thought that you would never ask.¡± Obsidian said in a swooning tone.

    They retired to the hotel room that they had reserved. He felt that when they left Alex felt like he was going to miss the little room. Waiting patiently, it felt like it took forever for the midnight notification to appear in his vision.

    -It¡¯s Midnight!

    - It looks like you are starting to get the hang of things.

    -You defeated 12 Villains or those who wish to do harm.

    -You¡¯ve earned a total of 27,960xp!

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 10!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You may choose 1 Feat of Power to Increase your inner power.

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 11!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 12!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 13!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 14!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You have 20 New stat points that need to be allocated.

    -You have 252 Anti-Hero Points (I do things my way, whatever that may be.)

    ~~~

    -Your Factory is doing well

    -676,000t Net Income

    -(-)473,200t Operating Cost

    -(+)20,280t Deposited into Personal Account

    -(+)50,700t Deposited into Calson¡¯s Personal Account

    -(+)131,820t Deposited into Factory¡¯s Operating Capital Account.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± Obsidian said after she spent a few minutes looking at her phone. She looked up from the device and to Alex.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Alex asked looking away from his own awesome notification windows.

    ¡°Well in the past I¡¯ve always gotten power points on the odd levels. One, three, five, seven, nine, you know?¡± She said.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Alex said with an understanding nod.

    ¡°Well I just got levels eleven through fourteen and I got a power point for each.¡± She explained with a look that conveyed both concern and excitement in a terrifying blend.

    ¡°I can understand that you might be worried, but this is a good thing. Just think about how powerful you can now become.¡± Alex said with an assuring smile, ¡°I mean this world is on the brink of change and look at it this way, maybe before long you won¡¯t need me anymore.¡±

    ¡°That may be true, but you are always going to need me to save your ass.¡± She said with a smile.

    ¡°I saved you this time.¡± Alex said sharply.

    ¡°One time doesn¡¯t change things much, talk to me when you¡¯ve saved me a couple of times.¡± She smiled and went to her phone.

 Super Delivery Chapter 08

    Chapter 08

    We all stood there in silence, as the smoke started to blow away with the wind. Ghost was still standing strong staring us down. The admins apparently the only ones with brains were trying to get out of the area.

    Druidia stepped forward and, with a huge expenditure of energy, surrounded the fight area completely with trees leaving only a few inched between each tree.

    ¡°This is my Enchanted Forest Prison. No one can leave now but those I choose.¡±  Smugness oozed from her words.

    ¡°Enchanted? Enchanted how?¡± I had to ask.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try and find out for yourself.¡±

    I hate to admit it, but I really thought about finding out. My curiosity will definitely get me killed one day. After thinking about it only for a split second, Mastermind was already giving me a ¡®I kind of want to know myself,¡¯ type of look.

    ¡°Enough games Cynthia.¡± Ghost chided her.

    ¡°I told you, here it¡¯s Druidia, Dorian.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, recover your energy sister.¡±

    ¡°I am out of energy as well. We should leave Ghost can handle these NPCs and Admin garbage.¡± The other hero, Captain Code, said.

    The two started walking toward the edge of the tree line, and as they approached the trees just moved out of their way. Leaving Us and the admins with Ghost. The admins tried next

    ¡°This guy is for real.¡± Orbital spoke only loud enough for us to hear.

    ¡°He¡¯s approaching our number of arrests.¡± The Author started.

    ¡°And that is by himself.¡± Mastermind Finished.

    ¡°Well he has never gone up against us.¡± I said, trying to hide my nerves.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find, that you trash have never gone up against anything like me.¡± The sheer confidence in his voice was making me angry.

    ¡°You can fight me all at once or one at a time, either way I will win.¡±

    ¡°Do you even hear how cocky you sound? You sound like you¡¯re about to get on a knee and propose to yourself!¡± I yelled, not my best but it¡¯ll do.

    ¡°It is not cockiness, if you have the power to back it up.¡±

    ¡°Well then,¡± I knew I was going to get yelled at later for this, ¡°I challenge you to a Fight.¡±

    -YOU HAVE ISSUED A DUEL CHALLENGE TO GHOST

    -DUEL TYPE: FIGHT

    ¡°What do I get if I am victorious?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want you and your relics of the past to leave me to handle the Admins as I see fit.¡±

    ¡°And if I win?¡±

    ¡°I will leave the area.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I simply stated. ¡°If I win, you will not be allowed to continue as a hero. You shame the title with your actions. You must also never return to Axiscore.¡±

    He looked a little shocked by my words and took his time to think it over. After a few moments he looked me in the eye.

    ¡°I accept the duel. We will fight with Standard Rules.¡±

    -YOUR DUEL CHALLENGE TO GHOST WAS ACCEPTED

    -AS THE CHALLENGER CHOOSES THE RULES GHOST HAS MADE HIS CHOICE. THE RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS

    -NO POWER LIMITATIONS

    -THE FIGHT IS OVER WITH A KNOCKOUT OR IF A FIGHTER YEILDS.

    -NO TIME RESTRICTION

    -NO OUTSIDE HELP, THIS IS A ONE ON ONE DUEL, IF EITHER PARTY IS HELPED, THEIR OPPENENT WILL IMMEDIATELY WIN.

    (PEOPLE NOT PARTICIPATING CAN STILL CHEER YOU ON AND OFFER ADVICE, BUT ANY PHYSICAL HELP WILL CAUSE A LOSS.)

    -YOU AND GHOST HAVE ALSO SET UNIQUE REWARDS UPON VICTORY. HONOR YOUR WORDS OR PAY THE PRICE.

    -THE DUEL WILL BEGIN IN:

    -3

    -2

    -1

    -BEGIN!

    I rushed forward trying not to give him any time to react. I was on him in an instant throwing punch after punch, but I never felt a blow hit. I tried another spot, aiming directly at his face, then I saw it, my hand passed right through him!

    Right as I noticed it, I felt a sharp pain in my gut and was rocketed backwards. I hit the ground right at the edge of the trees on the opposite end of the impromptu arena. I was on my feet before a second had past and was ready to counter the blow that was sure to follow, but Ghost was right where I left him.

    ¡°Ha! You will have to do better than that!¡±

    ¡°So, you have some kind of ghost power and super strength.¡±

    ¡°Close, but you only have speed and you will need more than that to beat me.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we test that theory!¡±

    I rushed him again but this time I stopped thinking about my moves, this works on mind readers, and that¡¯s the only thing I can think of that lets him know what I¡¯m going to do.

    Again, my punch went right through him! Thinking about how this went last time, I looked down. Sure, enough his fist was nearing my stomach for another counter. I side stepped the blow.

    ¡°Well at least you can learn.¡± He sounded slightly bored, and that was making me even angrier.

    For what seemed like the first time ever, I didn¡¯t say anything back. I had an idea. I started running, not toward him, but around him. At the speed I am running, a vortex quickly appeared and created a vacuum forcing the air out of the area.

    Looking at the so-called hero, he finally moved. He started sinking into the ground, I stopped after he completely disappeared. Not seeing him I was looking over my shoulder trying to see the entire battlefield. When I felt something grab my leg, I felt like I was starting to sink.

    The bastard was trying to pull me into the ground! I punched at his wrist, and as I hoped my fist went right through him, causing him to slip right through my leg, and a ran free.

    ¡°Clever.¡± Ghost started as he reemerged from the ground,¡± Using my power against me. For that I will let you know why I am the best hero there has ever been. My main power isn¡¯t strength or etherealness. It is danger sense.¡±

    Crap. That means his reflexes are so fast that even at my max speed he could tell where I was going to hit, that coupled with his etherealness he could easily dodge all my attacks.

    It was right then that I received a message that appeared on the HUD in my eye displays.

    Mastermind: Be faster than his reflexes.

    Celerity: Easy for you to say, I¡¯m given it all I¡¯ve got.

    Just then I realized, I still had the icon telling me I¡¯m in the zone! I can go faster!

    Seeing that Ghost wasn¡¯t making a move toward me, I got into a sprinter¡¯s stance. Using the moment, I quickly opened my upgrade screen. Luckily, I never spent all of my feat points. Searching through the list I bypassed everything to get to the ones I wanted.

    -Speed III

    -Increases top speed by 30%

    -Speed IV

    -Increases top speed by 40%

    -Acceleration IV

    -Can reach top speed 40% quicker

    Purchasing them both I had only two feat points left. I looked at my opponent.

    ¡°Well I am waiting!¡± Ghost was holding both arms out as if to say, ¡°free shot¡±.

    Not being one to miss an opening I took off, as I started to run, the street where I had started cracked with the sudden force. I almost ran right past him due to the new upgrades and being in the zone, but I managed to adjust my course, and aimed my punch right at his face.

    This time, I felt it connect. Then just as usual my fist went right through his face.

    ¡°Wow, kind of slow reaction time there, big guy!¡±

    ¡°What, how did you hit me?¡± He roared the question at me.

    I didn¡¯t answer but gave him my best ¡°gotcha¡± smile.

    That¡¯s when he charged at me. This time I was the one to stand my ground, after all, he had to be solid to land a punch and he still wasn¡¯t as fast as me. Right as he reached me, he started to throw a big right hook, and I was prepared to take it if I had to. If I took that punch, I was going to give a couple dozen myself.

    Slamming fist after fist into his ribs, he endured it. Right as his hook would have slammed into me, I thought about blocking, but with his strength, it still would have hurt. So, I ducked the blow and threw another punch right at his gut, but this time my hand slipped through him. As soon as my fist completely passed through his body, he twisted his torso and threw a backhand directly at me. This time I was too close and couldn¡¯t dodge.

    First pain filled my face where he hit me, then my body where I hit the ground, then again in my head as it impacted when I stopped. My health bar was flashing at this point, he delivered massive damage to me, it had to have been a critical hit.

    A little dazed I tried to stand up but kept falling back down. Just as soon as my dazed condition expired, I was lifted off my feet. Ghost had my neck in his hands and had me suspended off the ground.

    ¡°Yield or I break your neck!¡± he growled through clenched teeth.

    I tried to retort but he squeezed his fist tighter. Not knowing what else to do I decided to activate one of my old favorite attacks.

    I started laughing.

    ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± his grip loosened to let me speak.

    ¡°How¡¯s your knowledge of science?¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°Do you know what kinetic energy is?¡±

    ¡°Sure, if something is moving it generates it. Again, what does that have to do with anything.¡±

    I could hear the Honor Guard and Mastermind start to laugh as they knew where this was going.

    ¡°My suit,¡± I couldn¡¯t stop myself from laughing,¡± collects... ha¡­ the energy¡­ha¡­ and lets me do this.¡±

    The whole time the conversation was happening I spent my last two feat points.

    -Electric Stun I

    -Electric attacks now stun for 3 seconds.

    ~~~

    -Electric Damage II

    -Electric attacks now deal 12% more damage.

    I grabbed his wrist and let lose my suits kinetic energy. I had built up quite a bit from all the running I did to save people. I had enough that the Honor Guard noticed streaks of lightning coursing off of me and connecting with Ghost. I channeled all of the electricity through my hand that grasped his wrist and drained nearly all of my energy in doing so. He dropped me, and he was indeed stunned.

    Using the last bit of energy I had left, I started my barrage of blows. He didn¡¯t dodge a single punch, and I could turn these three seconds into much more. I kept the jabs coming, every now and then I¡¯d take a break from the body blows for a quick punch to the face. After about one hundred hits, I kicked the back of his knee and he dropped to the ground. I then started running around the arena to build up speed, and just before his stun wore off, I channeled a little of my kinetic energy into electricity and sent it into my right leg. He came out of the stun but to slow as my full speed electric kick connected with his face.

    This time he was the one sent flying. He finally stopped when he connected with one of the enchanted trees. I collapsed to the ground, out of energy and nearly dead. It was everything I could do to stay awake. Blinking slowly and about to pass out, I heard it.

    ¡°NOO!¡± Ghost was screaming and running toward me.

    A blue portal started to appear in front of me, but quickly vanished.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I heard Mastermind yell after the sound of a slap.

    It seemed as though Mastermind stopped me from losing this duel. That meant I still had a chance to win.

    A kick connected with my stomach and I nearly threw up, but I didn¡¯t go flying.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are out of energy too?¡± I snorted trying not to laugh, it hurt too much.

    ¡°I will still beat you!¡± He jumped on top of me and started throwing mass amounts of punches at my face. Groggy and near death I didn¡¯t resist.

    ¡°Ray!¡± came the voice of a friend. It was David. One of my oldest friends. It was nice to hear from him.

    ¡°Get up you idiot! Fight Back!¡± This time it was Richard. Who was he yelling at?

    ¡°You put up more of a fight when we first fought.¡± Mr. Edison?

    ¡°I don¡¯t have legs, but if you die, I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡±  Wayne?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t come back to see you die. FIGHT!¡± Hopper? Why don¡¯t I know his real name?

    -Its MIDNIGHT!

    -Great Work!

    -You Defeated 13 Rioters

    - You Saved 189 Bystanders

    - You earned a total of 52,879 Experience Points

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 247!

    -You now have 1 power point to spend!

    -You Earned 1,286 Hero Points! (334,360) (Congratulations YOU ARE A HERO!)

    - You Earned 50 Villain points (5,243) (Congratulations YOU ARE A HERO!)

    -A notification needs your attention. View it now?

    - Yes | No

    I clicked no. I have important things to do right now. Back at full health and energy I vibrated my body generating more kinetic energy and continuously channeled it through my hands at Ghost. The continuous stream of electricity stunned him, and for the full three seconds I kept up the flow.

    After my energy drained again, he flew back from all the energy in his body. This time, I smiled.

    -CONGRATULATIONS CHAMPION! YOU HAVE WON THE DUEL!

    -DUE TO THE REWARDS YOU HAD SET BEFORE THE DUEL THE FOLLOWING APPLIES:

    -GHOST CANNOT CONTINUE AS A HERO, ANYTIME HE DOES HERO WORK HE WILL RECEIVE NO HERO POINTS

    -GHOST HAS 24 HOURS TO GET OUT OF AXISCORE, AND CAN NEVER RETURN, OR ELSE HIS HERO AND VILLAIN POINTS WILL DRAIN UNTIL NOTHING REMAINS.

    A calm quiet was now everywhere as no one said or did anything. That didn¡¯t last long as my teammates, and new allies, cheered.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 08

    Chapter 08

    Discussion

    After the crowd dispersed, Alara and I made our way back into the City Hall. I wanted to get all the employees that used to work here, back to business. They would already know the inner workings of the city after all. In the right wing of the building, there were a dozen plus offices on the first floor alone.

    ¡°Jane, where is the employment office?¡± I asked the city AI.

    ¡°Here,¡± she said. She formed her hologram with an outstretched hand at the indicated door.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, and we walked in.

    A pair of desks greeted me, so I walked over to one at random. When I was within half a meter of it, a holographic workstation booted up. Every program that one would need to manage employment for the city was loaded and waiting for an operator. Cracking my knuckles, I sat down and started going through the lists of previous employees.

    ¡°Love, why don¡¯t you head back to the house. Make sure those strays I picked up yesterday are behaving,¡± I said cupping Alara¡¯s face.

    ¡°Sure! Don¡¯t have any fun without me,¡± she gave me a kiss before she ran off. I smiled after her for a minute before getting to work.

    An hour later, I found that most of the people listed were re-hirable. I was amazed that Scythe didn¡¯t just kill them all, but they were fired a few weeks before the game became a world. Likely, the event was scripted to give the hero or villain a lead. I quickly sent a basic formatted email to everyone on the list. There were a few I left off as they were deceased.

    ¡°Jane. What happens to the city if the Lord dies?¡± I asked. If I was going to leave the city I wanted to make sure to cover my bases.

    ¡°If the city has the resources, then it will pay a certain amount out. If the person resurrects then it will still belong to them. Once they are killed there is a protection period of a month. No matter how many times the Lord dies during that time, they cannot lose the city. If the city does not have the funds, it will be defaulted to the victor. ¡°

    ¡°And if the Lord is out of the town? I need to leave to complete these diplomatic missions,¡± I said tapping the desktop.

    ¡°A single person is unable to conquer a city while the Lord is gone. Unless they completely leave the city, which would be a waste of resources. An army can occupy the city. If the Lord fails to free it within a month¡¯s time, the city goes to the holding force. At this point the Lord would need to conquer then hold it for a month to reclaim it. Many issues arise from being under occupational status.¡±

    ¡°I understand. This alleviates many of my fears about leaving the city,¡± I said standing up. ¡°I want you to head up the city management. When people arrive tomorrow, make sure they are assigned to the correct positions. Give everyone that shows up early or within the first thirty minutes a pay raise of... let¡¯s say five percent from their pervious salary.¡±

    ¡°It will be done. Though I must stress this will put pressure on our finances,¡± Jane said writing on her clipboard.

    ¡°I know. That is why I want every robotics engineer in the city working full time to fill out our stock with robots. I feel we¡¯re going to need more than a few in the coming weeks,¡± I said while I walked down the hall to the entrance.

    ¡°Affirmative. It will be done,¡± Jane said.

    ¡°Also. Send a few of each robot to my address in the warehouse district. I want to check out what we¡¯re working with.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    As I walked towards the warehouse district, I felt a fluctuation form next to me. I stopped and braced myself in case it was another would be attacker. With a pop, Daniel appeared next to me. He hovered off the ground, though he looked a little worse for wear.

    ¡°Daniel. Back already?¡± I asked a bit surprised. It had only been a few hours.

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate my teleporting ability. I was quite famous until a few days ago with the other supers due to my business,¡± he said as I started walking again.

    We were walking through the market which was busier than the first time I visited. People were cheerful as they haggled and talked. I bought a few things that caught my eye.

    ¡°Business?¡± I asked curious while at our third stall. Probably some sort of assassination business. It was a useful use of his ability after all.

    ¡°I was the supers equivalent to a medivac. I would teleport supplies and even do rescues if the super could afford it,¡± he explained keeping pace with me while hovering.

    ¡°Not going to walk? Seems a waste of energy,¡± I commented.

    ¡°Actually. I have a feat of power that allows me to continuously hover as long as I¡¯m not in combat. But enough about that for now. I need a favor.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I¡¯m at least listening,¡± I said pausing in my walk.

    ¡°I live in Axiscore with my wife. She¡¯s an NPC and six months pregnant. I want to get her out of there. It''s becoming a powder keg if I ever saw one. A few of the villain players are starting to treat NPCs like slaves to rack up their points as fast as they can. I don¡¯t think the situation will be stable for much longer. This area is clear of players due to Winters Haven and more unexplored areas to the East and South. It will be much safer for the time being.¡±

    ¡°So, what exactly do you want me to do?¡± I asked. I learned long ago to let the person ask you first. That way you can negotiate for a better deal.

    ¡°I want a condo here in this city. It doesn¡¯t have to be fancy, just safe,¡± Daniel said with a serious face. ¡°Do this and I¡¯ll sign a two-year contract. Given that no one''s leaving for the rest of their lives, it¡¯s a short amount of time.¡±

    ¡°That news finally getting around?¡± I asked continuing to head towards the warehouse.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d say it''s about fifty-fifty right now. You should have seen the streets of Axiscore. Perfect example of controlled chaos.¡±

    ¡°I believe it. I doubt humans have changed in seventy years,¡± I said.

    ¡°Huh? Seventy years?¡± Daniel asked making me realize what I just said.

    ¡°Nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, I¡¯ll send the contract down to City Hall. Feel free to fill it out and ask Jane to give you a list of condos. I don¡¯t mind if you go crazy and choose a penthouse somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Thank you! On behalf of Holy Thunder, the hero I was working with before he vanished, I want to thank you for freeing this city. He was a righteous fellow and couldn¡¯t stand Scythe.¡±

    ¡°I am greedy. I did it for myself,¡± I said waving him off.

    Child

    We made it back to the warehouse a short time later. It looked just like I left it minus the bodies. There was also a sizable pile of scrap sitting to one side of the lot. The thugs were sitting to one side taking a break it looked like from the amount of sweat that stained their shirts. They jumped to their feet when they saw me walk in though, which I took as a good sign.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Easy boys. I¡¯m impressed that none of you ran when we didn¡¯t show back up last night.¡±

    ¡°We would never even think of it.¡± They were shaking their heads so vigorously I worried they would start to fly soon. I guess I had put the fear of god into them.

    ¡°Good work. How about you all take the day off?¡± I said heading towards the building.

    ¡°Sir. We would much rather stay and help you. We don¡¯t have anything else to do and we all sleep on the streets.¡±

    I considered the one that had spoken up and realized it was Raphl. I¡¯d almost forgotten his name. I nodded. ¡°Very well. Finish your break. I¡¯m not a heartless person and rested workers work harder.¡±

    ¡°Yes Sir,¡± Raphl said.

    ¡°Have you seen Alara?¡± I asked.

    ¡°She went down to the surface a while ago,¡± he answered.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go sign that contract. Keep me informed and I¡¯ll keep you informed.¡± Daniel said before he teleported away.

    I made my way to the elevator then down to the surface. I didn¡¯t find her right at the exit of the elevator but looking around a bit, I managed to track her down where there was bare patch of soil. She was poking it with her finger.

    ¡°What are you doing, Love?¡± I asked coming up next to her.

    ¡°I gained quite a few levels. Playing with some of the magic I used back on Murgin to see if I can get it to work here,¡± she replied deep in concentration.

    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± I said taking a few steps back to give her space.

    Nothing happened for a good twenty minutes. I passed the time making blocks of matter from nearby scrap. I stopped when I heard a crack sound coming from her direction. A tree was growing from the soil that really shouldn¡¯t have been able to grow anything for at least a hundred years. It was small at first but grew at a pace that was visible to the eye. After maybe five minutes, it was already four meters tall.

    ¡°Love. Give me some energy,¡± Alara said without moving from her spot.

    ¡°Of course,¡± I moved next to her and placed my hand on her back. I allowed my energy to flow to her gently.

    The tree kept growing until it reached six meters then stopped. There were patches of the bark that looked like iron. The leaves were needle thin and quite obviously deadly. Likely taken from the soil and surrounding ¡®nutrients¡¯ that was the junkyard, it was rust colored. Alara stopped kneeling next to the tree and took a step back.

    ¡°Its beautiful love,¡± I said admiring her handywork.

    ¡°Not done,¡± she said. I was about to ask what she meant when a face formed about half way up the trunk. The tree slowly started moving and began pulling itself free from the ground. I realized it had the shape of a really tall man as it started to reshape itself.

    ¡°A treant,¡± I mumbled in admiration.

    ¡°First son of this new world,¡± she said leaning into my arms.

    ¡°Have you named him?¡±

    ¡°ElmIron,¡± she said placing a hand on him.

    ¡°I like it.¡±

    Maintenance

    ElmIron took nearly four thousand energy to create. Alara was happy with just the one for now. I left them to go work on my own child, the airship. I needed to get it running before I could do these missions. Plus, I liked the idea of having a floating fortress. This world was going into a chaotic period, everything I could get my hands on to help protect Alara was worth getting.

    I popped ten energy pills. I¡¯d found them at the market earlier. My energy jumped back to half full, though I felt like I was on a sugar rush. Each pill only added a hundred energy, but it was instant. Back in the front lot of the warehouse a few robots stood waiting.

    One was a multi-armed bot that looked like it could work on seven things at once. Its body had several rotors that allowed it to rotate separate parts at a time. The next one was similar to a spider. It had eight legs and could work in even the most difficult locations. The last one was a large flying drone that could move at least a ton of material at a time.

    I walked over to each one and scanned them. The world let me know when I could build each one with my power. I¡¯d need to actually allocate some of my points to do it. I could play with the system and build each individual part then manually assemble the robots, but that was both time and energy consuming.

    ¡°Maintenance bot 00594. I want you to do a full scan of the airship. Please get me a full diagnostic report as soon as possible,¡± I ordered the spider bot. Its eyes blinked green then it took off into the building. ¡°You two stay here on stand-by until I say otherwise.¡±

    I made my way up to the control room of the airship. Sitting in the captain seat, I had Smith pull up my status screen. I needed to spend my power points and Feats. I wasn¡¯t even sure how those worked. The information center was kind of vague on the subject back in Axiscore. Probably the Admins not wanting to overly influence the direction players took during their gameplay.

    Name: Regan

    Age: ????

    Level: 29

    Health: 19,592

    Energy: 6,142

    Armor: 99

    Strength: 23 Dexterity: 25 Intelligence: 38 Wisdom: 37 Charisma: 29

    Constitution: 24 Fate: 23 Perception: 26 Will: 66

    Powers:

    Technology Manipulation: 2

    Construction Manipulation: 2

    Energy Manipulation: 1

    Unspent: 32

    Feats of Power: 5

    Current tier (Villain) 5 Payout 1,414,306 Days: 1

    I smiled at how far the little incident with the mayor took me. The dimensional gateway might not be that far off after all. Though gaining XP like this would be hard to come by often. It''s not every day you can off a mayor after all. I had quite a few points to allocate.

    Wanting to take a balanced approach, I placed ten power points in each power. Then the last two into technology manipulation, bringing it up to fourteen. My head felt like a truck hit it with all the knowledge that was being unlocked. Even though I knew most of it already, there were a few things unique to this world that opened up before me. Mainly, I got a few skills that went with my powers

    Technology Manipulation

    Level 4 Skill ¨C 10% Reduction in cost

    Level 8 Skill - Integration. Combine a piece of technology with another piece of technology at half the cost of energy.

    Level 12 Skill ¨C EMP.  Emit an electromagnetic pulse that is capable of frying circuits within a ten-meter range. 100 Energy

    Construction Manipulation

    Level 4 Skill ¨C 15% increase to durability to structures constructed with your assistance.

    Level 8 Skill ¨C Visualization ¨C able to create a blueprint from thin air using four hundred energy. Even a blind person could build a building based off of it.

    Level 12 Skill ¨C Reinforce ¨C Reinforce a building, adding 5,000 durability for 1,000 Energy. Can be spent over time, will result in only random parts of the building to be reinforced until fully paid.

    Energy Manipulation

    Level 4 Skill ¨C Passive Energy Draw - Increases energy regen by 15%

    Level 8 Skill ¨C Active Energy Draw - By focusing on the world around you, pull in energy at a rate of 10 Energy per second.

    Next was the Feats of Power. Part of me wanted to save them for a rainy day. I went ahead with that plan by deciding to only use two of them. I used a lot of energy, so I went with the Energy Boost I. It gave a fifty percent boost to total energy. It put my energy level over nine thousand.

    My stat scores also jumped a tremendous amount as well. Your powers gave additional stats for the whichever they work with. Technology manipulation gave me an additional forty-two points in my intelligence. I needed to remember to allocate my points more often.

    Airship Repair

    With my character maintenance done, I got to work on the airship. Most of the craft had been fused to part of the city. The drone I sent to do the scans was back and I had a fully mapped out schematic of the airship. The internal display up in the command center didn¡¯t do it justice, this thing was massive. It came to nearly five hundred meters.

    Most of the damage was just from it sitting for so long. I¡¯d put it at being docked at the city for almost thirty years. I was impressed with the person who managed to build this vehicle. I worked through the rest of the day and part way through the night fixing everything I could. My recent boost to my powers allowed me to repair everything with enough matter. On another note, the area around the bottom of the elevator was starting to get nice and clear.

    The biggest problem was the reactor. It used a small nuclear reactor for power and there was just barely enough fuel left for a short trip. I needed to make sure that trip put me in a spot where I can purchase said fuel. For that information, I turned to my newest employee.

    ¡°Zethia. That¡¯s the closest place to acquire uranium boss. Some strange shits going on up there, so I don¡¯t know if I would recommend it. The closest city would be Winter¡¯s Garden. It¡¯s also controlled by Villains,¡± Daniel said as he floated in the space near me while eating a sandwich.

    I was waist deep in parts and wires as I repaired a propulsion unit on the port side of the airship. I was pulling matter from my inventory and molding it to the broken sections then using my power to repair the break. If I felt like it was worth it, I would upgrade the unit I was working on. So far, only life support and a few defense turrets have been upgraded.

    ¡°This is a game, right? Can¡¯t we just buy it off like a market screen?¡± I asked.

    ¡°My Supers was based in reality, sure a bit of it is fanatical, but the transportation of goods required physical means,¡± Daniel said taking a bite out of his sandwich.

    ¡°Pity. How about you teleport over and grab some for me?¡± I asked. I reassembled the part I was working on and pulled myself out of the bundle of cables.

    ¡°Hell no! I like not being ripped to pieces by the temporal forces that are involved with my power,¡± Daniel said crossing his arms and shaking his head.

    ¡°So, no teleporting uranium, got it,¡± I said wiping my hands off. ¡°Anywhere else we can get it from?¡±

    ¡°There are a few mines on each of the continent from what I¡¯ve heard. Axiscore controls those on the mainland. Zethia, the one to the north. The other three continents haven¡¯t been explored enough.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like we only have one option.¡±

    ¡°There are other means to travel,¡± Daniel said glancing around at the engine we were in.

    ¡°Nonsense. Road trip!¡±

 The Left Behind Chapter 07

    Chapter 07

    With power operating at one third of its maximum capacity Vesta noticed that the energy bar for the city was way into the green. The few buildings decorating the skyline weren¡¯t using much power at all especially considering that most of them were just empty shells.

    The next mission that she was eager to tackle was Communications Blackout I. She hoped that even though it was a chain mission she could get some of the communications back online and deal with the rest of the comms issues as they arose.

    Being a player and having her special phone, Vesta wondered what it was like to be cut off. These phones worked no matter where you were in the world and no matter what was happening. Then she began to consider the shift. Had it changed her phone. It had been very quiet as of late, which she had attributed to most of the people that she¡¯d known vanishing, but she hadn¡¯t heard from Spark at all. Not even a smart-ass comment about, well, her ass.

    She pulled the phone out of her pocket and went straight to the messaging app.

    Vesta: Can I get a status report?

    She sent the message and locked the screen. Standing outside of the power plant she immediately noticed the heavier steam clouds rising up from the large stacks. She tapped her phone on the palm of her hands a few times nervously. In a crack and a whoosh, she vanished from the road outside of the power plant and reappeared in the new downtown district.

    The buildings in the commercial district were coming up nicely. They were blank shells, but it was starting to give a substance to the city-state. The tallest building besides the main building was only six stories tall. It was built of steel and glass. The top floor angled inward.

    Vesta phone buzzed in her hand.

    Spark: Awe did you miss me?

    Vesta: In your dreams.

    Spark: Every night, mostly nude.

    Vesta: You¡¯re a pig.

    Spark: I won¡¯t deny that. I found a few people who will be heading into the city over the next few weeks. I am in Clean Break. I could really use a lift back to Summerrest.

    Vesta: I think that I could use the silence, and you could use the walk. You know, to think about what you¡¯ve said.

    Spark: I¡¯ll think about it all day long, that doesn¡¯t mean that it will change how much I love those curves baby.

    Vesta: ¡­

    Spark: You wouldn¡¯t have messaged me if you weren¡¯t thinking about me. Don¡¯t want to be alone? Come pick me up.

    Vesta: For your information. I met two new friends.

    Spark: Oh yeah, who?

    Vesta: Bert and Ernie.

    Spark: LOL! If you¡¯re going to make someone up, you need to try a little better with the names there, sweet cheeks.

    Vesta: You aren¡¯t helping your case.

    Spark: Alright, fine. I¡¯ll be back in about ten hours.

    Vesta locked her screen and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She took a deep breath and resolved to making him walk the whole way back to the city. Then the fact that she was alone started to creep in on her mind. His babbling dumbass conversation was better than having no one to talk to. She pulled her phone back in frustration and unlocked it.

    Vesta: I¡¯m on my way.

    Spark: I¡¯m at the station baby. Kisses!

    The last message filled her with rage and almost made her change her mind, but she didn¡¯t. Instead she rolled her eyes and closed her eyes. The normal crack and whoosh filled the air signaling her departure. She appeared in the Clean Break station. The jump used about a third of her energy in its roughly ten miles. She would have been able to turn right back around and make the return trip if it was just her, but since it was the two of them, she was going to need more energy. On that note her stomach growled loudly.

    ¡°When was the last time that you had something to eat?¡± Spark asked with a grin.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She said with a nod.

    ¡°Yes, you are hungry or yes you¡¯ve eaten.¡± He asked with a shrug.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She said with another nod and rubbed her growling stomach, ¡°I need time to recoup energy anyway.¡±

    They walked down from the train station platform then onto the calm city streets of Clean Break. City was probably not the best word to describe the glorified town. Even though it was designated as a city it must have just barely met the requirements. The main street looped around the station¡¯s pillars that held it fifty feet off the ground. Out from the stairs the road went straight west where it branched off in three distinct paths. The main path continued out west, the first branch turned to the north and Vesta assumed that it would lead to Summerrest eventually. The last branch turned south. A quick look at the map showed her that the road eventually made its way to a city called Riverfall.

    Many shops lined the sides of the main roads and they couldn¡¯t say they were empty, but it was nothing like the bustle of Axiscore. They found a small restaurant a few blocks down the main street called Drifters. Inside they found a nice sit-down restaurant that was decorated in a fusion of fifties dinner and modernistic. The walls had bold curved lines and the tables were shiny with chrome but were covered in silk tablecloths.

    ¡°Nice place for a first date.¡± Spark said squeezing her shoulder. Vesta huffed and rolled her eyes following behind him and the hostess.

    They sat down at a table set for two. The mousy woman placed a velvet lined menu in front of each of them.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Vesta asked the woman. She hadn¡¯t really been paying attention.

    ¡°It is four in the morning.¡± The woman said with a pleasant smile.

    ¡°Oh, dang.¡± Vesta said. The realization of the time amount of time that had passed slapped her in the face and she was suddenly very tired.

    ¡°Can I get you something to drink?¡± The hostess asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a water.¡± Vesta nodded.

    ¡°Anything with a strong alcohol content.¡± Spark said returning the hostess¡¯ smile.

    The woman gave a slight bow as she walked away to get their drinks. Vesta looked down at the menu for a moment. She didn¡¯t really want anything fancy, but she was very hungry. She started to look for quantity. She found a surf and turf combo that looked like it would have what she needed.

    The hostess returned with their drinks a few moments later. She took their orders. Spark didn¡¯t put much thought into his order beside just saying ¡®same¡¯ after Vesta completed her order. Vesta looked at the short glass with brown liquor on Sparks side of the table. She had never been a big drinker. The couple of times that she had drank in during her freshman year of college she ended up blacking out then waking up in her bed not quite sure how she¡¯d gotten there. After the third time she vowed never again.

    Spark picked up the glass and shot it back. The glass had to be a few shots worth of whatever he was drinking, but he got it all down in one gulp. He made a sower face for a moment but put the glass back down and smiled.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± He asked.

    ¡°A horse¡¯s ass.¡± Vesta scoffed. In truth Spark was a hansome man. His personality made that fade to nothing until she felt like she was looking at a jackass.

    ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± Spark said crossing his arms. His smile never wavered.

    ¡°Why are you like this? Why can¡¯t you just be a nice guy?¡± Vesta said with a loud scoff.

    ¡°Aside from some off-color comments, what about me is not a nice guy?¡± He asked seeming to take offense, and really show some emotions, towards her statement, ¡°I am who I am. I don¡¯t have to pretend to be some stuck-up asshole who toes the fucking line all the time in this world. And you know what, I like it.¡±

    Vesta considered him for a moment. Besides his comments she really couldn¡¯t place anything that he had directly done that was not nice. He had stuck with her even though he said that he had other people that he could join up with, and that was even after she treated him like scum. Even then he chose to stick with her and help her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said after a moment of silence.

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a sorry. I get that I¡¯m an asshole with some of the things that I say. I can¡¯t say that I will change in that aspect.¡± He said.

    There was another tense moment of silence during which their food arrived as well as another drink for Spark. He took a time and enjoyed this one in sips this go around.

    ¡°Alright, so this has become awkward with a side of weird.¡± Vesta said between bites. From being a small-town meal, it was very tasty, and she was in no hurry to waste enjoying a single bite.

    ¡°If you want to make it awkward baby cakes.¡± He said making a kissing sound with his lips.

    ¡°That one was a bit much.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°Yeah. I felt it.¡± He said with an agreeing nod.

    ¡°What was your life like outside of the new world?¡± Spark asked in an attempt to spark some conversation, ¡°You know about mine.¡±

    ¡°Boring.¡± She said flatly.

    ¡°Come on you can do better than that.¡± Spark said with a genuine smile.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she cleared her throat, ¡°I come from a wealthy family. My parents purchased everything for me that I have ever wanted. Though I did well in school it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. I tried to separate myself from them and make my own achievements, but they always seemed find a way to attach themselves to me. I purchased the top of the line equipment that I could get my hands on for this type of gaming. When I found My Supers Online, I finally thought that I would be able to build myself up as my own unique person.¡± She word vomited on their meal.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Spark said digesting her admission.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°I finally found a place that I felt more than a vault full of money and I had friends and family in this game that I loved more than anyone in the other world. And now¡­¡± She cut herself off with a choke.

    ¡°Now?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Now they are all gone.¡± She said.

    ¡°And you are stuck with me.¡± Spark finished for her.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that. I may have said or thought that in the past, but right now I¡¯m thankful for you.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°Awe I¡¯m touched.¡± He mockingly put his hand on his heart.

    ¡°Jackass.¡± She hissed crossing her arms.

    ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m just messing around to break the tension. It¡¯ll be good.¡± Spark said with a smile.

    Vesta could feel a great deal of tension release from her neck that she didn¡¯t even know had built up. They finished their food making small talk and joking around. Vesta was honestly surprised, but she liked his company more than she ever thought that she would.

    ~//~

    Vesta and Spark appeared standing on a small hill that overlooked the southeast side of the city. It was mostly streets and empty lots, but there was potential. Vesta raised three of her fingers and counted lowering them down one at a time. When she had lowered the last one, she pointed at Spark.

    ¡°What?¡± He asked, but instantly doubled over and vomited on the ground.

    ¡°There it is.¡± She said with a satisfied smile.

    ¡°Oh god why?¡± He said gasping for air.

    ¡°You¡¯re not used to the trans-dimensional transfusion matrix.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°What?¡± Spark stood up straight and shook his head.

    ¡°Nothing but technojargon that I made up. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± She said with a scoff.

    ¡°And you say I¡¯m the asshole.¡± He said with a cough.

    ¡°You know Spark, you get back what you put out in this world.¡± She said smiling.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He replied with a curt nod.

    Standing at the top of the hill they were offered a clear view of the communications substation. From there it looked fairly normal, mundane, ordinary, and there was no obvious reason why it would be disconnected from the outside world.

    Summerrest was not closely neighbored by any city, but there were cities around her. To the south of her city there was Clean Break. A small city that didn¡¯t seem like it offered much, but she didn¡¯t write it off. There was no telling what it was hiding away from the world. To the west about sixty miles away was Midnight Star. Vesta didn¡¯t know much about it and she was going to have to do some research. To the east leaning towards the north was Hollow Grave. A city of tall gothic skyscrapers. Then to the east moving in a southern trajectory was Grand Basin. This city was also many tall skyscrapers but had a clean modern look.

    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Spark asked watching Vesta as she stared at her city.

    ¡°We are about to go complete a mission.¡± She said taking the first step down the hill towards the substation.

    They walked down the hill. The substation was a concrete building that couldn¡¯t be more than two rooms. There was a set of conduit pipes that rose up out of the ground and went into the side of the building. A simple chain-link fence surrounded the property.

    ¡°So do we just go in and flip a switch?¡± Spark asked as they walked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡± Vesta said with a sigh. The encounter with the tech-pire was still fresh in her mind.

    The gate to the fence was unlocked. They were able to push it right open and get inside the enclosure. The two of them moved in almost complete silence towards the door. The sun was up high for the morning and sky was clear.

    They leaned on either side of the doorway and looked at each other for a moment silently communicating the plan. Vesta ignited the flames on her hand that she used for light and waited from Spark to open the door.

    The keypad on the wall next to the door was completely dead. That was not a problem for Spark. He placed his finger on the side of the panels frame and began to will very controlled amounts of energy into the device. The screen flickered to life quickly going through a boot up procedure.

    Seeing that the panel required a handprint identification, Spark decided to try something that he¡¯d considered in theory, but never had an opportunity to try before. The door¡¯s lock bolt was controlled by an electric actuator that moved it in and out of place. It actually moved a set of three bolts. One at the top of the door, one it the middle and one at the bottom. Spark directed his energy to flow into the electric actuator until it activated and moved the bolts back into the wall unlocking the door. With a sliding sound and a click, they were in.

    ¡°Ladies first.¡± Spark said with a smile and pushed the door open.

    ¡°I went first for the last one,¡± She said shaking her head, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that you weren¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± He said holding up his right hand. Energy started to pulse through his veins following his heartbeat giving off a white-blue light.

    Taking a deep breath Spark stepped into the small building. He could see that it was split into two rooms. The room right inside the door seemed be some kind of control center, but it was completely offline. The second room was where the fiberoptic cables came into the building and the signals were redistributed among the city.

    Spark took a few minutes to look around, but he didn¡¯t see anything or anyone in either of the rooms. Just to be sure he did the whole sweep a second time.

    ¡°Its all clear.¡± He said returning to the doorway.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Vesta said walking past him into the room. The control center was a main panel that was about eight feet wide that was surrounded my half a dozen other smaller panels. By the look of the set up there would be sever holograms if the system was online, but instead there was nothing but empty air.

    Vesta started to examine the panel while Spark walked away to look for the cause of the power outage.

    ¡°Cassi.¡± Vesta said to get the attention of her digital assistant. She knew that Cassi was always listening.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡± She said when she appeared in Vesta¡¯s vision.

    ¡°Can you check to see if the power is getting to this building?¡± Vesta asked. She lowered herself to the floor where she attempted to take a look at the underside of the panel searching for any kind of damage.

    ¡°One moment.¡± Cassi said. That was all that passed when a map appeared in Vesta¡¯s vision that showed the power flow throughout the city. She noticed that in the south east district there were a few places that the power didn¡¯t fully reach, but it came all the way out to this building¡¯s meter.

    ¡°Thank you, Cassi.¡± Vesta said with a frustrated huff.

    Without another word the AI¡¯s avatar vanished from her view. She didn¡¯t see any kind of damage to the panel and the junction box where all of the cables ran to was locked, but in perfect repair.

    ¡°Anything?¡± She called to Spark as she pulled herself back up from under the panel.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Spark said. There was a cracking noise, and everything came to life in the room.

    For the moment Vesta walked away from the control panel and turned the corner into the other room to see what Spark had done. Something above him took her attention.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± She said in a whisper. Her eyes were locked on the tech-pires that were hanging upside down from the ceiling.

    ¡°What?¡± Spark asked as he whipped around sharply.

    The sudden movement startled the two creatures from their slumber. The both turned, one looking at Vesta and one looking as Spark, opened their mouths and let out a loud shriek. They un-furrowed large wings and dropped down from their perch.

    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Spark yelled as he was knocked down onto the ground. He fought at the tech-pire, but it began to drain his energy.

    Vesta wasn¡¯t having the same exchange that she had had the last time. She threw her hand out and spawn a ball of flame about the size of a baseball. With a thought the ball of flame rocketed across the room in a streak and smashed into the tech-pire that was about to attack her. It flew back and smashed into the wall.

    The creature dropped to the ground and writhed convulsing uncontrollably as the fire spread across his body. The other tech-pire flew across the room across Vesta line of sight smoke filling the air behind it. Spark was pushing himself up from the ground and a thick bolt of lightning the size of his wrist was burning through the creature.

    ¡°Thanks for the hand.¡± He said as the creature fell to the ground a chard mess.

    ¡°I was about to help you,¡± Vesta said with a scoff, ¡°Plus, you totally had it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± He said brushing himself off.

    ¡°So, meant to tell you, the Nanowork-Zombies weren¡¯t the only oddity to have attacked this city.¡± Vesta said trying to make light of the situation.

    ¡°What the hell where those things?¡± Spark asked.

    ¡°Bert and Ernie called them Tech-pires.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°Wait, those two are real people?¡± Spark asked.

    ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t make that shit up man.¡± She said shaking her head. Returning to the other room she started to look at the control panels for the city¡¯s communication infrastructure. Mostly the systems read outs were to see how much data was flowing through the city. It looked like there was an addon that could be purchase in order to actually view and track the data itself, but Vesta felt like that was a very villainous thing to be doing.

    ¡°Here.¡± Spark said opening a window for Vesta to look over.

    It was a page where they could reestablish the outside traffic, for a fee.

    -Option 1: 1000 simultaneous users @ 10 Gigabit upload and 5 Gigabit download

    -10,000t / Month

    -20% Boost to number of incoming citizens.

    -Option 2: 1000 simultaneous users @ 20 Gigabit upload and 10 Gigabit download

    -15,000t / Month

    -30% Boost to number of incoming citizens.

    -Option 3: 10000 simultaneous users @ 10 Gigabit upload and 5 Gigabit download

    -90,000t / Month

    -35% Boost to number of incoming citizens.

    -Option 4: 10000 simultaneous users @ 20 Gigabit upload and 10 Gigabit download

    -135,000t / Month

    -38% Boost to number of incoming citizens.

    -Upgrade your infrastructure for more options.

    -(1) One-year contract ¨C 10% discount

    -(2) Two-year contract ¨C 15% discount

    -Month to month ¨C No discount

    Vesta considered the options. Right off the bat she about had a heart attack when she looked at the cost per month. She decided that she did not need the ten thousand connections at the time.

    The first option seemed a little slow but given that they were a budding city and nation they could deal for the time. She assumed that she could come back and upgrade as needed. Given that there were some options not even available until her infrastructure was better, she thought it was a safe bet.

    She chose the first option. A message appeared that indicated that there was not enough money in the cities expense account. Vesta opened her money management window and looked over her own funds. She still had over fifty million thread in her personal account. With a quick transfer she moved ten million into the cities account.

    After that she was able to sign them up to the first option. She didn¡¯t sign a contract because she wanted to feel out the options for a while before committing to anything.

    -You have completed a City-State Mission

    -Communications Blackout I

    -By reconnection the city¡¯s communications infrastructure to the outside world again you have enabled an important resource for growth.

    -+10,000xp

    -+100 Heroic Points

    -+50 Hero Tier Points

    -+150 City Points

    -By completing this mission, you have automatically accepted Communications Blackout II.

    Vesta was kind of taken aback by the fact that the second in the chain of missions didn¡¯t really give her any kind of information on how to accomplish the second part of the mission. She hoped that it would become clear.

    While she had her notification, windows open she decided to check on her most recent combat notification. She normally had them automatically minimized as well as most other things in the game so that she could check only when she wanted to on her time.

    -You¡¯ve Defeated a Rabid Tech-Pire

    -Level: 37

    -+4,394xp

    -+3 Heroic Points (Default to common)

    -+3 Hero Points (Default to common)

    -You have discovered that tech-pires have a weakness to fire. 200% damage increase when using fire-based attacks.

    If they had to deal with many more of the tech-pires at least she knew they were weak against her strength. That would make things easy. Vesta closed out all of her notifications. But before she could turn her attention to anything else Cassi appeared in her vision.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you mum.¡± She said with a slight bow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, what can I do for you?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°I noticed that you have completed two of the city missions that you had accepted. Congratulations.¡± Cassi said with another bow, ¡°I wanted to inform you that your first citizens have arrived.¡±

    ¡°Really? Where?¡± Vesta asked in excitement.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Spark asked.

    ¡°They are gathering at the main building. There is a Department of Arrivals.¡± Cassi said. She showed Vesta a live feed of the department that she was talking about.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone to run the department.¡± Vesta said her excitement turning to concern. She ignored Spark.

    ¡°Hello.¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yes mum. They are gathering and waiting patiently.¡± Cassi continued.

    ¡°We will be right there.¡± Vesta said turning towards Spark.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll walk.¡± He said trying to get out of her reach. She was able to grab his hand and with a loud whoosh they vanished. They reappeared in the room that Cassi had shown them.

    The Department of Arrivals was a small section within the main building. The center room was an auditorium that could fit a couple hundred people. Off to either side there were interview rooms and offices. It looked to Vesta like in its hay day the department could process a few dozen people at once if it was properly staffed.

    Vesta and Spark appeared on the stage in front of the people. Vesta tried to count how many people were in the small crowd but was having trouble.

    ¡°Cassi how many are there?¡± Vesta asked in a low tone.

    ¡°Twenty-three right now, twenty-five in about six days.¡± Cassi said. Vesta didn¡¯t get it at first, but the she spotted a very pregnant woman in the front row. She was being held up by her husband.

    Vesta took a quick moment to look over the people who had shown up. She didn¡¯t know where they had come from or why exactly they were there, but she didn¡¯t really care at the moment. The game was a foot and she was playing for real. She noticed that everyone was wearing dirty clothes. Some of the people looked malnourished. Between all of them there was hardly any luggage or bags at all. She glanced over at Spark.

    ¡°Well say something Lady Sweet ass.¡± Spark said with a grin.

    She turned to the people who had started to focus their attention on her from the ground level. They waited in anticipation for her to speak. Sparks comment had frustrated her, but it had calmed her nerves and brought joy to the moment. A shocked moment of horror passed through her mind as she considered if she was starting to like his comments. She told her to stop stalling.

    ¡°I am Lady Vesta!¡± She said to the silent onlookers, ¡°Welcome to the new, and soon to be improved Summerrest City!¡±

 My Supers Online Chapter 09-01

    Chapter 09-01

    Alex awoke to his phone ringing. It startled him for a moment because he hadn¡¯t gotten a phone call since coming back into the My supers world so he clenched his chest for a moment. He wasn¡¯t wearing his mask, or any of his super suit so he had to break the warm cocoon of the hotel bed and blankets so that he could hunt down the phone.

    ¡°Hello.¡± He said in a sleepy tone holding the phone to his ear without bothering to check the caller information.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Um did I wake you?¡± A man¡¯s voice said. The curtains in the hotel room did such a good job of keeping the light out that he had no idea that they had slept through the morning and into the afternoon. Alex glanced over to see Obsidian laying with one arm and one leg hanging not only outside of the blanket but also dangling off the side of her bed.

    ¡°Who is this?¡± Alex asked. He thought he recognized the voice, but he couldn¡¯t be a hundred percent sure.

    ¡°Sir, this is Calson. I am calling because I need some guidance for factory operations.¡± Calson said. He sounded like he was a little irritated that Alex was just now waking up.

    ¡°Oh, Cal, sorry my brain is not quite up yet, but I¡¯m getting there. What you got going on man?¡± Alex said pulling himself out of bed. He stretched while holding the phone to his face with his shoulder before walking over to the window.

    ¡°We¡¯ve managed after these first few days to put a little over two hundred and forty thousand thread into the factory¡¯s bank account.¡± Calson said with pride.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Alex said with a little bit of excitement. He hadn¡¯t really been keeping up with the factory¡¯s account like he should assuming that if there was a problem Calson would let him know.

    ¡°Yes well, I was doing a little research and I believe that if we made a few upgrades then we can increase our profitability significantly.¡± He said.

    ¡°Ok, shoot.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°There is an upgrade that we can buy for one hundred thousand thread call Minimalize Over Head III. This module will reduce our daily operation cost from seventy percent to sixty three percent. Which when considering yesterday¡¯s numbers would have accounted for nearly fifty thousand dollars.¡± Calson explained.

    ¡°Sound like a good plan to me.¡± Alex said nodding, though he knew that no one could see him.

    ¡°In addition, I would like to spend one hundred and twenty thousand thread to change half the factory over from electronic components to advanced electronic components. There is a high demand for AECs, and we can corner the market if we act fast. No AECs are produced on this continent and there is talk that all trade will be cut off or at least heavily taxed. We could offer an affordable solution for all the people here at home.¡± Calson explained.

    Alex thought for a moment on this one. It was one thing just to upgrade to increase efficiency, but to actually change what they were making in part of the factory was another ballgame altogether. What if he was wrong and the factory started to fail? He was putting some serious cash into his account. On the other hand, what if he was right and they double or tripled their income? In the end, he had given Calson the job because he had the experience and he didn¡¯t know the system at all.

    ¡°If you think it¡¯s a good move then execute.¡± Alex said finally.

    ¡°I do think that it is a very potentially profitable move. Thank you for your time sir.¡± Calson said confidently.

    ¡°Anytime. Thanks for keeping the cogs turning.¡± Alex said and they both disconnected their lines.

    With business done, and some anticipation about the renewed numbers rumbling around in the back of his head, Alex decided to again use the morning for some character development. He truly appreciated the quantifiable systems of point allocation and numbers as opposed to the abstract way that the world he had come from did things.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Having made level fourteen he had fifteen power points and twenty stat points that were itching to find a home. The first thing that he did was bring his original three powers up to rank seven. It took four points, but it was well worth the stat boosts that he¡¯d gotten from each.

    The next thing that Alex wanted was that sweet first skill from telekinesis. He spent three power points so that he would get the rank four skill.

    -New Skill has been Unlocked!

    -Psychic Push

    -At the cost of 50 Energy emit a powerful Psychic wave.

    To the say the least Alex felt underwhelmed by the power but felt that it would come in handy at some point. All this expenditure left him with eight more power points that he could spend. He went ahead and spent two more in each of his abilities. He¡¯d considered for a moment saving them again for another new power but chose more power now.

    His three starting powers received new skills with this infusion of points.

    -New Skill has been Unlocked!

    -Shattering Kick

    -At a cost of 125 energy Deliver a devastating kick that will shake your enemy to their core.

    ~~~

    -New Skill has been Unlocked!

    -Higher and Faster

    -Your flight ability now allows you to fly 100% higher and 50% faster at base levels. This is a passive skill.

    ~~~

    -New Skill has been Unlocked!

    -Bone Armor

    -Your bones are now 30% more resistant to breaks. This is a passive skill.

    There was no way that Alex could turn up his nose up to those advancements. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how many times he had broken a bone, ribs most often, but he was glad that the number of times would be reduced. Having allocated the power points that left him with twenty stat points and one feat of power that he could choose.

    Like he had done before Alex looked at his lowest stats. Fate, Perception, and Wisdom were all at twenty and everything else except for maybe charisma was much higher. Charisma was sitting at only twenty-three. He decided for an even approach to increasing those stats in need. He spent five in Perception, Fate and Wisdom, bringing them up to twenty-five. He then put two in Charisma to make it twenty-five as well. He went ahead and spent the last three in Intelligence bringing it up to twenty-nine passive and thirty-five active.

    Feats of power were hard to choose for Alex. He always wanted more than he could have, but when he was thinking about this feat there were two things that crossed his mind. Feats could do many things for a person in the world. He could still take the Energy Regen I feat that he had looked at that would give him a twenty five percent boost to his energy regeneration. Something else caught his eye.

    -Feat of Power (Blink)

    -At the cost of 150 Energy Teleport to within a ten-foot radios of origin point.

    A teleportation skill that let him vanish from one point and reappear at another as long as it was within ten feet of where he left. Alex loved the idea of that. It could give him a leg up in a fight. After the fight with Colvontra and his girlfriend Alex was ready from an advantage. He took blink.

    Alex closed all of the window and accepted all of the changes. For a moment after this he almost couldn¡¯t breathe. The room grew sharper. He could feel the armor growing on his bones. The bones in the structure of his face moved ever so slightly. His skin became clear and more radiant.

    He finally had to sit down.

    After his head stopped spinning and the world righted itself Alex was full of energy and he was ready to tackle the next mission, The Crash Site.

    ¡°Function did you get that path set up last night?¡± Alex asked stretching.

    ¡°I did. You can drive the SUV to a small town called Creek¡¯s Edge. From there you will need to walk.¡± Function explained.

    ¡°Fun, nature hike.¡± Alex said sarcastically rolling his eyes.

    Alex turned his attention to Obsidian. He had to think of a fun way to wake her up and he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how she had spent her power and stat points, so the retribution could be severe.

    He walked silently over to the side of her bed. She wasn¡¯t having it though. Before Alex could even come up with a plan, she twisted herself around and wrapped her legs around Alex¡¯s neck. She pulled them in tightly and in his surprise, he was pulled down to the ground.

    Trying with all his might he couldn¡¯t break free of her leg¡¯s grip even using his super-strength didn¡¯t help. He noticed the purple glow on her skin.

    ¡°Uncle, uncle!¡± He said gasping for air.

    ¡°Say you¡¯re my bitch!¡± Obsidian said with a sharp squeeze of her thighs.

    ¡°I¡¯m your bitch!¡± He choked out the best he could.

    She let him go and he sucked in a deep breath of air. Coughing and choking he stumbled back and leaned against the wall.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± He asked through a scratchy voice.

    ¡°I got a skill. Locking joints. When I activate my power, I can choose for my joints to lock and become almost completely immobile.¡± She said with a smile of pride on her face.

    ¡°Noted.¡± Alex said as his regeneration finally cleared up his crushed larynx.

    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous.¡± Obsidian gloated.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ve got a six-hour car ride to the walk to the crash site.¡± Alex said straightening up.

 My Supers Online Chapter 09-02

    Chapter 09-02

    ¡°Alright I did some thinking about this car.¡± Obsidian said as she and Alex walked down form their second story hotel room. It was likely that they weren¡¯t going to get to sleep in something as nice for a few days so both of them had fond feelings for the room as the left it behind.

    ¡°Sure?¡± Alex asked wondering exactly where this was going with the conversation.

    ¡°I think this truck belonged to a villain.¡± She said with conviction.

    ¡°What?¡± Alex said rolling his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this was definitely a villain¡¯s truck. Only a villain would put this level of weaponry into a mode of transportation.¡± Obsidian said smacking the hood of their SUV with her open palm.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve met plenty of heroes that would use something like this. Back in the day they were all the rage.¡± Alex said shaking his head.

    ¡°Hey! You guys mind helping me out?¡± A man asked walking up to where Alex and Obsidian prepared to get into their vehicle.

    Both of them took a combative stance for a moment. This odd man asked them about uranium. Alex nor Obsidian really knew where someone could just pick it up, but Alex knew that they processed it in Winter¡¯s Garden and it was sold within those city limits, but that was the gist of what he knew.

    ¡°Daniel Warp. Interesting man.¡± Alex said a few minutes later. They¡¯d gotten into the car and were driving away but a quick check over his shoulder showed that Daniel was already long gone.

    ¡°This could come in handy.¡± Obsidian said holding his business card in her fingers. It would seem that the man ran a business where he could pop in and drop off supplies if a Super was in need, or for the right price he would perform an extraction from a dangerous situation. Alex had heard about these types of companies when he was an admin but had never needed to use one with all of the power he had at his fingertips.

    The drive from Ridgecreek to Creek¡¯s Edge was a solid six hours. Alex had been hoping to be able to exceed the speed limit some in order to shave off some of the drive time. This did not end up being possible because of the state of many of the roads between the two points. It was almost easier to consider the trip off road with the difficult terrian that they had to circumvent, but the truck did a good job getting them to the small town.

    What they found was a single general store and a couple of dozen houses. Alex pulled into the parking lot of the store and shut the truck off. They were going to have to make the rest of the trip by foot. Snow fell heavily around them. After a quick check of his phone Alex realized that they were indeed at the start of winter. The area would likely have a few heavy winter storms shortly, but with the shift, that was all up in the air.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat then make the rest of the trek. If we get on the trail soon we might be able to make if before sundown.¡± Alex said opening his door.

    ¡°That sounds like a plan boss.¡± Obsidian said getting out of the truck as well.

    They walked into the small store. It was a general store, Alex noticed that they had a fabricator right out in the open. Most locations that had crafting machines usually had them hidden off in a back room. The crafting skill was something that a lot of players took but didn¡¯t invest much time if any into their development. In the past it was far easier to make money as a hero or villain then just buy what you wanted or needed.

    The building was log on the outside, but that was just aesthetic. The inside was a modular sleek approach to the untamed north. It also wasn¡¯t just a general story. The upper floor was a three-room inn. The lower floor had a bar with four stools and there were two tables for sit down eating.

    Alex sat down at the bar with Obsidian following his lead. They only had to wait for a moment before a man came out from a back room to stand behind the counter.

    ¡°What can I get for you?¡± The man asked. He was cheerful enough, but he did seem to have the attitude of someone who had done the same thing for a long time.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Do you have any kind of special?¡± Alex asked with the intention of having an easy order.

    ¡°Sure do, we¡¯ve got Cryostem stew with a little bit of frost boar.¡± The man said with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, that sounds nice.¡± Alex said with a nod and unsure if it was edible let alone nice.

    ¡°Same.¡± Obsidian said, ¡°I gotta hit the head.¡± She then said to Alex motioning towards the bathroom with her head.

    ¡°Wow, you are so lady like.¡± Alex snorted.

    ¡°I can be.¡± Obsidian said gesturing with her hand in a very seductive way as she walked towards the bathroom.

    ¡°To be fair, that is not very lady like.¡± Alex said and emphasized the word lady.

    Alex sat in silence for a few minutes. When the shopkeeper returned with their food he decided to try and make conversation while looking down at the meal. It was a white ceramic bowl with frost around the rim. Inside there was a light blue liquid that seemed to be actively shifting between liquid and solid.

    ¡°So, I don¡¯t mean to offend you, but what is the deal with the settlement all the way up here?¡± Alex said lifting his spoon. He waited before taking the first bite though.

    ¡°No offense taken son,¡± The man said shaking his head, ¡°We are farmers mostly.¡±

    ¡°Really? Up here?¡± Alex asked in surprise.

    ¡°Cryomonta grows year-round up here as the temperature doesn¡¯t get much above thirty degrees. One time we had a summer day that got to thirty-eight, but that that is the highest on record.¡± The man explained.

    ¡°And what is Cryomonta used for?¡± Alex asked dipping his spoon into the food.

    ¡°Well Cryomonta is a plant that can be broken down into three pieces. We waste nothing. The cryostem, cryoseed, and cryoleaf are used all around the world. The stem is a wonderful food that provides buffs for many people. The seed and the leaf are key components in the health and energy serums. At least the tier one versions.¡± The man said crossing his arms.

    ¡°Huh, neat?¡± Alex said scooping a taste of the meal into his mouth. It was surprisingly good. Granted it was very weird because it was very cold, but the flavors were amazing. It was like eating ice-cream stew, but in the best way imaginable.

    ¡°What brings the two of you up here?¡± The shopkeeper asked.

    ¡°We are trying to hike many of the trails on Tolorona¡¯s top one hundred hikes.¡± Alex lied without missing a beat.

    -+3 Anti-hero points

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that list. We are still number two.¡± The man said with an annoyed grunt, ¡°You¡¯ll be going up Frozen Tusk path then?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alex quickly checked the path that Function had set, ¡°That is where we will be going.¡± He tried not to sound awkward.

    ¡°You¡¯ll want a thermal pack for your armor. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t get an ice debuff already.¡± The man said shaking his head. He walked over to a shelf in the shop and picked up two items. Walking back over to where Alex was eating he placed them on the counter.

    ¡°Ice debuff you say.¡± Alex said clearing his throat.

    ¡°Sure, it reduces movement speed and if you get to the fourth rank it will start to reduce your health. You¡¯re lucky. These are my last two. I¡¯m waiting on a part for the fabricator. Some company is scooping up all electrical components.¡± He said shaking his head.

    --Economy Quest

    -You know that there is a high price on electronic components. It might be a good idea to get to the bottom of what is going on so that people can get what they need. This may be the only fabricator for miles and from the looks of it they use it for a great many things.

    -Discover where the electrical components are going.

    -This mission has unknown rewards.

    -Accept?

    -Yes | No

    Alex knew that this quest wasn¡¯t actually being given to him by the shopkeeper, but he was the trigger for it. He went ahead and accepted the quest, even if he didn¡¯t do anything right now he felt like it was something that he should look into at some point.

    Obsidian returned and started to eat her own meal. Alex picked up one of the thermal packs and looked it over.

    -Item

    -Thermal Pack

    -When Equipped to your super suit this thermal reduces cold base ill status debuffs.

    -(Reduce chance for Ice debuff but 90%)

    ¡°We¡¯ll take them, how much.¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°Three hundred,¡± the man said but paused for a moment, ¡°Each.¡±

    Alex looked at the man and then at the devices. For a moment he considered just having them brave the cold and take their chances. He did have a regeneration power. He also wondered if Obsidian¡¯s power would help her combat the cold. Then again if they had to use all of their energy to stay alive, what would happen if they ran into trouble.

    ¡°We will take them.¡± Alex said tapping his phone on the pay plate for the food and the items.

    -630t Charged

    Alex and Obsidian finished their meals. They enjoyed every last bite of the weird food. When they were done they got up and walked outside of the store. They each held a thermal pack on their hand. They pressed them to their chests at the same time.

    Two metal bands unfolded form either side wrapping themselves all the way around their bodies until the reached the other side of the device. The bands pulled tight and a slight red glow issued from the seams of their suits. The weirdest thing was that Obsidian didn¡¯t wear much more than a shirt and a skirt. Her suit actually transformed to be more winter like. She gained thick leggings and a purple jacket. The whole outfit was topped off with a woolen hat that was died purple on the inside.

    With their new heat they headed away from the shop, locked their truck on the way, and found the marked path for the Frozen Tusk Path.

 My Supers Online Chapter 09-03

    Chapter 09-03

    ¡°Whose idea was it to walk up this damn hill for a mission that we have no idea about?¡± Obsidian asked about ten minutes into the walk.

    ¡°Quit complaining. I have a good feeling about this mission.¡± Alex said rolling his eyes. Even with the upgraded suit he could still feel some of the cold seeping through from the air.

    ¡°Fine, but you owe me.¡± Obsidian said.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You are getting paid.¡± Alex said in a huff. He personally didn¡¯t really want to be out in the cold either.

    The duo climbed, and they climbed. The path was not too bad, but Alex kept his guard up either way ready to see some kind of creature jump out and attack him. He knew that the farther away from the settlements everyone got the wilder things became. This world shared some similarities with earth, but for each thing they had the same there were that many things that were different. The predators that people were used to back home were tame beasts compared to some of the monsters that could be found in NuValla.

    One this trek when they found one though, it was already dead. They approached the carcass with caution. The monster resembled what would come out if a boar and a wolf were to have an unnatural baby. It had the shape and body of the wolf, but teeth and tusks of a boar. Its fur was wiry and spiky like a boar¡¯s.

    Alex knelt to look at the dead body. It had been taken down by high energy rifle fire. He started to take a look around and it was then that he noticed that there was more than just the one. In a field just beyond the path there was a whole herd of the Hornwolves that were dead scattered among the grass.

    ¡°Whoever did this, had fire power.¡± Alex said standing up from the body.

    ¡°I¡¯m also guessing since these bodies only look to be a day or so old, that we are going to enjoy the company of whoever did this on this mission.¡± Obsidian added.

    They left the massacre and continued on their path towards the summit where the path leads them to the crash site. The path that they followed was lined on either side with tall pine trees that had brilliant blue needles the color of frozen water.

    After three hours of walking they came to the last bend in the hike before where the crash site was located. Alex slowed the duo holding up his hand. The moved off of the path and into the trees. The found a perch where they could overlook the situation before they moved in on the crash site.

    They knelt low to the ground until ultimately lowering to their bellies, so they could stay hidden. The two of them army crawled to the edge of a ledge through the dirt. It was hard to stay silent as Alex¡¯s suit scrapped the rocks in the ground.

    The ledge was the top of a rim from the crater that was caused by the impact of whatever it was that had crashed. The whole crater was nearly a mile in diameter. At the center there was a large tent set up hiding the object form view. There were modular buildings that had already been set up around the object and a fence had been erected to keep out intruders.

    In the five or so minutes that Alex watched he counted three dozen soldiers patrolling the area. That wasn¡¯t including anyone inside of the buildings that had been dropped on to the site. They seemed to be moving on a very strict rotation around the site.

    The soldiers that he could see were all dressed in a black uniform. Each of them wore a mask that covered their face and seemed to offer atmospheric options such as oxygen recycling. They each carried a high-powered energy rifle. Alex didn¡¯t recognize the symbol on their chests. It was an upside-down triangle with two-pointed line going from the center to the top.

    ¡°Recognize that symbol?¡± Alex asked in a whisper. There was a vast distance between them and the soldiers but didn¡¯t want to push their luck.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t recognize it at all.¡± Obsidian said shaking her head.

    ¡°Function, what do you have?¡± Alex asked his digital assistant.

    ¡°Searching¡­¡± Function said in a hollow tone.

    ¡°Do you think that it is that space weapon¡¯s thingy you were talking about to that laser-man guy?¡± Obsidian asked while they waited.

    ¡°Maybe, but that crashed down months ago. I feel like this has been here for a relatively short time.¡± Alex said with a shrug.

    ¡°Search complete. I was unable to produce many results with that symbol, but I was able to find three references to an organization called The Cold Collective. Unfortunately, beyond the fact that they exist there isn¡¯t much more information on them.¡± Function said in a defeated tone.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°The cold collective you say?¡± Alex said in an undertone a little to consider the name and also to bring Obsidian into the loop.

    ¡°Yes sir. I apologize that I could not find more information.¡± Function said.

    ¡°No worries, we¡¯ll just go ask.¡± Alex said motioning to the crash site.

    ¡°We doing this?¡± Obsidian asked in an excited tone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to get inside undetected to see what we are working with.¡± He suggested.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go.¡± She nodded.

    They began climbing down the side of the crater. There was plenty of holds for them to get down the twenty-foot drop with no issues. They darted across the crater as fast as they could. Night was starting to fall as pink light broke over the horizon.

    When they got to the fence they leaned into the shadow of one of the modular buildings while Alex counted. He was waiting for the rotation to come through, so they could get over the fence silently.

    When the time finally came it was completely dark. Several large lights were ignited around the modular buildings. It lit up the area, but it also created several shadowed alcoves that they could use to hide as they moved through the site.

    Alex grabbed obsidian around the waist and with a little focus he lifted the two of them over the wall and softly landed on the ground right on the other side. The ground was soft and made zero noise when they landed.

    The duo stayed low to the ground as they moved through the shadow towards the center tent where the object was hidden. In the passage between two buildings right outside they came upon a guard. He stood next to the wall scanning the path opposite the direction that they were coming from. Alex signaled for Obsidian to wait.

    Silently he moved forward in a crouch. He moved as closely as he could behind the guard and checked his surrounding to make sure he was clear of the sight of any other guards. In a swift motion he stood up and wrapped his arm around the guard¡¯s neck while also grabbing his mouth with his other hand. He squeezed tightly hardly even using all of his passive strength until the man¡¯s body went limp form oxygen deprivation. With ease he was able to drag the body back and roll it under one of the modular buildings. They were deployed on landing gear like stilts that held them almost two feet off of the ground.

    Alex took the man¡¯s identification card, his energy rifle, and an energy pistol. He handed the rifle to Obsidian and kept the pistol. He found a knife on the man¡¯s back that had an active plasma coated blade. Alex thought it might come in handy, so he took that too. He was tempted to take the man¡¯s uniform as well but did not want to change outside in the cold.

    They returned to the end of the passage where the man had been standing guard. They could see that there were a few entrances for the large tent over the object. To the north there was a larger door where an aircraft was landed. Alex noticed that there was a clear path to that door now that the guard was out of the picture. With a final look around to make sure it was clear they darted around the building in the shadow to the service entrance.

    The landing area was litter with crates. They stayed crouched behind them as they made their way to the door. With a quick scan of the guard¡¯s card the door slid open. This led them into a small maze of hallways, but it didn¡¯t take them long to get inside the main room.

    Alex stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what the object was. Before them was a massive Alien Space ship. It was hard to tell which side was the front or what was the back, but Alex assumed that the narrower section that was imbedded in the ground was the front. There were large holes in the rear portion that softly glowed with a light blue color. The whole thing was curved and sleek. There wasn¡¯t a single sharp edge in the whole design.

    Alex noticed that there was an observation room. They made their way around to the side where the door was standing open. Alex carefully peeked his head inside.

    A large man stood over two people who were kneeling on the ground. The man was wearing a similar uniform to the soldiers outside, but his was equipped with massive plates of armor on his back, chest, legs, and arms. His helmet had addition pieced of flair coming off the top. He held an energy pistol pointed down at the people.

    These two people were obviously scientists. They both wore lab coats and the blond woman on the left wore glasses. The brown-haired man on the right was holding his hands over his head in fear as the gun was pointed directly at his head.

    ¡°You¡¯ve had twelve hours, why have you not gotten us inside the vessel.¡± The man demanded moving the pistol until it touched the other man¡¯s head.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, our computer systems cannot integrate with the ship¡¯s computer. They won¡¯t talk. We can¡¯t issue the command to open the doors.¡± The fearful man said.

    The armored man pulled the trigger. The bolt of red energy shot though the man¡¯s hand, and then his head before entering the ground behind him. The fearful man¡¯s body went limp and collapsed to the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯ve tried to tell you Dusk, we need more time.¡± The woman said. Her tone was not fearful, instead she was confident and assured.

    ¡°Lucky for you his death just bought you another six hours.¡± Dusk said as he lifted the woman by her hair and tossed her at the panel. She hit the console and rolled off falling to the floor from the impact.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Alex whispered. He moved so that he was hidden by the doorway. Rearing back his fist he started to active his Seismic punch. He could fee the energy flowing into his hand as it started to grow a blue color and streamers of light began to appear. Alex tried a mental exercise. He began to allow extra energy to flow into the attack.

    Dusk walked out of the room. Alex unleashed the massive punched on the man the moment he was in range. His fist made contact with Dusk¡¯s head sending him flying thought the air. His body rebounded off of the hull of the alien ship and went through the soft wall of the tent. He stopped when he collided with the wall of one of the modular buildings.

    --You have discovered a new Power Booster.

    -If you double the amount of energy that you pay for a skill you will receive a boost of 50% more power.

    -This only applies to powers in which it has been discovered.

    -(Seismic Punch)

    Alex dismissed the notification.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked the woman.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She said standing up from the floor.

    Alex turned and walked towards the man. He was ready for a good fight and he felt like this guy was going to be a challenging opponent.

 My Supers Online Chapter 09-04

    Chapter 09-04

    This was one of those times that he wished that he had some kind of scan ability. Alex stood a few yards away from the man clad in black armor and stared down at his body. The jig was up, and the guards were onto the fact that someone had broken the perimeter.

    ¡°Function is there any information on this guy?¡± Alex asked as the guards began to surround the building that Alex had dented with Dusk¡¯s body. They all hand their weapons at the ready.

    ¡°Searching¡­¡± Function said. Light blue lines surrounded the downed man¡¯s body scanning in his dimensions. Database information started to flash across the screen.

    ¡°Sooner might be better.¡± Alex said in a nervous tone as he considered retreating inside the ship¡¯s tent.

    ¡°There are three heroes that go by this designation. Given the description available for the three I believe that this is the man you are facing.¡± Function said putting the file on Alex¡¯s HUD.

    --Dusk

    -Super-Strength

    -Aligned with the Venomous Strikers (Defunct)

    -Free agent

    ¡°Well that is only a little helpful.¡± Alex said reading over the file. There was information about the man¡¯s commonly known locations. He focused on the information that he thought was useful. The man had super-strength.

    The guards were there baring down on Alex. He raised his fists and clenched them tightly. There was nothing that was going to stop him from putting up a fight.

    ¡°Stop.¡± A booming voice rang out from the ground where Dusk had landed.

    The guards backed away from Alex slowly obeying the order. Dusk was on his feet. He took a few steps towards Alex his fists clenched to his sides.

    ¡°It has been some time since I have faced someone who had been able to make me bleed.¡± Dusk said reaching up and activating his mask. The bottom hissed and folded out exposing his jaw and mouth. His teeth were red and his spit blood on the ground.

    ¡°Oh, there is more where that came from.¡± Alex said with a smirk.

    Both men did not hesitate. They ran at each other like freight trains on the same track. Each of them clenched their fists. Light streamers began to emit from Alex¡¯s fist as he activated his normal seismic punch. Dark streamers of black light began to emit from Dusk¡¯s fist.

    The two fists fueled by super-strength collided in the air. A massive shockwave radiated form the impact point. There were buildings on either side of the two men that were knocked off of their supports. The ground under the impact dipped down as the dirt and rock gave way. All of the guards surrounding them were thrown backward.

    All of this happen in a split second. When everything caught up to reality with an ear shattering boom both Dusk and Alex were thrown back away from the impact. Alex tumbled end over end until he crashed into the alien ship which did not give way like the buildings that they had set up.

    With a groan of pain Alex peeled himself off of the ground. Checking his status, he found that his health was reduced by twenty-five percent with that attack. He had to hope that nearly the same had happened to Dusk.

    Alex got to his feet and stumbled back out of the tent shaking his head. Dusk too had gotten to his feet. The good news was that he looked like he was having the same issues that Alex was having.

    The opportunity was too good to pass up. Alex ran at Dusk as fast as he could. With a round of a kick he activated his new skill Shattering Kick. The energy was instantly drained from his reserve. The speed at which his leg was moving multiplied tenfold. His foot made contact with a massive crashing boom. Dusk was still in the process of recovering so the attack landed true and solid. He was sent through the air in a blur crashing into another building leaving behind a dent the same shape as his body.

    Alex landed but didn¡¯t wait around. He flew towards Dusk, but the guards moved into his path protecting their leader.

    ¡°Move back!¡± Dusk said pushing them out of the way, ¡°I¡¯m starting to have fun!¡±

    Dusk moved faster than Alex could keep up with. He jumped at the last second and kicked with both legs into Alex¡¯s chest. This move caused him to fall to the ground, but Alex rocketed towards one of the temporary buildings. He hit it so hard that the wall caved in around him and was knocked back into another of the buildings.Stolen novel; please report.

    For a moment Alex couldn¡¯t breathe. He had to give his regeneration a moment to do some work, he activated his Flash Heal skill to give the process a little boost. He could feel his ribs move back into place. So much for the thirty percent bonus to the strength of his bones.

    ¡°That was quite the hit.¡± Alex wheezed out trying to catch his breath.

    They rejoined each other on their makeshift battlefield. For what felt like an eternity they swapped blows. Their energy seemed to regen at the same rate and their blows seemed to hit with the same force. Alex began to get tired of the game. Hail the size of golf balls began to fall from the sky filling the air with the sounds of their impact on the buildings around them.

    Pulling himself from a divot in the ground carved by him being throw like a ragdoll he injected himself with a second energy serum. He followed that up with a health serum. He took a deep breath and again he ran into the fight.

    Dusk threw a punch at Alex¡¯s head, but instead of him dodging out of the way or meeting the blow with his own punch he let the blow come. It hurt like he couldn¡¯t have imagined, but he wrapped his arm around Dusk¡¯s arm and clamped on as tightly as he could. He focused energy in both super-strength and flight.

    Upward the two men shot at Alex¡¯s top speed. He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how fast he was going but it wasn¡¯t but a few seconds before the ground started to look like it did when you looked out of a plane window.

    Alex let go. The two of them drifted apart. Dusk was having trouble breathing just as Alex was, but his regeneration was doing a good job allowing him to breath in the low oxygen. Reaching out his arm Alex used a burst of psychic energy to push dusk away so that he couldn¡¯t grab at him.

    The momentum began to wane and they both began to fall towards the planet. As fast as they had moved up, they began to rocket downward. Alex was a little worried that he wasn¡¯t going to have enough energy to stop his decent.

    In a split second that felt like an eternity the battle came to a devastating end. Dusk crashed into the ground sending out a massive cloud of dirt and debris. Alex put on the proverbial breaks, but he ran out of energy. A purple blur rocketed out from the roof of one of the nearest buildings.

    The Obsidian shaped blur collided with him in midair and the two of them crashed into the side of a building. Her body acted to absorb the blunt of the impact and Alex kept from being crippled by the rocky landing.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Alex said with a wheezing groan.

    ¡°Any time.¡± Obsidian said sounding much the same.

    They peeled themselves from the ground realizing that the fight was not over yet. Alex was bingo on energy and had to inject himself with the third energy serum in a row. He only received sixty five percent of his energy. He did feel a rush of vigor as the little over two hundred energy rushed into his body.

    ¡°I think we can make this a little easier.¡± Obsidian called out to get Alex¡¯s attention.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± He asked turning to investigate. She picked up a discarded energy rifle from one of the guards that had been downed in a shockwave. Tossing it to him she leveled her own rifle at the incoming remaining guards.

    The duo backed up until they were standing next to a couple of crates that they could duck behind for cover.

    ¡°I already defeated your boss, why don¡¯t you guys skedaddle.¡± Alex called out with his sights locked on the nearest of the guards. The same man had his weapon firmly pointed towards Alex.

    It wasn¡¯t clear exactly who pulled the first trigger. When Alex saw a streak of red rip through the air, he didn¡¯t hesitate to return fire. There was no kick to the energy weapon and the shots would ring out in an extremely fast succession. There was about half a second that the capacitor system needed to build up enough energy for the next shot. Alex took this time to line up his targets for head shots.

    It was almost stormtrooper-like as the bolts flew past them. Alex breathed out slowly as he readied himself for the next shot. Each shot rang out loudly in his ear as the capacitor discharged. They hit their targets, some more accurately than others. If he managed to actually get the head shot that he aimed for then the Guard would drop to the ground. More often than not it would be a glancing blow, or a chest shot. The attackers were able to take a couple of chest shots.

    As they both ducked down behind the crates, they made themselves the smallest targets that they could. Obsidian¡¯s shots, Alex noticed in the split second that he dared look, were not only landing truer but were forcefully knocking the men back. Alex shook the worry out of his head when a bolt smashed into his arm. It took away thirty percent of his health and burned a nasty whole not only in his armor but also his flesh.

    ¡°SON OF A BITCH!¡± he yelled locking his sights on the one who had fired. He fired four times as fast as the weapon would recharge until the man dropped to the ground.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Obsidian asked. She moved her weapon like precision and after an exchange that felt internally like it was hours of a few seconds there were only five guards left in the fight.

    With just a few more laser accurate blasts from Obsidian and a volley of blaster fire from Alex they took out the remaining guards. When it was all said and done Alex dropped onto his butt in the snow. He was breathing heavily and still felt the pain in his shoulder. His regeneration had done its job to put the parts back together, but the relief from the pain would come later.

    ¡°Well that was fun!¡± Obsidian said standing up from her crouched position.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Alex demanded pulling himself up like a drunk baby deer.

    ¡°What?¡± Obsidian asked oblivious to what he was talking about.

    ¡°That shooting. You¡¯re like a trained assassin.¡± Alex said slipping on the ice that was starting to form from the cold, the hail, and the snow.

    ¡°Oh that, well I am. You know you can get certain skills that level outside of your personal level, right?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yeah I guess I knew that.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Well my father tried to force me to manifest Villainous feelings, so he sent me to a military school, a villainous one. They trained us to be assassins. He thought that if I enjoyed the school it would instill villainous feelings in me, or if I hated him enough for sending me it would do the same. Jokes on him. I enjoyed the training and it did not instill any kind of negative feeling in me concerning him. He was a villain and only wanted his daughter to follow in his footsteps. I don¡¯t blame him for that. I know enough to be able to keep myself from turning full dark side.¡± She explained.

    ¡°Assassin huh?¡± Alex asked considering her for a moment.

    ¡°I specialized in marksmanship so, it¡¯s more like sniper.¡± She said with a shrug.

 Super Delivery Chapter 09

    Chapter 09

    ¡°Ugh my head hurts.¡± I said to myself as I was waking up.

    Whoosh!

    ¡°Oh, thank god you¡¯re alive!¡± came an unfamiliar feminine voice. She spoke the words at a normal conversational volume, but for some reason it pierced my ears like a sonic scream from my old nemesis Feedback.

    ¡°Please for the love of all things good in this world, don¡¯t talk so loud.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr. Celerity. I just needed to thank you.¡±

    ¡°Thank me? For what?¡± I finally looked at the person who caused my head to pound harder with each word spoken. This woman standing in front of him at a little over five and a half feet tall with a lithe build and shoulder-length flowing blonde hair. The thing that stuck out most was her eyes. They were blue eyes with streaks of yellow in them looking as if lightning was coursing through them.

    ¡°Um¡­ You are kind of staring.¡±  The seemingly shy girl said while blushing.

    After she said that I realized I had been staring right at her. Shaking my head to clear it and trying to get the headache out by force, I noticed something else.

    ¡°Why are you wearing Streak¡¯s suit?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s because I am The Streak.¡± She seemed more embarrassed by that than my staring.

    Doing the only thing I could think of, I stared at her again. This time my stare was to accomplish a goal, to see if she was telling the truth. This time she stared back at me only turning slight shades of red.

    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Items.¡±

    ¡°Mask?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°People tend to leave me alone if I look like a male.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡±

    The conversation started at a normal speed, then progressively got to the levels only a speedster could achieve. I figured that would for sure reveal she was lying, but she seemed to be honest. Only one last thing could determine if she was really who she claimed to be.

    ¡°When I was falling, where did you say you learned to do the move used to rescue me?¡±

    ¡°Comic book.¡±

    ¡°Fine, you seem to be telling the truth, but can you prove it? Use the item.¡±

    She lifted up her full-face mask. As it slid into its proper place, her body changed, she didn¡¯t grow any taller, but her figure became more masculine.

    ¡°See now I look like the Streak that you know.¡±

    I just blinked at her slowly, she did indeed look like the speedster I met earlier. However, there was something strange about this illusion.

    ¡°You still sound like a woman.¡±

    ¡°Ah right almost forgot to hit this¡­¡± she pushed something at the spot where her headgear met her torso armor, button. ¡°Better?¡±

    It was strange to hear a sudden change in her voice, but as she was speaking her voice dropped a couple of octaves now sounding like a guy.

    ¡°That¡¯s just weird.¡±

    ¡°Yeah it takes some getting used to.¡±

    Realizing that it was cold I looked around and I wasn¡¯t where I thought I should be.

    ¡°Um. Streak¡­ Where are we?¡±

    ¡°Oh right, I was asked to come see if you were awake, but you side-tracked me.¡±

    She waved her hand motioning me to follow her, we started to go down a flight of stairs. As familiar sounds hit my ears, I thought I had a vague idea of where we were, and as we rounded the corner at the end of the stairs, I saw someone I knew.

    ¡°Justin, how is the youth of today doing?¡±

    ¡°Dude, why do you have to sound so old.¡± The young bored teen kept coming through on his stereotype.

    I leaned over onto the counter, so I could look casual. I looked left and right before I motioned the kid closer. He looked very hesitant, but I kept waving my hand until he leaned in with a sigh.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Is the guy back there the real Mr. Chippy Chop?¡±

    He leaned back in his chair and didn¡¯t answer my question.

    ¡°Fine can I at least get one of the world class Mr. Chippy Chop welcomes?¡±

    ¡°Welcome to Mr. Chippy Chop¡¯s Chopstick Delights Chinese Food and Dry Cleaning, while we clean your tie, enjoy our Pad Thai¡±

    ¡°Wow that was kind of lame.¡± Streak said.

    ¡°What are you talking about? All of the welcomes are pure gold. It¡¯s all in the way he delivers it.¡±

    ¡°Whatever man.¡±

    We resumed the walk leading back to the super-secret meeting place. I still couldn¡¯t figure out if this was a ¡°Landrosturant¡±, or a ¡°Resturomat¡±. I guess it didn¡¯t really matter to anyone but me, and I needed to just figure this out.

    As we started to walk into the kitchen area the same elderly gentleman was in the process of making a meal. Right before I could give the fake hat tip Streak spoke again.

    ¡°Mr. Chop.¡± She gave him a slight nod, and I had the biggest grin on my face. She had a similar sense of humor!

    We walked through the double doors leading to the Super Delivery HQ, and there were the entirety of the Honor Guard and the former nemeses. They stopped talking as we walked in and I took a seat. I knew what was coming, so I took a deep breath and tried to relax a little before looking to my right and seeing David I nodded to him, and without fail he started it off.

    ¡°How could you be so stupid!?¡±

    ¡°That was extremely reckless.¡± Richard continued the berating.

    ¡°I have been many places, and seen many things, that was by far the dumbest thing I have seen someone do.¡± Hopper always said something along those lines.

    ¡°You got lucky leveling when you did, but you cannot keep behaving like that.¡± It¡¯s weird getting a stern talking to from someone you have punched so many times.

    ¡°I enjoyed the show.¡± Prometheus, ever the word smith.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°We won, but you could have been killed man. Or worse.¡± Lucky was¡­ serious? I did not expect that, but his words seemed to hurt the most.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I truly mean it, but I felt I was the only one who could have taken him with minimal damage.¡±

    ¡°I could not have taken him on myself,¡± Mastermind started,¡± and Prometheus would have burned the city to make sure he won.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. While I feel bad for how I handled it, I would do it again and again. I would also like to remind everyone there was a chance we wouldn¡¯t have had to fight if it wasn¡¯t for Mr. Edison over here.¡±

    ¡°You are right, but it is in the past and has already happened, we should focus on the future.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean Mastermind?¡± the distaste from Hopper was obvious to everyone.

    ¡°What do we do from here? I was going to contact you all eventually anyway. Do any of you want to join our delivery company?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°After all that you still just want to deliver packages?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°We proved today that we can still go toe-to-toe with the Bridgers and you want to ship their stuff?¡±

    ¡°Actually, that was two days ago.¡±

    ¡°TWO DAYS!?¡± I was shocked, I had been asleep for two days?

    ¡°Yeah man, you had us worried your energy bottomed out twice in less than five minutes. How long has it been that you completely drained your energy?¡± David seemed to be genuinely worried.

    ¡°A while, but that doesn¡¯t make any¡­¡± I trailed off as I remembered the buff I had from being ¡°In the Zone¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Richard asked.

    ¡°I forgot I was ¡®In the Zone¡¯¡±.

    ¡°Well then that explains everything!¡± Hopper said breaking the awkward silence that was about to swallow our conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m confused. What¡¯s that mean?¡± Piped up the feminine voice of ¡°The Streak¡±.

    ¡°It let¡¯s me boost my max speed, but I suffer double the negative effects when I lose focus on my objective.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but how does that explain how you were unconscious for two days?¡±

    ¡°I got the buff right after we first met.¡±

    ¡°So, you can keep the buff up for at least three hours?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah, my energy costs are halved, and the effects from draining energy completely is harsh. When you think about it, I drained it twice, so that¡¯s basically like draining my energy completely from full four times in less than five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Two days was lucky then.¡± Mastermind basically whispered.

    I nodded.

    Silence permeated the room as people relived the event.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Lucky yelled cutting the silence with the efficiency of a chainsaw through butter. ¡°You leveled up!¡±

    ¡°I did, but I am not using any points yet, at our level it will take a while to level, so I need to seriously think about this.¡±

    ¡°Wise decision.¡± Mastermind agreed. ¡°I can help with that if you¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°Maybe later, now we have some choices to make.¡±

    It was Mastermind¡¯s turn to nod.

    ¡°We can of course continue this shipping business. It can make us all a steady income.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying we shouldn¡¯t, but I think we should do more.¡± Placing emphasis on the last word let everyone know what I was implying, but I said it anyway, ¡°I think we should get back in the game.¡±

    ¡°How can we compete with the Bridgers. They get twice as many power points!¡±

    ¡°I know David, but there is something else I have to tell you all.¡± Everyone looked at me, waiting for what I was going to say. ¡°I got a power point on this level.¡±

    Everyone but Streak looked shocked.

    ¡°You are level 247, right?¡± Mastermind asked

    ¡°Yeah, I shouldn¡¯t have gotten a power point until next level.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you guys don¡¯t get one every level?¡± Streak asked.

    Heads shaking no, from all of us. She went still deep in thought.

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t know why, but it seems that we will now earn a point every level now. I can¡¯t be one hundred percent on that though.¡±

    ¡°We will have to wait for someone to level to find out.¡± Prometheus said without any hostility, for the first time ever I¡¯d assumed.

    ¡°Does that mean we can get different powers?¡± Lucky asked with a gleam of hope in his eyes.

    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that Wayne.¡± I told him, knowing he would love to get a regen power.

    ¡°We keep getting side-tracked. What are we going to do?¡± Hopper tried getting our conversation back on the right track.

    No one said anything for a long while and I took this time to make sure I could put the forming plan into action.

    ¡°Before the Bridgers, we had a plan and we started to put the wheels into motion. We were going to turn ¡®The Honor Guard¡¯ from a party into a Team. I say we do that now.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Mastermind started laughing. ¡°And... Ha... I suppose you ¡­ ha¡­ have the fifty-thousand thread to do it?¡± He finished by wiping a tear off of his face.

    ¡°What day of the week is it?¡±

    ¡°Sunday, why?¡± David asked.

    ¡°Then this doesn¡¯t matter, we should all get some rest and meet up tomorrow.¡±

    Nods and small noises of agreement met my words.

    As everyone left, I was doing some math in my head, checking it over and over again, making sure it was right.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡±

    After a slight jump in my seat I realized The Streak was still in the room.

    ¡°Ahem¡­ Yeah sorry just lost in thought.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I get that way too.¡±

    ¡°Glad that I¡¯m not the only one.¡±

    She didn¡¯t respond or make any attempt to leave the room, but she looked like she wanted to say something.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked her, ducking my head a little to make eye contact.

    ¡°Could¡­ could I talk to you for a bit?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but we have to get changed first.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡± she looked more than a little confused.

    ¡°Well I have been unconscious for two days. Having superspeed increases your metabolism. I¡¯m starving and walking through that kitchen didn¡¯t help one bit.¡±

    ¡°Right I¡¯ll get changed then.¡±

    The best thing about being a speedster is that no time at all passes when you do mundane things like change clothes.

    ¡°So, where do you want to eat?¡± I asked the woman who was now in full street clothes and I had no doubts about her gender.

    ¡°Literally anywhere but here. It has to be some kind of health code violation to have a combination like this.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s this great pizza place I know of, actually before I recommend that, can you run on water yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Shoot then that¡¯s out.¡±

    ¡°I know of this little mom and pop diner on the other side of the city, they have the best burgers and shakes.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know about me.¡± I said with total seriousness.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She looked taken aback by my tone.

    ¡°If you tell me the best burger is anywhere besides Bobby¡¯s Burgers, and you are wrong, we will have words.¡±

    She started laughing a little just to break the tension, ¡°I was talking about that place.¡±

    Smiling at the woman I realized something.

    ¡°Where are my manners. I¡¯m Ray Stevenson, and just incase Ray is NOT short for Raymond.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯m Megan Moore.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you Megan, now let¡¯s get going.¡± I held out my arm for her to grab and we stepped out into the evening night.

    We made it across town at a speedster¡¯s walking pace, meaning we were there in about a minute.

    Walking in I saw the former villain turned chef in the back cooking his heart out.

    ¡°Hey Bobby!¡± I yelled out to him.

    ¡°Ray! How you doing man?¡± The slightly obese cook asked.

    ¡°Been doing alright I guess, Bobby this is...¡±

    ¡°Meg! How are you sweetie?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing better now that I¡¯m about to get one of your burgers.¡±

    ¡°The usual?¡± Bobby asked looking at both of us.

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± I said

    ¡°Of course, Bobby.¡± Meg agreed and led me to a booth away from the door.

    Sitting down across from each other I looked over the weird girl.

    ¡°Alright I gotta ask. Why the guy form?¡±

    ¡°I figured that¡¯d come up eventually. Well where I¡¯m from, this is an escape for some, a job for others like me. If I¡¯m constantly getting hassled to join teams just because I¡¯m a woman, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get things done.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand much of that, but I get some of it.¡±

    A slightly awkward silence followed my words. I don¡¯t get these Bridgers sometimes. They say and do weird things, but aside from the ones that were hear right after the bridge none of them knew of The Honor Guard.

    ¡°How did you know who we were. Not many Bridgers know us, just the ones we trained.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. I love the lore in games.¡±

    I sent her a look that I hoped would convey the message, ¡®I don¡¯t get it.¡¯

    ¡°Sorry, I have been to several worlds, and love to learn about their histories. Helps me adjust better.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so all of you can just hop dimensions like Hopper does?¡±

    ¡°In a way, but we require devices to do it, he can¡¯t just do it.¡±

    Just as she finished Bobby came to our table with our food, I had three fully loaded bacon cheeseburgers and two baskets of loaded fries. Megan had almost the exact same, but It was two burgers and one basket of fries.

    ¡°Wow a girl that can eat!¡±

    ¡°Yeah trying to keep it on the lighter side.¡±

    I looked over and Bobby was pulling up a chair. He leaned in real close.

    ¡°I saw what happened on the news. You two did good work.¡±

    I looked over at Megan and she didn¡¯t look startled, so I wasn¡¯t going to press the issue.

    ¡°It took a lot out of me. I just woke up a couple of hours ago.¡± I said clearing my throat.

    ¡°I bet, but you saved a couple hundred people, one of which was my niece, Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Hayden is your niece? Small world. How is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s alive thanks to you. This meal is on me, and I got you guys some milkshakes for when you¡¯re done.¡± With that he got up and returned to the kitchen.

    ¡°Bobby knows about you too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he used to be a villain of mine, but I helped convince him that he should follow his dream. I even helped get him a loan for this place. He didn¡¯t charge me food for five years.¡±, I almost had a tear in my eye remembering the good times.

    ¡°He helped me get started in the hero business.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a good guy who makes great food.¡±

    ¡°You can say that again.¡±

    We devoured our meals in, well silence isn¡¯t the right word. We didn¡¯t talk, but our eating made a patron or two leave. Before long we had our promised milkshakes in front of us, and it was time to do what we came here for.¡±

    ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to know if you are serios about your team?¡±

    ¡°Very. I reached hero tier seven after everything that happened. So I will have the funds for it tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She nearly spit out her milkshake.

    ¡°Getting the top spot in rescues helps, but to be a good hero you should always help not for the money. It should just be instinctual.¡±

    She looked at me for a few long moments before she nodded.

    ¡°Would you like to join?¡±

    She just blatantly stared now. She stared so long I waved my hand in front of her face to make sure she was alive.

    ¡°Sorry, uh, yeah I would love to. I do have one question though.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to be the leader?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, I have some ideas¡­¡± I said with a grin.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 09

    Chapter 09

    Road Trip!

    After my discussion with Daniel, I went to find Alara. She was down in the junkyard. There was an army of dogs surrounding her that were being restrained by wooden cords. I counted fifteen that were struggling to get free.

    ¡°Regan. Darling. Do me a favor and tame these for me,¡± she said as she petted a growling dog that was snapping at her. I just shook my head at the sight. Moving forward, I took a few minutes to reprogram each dog. She¡¯d captured a few high-level ones. They were more along the lines of wolves rather than dogs at this point.

    ¡°Alara, Love. We¡¯re going to head out on a trip tomorrow. The airship is almost ready,¡± I said moving over to her.

    ¡°Wonderful! What¡¯s it like where we¡¯re going?¡± she asked jumping up and wrapping her arms around my neck, I swung around in a circle from the momentum.

    ¡°From the name, I assume cold with snow,¡± I said. Her enthusiasm noticeably dropped.

    ¡°Do we have to?¡± she asked giving me puppy dog eyes and a pout.

    ¡°Unfortunately. We have to get a few things from up there. I know you hate the snow and cold, but do you mind going with me?¡± I asked giving her little kisses on her cheeks.

    ¡°Oh. You know I can¡¯t say no to you. Fine. I¡¯ll go with you, but next time, we better go someplace warm!¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    I set her down and she started baby-talking to the over dozen mechanical dogs surrounding us. I left her and went back up to the airship. There were a few systems that still needed some fine tuning. We only had so much fuel to make it to our destination. I wanted to be sure we¡¯d actually make it there.

    Daniel popped into existence next to me. ¡°Hey Boss. I got my wife moved. She was excited that I found her a place with a workshop. She was a high-level member of the Tailor''s guild, too bad it disbanded a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Admins used something to close all branches. Luckily, no one died, but it put a lot of NPCs out of business.¡±

    ¡°Great. Ah. I have something for you.¡± I handed him a small ball that had a few clamps and a camera. It latched itself to his shoulder, and a small screen opened on my glasses that showed a video feed of myself.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to always keep this on, but I wanted to record some data from your teleport ability. As to that affect, I need you to head to out and gather some more current information on the uranium supply. With the current situation of the world, I doubt a resource like that will be left untapped for long.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    There was a ripple in space as he vanished. I was pretty sure that his ability changed how he appeared and disappeared randomly. It was never the same for long. I moved to another section that still needed some repairs while I watched the movie that was Daniel teleporting around. He appeared in a city where he asked several people questions about the material. It eventually led him to a seemingly desolate little mining town.

    I paused what I was doing as it seemed something was going on in the town. It was early morning and people were having a celebration of some sort. Daniel moved over to a nearby passersby.

    ¡°Excuse me. What¡¯s going on? A festival?¡± he asked the man.

    ¡°No. Something much better. Last night two individuals rescued our children and miners from an evil that was in the mine. Thanks to them we can actually do our jobs.¡±

    ¡°Really? Are they around?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s them over there next to the truck.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Daniel floated over to the man and girl that were inspecting their truck.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this was definitely a villain¡¯s truck. Only a villain would put this level of weaponry into a mode of transportation.¡± The girl said smacking her hand on the hood of the vehicle. She was almost purple personified.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve met plenty of heroes that would use something like this. Back in the day they were all the rage,¡± the man said shaking his head. He reminded me of robin from an old comic book from Earth.

    ¡°Hey! You guys mind helping me out?¡± Daniel called as he approached the two. They reacted by getting into fighting stances. I couldn¡¯t help but think they were a bit jumpy.

    ¡°Who are you?!¡± the man asked glaring at Daniel. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re a player?¡±

    ¡°Yep. And the sky is blue. Not sure if the world is round, hold on a second.¡± Daniel vanished, and the image jumped to a view of the planet from space. I spun the camera around and found that Daniel was standing on a satellite. He didn¡¯t stay for long and popped back down to the two. ¡°Yep. Its round.¡±

    The man seemed to groan and relaxed his stance. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°My boss is in the market for some uranium. If you''re doing missions in this area, you should have an idea of the market.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think hooking some stranger up with uranium is a safe idea.¡± The girl said.

    ¡°Yeah, your boss? He a good guy?¡± The man asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only known him for about a day. Can¡¯t say. Hooked me and my wife in though so he¡¯s alright in my books,¡± Daniel said while he slowly rotated in midair.

    ¡°Alright, but is he a villain or a hero?¡± The man asked, ¡°Look what is your name?¡±

    ¡°Daniel Warp. Teleporter extraordinaire. Here¡¯s my card,¡± Daniel said handing a business card to the man. ¡°You? Since you want to be on a first name basis after just meeting.¡±

    ¡°I like to know who I¡¯m pointing towards potentially volatile resource towards.¡± The man looked at the card, ¡°Teleportation services huh. My name is Aether, and this is Obsidian.¡±

    ¡°My boss needs it to power his weapon of mass destruction,¡± Daniel said with a straight face that lasted a total of five seconds.

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Aether said with a nod.

    ¡°I¡¯m just pulling your leg. It''s only a few reactors. You know how people can be Lords of cities now right. He has to get power back to the city.¡±

    ¡°Lord? So, are you on a mission for an NPC?¡± Aether asked.

    ¡°Nope a player. You do know what¡¯s going on in Axiscore, right?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I know shits getting crazy, but a player controlling a city? Since when are there city management systems in the game?¡± Aether asked.

    ¡°Wow. You¡¯re behind the times. Alright. Short and sweet. So ever since the event, players, and I should mention the admins started this, have been killing, buying out, or otherwise finding some way to take control of cities. Especially high-level cities. I would watch your back. It generally a villainous action, but even heroes are getting in it.¡±

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that Axiscore is potentially up for grabs?¡± Aether stroked the chin of his mask.

    ¡°If someone can manage to defeat the highest-level NPC in the game along with his almost as high-level guards and army. Axiscore is mobilizing my friend. It''s not going to be neutral ground for long,¡± Daniel said with a snicker.

    ¡°Fantastic, I think I¡¯ll stay up here for a while longer.¡± Aether said shaking his head.

    ¡°Now. About that uranium?¡± Daniel asked.

    ¡°Well you are a bit far north for actually purchasing uranium. They mine it here, but it needs to be refined.¡± Aether said.

    ¡°I want to give a snarky comment, but I know that. I want to know the best, or rather cheapest place to buy it. Thought these good folks would have said information.¡±

    ¡°The only place where I know they refine it and sell it openly is in Winter¡¯s Garden. Place is also a war zone right now.¡± Aether said with a scoff.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry about my boss. Hey, how long have you played this game?¡± Daniel asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a complicated question, but I¡¯ve got some years under my belt. Look, we are about to head farther north for a mission. If things get sticky can we give you a call?¡± Aether asked waving Daniel''s card.

    ¡°Service charges may apply, but feel free,¡± Daniel said.

    ¡°Understandable, we¡¯ve all got to make a living.¡± Aether opened up the driver¡¯s door to their truck.

    ¡°I still think it belonged to a villain.¡± Obsidian said getting into the passenger seat.

    ¡°Will you drop it, villain or not, it¡¯s bad ass.¡± Aether said.

    The Games!

    Daniel teleported to Winter¡¯s Garden. I didn¡¯t watch much more. He was nearly struck by a beam of some kind but managed to use a portal to redirect the beam back at his attacker. I shook my head and got back to work on the airship. An hour later, all system finally read green.Stolen story; please report.

    Alara had made her way back inside and was sitting on my lap reading a novel she found somewhere. I disconnected from the airship control and sighed with relief. Reports from the city AI, Jane, were coming of the various issues around the city. The main one being greater communications. People really needed to communicate with the outside world.

    ¡°My Love. How about a tour of the ship? I found some interesting things while I was repairing it,¡± I asked her as I nuzzled her neck.

    She giggled and reached up to place a hand on my cheek. ¡°Sure. I just reached a good stopping point.¡±

    We stood up and went over to the elevator. Moving down we passed the first floor that lets on to what I found was the deck of the airship. From there we dropped a dozen or so meters until we came to the bottom floor. A storage hold that was large enough to hold a few hundred tons on supplies.

    Part of the city infrastructure had been run through it, so I''d had to reroute some of it, but thankfully, there wasn¡¯t any sewage. A few old crates had been left in here and judging by the rotting contents in the bottles. It was some form of early drug in the game. An emblem of a hornet was present of the boxes. Most likely a gang or villain group.

    Moving up to the next level, there were dozens of rooms for crew members to sleep. They were quite nice once we got some furnishings and a good cleaning crew. I¡¯d already tasked the thugs to pick one of themselves each and to clean them out. There was also a few labs and assembly departments, both, unfortunately, stripped down by someone.

    Both these floors only accounted for a fourth of the ship. Down the hall of the living quarters you get to the hangar. It was a crap ton of empty space. Whoever looted this place, didn¡¯t leave even a bolt behind. I was still thinking about what to put in here.

    A doorway appeared next to me and Daniel stepped through it. ¡°Man, I hate it when it does the physical ones.¡±

    ¡°Why does your power keep... changing?¡± I asked unable to hold back my curiosity.

    ¡°I took a Feat that lowered the energy cost of long-distance jumps by fifty percent, but in return it randomly changes how it happens. Most of the time its fine, but when it does this, it can be annoying. You¡¯d be surprised how hard it is to get through a door in the middle of a power fight.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Only on my long-distance jumps. Short range is the standard,¡± he vanished from where he stood and appeared on the other side of the space then back, ¡°disappearing with the smell of burnt ozone.¡±

    ¡°I guess the pro outweighs the con then,¡± I said turning back to the empty space.

    ¡°What you doing in here?¡±

    ¡°Tour!¡± Alara said happily as she held my hand.

    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s nice. You should have like fighting matches or something in here. Actually, might be a bit dangerous with some supers,¡± Daniel said floating into the empty space.

    ¡°Why would I host a super fight match?¡±

    ¡°It was done once. A few years ago. A super put together an Olympics of sorts. He never told anyone this, but every fight netted him experience based on the level of the combatants.¡±

    ¡°And how do you know?¡± I asked with a narrow eye.

    ¡°Was a customer. He had to leave the game for real world stuff, but he left me the secret to his rise of power since we were friends and I don¡¯t treat NPCs like dirt.¡±

    I glanced to Alara and she nodded. She usually had a nose for lying. It took quite a bit of skill to fool her. She¡¯d had a lot of practice after all.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± I said then had an idea. We were heading to a relatively populated area, and with the change in the world people would be looking for a way to blow of some stress. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Reaching forward to touch Daniel¡¯s shoulder, I focused my power and sure enough the schematics of the suit entered my mind. With my construction ability, I could build it with a bit of effort. A few levels would help though. ¡°How expensive was your suit?¡±

    ¡°Funny story there, so I had a job to extract this client. He¡¯s in an area that allows for people to teleport in but not out. Nasty trap. He dies, I die, we all die. I resolve to get this baby made, curtesy of my lovely wife by the way.¡±

    ¡°And. How much?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Thirty million thread.¡±

    ¡°Really. Damn that¡¯s expensive.¡±

    ¡°There were cheaper models, but I wanted perfect nullification of nullification fields,¡± Daniel said with a laugh.

    ¡°What is it love?¡± Alara asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it! Let¡¯s host an Olympics,¡± I said with a grin. This is supposed to be a vacation, right? Well, let¡¯s watch some games.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Sounds like fun. I want to participate!¡± Alara said bouncing on her feet.

    ¡°Really. I agree that the profit is worth it, but in this dangerous time?¡± Daniel asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just need to make a quick stop and I¡¯ll be able to host these games without an issue.¡±

    Acquisition

    ¡°Daniel. Take me over to the hero bureau.¡± I said. We had no time to lose.

    ¡°Sure.¡± He placed a hand my shoulder, it wasn¡¯t a second later and we appeared in front of the bureau. I nodded to him and walked in. It was empty with only a few people moving in the lobby. They were all NPCs and looked quite young.

    I made my way over to the desk. ¡°Hello. I have a favor,¡± I said.

    ¡°City Lord! Sure. What do you need?¡±

    ¡°I would like to see your holding cells.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t! As your ranked as a villain I cannot allow you back there,¡± the man said crossing his arms adamantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just want to check out the security. I can¡¯t have some villains getting out and challenging me, can I?¡± I said.

    ¡°Old man. I vouch for him,¡± Daniel said from behind me.

    ¡°Mister Warp. A pleasure to see you in our city.¡± The old man looked from Daniel then back to me then back and forth several times. ¡°If Mister Warp vouches for you then go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± I said dropping a needle on the desk and moving towards the back area. Of the hall of two dozen cells, half were occupied. I made my way to the first empty cell. ¡°Daniel. Do you know what the power dampener is in here?¡±

    ¡°The few times I¡¯ve upgraded a cell, it was this box right here that changed.¡± He pointed to a box on the outside of the cell that was pulsing.

    I placed my hand on it. I worried that my power wouldn¡¯t work if it got dampened and I would have to take it apart manually, but thankfully, it seemed to be a targeted affect. I studied the box for a few minutes until I was sure I had the construction and technology needed down perfectly.

    I removed my hand from the box and motioned for us to leave. The whole time we were in the cell block, there were cat calls and rude gestures being made at us. It was a pity. I was never one to question the origins of a person as long as they were useful. These villains were just trash.

    I nodded to the old man as we left. Once back on the steps to the building, Daniel teleported us back to the airship. Alara was sitting on the railing kicking her feet, obviously bored. She smiled when we reappeared and jumped on me. I found her strength stat was higher than mine when she nearly sent us tumbling down the side of the hanger.

    ¡°Sorry. Love,¡± she said with a snicker.

    ¡°It''s alright.¡± We straighten up. I looked around for a good spot and decide at the direct center of the hanger. ¡°Love. Would you mind making me a bridge to that spot?¡±

    She nodded and placed her hand on the railing. Vines grew from her palm and spread along the rail. When the base was strong enough, the vines shot out crossing the room. They connected with the railing on the other side of the space. When the vines were thick enough, they hardened enough for us to walk.

    ¡°There you go,¡± she said holding out her hand.

    I smiled at the gesture, knowing what she wanted. ¡°Thanks.¡± I bent down and gave her a kiss. I remembered we had a guest when I heard someone clear their throat. I broke away from her, which awarded me a pout from Alara.

    ¡°PDA, bro,¡± Daniel said.

    ¡°Feel free to bring your wife and make out with her,¡± I said with a laugh.

    Chance Encounter

    ¡°Daniel. What do you think is the best way to get the word out about such a game?¡± I asked as I moved across the bridge. Once I reached the center on the hanger, I pulled some matter out and started to fuse it together into the device I wanted to make. I wanted a power dampening field, but I didn¡¯t want it to blanket the entire area.

    ¡°I would say offer it as an optional mission, but without access to the network it would be hard to do that,¡± Daniel replied. He was currently upside down and didn¡¯t seem bothered by it.

    ¡°Then I guess you¡¯re going to be busy,¡± I said turning a grin at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing all my feats are geared towards constant teleportation or I would be sucking down energy drugs like crazy,¡± Daniel said.

    ¡°Very good. Post the ad in as many cities as possible. For brigders and NPCs. I want the largest possible turnout. Of both heroes and villains. Pour enough oil and you can keep any fires from burning,¡± I said thinking about how big I wanted this to be.

    ¡°Or blow up half the city,¡± Daniel said with a smirk.

    ¡°Win-win,¡± I said with a shrug.

    ¡°Anything else while I¡¯m out?¡±

    ¡°Find the leader of Winter¡¯s Garden and inform them of our intent. I don¡¯t think anyone would appreciate an armed airship flying into their airspace during this time of unrest.¡±

    ¡°I agree, but what if they say no?¡±

    I thought about the various options I had to work with. My hope was the leader would agree without any issue, maybe a cut of the profits or something along those lines. If they gave a straight-out refusal, then we would have to improvise. I stopped working on the power inhibitor and pulled a few more matter blocks out. I would have to convert more later. I was running low.

    I concentrated on explosives. At the heart of the device it was rather simple. If I was going for low level of destruction, I didn¡¯t need it to be too complicated. With the added points to my powers, I was able to convert the matter into more violate chemicals. Maybe, after quite a few levels, I would be able to create uranium, but that was something to check out in the future.

    With a grin, I created some C4. I would have Daniel place it in strategic locations and if the leadership doesn¡¯t like my deal then boom. I decided I would go with him this time to do the negotiations. I created several pounds of the stuff. It was almost one to one with my matter blocks and they didn¡¯t change much in the conversion.

    ¡°Alright. Teleport us to Winter¡¯s Garden. Outside the town hall if you know where it is,¡± I said.

    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s a long jump don¡¯t blame me if you get sick,¡± Daniel said grabbing my shoulder. With a pop, the ground dropped from under us and we fell feet first. The fall was only a few feet and we landed on a sidewalk outside a nice-looking government building. People passing by only gave a passing glance to two people appearing from thin air.

    ¡°Teleport around the city and place these. It''s our bargaining chip,¡± I said handing the C4 over to him. I placed a denotator that was linked to Smith, in each chunk.

    ¡°Sure. You don¡¯t feel sick?¡± Daniel asked surprised.

    ¡°Trade secret,¡± I said placing a finger over my lips. I couldn¡¯t tell him that I used to teleport on an almost daily basis back on Murgin. I didn¡¯t want to freak him out. I had too many needs for him to make a run for it right now.

    ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± he said disappearing.

    ¡°Now. For the fun part.¡±

    I made my way up the stairs to the building. It appeared quite busy, as people both dressed normally and as supers were making their way to and from the building. There was also quite a bit of security. But given that this was a villain city almost right next to a hero city, I was sure they had plenty of concerns.

    I nodded to the guard as I entered the building. Noise was the main theme of the interior. Shouting the most common. What looked like soldiers were rushing around while people in suits were being escorted. I found one of the soldiers that was standing in the corner more as a guard than an escort it appeared.

    ¡°Excuse me. I can see that you are a little busy, but I need to talk to your leader,¡± I said once I was next to him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for you. Go away,¡± the guard said with a shooing gesture.

    I stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°I need to discuss an operation with your boss. Now. Are you going to take me to them, or do I need to make my own path?¡±

    The guard winced in pain before he nodded. I released his shoulder then gesture for him to lead on. I knew this was a little heavy handed for a city, but I was technically a villain. I needed to play the part.

    The guard signaled someone who came and took his spot. He led me down the hall of the left wing then turned at the end to an empty wall. He placed his hand on the wall and a scanner read his credentials. Next, he placed his face next to the wall and a scanner popped out to check his face. When it turned green, the wall popped out and slid in revealing a staircase heading down.

    I whistled. You always have to appreciate a good secret lair. I followed the guard down the stairwell that had to be a hundred and then some meters down. As we reached the landing, an almost military setup unfolded in front of me. There was a logo of an upside-down triangle with two-pointed lines going from the center to the top.

    ¡°Smith. Identify,¡± I said quietly.

    An information readout appeared on my glasses that informed me that they were the Cold Collective. The name was all he was able to gather. I started to wonder what I was really walking into. I had Smith send a message to Daniel that I might need extraction.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am! I have a super here that needs to see you about the operation!¡± the guard called outside of a room with an open door. I looked past him and saw a gorgeous woman. Nothing compared to Alara, but by mortal standards she would rate quite highly. She was dressed in a super suit that would have one think Hero, but I was getting complete villain vibes from her.

    ¡°Super? All our supers are on assignment. Who are you?¡± the woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

    The guard reacted by swinging his laser rifle at me, but I was faster chopping the back of his neck and managing to knock him out. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to do that,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Regan.¡±

 The Left Behind Chapter 08

    Chapter 08

    The proclamation of welcome was received by cheers from the small gathered crowd. Vesta looked them over truly seeing potential in them all. Her city was officially started. She smiled at the warm feeling she felt in her chest.

    The list of services that she needed to provide for these people started to run through her mind. She knew that she was going to have to do a ton of work, but it was going to be worth it. Hospital services, Police, job resources, and so many other things were screaming to be done first. Instead she focused on the task at hand.

    ¡°In our current stage of development. It is important that we know who we are bringing into our midst. I would like to have a word with each of you and we will make your citizenship official. These are changing times after all.¡± Vesta said. After a moment for the crowd to absorb her words she climbed down from the stage and took Spark to the side.

    ¡°This is kind of cool huh? Look at all this beautiful potential.¡± He said biting his lip and rubbing his hands together. The pair walked into the hallway that lead to the smaller offices.

    ¡°Alright I¡¯m going to need you to keep it in your pants,¡± Vesta said smacking him in the back of his head, ¡°I need your help.¡±

    ¡°Ouch.¡± He said with a scowl.

    ¡°Could you please escort each person back for a short interview?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Spark said in a huff and turned back towards the larger auditorium room.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Vesta hissed at him as he walked away.

    She turned and walked into the first office. It was very, well, bland was the only word that she could think of to describe the room. The walls were a dull grey painted over cinder blocks. There was a metal desk in the center of the room that was topped with a dull wood. Behind the desk there was a rolling office chair and in front there were two wooden chairs that looked like they were about as comfortable as sitting on the ground.

    ¡°Well this room is going to need some work.¡± Vesta said to herself with a groan.

    ¡°I have your first appointment.¡± Spark said knocking on the door frame.

    ¡°Great.¡± Vesta said spinning around with a smile.

    ¡°Hello miss Vesta.¡± A young woman said standing next to Spark. She was about five-foot-tall with sandy brown hair and blue eyes that had a tinge of green around the pupal. She wore simple clothes and embodied an innocent fa?ade.

    ¡°Please come in and have a seat.¡± Vesta said motioning to one of the wooden chairs. She took a seat in the office chair. Spark turned to leave but Vesta made a noise to catch his attention, ¡°Would you please stay, Spark?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± He said walking around behind the desk to stand next to Vesta.

    The girl folded her hands in her lap as she sat patiently waiting for the interview to begin. Vesta considered her for a moment before taking a breath and deciding to get started.

    ¡°First of all, I would like to welcome you to our city.¡± She said with a smile.

    ¡°Thank you, Lady Vesta,¡± She gave a slight bow, ¡°I am happy to have made the trip here. I hope that I can call this place home.¡± The woman said.

    ¡°What is your name?¡± Vesta asked. Cassi appeared in the corner of her vision ready to take notes on the young girl.

    ¡°My name is Rebecca Yolna.¡± The woman said.

    ¡°Rebecca, how old are you?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°I am twenty-three years of age.¡± Rebecca said.

    ¡°Do you have any family?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°No ma¡¯am.¡± Rebecca said and her face grew grim.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Vesta said shaking her head, ¡°Why have you come to Summerrest?¡±

    ¡°I was born in the city to the west called Lorindale. Over the past few decades Lorindale has had tensions with Solintell a few miles north. Recently this tension has devolved into war. Both sides escalating into armed combat. People,¡± She paused, ¡°People dead in the street.¡± Her throat caught.

    ¡°Oh my god.¡± Vesta said breaking her professional-ish behavior.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Rebecca said with a nod.

    ¡°Do you know the root of the conflict?¡± Spark asked stepping forward. He leaned down resting his knuckles on the desk.

    ¡°No sir. I just know that the fighting was horrible.¡± The girl said shaking her head.

    ¡°Bring it down a notch.¡± Vesta said softly reaching over and placing her hand on Sparks arm.

    He looked from the girl then to Vesta and took a step back. A Visible calm rushed over his body.

    ¡°My apologies.¡± He said after a deep breath and a sigh.

    ¡°How did you come to know about this place?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°As a group we left Lorindale after our homes were destroyed. We checked the registry while leaving the city and found this place listed with a low population. We thought it would be a place that we could find homes and possibly jobs.¡± The girl said.

    ¡°Speaking of jobs, do you have any notable skills?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°I am a geologist.¡± She said confidently.

    ¡°I would have never guessed that in a million years.¡± Spark piped up shaking his head.

    ¡°Sexist much?¡± Vesta turned and asked.

    ¡°My bad. Just picture someone who plays in the dirt a little, you know, dirtier.¡± He said with a shrug.

    ¡°Maybe keep your mouth shut.¡± Vesta said with a tusk.

    ¡°Mum, there is a city position available for geological department. Filling this position will unlock geological surveys. These can be used to locate valuable resources in the area surrounding the city. These resources can be valuable for not only strengthening our own infrastructure but also for economical gain.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Vesta said then turned to Rebecca, ¡°How would you like to be the official head of the city¡¯s geological department?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain how happy that would make me.¡± She said practically bouncing out of her seat.

    ¡°Excellent! You are here on a ninety-day probational period. In this time, we reserve the right to revoke your citizen ship for any nefarious act, however, there will be a hearing. As you get established in the city, I will cover the rent on your assigned living quarters for the probational period. These living arraignments will be issued first come first severed. Are you agreeable to these terms?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± She said practically throwing out her hand to shake Vesta¡¯s.

    Vesta stood and took Rebecca¡¯s hand. They gave a firm shake which resulted in an official agreement that the world would enforce.

    ¡°Thank you for your time. Please let the others know that we will be out shortly for the next interviewee.¡± Vesta said with a nod releasing the girl¡¯s hand.

    Rebecca left the room saying ¡®thank you¡¯ over and over again. When they were alone Vesta turned to Spark.

    ¡°A war?¡± She said shortly.

    ¡°Yeah, we should probably be careful. We certainly need to get more information.¡± He rounded the desk and sat down in one of the wooden chairs, ¡°This bloody office needs an upgrade.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you there.¡± Vesta said lost in a pondering thought.

    If nearby cities were at war how long would it be until they were dragged into, the middle of it? How many people would be coming from the cities looking for asylum? What would happen if people from either side of the conflict tried to immigrate to Summerrest? What caused this type of conflict in the first place? It was clear that they needed more information.

    ¡°I suppose that we should get on with the next one. I don¡¯t want to keep them waiting.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Spark said leaving to get the next interviewee.

    The remaining twenty-four interviews went much the same as Rebecca¡¯s. Like she had said they were all from the same city and they had left together because their homes had been destroyed. Vesta attempted to conduct each interview the same exact way as the last.

    The information that they were able to gather was that Lorindale was governed by a Villain named Lucid Shadow while Solintell was governed by a Hero called Dreamscape. The tensions had always been there because the two did not get along but given the changes in the world each wanted the other¡¯s domain. This told Vesta that there was something worth having besides just a city or they were petty children. She wondered if the powerplant would end up being a target for acquisitions if she got it fully operational.

    She was able to fill a couple of the city positions. She found a man who had a high skill in social work. She offered him the job of interviewing and cataloging other new people who came to the city. She found another man who was ecstatic to be offered the opportunity to manage the economics and trade divisions. He noted that in the future the two should be separate but in the cities current state it would be fine for him to handle both. She found someone that could act as an interim police Sargent, but he lacked a fair amount of confidence. She really just needed someone who could report to her for the time being. The last person that she interviewed was a woman who was a skilled doctor. She was an older woman who didn¡¯t seem like she was going to put up with much shit, which is what Vesta wanted.

    For each person that she filled into an official city role there was someone that was basic skilled labor. There was nothing wrong with this, it was just harder to determine where they should work. She decided to work with Cassi to assign them based on the needs of the other city departments. They were understanding when explained that their job might be shifted around for a while, but they would get paid.

    Each person, or family unit was assigned a living arraignment from the options that were available in the zones that Vesta had specified. No one seemed to complain about any of the agreements that had been made.

    ¡°How many people can we house?¡± Vesta asked Cassi after the last interviewee had left to go to her new home.

    ¡°Currently with the zoning that you have done we can house two hundred and fifty people.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°That not too bad, hopefully we can get those filled up fairly quickly.¡± Vesta said standing up from the chair.

    ¡°Once you clear up the bandit camp, we should get an even bigger boost to immigration.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°Right, I need to get to that, but I have got to sleep first. I guess I should pick one of these living quarters for myself.¡± Vesta said pulling up the map.

    ¡°As the Lady of the city you have living arraignments provided in the penthouse of the main building.¡± Cassi said moving the map to show the room.

    ¡°Really?¡± Vesta said looking it over on the holographic map.

    ¡°Yes, there are also four other apartments that can be assigned to your Steward and advisors.¡± Cassi went on to explain.

    Vesta clicked her tongue and sighed. She knew that she was going to have to give one of the rooms to Spark. Despite some of the comments that he made he had maintained a good behavior during the interview process.

    Leaving the interview room Vesta was heading straight to the elevator. She needed a shower and a bed badly. It had been nearly two days since she had slept, and it was really starting to take a tole on her. During the last couple of interviews, she could feel herself dozing off which made her feel bad because of their heart wrenching situation.

    ¡°You have city notifications that need your attention.¡± Cassi said as the elevator made its assent.

    ¡°Go ahead and show them to me.¡±

    -New Citizens 25x

    -Total City XP Earned: 9000xp (Base 200 Per new citizen with 80% bonus for helping people in need.)

    ~~~

    -You have earned 50 City Points

    ~//~

    Vesta wasn¡¯t sure how long she had slept once she had finally gotten a shower and gotten into bed. She felt unfortunate to find out that it was only about five hours. Cassi was the one who woke her up and it took most of Vesta¡¯s will power not to be grumpy as she normally was.

    ¡°Spark is looking for you.¡± Cassi said opening a window hovering above Vesta showing a security like footage of the lobby. Without her mask on Cassi couldn¡¯t feet Vesta direct information.

    ¡°Can you take a message?¡± Vesta asked as she turned over and pulled the blanket over her head. It was then that she remembered that she had responsibilities now and she didn¡¯t need to be a spoiled rich kid. She threw the blanket off of her and sat up in the bed.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°I could do that.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°No, wait.¡± Vesta said before she could leave, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    After a quick visit to the bathroom to run through her morning routine she felt refreshed. Standing in the middle of her new living room Vesta¡¯s suit waited for her. Responding to her thoughts the back of the suit unfolded so that she could take a step inside. The suit closed her in fitting absolutely perfect around her body.

    She left her new apartment behind in search of her friend.

    The lobby was a buzz of activity. Many of the offices that she had filled the day before worked in the area surrounding the lobby and they were all working together. Everyone that Vesta could see looked ecstatic.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you. Where did you disappear to?¡± Spark said walking up to Vesta when he noticed that she had arrived.

    ¡°There is a room upstairs just for the Lady of the city.¡± Vesta said with a smirk.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He asked crossing his arms.

    ¡°Yeah, there are a couple of others for people who I appoint to advisory status.¡± Vesta said shifting her weight from one side to the other, ¡°I haven¡¯t decided if that is you or not.¡±

    Unlike Vesta Spark didn¡¯t wear a mask. His identity was not really a secrete and his expression was written on his face, but only for a split second. He wiped away the disappointment as fast as it had appeared and cleared his throat.

    ¡°Well if you¡¯re not too busy being a dick, don¡¯t we have some work to do? Something about a camp of bad guys?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Vesta said trailing off. Her little nap had been nice, but there would be time for real rest when the work was done.

    ¡°Well let¡¯s go then.¡± He said motioning towards the front door.

    With a loud scoff Vesta started walk towards the door. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. In a loud whoosh they vanished from the lobby of the main building and reappeared a safe distance away from the encampment. They were standing on a hill a few dozen meters away.

    Spark doubled over and threw up what little was left in his stomach. He tried to be as quiet as possible.

    ¡°I hate it. I hate it.¡± He said gripping his knees.

    They moved a few feet away from his puke and knelt to have a look at what they were up against. The encampment was a circle of a dozen RVs and tents a few meters off of the road. From what Vesta could count there were fifteen men outside, but there could be twice that inside of the RVs or tents. The whole camp was erected against a hill giving them a wall of dirt to their back.

    The men that she could see were wearing black leather. They had long unkempt hair or shaved heads. Most of them had thick facial hair. She caught sight of two men in a corner of the camp. They each injected something before becoming extremely angry and attacking each other.

    Vesta watched closely as they swapped blows. One pinned the other to the ground and beat him until his head hand sank into the dirt. The victor stood up and held his arms up over his head in celebration.

    ¡°I wonder what they are using?¡± Vesta asked in a hushed tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but this whole group is unstable. I do not want them anywhere near a new settlement of innocent people.¡± Spark said with his eyes locked on the camp.

    ¡°Alright then, lets do this.¡± Vesta said ready for the fight.

    Spark pulled his baton from his back and charged it with electricity. Bolts of lightning arched from the weapon and etched the ground. Vesta began to build energy into a ball of plasma in her hand. Once it had reached the size of a golf ball, she threw it at the camp. Her target was one of the central RVs. The attack flew true. When the ball of plasma impacted the whole RV exploded. She wasn¡¯t sure what was in it, but it packed quite a punch as there was even a small crater where the RV had been.

    They didn¡¯t stand around and wait for the fight. The duo ran down the hill towards the camp. They met opposition immediately. On their left five of the men ran towards them and on their right, there was another three incoming.

    Spark was the first to swap blows. He struck the closest of the attackers on the left with a blow from his baton. A blast of energy exploded from the impact point sending the man back twenty feet to land on his face. Another three of the attackers were stumbled by the blow. The fifth was able to keep coming even despite the attack. Spark ducked under the thrown punch the leaned to the side to dodge the second.

    Vesta took just a split second to use her scan item on the attackers that were coming in from the right.

    -Goon

    -Vortex Rover Goon

    -Level: 20

    -HP: 675

    -Energy: 330

    -Vortex Rover Goons rarely operated without the direct supervision of a Vortex Rover Master.

    ¡°I think there is a bigger one around here somewhere.¡± Vesta yelled out to Spark. She threw a ball of fire towards the center of the three who were running towards her. The ball impacted and the shockwave knocked them all down.

    ¡°Fan-freaking-tasitic!¡± Spark yelled back dipping his shoulder down to toss one of the stumbled who had decided to attack.

    ¡°Hey, we got to work for our money.¡± Vesta yelled back.

    Nine more goons appeared on the field from the inner part of the camp. Some of them were going to fight bare knuckle but there were some that were coming packed with weapons such as bats and crowbars, even more still had machetes.

    Vesta pulled one of her swords from her back. She picked out the incoming that had sharp weapons and decided to focus on them first. The three of them seem to meet her challenge. They lifted their weapons over their heads and ran at her feverishly. She noticed that they were in some kind of rage, perhaps whatever it was that they were injecting themselves with.

    Throwing up her sword she stopped the blade that was on a downward trajectory for her head. She elbowed the man in the chest sending him stumbling back a few feet. She reared up her leg and kicked the one on her right knocking him down to his knee.

    That was when a bat hit her square in the back. Luckily the suit was able to absorb a fair amount of the blow. She shook herself for a moment and turned with a round house kick to get the guy in the side of the head. He dropped to the ground in a heap.

    She turned back towards the three men with machetes in time to duck back once, twice, three times to avoid incoming slashes. As fast as she could she dropped and slashed with her sword across the stomachs of the three attackers. She felt the blade bite, but there was not blood.

    Pulling her sword back, she rolled back away from the engagement. She dropped into a crouch ready to pounce when the goons got close enough. Her legs sprung like a trap but while she flew through the air she vanished in a crack of light. She reappeared behind them angled down towards them. With a swift slice she cut the back of their necks. Her blade did nothing but bounce off of the tough skin.

    ¡°What the hell are you made of?¡± She demanded as she came crashing down onto the middle goon. The dropped to the ground in a tussle for a moment until she broke free and rolled to the side.

    A massive bolt of electricity scared the crap out of her as Spark fried the lot of them. Vesta looked up to see that he had already dealt with his five and he had rushed over to help her with hers.

    ¡°I had that under control.¡± Vesta growled from the ground. She stood up and angrily locked eyes with him.

    ¡°I know you did baby!¡± He said making kissing lips towards her.

    ¡°Would you stop?!¡± She asked punching him hard in the shoulder. He stumbled a bit and rubbed his arm, ¡°Ouch.¡± He complained.

    ¡°You¡¯re a wuss.¡± Vesta said with a grin.

    ¡°You know what? I found a trick to these guys and I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m going to tell you.¡± Spark said crossing his arms like a child.

    ¡°Elemental attacks do way more damage than anything physical?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Spark said in a defeated tone kicking his foot.

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Vesta sheathed her sword and clenched her fists. Flames started to rise from the surface of her fists.

    A second wave of goons came from the camp filing out from tents and RVs alike. They were all prepared to do combat as they bore down on the duo. Spark playfully hit the end of his baton on his other palm and upon contact a burst of electrical energy shot out around him from the impact point.

    Vesta waited until the group was close enough so that there was space behind them. She vanished from where she stood and appeared in the clear spot at their rear. Running towards them she yelled and threw a ball of flame at the back of one to her left and one to her right. The two attacks made contact and with a loud boom three of them on each side were downed in the explosion. A quick count determined that there were twelve total in this round of the fight.

    Spark didn¡¯t stand around and do nothing. He threw himself from the ground and flew straight at the incoming mini horde. Drawing back his baton he swung at the head of the nearest goon. Upon impact the goon flipped backwards and down onto his back. A massive bolt of electricity arched from the targeted goon and rebounded to the nearest four. Their bodies all locked up and dropped to the ground like large sacks of potatoes.

    Vesta used a pyro-kinetic ability called Pyromantic Construct. She felt a substantial drain on her energy but with this came the appearance of a massive hell hound made of flames. The hound was directly controlled by her thoughts and she could see through his eyes. Upon her command the hound leapt through the air and pounced on the four men remaining to the left. They fought the best that they could but the hound¡¯s elemental power was far too much for whatever they had injected themselves with.

    The hound stood over his last victim with one paw on his chest and his jaw wrapped around the man¡¯s neck. He was standing still growling like someone was going to take away his toy.

    ¡°Down boy.¡± Vesta said patting the side of her thigh.

    As if Vesta was his favorite person in the world the hound backed down from its kill. It rushed over towards her. As weird as it was being that the hound was constructed of flames that flowed like liquid she reached up and scratched behind its ear.

    ¡°Go help the butt licker.¡± She said and pointed at Spark.

    Spark was facing down another five of the goons. His baton was not emitting the steady electrical bolts that it normally did, instead the energy was flickering on and off. He breathed heavily and backed away from the fight to regain energy. The power became solid and he swung again, but he was unable to trigger the spreading ability.

    The hound leapt into the fight. He grabbed one of the goons by the head and lifted him off of the ground. The hound flung his head from side to side like a puppy playing with a toy. Needless to say, the man¡¯s cries of pain died away fairly shortly.

    A massive crash drew the attention of Spark, Vesta, and the flame hound. It absently dropped the body to the ground turning to snarl towards where the crash had originated. A larger man was walking towards them form the largest of the RVs. Structurally he was the same as the rest of the goon, but much bigger. He wore a leather jacket that was odd in that it had four tubes extending from the upper arms.

    With a loud hiss the tubes began to inject presumably the same thing the others were injecting in unison. He began to yell madly in a rage. Vesta wasted no time sic''ing the hound on this new foe while also tossing Spark an energy serum II.

    The flame hound lunged at the man knocking him to the ground. Vesta found it amazing the way that the hound¡¯s flames took a true form. The hound attacked at the man¡¯s neck for a tried and true approach, but the man was ready for it grabbing ahold of the dog¡¯s head and pulled it back to keep the bite from landing.

    Spark, refueled, shot into the fight as the man was getting up. The master threw the hound aside where it tumbled to a whimpering pile. Before Spark could land his first attack the master¡¯s boot crashed down on the hound¡¯s neck. Somehow the master had kept the hound form shifting into pure flame form. With a loud whimper the flames dissolved away into the ground.

    Filled with rage, Vesta ignited her own body in flames. One of her higher-level skills that she¡¯d earned true for taxed her energy levels, so she reserved it for times when she needed to pack a massive punch. She joined Spark in the fight.

    The air was filled with crackles of electricity followed shortly by explosions. The goon¡¯s bodies had been resistant to physical damage, but they had been weak against elemental based attacks. This did not hold true with the master. He was resistant to everything. With a back hand he swatted away the explosions. They were doing damage, but he could take it like a champ.

    In the split second of a mistake Vesta¡¯s neck ended up in the grip of the man. He lifted his arm up a few inches making her feet dangle from the ground. She could feel the armor of her neck collapsing under his grip. She tried to teleport, but in her true flame form she couldn¡¯t activate that power, and she couldn¡¯t drop out of true form until she ran out of energy.

    That was when something truly awesome happened. Spark unlocked his true form. This was not a skill that a player unlocked from spending skills, instead they had to truly embody the power. In Sparks rage he gathered in massive amounts of ambient energy and his body literally burst becoming formed of pure electrical energy. The energy drain was insane, but in the fury that Spark was unleashing on the master it wouldn¡¯t matter.

    The master¡¯s grip broke and the moment that Vesta was free she moved back. She began to unleash a volley of fire blasts into the master. Spark appeared next her a few moments later. He was nearly out of energy as his body was starting to flicker back into its normal form.

    Vesta gathered up the remainder of her energy into one finally attack. The master was down on one knee heaving deep breaths. She released her attack and as she did a bolt of electricity the size of her arms streaked along above it.

    The combined impact of both attacks caused an explosion that knocked both of them off of their feet. The flew back twenty feet and slammed into the ground on their backs.Both groaning from the impact and back in their normal forms they laid there for a moment.

    Vesta turned her head to look at Spark. Despite everything he had been so furious by the fact that she was in trouble that he unlocked a new state of being. Without words, without understanding, and against her better judgment she moved her face closer to his and rewarded him with a kiss. He was on board and didn¡¯t complain as he angled himself so they could both enjoy the exchange. When they broke apart, they both lay back on the ground looking up at the sky.

    A wide grin spread across Sparks face and even a small smirk appeared on Vesta¡¯s lips. She took a deep breath a told herself that it was going to be alright.

    They remained on the ground for a little while allowing their severely drained energy to regenerate.

    ¡°We should probably make sure he¡¯s dead.¡± Vesta said breaking the silence. She was ready for the awkward moment to pass.

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± Spark said.

    They stood up from there resting spots and walked over to the hole in the ground where the Master had ended up. His body was indeed laying on the ground. Smoke billowed from the massive hole that their attacks had carved into them.

    ¡°We make a pretty damn good combo.¡± Spark said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Vesta said. Before they could discuss any farther a noise like a whimper caught her ear, ¡°Did you hear that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Spark said also following the sound.

    They walked around listening closely and made their way to the back of the camp where the hill opened into a shallow cave. The sounds got very clear as they approached a container that was pushed into the back of the cave.

    Vesta reached down and heated up the lock until if fell free. She opened the door and gasped at what was inside. In three separate cages there were men, women, and children locked up. They all recoiled in fear as the door opened.

    ¡°Oh my god.¡± She said holding up her hands to show that she was not aggressive.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Spark added.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t going to hurt you.¡± Vesta said taking a gentle step forward. She heated the lock on the first cage which held the children and then the other two. The groups exited the cage and moved out in the dusk sunlight.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Spark asked helping a woman down from the step up into the container.

    ¡°Slave trade.¡± The woman said with her head down.

    Vesta was angry and a little disappointed that the people in the camp were already dead. She considered violating some bodies to send a message, but that wasn¡¯t her way. She had another idea though. Normally she would collect the money around the camp for use in her own operations, but she didn¡¯t need it.

    ¡°I have an idea.¡± She told Spark pulling him off to the side.

    ¡°Alright shoot.¡± He nodded.

    ¡°What do you think about gathering all of the funds from these goons and I¡¯ll match what we find then evenly giving it to these people. We¡¯ll offer them the option to live in the city but if they have somewhere else they want to go, they will have some money to get on their feet.¡± Vesta suggested.

    ¡°I think that is an amazing plan. I¡¯ll start gathering if you want to talk to them.¡± Spark said with a wide smile.

    Vesta walked over to the group of people that were standing in a huddle around on of the remaining campfires. It was almost the complete black of night.

    ¡°I can¡¯t begin to imagine what you have been through. I can¡¯t say that I understand,¡± She started looking around. There were thirty-seven people total in the group, ¡°I wish to offer you something that won¡¯t even start to make up for what you¡¯ve been through but will give you a chance. Spark is collecting the money from these vile monsters who were going to trade you like common goods. When he is finished, I Lady Vesta will match the money and then it will be divided among all of you evenly.¡±

    The crowd of people murmured for a moment but returned their attention to her for what was to come next.

    ¡°A short walk from here I have a city that was once grand but is in its early days of being rebuilt. There is more than enough space for all of you to live comfortably and have work that pays a generous wage. You are more than welcome to return there with me or go wherever you please.¡± She explained.

    The crowd grew even louder. Vesta allowed them to converse as Spark returned with the money.

    ¡°How much?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Almost twelve thousand.¡± Spark said handing over the needles. Vesta opened her money management system. She dumped all of the tread into the total and then created thirty-seven needles with six hundred and fifty thread each.

    ¡°Six hundred and fifty thread are not enough to make up for your suffering, but it came from the pockets of these evil men. Take it and enjoy yourself.¡± Vesta said.

    She and Spark handed out the chips give the children¡¯s thread to their parents. Everyone was extremely thankful for the gift. Once that was complete it was time for them to walk into the city.

    ¡°Everyone who doesn¡¯t want to stay in the city long term is more that welcome to stay the night and travel in the morning.¡± Vesta explained, ¡°Let¡¯s stay together and watch each other¡¯s backs.¡±

    They left the camp. Vesta planned to send some of the robots down and clean up the mess when they had time in their ques. Spark walked up next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

    ¡°That was fucking bad ass.¡± He said with a smile.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Vesta said. She found that she didn¡¯t mind his attention.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to move to the back of the pack just in case we cross paths with something that goes bump in the night.¡± Spark said.

    ¡°Alright. Be careful and don¡¯t forget there are some living quarters at the top of the main building. You know now that you are one of my advisors.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°Understood Lady Sweet ass.¡± He said ducking quickly out of her punching reach.

    ¡°Cassi, could you alert everyone that we have some refugees incoming.¡± Vesta asked in a huff.

    ¡°Yes mum, it will be done.¡± Cassi said.

    With that piece of administrative work done Vesta was left to enjoy the walk and the night air. It also left her a free enough mind to ponder some things from the day. Things like, Why the fuck did she kiss Spark?!

 My Supers Online Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    Alex turned his attention to the elephant in the room. The giant alien spaceship that was crashed into the planet with what wasn¡¯t more than a tarp covering it. He walked into the room made of the canvas like material. He noticed that there were some notifications that he had to look at.

    --You¡¯ve Defeated a Rival

    -Dusk

    -12,000xp (12,000each)

    -50 Anti-Hero Points (302) (I do things my way, whatever that may be.)

    -50 Hero Tier Points (88 Until next Tier) (4)

    ~~~

    -You¡¯ve Defeated a Raid

    -36x Cold Collective Foot Soldiers

    -18,913xp (Range 400 ¨C 800 each Average 591)

    -50 Anti-Hero Points (352) (I do things my way, whatever that may be.)

    -50 Hero Tier Points (38 Until next Tier) (4)

    Obsidian went to work as she always did after a battle. She got a major kick out of gathering everything from their defeated foes and Alex was not complaining. Looting in every other game that he had played was simple click and accept, but this not only resembled real life in that regard it was real life for them.

    The Alien ship was massive. From front to back it was over a hundred and fifty meters long. The engines were off the ground nearly the same height as a six-story building and the front tapered down to a narrow-rounded point. At its widest point Alex figured that it was nearly fifty meters across. He couldn¡¯t see any kind of windows or anything of the sort.

    The scientist who had been violently thrown by Dusk stood by the side of the ship. She had a tablet in her hand that was not much more that a shard of glass. Wires made of clear plastic like material that were glowing ran from a small opening on the hull of the ship into a box that was pulsating with a cyan light.

    ¡°You¡¯ve defeated Dusk?¡± She asked looked up to Alex as he approached.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Alex said with a firm nod.

    Without warning she lifted a circular device in the palm of her hand and Alex was blinded by a flash of light. He blinked several times as spots took over his vision. Holding out his hands he tried to reassess his surroundings.

    ¡°What they hell was that?¡± Alex demanded.

    ¡°I just scanned your profile. I deem the trustworthy, Aether.¡± She said. Alex could just make out a smirk as his vision began to return.

    Before Alex could say another word, she pressed a button on her tablet. Alex was still surprised that the light had circumvented his mask''s environmental filters.

    A loud mechanical whirring sound rang out through the room as did a sharp hiss. There was a loud clunk as a section of the ship¡¯s hull receded inward with a sharp movement. It then lifted upward revealing an access into the ship¡¯s hull.

    The inside of the ship maintained the same bright white coloring and blue lights that comprised the outside. The walls also kept the same swooping curves that the outside had. The scientist made to step into the ship.

    Alex reached out and grabbed her arm. She fought him for a moment, but finally ducked back with a frustrated sigh.

    ¡°Hold up there.¡± Alex said putting about ten feet between them and the door.

    ¡°What?¡± She demanded almost stomping her foot.

    ¡°We need a little information and context for this situation. I¡¯d like for you to answer a few questions before we go running off into a crashed alien ship.¡± Alex said thinking that it was a fairly reasonable request.

    ¡°Right.¡± She said after a long sigh.

    ¡°Ok, well¡­ who are you?¡± Alex asked. He wanted to start from the beginning. Even though he had just saved her life he wasn¡¯t exactly sure that he wanted to rush into the unknown for a complete stranger.

    ¡°My name is Kandace Evers. I am a scientist and I am about to make the largest discovery of my lifetime, if this wannabe hero would get the hell out of my way.¡± She said in nearly a hiss.

    ¡°Alright Kandace,¡± Alex said in an irritated tone, ¡°how did you get mixed up in this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one that found the damn ship, made my trek up here,¡± She said shifting her weight and then rolled her eyes, ¡°Then not two seconds after I got here, did they show up.¡± She said motioning towards the bodies that Obsidian was now piling up right outside.

    ¡°And what do we think we are going to find in there?¡± Alex asked. At this point he was just trying to extend the conversation because she was being so impatient.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know ass hole that is the point of going inside. To explore.¡± She said throwing up her hands. The conversation was over because she stomped off towards the ship.

    For a split-second Alex considered letting her go alone, but he didn¡¯t have it in him.

    ¡°Wait up.¡± He called after her as she went to enter the ship.

    Obsidian noticed the two of them going into the Alien spaceship and decided to follow. She¡¯d already stacked up all of the bodies and piled up their weapons and collected all of their money. Dusk was heavy but she was able to toss his body into a sitting position next to the pile of his men.

    The corridors were wide enough for the three of them to be able to walk shoulder to shoulder. They walked past many doors, but they were closed and there were no obvious mechanisms that would open them without Kandace¡¯s hack.

    When they came to the last door just before the end of the corridor it instantly opened for them. Sliding away into the wall it revealed what Alex thought was the bridge. A massive chair sat in the center of the room made of the same ceramic-like material as the rest of the ship.

    It was surrounded by what looked like some kind of screens, but they were all blank, so Alex wasn¡¯t exactly sure that his assessment was correct. They walked into the room while watching their movements very carefully in an effort not to disturb anything.

    ¡°I think this is the command center.¡± Kandace said as she approached the chair. She reached out and touched the arm lightly with a single finger.

    The moment that her finger touched the chair a bright white light began to fill the room from the space in front of the chair. Before the light became so bright that Alex could no longer look at it, he noticed that there was some kind of oval pod embedded in the floor. The light was emitting directly from the pod.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± Alex demanded taking a step back from the pod.

    ¡°You touched something! I know you¡¯re new, but we have a rule, don¡¯t touch things!¡± Obsidian snarled from behind Alex.

    ¡°It was just the arm of the chair.¡± Kandace complained stepping away from the chair in the center of the room.

    The light became so bright that the whole front side of the room was nothing but a white blur. The filters on Alex¡¯s mask kept his eyes from being hurt, but he was unable to make out anything beyond the edge of the light.

    When the light subsided, he was the first to see the change in the pod. I had risen up from the ground to stand upright. The front had opened to expose the contents. Standing inside the pod was a humanoid alien. It stood nearly seven feet tall. Its legs and arms were very thin as well as its fingers. The being¡¯s skin was not just pale it was white. It had silvery blue hair that draped down to just below it¡¯s slender shoulders. When it opened its eyes, they were a deep solid amber with no visible pupil.

    Kandace had no fear and walking straight towards the being. She smiled and held her hands against her chest.

    ¡°Hello.¡± She said clearly and loudly, not obnoxiously loud, but a very high volume.

    The Alien didn¡¯t do or say anything. Its eyes were fixed on unblinkingly on Kandace like it was trying to figure out what she was. Kandace considered the being for a long moment.

    ¡°Well I think it is safe to say that it doesn¡¯t understand you.¡± Alex said breaking the silence.

    Something triggered in the Alien when it heard Alex. It moved swiftly around Kandace and approached Alex in a swift very fluid like movement. It moved its face uncomfortably close to his and looked deep into Alex¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Hey there buddy.¡± Alex said nervously.

    ¡°Hey there buddy.¡± A voice rebounded around inside of his head, but the Alien didn¡¯t actually speak. That was when Alex realized that it didn¡¯t have a mouth.

    ¡°Did everyone hear that?¡± Alex asked looking from Obsidian to Kandace.

    ¡°I did.¡± Kandace said with a nod. Obsidian nodded as well.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Alex asked calmly.

    ¡°Who, buddy.¡± The Alien said in their heads.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°I¡¯m Aether.¡± Alex said putting his hand on his chest, ¡°this is Obsidian.¡± Alex put his hand on top of her head. ¡°That¡¯s Kandace¡± He motioned to her.

    ¡°Alex.¡± The alien said as he reached out and pressed its hand to his chest like he had.

    ¡°Technically yes, but I tell people my name is Aether.¡± Alex said with a huff.

    ¡°Show me more speak.¡± The alien said in their heads.

    ¡°Show you more speak?¡± Alex asked in confusion.

    ¡°Maybe he will understand more if we speak?¡± Obsidian asked.

    ¡°Show me more speak.¡± Kandace murmured to herself.

    ¡°I never know what to talk about in these situations.¡± Alex said with a shrug.

    ¡°Yeah me either.¡± Obsidian said.

    The alien shook its head in almost what seemed to be frustration. It reached out and gently placed his head on Alex¡¯s head.

    ¡°Permission to see speak.¡± The Alien asked.

    ¡°You want permission to see us talk? Sure?¡± Alex said with a questioning look.

    For a moment if felt like his brain was literally being sucked out of his head. He didn¡¯t know why but he went back to when he was a small child, and someone played the brain sucker game. The it became clear what was happening. The Alien was literally looking at all the talking he had done through his mind.

    ¡°Oh god.¡± Alex said bending over the moment the Alien pulled his hand back from his head.

    ¡°Indeed. There was some stuff in there that was cringy.¡± The Alien said as he had spoken their language as long as Alex had.

    ¡°I would appreciate if we could keep that to ourselves.¡± Alex said trying to stand up straight.

    ¡°I apologize for outing you to these two. I did not know that you were using a diversionary tactic to protect your identity. I believed that there was something wrong with the translation as the word Alex screamed in your head but Aether is what you said out loud. You also do not need to worry about the thing that is from you past. These two do not know about or care about the incident.¡± The Alien droned.

    ¡°Come on dude!¡± Alex exclaimed

    ¡°I do not believe that dude is the word that you need to describe me. I am a female of my species.¡± The alien said.

    ¡°Why did you have to ask to look at my memories if you are looking into their minds?¡± Alex asked motioning to the girls.

    ¡°I apologize. In my culture we are allowed to look into the minds as they are currently. We have to have permission to look farther and we must specify what we will be looking for. I was having a hard time finding a word to properly describe what I would be looking for.¡± She said.

    ¡°Okay, so first thing of copasetic life here on NuValla,¡± He almost said Earth but caught himself, ¡°We don¡¯t go looking into any part of people¡¯s minds without permission. That is considered a violation of privacy and is also considered to be bad.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± The alien turned to both Obsidian and Kandace, ¡°I apologize for my transgression.¡±

    ¡°Alright, so what exactly is it that we call you?¡± Alex asked. A notification popped up in the corner of his vision, but he resolved to deal with it later.

    ¡°I have no way of translating it into your language, but I will try and tell you what I am called.¡± The Alien said. She began to make a long string of sounds that Alex could never in his life recreate if he tried.

    ¡°Alright name is something that we might have to come back to.¡± Alex said as another auto-minimized notification appeared.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Kandace asked stepping forward.

    ¡°I am a researcher who discovered the existence of a new planet in our galaxy that simply came in to being in the blink of an eye. That would be a phrase that would not go well in my culture as we do not blink like you do.¡± The Alien said.

    ¡°Come again?¡± Kandace asked angling her ear like she had misheard.

    ¡°I was observing a section of space that seemingly did not have any inhabitable planets and then I woke up one morning and this place had appeared. It was the closest planet that could support life so I,¡± she paused for a second, ¡°Commandeered this vessel to investigate.¡±

    ¡°Grand theft space ship. I like it.¡± Alex said with an approving nod.

    ¡°I witnessed your battle with the one that was called Dusk. His mind was filled with evil thoughts. Your minds were only concerned with safety. This is why I decided to show myself to you.¡± The Alien explained.

    ¡°Now that you are here, what are your intentions?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°I cannot return on this ship in its current state. It will fly and it is even space worthy, but I¡¯m afraid that my interstellar drive was destroyed beyond repair. At sub-light speed it would take me several centuries to return to my home. After my final actions I think that I would return a fugitive.¡± The Alien said. Alex noticed another notification appear.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that others will likely follow you.¡± Kandace said adopting a defensive tone.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m sure that they will. My brash movement of coming here will guarantee that they will recognize that there is life in the cosmos, however, this was the only one with the working prototype interstellar drive and working I¡¯m using loosely it dropped me into the dirt. It¡¯s likely to be years before they are able to get here.¡± The Alien said.

    ¡°And the others like you, are they hostile?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°That depends on if your species is of hostile intent.¡± She said with a shrug.

    ¡°We¡¯re all going to die.¡± Alex said with a scoff. Obsidian threw her arms in the air and Kandace sighed deeply.

    ¡°What is the problem? Not having permission to look into your thoughts is very inefficient.¡± The Alien said.

    ¡°Our planet and those on it are a shoot first ask questions later kind of people. If an alien ship shows up, we are likely to try and blow it up. Judging from the fact that your ship smashed into the ground coming out of FTL and looks like it has nary a scratch I¡¯m thinking our weapons will do nothing but piss your people off.¡± Kandace said as she paced around the room.

    ¡°Yes, your weapons are maddeningly ineffective.¡± The Alien nodded. Another notification appeared in the corner of his vision.

    ¡°Thank you for that.¡± Alex said shaking his head and looking at the ground.

    ¡°Could I offer you some help?¡± The Alien asked.

    ¡°What kind of help?¡± Alex asked looking up at the tall Alien.

    ¡°I can see that your people have powers like those on my planet. Some of us were born with the power to unlock and even reclaim lost power points.¡± She said looking down at Obsidian, ¡°I can see that there is a great deal of lost potential in you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Obsidian asked looking a little defensive.

    ¡°It might be easier if I showed you instead of trying to explain.¡± The Alien said.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Obsidian said with a little bit of hesitation.

    The Alien reached out its long arm and place it on Obsidian¡¯s head. It¡¯s eyes changed from being a silvery looking liquid to a solid black as energy pulsated down the alien¡¯s arm and into her head. Obsidian¡¯s arms locked up for a moment while she yelled.

    Alex moved to step in, but Kandace put up her arm to stop him. When he looked at her, she simply shook her head. They watched as the process continued. With one final pulse of energy the Alien dropped her arm and her eyes slowly returned to normal as silvery clouds moved back into her large eyes.

    ¡°Obsidian?¡± Alex asked.

    For a moment she didn¡¯t say anything. She was occupied with something else altogether.

    ¡°Obsidian!¡± Alex demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± She said looking over and Alex, ¡°This is amazing. She reset everything about my powers. She even went back and got me my power points that I didn¡¯t get before the change. It cost me two levels, but I now have the option to choose three starting powers like bridgers and I have a power point for each level instead of every other level.¡± She explained feverishly.

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome and it settles it!¡± Alex said clenching his fist.

    ¡°Settles what?¡± Kandace asked.

    ¡°I know what we will call you! Respec.¡± Alex said with a smiled.

    ¡°Ah yes a video game term for rebuilding a character that you are unsatisfied with at a late point in the game.¡± Respec said holding up a finger.

    ¡°Yes, that is what that meant. I don¡¯t know why you had to explain it that way.¡± He said shaking his head in response to the ruin of the perfect moment. Another notification appeared and Alex finally decided that he should check into what was going on. He opened the messages which turned out to be phone messages from Calson.

    Calson: Hey Aether, just wanted to let you know that there is some weird stuff going on back in Winter¡¯s Garden.

    Calson: This is Calson again, there was an incident that took the power down for several hours.

    Calson: Calson again. It turns out that that incident was a terrorist attack that took out a factory a few blocks down.

    Calson: This is Calson in case you don¡¯t have my number saved. There were several people killed in the explosion.

    ¡°Apparently there was an explosion back home caused by a terrorist.¡± Alex said looking and Kandace and Obsidian.

    ¡°Really?¡± Obsidian asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I got a bunch of messages from Calson. I think he is a little shook up because it was a factory a few blocks down that was hit.¡± Alex explained.

    ¡°We should probably head back.¡± Obsidian said looking over at Respec.

    ¡°Right. I need to figure out what I am going to do about this mission. I am supposed to report my findings of the crash site to an unknown party.¡± Alex said shaking his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to tell anyone about what we found up here.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you lie?¡± Kandace asked.

    ¡°I would never.¡± Alex said mockingly pressing his hand to his chest.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done it. If they accept your report, then you still get the mission rewards.¡± Kandace said with a shrug.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a try. Function take a letter for me.¡± Alex said using a still mocking old English accent tone.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Functions said.

    ¡°To whom it may concern. I have investigated the crash site at the indicated location. I regret to inform you that there was nothing of interest to be reported about this information. Thank you for the mission, Aether.¡± He said with a smile.

    Obsidian, Kandace and even Respec gave him a judgmental look.

    ¡°What?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I hope they buy it.¡± Obsidian said walking out of the tent.

    ¡°I had to make it official.¡± He said following behind her.

    The four of them walked out into the cold outside air. Alex quickly realized that they could not let Respec walk into the city the way that she looked, but at the same time he did not want to leave her behind. He wanted to keep an eye on here.

    ¡°Respec.¡± He said stopping and turning to look at her, ¡°This might be rude but is there any way that you can change your appearance. You kind of stick out like sore thumb and I¡¯d like to keep an eye on you so that the wrong people don¡¯t get their hands on you.¡±

    Respec lifted her arm and pressed her finger to a circular device that was embedded in her arm. Blue laser like lights projected from the device and scanned over Alex, Obsidian, and Kandace. Once the lights had moved over each of them entirely it vanished. A few silent moments passed before she tapped on the device again.

    Her skin began to glow white, brighter and brighter until they couldn¡¯t see her body anymore. When the light died away a beautiful woman stood where Respec had been. She had long blond hair, a very attractive curved body and soft facial features. Her eyes opened showing her crystal blue irises. Her body was covered with a skintight white suit that covered the parts that would get her in trouble if exposed to the public, well like not get her in trouble, but would definitely cause a scene. The stomach was cut out as well as the shoulders and leg portion only went to just above the knee. She was still super tall, but her body was not as narrow as it had been in alien form.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Obsidian said before anyone else could open their mouth to say anything.

    ¡°That was the exact word that came to mind for me as well.¡± Alex said with his mouth nearly on the ground.

    ¡°Is there something wrong? I did my best to replicate the appearance based on an average of your three appearances.¡± Respec said frowning. She started to spin around and look at her new appearance.

    ¡°No, no. It is fine!¡± Alex said shaking his head.

    ¡°Better that fine.¡± Obsidian said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh alright, your reactions had me worried. So, I will be able to blend in with this appearance?¡± She asked looking relieved.

    ¡°Blend in?¡± Alex said looking over at the other two, ¡°Maybe not blend in, but you look human and that is what counts.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little cold?¡± Kandace asked. This question arose because Alex and Obsidian were wearing supped up super suits that had special equipment and she was wearing a large coat that had fur around the corner all while Respec was standing in the falling snow wearing not much more than a bathing suit.

    ¡°My people have a naturally high resistance to the cold. We can also survive in a vacuum for many hours without the need for a breath.¡± She explained in a matter of fact tone.

    ¡°That must be nice.¡± Alex said with a shiver after thinking about her exposed skin, ¡°We should probably get going.¡± He suggested when another message of urgency appeared in the corner of his vision.

    ¡°Here is the stuff that I collected.¡± Obsidian said handing him a bag as they set off on the hike towards the truck. Alex decided to go through it as they walked.

    -Needle 37x

    -Total Value: 27,682t

    -Your Share: 24,914t

    -Deposit in personal Account?

    -Yes | No

    ~~~

    Health Serum I (10x)

    Health Serum II (3x)

    Health Serum III (1x)

    ~~~

    Energy Serum I (12x)

    Energy Serum II (4x)

    Energy Serum III (2x)

    Energy Serum IV (1x)

    ~~~

    Power Serum III (1x)

    Feat Serum I (1x)

    ~~~

    Basic Computer Components (30x)

    Basic Electrical Components (15x)

    Advanced Electrical Components (3x)

 Super Delivery Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    ¡°Next!¡± Came the call of the older woman behind the counter.

    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m here to¡­¡± I started before being cut off.

    ¡°Register a Team?¡± the impatient woman cut my words short.

    ¡°Exactly¡­¡± I stared intently at her nameplate on the counter, ¡°Mrs. Linda Grafter. That is exactly why I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to fill out this form, have at least five others sign it, return with the standard fifty-thousand thread registration fee, also make sure you designate the team leader on the form.¡±

    The enthusiasm missing from her voice made my mood deflate as I realized I¡¯d have to do a fair amount of paperwork. Not wanting to go through this grueling trial alone, I pulled out my phone and shot a message to William.

    Ray: Hey I could use some help over at City Hall.

    Mastermind: Is this a ¡®suit up¡¯ kind of help?

    I should probably change his name, just in case anyone got access to my phone.

    Ray: Yes and no. Yes, suit up, but no real danger other than carpal tunnel.

    William: I¡¯ll be there in fifteen minutes.

    Ray: We¡¯ll be here.

    William ¡°We¡¯ll?¡±

    Ray: Yeah me and this giant stack of paperwork.

    I didn¡¯t get a response back and could only hope that my bureaucratic hero would soon show. Sure enough at almost exactly fifteen minutes later William walked into the neutral zone dressed fully in his super-gear.

    ¡°Wow, you are punctual.¡± I had to give props, I¡¯m fast but hardly on time.

    Just as Mastermind went to say something, Mrs. Linda screamed at the top of her over-aged lungs.

    ¡°Help! It¡¯s Mastermind!¡±

    ¡°Calm down Mrs. Grafter, I have changed my ways and will honor the Neutral Zone¡¯s rules.¡±

    She stopped panicking, but she didn¡¯t go back to her rehearsed robotic normalcy.

    ¡°See, you still have some fans out there!¡± I said giving Mastermind a slap on the back.

    ¡°Right. Now what are we doing paperwork for?¡± The down-to-business attitude made me put on one of my most serious faces.

    ¡°This mountain of paperwork,¡± I said motioning to the greatly exaggerated stack of paperwork, ¡°is needed to register our Team officially.¡±

    ¡°You are a hero, right?¡± He asked with a straight face.

    ¡°Um¡­ Yeah¡­ why?¡± I was completely lost.

    ¡°Then where did you get fifty-thousand thread?¡± Now that he had painted a neon sign pointing exactly where this was headed, I got what he was getting at.

    ¡°Well, if you really want to know. Back in our prime, I never really spent a whole lot of the money I made from my tier payouts. So, I put most of them in some kind of savings or stocks.¡± I started my explanation.

    ¡°How does that help with anything?¡± He had this puzzled look, and it made me feel better. Nothing like stumping a literal super-genius. Nothing in the world could have stopped the smugness I felt seeping into my smile.

    ¡°Oh, shut up and explain the rest.¡± Mastermind said impatiently. Mastermind is impatient, noted.

    ¡°As I was saying, since most of my money is tied up in assets, it¡¯s nearly impossible to get it all liquidated quickly.¡±

    ¡°So why are we here then!¡± He was nearly yelling by the end of his sentence.

    ¡°What you aren¡¯t thinking about is what day yesterday was.¡± I gave him a clue, let¡¯s see if that superior¡­.

    ¡°Ah, yesterday was Sunday, and due to the riot, you probably raised your tier to at least the fifth or sixth tier, possibly seventh. Meaning you now have the funds to register a Team.¡± He said. I hate super intelligence.

    ¡°Seventh tier. So yes, I have the funds to register a Team. Before you ask, the reason you are here is what I want to talk about.¡± He was about to ask a question but the seriousness in my voice seemed to have stopped him.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s sit and talk.¡± Was William¡¯s only response as we both sat down at the semi-private booth.

    ¡°I wanted you here because we need to talk.¡± I told him.

    ¡°Yes, you said that. Now what about?¡± Mastermind sounded kind of worried.

    ¡°You received hero points the other day, didn¡¯t you?¡± As I recalled it, he seemed shocked when he said he had.

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± He still seemed conflicted over the points.

    ¡°How did it feel? To do something good?¡± I probed deeper into his issue.

    ¡°I am honestly not sure. It felt weird, like I was going against my nature.¡± He barely even whispered his last words.

    We sat there for a few long silent moments. Right before I was about to speak, Mastermind looked me dead in the eyes.

    ¡°It also felt like I was doing something more. More than just causing chaos, stealing, or killing. It felt like I was doing something more. Contributing to more than myself. It felt¡­¡± It seemed he was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Good?¡± I offered

    ¡°For lack of a better word. Yes, it felt good.¡± I¡¯m unsure about his thoughts, but his face looked less conflicted now.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Now my second question. Are you wanting to continue to do good?¡± As the question left my mouth, he went pale.

    ¡°I¡­I...¡± He went silent before softly stating, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d like to, but I don¡¯t know how.¡± A small smile flashed across my face, not one of smugness, but one of understanding with a pinch of hope.

    ¡°Then come on, we have some people to talk to.¡± I told the reforming villain.

    We both stood and with the paperwork walked out into the mid-morning sun. We hopped into the car and I asked the driver to take us to the main branch of Heroic Financial.

    As soon as the car started to pull away from the curb, I opened the door and ran towards the super-secret very hidden base in the loading zone of a restaurant laundromat combo. Ran into Mastermind¡¯s private quarters and picked out a fancy suit for the man to wear.

    As I got back to the car, they were just about to turn the corner at the light fifty feet from where I left them.

    ¡°Here you¡¯ll need to wear this. They won¡¯t let Mastermind in, but William they might.¡±

    The man didn¡¯t say anything just took off his gear and started his transformation from Mastermind into William. I stayed in my super gear as my account is in the name Celerity.

    ¡°Well this isn¡¯t awkward at all is it.¡± I asked as he started to change his pants.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡± he replied

    ¡°It¡¯s only awkward because we haven¡¯t even gone to dinner yet.¡± I said as if I cracked a serious case.

    ¡°Have you ever tried not talking?¡± William asked very seriously, ¡°Besides you¡¯ve never asked.¡± He gave a wink that was aimed at making things even more awkward.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like you¡¯d think. Last time I didn¡¯t talk the villain I fought turned himself in. I was just sick.¡± Reminiscing about the glory days always brings a smile to my face.

    ¡°We are here sir.¡± Came the voice of the driver.

    We stepped out of the car looking at the imposing Heroic Financial building. The tall pale stone building rose to four towers that were constructed of dark glass. The stoop leading to the massive four front doors were nearly fifty steps tall.

    ¡°I always wanted to hit this place.¡± William said letting Mastermind slip out for a moment.

    ¡°Well on behalf of all the other heroes who bank here, just try it!¡± I taunted.

    ¡°I said I wanted to, not that I was going to.¡± He seemed slightly nervous.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯ll be fine!¡± I said waving away his nerves.

    As we walked into the skyscraper, we passed through two layers of security. Something most people don¡¯t know is the security guards are all withered retired heroes, or off duty heroes needing more thread.

    I got a few nods from guards I knew from the old days and responded with my own nod of respect. The other patrons all started to whisper as I walked up to the lobby¡¯s single receptionist. Another lesser-known fact, she is a mind reader and can tell if I am under duress or have ill intentions with a single glance. The best part is the fact that all receptionists must sign a non-disclosure about revealing secret identities and can be incarcerated for no less than a century for revealing them.

    As I walked up to her she looked up and gave a nod in conformation, then looked to William and moved to hit a button.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I said louder than I wanted too, ¡°Read my mind.¡±

    As I said the words, I started thinking about all the things that have happened since my reintroduction with William. His words about changing, his actions that backed it up, and the fact he, once the most notorious super villain, earned hero points.

    She slowly took her hand from the alert button.

    ¡°How can I help you today Mr. Celerity?¡± she asked after a few tense moments.

    ¡°I need to speak to Travis, if he¡¯s still around.¡± I said letting out a sigh in relief.

    ¡°Oh yeah he¡¯s still around, just moved to the top floor. How long has it been since you¡¯ve been here?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I thought only owners got the top floor, and quite a while, maybe a decade.¡± I responded.

    ¡°He¡¯s been very successful here. Also, he only has two accounts. Yours, and the Honor Guards. Both have been very successful.¡± She said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°So?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°So, he can see you right away.¡± She said pushing a button and the doors to the express elevator opened.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± I yelled back to her as we got on the elevator.

    ¡°The Honor Guard has an account here?¡± William asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I completely forgot I opened that.¡± I told him while scratching my head.

    ¡°Why?¡± He didn¡¯t even hesitate before asking.

    ¡°As I said, we were planning on moving from a party to a team. I thought it¡¯d be a nice surprise.¡± I started to remember more. Only a quarter of my tier payouts came directly to me, a quarter went into the team account, and the rest into my super account here.

    ¡°I did not think you¡¯d have the foresight to do something like that.¡± Mastermind sounded very surprised.

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m pretty impressive.¡± I couldn¡¯t help having some fun.

    He didn¡¯t respond, mainly due to the fact the elevator doors opened. We walked onto the lavish hardwood floor. Looking around the only decorations all involved the Honor Guard, a painting of the time we took down that giant terrorizing Axiscore, individual paintings of each one of us dotting the hall as we walked toward the mahogany desk with another receptionist behind it. Behind the receptionist was another painting, this one of the honor guard standing in the middle of a park on a rock formation jutting out of the grass with hundreds of portals opening around us.

    ¡°The Arrival by Donavan Marshal.¡± William stated. ¡°Even I like this painting.¡±

    ¡°Do you? It¡¯s the real one. Bought it myself.¡± A vaguely familiar voice hit my ears.

    ¡°Travis?¡± I asked.

    ¡°In the flesh Ray. How you doing?¡± Travis asked. He used to be this chubby new up and comer waiting for his big break. He was smart, determined, and a huge fan of ours. Now he seemed to have grown up. He was no longer bigger but well-built and as tall as, if not taller than, me.

    ¡°Wow! You sure did change a lot.¡± I said with surprise and delight.

    ¡°A decade will do that to a person, but you seem to have hardly aged a day!¡± He was trying to butter me up, and I appreciated it.

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to catch up, I have a very busy day ahead of me and really need some information.¡± I said trying to get back on track.

    ¡°Right of course let¡¯s go into my office.¡± Travis¡¯ tone turned from a friendly one to one of business.

    We walked into his office and I immediately went still. He had more memorabilia of the Honor Guard than we did! He even had our rare rookie cards! I don¡¯t even have my own!

    ¡°Do you like what I¡¯ve done with the place?¡± He asked a small smile on his face.

    ¡°How did you get my rookie card? There were only thirty made!¡± I was nearly yelling by the end.

    ¡°With the money you made me. That¡¯s how.¡± Travis was sitting at his desk by this point.

    ¡°Where are my manners, this gentleman with me is William.¡± I said motioning to the man as he reached his hand out to shake Travis¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Nice to know you¡¯re reforming Mastermind.¡± He said before retaking his seat. ¡°Now what can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°I want to check the status of my accounts.¡± I said mimicking his business tone.

    ¡°Very good, if I do say so myself. With the authority you gave me to invest the money, it has made us both very wealthy.¡± Travis had confidence in his voice.

    ¡°How wealthy is very wealthy?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You have exactly¡­¡± He started before I cut him off.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I yelled before calming down a little, ¡°Can you write it on a piece of paper and slide it across the desk?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I can, but why?¡± he seemed like he didn¡¯t know what was happening.

    ¡°I saw it in a movie. It makes it cooler.¡± I said as if it was common knowledge.

    Travis chuckled, and William sighed.

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Travis said as he grabbed a pen and a piece of paper scratching something on the paper, folding it in half, and sliding it dramatically to me.

    Full on in the moment I took a sip of water provided to us and looked at the number he wrote down. Spewing all the water I had in my mouth at him, unintentionally.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be right!¡± I said through a coughing fit.

    ¡°I am just that good.¡± Travis said, somehow managing not to sound cocky.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°Celerity and his team are some of the wealthiest people in the world and didn¡¯t even know it.¡± Travis filled William in.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± The gleam in Mastermind¡¯s eyes made me question the words he told me at City Hall.

    ¡°Well I was coming to take half of it out, but I don¡¯t have the stats to carry that.¡± I said plainly.

    ¡°May I ask why?¡± Travis sounded worried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will continue banking here. We were just going to make the Honor Guard an actual team. I had planned on buying a building for our base of operations.¡± I laid out the outline of my plans.

    ¡°I can make some calls and see about getting a nice fortified building for you, I think that tech billionaire just moved out of the city.¡± Travis said thinking out loud.

    ¡°Definitely not there! That guy had to many robots. They freak me out.¡± I said getting quieter with each sentence said.

    ¡°Ok not that one.¡± He stopped thinking and mumbling under his breath, ¡°There is one I can think of. It was just foreclosed on by the bank. Not a huge skyscraper like this, but a decent number of floors above ground.¡±

    ¡°And below?¡± Mastermind asked causing Travis to smile.

    ¡°That is a great question.¡± He grinned.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    Negotiations

    ¡°Regan. An ominous name,¡± the woman said leaning forward on the table her and several other people were standing around.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve heard,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°What would yours be?¡±

    The woman frowned even deeper when I asked that. I could only assume that she must be pretty important or at least well known. ¡°I am the Mistress of Ice! Kori!¡± she said icicles formed in the air around her.

    ¡°Fascinating! Look. I don¡¯t have much time. I want to host a game of sorts here. I would appreciate it if you¡¯d allow me to land my airship here in a day or two,¡± I said. I¡¯d unconsciously put my arms behind my back and stood like a teacher talking to a student or child.

    ¡°How dare you! You think you can waltz in here and just demand me to allow you access to my lands? Over my dead body!¡± She yelled as the icicles floating around her angled towards me and streaked through the air. I grinned as I tapped my watch, a very recent addition to my personal affects. A barrier formed around me, and the icicles vanished just as they passed through the threshold.

    ¡°How... what...¡± she stuttered after her attack failed so easily.

    ¡°Yeah. That happened. Now are you willing to listen?¡± I asked with a cocky grin wanting to get this over with. I wasn¡¯t too interested in the politics of the area. I just needed the uranium this city produced, and I wanted to try my hand at the EXP and profit that these games might bring in. Preferably not in an area that was my own so if something goes wrong, I don¡¯t want to have to clean up the mess.

    ¡°No!¡± Kori said with a growl then poured even more energy into another attack. A blizzard strong enough to cause a whiteout flooded the hall around me. The guard that I¡¯d knocked out froze instantly. The attack was strong enough to get nearly halfway through the barrier and I noticed that the temperate in the air dropped even in the barrier.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± I commented. ¡°But this isn¡¯t my only trick.¡± I had Smith access the locations for the C4 and choose the closest one that was set in a factory. With a mental click, the C4 exploded along with quite a bit of materials that were being used. I checked the list and it was a factory that processed Cryoleaf. Turns out it was explosive. The entire factory and a bit of the surrounding area was turned into a very large pile of rubble. We quickly felt the tremor here underground.

    -Committed an act of terrorism +100 Villain points.

    -Destroyed 4 buildings in a foreign city. +20,000 EXP

    -Killed 30 factory workers +7,000 EXP

    -Killed 10 bystanders +1,500 EXP

    -Caused a state of Panic in the area. +105 Villain Points. +1,900 EXP

    ¡°What did you do?!¡± Kori shouted dismissing her attack and glancing at the ceiling.

    ¡°Set off an explosion in the city. I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re in the middle of, I won¡¯t interfere. As long as you allow me to host my games here,¡± I said stroking my chin.

    Kori looked at her advisors and they all nodded quickly. I noticed one had a thoughtful look. ¡°Mistress. For the announcement we planned to make. This may be an opportunity for a far grander, if Mister Regan would allow us to use his stage at the opening, presentation.¡±

    Kori glared at me but nodded. ¡°Fine. You can land here for your event. But if I notice a single note of hostility from you, I will make sure you become a frozen statue in our front lawn. Even if it takes everything I have,¡± she said almost snarling.

    ¡°Quite fair. Alright I believe our business is complete.¡± I tapped my watch to send Daniel a message to come pick me up.

    He phased into existence next to me. ¡°Already boss? Those explosives were expensive,¡± he said as he teleported us away.

    I grinned. ¡°Nice. Make them think the explosives were a singular thing so they relax their guard.¡±

    ¡°Not my first rodeo. First time getting villain points though. You¡¯ve ruined my perfect record,¡± Daniel said with a frown.

    ¡°Sorry. I wasn¡¯t expecting it to cause quite so much damage,¡± I said with a shrug.

    ¡°It''s cool. Not sure the world can be quantified quite so easily anymore.¡±

    ¡°Did you blow something up again, sweetie?¡± Alara asked as we came around the corner of the hall.

    ¡°Just a little bit,¡± I said rubbing the back of my head.

    ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± Alara asked shaking her head.

    ¡°Come over and give me a kiss?¡± I suggested with a grin.

    ¡°Reward you for blowing something up?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Like I said, only a little bit,¡± I said holding my hand out to her.

    She sighed but took it then moved into my embrace. I leaned down and kissed her gently. Alara was one of the grounding forces in my life. I don¡¯t think I would trade her for the world, and I¡¯d been offered before. I pulled back from the kiss to see her with a small smile. ¡°You are so naughty,¡± she said patting my chest.

    ¡°Only for you my love,¡± I replied.

    Pre-Flight

    ¡°Alright. We have approval for landing over at Winter¡¯s Garden. Let¡¯s take off as soon as we get a good amount of scrap loaded. I don¡¯t want to run out of Matter blocks while we do this,¡± I said taking Alara¡¯s hand.

    She smiled and wrapped her arms around mine as we walked. The thugs and even the recently tamed junk dogs started carrying scrap from the junkyard up to the ship. I upgraded the elevator again, but it still was a hassle to use. We were heading out in the morning. That gave them plenty of time to work on it.

    -Its MIDNIGHT!

    -You defeated 1 Villains

    -You defeated 0 Heroes

    -You Earned a Total of 24,400 + 10,000 (crafting) Experience points

    -Level Up! You are level 30!

    -Level Up! You are Level 31!

    - Level Up! You are Level 32!

    -You have 3 Power Points to spend!

    -You have 16 Stat points to spend!

    -You have 5 Feats of Power to allocate!

    -You Earned 0 Hero Tier Points

    -You Earned 100 Villain Tier Points

    -You Earned 105 Villainous Points (Naughty, naughty. You¡¯re a villain now!¡±)

    -Current Villain Tier 6

    -Days Until Payout 1: 2,415,306t

    ¡°Thank you, Smith.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I dismissed the notification then made my way into the office that Alara had converted into her room. I laid down next to her and wrapped my arm around her.  She was as soft as always. She slipped over and curled into my embrace.

    The next morning came much too quickly for my tastes. I never slept as a dungeon core, and I was finding I enjoyed it quite a lot with Alara next to me. I opened my eyes to find she was laying on top of me with a serene face as she dreamed about whatever it was, she dreamed about. She was always a peaceful sleeper.

    I gently shook her awake which resulted in her squeezing me tighter and she buried her face in my chest. I didn¡¯t mind laying here but we unfortunately had things that needed to be done. I pulled her face up to me and kissed her full on. Her eyes shot open, but she sank into the kiss. We broke apart a minute or two later.

    ¡°Meanie,¡± Alara said laying her head on my chest.

    ¡°Only a little bit,¡± I said with a smirk.

    She traced her hand down my cheek. ¡°Always getting us into trouble.¡±

    ¡°You know you enjoy the thrill,¡± I said grabbing her and spinning us around, so she was under me. I ran a hand through her hair, the silky strands falling through my fingers.

    ¡°I do, though I have to put the brakes on you, so you don¡¯t get us killed,¡± she said with a coy smile as she blushed. The world tilted suddenly as she used her legs to twist me down and got back on top of me.

    ¡°Anyone even thought of killing you, I would turn the world to dust. After I chased your soul to its next destination,¡± I said seriously.

    ¡°Awe. I¡¯ll wait for you though let''s try not to die shall we,¡± Alara said. She leaned down with closed eyes and kissed me. I closed mine as well and enjoyed the moment.

    ~~~

    We finally left the room a while later. Everything that could be done was done for the trip. All the thugs and mutts were loaded. The airship was repaired and ready to fly at least according to its readout. The drones had also done a once over after I fixed all the places that they reported damaged.

    ¡°Jane. Keep the city operating while we¡¯re gone. If anything should happen send me a message. I should have communications restored while on our way out,¡± I said while going over the check list in my head. This wasn¡¯t my first away game and having a firm hand at home usually helped it operate better while gone. I missed Ignea, she kept my dungeon moving smoothly without a problem.

    ¡°Of course, my Lord. Is there any particular focus that you would like us to undertake?¡±

    ¡°Keep us healthy and alive.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Jane said as she disappeared.

    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± I asked.

    Alara nodded from where she sat at a console that would track anything that moved outside the airship. It was a job that allowed her to see the scenery passing by and she enjoyed it. I wouldn¡¯t write her off, she could kill anything within a two-kilometer radius with pinpoint accuracy.

    ¡°Yep.¡± Daniel sat at the communications console, more because he was bored than anything. He could beat us there and back a thousand times over in the time it would take us to reach our destination. He was in a good mood, having just gotten back from visiting his wife.

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ralph said. As the head thug, I¡¯d allowed him on the bridge as representative of his thug buddies. He manned the defense console and was responsible for protecting the airship. I felt it was a good placement considering Ralph liked to look after his own hide.

    Finally, I stood at the helm since I didn¡¯t have anyone that I trusted to pilot. I found it a little funny that the controls took on that of an old sailing ship. As I was in a hurry to just put the ship back together, I didn¡¯t change it to anything else. Standing at the wheel, I found I quite enjoyed it. Back on Murgin, I¡¯d always had someone or something that did it for me.

    ¡°Looking good, Love,¡± Alara said running her eyes up and down my figure.

    ¡°Thanks. Let¡¯s get underway,¡± I said with a grin.

    Smith created a holograph interface that controlled the unmanned stations. I tapped the power section and began funneling energy to the engines. The airship shuddered as the massive atmospheric thrusters activated for the first time in at least a decade.

    I pulled up the dock controls and tapped the disengage button. There was a loud rumbling as the clamps pulled back into the city infrastructure. Screens showing the pavement and streets of the nearby area came up. I¡¯d warned everyone in the area, not that there were many, about today.

    There was a thrum as the airship slowly began to pull away from the city. The shaking caused the meter of dirt, loose debris, to fall off to the ground. Finally, the airship was completely separated from the city. We gained both speed and altitude as we pulled away.

    Without the buildings around the command tower, the view was much better. We pulled further up and soon entered the smog cloud that always hovered around the city. The city itself had a weather barrier, that kept the nasty chemicals away. A few minutes on and we¡¯d cleared the airspace of Autumn¡¯s Reach.

    ¡°Set course to Winter¡¯s Garden!¡± I said with a whoop. I always enjoyed flying.

    We were about ten minutes into our journey when Jane appeared. ¡°Sir. You about to leave the effective range of my communications¡¯ tower.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Jane. First thing on the list is to stop at the communication¡¯s outside the territory and set up a line for the city.¡±

    The airship couldn¡¯t go to fast. I wanted to make sure of its structural integratory before I attempted to punch it. An hour later we finally reached the edge of what was Autumn¡¯s reaches¡¯ properties. The landscape was a rolling plain that seemed to go on forever.

    A large town to shape on the horizon after a while. The biggest building was in the center, the single skyscraper in the town. I put the airship on hover and walked over to Daniel, who was floating sideways in the air snoring. ¡°Time to work.¡±

    He jerked and woke up pretty easily. He looked out the window then back to me. ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°There, main office,¡± I replied.

    ¡°You got it,¡± he said grabbing my arm and teleported us over to the building.

    We appeared in a back area that had hundreds of wires leading in every direction. I looked over to Daniel. ¡°I said main office. Does this look like an office?¡± I asked gesturing to the mess of wires.

    ¡°For an electrician,¡± Daniel said with a yawn.

    I looked around for an exit when I saw a large column of servers, along with a control panel. I walked over and played around to see if I was able to do anything. It was locked, of course. ¡°Smith, can you get access?¡±

    ¡°One moment.¡±

    The screen flickered a few times as Smith worked to break in. Maybe after two minutes, the lock screen went away, and desktop appeared with enough icons to make me dizzy. I looked through the options and found one that accessed the network. I clicked, crossing my fingers, then grinned as the program opened with the user and password options already filled in.

    Once I clicked in, a map of the area appeared. I was able to treat it like a touch screen and zoomed in. Autumn¡¯s Reach appeared, its name red. I tapped it and its options came up.

    ¡°What¡¯s up boss?¡± Daniel asked floating over.

    ¡°Found something interesting,¡± I replied.

    I selected the best option then edited the price to zero thread a month. I was sure it would be caught sooner than later, but it I was able to get even one month out of it, that would save me hundreds of thousands of thread. The cheapest option for Autumn¡¯s Reach was a hundred thousand thread after all.

    I found an option where I could set a password on it. I put in a random sequence of letters and numbers then closed the program. I checked the other programs, but couldn¡¯t find anything dealing with power, so that was still going to be an issue. I logged the computer off, then turned to Daniel. ¡°Time to go.¡±

    Mid-Flight

    ¡°How goes the advertisement?¡± I asked Daniel. We were about eight hours out from our destination. Once there, I planned for a week before starting the tournament. That would give me time to build the facilities and to scope out Winter¡¯s Garden. There was a lot of interesting things happening in this world, but I was still content to enjoy the time with Alara.

    ¡°So-so. I had a few interested takers from both players and NPCs. We¡¯ll have to wait until the day of to actually see the turnout.¡±

    I tapped my chin in consideration. We needed people to show up or this little venture I wanted to try would be a waste of time and resources. I walked over to the communications console. With the network restored to Autumn¡¯s Reach, the airship also gained access. Don¡¯t ask me how it worked, but I felt it was a game mechanic.

    I quickly created an ad that would target people that were poor, using a site that only cost a few thousand thread. That¡¯s who would be most interested in coming to something like this. I put up a diagram of a test suit I made based off Daniel¡¯s suit. It came out quite well if you asked me. There was a bit of a power drop but not much and still worth several thousand thread, if not million.

    I listed every detail I could about the suit then published the ad. With that done, I leaned back and waited. Less than ten minutes later, the click per view skyrocketed. In only ten minutes, it had already reached fifteen thousand. I started to grow worried that the bait might be too good.

    ¡°That¡¯s a week from now Regan¡¯s problem,¡± I mumbled then left the console.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alara asked catching me mumbled.

    ¡°Nothing. What do you want to do?¡± I asked while walking over to her.

    She narrowed her eyes at me but left it alone. ¡°No much to do on this floating rust bucket. I miss the ship we built back on Murgin.¡±

    I laughed and swept her into a princess carry. ¡°How about we go enjoy the fresh air?¡±

    She leaned into my chest and nodded. I looked to Daniel. ¡°Don¡¯t break anything.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m good right here,¡± he replied pulling a pillow that floated with him out of his inventory.

    ¡°Creative. I like it,¡± I said leaving the bridge via the hatch on the side. A balcony that had stairs lead to the deck of the airship greeted us. The wind wasn¡¯t too bad with the leisurely velocity we were maintaining. The view was amazing. Blue skies, a flock of birds in the distance, slow clouds that meander along with us.

    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Alara whispered.

    ¡°Not as much as you, my Love,¡± I said leaning down to kiss her.

    She blushed and closed her eyes as we enjoyed the moment. Sometime later, while we sat enjoying each other¡¯s company something slammed into the airship. I looked up with a glare as I tried to find what was interrupting my time with Alara.

    A large man stood at the end of the deck, looking around at the airship. It was rude, but the only thing I thought was Russian when I saw him. He wore the big fur coat and the double eared caps that old movies on Earth always showed Russians wearing. He suddenly panicked and threw a bulky contraption from his back. A moment later it exploded into a thousand pieces.

    ¡°Shitty American gadget,¡± he said with a deep Russian accent. When I listened closely, I realized that he was actually speaking in Russian, but I was hearing English.

    Alara and I stood and made our way over with our weapons drawn. ¡°Excuse me. This is a private airship. No visitors,¡± I called when we were about thirty meters from him.

    He looked away from the smoldering pile that was his jetpack and saw us. He pulled a cigar from his breast pocket and bit down on it. He used his finger and a small flame leapt from the tip. ¡°Pozhar does not listen to Americans.¡±

    I tilted my head. ¡°I guess technically, I¡¯m American, but she¡¯s Murginan,¡± I said putting my hand on Alara¡¯s waist and pulling her close.

    ¡°Whatever! Pozhar was in the market for a new base since his sadly went up in flames,¡± Pozhar said putting a hand to his chest.

    ¡°Well you can¡¯t have mine,¡± I said leveling my gun at him.

 Left Behind Chapter 09

    Chapter 09

    ¡°Good morning Mum. You have three incoming communication requests.¡± Cassi said appearing at the end of Vesta¡¯s bed. She crossed her hand in front of her and waited patiently.

    Vesta groaned as she rolled over under the covers. The soft warm embrace of the bed had only had her for a very few hours, and she didn¡¯t want to let go just yet. She took a deep breath and pushed herself to sit up.

    ¡°Are these communications urgent?¡± Vesta asked blinking her eyes and smacking her lips.

    ¡°They are the leaders of near and neighboring cities.¡± Cassi said pleasantly.

    ¡°Alright, give me a minute.¡± Vesta said throwing her blanket off her legs. Her suit was next to her bed but before she could don it, she needed to run to the bathroom for a quick break. She washed her hands and then she went back to climb into the suit.

    The face mask closed, and Vesta took a deep breath. There was no telling what she was about to get blasted with, but she was going to face it head on.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready for the first one.¡± Vesta nodded to Cassi.

    The lights in the room dimmed slightly and the glass on the windows tinted to reduce the incoming light noise. A figure flickered into existence standing about six feet in front of vesta. This woman was tall with a slender body. She wore and elegant robe that was complete with a sash that had many jewels embedded across the front. This woman had long blond hair and bright green eyes.

    ¡°Lady Vesta.¡± The woman said with a slight bow.

    For a moment Vesta was wondering how this person knew her name, but the answer appeared in her visor. A small profile of the woman showed that her name was Lady Nalla-Ru of the city-state Morentla which was to the south of Vesta¡¯s city.

    ¡°Lady Nalla-Ru.¡± Vesta said returning the bow.

    ¡°I was excited to see that your powerplant¡¯s output had increased. I had been long assumed that this city was lost to the tech scourge. The people who inhabited it before you befell an addiction to technology.¡± Nalla-Ru said with a solemn look.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been able to clean the streets of the city and begin its grand reemergence.¡± Vesta said confidently.

    ¡°This is news to my ears. For a great time, we were trade partners with your land. Our city plays host to a train station, Airport, and port. In return to access to these things we were granted use of the power that your city produced. We have not been able to keep up with the demand of our people and on some days we suffer black outs.¡± Nalla-Ru explained.

    ¡°My power plant is only operating at a third of it¡¯s maximum potential and we are expanding rapidly.¡± Vesta explained.

    ¡°I understand your concern. I wish to make an offer. From what I remember your power plant has three reactors. If you could repair or replenish one that we could use I would be willing to allow your city access to our shipping solutions. We will also send to you a thousand units of building materials per week. We would also gladly pay the power fees as per our original contract.¡± Nalla-Ru said.

    City Mission

    Nalla-Ru of Morentla is offering a trade agreement, but it requires that a mission be completed.

    Repair or Refuel one of the nonfunctioning Nuclear Reactors to provide power to her city.

    Rewards: 1000U Building Materials, Power fees averaging 5000t/day, Access to shipping solution*.

    *Though not specified this agreement is for shipping of goods only. A separate agreement must be reached for the transport and passage of citizens.

    Accept?

    Yes | No

    Grace pondered the mission for a moment. She had no clue what really needed to be done to get the power plant back up to full strength, but she had already decided that it was a good idea. This mission would end out in both the reward of thread and building materials that the city was going to need if it was going to keep expanding.

    She accepted the mission.

    ¡°Thank you so much Lady Vesta!¡± Nalla-Ru said with another bow.

    ¡°Might I ask, why can¡¯t you keep up with the power demands? Why don¡¯t you build a power plant like mine?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Nuclear power plants are an expensive and rare advancement. I have not been able to complete the prerequisite city skill to be able to unlock it. When we construct power plants, we have to use mostly solar and wind power. It¡¯s clean, but it¡¯s lower yield is detrimental. We were once able to use a coal power planet, but we¡¯ve been cut off from coal supplies.¡± Nalla-Ru Explained.

    ¡°Ah, that is unfortunate.¡± Vests said with an understanding nod.

    ¡°We get by and we are still formidable.¡± Nalla-Ru said firmly.

    ¡°I hope that I can help you and that we can have a strong lasting relationship.¡± Vesta said with a curt nod.

    ¡°As do I Lady Vesta.¡± Nalla-Ru said before the image flickered out of existence.

    ¡°First call didn¡¯t go too bad.¡± Vesta said sitting down on the end of her bed.

    ¡°No ma¡¯am. It sounds like you have a potentially powerful ally in the works.¡± Cassi said walking around the side of the bed to stand next to Vesta.

    ¡°Who is next on the list?¡± Vesta asked standing up after her short break.

    ¡°The leader of Lorindale, King Harrison.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°Put him on.¡± Vesta moved to the center of the room.

    ¡°Lady Vesta.¡± King Harrison said in a growl. He offered no bow and no other formalities as Nalla-Ru had.

    ¡°King Harrison.¡± Vesta said and decided to go ahead and bow.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten word that several refuges from my lands have made way into your protection. Know this, I will retaliate. Given the history that we once shared with the former people of your city I will give you two weeks. You have been warned.¡± He said curtly and then the hologram vanished.

    ¡°Fan-fucking-tastic.¡± Vesta said throwing up her arms in frustration. The bottom line was that if taking in refuges of war was an offense then she was going to be offensive.

    ¡°It would seem that you¡¯ve already made an enemy.¡± Spark said walking into the room.

    ¡°Who the hell let you in here?¡± Vesta demanded.

    ¡°I did, given that he is your advisor I thought it prudent that he would be available to advise on some of these calls.¡± Cassi admitted.

    ¡°Thanks Cassi.¡± Vesta said with a huff of exasperation.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome Mum.¡± Cassi said not catching the sarcasm in Vesta¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Dare I ask that we bring on the next caller?¡± Vesta asked with a sigh.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get it over with.¡± Spark said with a shrug and a smile.

    ¡°The next person is Lord Gilton of Solintell.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°Show him in.¡± Vesta said waiving her hand.

    ¡°Lady Vesta.¡± A very large round man appeared. He looked out of shape and he heaved deep breaths from just standing for the hologram.

    ¡°Lord Gilton, how may I be of service?¡± Vesta asked bowing slightly.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°I noticed that your city was back online. I wanted to contact you and offer,¡± he said with a cough, ¡°My assistance where I could.¡± His eyes were shifty, and he seemed like there was something that wasn¡¯t right with him.

    ¡°I appreciate your contact, what kind of help were you thinking, and what would you like in return? I don¡¯t like to accept anything without knowing what I am going to be owing.¡± Vesta said with an assuring smile.

    ¡°I could offer you building materials and workers,¡± he said tapping the tips of his fingers together, ¡°You could owe me a favor.¡± His eyes grew dark when he said favor.

    ¡°Is this a now or never offer or may I have some time to think about it?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Of course. You know how to get ahold of me.¡± He said with a smile and a small bow, ¡°I would be careful of who you align yourself with out here. We are a long way away from Axiscore.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡± Vesta said slowly.

    ¡°Anytime.¡± Gilton said and his hologram vanished.

    ¡°Well that was fun.¡± Spark said sarcastically.

    ¡°Fun like visiting the dentist.¡± Vesta said turning away from the center of the room.

    ¡°Maybe we start on so defensive upgrades to the city?¡± Spark said clapping his hands together.

    ¡°Yeah I think I¡¯m going to take a little while and spend some time with the city map.¡± Vesta said with consideration.

    ¡°Can I sit in?¡± Spark asked with interest.

    ¡°Sure, I just figured you would consider this boring.¡± Vesta said with a shrug.

    ¡°I may yet surprise you.¡± He said with a smile in his voice.

    ¡°Cassi can you extend the city controls to Spark as an observer?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡± She said with a nod and did as she was asked.

    A holographic map of the city appeared in the center of the room when she grabbed the air with her fist and made a lifting motion. The city spun slowly. Vesta noticed that the powerplant had a much clearer representation than it had before. There were also several new sections around the edge of the city that were not included before.

    ¡°Your map has been updated as certain industries begin to claim unclaimed land around the city for their work. For example,¡± Cassi said as a section to the south zoomed into focus, ¡°This is where a vein of iron has been located. This mine also has several other materials that have also been extracted in low quantities.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Cassi.¡± Vesta said with a firm nod.

    Vesta moved through the city¡¯s information pages, most of which were blank or greyed out because she had not unlocked what she needed to access the information.

    Notification

    Your accessible systems have been updated.

    Since you have completed two missions that are vital for the growth and development of your city you now have access to the City Systems deployment cube.

    Vesta looked into the city upgrade system. She wanted to get her hands-on things that she could use to protect her new city and her citizens. When she checked her population, she was surprised to see that there were eight hundred people that had moved in. Currently the city had five hundred and thirty city points that she could use to bring new options and technologies into her city.

    The options available were mind boggling. She decided to narrow things down with a little search. Defense was her first choice.

    Low level concrete walls.

    These walls will funnel low level opposition into chosen pinch points.

    Note: These walls will not stand up to head on bombardment from high level assault.

    HP: 250/250

    City Point Cost: 10

    ~~~

    Medium Level Concrete Walls.

    *Low level Concrete walls are required.

    These walls will protect from incoming attackers¡¯ orders better than the low-level walls. These walls will still not stand up to direct bombardment.

    HP: 450/450

    City Point Cost: 30

    ~~~

    Low level Steel walls.

    These walls will funnel low level opposition into chosen pinch points.

    Note: These walls will not stand up to head on bombardment from high level assault.

    HP: 500/500

    City Point Cost: 25

    ~~~

    Medium Level Steel Walls.

    *Low level Steel walls are required.

    These walls will protect from incoming attackers¡¯ orders better than the low-level walls. These walls will still not stand up to direct bombardment. Energy from ballistic attacks can be deflect from the wall and dispersed away from the surface.

    HP: 850/850

    City Point Cost: 50

    Vesta purchased the steel walls that were available. She went ahead and got the medium ones, but she was required to purchase the low ones first. Once she owned the medium ones heavy and super heavy became available. One thing she noticed about the heavy and better was that a base version of medium and or low had to be build first and then upgraded afterward.

    She switched over to the building section of the system. The new option for building walls essentially allowed her to draw out the walls with her finger and select the style that will be built. She started by surrounding the city in walls that face the two cities that might potentially become problems.

    ¡°The walls that you have indicated will exhaust one quarter of your available resources in order to be completed. If you assign all of your working robots to this job it will take three days. They will not be able complete any other work in this time.¡± Cassi explained.

    ¡°What are my options for assigning the work bots?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°You can assign them via percentage or you can assign a specific number to the job.¡± Cassi said.

    ¡°Well how long will it take for ten percent to do the job?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°It would take roughly thirty days.¡± Cassi said with a smile.

    ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have that much time. Can we assign one hundred percent and pull bots away if we need them elsewhere?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°That is acceptable. Should I execute the command?¡± Cassi asked.

    ¡°Please.¡± Vesta said returning to the purchasing window.

    Vesta did a new search for offense. Three options appeared for her to choose from where she was currently at in the tree.

    Military I

    This offers the ability to train you citizens into base offensive combatants.

    *Minutemen

    CP: 10

    ~~~

    Posted Soldier

    *Your Soldiers can be posted for shifts where they will watch for incoming enemies.

    *Sandbags will be provided to offer protection to these people.

    **This requires the purchase of Military I

    CP: 10

    ~~~

    Weapon¡¯s Crafting I

    This will allow you to establish a city owned factory in your city where you can employ citizen to create weapons for use by your armies or for trade.

    CP: 50

    It was rather amazing how quickly she spent the seventy points to purchase the three options. When she purchased Military I she was granted access to a new office in the main building. She had a new window available that was pretty much greyed out except for instructions leader.

    She looked into the factory next. This was easy for her to understand because she had already placed zones in the city for buildings to be constructed. This part worked a little different though. Instead of placing a zone she had to chose one of the buildings in industrial areas that had been built and was not claimed. Once chosen she was given the option to convert to Weapon¡¯s factory.

    Surprisingly as soon as the conversion happened four people appeared that were qualified for the position of foreman and were looking for work.

    Marison Tlers

    Marison will take 20% of the factories operating profit.

    Marison has abilities that allow for more efficient operation.

    Marison has contacts that will allow for a higher caliber workforce.

    Marison has 15 years¡¯ experience in factory management.

    ~~~

    Aliya Snow

    Aliya will take 30% of the factories operating profit.

    Aliya has abilities that allow for more efficient operation.

    Aliya has contacts that will allow for an Extreme caliber workforce.

    Aliya has 25 years¡¯ experience in Weapons¡¯ Crafting (Non-factory Level).

    ~~~

    Austin Roth

    Austin will take 10% of the factories operating profit.

    Austin has abilities that allow for an efficient operation.

    Austin has contacts that will allow for a high caliber workforce.

    Austin has 5 years¡¯ experience in Weapons¡¯ Crafting.

    ~~~

    Kamari Farley

    Kamari will take 40% of the factories operating profit.

    Kamari has abilities that allow for an Extremely efficient operation.

    Kamari has contacts that will allow for an Ultra caliber workforce.

    Kamari has 20 years¡¯ experience in Weapons¡¯ Crafting.

    Kamari has 10 years¡¯ experience in Factory management.

    Kamari has Owned and Operated a successful factory.

    When Vesta began to compare the candidates, it wasn¡¯t hard to see who the top notch was. They were all pretty good, and she didn¡¯t think that any of them was taking too much money for what they were bringing to the table. In the end Vesta knew that she had to go with Kamari. Even though she was going to take forty percent of the profits she was bringing a combined thirty years of experience to the table. She assigned her to the position.

    A chirping began to ring in Vesta¡¯s ear indicating that she was receiving a call. She checked to see that it was the woman that she had just hired.

    ¡°Hello Ms. Farley.¡± Vesta said answering the call.

    ¡°Good day my lady. Please call me Kamari.¡± The woman said in an extremely pleased tone.

    ¡°I see that you bring excellent qualifications to the table for our factory.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. I do bring a great deal of experience to the table. I wanted to let you know that while I was imprisoned with the Vortex mongrels I was working on weapon¡¯s ideas the whole time.¡± Kamari explained.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that you were part of that experience.¡± Vesta said with compassion.

    ¡°Though it was unfortunate the event did lead me here to a new start that I thought I may never get. I¡¯ve decided that I will do this for you and only take thirty five percent.¡± Kamari said.

    ¡°I appreciate the service that you are going to provide for our home.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°Thank you. I do have one suggestion as we start. Our factory has only basic starting crafting capabilities. I suggest that as we unlock research in the factory for more complicated weapons we craft as much of the simple items as we can to sell for what profit we can. This way we can move forward and use the profits to purchase weapons as we expand our operation.¡± Kamari requested.

    ¡°That sounds like a good plan. I place you in charge unless I deem that you are not performing to my expectations.¡± Vesta agreed.

    ¡°That will never be a problem.¡± Kamari said. They said their goodbyes and disconnect the call.

 Our Super Plan

    Hello Supers,

    As some of you might know DragonsunXX, Golbinfister, and I (DarkCX) work together in real life. The company that we work for has recently sold to a larger company and this has put our state of future into question. OmegaDusk was not directly affected by this state of events. Due to this turn of events we are being forced to reevaluate our current model as authors as we develop this world and story. We will be working towards building the world for release on KU as we move forward. During this process we will still be uploading, but the rate will change, and we will be using this time to catch the stories up to each other so that we can have our crossover event.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    My Supers Online will be getting one more chapter in this issue before the crossover.

    Robotic Heroes will be getting one more chapter in this Issue before the crossover.

    Super Delivery (Currently undergoing a name change) will be getting 3-5 Chapters to conclude its current issue.

    The Left Behind will be getting 1-3 Chapters to conclude the current issue before the crossover.

    The Crossover event will conclude season one and is planned to be between 10-15 chapters long.

    Goblinfister in interested in what the community has to offer as suggestions for a new title on Super Delivery.

 My Supers Online Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    Alex opened the rear lift gate for their truck and tossed in their bag of swag that they¡¯d looted from their enemies. Before he closed the back, he grabbed one each of the serums and shoved the into the pocket on his pants. Respec and Kandace got into the back seat of the SUV while Alex climbed into the driver¡¯s side and Obsidian got into her own seat.

    The sun fell as night approached when the pulled out of the small parking lot. Driving out of town they noticed that there was a massive storm brewing that was moving in towards the north. They were driving back towards Winter¡¯s Garden just in time to miss the white.

    ¡°Will you ship be safe if we leave it up there unattended?¡± Alex asked keeping his eyes on the road, but he glanced up into the mirror to look at Respec.

    ¡°No one should be able to breach my ship.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°I got in.¡± Kandace said smugly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if this offends your sense of pride, but you did nothing. I opened the door because I sensed to ill will from you. I kept the ship sealed when there was one large source of negative mind space. His thoughts were to dismantle and replicate any advance technologies found as well as any species inside.¡± Respec said with a solemn look.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t open the door?¡± She replied in surprise.

    ¡°No, I am sorry.¡± Respec said shaking her head.

    ¡°Well damn.¡± Kandace said and she looked down.

    ¡°Have you gotten ahold of Calson?¡± Obsidian asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

    ¡°No, I should probably call him and get an update.¡± Alex said shaking his head, ¡°Function could you connected me with Calson?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Function said connecting the call.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Calson said answering his line.

    ¡°What is up Calson. How¡¯s things?¡± Alex said cheerfully.

    ¡°To be honest I¡¯m just a little terrified as of late, but otherwise things are good.¡± Calson said matching Alex¡¯s sarcasm.

    ¡°Well, we are on our way back. Have they figured out who is taking credit for the bombing?¡± Alex asked.

    ¡°No one is taking credit.¡± Calson said solemnly, ¡°The workers are nervous, but I¡¯ve managed to convince many of them that it was an isolated event. So far that has been the case.¡±

    ¡°Try to keep a lid on things, we will be back soon.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Calson said but quickly added, ¡°There has been a complication with the Advanced Electronic Components, but we can go over it when you get here.¡±

    ¡°Understood, over and out.¡± Alex said awkwardly.

    ¡°Why are you so weird?¡± Obsidian asked giving him an odd look.

    ¡°I never know how to end a phone call. That is why I prefer to text.¡± Alex said with a shrug.

    Alex pulled into town late in the night their midnight notification was right around the corner. His destination was the factory, but traffic was almost completely impassable. Several times he just put the car into park as they slowly made their way through town.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Kandace asked leaning up to look out of the window.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. This place doesn¡¯t ever have this kind of traffic and with the recent,¡± He cleared his throat slightly, ¡°event, I would think that most people would be leaving the city not coming into it.¡± Alex said.

    ¡°The midnight notification has arrived. I have kept it from your vision in order to keep you from being distracted while driving.¡± Function said into Alex¡¯s ear.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I ever lived without you Function.¡± He said making a left turn.

    Alex had unknowingly turned onto the street where the attack had taken place. The street, which had normally been six lanes wide no including the turning lane had been reduced to three and the middle lane was being used as a turning lane. They drove past the blast zone which was a massive crater in the ground where the building had been. The road had crumbled in towards the center of the blast.

    There had not been much clean up after the incident. There were no bodies, but the rubble looked relatively untouched and was surrounded by police tape. There were a couple of guards posted at entrances to the property, but they were uninterested at best. Alex sped up and headed towards their own factory.

    The truck pulled into the parking lot outside of their building and to Alex it felt like he had been driving on autopilot zoned out for most of the trip. He was in a hurry to get out of the truck and stretch as well as find a place to lay down a take a break. There was one thing that worried him. Now that he was back in Winter¡¯s Garden, he was going to have to do something about the Priestess and her Knight otherwise they wouldn¡¯t get peace.

    All four doors opened, and they clamber out of the truck. They all stretched and walked around fighting the knots that they had gotten by spending most of the even traveling.

    ¡°I want Chippy chops.¡± Obsidian said as she stretched out her back.

    ¡°Oh god that sounds so good! It feels like forever since I¡¯ve had some!¡± Alex said vigorously nodding his head in agreement.

    ¡°What is Chippy Chops?¡± Respec said. She returned from zooming around the lot checking out several items around including a concrete block.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ll like it.¡± Alex said with an enthusiastic grin.

    ¡°I hope that you are correct.¡± Respec nodded.

    ¡°Are you going to catch the train back to where you belong?¡± Alex asked turning to Kandace.

    ¡°Well, see, that¡¯s the thing.¡± She said with a deep sigh, ¡°I kind of don¡¯t have anywhere to go back to. Those assholes kind of blew up my apartment and lab looking for me. All I¡¯ve got in this world is what you see on my back.¡± She motioned to her clothes.

    ¡°That¡¯s messed up.¡± Alex said shaking his head, ¡°Well, you can stay with us. At least until you figure out what you are going to do.¡±

    ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± She said running over to Alex and grabbed him in a tight hug.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a factory.¡± Obsidian said with her phone pressed to her ear as she walked around the front of the truck, ¡°I promise someone will be here to pay for it.¡± She assured who she was talking to.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Alex asked when she hung up the phone.

    ¡°Food is on the way.¡± She said with a smile.

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Alex said and motioned for the group to enter the building.

    As late in the night that it was there wasn¡¯t anyone working in the factory, but it wasn¡¯t empty. Calson was standing in front of a machine that Alex didn¡¯t recognize from the last time that he had been in the facility. The manager had a pair of goggles on and he was tweaking the settings. He pressed a green button on the touch screen and took a step back while the machine began to work. Small arms unfolded inside of a glass protected area and started to weld on a light blue piece of material.

    ¡°What you got going on here?¡± Alex asked walking up behind the manager.

    Calson held up a finger indicating for him to wait. The arms on the machine folded back up into the machine and the word Testing appeared flashing on the screen. A few tense moments passed before the word Failed appeared taking up the whole screen.

    ¡°DAMNIT!!¡± Calson yelled taking off his goggles and threw them at the machine. They pinged off the side and skidded across the floor.

    ¡°Calm down there, killer!¡± Alex said acting like he needed to protect himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my outburst.¡± Calson said hanging his head.

    ¡°Dude, I¡¯m screwing with you. What¡¯s going on?¡± Alex said and held up his hands.

    ¡°We discussed upgrading part of the factory to advanced Electronic components. After investing in the machines, I am unable to get the damn thing to work. I¡¯ve been at it all day!¡± Calson admitted dropping down on a short stack of crates.

    ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± Alex asked poking buttons on the machine¡¯s screen.

    ¡°I have configured the machine based on the instructions, but I don¡¯t have an advanced electronic component so that it can properly learn the recipe. I basically have to keep trying until the machine gets it right. It¡¯s time consuming, frustrating, and costly. I was under the impression that a colleague was going to sell me a sample, but that fell through.¡± Calson explained in a defeated tone.

    ¡°That sounds awful.¡± Alex said with a smile.

    ¡°It is. I understand if you see fit to give me my dismissal papers.¡± Calson said looking down at the concrete.

    ¡°If I did that,¡± Alex said grabbing the duffle bag from Obsidian and dug for one of the components that they had picked up the fray, ¡°Who would configure this new fancy machine. I sure as hell can¡¯t do it.¡± He held out the component.

    ¡°You have one!¡± Calson said in amazement jumping up from the crates.

    ¡°Picked it up on the last mission. No big deal.¡± Alex said with a sniff and flicked the end of his nose.

    Calson rushed to the machine and opened a panel on the side. There was a small compartment inside where he placed the component. He closed the door and returned to the screen ordering a scan of the sample product. There was a bright blue light from inside the small compartment before the word Accepted flashed on the screen.

    He tapped on the screen for a few seconds until he pressed the green button again. The small arms unfolded just as they had done the first time. They cut the board and began to weld in rapid motions that were hard to follow with the eye. The arms folded back into the top of the work area and what remained looked like an exact copy of what Alex had given Calson. But to be fair so had the first one that failed.

    The machine began its test which plunged the room into an apprehensive silence. Finally, they all breathed a sigh of relief when the word Passed flashed across the whole screen. Calson removed the item and held it up between his pointer and thumb to examine it in the light.

    ¡°My scan ability is reporting that it is of rare quality. I think I could turn the machine up and get three times the output with a small drop in quality.¡± He said with a wide grin on his face.

    ¡°Whatever you¡¯ve got to do man.¡± Alex said with a nod, ¡°We¡¯ve ordered some food from Chippy Chops, why don¡¯t you come up and join us. There will be plenty.¡±

    ¡°I could eat.¡± Calson said with a smile.

    They took a few moments for introductions around the group. They left out the part about Respec being an alien. Alex figured it would be best if they broached that subject at a later date.

    The five of them sat around the table for a few hours eating and enjoying the company of the group. They seem to fit well together and there was a lot of common ground with the group.

    ¡°I want to work on acquiring the factories all around us. Does your skills allow you to move into a higher ranked position of management?¡± Alex asked Calson while the girls were talking.

    ¡°With my current ranks I can manage ten simultaneously, but at the rate that I¡¯ve been ranking here that number should go up.¡± Calson said.

    ¡°Excellent then we need to work towards that goal. All decisions should build towards that.¡± Alex said with a nod standing up from the table. He wanted to step out onto the deck and get some fresh air.

    Before going outside however he decided to quickly run through his midnight notifications.

    -It¡¯s Midnight!

    - It looks like you are starting to get the hang of things.

    -You defeated 37 Villains or those who wish to do harm.

    -You¡¯ve earned a total of 30,913xp!

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 15!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You may choose 1 Feat of Power to Increase your inner power.

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 16!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 17!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 18!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -Congrats! You¡¯ve leveled up! You are now level 19!

    -You now have 3 Power Points to spend! (GNAODHGnaweig0vn@?@!#$<@#%)

    -You have 20 New stat points that need to be allocated.

    -You have 355 Anti-Hero Points (I do things my way, whatever that may be.)

    ~~~

    -Your Factory Suffered from Reduced Income

    -287,000t Net Income

    -(-)200,900t Operating Cost

    -(+)8,610t Deposited into Personal Account

    -(+)21,525t Deposited into Calson¡¯s Personal Account

    -(+)55,965t Deposited into Factory¡¯s Operating Capital Account.

    Alex was flabbergasted when he checked his personal bank account and noticed that he was sitting at over one hundred and fourteen thousand thread and he had yet to make it through a payout without death.

    The small deck that lead out the back of the factory opened out form two ten-foot-tall double doors. Alex opened both doors as he pushed them outside, and it felt a bit brisk but wonderful all the same as the fresh air hit his face. When he took the two steps onto the metal deck that he saw something that caught his eye.

    On the edge of town to the north there was a massive airship that had landed in the empty lands. There were lights shining up the hull. Using the focus and zoom of his mask he made out a massive banner.

    Regan¡¯s Super Games!

    Apply now for your place in fortune and your place in the history of NuValla.

 Super Delivery Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    ¡°Hey Travis, isn¡¯t there supposed to be a building here?¡± I asked confused by the park where children currently played.

    ¡°I was under the same assumption.¡± William said.

    ¡°There¡¯s supposed to be¡­¡± Travis cut off as he flipped through the paperwork. ¡°Oh, I see. This is the wrong lot. One moment I¡¯m going to have my secretary email the right one.¡± He finished pulling out his phone and dialing a number as he walked away.

    ¡°Are you sure about this guy?¡± William asked.

    ¡°So, we went to the wrong address, he¡¯s only human.¡± I told him

    We stood there trying not to listen to Travis¡¯s phone call, when I noticed Mastermind was glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. He looked like he wanted to ask something.

    ¡°All right, what is it?¡± I asked trying to coax the question out of him.

    ¡°What number did he write down on that paper?¡± He asked me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer but¡­¡± he trailed off.

    ¡°Um. Well, let¡¯s say that if I had known about it, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been a beer delivery guy.¡± I responded expertly swerving away from a legitimate answer.

    ¡°Why not?¡± He kept the questions coming.

    ¡°I would probably be on my own set of private islands.¡± I said with no hint of a joke in my voice.

    ¡°Oh.¡± William stopped talking and had a look on his face like he was deep in thought. ¡°So how much more than the budget I showed you about the Super Shipping?¡±

    Thinking about it, I did some quick math in my head. Once I had my estimate, I looked William square in the eyes.

    ¡°I could have opened a shipment facility in every city, fully staffed, with several trucks like those you made in each one.¡± I told him with complete seriousness.

    At that moment Travis came back and stopped any questions William was about to ask.

    ¡°Right, I should have remembered where this was. Shall we?¡± He asked motioning to the stretch limo we rode here in. We all climbed in, and the car started the journey to our unknown location.

    ¡°So, Travis, how did you work your way up at the bank with only two accounts?¡± I asked quickly, as I saw William getting ready to ask another question.

    ¡°Ah yes. It took some time, but I played the long game. Starting out I had more, but as the Bridgers became more and more prevalent the more people I had pull out. Until there was only two left, yours.¡± He started his story,

    ¡°I just knew one day you were going to walk in and pull your accounts too. When you didn¡¯t, I decided to make the most of what I had. So, I stoked the fire by using your money to give out loans to the new heroes to help them get started. They all paid everything back in full plus their interest. And I paid your account back, and never touched it again, the interest payments were enough to restore the bank to its glory. While letting your account continue to draw interest.¡± Travis was now smiling at his own success, and I couldn¡¯t blame him.

    ¡°You are a very clever man Mr. Travis.¡± William said after a few seconds of silence, ¡°If I was in your place, I would have done something similar.¡±

    ¡°Please, just Travis, and I consider that a compliment. As everyone knows, Mastermind¡¯s intellect is almost completely unmatched.¡± Travis accepted and returned the compliment with expert social grace.

    ¡°What can you tell me about the building, you never said how many floors it had underground.¡± I chimed in.

    ¡°Ah yes. That building was unfortunately sold to some of the top heroes several days ago, before the riot. The paperwork finished and I was notified when I was on the phone with my assistant.¡± Travis said with a small amount of irritation in his voice.

    ¡°Then where are we heading?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°Some place I think will be better for the Guard.¡± Travis said, as we turned onto a street that leads to the heart of the city.

    ¡°It¡¯s downtown?¡± I asked with hesitation.

    ¡°Yes, it is. Just trust me Ray. I don¡¯t want to ruin the surprise.¡± Travis told me.

    After that short conversation we rode the rest of the way in silence, my imagination running wild on what our new home would be.

    A massive tunnel complex, with intricate paths easy to get lost in. Maybe an unremarkable building that has some form of space magic that makes it huge on the inside. A castle surrounded by a mote of lava filled with fire elemental crocodiles. Ok probably not the last one.

    Buzz

    Thankfully my phone chimed before I could get any crazier with my thoughts.

    David: Were you serious about starting the team?

    Ray: Of course, we should be doing more than getting people¡¯s packages to them.

    David: We agree. All of us that is. We think we found a way to drum up some recruits.

    Ray: Awesome! We got some work to do.

    David: Understatement. Did you get the paperwork done?

    Ray: Not quite, William and I are on our way to check a place out, if it goes well, I¡¯ll send the address so you guys can meet us here. Then we can finish the paperwork.

    David: Alright. I¡¯ll talk to you later then. Lucky says he¡¯s got your back.

    Ray: Good to hear, see you all later.

    ¡°Ah, here we are.¡± Travis said as the car came to a stop.

    Getting out I wasn¡¯t sure which building he was talking about. We were surrounded by skyscrapers on all sides. One of which I knew wasn¡¯t for sale, which is the one Travis started walking straight towards.

    Everyone in Axiscore knew this building, Eternity Tower.

    Eternity tower stood at the direct center of Axiscore. It was built by a hero from a several generations ago, Eternity himself. His powers are unknown, but he has been documented throughout the last five-hundred years and is said to be the first super. He was extremely paranoid too. This tower is supposed to be the most defensible place in the entire world. Which is odd because of all the glass.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The tower¡¯s first twenty floors have glass windows along every outside wall. While the first ten floors are the widest point of the entire building, the eleventh to twentieth floors are only slightly smaller.

    After the twentieth floor, the massive building gets more elaborate. A white unknown material dominates most of the exterior of the tower, with sunken diagonal windows spanning multiple floors cuts through in several places. The building is remarkable, no curves all straight lines, making it stand out from the monotony of the Axiscore skyline.

    Several stories up, near the top portion of the tower, is a part of the building that seems to be missing, but to those who pay attention, they would have seen helicopters and expensive prototype jets land there. At the top twenty floors of this massive marvel of mankind stands a pyramid of glass that is cut in half by a giant obelisk of the same material.

    ¡°So, if you follow me, you¡¯ll see¡­¡± Travis stopped talking as he realized that Mastermind and I had stopped following him.

    ¡°Are you two all right?¡± He asked us.

    ¡°Eternity Tower?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Home of Eternity himself?¡± Mastermind finished asking what I started.

    ¡°Why yes, this is the place. Much better than the other one I had in mind.¡± Travis said smiling.

    ¡°What about Eternity?¡± I asked still unable to move.

    ¡°Well, no one knows. He was here, then vanished. The only thing he left was a note. I don¡¯t remember specifics, but it went on about how this world isn¡¯t real. He also left a list of requirements needed for anyone who wanted to buy the tower.¡± Travis said it all so casually as if it¡¯s just another day at the office.

    ¡°What are the requirements he listed?¡± Mastermind asked after clearing his throat.

    ¡°The buyer had to be a hero, needed to have stayed at max hero tier for at least half a decade straight, and needed to have a good reason.¡± Travis recited. ¡°There were more specifics, but that sums it up.¡±

    ¡°What would qualify as a good reason?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say starting a team of heroes, to help protect the world is a good enough reason. In fact, so did Eternity.¡± Travis finished with a small smirk.

    Gulping to stop the nerves from spreading, I stepped into Eternity Tower after Travis.

    The inside was eerie, as it was completely unfurnished. It seemed to be untouched for a while with the amount of dust and cobwebs in the lobby.

    ¡°How long has Eternity been gone?¡± I asked.

    ¡°About two months before the Bridgers came.¡± Mastermind answered.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. He came and signed a contract with the bank saying that if anything happened to him, we would keep the tower until someone who met the requirements came to buy it, then the bank could keep all the profits.¡± Travis told us.

    ¡°I only know because I have always had someone keep an eye on him, or at least when they could. He just stopped coming out after a while.¡± Mastermind said as we continued through the empty lobby toward the elevators.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m not going to show you all one-hundred plus floors. That would take too long. So just the highlights.¡± He said as he pressed a button labeled ¡°H¡±. We didn¡¯t start moving right away, and I was curious why. Then a red line on the other side of the button came from the bottom and started toward the top of it.

    ¡°Fingerprint scan?¡± asked Mastermind.

    ¡°Exactly the type of security you¡¯d need! No unwanted visitors sneaking in.¡± Travis said obviously trying to sell us on the historic building.

    ¡°Good afternoon Mr. Bagwell. Are these the gentlemen you told me about?¡± a voice coming from seemingly nowhere.

    ¡°What was that? Is that Eternity?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Most likely an AI.¡± William said with slight excitement.

    ¡°Yes, Solemn. One is a member of The Honor Guard, Celerity, the other is a reforming villain, Mastermind.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, I read about you two in the news the other day. Good job on saving those civilians at the riot.¡± Solemn said.

    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks¡­ I guess.¡± I said, not sure where to talk to.

    ¡°You are quite welcome.¡± Solemn responded with no apparent knowledge of my uncomfortableness.

    ¡°We are heading to the hanger if you¡¯d be so kind. If along the way you¡¯d like to tell them about the tower you could.¡± Travis said while looking at his phone.

    ¡°Of course, Mr. Bagwell. There is much I can tell you about the tower. All one-hundred and four floors were constructed by Eternity. I can¡¯t tell you anything about him, as all personal information about him, aside from what is commonly known, as he wiped my memory before he left.¡± There was almost something sad in his voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, tell me more about the building.¡± I said trying to change the subject.

    ¡°The bottom twenty floors are designed as a type of museum, where you can display trophies and souvenirs from battles. It is also completely safe to do so, as there are no connections from those floors to the top, besides the elevator. There are no power, water, or even internet connections that aren¡¯t generated on the upper floors. Everything that enters is scanned for any kind of abnormalities.¡± Solemn told us, still with a hint of sadness.

    ¡°That makes sense why it never worked.¡± Mastermind said thinking out loud.

    ¡°What never worked?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I tried to send in many different bugs and tried hacking in multiple times.¡± He admitted.

    ¡°If I may say,¡± Solemn started,¡± you were the most difficult to combat, as I am the main defense against hacks.¡±

    ¡°That was you?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Solemn responded.

    ¡°You are a very capable AI. I might even say a worthy opponent. Have you ever played chess?¡± I think this was the closest I¡¯ve ever seen William to geeking out.

    ¡°I do, and I would love to challenge you one day. However, I wish to continue the tour, as we are almost to the hangar.¡± Solemn sad slightly perking up.

    ¡°Of course.¡± William assented.

    ¡°The hangar, was one of the more recent additions to the building, built less than a decade ago, it housed the prototype aircrafts Eternity and a small group of heroes designed for ease of travel. It is currently empty, but I do have a blueprint for one. Before you get excited, it is very expensive.¡± Solemn gave the history lecture as the doors opened revealing a hangar with multiple docking bays. There was another piece of glass covering the hole in the wall, it was so thin that I wouldn¡¯t have known about it if I didn¡¯t try to peak over the edge and hit my head.

    ¡°This is very impressive.¡± Mastermind said aloud.

    ¡°Wait until you see the upper floors.¡± Travis said. He motioned toward the elevator.

    As we all got in, Travis motioned for the button labeled ¡°M¡±. I reached out and pushed the button.

    ¡°Would you like me to give him temporary access Mr. Bagwell?¡± Solemn asked.

    Travis nodded and the scanner came on.

    ¡°So, he doesn¡¯t need voice conformation?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°He?¡± I asked interrupting Travis.

    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t William, and yes he. Solemn is an AI, a rather advanced one, he chose his name and what we could refer to him as.¡± Travis said.

    ¡°While I do not have a body and therefor no gender, I found it humanized me more to have a pronoun attached to myself. Makes others less likely to fear me.¡± Solemn stated.

    ¡°Ok¡­ So, where exactly are we headed?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We are approaching what Eternity called ¡®The Hall¡¯. It is where he and his team and closest allies conducted meetings and discussed crucial matters. There is a zero percent chance that anyone could listen in, even me if you wish. This is the only room that I do not have total access to. All you need to do is say the pass phrase and it locks me out of the room.¡± Solemn told us.

    ¡°What¡¯s the phrase?¡± Mastermind asked.

    ¡°Solemn go to your room.¡± Solemn stated.

    ¡°You told us before we even bought it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°If you do not buy it there is no possible way for you to return here, so there is no threat. Also, the phrase can only be used by the owner, and any authorized by them.¡± Solemn said, the sadness returning.

    The elevator doors opened revealing a massive table in the center of the room. That was only the first thing noticed, as we stepped in it was also the least magnificent. There was clear class all around us, the floor next to it lined with one long planter, full of beautiful and exotic flowers and scents. It didn¡¯t take away from the room only accented it. There was the massive hourglass etched into the floor, Eternity¡¯s emblem. Lots of monitors stood near the back suspended by a metal bar that stretched the entire width with keyboards set up at every few screens.

    This was the most efficient ¡°Hero Hub¡±, as we called them, I had ever seen. I didn¡¯t need to see anything further.

    ¡°How much is this building going to cost me?¡± I asked Travis.

    ¡°A good portion of the amount in your account. Or most of the Honor Guard account.¡± He told me wincing slightly as he thought it would cost him the sale.

    ¡°Do you have the right paperwork with you?¡± I taunted the banker.

    ¡°I do.¡± His grin returned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it. I also need to get the others here to take care of the Team paperwork, when we are done could you take it to City Hall for us?¡± I asked Travis.

    ¡°I would love to.¡± He told me.

    I shot a quick message to David and told him where to meet us.

    ¡°Solemn. When the rest of the Honor Guard and a Mr. Neil Edison get here would you let them up?¡± I asked the AI.

    ¡°Of course, sir, would you like to give them full access?¡± Solemn asked.

    ¡°Yes, them and William here.¡± I told the disembodied voice. ¡°Also, could you order furniture for the building, have a cleaning crew come in, hire some staff, and order us a pizza or twenty?¡± I asked testing the limits of the AI.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done, and where did you want the pizza from?¡± Solemn responded.

    Oh, this is gonna be good. I mentally rubbed my hands together.

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Mastermind interrupted my thought spiral, ¡°What number did he write down on that paper?¡±

    I took the pen I was using for the documents, did some quick math, then scribbled down what would be left in my account after this deal was closed then slid it to the villain.

    He looked at the number then went pale.

    Oh yeah. This is going to be very good.

 Super Delivery Chapter 12

    Chapter 12

    Standing next to the curb, opposite our new headquarters, I waited as the car finished pulling up.

    ¡°So, guys, what do you think?¡± I asked motioning to the building behind me, which was not our Tower

    ¡°It is¡­¡± Richard trailed off trying to find the right words.

    ¡°Not what we were expecting.¡± Hopper finished.

    ¡°What are you talking about? No one is even looking at it.¡± This time I pointed behind them to Eternity Tower.

    They all turned around confused. Enough air was absorbed with their combined sighs that Prometheus¡¯s flames would be put out almost instantly.

    ¡°Eternity Tower¡­¡± David gasped with awe in his voice.

    ¡°Now I know it doesn¡¯t look like much now, but with some elbow grease and some love we can fix her up.¡± I joked.

    ¡°Is this for real?¡± Lucky questioned.

    A nod was all I gave in response as I started walking toward the new home of the Honor Guard.

    When we stepped into the elevator, I pushed the button for the meeting room and held it there letting the identification process finish.

    ¡°Fingerprint verification?¡± Prometheus inquired.

    ¡°Yes and no.¡± Came the sad sounding voice of Solemn.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± David asked as everyone in the elevator, besides me, got into a battle stance.

    ¡°I am Solemn, the AI for Eternity Tower.¡± Solemn started, ¡°And to answer your previous question yes it scans your fingerprint, but it also starts my biometric scan function ensuring that you are no shapeshifter, copy, or even that someone didn¡¯t take your finger.¡±

    ¡°How much money do you have?¡± Hopper asked turning toward me,

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± I challenged playfully raising an eyebrow.

    The elevator came to a stop and opened up into the brain of the building. I walked down to join Mastermind at the gigantic table where he was finishing up his paperwork.

    ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Stevenson, your pizza has arrived.¡± Solemn notified me.

    ¡°Thanks Solemn, I¡¯ll go grab it. I could use a hand, any takers?¡± I asked the group.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± Megan piped seeming a little excited.

    ¡°Wanna race down there?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°You know it.¡± She responded while she limbered up.

    ¡°Solemn could you lay out a course that takes us through all of the floors from the floor under us to the ground?¡± I asked trying to see the limits of the AI.

    ¡°Done. Only one entrance and exit from each floor, the green lights along the halls indicate the correct way.¡± Solemn didn¡¯t even hesitate before answering.

    ¡°So cool.¡± Megan muttered under her breath.

    The elevator doors opened with a new green light shining on the inside. We both stepped in Megan stretching her legs, and I bounced in place in preparation as the elevator doors closed and we started moving.

    ¡°Once the door opens the race will start.¡± Solemn told us.

    We both took up a sprinter¡¯s starting stance. I felt the elevator slow, then stop.

    ¡°Get a good look,¡± I started making eye contact with Megan, ¡°because you¡¯re not gonna see me again until the first floor.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re about to learn why the call me The Streak, all you¡¯re gonna see is a streak as I win.¡± She returned.

    The doors opened, and we were off. The green lights shown bright as we followed along the path Solemn had laid out for us.

    The first nine floors flew by as we stayed neck and neck, neither of us wanting to let the other take the lead. The race continued in a similar fashion, until we reached the hangar floor, the sunlight shining through the nearly imperceptible window made Megan look away from the path, and she slowed looking at the city. I sort of expected this and sped up, trying to capitalize on her distracted state, taking the lead.

    ¡°Hey no fair!¡± she yelled.

    ¡°Not my fault you stopped paying attention!¡± I yelled back.

    Running through the building like this I thought would be a good way to see the whole place, I was too focused on the race to actually see the building. Good thing too, as I rounded a curve, I saw an obstacle in the path, a barrier similar to what one would use to block off a road. Not having enough time to react I jumped over it, losing speed as I was no longer on the ground. Megan decided to slide under at the same moment I jumped. She got to her feet before I landed and sped around the corner.

    When I rounded the corner after her, I noticed even more obstacles along the course. Things swinging back and forth, and more barricades lined this hall. Solemn was making the race harder as we went.

    Meanwhile back in the meeting hall, Solemn was streaming our race showing two different colored dots zipping through the building and displaying a video highlight of when Megan took the lead.

    I ran through the hall weaving through the swinging obstacles and going around barricades to try and keep up with the nimble speedster ahead of me. We finished the obstacle hallway at nearly the same time, Megan just a few steps ahead. We passed the fiftieth floor, with no more obstacle hallways and continued our race downward.

    When we reached the forty-fifth floor, there was a long straight stretch that seemed to be just a tad bit suspicious. As soon as Megan reached the halfway point through the hall, the floor started to fall out from under her, she jumped trying to make it to the stable part of the floor, and just like I had, she started to slow.

    I sped up making a full circle from wall to ceiling then the opposite wall and finally ended on the floor in front of her as she landed and resumed her speed.

    ¡°Cutting it close, weren¡¯t you?¡± I asked the question back toward her.

    ¡°Shut up! Could you have done better?¡± She shot back

    ¡°I did do better!¡± I said enjoying our playful banter.

    ¡°Oh yeah? Then why didn¡¯t you duck?¡± she asked, confusing me.

    BAM!

    While trash talking, I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the course, and didn¡¯t see the sideways rotating bars before I felt them. She again slid under the obstacle and continued on into the stairwell and out of sight.

    There were no more obstacles in the last part of our race, but I never caught up to her, until we were in the lobby.

    ¡°Oh yeah! Who¡¯s the best? I am!¡± She asked then answered her own question doing a victory dance.

    ¡°You got lucky!¡± I tried to defend my honor.

    ¡°Uh huh, sure.¡± She said laughing and breathing heavily.

    After taking a few deep breaths, I looked around and saw the pizza guy standing outside looking around confused.

    I walked out onto the sidewalk and handed ten of the pizzas to Megan as I paid the delivery guy. I then took the remaining ten pizzas and walked back inside, getting confused looks from the youth delivering pizzas.

    The elevator doors opened as we arrived at the meeting hall.

    ¡°Dude! You let her beat you right?¡± Lucky asked sounding angry.

    ¡°Actually no. I stopped paying attention and she beat me fair and square.¡± I lied a little, she only had half as many points in speed as I did.

    ¡°He took it easy on me. I can tell.¡± Megan stated.

    ¡°Wait¡­ How did you know she beat me?¡± I asked Lucky.

    He just pointed toward the monitor that was now just showing a replay of the highlights of the race, going into slow-motion when I was hit by the bar.

    ¡°Solemn¡­¡± I was trying not to sound agitated.

    ¡°Yes Mr. Stevenson?¡± Solemn asked.

    ¡°First call me Ray unless I am in my super suit. Second, why are you playing that in slow-motion?¡± I said in an ominously calm voice.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Of course, Ray. I¡¯m playing it in slow-motion so everyone can see the second you were hit, and the reaction you had from the surprise.¡± Solemn said not catching my irritation.

    Shrugging off the slight annoyance, I set my pizzas down on the table next to Megan¡¯s stack.

    ¡°Why so many pizzas anyway?¡± Megan questioned.

    ¡°Speedsters burn a lot of calories; shouldn¡¯t you know that?¡± William asked taking a stack of coins from the table.

    ¡°Were you guys betting on us?¡± Megan asked the evil genius.

    ¡°Yes, and I never doubted you for a second.¡± William answered.

    ¡°Dude!¡± I said louder than I intended.

    The room erupted into laughter as everyone grabbed a slice of pizza. We ate with some small talk, swapping stories form the times we fought William and Neil, telling about their crazy ideas and inventions.

    ¡°And you guys didn¡¯t even get to see my¡­ what did I call it Neil?¡± Mastermind interrupted his story to ask.

    ¡°You called it the ¡®Hero-pult¡¯.¡± Prometheus answered a smile on his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! The hero-pult, it was meant to launch you all into space. It was honestly one of the more childish ideas I had.¡± William said with small bouts of laughter from all of us.

    As we finished eating and the stories dwindled, I was reminded of something David said in his message earlier.

    ¡°What was the recruitment idea you told me about?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°Oh right!¡± David exclaimed as I jogged his memory. ¡°So, what was the reason we stopped being heroes, and villains.¡± He added the last part after a look from Neil.

    ¡°The Bridgers, no offense Megan.¡± I answered his question.

    ¡°Correct! Now the real question, were we the only ones?¡± David quizzed.

    ¡°No, no we weren¡¯t!¡± I nearly yelled realizing where he was going.

    ¡°Exactly. We ask those heroes to join.¡± David finished his explanation.

    ¡°I like it, but that¡¯s a very limited pool of people.¡± I pointed out what I saw as the only flaw.

    ¡°I¡­have a suggestion.¡± Prometheus said hesitantly.

    ¡°Ok, I didn¡¯t have you pegged as an idea guy.¡± I said slightly shocked by who was speaking up.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± The hot-headed villain deflated.

    ¡°Neil, he wasn¡¯t saying don¡¯t share the idea.¡±  Mastermind told the saddened man, who slightly perked up.

    ¡°Oh. Well, just hear me out before you say no.¡± Neil said, not off to the best start, ¡°Heroes weren¡¯t the only ones ousted by Bridgers.¡±

    ¡°Nope, let me stop you right there.¡± I interrupted before he could get to far.

    ¡°No hear him out.¡± Lucky came to the defense of his friend.

    ¡°While they went to the Hero Bureau to get the info for those heroes, I went to the Villain Bureau to get my own list. People we trusted, people who, for lack of a better word, need this.¡± Neil seemed passionate about this.

    ¡°Ok, on one condition we, the people in this room, decide together on if we take anyone on, hero, villain, or even Bridger. If we can¡¯t decide it¡¯s left up to the Team Leader.¡± I stated emphasizing my last word.

    ¡°And that would be you?¡± Neil half asked, half stated.

    ¡°Actually, I was thinking William.¡± I said plainly.

    William looked shocked, which means it was worth it.

    ¡°Me?¡± he asked with a higher pitch in his voice than normal.

    ¡°Remember what we talked about at City Hall?¡± I asked him, knowing he would get it. He gave a nod in confirmation, and an expression of determination etched his face.

    ¡°Do we get a say in this?¡± asked Hopper.

    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s just my nomination. There is one more thing. This building is mine, I paid for it with my own money. Also, we will be starting with a leg up.¡± I started, ¡°When we were going to form this team originally, I set up a team bank account and put a percentage of my payouts into it. I had forgotten about it, and now we have four and a half quadrillion dollars in it.¡± I finished with no humor in my tone, letting them know I was serious.

    The speed at which everyone¡¯s, but William and my own, jaws dropped was fast enough I almost didn¡¯t see it.

    ¡°With only a percentage of your payouts?¡± Richard, the first to come out of his daze, asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know how much is in his personal account.¡± William stated flatly.

    ¡°How much did this building cost?¡± David asked.

    ¡°Three-hundred and forty trillion thread, give or take a few.¡± I told the room.

    There was a tense moment as people withdrew into their own thoughts.

    ¡°Anyway, anyone opposed to William heading up this operation?¡± I asked trying to get them back on topic.

    There was looks shared between each person at the table, but none of them out right opposed.

    ¡°All right then.¡± William said. ¡°We could go over the possible recruits¡­ If you want to.¡± He started strong but finished weakly.

    ¡°I think that would be a good idea.¡± I said backing him up.

    ¡°All right I guess I¡¯ll start. I reached out to some, but these are who already replied with interest¡± David said.

    ¡°Solemn can you make the files appear on screen?¡± I asked.

    I didn¡¯t receive a reply but got something even better. In the middle of the table a holographic image of a familiar man, next to the image listed his super name, and some basic stats commonly available on the internet.

    -Air Hammer

    -Hero

    -Level: 178

    -Power: Air Manipulation

    -Highest Held Rank: 19

    -Air Hammer wields an unbelievably heavy hammer, that he makes lighter by manipulating the air around it. Strong Solo Fighter.

    ¡°Air Hammer, nice choice.¡± I said.

    ¡°He was a good guy, needed to work on his name though.¡± Richard chimed in.

    ¡°A worthy foe.¡± Neil told us.

    ¡°All in favor?¡± asked William.

    He received approval from everyone.

    The next hero took over the image. A woman wearing a punk rock outfit, and instead of a mask wore what looked to be spray paint across her eyes.

    -Power Chord

    -Hero

    -Level: 167

    -Power: Music

    -Highest Held Rank: 27

    -Power Chord was known to use her guitar to send waves of emotional influences at her opponents causing them to lose focus while bolstering her allies. Strong Group Support.

    Another successful vote, and we were set to add her as well.

    ¡°How about we try a villain now?¡± I asked the group, then gave Neil a nod.

    Neil looked at me a bit apprehensive then pulled out a file.

    -Baron Speed

    -Villain

    -Level: 180

    -Power: Super Speed

    -Highest Held Rank: 12

    -Baron Speed uses his speed and swordsmanship to devastate foes. Moving from target to target taking them out with deft and precise strikes makes him a strong solo fighter.

    ¡°Now I am all for more speedsters, but isn¡¯t he a bad choice for what we want to do here?¡± I asked.

    ¡°He has actually calmed down quite a bit, I think he manages a mattress store.¡± William stated. Solemn pulled up surveillance video of Baron Speed cleaning the store at super speed.

    ¡°How about this? We introduce all new recruits with a trial period where we can see if they would be a good fit with us.¡± Lucky suggested.

    ¡°Not a bad plan, any opposed?¡± William asked, calling for a vote.

    Non objected.

    ¡°Any opposing the Baron?¡± He called for another vote.

    David, Richard, and Hopper Raised their hands, and Megan looked like she wanted to.

    ¡°Megan you have a right to vote here just as much as I do.¡± I told her. Her hand went up.

    ¡°It¡¯s a tie.¡± I stated looking around. ¡°Now what?¡±

    ¡°This may sound like I¡¯m trying to steal power, but I think the team leader should settle ties.¡± William said sheepishly.

    ¡°I agree.¡± I told him.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s easy for you to say, you both voted for Baron Speed.¡± Richard said accusingly.

    ¡°How about a vote?¡± Hopper asked.

    ¡°All opposed?¡± I asked. As David, Hopper, and Richard raised their hands again, but Megan didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Team leader settles ties.¡± Hopper announced.

    ¡°Then as the first tie breaker, I would like to explain myself.¡± William started. ¡°A few weeks ago, would any of you been comfortable with me leading your team? Probably not. However, here I am trying to change myself and turn my legacy from one of fear into something better. I feel we should extend these people the same chance.¡±

    Looks of embarrassment came across the faces of those who voted against the speedster.

    The image changed to the next villain in line. A giant oozing blob of something.

    -The Sludge

    -Villain

    -Level: 158

    - Power: Sludge

    -Highest Held Rank: 48

    -Once a scientist The Sludge was transformed by a vat of toxic sludge into this hulking creature. He can liquify himself to pass through almost any crack and harden himself for devastating blows. Strong fighter and infiltrator.

    ¡°All opposed?¡± Mastermind asked the group only getting a hand raise from Megan.

    ¡°Sorry, but I feel like he would smell.¡± She said cheeks growing flush from the attention. This caused the rest of us to laugh and defused any tension she felt before she joined in.

    We voted to allow nine more people, heroes and villains, into our fledgling team.

    -Captain Quake

    -Villain

    -Level:174

    -Power: Tremors

    -Highest Held Rank: 70

    -Captain Quake shakes things up by causing small tremors around him, making it hard for people to stay on their feet. Strong group fighter.

    -Dark Omen

    -Anti-Hero

    -Level: 173

    -Power: Unknown

    -Highest Held Rank: 20

    -Dark Omen has made it hard for anyone to identify her power, with reports varying wildly from none to flight to shadow teleportation. Strong solo fighter with tactical mind and excellent stealth skills.

    -Lady Frost

    -Villain

    -Level:170

    -Power: Ice

    -Highest Held Rank: 36

    -Lady Ice is one of many frost villains, she uses her ice creatively enough to separate her from the pack by creating ice bubbles to shield herself and allies and spreading her freezing ability over an area dropping the temperature greatly. Strong group fighter and support, creative power usage.

    -Phantasm

    -Villain

    -Level: 178

    -Power: Illusions

    -Highest Held Rank: 13

    -Phantasm uses illusions that her opponents brain processes as real causing the brain to think it gets hurt. Strong solo fighter.

    -Purple Sage

    -Hero

    -Level: 162

    -Power: Magic

    -Highest Held Rank: 15

    -The Purple Sage is a jack of all trades in magic, not specializing in one field leaves him weaker than the average mage but allows more options to choose from. Strong group fighter.

    -Silver Goliath

    -Hero

    -Level: 178

    -Power: Metallic Skin

    -Highest Held Rank: 18

    -Silver Goliath changes his skin into a shiny silvery metal that cannot be pierced without extreme force, it also allows his blows to land harder. Strong solo and group fighter.

    -Switcher

    -Villain

    -Level: 175

    -Power: Power Copy

    -Highest Held Rank: 13

    -Switcher got her name by being able to switch her power to someone else¡¯s by just touching them. Her power allows for a wide variety of abilities. It was reported she was able to use two different powers at the same time in extreme circumstances. Strong solo and group fighter.

    -The Voiceless Angel

    -Hero

    -Level: 181

    -Power: Angel Wings

    -Highest Held Rank: 9

    -Not one for words, The Voiceless Angel uses his wings to fly around the battlefield hitting his foes with his mace. Strong solo and group fighter.

    -Thundering Guardian

    -Hero

    -Level: 156

    -Power: Thunder

    -Highest Held Rank: 53

    -Thundering Guardian wears heavy plate armor for protection and uses his thunder abilities to deafen and disorientate his foes. However, his armor does slow him down. Strong group fighter.

    With the new recruits voted upon, I ran the now finished paperwork back to city hall and gave the required fifty-thousand thread fee before running back to my friends.

    ¡°So now that that¡¯s over, the real important issue.¡± Lucky stated in all seriousness.

    ¡°What¡¯s that Wayne?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°Just how much money do you have?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Do you want specifics, or round it? I asked him.

    ¡°You can round it.¡± Wayne told me.

    ¡°Well after five years of putting money in, and the fifteen total years of interest. I have just under nine quadrillion thread.¡± I told the group, no hint of joking in my voice.

    Lucky just continued to stare not blinking.

    ¡°I think you broke him.¡± Richard said.

    William and I fell to the floor laughing.

 The Left Behind Chapter 10 (Christmas Special)

    Chapter 10

    Snow began to fall on the city as Vesta sat in front of her window it had been six day since the shift had happened and she had mixed feelings about being in the new world. It wasn¡¯t like she missed her old world or her old body for that matter, but there was just something missing.

    A chime from her door indicating that someone was in the hallway broke her moment of thought. With a thought she opened a holographic window that floated in front of her that showed a live feed of the outside of her door.

    ¡°I gave at the office.¡± Vesta said as a joke.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± Spark said holding up a cup that Vesta could see was steaming just a little.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Vesta said unable to resist the idea that he might come bearing coffee.

    The door slid open and Spark walked into the room. He did indeed bring two hot cups of coffee and the room filled with the delightful aroma. Vesta eagerly accepted the beverage and began to sip it down to wake her soul where it still wanted to slumber.

    ¡°It¡¯s odd to see you relaxing.¡± Spark said considering Vesta¡¯s situation. She was sitting with her legs curled underneath her in a chair that sat in front of a window that overlooked the city.

    ¡°Everyone has to take a day for rest. Otherwise they fall apart.¡± Vest said with a smile.

    Spark walked over to another chair that sat next to Vestas and sat down. He took a sip of his own coffee, ¡°I guess you make a fair point,¡± He said with a hiss of enjoyment.

    ¡°Do you miss home?¡± Vesta asked after a few moments of silent enjoyment of the drink.

    ¡°Like Earth?¡± Spark asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Vesta said with a contemplative nod.

    ¡°Honestly, not really. I miss some people that I knew, but I mean I act like I¡¯m awesome but really I was kind of an asshole.¡± He said with a shrug.

    ¡°No!¡± Vesta said with a loud fake gasp.

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± He said holding up his hand.

    ¡°I miss something, but I can¡¯t really put my finger on what it is.¡± Vesta admitted after a small chuckle.

    ¡°Silence.¡± Spark said with a sigh.

    ¡°What, no.¡± She said shaking her head.

    ¡°Oh, come on. I could see from a mile away how you felt about him.¡± He said making blowing a raspberry.

    ¡°Dude you¡¯re crazy.¡± Vesta said pushing her hair out of her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that boy was blind as a bat if he couldn¡¯t see the way you felt about him.¡± Spark said crossing his arms.

    The room fell into a dead silence. It was the most awkward that Vesta had felt in many, many years. She found the liquid in the cup she held to be extremely interesting.

    ¡°Anyway, do you know what today is?¡± Spark asked finally breaking the silence almost ten whole minutes later. She assumed that he was torturing her.

    ¡°The sixth day since the shift?¡± She asked looking at him.

    ¡°Yes, but it is also Christmas Eve. I¡¯m going out today to check out some of the small shops that have sprung up from our new citizens. I want to spend money with them so I¡¯m going out to get you a Christmas gift.¡± He explained standing up from the chair.

    ¡°It¡¯s CHRISTMAS EVE?!¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°December twenty fourth, zero A.S. You don¡¯t have to get me anything at all, but if you¡¯re interested, we could have dinner later. As friends of course.¡± He said with a bow.

    ¡°That sounds like fun. Yes,¡± she cleared her throat, ¡°as friends.¡± She said.

    Spark gave her a friendly smile and nod before he left the room. When she was alone with her thoughts, she realized that he had hit the nail on the head. It was Silence that she missed, but not him specifically. It was the relationship that she was always trying to have with him that she missed. Tossing her feelings at him and hoping they stuck.

    That was then and this is now she told herself as she stood up. He wasn¡¯t there and there was no telling if she would ever him again. She didn¡¯t need to pine over something that never actually existed.

    After a nice hot shower Vesta suited up to go mingle among her citizens. She needed to find a gift from someone that she knew less about then she thought that she did. Instead of taking the elevator down to the main floor she took the two flights of stairs up to the roof.

    From the top of the huge building she looked down at the city she was building. In the commercial zones that she had designated Vesta could see that there was a market area that was starting to form. The rectangular area was surrounded by new shops, but there were also smaller stands that had been erected in the center.

    With a blink and a miniscule amount of energy Vesta appeared on the street outside of the new bazaar. Even with the snow that fell there were dozens of people walking and shopping in the market.

    ¡°Merry Christmas!¡± A man dressed in a Santa suit yelled as Vesta walked by. He rang a bell and was being followed by a man and a woman who were dressed as elves. The elves were handing cookies out to people as they walked by.

    Vesta smiled, though no one could see it as she walked into the bazaar. Right off the bat she saw goods of varying values and qualities. There were stalls that were selling various resources that were needed for the crafting systems in the world. Crafting was something that Vesta had spent a good deal of time working on before the shift but had not even looked at it since.

    The question that was now plaguing her was what in the hell would she get for Spark. The first stall that she stopped at was the home of crafted weapons. The crafter was a specialist in melee weapons. There were dozens of swords and other blade-based weapons. Given that they were crafted Vesta and Spark both had far more powerful weapons given that they had earned them in raids.

    The next stall was filled with low level crafted armor. A good start for new players, but nothing that would really help Vesta or Spark. She moved on from the stall and continued to shop.

    It took her twenty minutes to get from one end of the bazaar to the other. She came across stalls that sold everything that she could think of from serums to clothes. Everything was at the lower end of the levels, but her city was only a few days old, so she considered that it was doing well.

    After all that though, she still didn¡¯t have anything for a gift. She started the loop of the shops that had been established. Most of them were just more of the same compared to the stalls that she had looked through. Their owners just had more money to get started than those who chose to start a stall.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Vesta stopped in a shop called Talya¡¯s artifacts. As she walked into the small shop, she could feel the energy coming from the items on the glass shelves. With the shop¡¯s name being what it was Vesta expected a dust old shop that was dark with random items on wooden shelves. Instead this place was like an art gallery with white walls bright lights and glass shelves. Everything was neatly categorized and lined up perfectly on the shelves.

    ¡°How may I help you today?¡± a woman asked walked out from behind a all glass counter. The glass was not clear like the shelves however it sported a clouded texture.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m in search of a gift.¡± Vesta admitted walking through the shop.

    ¡°A gift on Christmas Eve? What an impossible task. Luckily you¡¯ve come to the right place.¡± The woman said with a bow, ¡°I am Talya the owner and sole employee of this shop and might I say that it is an honor to have our lady in my shop on this day.¡± She said with a smile.

    ¡°Thank you. Do you really think that you can help me?¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve traveled the world in search of artifacts to populate the shelves of my store. I was once set up in Axiscore but recently felt that it was getting too crowded and left in search of a place of a new home.¡± Talya said with a smile.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry that you¡¯ve had to uproot, but I¡¯m glad to have you here.¡± Vesta said.

    ¡°As for your gift,¡± She walked over to a shelf that was a grid like layout of nine shelves each held a different colored orb, ¡°You should give one of these a try.¡±

    ¡°And these would be?¡± Vesta asked without the slightest clue.

    ¡°They are experience orbs.¡± Tayla said with a slight smirk.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Vesta asked a little underwhelmed.

    ¡°Ah I understand your confusion. These orbs aren¡¯t ordinary orbs. They give you experience, yes, but you live the experience that you gain. This orb,¡± She picked up the orb that was glowing red, ¡°You relived the fire wars of the Yolrian era.¡± She explained.

    Vesta took the orb when offered and a vision filled her mind. She was on the frontlines as a massive battle waged in all directions. The sky was streaked with fire and the heat was intense around her in the air. It would have been a battle that she wanted to be a part of but not necessarily something that Spark would care for.

    She came back from the ¡®trailer¡¯ for the orb but didn¡¯t get a chance to check out any other. The crowd outside began to devolve into screaming. Vesta handed the orb back over to Tayla and bolted from the store.

    It wasn¡¯t easy but Vesta moved her way through the crowd towards where the screams. The people had gathered in a circle around whatever was happening. When she broke through, she found the man who was dressed as Santa laughing madly with his hands outstretched.

    Around him there were about a dozen people foaming at the mouth and viciously lunging at the crowd. Vesta recognized one of the people who had taken a cookie from the men dressed as elves that had been walking with the Santa Claus.

    Vesta threw herself into the circle and knocked back one of the rabid people from biting an onlooker. She was careful not to injure the man who was snapping at them like a wild dog, but he was relentless.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± She demanded of the not so sane looking Santa. Upon a closer inspection she noticed that there was blood around the collar of the suit, and it was filthy.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m Silent Night.¡± He said, ¡°Ho, ho, ho.¡±

    In a ridiculously fast motion Silent Night lunged across the space between them in a red and white blur. Vesta managed to throw her arms up to block in the incoming attack. She was knocked back onto her butt, however, she was able to kick up and send the jolly imposter end over end.

    ¡°Are you seriously a villain dressed like Santa Claus?¡± Vesta demanded as she jumped off of the ground.

    ¡°The evilest most vile man on earth, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± He asked licking his lips when he stood.

    ¡°How in gods name do you figure?¡± Vesta demanded in astonishment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Santa Claus hates poor people!¡± He said practically seething. He reached into his bag and pulled out an assault rifle. Leveling the weapon at Vesta he didn¡¯t hesitate to open fire even with all of the people around them.

    In a burst of movement, she did the best that she could to put herself between the people and the bullets. Her suit did a wonderful job of stopping the weapon¡¯s fire, but she wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop every shot. A couple of people went down and Vesta knew she had to get this mad man out of the city.

    She ran towards the man as fast as she could. When his clip ran out of rounds, she dove on top of him and teleported them out of the city. The first place that came to her mind was the camp where they had taken down the gang outside of the city. When they popped into existence, they appeared over a repair robot that was damage when she dropped onto of it.

    Silent Night devolved into maniacal laughter from where he laid in the dirt. Vesta struggled to separate herself form the robot and get off of the ground.

    ¡°What is so funny?¡± she demanded standing in front of him ready to end the fight.

    ¡°Merry Christmas!¡± He said with a yellow toothy grin. She hadn¡¯t noticed that there was something in his hand, but she would never forget the click.

    No less than a dozen explosions rang out from the city. Vesta watched helplessly as several pillars of flame shot into the sky from different places, most near the market.

    ¡°What have you done?¡± Vesta asked in a hushed tone.

    Silent Night could do nothing but laugh.

    She wanted to kill him, but she had to go help her people. They were the most important thing to her. When she turned to take one last strike against the man he jumped up and took off running, surprisingly fast away from the camp. She gritted her teeth and turned back towards the city.

    In a pop she was back in the market. There were fires burning all around her. This was not a huge problem, however, despite the damage that had already been done. With focus she was able to pull all of the close fire energy in and store it in her body putting out the fires.

    She found her way to the center of where one of the explosions had originated. On the ground she found pieces of what seem to have once been a Christmas present.

    ¡°What a monster.¡± She said.

    As fast as she could she began to rush around the market so that she could offer aid to anyone that was hurt in the explosions. Once they were able to calculate the injuries, she was happy to find that there were no deaths. The worst of the people were taken to the newly built clinic where they would receive medical attention.

    ¡°What happened here?¡± Spark said flying down.

    ¡°A villain named Silent Night.¡± Vesta said helping a shop owner lift large chunks of debris, ¡°Where have you been?¡±

    ¡°I had to fly a town over to get your gift.¡± He said in shame, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Don¡¯t be sorry, get to work.¡± She said pointing to a pile of wreckage.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± He said with a nod and rushed over to help another shop keeper.

    ~//~

    It would take days to full repair the damage done by the attack with most of the robots for the city tasked on projects. When Vesta and Spark came to a point where they were far enough past completely exhausted to stop the sun was coming up over the horizon.

    ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± Spark said realizing that it was Christmas Day.

    ¡°It¡¯s really wonderful that we can mark our small nation¡¯s first Christmas with a terrorist attack.¡± Vesta said with a puff of frustration.

    The two of them were standing in the market alone. Everyone else had packed it in for the night to get ready to celebrate with their families.

    ¡°Shall we? I am in desperate need of some sleep.¡± Vesta asked.

    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Spark said.

    Vesta walked over and laced her fingers in Sparks. With a whoosh they were standing in Vesta¡¯s apartment. Snow began to fall even harder than it had the day before. The fresh blanket would hide the fact that most of their little market was ruin.

    ¡°Before you go to bed.¡± Spark said usher Vesta over to the sitting area by the window.

    Her suit unfolded allowing her to step out and she couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief. The suit was self-propelled, but the strain of wearing it all day did take its toll. Spark took his helmet off and set it on the table.

    ¡°Here.¡± He said handing her a wrapped package.

    ¡°You know you basically just handed me a bomb.¡± Vesta joked trying to make light of the even horribly.

    ¡°Just open it.¡± Spark said eagerly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get you anything. The chaos broke out as I was trying to pick something.¡± Vesta said as another stall.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, just open it!!¡± Spark said.

    Finding no other reason to stall Vesta tore away the paper that covered the box. She was absolutely terrified of what could be inside. Considering the gift came from Spark it could literally have anything.

    When she opened the box, she gasped. Inside was the most beautiful crystal rose that she had ever seen in her life. The diamond-like glass construction refracted the light in many different colors as she turned it in the light.

    ¡°I heard a while ago that you had hundreds of roses in your house back on Earth. They don¡¯t have roses on NuValla believe it or not. So, I had this one crafted for you. I was hoping that someone in the city would have had enough skill, but no one has a crystal crafting skill that I could find.¡± He said with a massive grin on his face.

    After gently placing the rose down on its stand where it hovered in small circular motion, she threw herself at him in a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

    ¡°I was also hoping that this thing would get me laid.¡± He said pulling his lips away from hers.

    Despite her better judgment Vesta pushed Spark down on the couch and moved on top of him lowering herself down for another kiss.

 Robotic Heroes Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    Combat

    ¡°Pozhar, was it? I¡¯ll give you one more chance, turn around and leave,¡± I said to the delusional Russian.

    ¡°Pozhar is not afraid of you,¡± he said snapping his hands making the flames grow larger.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this for your own good,¡± I said resisting the urge to sigh.

    ¡°Is the American scared of the mighty Russian? The borders might not exist anymore, but Pozhar remembers the might of the greatest nation on Earth.¡±

    ¡°I thought Russia was wiped out first?¡± I asked scratching the back of my head.

    ¡°Scum!¡± Pozhar shouted before a massive burst of flames sent him flying straight at us. I reacted by leveling my pistols with him and rapidly pulling the trigger. I scowled when I saw the rounds melt before they reached him from the massive amount of heat he was putting off. My scowl only grew when I saw the damage he was causing to my airship.

    I considered what to do when Alara flashed by me in a blink. She slammed into Pohzar foot first. He went flying bodily backward rolling end over end. He managed to stop a meter from the edge.

    ¡°Don¡¯t break Regan¡¯s things!¡± she shouted after him.

    ¡°Thank you, Love,¡± I said walking up next to her and grabbing her hand. She had what reminded me of a tan now. It was an interesting change from her usual pale skin.

    Pozhar stood up shakily then coughed up a large amount of blood. ¡°Bloody Americans... Always getting in Pozhar¡¯s way!¡±

    I felt a large surge of energy as Pozhar¡¯s body started to shift to pure flames. I saw the metal he stood on start to glow brightly and knew it wouldn¡¯t hold up too much more heat. I quickly bent down to place my hand on the hull of the airship. Using all my current energy and matter, I upgraded the hull to withstand heat up to the temperatures of the sun. Completely drained, I breathed deeply as I laid there.

    ¡°Up to you, my love,¡± I said.

    She nodded reaching down and placed her hand on the metal surface. With a burst of energy, a metal tree grew up next to her. She grabbed the bottom and it broke away. She spun the blade around her, and a whistle sounded from the speed she moved it at. She flashed forward becoming a blur.

    ¡°Die!¡± the Russian shouted in an unearthly voice.

    He swung his fist and a stream of flames accompanied it. Alara swung the sword and tendrils of metal wood emerged from the sword streaking to meet the flames. There was a boom from the explosion. Alara¡¯s tan got darker from the heat, but she had yet to get burned, thankfully.

    She crouched low to the ground as she grew closer to the fire crazed Russian. Dropping into a slide, she brought her sword around slicing clean through Pozhar¡¯s leg. He fell forward but his body reformed, and he caught himself before he completely collapsed. Alara glared at him as she didn¡¯t care for enemies that could recover so quickly.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Pozhar roared and spears made of flames and plasma fired in all directions around him. The airship was able to withstand the blows, while Alara deflected the attacks with ease. I was the one that ended up suffering. Still basically at zero energy, I was unable to move in time and one of the lances struck me in the chest. I roared in pain as it ripped through my lung. ¡®damn flesh and blood body,¡¯ I groaned in annoyance.

    There was a shockwave as something knocked me back. I looked up from the lance to see anger literally rippling off Alara. I sighed as in my current state there was little that I could do to stop her. I just hoped that the airship survived. In a blink she was in front of Pozhar. Her sword moving so fast it was almost impossible to keep track of it.

    She began to slice chunks off his flaming body. She screamed as her speed only increased. I was actually impressed that he¡¯d managed to last this long. I would have to look into the skill he used to become living flame. His luck didn¡¯t hold out however, as his body shifted back to its true form.

    Alara either didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care, she sliced his arms off. Blood sprayed from both wounds only to turned to steam from the heat still in the air. She was about to remove his head when a sound made her stop.

    ¡°Pozhar? What are you doing here?¡± Daniel asked with sleep still in his eyes. He yawned as he floated closer.

    ¡°Mister Warp. As you can see the Americans are about to decapitate me,¡± Pozhar said surprisingly calmly. I guess to him and Daniel this was more a video game then real life.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before you were going to run into someone you couldn¡¯t handle...¡± Daniel said shaking his head.

    Seeing the fight was over, I borrowed some energy from Alara. I could tell she was still quite angry. I gripped the lance in my chest, and it shattered when I extruded enough force on it. Thanks to the heat, the wound was sealed, which I found interesting to be walking around with a hole you could see through in my chest.

    As my health recovered, the wound was returning to normal but by normal means it would take a few minutes. I walked over to Alara and pulled her around to face me. Her breathing calmed down as she took in my face. ¡°I¡¯m alright now love.¡±

    ¡°Regan... Don¡¯t scare me like that,¡± Alara said tears coming to her eyes as she shot forward into my arms. ¡°No one wants to see their lover with a lance through their chest.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really have control of the matter, my love,¡± I said with a chuckle.

    She pulled away but didn¡¯t release my arm. I smiled warmly at her while taking her hand in mine. We both turned towards Pozhar. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked turning his head back and forth between us.

    I turned to Daniel. ¡°How do you know this guy?¡±

    ¡°Business associate,¡± he replied without pause.

    ¡°Feelings if I kicked him off the side of the airship?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Not really. He helped me in the past during a botched rescue but you¡¯re the boss,¡± Daniel said with a yawn. I turned back to Pozhar.

    ¡°What to do?¡± I asked tapping my chin.

    ¡°Kill me. I don¡¯t want to owe you filthy Americans anything,¡± Pozhar said spitting on the ground.

    ¡°I told you, we¡¯re not American... If anything, she¡¯s more along the lines of European...¡± I said with only a bit of exasperation.

    Pozhar glared at me for a full minute. ¡°My bad.¡±

    My foot collided with his face before I had a second to think about my actions. I pulled back and just sighed at the moron. ¡°Daniel teleport him to one of the cells. He seems like a good test subject for the power dampening field device.

    I turned to look and saw a city in the distance. Skyscrapers reached into the air for hundreds of meters, the center taller than the rest. Factories spewed smoke into the sky covering a good section of the city. To the east were docks where ships in the medium range were docked. Smaller cargo ships were the most common.

    In the factory section, smoke that you¡¯d see after a fire or explosion floated up lazily. I guessed they hadn¡¯t finished cleaning up my little present from earlier today. I looked around and spotted a field that would make a decent landing spot. I cracked my knuckles as I took in the scene.

    ¡°Time to get to work,¡± I said with a grin before taking Alara¡¯s hand and heading back to the bridge.

    End

 Super Delivery Chapter 13

    Chapter 13

    ¡°So, how are going to go about this?¡± William asked.

    ¡°I figure we could split into teams.¡± I told him my thoughts.

    ¡°Yes, that could work, but I have an idea I¡¯d like to work on here if that¡¯s okay.¡± William said with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, team leader.¡± I said with only the barest hint of sarcasm. He shot me a look that started out menacing then shifted to a slight smile.

    ¡°Alright then. Team one will be Wayne and Neil. You two will focus mainly on the villains Captain Quake, Lady Frost, Phantasm, and Switcher.¡± William told the table.

    This was followed by nods from team one.

    ¡°Team two will be Ray and Megan. Since you two have speed you will go to Baron Speed¡¯s mattress store. After that you will go talk to the Sludge followed by Dark Omen and The Voiceless Angel.¡± Mastermind continued giving us our assignments.

    I didn¡¯t want to face Angel, not yet, but I felt like someone was looking at me. I turned to look for the eyes watching me and met Megan¡¯s gaze. She blushed before looking away.

    ¡°Finally, team three will be Allen, David, and Richard. You will focus on the remaining heroes.¡± He finished the giving orders. Not noticing the look on Hopper¡¯s face.

    ¡°How did he know my name?¡± Hopper asked quietly.

    ¡°I know right, it¡¯s weird.¡± David said not answering his question.

    After that we all split up, getting into our super suits and getting ready to head out.

    I stood just inside the lobby of the tower waiting for The Streak to come down. I noticed that the now clean room was just empty.

    ¡°Solemn, is there anyway you could furnish the lobby and possibly staff it?¡± I asked the AI.

    ¡°I have the ability to do that, but I do not have the funds to do it.¡± The room responded with its characteristic sadness.

    ¡°How much would you need?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Depending on the quality of staff and furniture, anywhere from fifty-thousand to five-hundred thousand.¡± He deadpanned.

    ¡°I am going to have Travis set up an account that you can use to fully furnish the entire building, but don¡¯t furnish any personal rooms without someone telling you what they want.¡± I told him.

    ¡°And staff?¡± Solemn asked.

    ¡°I want at least the lobby done, and a cafeteria with a staff would be nice too, but no higher up than the lobby.¡±

    ¡°It will be done.¡± Solemn responded as the elevator doors opened up.

    Megan stepped out in her Streak disguise, which is still something I haven¡¯t gotten used to.

    ¡°Ready to go to get the Baron?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Yeah let¡¯s go.¡± It was her changed voice that made her sound like a man.

    ¡°That¡¯s just weird now that I know the truth.¡± I told her.

    ¡°Get used to it, male heroes get taken more seriously.¡± She said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not always true. It depends on how you handle yourself.¡± I said memories of a past Honor Guard flooded my mind making me sad.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She sounded concerned when she asked.

    ¡°There used to be a female hero I worked with, before we made it into the big leagues. When she spoke, everyone took her seriously.¡± I said trying to keep my sadness from my voice.

    ¡°What happened to her?¡± the Streak asked.

    ¡°She was killed trying to defuse a hostage situation.¡± I stated.

    ¡°Why do I feel like there¡¯s more to the story.¡± She probed.

    ¡°There is, but now isn¡¯t the time. We were given a task and we should do it.¡± I said trying to get the conversation to end.

    She looked like she wanted to say more, but she just nodded and pulled out her phone to find the location of the mattress store.

    ¡°So, the mattress store is over by Centurion¡¯s Park, about two streets over it looks like.¡± Megan said, in her male disguised voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there, I¡¯m gonna take the long way to clear my head.¡± I told her and before she could answer I ran the opposite direction.

    I ran for the edge of the continent and slipped into my thoughts.

    ¡°Hey, wake up! We have a hostage situation at a small-time bank.¡± A familiar female voice told me as she shook me awake.

    ¡°Five more minutes.¡± I told her.

    ¡°Ray you have to get up now! I need you to get me there quick!¡± She yelled.

    She really knew how to motivate me. Someone was in danger and I couldn¡¯t let them get hurt. In the blink of an eye I was up and in my fledgling super-suit. She was already in hers.

    ¡°All right, Donna let¡¯s go save the day.¡± I said, standing in a hero pose.

    ¡°When I¡¯m in this it¡¯s Delay!¡± She lectured me gesturing to her suit.

    ¡°Whatever you say sis. Let¡¯s go!¡± I told my younger sister with a smirk.

    I came out of my deep thoughts as I made it back to land. Speeding up, not wanting to keep Megan waiting I ran at max speed to the address she gave me. I must have been going faster over the ocean than I realized as I arrived exactly when she did.

    ¡°I thought you were going to take the long way?¡± Megan asked.

    ¡°I did.¡± I told her.

    ¡°Oh, okay then. Let¡¯s go meet this Baron Speed then.¡± She said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve actually met him before¡­ multiple times.¡± I said.

    ¡°Oh really? What should I expect?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Expect a chase.¡± I said bluntly.

    We opened the door to Cool Night¡¯s Sleep and stepped inside.

    We saw a man sweeping the floor of the otherwise empty shop, save for the mattresses.

    ¡°Hi welcome to General Cool¡¯s¡­¡± He trailed off as he turned around and saw me. Before we could react, the man was gone, and the broom finished it¡¯s sweep before it fell to the ground.

    ¡°Told you he¡¯d run.¡± I gave Megan a smirk before I took off after him in a blast of energy.

    I caught up to the man with far less effort than I could give. He was almost seventy levels behind me, so it made sense. I grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

    ¡°Why did you run?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Old habits die hard I guess.¡± He said sheepishly tapping the tips of his fingers together.Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Did you do something wrong?¡± Megan asked as she came to a stop beside me.

    ¡°NO!¡± He yelled. ¡°I swear! I work for one of my archrivals at a mattress store. I am under strict supervision because of that.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ General Cool owns that store? Is he around? I miss that guy.¡± I asked

    ¡°No, he went to a business meeting, he¡¯s thinking about franchising the store.¡± Baron said, my hand still on his shoulder.

    ¡°Oh well. Anyway, we have an offer for you.¡± I told him.

    ¡°An offer¡­ for me¡­¡± He sounded confused, understandable really.

    ¡°We started a team and are offering the chance for villains to reform and join the good fight.¡± Streak told the man.

    ¡°You mean go against the Bridgers?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Not exactly but we want to get back in the super game.¡± I said.

    ¡°What¡¯s the pay? The benefits? Can I get dental?¡± He asked excitement in his voice now.

    ¡°We hadn¡¯t discussed that, but I assume we will offer medical coverage. Afterall we want our members healthy.¡± I said pulling out my phone and shooting a message about healthcare to William.

    ¡°Well I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt to at least look into it.¡± Baron mused.

    ¡°Well we are doing a month trial run for new recruits, not just villains, heroes too. So, don¡¯t think you can return to villainy if you work with us.¡± I told him plainly.

    ¡°Right, where should I go?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Eternity Tower.¡± I said no funny business in my voice. He gulped.

    ¡°Now have a nice day they are expecting you.¡± I told him and he ran off.

    ¡°Now who¡¯s next?¡± I asked Megan.

    ¡°We have The Sludge, Dark Omen, and The Voiceless Angel left. So, dealer¡¯s choice.¡± She said.

    ¡°Right let¡¯s go see Angel.¡± I told her.

    ¡°Why is he called the Voiceless Angel?¡± Streak asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough, he works as a tattoo artist not too far from here. Follow me,¡± I said as I went to move, I stopped.

    ¡°Do you have your civilian clothes on you?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah I have them in my storage bag. Why?¡± She seemed confused at my question.

    ¡°Let¡¯s walk there. If that¡¯s ok with you?¡± I asked her.

    She seemed to think it over for a minute before nodding and starting to walk towards a phone booth, man it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen one of those.

    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± I started, ¡°Before you change, what do you look like as the female version of Streak?¡± I wondered out loud.

    She pulled out her phone and hit a button, changing her form from an athletic looking male with his short hair sticking out of the top of his face mask, and an average but muscular form, into a stunning woman, whose short hair morphed into long hair stopping at her shoulder blades with a slimmer athletic form.

    ¡°What?¡± She asked breaking me from my stupor while blushing slightly.

    ¡°N¡­nothing, you just look amazing.¡± I said before I could stop the words flowing from my brain to my mouth, bypassing any filters in between. I blushed myself.

    ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m going to change.¡± Megan said before she zipped towards the phone booth, a tornado of motion within, before she reemerged in her civilian clothes. I did the same thing changing my clothes in the same booth she just vacated.

    ¡°Shall we?¡± I said holding out my arm for her to take. She hesitated before taking it.

    We walked, in a comfortable silence, for around ten minutes before we reached the nondescript building listed on Eveningstar¡¯s contact information. This recruit was one I wasn¡¯t really wanting on the team. This has nothing to do with his abilities, he¡¯s a strong warrior, and a very devout friend and team member, but we have a history.

    ¡°Is this the right address?¡± Megan asked. Looking around I noticed something just left of the gate.

    ¡°It¡¯s the right place.¡± I said.

    ¡°How can you tell?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here before.¡± I told her, sadness tinging my voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Megan asked.

    ¡°Nothing, but if anything happens, don¡¯t interfere.¡± I said plainly as I walked to the gate and pushed the buzzer to the right side of it.

    Three flashing lights from inside the building showing someone had rang the buzzer.

    Within seconds the midday sun overhead seemed to be growing dark. After a couple of more seconds, I saw the two large wings spread from either side of his body growing closer to us. I started to tense up.

    He landed his back to us and slowly turned to face us. He walked slowly towards us never looking up from the ground. He stopped only a few feet in front of me.

    POW!

    His fist collided with my face. Megan started to run forward to get between us. I stopped her with a hand and a look that told her not to do anything.

    BAM! POW! POP!

    Three more blows hit me, two in the face the third in the stomach. Right after he collapsed to the ground to, tears streaking down his face. He finally looked up and made eye contact with me.

    His hands started moving in a flurry of motion.

    ¡°Why did you come here?¡± Eric asked in sign language.

    ¡°I had to. We are working towards something great. I was asked to talk to you.¡± I signed back at him.

    ¡°How could you show your face here after what happened?¡± his hands were trembling the whole time he signed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know how much it hurts, I miss her every day.¡± I barley made the motions, as my sadness threatened to take full control.

    I stood up, holding out my hand to help Eric up. He slowly took it and I pulled him into a hug.

    Just two grown men hugging and softly sobbing. Totally something I wanted Megan to see this early in our relationship.

    ¡°Um¡­ is everything okay?¡± Megan asked.

    ¡°Oh¡­ um¡­ yeah, sorry let me introduce you.¡± I said motioning to Eric, while signing to let him know what I was saying too. ¡°This is Eric, my brother-in-law. Eric, this is Megan.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Megan seemed to draw out the last syllable for an impressive length of time. ¡°Hi nice to meet you Eric.¡± She finally managed to get out, still confused.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, now what do you two want?¡± Eric signed.

    ¡°We made the team. No one on it knew our connection. I still wanted you to be apart of her dream.¡± I said and signed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do it without her.¡± When he finished his head went back to hanging and his arms sat weakly by his sides. I touched his shoulder to get him to look back up.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, you¡¯ll have a spot when or if you ever decide to join. Are you still painting?¡± I asked.

    He answered me with a simple nod.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, I would like to see them sometime, if that would be ok?¡± I signed. He just shrugged.

    ¡°Look if you¡¯re ever ready, meet with us here.¡± I signed before handing him a card with our address on it. He took it but didn¡¯t show any emotion other than sadness.

    ¡°We have some others we have to meet. Can I stop by again sometime?¡± I asked. He looked like he wanted to hit me again, but then he nodded and pulled me in for another hug.

    I told him bye and started to walk back the way I came.

    ¡°Hey, what was that all about? If he¡¯s your brother-in-law, where¡¯s your sibling? Don¡¯t you want to say¡­¡± She cut off when the realization hit her.

    ¡°So where to next?¡± I asked wiping a tear off my face.

    ¡°The next closest is in the industrial district.¡± Megan said quietly.

    ¡°We should probably change for this one, it¡¯s the Sludge, right?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah since he¡¯s a villain that would be a good idea.¡± She agreed.

    I walked into an empty ally and changed coming out to be lookout so she could change. When she came out, she wasn¡¯t in her male disguise, she stood there a slight blush seen at the edge of her mask. I smiled then nodded at her.

    We took off running through the streets trying to reach the factory where the villain worked.

    We arrived at a large two-story factory, the information said that it produced chemicals that could harm the environment. We walked to the offices and asked to see the Sludge monster, one of the security guards escorted us to the very back of the factory and out a door leading into a large pond, that seemed to sheen with oils and other chemicals in the water.

    ¡°He¡¯s in there, I¡¯ll wait just inside the door, let me know when you¡¯re ready to leave.¡± The security guard told us.

    After a minute of waiting a the water started to bubble and it looked like it was moving toward us, slowly one step at a time the creature stalked out of the water as he passed the sheen from the chemicals seemed to be absorbed into his body.

    ¡°Hurrg yar naar.¡± The Sludge garbled at us.

    ¡°Good and you?¡± Megan replied.

    ¡°Wait you understood him?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the translation app. Don¡¯t you have one?¡± She seemed to be shocked at the idea.

    ¡°No? What app?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Let me see your phone.¡± She said taking my phone as I handed it to her. She hit a few buttons, then my HUD flashed.

    Translation activated. Analyzing conversation.

    Sludge: How¡¯re you now?

    ¡°Woah. This thing is awesome!¡± I said excitedly.

    ¡°You are one excited fella, aren¡¯t ya?¡± The Sludge said and I could understand him perfectly.

    ¡°He can be!¡± Streak said bumping me with her hip.

    ¡°Well, Sludge we came to ask you a question.¡± I said

    ¡°Sorry there fella, but I don¡¯t care to much for that name, call me Simon.¡± The Sludge, or rather Simon said.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Simon.¡± I apologized.

    ¡°No worries there friend, what can I do for ya?¡± He asked very politely.

    ¡°No offense but you seem much nicer than any villain I ever met.¡± Streak said.

    ¡°Well see that¡¯s the funny part. I never was a villain, everyone just thought I was because they couldn¡¯t understand me, and I look like a big ole monster. That didn¡¯t help much.¡± He said.

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you blow up a factory once?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Now that was an accident, there were ecoterrorists in that factory trying to put chemicals into the air, I absorbed all the harmful stuff, but in doing so I couldn¡¯t stop the factory from exploding. Plus, everyone but the jerks made it out safely.¡± Simon said defensively.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know, I¡¯m sorry Simon.¡± I told the monster-man.

    ¡°No worries, luckily the owner of that factory realized what I was doing then hired me here to clean up any toxic chemicals for him.¡± Simon said.

    ¡°Well thanks for what you¡¯re doing for the planet.¡± I said to the oozing slime before me.

    ¡°Oh no thanks required there. What brings you twos?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Right, we are recruiting for a hero team, and were asking old heroes and villains to join with us.¡± Megan said taking the lead.

    ¡°Well that sounds swell, but I have to come here at least once a week to clean this waste, woulds that be a problem?¡± Simon asked with some worry in his voice.

    ¡°Not at all, in fact I think it is a great thing you¡¯re doing, and I believe we¡¯d support you entirely.¡± I said.

    ¡°Then I see no reason not to, where should I meet ya?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Eternity Tower.¡± I told him. He started to laugh; it was a very scary laugh that shook a small area around the massive waste monster. He looked at us seeing we weren¡¯t laughing with him.

    ¡°Wait, yous are serious?¡± He asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s for real. Eternity Tower is our headquarters.¡± I said.

    ¡°Well alright then, I guess I can see you guys there. Thanks for stoppin¡¯ by, but I got some chorin to do. Y¡¯all take care now.¡± Simon said as he waded back into the water.

    ¡°That went better than expected.¡± I said.

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t know about the translation app?¡± Megan asked.

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s what you¡¯re going to take away from this?¡± I asked returning the hip bump form earlier.

    ¡°Anyways the only person left is Dark Omen. That sounds like an ominous name for a hero.¡± Megan said.

    ¡°Actually, she¡¯s an anti-hero, and it seems her location is near Eternity Tower. We should get going.¡± I said.

    ¡°I bet I can beat you there.¡± Megan challenged.

    ¡°You are so on!¡± I said excitedly.

    ¡°On your mark, get set, GO!¡± We said in unison before speeding off towards downtown.

 Super Delivery Chapter 14

    Chapter 14

    As we raced through the streets, bobbing and weaving through the traffic on the road and occasionally the sidewalks, I had a clear lead on Streak. That was until I looked back and noticed something odd, you could hardly see it, the air in front of her seemed to be rippling.

    Panic was coursing through my mind, someone with the ability to manipulate air was doing something! I slowed just slightly, then grabbed her arm and turned down an alley stopping with my back to a wall and scanning around the corner.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Streak asked, her level of panic mimicking my own.

    ¡°Someone was doing something to the air in front of you. Don¡¯t know who or why.¡± I stated trying to remain calm.

    Laughter burst from the speedster next to me.

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s why you pulled me back here?¡± She said between laughs.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not something that I find particularly funny!¡± I started, ¡°I¡¯m missing something aren¡¯t I?¡± I finished with the realization that she knew something.

    ¡°Have you ever wondered why I can keep up with you?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Thought never really crossed my mind¡­¡± I said under my breath.

    ¡°My main power is superspeed, one of my others is Air Manipulation. I decrease air resistance so I can run faster!¡± She told me, laughter almost rising to the surface again. Well two can play at that game.

    ¡°Wait. Are you telling me you are a Bridger!¡± I said dramatically.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She said confusion tinging her voice. I put the back of my hand to my forehead, for extra drama.

    ¡°You wait until now to tell me!¡± After I finished, I pretended to faint.

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, you know that, right?¡± She insulted then asked. I shot back up to my feet.

    ¡°Now that just hurts.¡± I said shoulders slumping a bit.

    ¡°Maybe this will help.¡± She said then surprised me with a kiss.

    You know how people say the world stops? This was like that, kind of. I sped my mind up, causing the moment to last far longer than it actually did.

    ¡°Feel better?¡± She asked after what felt like hours to me.

    ¡°Um¡­ Uh¡­ Yeah¡­¡± I said a little dazed by the action. She blushed and moved a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

    ¡°Good because we should get going.¡± She said, hopping a little on one foot before turning and walking towards the way we came.

    ¡°Well luckily we can get there fast, you know, since we¡¯re fast.¡± I said catching up to her before we left the alley.

    ¡°Really? I knew I was fast, but you being fast is news to me.¡± She teased.

    ¡°I believe I have a lot more points in speed than you do.¡± I said teasing her back.

    ¡°If that was true, then how come I won the race in the tower yesterday?¡± She asked stopping at the entrance to the alley.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t let a pretty girl lose.¡± I said getting into a sprinter¡¯s stance. She didn¡¯t say anything as she mimicked my stance. We looked at each other and nodded then took off at full speed.

    Right after we took off at high speeds, I accelerated myself to just faster than she was going. I then turned around and ran backwards in front of her and returned the kiss she gave me moments before. I then took off speeding to my max in order to beat her there.

    Streak slowed a little as we moved along allowing me to arrive at our destination first unimpeded. I looked up at the building in front of me and started to move for the door.

    Before I could move inside, I was tackled to the ground by what felt like a speeding bus.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Megan said standing up. ¡°I was lost in thought and stopped paying attention!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I heal fast.¡± I told her while getting my feet under me.

    ¡°I should have been paying more attention.¡± She mumbled.

    ¡°Look I¡¯m alright, only did like fifty damage. I heal twice that in five seconds, It¡¯s ok.¡± I said reassuringly. She nodded not meeting my eyes.

    ¡°This is Maine Conglomerate¡¯s corporate headquarters I wonder who Dark Omen is.¡± I said thinking out loud.

    Just as I finished speaking that thought, the door opened and a sharply dressed young man walked out and stopped right in front of us.

    ¡°Ms. Maine is expecting you Mr. Celerity, and¡­ I¡¯m sorry my paperwork said Mr. Streak not Ms. Streak.¡± The young man said before motioning for us to follow.

    ¡°I guess that answers your question, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Streak asked.

    ¡°Either that, or she knows who we¡¯re looking for.¡± I answered.

    The young man, who still remains nameless, lead us to an executive elevator, typed in a pin, and sent us to the top floor.

    It was a quick ride that felt longer as the awkward silence made me uncomfortable.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± we said in unison, but both stopped to let the other continue. A few seconds later the elevator doors opened.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time you guys arrived.¡± A younger woman, presumably Ms. Maine, said as we stepped off the elevator into a large office space.

    ¡°Ms. Maine?¡± I asked

    ¡°Of course, Ray. Or do you prefer Celerity?¡± She responded with her own surprising question.

    ¡°What is with everyone knowing who I am?¡± I asked the universe, who never answers.

    ¡°Well with the amount of assets I have, tracking a speedster¡¯s comings and goings is nothing.¡± Ms. Maine answered in the universes place.

    ¡°Right.¡± I said now unsure how to continue. Luckily Streak is smarter than I am.

    ¡°So, you must be Dark Omen.¡± Streak said without any doubt.

    ¡°You are perceptive, and not a man.¡± She said the last part with a hint of surprise. ¡°May I ask how you knew?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a Bridger, and on my world, there is a very well-known tech billionaire who moonlights as a vigilante.¡± Streak answered her question.

    ¡°I¡¯d very much like to meet him.¡± Maine told my partner.

    ¡°So would I, but he¡¯s not real.¡± She told, the now revealed, Dark Omen.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s not confusing.¡± Maine said.

    ¡°Tell me about it, she said something similar about a speedster.¡± I inserted myself back into the conversation.

    ¡°Well then to business?¡± She started,¡± I assume you are here about the recruitment?¡±

    ¡°That is correct, but can I ask what your powers actually are?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Before I answer what do you two think they are?¡± She returned.

    ¡°My money is on some form of shadow manipulation.¡± I told her.

    ¡°And quite a lot of money it is. Normally I¡¯m the richest person in the room.¡± She said, releasing the fact she knew what my net worth was.

    ¡°I think you don¡¯t have any powers.¡± Streak said. I looked at Megan curiously.

    ¡°You¡¯d be right, cleaver girl.¡± She answered.

    ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯re telling me, you have gone toe-to-toe with some A-List villains with no powers?¡± I asked shocked.

    ¡°Exactly what I am saying.¡± She told me with a devious grin.

    I just sat there stunned. Not knowing what to say. It would be way too stupid, not to mention dangerous, to do that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase, you know why we are here, and what we are offering. Are you in or not?¡± Streak asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple is it? If I join, then you¡¯ll have the backing of my company who specializes in gear and equipment for superheroes, so this has to be worth something to me too.¡± Omen answered.

    ¡°So, what do you want? You obviously don¡¯t need money.¡± Streak said. It¡¯s a good thing she¡¯s here. If it was just me, I would still be staring at her in silence over the fact she¡¯s powerless.

    ¡°I propose a test is in order. If you succeed, then I will join you, and you will have the backing of Maine Conglomerate. If you fail, you will have to buy the equipment like everyone else.¡± Ms. Maine said with a slight smile etched on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the test?¡± I asked shaking myself out of the stupor I was in.

    ¡°I have received word of games taking place in Winter¡¯s Garden. There is a suit as one of the prizes. Bring it to me and we have a deal, I¡¯ll only need it for a few days, then you can have it back.¡± Ms. Maine offered.

    ¡°What type of games are these?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Some new up and comer is hosting them, He calls them Regan¡¯s Winter Games. Registration starts tomorrow.¡± She told us.

    ¡°So if we do this, any and all equipment needs will be taken care of?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We will sign a contract first, of course.¡± She said.

    ¡°In that case I will be sending our team leader over to make the arrangements.¡± I told her.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the leader?¡± She asked a little shocked at this revelation.

    ¡°I am not.¡± I told her with my own smile on my face. ¡°You¡¯ll see who it is later.¡±

    ¡°Oh, by the way, the paperwork hasn¡¯t gone through yet, what is your team¡¯s name?¡± Maine asked.

    ¡°The Honor Guard.¡± Streak said.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not. I wanted something that would last longer and mean something more.¡± I said then turned and walked toward the elevator. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll know when the paperwork is finalized.¡±

    Megan stepped into the elevator behind me and the doors closed.

    ¡°Can we talk?¡± Megan asked as we stepped out of the building.

    ¡°Is this a superhero talk or can we change first?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We can change first.¡± She said.

    ¡°Cool my place isn¡¯t too far from here.¡± I said, ¡°We can go there, changing in phone booths is not an easy task.¡± I said eliciting a small chuckle from Megan and breaking the tension.

    We arrived at my apartment only a minute later, I unlocked the door and showed her around my modest living space. I then led her to the bathroom so she could change. While she was changing, I typed a quick message to William to let him know what Ms. Maine had said.

    ¡°Hey Ray?¡± Megan called from the bathroom.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I called back.

    ¡°Would it be ok if I took a shower?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Go for it. I¡¯ll order some food.¡± I yelled back.

    ¡°How about pizza?¡± Megan asked

    ¡°It¡¯s like you read my mind¡­¡± I trailed off thinking about how Bridgers get three powers. ¡°Did you read my mind?¡±

    ¡°No, I just wanted pizza!¡± She answered.

    I placed the order, then went to get changed myself as I heard the water turn on. I decided to check out the games Omen told us about. The internet was going mad for it. It looked like it was going to be busy, and there were races for speedsters! I could dominate!

    My investigation into the games only increased my excitement as I learned more about what was going to be offered. Team battles, Two person fights, solo fights¡­ This would be a good time to test the new team.

    I pulled out my phone and shot William another message.

    Ray: Have you heard about Regan¡¯s Winter Games?

    William: I just heard about it through Ms. Maine.

    Ray: I did some research. It seems like a good opportunity to test the team.

    William: I agree. It would be nice to see what they can handle.

    Ray: Yeah, I think Megan and I will head up first thing tomorrow to check it out and register. Should we register the team or are you going to?

    William: I will do it. Hopper can get us there so don¡¯t worry about us.

    Ray: Ok. How did the meeting with Maine go?

    William: If we can get our hands on a suit, very well.

    Ray: Good. Oh, got to go, my food is here. Later.

    I greeted the pizza delivery girl, payed for the food, and gave her a decent tip too, I have the money so why not?

    ¡°Is the food here?¡± Megan asked exited the bathroom with a wall of steam behind her.

    ¡°Just got here, it¡¯s piping hot come and get it!¡± I said as I over dramatically placed the pizza on the table and waved my hand to get the aroma to my nose.

    ¡°Smells good.¡± She said absent mindedly.

    We each grabbed a plate with several slices on them and sat on the couch the News on the TV was background to our quite eating.

    ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± I asked as I finished my third slice and went back for more.

    ¡°It¡¯s about what happened in the alley.¡± She said her face flush with embarrassment.

    ¡°What about it?¡± I asked a knot forming in my throat.

    ¡°Where I come from, it isn¡¯t unheard of for someone like me to be in a relationship with someone like you. It is just looked down on.¡± She said almost inaudibly.

    ¡°What do you mean someone like you, and someone like me?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well someone from my world, and someone from one of the worlds we visit.¡± She explained.

    ¡°Question. Can you leave this world?¡± I asked trying to get her to see something.

    ¡°Well not anymore.¡± She replied.

    ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that make you of this world?¡± I quizzed.

    ¡°For now, but what if I¡¯m able to leave in a week?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Then that seems like a problem for a week from now us doesn¡¯t it?¡± I asked her, the knot growing larger.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Well wouldn¡¯t it be better to live now and be happy, then to worry about what could happen?¡± I asked her. She didn¡¯t say anything for a while, lost in thought.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the first person to tell me that. I was told almost daily back on my world.¡± She mumbled.

    ¡°Forget that. What do you want?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure anymore. I wanted to escape from my life, so I came here. Now I want to go back. It¡¯s confusing.¡± She said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to figure out everything right this second, I¡¯m just telling you that you don¡¯t have to worry so much about the future.¡± I said with a reassuring smile.

    ¡°I guess you have a point.¡± She said with a considering nod.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s late, if you want you can take my room, I¡¯ll take the couch. We have an early day tomorrow.¡± I said hoping she¡¯d be less confused after a good night¡¯s sleep.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She said getting up and following me to my room. ¡°One more thing, what did you name the team?¡± Megan asked.

    ¡°The Eternal Guard.¡±

 Update and Plug (Not a Chapter)

    Hey everyone!

    This is an update on the story and kind of a plug.

    I know we did a lot to build up the crossover event. We still want to complete it and publish it, but there has been a little bit of a problem. We all worked together and that was where we could share ideas and spitball to get things rolling. Well the company that we worked for sold the location where we worked. Two of us went with the new company and two went with the old company. The two that left recived promotions that really take a majority of thier time. Dragon has to focus on his works with little free time for anything else at the moment. Goblin is in the process of moving and adjust to a job with considerably more responsibility.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    With all that said I wanted to plug a new story that I''m working on in my spare time. I''m getting some guidance from Dragon who so far says that he likes what he reads, so I hope I can keep that up.

    So stop waiting and go check out REAL TIME DUNGEON</a> the first chapter is up and there is much more to come!